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Qi Yan, on the other hand, was amazed by the king's well-informed network; the events at the city gate had reached the king's ears so quickly. To be a king in a place surrounded by demon beasts, to develop the country to such prosperity, and even dare to slay a dragon—he was indeed not simple.
However, Erza quickly calmed down: "Since His Majesty the King is already prepared, why issue an SS-rank quest and entrust it to us?"
The king explained: "The purpose of the entrustment is simple. The sealing ground of the Demon Dragon is deep within the Demon Beast Great Forest. The demon beasts in the depths of the Demon Beast Great Forest, due to the long-term influence of the Demon Dragon's power, have all transformed into terrifyingly powerful monsters. I once sent troops to suppress them, but suffered heavy losses. Without eliminating those monsters, it's impossible to reach the temple."
"Is our job to clear out those demon beasts?"
The king nodded: "Yes, but that's not the main task. Your main task is to protect the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman, or more precisely, to protect this sword."
"With all due respect, Your Majesty, since it's a Demon Dragon, wouldn't it be more reasonable to report it to the Magic Council?"
Erza asked, puzzled. Demon Dragons certainly fall under the magic world, and anything related to magic is managed by the Magic Council.
When the Magic Council was mentioned, the king's expression showed some disdain: "Magic Council? I reported it two years ago. What was the solution the Magic Council offered?"
Qi Yan and Erza both looked at the king, somewhat curious.
"It was to use Etherion."
"Etherion!!"
Erza's face changed drastically. Etherion is the ultimate weapon of the Magic Council, capable of precise strikes anywhere on the Ishgar continent via a satellite magic array. Its power can even destroy an entire country.
"Exactly! Not to mention whether Etherion can kill the Demon Dragon, once fired, this city might be in danger of annihilation. Even if it doesn't affect this city, the Demon Beast Great Forest would certainly be destroyed. That is a vital strategic resource for our country. Destroying the Demon Beast Great Forest would severely cripple the nation's economy!"
Qi Yan thought about it, and it was indeed true. Although this country bordered the dangerous Demon Beast Great Forest, it had also grown strong amidst that danger. For the Magic Council to fire Etherion would be equivalent to destroying the country's livelihood. As king, how could he not be furious with the Magic Council?
"Both of you, I have told you all the details of this mission truthfully. What do you think?"
The king looked at Qi Yan and Erza.
Erza looked at Qi Yan and said: "Qi Yan, what do you think?"
Qi Yan also pondered slightly. He knew how terrifying a Dragon's strength was. A starved camel is still bigger than a horse; even if a Dragon was in a weakened state, it was not something an ordinary human Mage could contend with, because Dragons have strong resistance to human magic.
And a Dragon's body possesses super physical resistance; it is inherently impervious to blades and spears.
Without that sword, the probability of humans winning would be less than ten percent. With this sword, the human's chances of winning should reach thirty percent.
Thirty percent, seemingly low, but actually quite high.
Logically, with less than a fifty percent chance of success, it would be safer to give up. However, he could feel his blood boiling and his heart leaping. Slaying a Dragon—just these two words were enough to excite any young man.
Moreover, there were the two ten-pull rewards on the system panel.
"I think we can give it a try."
"Hmm... I think so too. His Majesty the King certainly won't abandon this plan, and it's indeed as he said: if the Demon Dragon emerges and regains its strength, it will surely retaliate against humanity. At that time, there will undoubtedly be heavy casualties, and I cannot stand by and do nothing."
"Your Majesty, we have discussed it."
"What is your decision?"
"We have decided to accept this mission."
"Good!"
Upon hearing Erza's words, the king was very satisfied. Although he was still unclear about the strength of these two, anyone capable of taking on an S-rank request must be an extremely powerful Mage. This would greatly increase the probability of success for the Dragon-slaying plan.
"Both of you may stay in the palace for now. Tomorrow, the preliminaries for the 'World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament' will be held. If you are interested, you may also participate. The prizes for the winners are quite generous. After the victor is determined, we will proceed with the Demon Dragon's subjugation."
Erza declined: "No need to trouble yourself, Your Majesty. We'll stay in a hotel outside. It's a good opportunity to experience the local customs and culture of this city."
The king nodded: "That's fine too."
Qi Yan and Erza left the palace and found a nearby inn to stay.
Three days of long travel had left Qi Yan somewhat fatigued. After checking into the hotel, he quickly fell asleep and slept straight until the next morning.
Upon waking, Qi Yan found that Erza was not in the room. It seemed she had gone out shopping. Qi Yan also wanted to go out and explore, and perhaps buy some local specialties.
As soon as he stepped out of the inn, Qi Yan saw the bustling streets and alleys, with everyone heading in one direction.
Qi Yan also overheard conversations, and then he remembered that the preliminaries the king mentioned were starting today. These people were all going to watch the matches.
Although he had absorbed Tsugikuni Yoriichi's memories, this did not affect the fact that he was a novice swordsman, so he naturally wouldn't over-estimate himself and make a fool of himself.
However, he was very interested in such large-scale events, so he followed the crowd to the arena.
After a while, Qi Yan arrived at the entrance of the arena.
Consistent with the style of this country, the arena gave Qi Yan the impression of being large, very large, twice the size of the football stadiums he had seen in his previous life.
"The deadline for preliminary registration! Only ten minutes left! Those who haven't registered, hurry up and register!!"
As soon as Qi Yan arrived at the entrance, he heard someone shouting.
"I heard His Majesty the King has offered a very generous prize for this competition."
"How much prize money?"
"I heard the first place winner gets 20 million J."
"20 million J!! That much!!"
"Yes! That's why it has attracted sword masters from all over the country, and even many from abroad, to participate!"
"Then this showdown must be very exciting!"
"Absolutely! I can't wait!"
At this moment, at the registration desk.
"Hmm... Time's almost up, no one else should be registering."
Suddenly, a voice rang out: "Wait a moment! I want to register! I want to register to compete!!"
"Your name."
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi."