The disastrous war, like an unending nightmare, ended in the dawn light shining through the fog.
The dead and the old were divided into quarters in chaos, perhaps as a reaction to the loss of strong control.
Taking advantage of that opportunity, we collected all the injured and sent them down south, and burned the bodies of our dead comrades.
“Don’t cry… … .”
The corpse placed on top of the firewood also contained the warrior leader of the Duranchus tribe, Barlzen.
When Cassena and I found him, he was already on the verge of dying, and the wound was so deep that no healing magic could bring him back.
As we lowered our heads and began to whimper, Varlzen chuckled and vomited blood with hot breath.
“I mean, actually… … I’ve been resentful of my ancestors since sometime… … why… … Did I have to fight until I became like this… … .”
“Varzen, don’t tell me. breath, breath… … .”
“But, after meeting you guys, I got it… … I would have done the same, cluckle, I should be able to leave these idiots alone… … .”
As soon as Varzen raised his trembling hand, we immediately grabbed it.
“Let’s go first and brag to our ancestors. Not as much as you… … I also fought for my proud friends… … .”
That was the last voice from Barlzen we could hear.
I thought my tear ducts had already dried up, but as I watched Varlzen’s body engulfed in flames and turned into black charcoal, tears began to pour down my cheeks.
Now that their fight is over… … The memorial service for the warriors ended with a final prayer.
“Ah, aww, abba, abba!”
And through all of that, I always had Akirea the whelp by my side. Even now, they playfully bite my head and babble.
No one taught me, but as soon as I recognized the difference between my appearance and myself, I changed into the form of a dragon.
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A two-three-year-old girl with alluring red hair and enchanting golden eyes… … .
If Lillian’s hair color is blessed with fire, then Akirea’s hair color is flame itself, just like Arakish.
“… … .”
Cassena, perhaps because of this, suffered and avoided Akirea. Probably because it reminds me of Arakish. Her eyes, which had been crying all day this morning, were still red.
“Stand still! wait! Write, do you want to be still?”
Resolutely give orders.
I ignored that and kept chewing, biting, tasting, and enjoying the crown of my head, so my hair was already drenched with his saliva for a long time.
“Oh please, listen to me just once.”
I finally decided to pray, but even that didn’t work.
The short tail waggled excitedly over the baby fur clothes the beastmen had lent him.
Maybe it’s because he’s not yet an adult, so when he wears the form of a dragon like Arakish, the dragon doesn’t seem to be equipped like armor.
“What is it that makes you so happy?”
Eventually, with a sigh of resignation, I stopped thinking.
This is an infirmary built on the lower deck of the military base.
Lying on the hospital bed and watching this grotesque scene with interest, Frisvia huffed and touched her chin.
“Isn’t that the way life is originally? Heh, there’s an interesting theory. It is one of the survival instincts for animals to look cute when they are young.”
“A survival instinct?”
“A lot of aegyo as a baby, having a charming appearance, are survival instincts to make sure you don’t give up on yourself easily. hehehe, if you think like that, you will be able to see that filthy creature more rationally, hehehehe.”
Seeing that he smiled wickedly at the same time, I thought it would be difficult to get close to this person.
“By the way, Frisvia, you tried to buy me time and your legs became like this… … .”
Frisvia had one of her legs cut off. I was thinking of attaching another leg with a living transplant, but the prospect was bleak.
After all, it’s not your own feet, so how can you move freely? As it was the platinum No. 1 hit, the blow would inevitably be fatal.
Far from being depressed by such concerns, Frisvia only smiled more sullenly than usual.
“Huh, I feel resentful, but it’s better. This time, we can use a specimen from Arakish or a specimen from primitive spiders to weave a new leg and attach it, hehehe.”
“sorry… … .”
“Why are you making that face? From the start, this was a deal. Do humans also show appreciation for the other party faithfully fulfilling the terms of the transaction?”
Cassena, who had been silently watching Frisvia since entering the infirmary, took out the black sheep hanging from her neck and put it in her hand.
“You said it would take 10 years for the research to be finished, right? You said that at first.”
“hmm?”
“Then you can return it in 10 years, after the research is finished.”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
The same might have been the case with Frisvia, and she started tearing at Cassena’s face in disbelief.
“what? What is that irrational judgment? Like I said before, this is a deal. Heh, when you live as an adventurer, things like this are common. One leg against the old gods is cheap. There is no need for cheap sympathy.”
“It’s not like sympathy. It’s just that I have respect for you. I entrust it to you because you can trust it.”
“Stop talking flattery, hehehe, I can really blow you away.”
“I mean it too. Frisvia, your personality has been twisted a lot, but it’s the same as it came out of the adventure books I read as a child… … You are the best adventurer I have ever dreamed of!”
It was only for a moment, but I could see a look of bewilderment passing across Frisvia’s face, who always had eyes like empty cavities. Of course, it was immediately hidden by her characteristic twisted smile.
heh… … .
Looking at Cassena, I sometimes think of Rista. Because he embarrasses many people with his gentle innocence.
“What are you going to do with that creepy monster now, by the way?”
