Chapter 100: Three Days and Nights

The city of Ishka was silent, or rather, trembling with fear.

The usually bustling main street, filled with crowds of people, was deserted with not even a single stray cat in sight.
The wind blowing from the direction of North Titetis raged with sandstorms, and the buildings creaked as if screaming in agony.
Toys belonging to ownerless children rolled on the ground, tossed around by the storm.

It was a scene reminiscent of an abandoned ruin.

Of course, not all of Ishka’s residents had perished.
Nor had they all evacuated the city.
Many had indeed fled southward, but there were still many who remained in Ishka.

However, from the current deserted state of the city, it would have been extremely difficult to discern that fact.
Many people barricaded themselves inside buildings like clams, waiting patiently for the storm to pass.

It had been three days since the dragon’s first roar thundered across the land.

Many of those who had fallen into panic due to the roar had regained their sanity, and the defense line protecting Ishka had recovered thanks to strong reinforcements.
Furthermore, at this point, most of the magical beasts that had overflowed from Titetis had been defeated, and as far as defending against the stampede was concerned, the situation was clearly heading towards resolution.              .

However, why was Ishka still silent like a deserted ruin? The reason was soon to become apparent due to a rumble that shook the ground.

–Zun, Zuu…n, Zuzuu…n

The ground shook thrice as if being thrust upward, and buildings throughout Ishka trembled violently as if even the massive walls protecting Ishka were about to crumble.

The rumble did not subside with a single occurrence.
After a brief pause, it shook twice more, and still, it did not stop.
Five times.

It was an abnormally large and frequent occurrence to call an earthquake.
Normally, people would have been highly suspicious and making a fuss.

However, at this point, many of the residents of Ishka had resigned themselves to accepting this abnormal situation.
It had been three days since the first roar of the dragon, Dragon’s Roar, which had triggered the anomaly – an earthquake that had been continuously shaking the city day and night.
Even a child could understand that this earthquake, which had not stopped for three days, was not a natural occurrence.

The unceasing tremors were proof that the dragon behind the roar was still alive.
For those who had no means to fight, there were only two options: to give up or to flee.
Those who could escape had already done so.
It was inevitable that Ishka had become tinged with a sense of resignation.

Given this situation, even when the government or the Adventurers’ Guild announced the end of the Stampede, there was no cheering.
The ongoing earthquakes were a taunt from the dragon, saying “nothing is over yet,” and the residents were forced to spend sleepless days.

Logistics had ground to a halt, shops were closed, and if people used up their stockpiles, they would face starvation.
Even before that, if the dragon were to attack directly, humans would be crushed like insects.
People were unable to sleep at night due to their anxiety about an uncertain future and the impending fear of death.
Even if they managed to fall asleep, they were soon awakened by the tremors.

The weakened residents could only pray.
They prayed that the elite adventurers who boasted the strength of Ishka’s defenses would defeat the root of the problem as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, at the Adventurers’ Guild, which was a cornerstone of the city’s defenses, receptionist Lidelle reported to Guild Master Elgart.

“Master, we’ve received a message from the defense line at Parfait.
It seems that the three individuals in question have left the defense line and headed for the Titetis Forest.
Parfait reports that they intend to enter the Vermilion Twister Valley where the dragon is believed to be hiding.”

The three individuals in question were, of course, Gozuu, Klimt, and Claira.

In the past three days, and even before that, the three of them had played a major role in stopping the Stampede of the magical beasts.
Without them, there was no doubt that the defense line would have been broken early on.

Upon hearing Lidelle’s report, Elgart nodded slowly.

“Is that so.
So they judged that the next wave wouldn’t come and headed towards the source of the problem.”

“That seems to be the case.
However, regardless of their purpose, we should be cautious of them acting on their own without permission,” replied Lidelle, who criticized the three for their departure.
Although she was partly responsible for her own negligence, witnessing the reckless actions at the Sora residence had made Lidelle less favorable towards the three.

In response, Elgart narrowed his eyes slightly and replied, “They probably thought it was pointless to ask for permission.
Actually, the fact that the Stampede is coming to an end is nothing more than wishful thinking.
We didn’t have the luxury of allowing the three to leave in this situation.”

Perhaps the three acted independently because they knew this.
Elgart’s face, as he thought about it, was marked by a deep weariness.
As the Guild Master, he was always elegantly dressed and composed, but the chaos that followed the Octet Roar had taken a toll on his mind and body.

During the last three days, Elgart had been running around the government building, the guild, and the city trying to control the situation.
At the beginning of the chaos, the roar had knocked down many of the government’s top officials, and the city’s functions had completely paralyzed, so the burden on Elgart’s shoulders was considerable.

During this time, Elgart managed to coordinate with government officials, city merchants, and regular army commanders, and he worked tirelessly to maintain public order by distributing staff and adventurers throughout the city.
Not only did he delegate tasks to his subordinates, but he also went out himself.

As the Guild Master and a first-class adventurer, Elgart was one of the most famous people in Ishka.
Naturally, he had contacts with government officials, city merchants, and regular army commanders.
Elgart communicated with them, secured their cooperation, and built a temporary command system, managing to prevent the chaos from spiraling out of control.

If it weren’t for Elgart’s efforts, the chaos in Ishka would have been uncontrollable, and looting and riots in the city could have occurred.
And during this time, it was the three of them who supported the crumbling defense line.
If it weren’t for them, Elgart would have had to prioritize the extermination of monsters over controlling the chaos.
As a result, the chaos in Ishka’s city would have been several times worse, perhaps even dozens of times worse.

