Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Guide's Gift (1)
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1
Yuren Lister dreamed every night before falling asleep. Ever since he first experienced the Guide's Dream, dreaming every single night had become the norm, to the point where he couldn't even remember what it was like to sleep without dreaming.
"You've finally met your destiny, Yuren."
In a chaotic space pieced together from countless fragments of memory—obviously not reality—the Guide spoke to him. That voice sharpened Yuren's wandering consciousness in the dream, granting him a sense of calm.
The Guide's Dream was different from a lucid dream. Yuren's awareness here wasn't as sharply awake as in reality. And when he woke up, he couldn't remember everything that had happened in the dream.
It was akin to a half-asleep state. Asleep, yet able to perceive external events. Like someone whispering directly into his ear.
"Ah, just as you said... He really reminds me of the legendary Azel Karzark."
"Isn't he?"
"The successor of Aunsor suspects he might actually be Azel Karzark himself... Well, that's unlikely, but he's certainly the kind of person who makes you think that."
It had only been a few days since Yuren met Azel, but the more he saw of him, the more astonishing the man seemed. To the point where, just as the Guide said, he felt Azel would lead him to open the path to overthrow the Dragon Demon Worshippers...
"He will show you the answers. I merely tell you what you must do, but he will lead you to your destiny."
"If he's a descendant of Azel Karzark... then our meeting truly is fated."
Leaping over 220 years, the descendant of the hero Azel Karzark meets the descendant of the great mage Kallos Lister. The two join hands to defeat the lingering evils left by Dragon Demon King Atein—what could be more epic?
The Guide spoke.
"It is fated. This is how it had to be. So, make a good impression on him. You must earn his trust to open the path."
"I'll do my best. That's why I've come this far."
Yuren dreamed a nightmare without truly sleeping. In a daze, nightmarish thoughts tormented him. The horror that even now, people were having their lives stolen by the Dragon Demon Worshippers, turned into tools and suffering—just like he once had. The screams of the children he had tried to save but ultimately led to their deaths echoed in his ears.
"You did the very best you could."
"But the results were the worst."
"Yuren."
"I know. Self-recrimination is pointless. Leticia has scolded me enough about that to make me sick of it."
Yuren shook his head. With a sad smile, he said,
"I'll help him end all of this. That's the mission I must fulfill, even if it kills me."
After walking through endless darkness, he had finally met the one who would become the beacon of hope. No matter what, Yuren would earn Azel's trust and become his ally.
After a moment of silence, the Guide's voice said,
"Very well, then. Let me lend you the wisdom to gain his trust."
"Besides fighting alongside him, is there some other secret strategy?"
"Of course. Time is precious. Even now, the world is changing rapidly. There's not enough time to steadily build trust and friendship through everyday human interactions."
"What's happening?"
"You already know."
"The resurrection of Dragon Demon King Atein?"
As he asked, Yuren felt a strange resonance. Dragon Demon King Atein. A name he had uttered countless times, yet suddenly it felt eerie.
But before he could dwell on it, the Guide continued.
"That's not the problem."
"Then?"
"It's that this will make the Dark Snowfield move in earnest."
"I don't understand what you mean."
"Think, Yuren. Use your own head to find the answer. You can't just passively consume the information I give you. That would make you my puppet."
"That's why I'm confused. If you were a demon trying to destroy me, you wouldn't say things like this, right?"
"Even this could be part of such a scheme."
"Aa, fine, I get it."
Yuren gathered all the information he knew in his mind and considered various possibilities. The Dark Snowfield was plotting countless schemes against the entire continent. Over 200 years, humanity had gone through several generational shifts, and each gap had given the Dragon Demon Worshippers opportunities to infiltrate the world.
"They won't reveal themselves. Unless after Atein resurrects, they don't have the power to openly challenge the world."
The Dark Snowfield hid in the shadows of the world, scheming, because they lacked the strength to conquer through open war like in the Dragon Demon War. Of course, if they went all out, they could probably defeat a single nation. But the moment they revealed themselves, the seven kingdoms—no, the entire world—would become their enemies, leading only to annihilation.
"Then... the only thing that comes to mind is stirring chaos while hiding their existence."
"That's what they've been doing all along. What would change?"
"Hmm. Well, until now, their goal was to corrupt human society... Maybe incite a war between humans?"
