Chapter 64
Chapter 64
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Those Who Follow the Prophecy (3)
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Even as he thought that, Azel couldn't hold back his doubts.
“But didn't you ever think about helping the people who were getting hurt?”
If the boy had shown even a hint of remorse or anguish over his conscience, it might have been different, but he was far too nonchalant. His face said it made no difference to him whether people nearby were being looted, killed, or suffering horribly.
The boy said,
“I did.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.”
“…….”
Azel and Kairen exchanged glances. That answer was so matter-of-fact that it felt unexpected instead. The boy's expression was so calm that it didn't ring true at all.
The boy continued.
“But protecting my own life was more important than helping them. Is that the answer you wanted, Azel Zestringer?”
Shing!
In an instant, a silver line flashed before the boy's eyes. The moment he thought something gleamed, Azel had a blade pressed to his throat.
“How do you know my name?”
4
An overwhelming pressure bore down on the boy. In a slightly trembling voice, he said,
“I could answer that easily… but could you move this away first?”
“Should I just carve a line across your throat?”
“You're scarier than I thought…….”
The boy said, looking troubled.
“I'm Lennon, a Prophecy Guardian from the Guardian Shadows, here to test if you're one of the prophesied. Does that count as an introduction?”
“The Guardian Shadows?”
Azel frowned. Kairen asked, looking equally baffled.
“You? A kid like you is a member of the Guardian Shadows?”
“Age doesn't matter when it comes to becoming a Guardian Shadow. Dragon Sword Duke.”
The boy—Lennon—backed away slowly, sweat beading on his forehead. Azel sheathed his sword for now.
Lennon grinned brightly and said,
“What matters is the karma you carry. Anyway, I was planning to track you down tonight, but we ended up meeting early. You're a man of strong convictions, Azel Zestringer.”
“I've got a mountain of things to say about that 'strong convictions' part, but I'll skip it. More importantly, you were tailing us?”
“Yeah.”
“Since when?”
“Quite a while. But today was the first time I thought I could actually catch up.”
“So you've been tracking our movements the whole time?”
“Yeah.”
“…….”
Doubt flickered in Azel's eyes.
'And I didn't sense a thing?'
Whether it was visual surveillance from afar or magical tracking, Azel couldn't accept that he hadn't noticed. Did the Guardian Shadows have a way to evade his gaze detection?
'No, thinking back to when they first appeared, it's not impossible.'
Azel trusted his detection abilities, but he didn't consider them infallible. Detection and concealment techniques were in a constant arms race, with superiority shifting unpredictably. When he first encountered the Guardian Shadows, he hadn't sensed their presence until they were within twenty meters….
Azel asked,
“How did you track us?”
“That was easy. I just asked the other Guardian Shadows for your location, Dragon Sword Duke. The problem was keeping up with how fast you two move.”
“…Ah. So that's how it was.”
That explained why he hadn't sensed any gazes. No one had been watching him directly.
As Azel felt a bit deflated, Lennon said to him,
“You're definitely human, but you're a vessel for dragon demon power. And not even a hybrid….”
Between dragonkin and humans, hybrids are born. The blood dilutes with each generation until, at some point, a pure human without hybrid traits is born—and the dragon demon power fades completely.
Yet Azel carried the scent of dragon demon power. He'd absorbed a dragon's strength through the Dragon Slaying Ritual.
Lennon said with evident curiosity,
“I don't know the details, but they say no human like this has appeared in the last century.”
“What nonsense.”
“Huh?”
“Saying that when you're human yourself kills your credibility.”
“Ah. Well… no, we consider ourselves separately. The one in the prophecy is someone who meets the conditions but isn't one of us.”
“The prophesied one? What are you talking about?”
“I can't tell you that until it's confirmed you're the one.”
“I'm hearing this for the first time too. Why didn't I know?”
Kairen asked. It irked him that a boy like this knew something he, a devoted Guardian Shadow, didn't.
Lennon said,
“Not every Guardian Shadow knows about the prophecy. Only the Prophecy Guardians, who have offered themselves to it.”
“Offered themselves? Prophecy Guardians?”
“Only those who abandon their own lives to protect and fulfill the prophecy can become Prophecy Guardians. That doesn't apply to you, Duke.”
“So devoting yourself as a Guardian Shadow isn't enough? The more I learn, the more I hate this secretive nonsense.”
“Well, I'm not thrilled with my own situation either. But I'm like an arrow that's already left the bow—can't turn back now.”
Azel eyed Lennon, who smiled brightly, with clear displeasure and asked,
“Aren't Guardian Shadows supposed to protect humanity from Dragon Demon Worshippers? From that standpoint, ignoring people being brutalized by bandits just because you value your life? Honestly, it doesn't inspire trust.”
“You've got the wrong idea about us, Azel Zestringer.”
“What?”
Lennon said with a bored expression.
“We're not burning with any mission to protect humanity or fighting for justice.”
“Then what are you fighting for?”
“To exterminate the Dragon Demon Worshippers and, ultimately, completely erase the Dragon Demon King, the root of all this. That's our purpose. Saving people dying right in front of you is a personal choice—it has nothing to do with the Guardian Shadows.”
“…….”
“Your face says you totally misunderstood us. Let me be clear: the Guardian Shadows aren't an organization of justice. We oppose the Dragon Demon King and his worshippers, and that just happens to result in what you call 'protecting humanity.'”
“Hmm…….”
Azel realized disappointment and anger were boiling up inside him.
Lennon smiled at him—a smile like a mask. It was bright and innocent, yet utterly at odds with his words, giving it a creepy edge.
“If we had to choose between human decency and slaying Dragon Demon Worshippers, we'd pick the latter without hesitation. That's what the Guardian Shadows are.”
“…I'll admit I misunderstood the Guardian Shadows.”
Suppressing his rising emotions, Azel acknowledged he'd viewed them through prejudiced eyes.
'They stop the Dragon Demon Worshippers.'
To Azel, who had lived through the Dragon Emperor War, that meant upholding a noble justice to protect humanity. But the Guardian Shadows—at least Lennon—operated by different standards.
Lennon said,
“Glad you understand. What we have to do with you next probably won't sit well either, so it's awkward if you keep misunderstanding.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can explain when night falls. Until then, bear with us… Mind if we tag along since we're already here? I was following you anyway.”
“…….”
Lennon kept smiling like he was wearing a mask, even as Azel and Kairen scowled.
5
Azel and Kairen left the mountain folk village and raced toward their destination. Their speed was beyond what ordinary people could imagine, but surprisingly, the boy kept up. Mages who could fly had an unparalleled advantage over terrain, and the boy flew at a respectable pace for a long stretch without tiring.
“Whew.”
Upon reaching the town and securing lodging, Azel washed his exhausted body and settled into meditation in his room. Before that, Kairen had seen him gather mana force orbs in his palms and drink them, and asked in surprise,
“What's that?”
“Recovering my mana force.”
“Never seen a method like that before. Does it actually work?”
“It's better than calm meditation when you need to replenish depleted mana force quickly. For filling spirit veins with densely refined mana force over time, the usual way is more efficient.”
In other words, Azel anticipated he might need to use mana force soon.
Kairen asked,
“You think the kid's picking a fight?”
“No certainty. But his tone didn't sound like good news.”
“Hmm. The Guardian Shadows get weirder the more you know.”
“You shouldn't say that when you're one of them.”
“But it pisses me off that I've been in the dark this whole time. Hiding crucial facts while using me like a tool.”
Kairen looked thoroughly annoyed. As the Dragon Sword Duke, revered by all, he always had the upper hand with information. He was used to knowing secrets others didn't—not the reverse. No wonder the Guardian Shadows' operations rubbed him the wrong way.
Azel slowly opened his eyes as he finished recovering his mana force.
“…He's here.”
“Hm? Sense something?”
Kairen still hadn't detected anything.
Azel said,
“I don't feel any presence. But… I know for sure someone's 'watching' me.”
At that moment, someone far away was observing Azel. And as if realizing he'd noticed, a sinister mana force pulse prickled his senses.
Kairen's expression hardened.
“This is…….”
“Black magic aura. Probably an Undying.”
A being that had overcome death through forbidden magic was announcing itself. Even the faint presence from afar was enough for the two.
As Azel geared up, Kairen asked,
“You good?”
Azel was worn out from days of grueling travel. Not just physically, but his spirit veins were in poor shape too.
Azel said,
“Enemies who fairly consider your condition in a fight? That's a miracle odds. Only a fool expects that when lives hang on the blade's edge.”
“Sometimes you say things that hit too close to home.”
Kairen grinned and stood with Azel.
The two slipped out of the inn without a sound, unnoticed by anyone. Their extended senses picked up a ghostly whisper of an ominous presence—an invitation from the foe.
Azel said,
“Three of them.”
“What?”
“Three waiting for us. And one following behind.”
Azel pointed back. Lennon was there, out in the open, trailing them.
Kairen said,
“The other two… you picked up with that gaze detection?”
“Yeah.”
“Handy skill. I sense something vaguely, but not that clearly…….”
“I'll teach you later. For a price, of course.”
“Don't overcharge me.”
“Depends on you, Duke.”
By then, they'd reached a hill about two kilometers from town. One figure stood there, silhouetted against the moonlight.
The figure asked,
[Azel Zestringer?]
The voice carried an eerie echo. Just hearing it sent chills down the spine and stirred primal fear—not the vibration of living vocal cords, but the sound of black magic powering an Undying.
Azel asked,
“Before asking who I am, how about introducing yourself first?”
[Seems right. I'm Zeta. That's all you need. If you want more….]
Flutter!
The Undying unfurled its cloak. Beneath the moonlight appeared a skeletal knight clad in dull, tarnished metal armor etched with ominous crimson-black lines racing across its body. Intense light blazed from the eye sockets of the skull within the helmet.
[Survive my blade and prove your worth.]
“Pathetic drivel from an Undying. Come on.”