Furthermore, even if Elgart had gone to the front lines, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve overwhelming results like the three did.
It’s likely that the defense line would have collapsed, and Ishka would have been destroyed overnight by internal and external threats.

Now, it is undoubtedly thanks to the three’s achievements that Ishka is still standing, so Elgart knew he had to turn a blind eye to their somewhat self-centered behavior.
If they had run away from the enemy, it would be one thing, but since they went to eliminate the root cause, it was even more commendable.
That’s what Elgart thought.

However, he didn’t tell Lidelle this.
Lidelle was a smart woman.
She should have understood without Elgart having to explain.
So why did Lidelle criticize the three?

It was because the behavior they exhibited at Sora’s mansion was something Lidelle couldn’t stomach.
But that wasn’t the only reason, Elgart speculated.

Lidelle was probably more wary of the three than angry with them.
In a sense, more so than the Stampede’s monsters.
This was also true for Elgart.

During these three days, Elgart had only gone to the defense line once and witnessed the three’s battle with his own eyes.
The way they mowed down countless hordes of monsters, literally mowing them down, cutting them up, and burning them, was abnormal even to a first-class adventurer like Elgart.
Lidelle must have felt the same sense of alarm when she saw the same thing at Sora’s mansion.

The three of them have the power to stop even the Stampede if they wanted to, and they could possibly reduce the city of Ishka to ashes if they wished.

It’s not just a baseless fear, as the three have already attacked a demon girl who was allowed to reside in Ishka and those who tried to protect her based on their own values.

Although the exact details are not yet clear, according to Lidelle’s report, the three ignored all warnings, openly declaring that their own laws took precedence over those of the city.

Such lawless individuals possess an enormous combat power, so it was only natural for Lidelle to be wary of them, and Elgart was just as wary of them.

However, to be honest, the weight that the three held in Elgart’s mind wasn’t that significant, because there was another opponent whom he was far more wary of than the three.
Lidelle’s report mentioned another fact: the one who had driven the three away was a former tenth-grade adventurer who had been expelled from the guild.

“Again, it’s you, Sora.”

Elgart murmured, rubbing his furrowed brows.
Whenever a problem arose in the guild lately, his name was always involved.

Elgart understood that the current Sora was neither a “Parasite” nor a Level “1”.
Since he was expelled from the guild, Sora had rapidly increased his strength.
Elgart knew that, but he did not think that Sora had reached a level where he could defeat three strong opponents who had defeated the Stampede with ease.

“The difference between my expected growth and actual growth is like the difference between heaven and earth.
Now, has a god descended, or has a demon possessed him…”

“Master, is there something on your mind?”

Elgart, who looked puzzled, replied with a small nod and “It’s nothing” to Lidelle.

He then resumed his contemplation of Sora.

According to Lidelle, Sora and the three were acquaintances, and probably from the same hometown.
It cannot be denied that the three may have held back or hesitated in the face of Sora’s victory.
However, even considering that, Sora’s growth was unprecedented.

That Sora had been confirmed to have headed north on a blue indigo winged beast Wyvern three days ago – when he thought that far, the guild building suddenly shook.

“Hmm…”

Elgart, who felt the tremors, furrowed his brow slightly.
The sturdy guild building creaked and a delayed rumble, “Zuu…n, Zuu…n,” could be heard.

If it were a month ago, there would have been a big commotion about whether it was caused by a demon or an earthquake.
However, the Ishuka of today has accepted this abnormality with resignation.

Elgart approached the window and looked outside.

Most of Ishuka’s residents now associate the continuous earthquakes with the roar three days ago, thinking that a terrible magical beast is rampaging near the city.
The fact that the earthquakes continue is equivalent to the magical beast still being alive.
Therefore, everyone was hoping that the tremors would stop as soon as possible.

However, Elgart viewed this earthquake from a different perspective than others.

“Certainly, the continuing earthquakes indicate that a magical beast is alive.
But at the same time, it’s evidence that the person who challenged the magical beast is still alive.”

If he didn’t think that way, he couldn’t explain why the magical beast was staying in the Titis forest.

It’s not for one or two hours.
It’s more reasonable to assume that the magical beast couldn’t move from its current location because it was fighting someone, rather than thinking it didn’t move for three whole days for no reason.

“Three days ago, the resounding roar of a dragon was unmistakable.
If that’s the case, we should consider that the dragon on the other side of that crimson tornado is a mythical creature.
Sora, have you been holding off that dragon for three days and three nights?”

If that’s true, Sora’s strength is beyond imagination.
However, as a human, there is still a limit.
Judging from the frequency of the earthquakes, Sora should not have been able to sleep or even eat for the past three days.
It wouldn’t be strange if the shaking stopped at any moment.

Perhaps thinking about Sora, who is likely fighting a life-or-death battle with the dragon, Elgart casts his gaze downward with concern.

Elgart knows that Sora holds enmity towards the adventurer’s guild.
He also acknowledges that he himself is the cause of it.
Putting aside the expulsion, his handling of the “Falcon Sword” incident was certainly deserving of resentment.
Even if Elgart worries about him, Sora would likely just give him a cold look.

Even so, Elgart couldn’t help but pray for Sora’s safety.

He couldn’t help but pray for the safety of a young man who, despite knowing he couldn’t win, challenged a dragon for someone else’s sake.