Chapter 340
Chapter 340
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 340
Chapter Title: Chapter 8-1. The Nation of Dragonkin, Reillysa.
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It was a wise judgment. Even though he had only drawn Requiem once in front of the angels at that time, the amount of mana absorbed from the <Otherworld> was considerable, so the flames roared fiercely without him even channeling mana into it.
Roarrr!
He had no intention of becoming a clown, but Requiem was forcing it upon him. Flames surged along the blade. Beautiful, yet greedy. Amid the wildly flickering blaze, Requiem's blade was dyeing itself an even deeper red. Crimson, like the hue of a sunset.
Judah let out a wry smile. Much to his displeasure, Requiem was following the exact same procedure as Yakal.
'I figured it would be something like this.'
Just like with Yakal, it was trying to devour Judah's mind. The mana flowing from the gripped hilt seemed to whisper for him to burn everything around him. The flames that started from the sword spread from his hand to his shoulder and enveloped his body. It wasn't hot. But they were trying to spread outward.
Judah controlled the flames while reversing the flow of mana back into Requiem, forcibly suppressing it. The blaze that had shot up 4-5 meters high subsided as if accepting the control, and the flames covering his body slowly died down.
Fortunately, using Requiem's power wasn't uncontrollable. Requiem didn't resist. It was docile, as if it knew opportunities would come anytime, not just now.
'This feels even more unsettling.'
If it had been consistently aggressive from start to finish like Yakal, that might have been better, but it felt like it would run wild after being used well. Holding the sword that now burned with the brightness of a torch, he looked at Esther Seao. His expression was stiff, his eyes focused on Requiem. The hand he had placed on the table was clenched tight.
'He looks dangerous?'
Celine, sitting beside him, seemed unable to watch any longer and squeezed her eyes shut, so he put it back in the <Bag>. He had drawn the sword expecting to at least slash something, but if he did, the surroundings would turn into a sea of fire. As Requiem vanished into the <Bag>, all that remained was a strange mana and heated air.
"Thank you."
Returning to his seat, Judah expressed his gratitude to Arhil. She had just stood up the chair he had knocked over when he rose abruptly. As he sat down, Esther Seao spoke with a deeply serious expression.
"It's an incredibly dangerous item. Beautiful, though."
"Are you tempted?"
He nodded.
"It would be a lie to say no. I want it. No, I want to take it."
"You're honest."
"Honest? Ha! Yes, exactly. I have no choice but to be honest. That thing... that sword felt like it was made for me. Isn't it horrifying? The moment I saw the sword and felt the mana emanating from it, that's what I thought. It was like that notion was injected into my mind—a filthy feeling."
Judah nodded. He grabbed a handful of small fruits from a bowl and shoved them all into his mouth. He showed no concern for decorum. Chewing crunchily, he continued.
"It was beautiful. Intense. It felt just like a dragonkin. Of course I'd be tempted. I got a good sense of it. But it's too dangerous for anyone to wield. Indeed, is this what a lord's possession is like? I now understand how absurd it is. So, unless something extraordinary happens, never draw that sword in front of me again."
Was that all? From Judah's assessment, Esther Seao's realm was not low. He hadn't checked his stats yet, but as a Spirit Sword owner himself, his mental strength and mana resistance wouldn't be lacking. Yet even he had nearly succumbed to Requiem's temptation.
"Hoo."
Esther Seao's stiff expression didn't relax. He let out a long breath. Celine's words finally felt real. He could now understand why the temple's high priests had fallen to the sword's temptation and chosen suicide. If they hadn't, the choice they would have made was all too obvious.
It was a temptation strong enough to make one distrust oneself. At first, he had been entranced by the flames, but the moment he saw the sunset-hued blade within, it felt like his reason was being stolen.
Of course, it wasn't to the point of being unable to restrain himself.
But he didn't even want to imagine what would happen if that small desire grew.