“How are you?”
“It’s Jinryong, what a body of Jinryong. Heh, won’t those under the barrier pay attention to the source of its infinite power? There must be a few people who want to kill you and take you away. It might be better to leave it here.”
“doesn’t care. Because Lane is very strong. Are you the strongest in the world right now? You also defeated the legendary Baek Do-ryeong.”
“I didn’t knock it down.”
Cassena shouted out boldly, as if not to worry, but she had no choice but to answer while holding on to her throbbing heart.
“You know. From beginning to end, it was all done by Arakish… … .”
Baek Do-ryeong Shar’kas had only two moments of sincerity towards me.
My cauldron: I received an unexpected fatal blow from the cerebral hemorrhage, and only twice before and after becoming immortal.
Even when I woke up with Arakish’s soul, he played nice with me. Despite being one-armed due to the battle with Arakish.
“When fighting me, you probably didn’t even use half of your real strength… … .”
You might argue that it’s because the Yeouiju received from Arakish right before its death has lost its power (probably about 1-2% of Arakish’s power), but… … .
If that’s the case, it’s likely that Shar’kath had just awakened from his seal and couldn’t unleash his true power.
More than anything, can I feel the same omnipotence now as I did back then? This time, since Arakish’s soul remained, he was able to bring out its power to its limit… … .
“Ah, ah, abu, abba.”
I couldn’t help but smile sadly as I pinched the cheek of Akirea, who kept panting over my head and playfully biting the top of her head.
“I’ve only been taking it since I came here, Arakish… … So, I have to repay you.”
“What if it’s in return?”
“I decided to take this guy to ＜Fire Manli＞. It is the place where the Red Dragon Corps gathered.”
Frisvia raised her eyebrows at the name, and shed a very funny smile.
“Heh heh heh heh heh… … Antarctica, it must be the way from the end of the world to the end of the world.”
“yes.”
“It’s none of my concern whether you scoundrels die from being attacked on the road, from exhaustion, or from getting their whelps stolen in their sleep. … .”
Frisvia sat up on the bed and held out her hand to us. That smile, unlike usual, felt a little warmer than usual.
“I will pray for you to be safe on the road you are going on. It’s just a formality anyway.”
Cassena and I exchanged glances with surprised faces, then smiled and held the second strongest adventurer’s hand in turn.
It was a strong, warm hand.
As Cassena held her hand, Frisvia let out a sullen laugh and shook her head.
“A different kind of nobility but yearning for adventurers? If you’re confident that you won’t cry even if you get hit by me, come to me after you grow up, hehehe.”
Cassena held her hand for a long time, as if she was quite happy that she had been recognized by the heroine she admired while she was shutting herself in a small room.
Platinum level adventurers are not accepted as members… … We weren’t fools to the extent that we didn’t know the weight of Frisvia’s words.
“Stop going. Heh, if you don’t want to be lost because the barrier gate is closed.”
When I came out of the military base, once again the magnificent white land spread out in full view.
However, unlike yesterday, the sky was clear and high, and there was no blizzard from the abyss.
After everything was over, Fifi, who had been sent to the wall earlier, just returned and landed on the top of Akirea’s head above me.
“How is it, are you passing through all the barriers?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“Okay, then shall we go right away?”
Before leaving, I headed north for a while, toward the fossil of a Jinryong that had risen overnight.
Frisvia promised to keep the seal along with the military base. Frisvia, too, would do well to keep the old ruler asleep in order to continue research in this land.
As I laid my hand on that ivory-colored skeleton, on the grave of a benefactor to whom I owed debts that could not be repaid, stifling grief filled my heart once more.
“Alakhish, we’ll be on our way.”
When Cassena, who was gently caressing the bones, said that in a voice drenched in tears again, I bowed deeply.
“really really… … thanked.”
What did you think when you saw your mother’s grave, did you know that this was your mother’s grave?
Suddenly, Akirea came down from my head, tilted her head at the skeleton, and took an oat biscuit from her bosom and placed it on top of it.
Did he not eat a single thing that Frisvia’s men gave him and save it… … Then he smiled brightly and patted the skeleton several times.
“Ah, ah ah ah, Abu!”
I couldn’t figure out what that meant, but I had to turn my head away in a moment and wipe away the hot tears that formed in my eyes.
Because it was so, so much the same.
In the future that Arakish had envisioned, the young dragon laughing innocently while eating the dish she had clumsily made… … .
“lane.”
Cassena carefully grabbed my silently trembling shoulders as if comforting them.
“Now let’s go.”
“yes… … .”
I moved my foot forward, touching the ground with the Yeouiju, the servant’s quarters, in which the ancient flames were embodied in the form of a stone pole.
forward and forward again.
To the future (未來) created by the benefactor.
Jinglang, jinglang, jinglang… … The four rings hanging from the stone pole resonated like a funeral song in the old snowy field, letting out a clear tone as if igniting flames.
For the great spark that has quietly lit the darkest corners of the world since the time of its origin.
Low, profound, and vague.
Low, cozy, sorrowful… … .