Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Living as a Hero's Brother**

**Chapter 20: The Great Forest of Mezaja (2)**

"Captain, even so, taking a mere freshman from the Command Studies Department is a bit much, isn't it?"

"Even if you say that, it is what it is."

In response to her subordinate's words, Raviata, the woman with short, fiery red hair, waved the paper in her hand and continued.

"This kid has never even been to Mezaja, yet he wrote this. Could you write a paper of this level about a dungeon you've never visited?"

"Of course not..."

"I never would have thought of something like this either. Good grief, a Dragon Heart!"

"But isn't it just a theoretical fantasy thought up by someone who's never left the desk? You're suggesting we take him based on this!"

"Of course, but we're going there to confirm it, aren't we? We have to go there anyway."

"Hmm..."

At Raviata's words, the adventurer, James, frowned and fell silent.

Indeed, as Raviata said, this paper was not something that could be dismissed as mere fantasy.

"‘The Great Forest of Mezaja experiences certain impossible patterns of phenomena. However, this is only because human imagination has its limits. Phenomena we don't understand occur beyond our perception, leading us to label them as anomalies.’ That's what it says. The kid concluded it was a Dragon Heart..."

Dragon Heart.

A word that could ignite the hearts of even the coldest adventurers.

The heart of the great being that stood at the pinnacle of all ancient races is said to be filled with pure magic, a source of magical power.

Obtaining it wouldn't just grant immortality; it would bestow powers close to those of a god by human standards.

In Shane's paper, he deduced that the reason for the phenomena in the Great Forest of Mezaja was the Dragon Heart.

More precisely, he hypothesized that the corpse of a dragon was buried there.

"As it says here, it can't be dismissed as mere fantasy. According to ancient texts, when a dragon dies, the magic in the Dragon Heart returns to nature, causing various anomalies. At the time, they didn't have the technology to record magic patterns in detail, but if, as the paper suggests, the corpse of a dragon—especially an elder dragon—was sealed, the anomalies described by other scholars would make perfect sense."

That was true.

What Shane did was provide hypothetical evidence to support the existing theories about the Great Forest of Mezaja.

"And here, it even explains the reasons."

The dungeons created by the Great Seal are 'frozen worlds,' so the magic is trapped and cannot return to nature due to the will of the world, causing the phenomena of that time to repeat endlessly.

However, this is not a simple repetition. Although the will of the world seals the magic, magic is a fundamental element of the world. While it cannot completely resist the will of the world, it continuously changes its elements to restore the damaged nature.

This hypothesis, presented in the paper, sparked tremendous interest among scholars from various schools, who cross-verified it with their own past papers on the Great Forest of Mezaja.

Of course, since the secrets hidden in the dungeon have not yet been revealed, this is still just the beginning.

And there were those who burned with passion as much as the scholars.

The adventurers.

They may not have the same level of knowledge as the scholars, but they believed that the corpse of a dead dragon lay in the Great Forest of Mezaja!

This was an issue that could capture the attention of not only adventurers but also nobles.

"So, we need to take him before others do. It shows foresight, doesn't it?"

"Hmm... Then I suppose I should at least take the test. It's one of the Five Great Cradles, after all. He should at least be able to protect himself if we take him there."

"Right, right, I get it. When have I ever acted on a whim?"

"Isn't that right now?"

As they were chatting, the door opened, and two more people entered.

"Hello, I am Professor Zahad from the Command Studies Department."

"Hey, Zahad! It's been a while?"

Professor Zahad, who was on the older side, bowed his head quietly in response to Raviata's greeting.

"Yes, it's been a while."

"Damn, you're still so stiff. We're from the same batch, you know."

"Princess Raviata, one must maintain proper etiquette."

The person who responded to this was none other than Shane.

'That mobile nation, Raviata.'

The Raviata Adventurer Guild, on par with the now-defunct Hermes Adventurer Guild, was a small but elite group known as a 'mobile nation' due to their formidable combat power.

In fact, they were so renowned that they made significant contributions to the first and second Cradle extermination operations when the Seven Great Cradles still existed.

Shane had known from his previous life that Raviata had a great interest in the Dragon Heart.

However, he never expected that the mobile nation would take direct action from the start.

"Anyway, that's too stiff. So, is this the troublemaker with the blank expression?"

"Yes. Cadet Shane. Introduce yourself. This is Raviata Chloe, the leader of the mobile nation Raviata Adventurer Guild."

"...Hello. Clayton R. Shane."

When Shane politely greeted her, Raviata showed interest.

"Wow, you're different from what I heard. And the Clayton family is quite famous... You're also well-mannered."

Did she investigate me before meeting me?

Shane didn't show any displeasure and replied.

"I heard you came to discuss collaboration on the exploration of the Great Forest of Mezaja."

At his words, Raviata smiled.

Raviata, being unaffiliated with any nation, had no official status.

Of course, no one would dare look down on the leader of the mobile nation Raviata, but Shane's lack of reaction to the fact that a non-noble had investigated a noble impressed her.

It showed that he understood the basics of this world.

"Well, getting straight to the point suits my personality. Good, I came here for the matter you mentioned. Of course, it's because of that paper."

