HI3: I Don't Want to Be a Valkyrie

"At last, we've arrived at the human kingdom... Cronis Eagle.

"The following day, around noon, after another long journey by dragon carriage, Rozaliya and her companions finally reached the human nation known as the Cronis Eagle Kingdom.

They had been on high alert all night, anticipating a possible sneak attack by the magic beasts or creatures that the Cartman had warned them about when they camped overnight.

Yet, to their surprise, nothing happened. The night passed without incident.

"Is this what a human kingdom looks like? It doesn't seem much different from the demi-human kingdoms. It's just that there are more humans and fewer demi-humans here!"

Upon entering the town on the border of the Cronis Eagle Kingdom, Rozaliya noticed that there were still quite a few demi-humans with animal ears and tails present.

However, there were even more humans.

"Well, it's really not much different at all. It's just a difference in the number of races. After all, the Cronis Eagle Kingdom is a human kingdom that has good relations with demi-humans. Even the king's second wife is a demi-human," Cellinia replied to Rozaliya's observation, having overheard their conversation as she followed behind her sister and Liliya.

"Ah, that's true. In countries hostile to demi-humans, such as the Aixiaou Kingdom, you would... hardly find any trace of demi-humans living there. I've even heard rumors that... the Aixiaou Kingdom has some demi-human slaves, but there isn't any concrete evidence yet, so..." The cat-eared girl Skyfire carried her staff on her back and chimed in after hearing what was being said by Rozaliya and Cellinia. Her sentence trailed off.

"So interesting..."

Demi-human slaves...

Even after countless Heroes emerged in this world, the slave trade still persists unaltered?

-

"Rozaliya, mistress, what should we do next?" After walking around town streets for a while, Cellinia and her companions asked the Rozaliya sisters since they were the ones in charge.

"Let's eat first... Then we can inquire about the dragon and dungeon news. It's been a month now, so the princess should've already been eaten by the dragon, right?"

"If that's the case, we'll head straight to the dungeon. Once the dragon goes to snatch a new princess, we'll defeat it and rescue her. Then we'll demand a reward from the rescued princess's father."

Rozaliya hadn't put much thought into this; she was simply repeating the plan she'd conceived earlier.

In this world, the greatest passion of dragons was for princesses and treasure.

Dragons loved lounging on piles of glittering gold coins and gemstones, keeping princesses in cages to play with as toys to pass the time while waiting for heroes or champions to challenge them and save the princesses.

After playing with these heroes and champions a bit, the dragons would eat them before continuing to wait for the next brave soul trying to save the damsel in distress.

As long as a dragon wasn't asleep, every few years it would go and steal a new princess.

This behavior of dragons was very fitting for those found in medieval Western settings.

In ancient Western legends, just like Eastern dragons, they were sacred beings, gods who wielded various powers and authority.

With the rise of Christianity in the Middle Ages... deities from other religions were often portrayed as villains, false gods, or demons.

Among these were dragons.

From that point on, dragons ceased to be gods and became monstrous legends of evil incarnate.

In the Middle Ages, dragons symbolized "power," "renown," and "treasure." (In modern times... wives? Wives? Wives?)

(TL Note:( ╹ -╹)?)

-

The dragons of this world bore a striking resemblance to those described in the Bible— embodiments of pure evil.

As described in the Book of Revelation:

"And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born."

This great dragon was none other than the ancient serpent, known as the devil or Satan—the very embodiment of deception that had ensnared the entire world.

-

After hearing Rozaliya's words, Cellinia and the others were left utterly speechless...

Rozaliya showed none of the virtues one would expect of a Hero. She was actually planning to wait until the dragon captured another princess before going to confront it, just for the reward?

However, Cellinia and her companions said nothing to Rozaliya. After all, both Rozaliya and Liliya seemed so young. Although they were Heroes, their cuteness was such that everything else seemed inconsequential.

Cuteness is justice.

"If you're looking to gather information, the tavern and the adventurers' guild are probably your best bets," Platinum mused aloud. "We need to eat anyway, so let's stop by the tavern... All sorts of people go there, and once they've had a few drinks, they'll tell you anything. It should be easy to get the information we need from the staff."

"Sounds good! Let's head to the tavern!" Rozaliya agreed immediately.

"But we should probably also visit the adventurers' guild," Platinum added. "We might be able to get the commission we want right off the bat that way."

"Excellent."

-

The group strolled through the pedestrian street, found a tavern that looked quite lively, and headed inside.

After they ordered their food and drinks, Platinum skillfully handed some coins to the tavern employee and asked about certain things she needed.

Although the employee didn't know much, his frequent interactions with customers had given him a lot of information.

Firstly... it had been over a month, but Princess Tsuki was still alive, still in the clutches of the evil dragon.

For the past month, powerful adventurer teams and heroes had continuously tried to defeat the dragon and save the third princess, but... without exception, they all became food for the dragon.

This dragon was a red dragon, living on the Mount of Fire in the borderlands. It was incredibly strong, and its lair was said to be filled with countless treasures: plunder from all over, as well as offerings from those who feared it.

Not only did the red dragon have an immense size, but it was also immune to most forms of damage and controlled some unique magical attacks from the dragon race.

The red dragon loved to fight from a distance; just one blast of a fire spell could annihilate all its enemies. Even if it had to get up close, it was incredibly strong—perhaps not as powerful as a black dragon, but stronger than most other types.

On top of that, the red dragon had a small number of two-legged dragons and plenty of lizardfolk and centaur underlings as its servants.

-

Next, the shop assistant didn't know much about the new dungeon, except that it only had three levels. It was important to note that the previous Demon Lord's dungeon had five or more levels.

However... so far, no one had managed to break through to the second level; all expeditions had been wiped out on the first.