My name is Gorand, and I’m a merchant who is doing quite well for himself in Village Five.
But I’m not the type to settle for simply being part of the pack. I aim for the top. I intend to climb as high as I possibly can.
One winter day, I heard word that the Village Head’s children had gotten into a scrap with some of the local kids in Village Five. For a fleeting second, I was chilled to the bone thinking they had clashed with Lady Yoko’s daughter, Lady Hitoe, but that wasn’t the case.
Lady Yoko is the Acting Village Head. The ones they had fought were the children of the actual Village Head—Lady Yoko’s superior. Since I had never seen their faces, the gravity of it didn’t quite register. I didn’t even know what the Village Head himself looked like. He had apparently visited the village a few times before, but bad luck had ensured our paths never crossed.
Well, even though he was called the Village Head, he was almost never here, so I didn't consider him a person of any real importance.
The incident was handled without any particular punishment. It must have been nothing more than a childish quarrel. I had been hoping a few of my business rivals might be taken down a peg or two over it, so it was a bit of a disappointment. There were also rumors that the children had clashed with the Security Team, but I dismissed that as a blatant hoax. Even for a lie, it was a poor one. I wished people would put a bit more effort into their rumors.
The Village Head’s children had already left the village, and my interest in the matter faded. However, I panicked shortly after when I received word that the Village Head himself would be coming to Village Five.
Was he storming in because of the incident with the children? I wasn’t involved in that mess, but I didn't want to be caught in the crossfire. I prepared myself, thinking that if the worst came to the worst, I’d have to beg Lady Yoko to intercede for me.
As it turned out, the Village Head of Village Five was a laid-back sort of man. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, perhaps? Still a total greenhorn. His clothes were luxurious, but his mannerisms were unrefined. I could tell he’d crammed his etiquette lessons at the last minute. Of course, I was far too smart to actually point that out.
The Village Head reiterated that there would be no punishment regarding the children and explained he had only come to show his face. The color returned to the cheeks of those who had been pale with fear. My business rivals had made a full recovery. How unfortunate.
Village Head, I thought, you really could afford to be a bit stricter. Well, at least I wasn't dragged into any trouble.
The Village Head seemed to be on exceptionally good terms with Lady Yoko and her daughter, Lady Hitoe. No, they were far too close. I see. So that was it. They were lovers.
To anyone’s eyes, it was obvious that Lady Yoko was the superior of the two. She is, after all, a Nine-tailed Fox—a legendary existence. Yet, she went out of her way to act as his subordinate. I assumed she was doing it just to make him look good. It didn't seem like her style, but if they were sharing a bed, it made sense. The Village Head had certainly played his cards well. I was almost jealous. Well, I have a wife of my own, so I wasn't looking to get involved with Lady Yoko myself.
Regardless, I felt I had sized the man up. I could work with this. Even I could find an opening to exploit a man like that.
The next day, a formal greeting was held, and I participated. My gift was two thousand silver coins. I had worked hard to scrape that together. I put in the effort, but the Village Head’s reaction was lukewarm at best. I wondered if he even understood the value of what I’d given him. But it didn't matter if he understood, so long as the merchants around him did.
The other merchants brought weapons, jewels, fine fabrics, and the like. Even among those who brought silver, no one exceeded two thousand... until the Goroun Company stepped up. They grandly presented two hundred gold coins and twenty thousand silver coins.
I was stunned. Absolutely floored. I thought my legs were going to give out right there. And I was frustrated. With an amount like that, it was only natural that the Village Head would speak to them directly.
The only thing that gave me a bit of comfort was that even when presented with that staggering sum, the Village Head didn't seem particularly happy. As I suspected, he simply didn't understand the value of money.
The following day, the Village Head went into the forest. How eccentric, I thought. Going to such a dangerous place for a whim. But Lady Pirika, the Security Chief of our village's elite Security Team, was going with him. He was safe enough. Lady Pirika was a master swordsman personally trained by the God of War Galf. No matter what kind of monsters or magic beasts they encountered, she would make short work of them.