"Of course, you'll be accompanying us to the Great Forest of Mezaja."

"If the contract goes well, you'll have a chance to shine inside the Cradle."

Raviata seemed to be well aware of her position as the party with the upper hand.

In reality, even if Shane came from a powerful merchant family in the Federation, pressuring a guild like Raviata would result in being shunned by the entire population.

Adventurers were almost revered in the Federation.

Shane knew this but had no intention of being led around docilely.

"Can I see the terms?"

"Your attitude pleases me. However, unfortunately, our guild isn't yet under my sole command. James!"

At Raviata's call, the young man who had been standing beside her stepped forward.

"Hello. I am Ardia James, in charge of the finances for the Raviata Adventurer Guild."

When Shane returned the greeting, James continued.

"As you know, Mezaja is filled with dangerous monsters that match its treacherous natural disasters. We need to test your basic combat skills."

"I see."

"Yes. From what I understand, Cadet Shane's practical evaluation scores haven't been very good up to last year."

That was true.

Before the regression, Shane at this time was overwhelmed by Klein, and although he didn't show it outwardly, he was very intimidated. For a mage, such a mental state was almost as toxic as poison.

As a result, he easily panicked and lost control of his emotions in any sparring match.

Thus, it was impossible for his evaluation scores to be good.

"Of course, you're above average... But, to be honest, entering the Great Forest of Mezaja with this level is akin to suicide."

James' expression didn't show any particular ill will, but his eyes conveyed a message that Shane should know his place.

By knowing his place, he would be able to distinguish when to act and when not to.

In fact, James still believed that collaborating with Shane was premature.

He wanted to prevent a young sprout from blooming and dying prematurely due to premature fame.

Of course, it was impolite to maintain this stance after they had already requested collaboration.

"Come on, don't push him so hard—"

"I'll take the test if it's necessary."

"Huh?"

Just as Raviata was trying to lighten the mood, Shane interrupted her.

"First, let's hear the contract terms."

Shane looked at James with a calm gaze.

"...This is my mistake. I apologize. I'm sorry."

Faced with Shane's calm gaze, James took a step back.

Despite being the financial officer of the renowned Raviata Adventurer Guild, he didn't hesitate to bow to Shane.

Because they were a guild with such a reputation.

Adventurers could lose their manners for their own benefit and safety, but they had to follow the procedures for contracts.

James had insisted on a test without showing Shane the contract terms, which was a clear violation of the basic order of adventurers.

Therefore, James offered a clean apology without any excuses, and Shane accepted it quietly.

Just that alone raised Shane's score in the eyes of Raviata and James.

At least, he wasn't a naive kid.

"Hmm..."

Shane read the contract carefully and soon nodded.

"What kind of test will it be?"

"We've already seen your dungeon progress through the Academy exams, so we'll focus on pure combat skills. A simple sparring match. I'll consider it a win if you can touch my body."

James added that he wouldn't use magic.

Although he was in charge of the finances for Raviata, he wasn't without combat skills.

In fact, he was stronger than most veterans in a top-tier guild.

Otherwise, he couldn't protect Raviata's assets.

"..."

However, when Shane remained silent, James spoke again.

"Is there something you're unhappy about? But this is necessary..."

Shane interrupted him again.

"I have something to add. Since I didn't come to you, but you came to me, I think I have a right to speak."

The regret is on their side, not his.

James might not think so, but Raviata's reputation was at stake.

"...Alright. What is it?"

"If I win, I want to add and modify the contract. In exchange, I'll change the sparring partner. My opponent will be—"

Shane's gaze shifted from James to the sofa behind him.

There, Raviata was smiling, finding the situation amusing.

"Huh? Me?"

Of course, her amusement quickly turned to surprise.

* * *

"Cadet Shane, are you sure? Even with the condition that you can't use magic..."

"The condition isn't just that."

"Hmm..."

Shane's words made Zahad hum thoughtfully.

In fact, this sparring match was set up in a way that was extremely favorable to Shane.

The time limit was 10 minutes.

If Shane couldn't physically touch Raviata's body within 10 minutes, he would fail the test and the expedition would be canceled.

Of course, given Raviata's combat skills, she had a penalty of not moving from a certain area for the first 5 minutes after the match started.

Even without magic, a person of Raviata's caliber could easily overpower Shane's level of combat skills.

Saying it was 10 minutes, once Raviata started moving after 5 minutes, Shane would have no way to deal with her.

"I have a plan to deal with her. And, even if I fail the test, it's not a big deal."

Of course, it would be a shame not to go with the famous Raviata Adventurer Guild, but it's not worth risking his life for.

Shane was needed by more than just the Raviata Adventurer Guild.

"Since you're so sure, I won't interfere further."

With that, Zahad stepped back, and Shane faced Raviata, who had arrived at the sparring arena in the Academy.

"Ready?"

"Yes."

"Let's start then."

Without any warm-up, Raviata stood in the center of the arena, looking at Shane, who immediately focused magic in his hands.

The moment Raviata realized the magic was concentrated in Shane's hands—

Bang!

A magic bullet the size of a fist shot towards Raviata.

Oh.