Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: To the Demonic Realm (4)
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Chapter 22
To the Demonic Realm (4)
5
No one could understand Azel's actions. But Azel offered no explanation, and even Kairen—the only one close enough to press him—chose not to. He seemed to have decided it was better to simply observe Azel's incomprehensible side rather than poke at it.
Kairen asked,
"Then... where to now?"
Azel had never shared his plans after arriving in the Karzark Marquisate. His mind had been entirely consumed with getting there first.
"Well. For now..."
But he did have plans. Ever since awakening in this era, Azel had pondered deeply. After 220 long years, who among the survivors might recognize him and share tales of the past?
Finding such a person wasn't just to sate his own longing. He needed someone who knew what had happened during his long slumber, and someone who would fight alongside him.
Regrettably, the only confirmed survivors so far were his enemies. Through Kairen, he'd verified that no one from the Dragon Emperor War era remained alive. Not even the Dragon Demon Hybrids—officially, all were confirmed dead.
Whether their deaths stemmed from the passage of time or intervention by the Dragon Demon Worshippers, he couldn't say. Either way, Azel had only one lead left to pursue.
"We're going to the Avaltan Woods."
"Hm? You don't mean the Demonic Realm in the eastern continent, do you?"
Kairen asked in surprise.
The Demonic Realm of Avaltan Woods.
It was an ancient forbidden ground that had repelled human incursions even before the Nadik Empire's fragmentation. Records stated that countless dragons had claimed it as their domain since time immemorial, deterring even the Nadik Empire at its peak from claiming it as territory.
Azel nodded.
"Yes."
"Why go all the way to that distant place? Aside from being crawling with dragons and overflowing with dangers, hardly anything is known about it..."
"To meet a dragon."
"Hm?"
Kairen widened his eyes. Not just him—the entire group wore expressions of utter confusion.
Laura asked,
"If it's to perform the Dragon Slaying Ritual, there are plenty of dragons closer. No need to go all that way."
"That's not it. Though I might do the ritual while I'm at it."
"...While you're at it?"
Laura looked dumbfounded. Even in the Dark Snowfields, the Dragon Slaying Ritual was an honorable ordeal, one that only those whose skills and deeds were recognized could challenge at the risk of their lives. She knew Azel had won his ritual, but this wasn't something to say so lightly.
Azel asked her,
"How much do you know about the Avaltan Woods in the Dark Snowfields?"
"Not much, even for us. Just that it's full of dragons, and there are those who serve them."
"Those who serve dragons? What are they?"
Kairen was the one who asked. Laura answered.
"Not sure exactly. But they're said to be powerful enough that no one dares touch them."
"So the shadows lurking in this world's underbelly aren't just Dragon Demon Worshippers and Guardian Shadows. There are still cults and black magic factions operating independently of you, right?"
"Plenty. We've even used some of them."
From that alone, Azel grasped what Laura hadn't said.
"To operate without revealing you're Dragon Demon Worshippers? Since the Guardian Shadows only target your kind?"
"Yeah. And... to cloud human eyes, too."
"I see."
Even in human society, Dragon Demon Worshippers were targets for extermination. The scars of the Dragon Emperor War ran deep, unhealed even after over 200 years. Thus, the worshippers went to great lengths to hide their existence, even without the Guardian Shadows' threat.
Kairen asked,
"What do you mean by meeting a dragon?"
It made no sense. Dragons weren't something you visited like an old friend. If Azel had reason to seek one out, it would be for the Dragon Slaying Ritual.
Azel said,
"Your Grace knows why dragons perform the Dragon Slaying Ritual with humans."
"To gain human wisdom if they win."
"In the past, many humans and Dragon Demon Hybrids underwent the ritual. Victors like me took the dragons' power and grew stronger. But the losers lost their lives and offered up their wisdom."
"What are you getting at?"
"Then... wouldn't there be dragons somewhere in the world that achieved their wishes after winning countless rituals?"
"...Dragons' wishes are wisdom, so you're saying there's a wise dragon in the Avaltan Woods?"
Kairen asked with an incredulous look. Azel grinned.
"As far as I know, the ruler of the Avaltan Woods is the one dragon free from the Dragon Slaying Ritual. Once it gained the wisdom it craved, it had no further reason to hold the rite."
A dragon freed from fate—the one Azel knew by name was Avaltan.
6
The group departed the Karzark Marquisate and immediately headed east across the continent. Kairen grumbled,
"Feels like we're leaving one Demonic Realm for another. Like we've become a Demonic Realm exploration squad."
"It just turned out that way."
"The next stop after Avaltan Woods isn't another Demonic Realm, is it?"
"That's a tempting option. I'll consider it. The continent's vast, and Demonic Realms abound."
They bantered idly as they moved at an astonishing pace.
Around lunchtime, as they paused in a suitable spot, Laura asked in a weary tone,
"You guys always travel at this speed?"