Esther Seao glanced at his daughter, who sat beside him with her eyes tightly shut, steadying her breath. Celine had said she had endured the sealing process right in front of it for several days. Perhaps only she could have held out that long. If he had been in her place, a few hours would have been his limit. Smiling bitterly, Esther Seao asked the others if they hadn't felt the same.
"I... just thought the flames were flashy. Nothing more."
"I did want it a bit, but since I don't handle swords, no other thoughts came to mind."
"No thoughts at all."
Arhil, Lime, and Iris answered in turn. She had set down her notebook, but apparently thought it more polite to speak in front of the king. In any case, it wasn't the response Esther Seao had hoped for.
"Was it just me?"
His hollow laugh seemed defeated. Judah looked at Celine. She appeared to have recovered somewhat from earlier.
"Celine. What about you?"
"For me... aside from the memory of it keep resurfacing, no particular desires arose."
He nodded as he listened to her cautious reply. As Judah thought, those bound to him or in his party were clearly less affected.
Recalling Iris's state in the <Otherworld>, it was clear that owning a fragment and being recognized as its master made temptations from other fragments ineffective.
'It might be the effect of trust level.'
Many ideas came to mind, but it was hard to pinpoint one. At least this meant he could use fragments without worrying about backstabbing from comrades.
"Fragments seem to be usable only by the chosen."
"Honestly, it's pure luck. Some fragments don't tempt like this and don't care who their master is."
"Luck, you say... Then you've already gathered several fragments. You seem to know all about them."
Judah didn't answer. But that was enough. He sighed.
"I'd like to talk more, but after seeing that fragment earlier, I'm in no mood for conversation. The aftertaste lingers too long."
Suddenly, Judah recalled the Black Mist said to blanket this place, Reillysa. In fact, even high-ranking dragonkin in the <Otherworld> hadn't immediately fallen to Requiem's mana. So for the king of dragonkin to react like this even after seeing it up close, the only explanation was that Black Mist.
'Was it some kind of curse?'
On the way to Reillysa, the mad sorcerer in the floral robe had clearly stated that the Black Mist was a type of curse. Perhaps it was influencing him. The mad sorcerer hadn't explained what kind or its effects, only recommending against going if mana resistance was lacking. Judah cautiously checked his stats.
'...Even without a curse, his mana resistance is lower than other dragonkin.'
His mana resistance was low, but his other stats were high. Some even surpassed Celine's. And there was no indication in his status window of any effect causing stat reductions right now. Judah closed his [Status Window].
"If Your Majesty is tired, shall we take our leave? We'll be staying here for a while, so we can talk leisurely another time."
"Do that. Ah, it may pale compared to the grace you showed my daughter, but as thanks, I'll reward you. Since you have a sub-space, I'll give you gold coins, jewels, and various equipment. If you need or want anything while staying in Reillysa, just say it. Clothes, money, gear—anything material I can provide, I will."
"Thank you. We didn't save her expecting reward, but we'll gratefully accept what you offer. Then we'll take our leave."
"I'm sorry. It was rude of me to ask to see the fragment."
"It's fine."
Judah smiled as he replied. Celine approached him and asked him to wait a moment. Though they were about to leave, he happily agreed and waited a short distance from the garden. He didn't know what they were discussing, but Celine had a brief talk with Esther Seao, hugged him once, and then returned.
The end felt a bit sour because of showing the fragment last, but it had still been a thoroughly enjoyable time. They'd eaten their fill of delicious food and secured promises of gold, jewels, and equipment—what more could they want?
He didn't know the grade of equipment, but as items bestowed personally by the king of dragonkin, they would be at least Treasure grade. They returned to their rooms under the guidance of the elf attendants, chatting idly along the way.
"We ate our fill, so now let's get some sleep. Rest well today, and tomorrow we can wander around sightseeing."
At Judah's words, the group nodded without objection, leaving words to rest well as they headed to their respective rooms.