Yes, as I expected, they were safe. The Tree King and the Bow King eventually returned, carrying the carcasses of monsters—vicious things that terrorized the woods. I figured the Village Head had probably asked to see Lady Pirika in action. She must have worked hard to impress him. A little while back, there had been that shameful rumor about her losing to some children, so I could understand her wanting to prove herself.
The thing I couldn't understand, however, was what came next.
Dragons.
Four dragons were circling the sky above Village Five. One often saw dragons in this area because the Gate Guardian Dragon's Nest was located just beyond the Iron Forest to the north. It wasn't an unusual sight.
But "not unusual" didn't mean "not terrifying." Dragons are essentially natural disasters. You don't try to understand their feelings; you just stay away from them. It wouldn't be strange for them to incinerate a village on a whim. I’d even heard a story recently that the Elf Empire had been wiped out by dragons. Well, supposedly that was actually an invasion by the Demon Kingdom and the dragon part was just a rumor, but still... Just seeing them fly was enough to strike fear into my heart.
The one in the lead was carrying something. A War Bear? No, it was a King Bear. Good heavens, those materials were priceless! A beast like that would fetch over a hundred gold coins in the right market. I wondered if the dragons were taking it back to their nest for a meal.
I was wrong.
The lead dragon dived. Straight toward the summit of Village Five.
It’s a miracle I didn't faint right then and there. The four dragons dived one after another, landing at the summit. And there, standing before those four terrifying creatures, was a lone figure.
Who was that lunatic? That absolute madman! If he offended them, the whole village would be ash! I wanted to scream at him to hide, or at least prostrate himself while he still had the chance.
...It was the Village Head.
The Village Head stood before the four dragons and seemed to be giving them a stern talking-to.
What happened next was beyond anything I could have believed. The four dragons shifted into human forms and crowded around him. Two of them—two young girls—clung to him, and another climbed onto his back.
What was I seeing? What was this? Was the Village Head actually someone who stood on equal or higher footing than dragons? Was that King Bear a gift for him? One of the dragons in human form was indeed carrying the beast's carcass.
Honestly, I had completely underestimated the man. I reflected on my stupidity. I had been an idiot.
The Village Head has openings? So what? Only a fool would try to exploit a man like that. You don't interact with the Village Head casually; you do it with your life on the line. And even then, the odds are stacked against you.
Come to think of it, there were always strange things about Village Five. Why was someone like Lady Yoko serving as an Acting Village Head? Why was a master like Lady Pirika in the Security Team? Why were two of the Previous Generation Four Heavenly Kings here? Why were the elven Tree King and Bow King present?
It all made sense if I looked at it from a different angle. It was because the Village Head was monstrously strong. That was why Lady Yoko served him, why Lady Pirika stayed, and why the legends of the Demon Kingdom and the elven kings were all gathered here.
Who was he, really? No, thinking about that was pointless. The only thing that mattered was our relationship from here on out. The ideal situation was to ensure the Village Head lived in total peace and comfort while we simply revered him from afar.
Looking back, that clash between his children and the local kids had been terrifyingly dangerous. It was the kind of event that could have resulted in the total destruction of Village Five. The thought made my spine shiver. I realized I needed to gather every scrap of information on the Village Head—not to use against him, but to make sure I never accidentally offended him.
A few days after the Village Head departed, I had an opportunity to speak with Lady Yoko. I asked her a single question to confirm my suspicions.
"Lady Yoko, could you win if you fought the Village Head?"
"Don't be ridiculous," she replied. "I am here precisely because I lost to him."
Lady Yoko does not lie. The Village Head really was that incredible. I had to engraving that into my mind.
I decided then and there to temper my ambitions of climbing to the very top. I’d leave the number one spot to the Goroun Company.
Leave Village Five? Don't make me laugh. I had already introduced myself to the Village Head. There was no running away now. The only path left for me was to dedicate myself heart and soul to this village. Fortunately, I wasn't alone in this fate, and Village Five wasn't a bad place to be.
Alright, time to get to work. First, I’m going to crush the faction that was trying to use Lady Yoko as a figurehead. Yes, that was the faction I belonged to until five minutes ago. I’m completely unaffiliated with them now.
After all, I’ve officially defected to the Village Head Faction.