"We were faster before picking you up."
In roughly four hours, they'd covered 60 kilometers as the crow flies. Impressive, but considering Azel and Kairen had traversed over 300 kilometers a day to reach the marquisate, this was leisurely.
Yuren's face twisted in disbelief at the words.
"...Faster than this? No way."
As a mage, Yuren could use flight magic, less hindered by terrain. But even he struggled at high altitudes, which demanded greater magic and mana.
Crossing mountains, rivers, forests, and plains straight-line for 60 kilometers in four hours tested even his limits. It wrung him dry—better to land and run. He was at the point of needing rest. And this was them slowing down?
Kairen was nonchalant.
"We matched your pace. Know how far it is to Avaltan Woods from here?"
"...You're not planning to keep this up all the way to Avaltan Woods? From the central-western continent to the east?"
"Got a better way? Riding horses? Vetoed. Too slow."
"......"
"If you can't keep up, we can part ways here. We only need Laura."
Laura had followed with far more ease than Yuren. Azel had embedded a mana wedge in her body, allowing spellcasting while he monitored her in real-time—ready to seal her magic at any moment.
Hearing Kairen, Laura said,
"I saw reports calling the Dragon Sword Duke superhuman... but this is impressive."
"That's how you rate me in the Dark Snowfields? What else?"
"One who hasn't mastered the forgotten arts. But possessed of power that transcends such conditions—avoid contact if possible."
Before meeting Azel, Kairen hadn't mastered the forgotten arts. Yet even then, he was feared by the Dragon Demon Worshippers. Gaps in lost concepts were filled by dragon demon energy honed to extremes, self-developed Dragon Sword techniques, and masterful handling of dragon demon energy—combining into terrifying might.
Kairen grinned.
"I see. An outdated assessment, but I'll take it as a compliment."
Now, having learned the forgotten arts from Azel, his power had soared. Even Azel marveled at his pupil's aptitude during training. A master of over a century absorbed and grew like a blossoming youth.
Laura said,
"Intelligence thought you might have some undetected high-speed travel method. But it's just brute force..."
Even the Dark Snowfields knew little of the Guardian Shadows. So anything incomprehensible by their standards was chalked up to special Shadow Guardian means. Kairen's unnatural mobility had them suspecting something like their 'Void Paths.'
Kairen asked, puzzled,
"...Void Paths?"
"The King's legacy."
Laura explained the Void Paths. Kairen whistled.
"Leap across space to anywhere on the continent? Such an absurd magic device exists? That's why you pop up everywhere."
"Any nearby?"
Azel interjected abruptly.
Laura tilted her head.
"Need a map to check. Why?"
"Change of plans. On the way to Avaltan Woods, we'll hit as many Void Path outposts as possible."
"......"
Laura's eyes widened. She hadn't imagined he'd decide to attack on the spot.
Laura said,
"Even if you wipe out the guards at a Void Path, outsiders can't use it."
"Too bad. But it's still worth destroying."
"Don't."
Yuren cut in. Azel looked at him, and he explained,
"The Void Paths are a legacy controlled by Queen Ainsera's Great Darkness. Approaching one exposes your presence to her. Latishia and I know some but leave them alone for that reason."
"Hm..."
Azel frowned. As Yuren said, it was a balance: crippling the enemy's transcendent mobility versus exposing their movements. Which gained more?
'A tough call.'
Leaving the Void Paths was too risky. Real-time intel relay alone was overwhelming; add instant travel, and it was unprecedented—even in the Dragon Emperor War era.
'Hm? Wait.'
Atein's legacies should have been complete before his death. Why hadn't the Void Paths surfaced then?
When asked, Laura answered,
"Limited personnel."
Void Paths moved small elite teams, not armies. That was why worshippers built combat cells continent-wide for dispatched executives from the Dark Snowfields.
Azel nodded in understanding.
"I see. Good there's that constraint. Probably used discreetly for small groups during the war."
"What'll we do?"
Kairen asked. Azel pondered a moment longer, then decided.
"We'll skip it. If we could use them, it'd be worth the push. But otherwise, better they don't track us for a while."
"If only we could tip off the Guardian Shadows to our kingdom's outposts..."
"I'd support that, but is it feasible?"
"...Honestly, no."
Having crossed borders twice, relaying to Lurein Kingdom was hard. Entrusting Guardian Shadows was dubious.
Azel sighed.
"Shame. Could've infiltrated the Dark Snowfields right away..."
Laura exclaimed in shock,
"Even you would die trying that."
"Probably."
Azel agreed readily. The core forces gathered in the Dark Snowfields wouldn't be pushovers.
"Still, we have to do something. Stop Atein's resurrection ritual before he revives."
"......"
"Why the look?"
"I'm really curious who you are."
"Stay curious. Until the answer comes."
"Grump."
Laura pouted slightly.