Takeshi was amazed by the King's swift intel.
The events at the city gate had reached his ears so quickly. To be a King in a place surrounded by magical creatures, develop his country to such prosperity, and even dare to slay a dragon, he was indeed not simple.
Erza quickly calmed down. "Since Your Majesty is already prepared, why issue an SS-Class Quest and entrust it to us?"
Reno explained, "The purpose of the entrustment is simple. The sealed location of the Dragon is deep within the Forest of Magical Creatures. The magical creatures deep within have been affected by Alazam's power for years, all transforming 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."
Erza asked, "Is our job to clear out those demon beasts?"
Reno nodded. "Yes, but that's not the main task. Your main task is to protect the Dragon Slaying Swordsman, or more accurately, to protect this sword."
Erza asked, puzzled, "But since it's a Dragon, wouldn't it be more reasonable to report it to the Magic Council?"
A Dragon would certainly fall under the jurisdiction of the magic world, and anything magical would be managed by the Magic Council.
When the Magic Council was mentioned, Reno's expression showed a hint of disdain. "The Magic Council? I reported it two years ago. What solution did the Magic Council offer?"
Takeshi and Erza both looked at him, curious.
"It was to use Etherion."
"Etherion!"
Erza's expression changed drastically. Etherion was the ultimate weapon of the Magic Council, capable of precise strikes anywhere on the Ishgar continent via a satellite magic array. Its power could even destroy a country.
"Exactly. Not to mention whether Etherion can kill Alazam, once fired, this city could be in danger of annihilation. Even if it doesn't affect this city, the Forest of Magical Creatures would certainly be destroyed. That is a crucial strategic resource for my country. Destroying it would severely damage the national economy."
Takeshi thought for a moment, and realized it was indeed true. Although this country bordered the Forest of Magical Creatures and was in great danger, it had also grown strong amidst this danger.
The Magic Council firing Etherion would be equivalent to ruining the country's livelihood. As the King, how could he not be furious with the Magic Council?
"Both of you, I have truthfully told you all the details of this Quest. What do you think?" Reno's gaze fell upon Takeshi and Erza.
Erza looked at Takeshi and asked, "Takeshi, what do you think?"
Takeshi pondered slightly. He knew how terrifying Dragons were. Even if a Dragon was in a weakened state, it was not something an ordinary human Mage could contend with, because they have strong resistance to human magic.
And a Dragon's body possesses super physical resistance, inherently being impervious to swords and spears.
Without that sword, the probability of humans winning would be less than one-tenth, but with this sword, their chances of winning should reach thirty percent.
Thirty percent might seem low, but it was actually quite high.
Logically, if the chances of winning were less than fifty percent, it would be safer to give up. However, he could feel his blood boiling, his heart leaping.
Dragon slaying. Just these two words were enough to excite any young man.
What's more, there was also the rewards from the system.
He said, "I think we can try it."
Erza said, "Hmm... I think so too. The King definitely won't give up on this plan, and it's true as he said, if the Dragon emerges and recovers its strength, it will certainly retaliate against humanity. At that time, there will surely be heavy casualties, and I cannot stand by and do nothing."
"Your Majesty, we have discussed it."
Reno asked, "What is your decision?"
"We have decided to accept this Quest."
"Good."
Upon hearing Erza's words, Reno was very pleased.
Although he was still unsure of the two people's strength, anyone capable of taking on an S-Class Quest must be an extremely powerful Mage. In that case, the probability of the Dragon Slaying plan succeeding would be even greater.
"Both of you, please stay in the palace for now. Tomorrow, the preliminaries for the 'World's Strongest Swordsman Tournament' will be held. If you are interested, you can participate. The prizes for the winners are very generous. After the winner is decided, we will then proceed with the Dragon's subjugation."
Erza declined, "No need for the trouble, Your Majesty. We will stay in a hotel outside. It's a good opportunity to experience the local customs and culture of this city."
Renk nodded. "That's fine too."
...
Takeshi and Erza left the palace and found a nearby inn to stay.
Three days of long-distance travel had left Takeshi a bit tired. After checking into the hotel, he quickly fell asleep and slept straight until the next morning.
Upon waking, he found that Erza was not in the room. It seemed she had gone out shopping. He also wanted to go out for a stroll and perhaps buy some local specialties.
As soon as he stepped out of the inn, he saw the bustling streets and alleys, with everyone heading in one direction.
He also overheard other people's conversations. He then remembered that the preliminaries the King had mentioned were starting today, and these people were all going to watch.
Although he had absorbed Yoriichi's memories, this did not affect the fact that he was a novice in swordsmanship, so he naturally wouldn't overestimate 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, Takeshi arrived at the entrance of the arena.
Similar to the style of this country, the arena felt immense to him, incredibly large, twice the size of any football field he had seen in his previous life.
"Registration deadline for the preliminaries! Only ten minutes left! Those who haven't registered, hurry up and do so!"
As soon as Takeshi reached the entrance, he heard someone shouting.
"I heard the King has offered a very generous prize money for this competition."
"How much prize money?"
"I heard the first place winner gets 20 million Jewels."
"20 million! 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 match 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! I want to register."
"Your name."
"Tsugikuni Yoriichi."