"That's one correct answer."
"Really? No, it's entirely possible."
For the Dark Snowfield to openly wage war against humans would be madness. But using their tendrils infiltrated into every layer of society to provoke wars? That was entirely feasible.
"But that's not all, is it?"
"No. But everything does lead to war. War is the most extreme way to drain human strength."
"If it's not just humans fighting each other, then dragging in non-human entities... those not affiliated with the Dragon Demon Worshippers, to fight humans?"
"That's also correct. They've experimented with that several times."
"For example, the Dark Alliance that threatened the Lurein Kingdom?"
"Yes."
Over 30 years ago, the Dark Alliance that threatened the Lurein Kingdom was the Dark Snowfield's creation. The strong and wise variant orc Dakan was a being they had crafted using sinister magic, and building a monster force around him had been astonishingly easy.
"War will sweep across the world. Prepare for the chaos."
The Guide shared information that would shock Yuren. If it was true, Yuren could definitely win Azel's trust. And Yuren had never once known the Guide's words to be wrong.
Suddenly, Yuren asked,
"Such elaborate preparations—impressive. But... you can tell me now, right? Who you are."
"Telling you wouldn't mean anything."
"Why?"
"You'll forget once this dream ends. You'll know when the time comes."
"But..."
The dream ended there.
2
Azel's group's travel speed was much slower than Kairen had initially planned. On the seventh day after leaving the Karzark Marquessate, after stopping at a village and unpacking at the inn, Kairen grumbled.
"We should have covered twice this distance. Damn slothful mages..."
"...Why not just say you'd rather kill me outright?"
Yuren grumbled back. Over the week, they had traveled 60 kilometers per day in a straight line on the map. By normal standards, that was incredibly fast.
An outsider might think, "What's so hard about just flying with magic?" But long-distance flight drained mental power, mana, and stamina to an extreme degree. For a young human like Yuren to keep up this well was truly remarkable.
Even Laura, whose base mana far exceeded Yuren's, was exhausted. Leticia, a Dragon Spirit Art practitioner, was keeping up fine, but she didn't look particularly relaxed either.
"But I can't deny this is good training."
Most mages wouldn't dream of traveling long distances at high speed every day with flight magic, for the reasons mentioned. Laura was no exception.
Being forced to do something she'd never tried every day was improving her skills. On the first day, she had been completely drained, but now she could at least reach the target village without needing to be carried by Azel or Kairen.
"This would be perfect for running away."
She had flown quite diligently while fleeing from the Dragon Demon Worshippers, but back then she always had to preserve combat-ready forces, so she hadn't pushed too hard. If she were fleeing now, she could shake off pursuers much more easily.
Leticia asked Azel,
"You're handling this human body remarkably well."
Even for a Spirit Order practitioner, who were superhuman, this was absurd. Azel was armed—albeit lightly—and carrying travel gear, crossing mountains and forests.
At that, Kairen smirked.
"This guy could go much faster than me if he wanted. Honestly, I can't even say I'm not holding him back, and you lot are like shackles dangling from him."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"You'll see it eventually. It's a trick I can't even dream of imitating."
Azel had taught Kairen many techniques, but Kairen still hadn't mastered "Incarnation," the ability to create solid duplicates. Some techniques suited him, some didn't, and he wasn't particularly compatible with duplication arts. That's why he couldn't learn the ultra-long-distance flight technique Azel had shown before.
Kairen said,
"Leticia, you're keeping up pretty well, at least."
"I prefer running on my own feet anyway. But this is my first time traveling such long distances continuously like this. No matter how I look at it, it's insane."
Leticia shook her head. Kairen eyed her with interest. He didn't know what the Dragon Demon Worshippers had done to her, but as a Dragon Demon Hybrid, she possessed more Dragon Demon qi than purebloods. Plus, she was the finest female Dragon Spirit Art practitioner Kairen had ever seen.
"If you've got energy left, how about a spar? Azel's been ignoring me lately, so I'm bored."
"You're overflowing with energy for someone so old..."
Even as she said it, Leticia showed interest. After a week of traveling together, it would be a lie to say she hadn't wanted to cross hands at least once.
As the two headed to the inn's backyard, Yuren remarked,
"Youth truly is wonderful."
"You're the youngest one here."
Laura, who had been lounging, chimed in.