Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: 117. Oh, and I Had Like a Hundred Other Dreams Too
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"Ughhh... Can I really take them all down? Me...?"
"The Royal Guard... what the hell... turned into a Royal Crawler..."
"Magic Power 19. Magic Power 19. Magic Power 19..."
The convenience store was filled with anguish and torment today as well.
At this point, even Buddha himself, descending from the cycle of reincarnation to grant enlightenment, would probably think, Eh, this is a bit much. It was a veritable gathering of the damned.
Ha, this is just...
"...Against Talent 22, I have to... face her...? Me...?"
And one more soul joined the lamentations.
His name was Wolfram von Loengrin.
"...Can I last even a second? A third-rate villain sparring against the world's top assassin. Haha... What a joke."
Ugughghghhh!
I'd sell out every location in D/Z SAGA that I knew.
I even knew the location of Moonless Echo that the assassins so desperately craved. If I told them, would they spare me?
"Ugh..."
Uwaa. I'm third-rate villain Wolfram.
The convenience store's fourth lost soul.
Save me.
It was a miscalculation.
Written exams? Pfft, those are no problem at all, obviously.
And since it's the Magic Division, I figured there wouldn't be any physical stuff. Even if there was, I thought I could dodge it by name-dropping the whole "imperial" thing.
But no.
There are battlefields in life that no one can avoid.
"......"
If I could, I'd forfeit in one second flat and grovel for mercy with a grand supermegaplease.
But what now?
I'd told Rudika exactly that.
To give her all in academy life.
To do her best in this final practical exam too.
And Rudika seemed pretty encouraged by those words.
"That's the problem."
I told her to try hard, so if I throw the match with a 15GG, how's she gonna react?
She'd get hurt all over again.
"...Hmm."
Honestly speaking.
The kids in this world have all gone through what I'd call borderline child abuse, even by my standards.
Millmuyu left home young and got despised for her lack of talent in this foreign land with no one to rely on.
Nefti works her butt off to support her single-mom household and pay her siblings' tuition.
Aila... hell if I know. What kind of childhood turns someone into a rebel bird like that?
Emily got basically kicked out of her house too.
Regina and Eve are the same. None of them are normal. Spica's the closest to normal, maybe?
And the one with the most ridiculously shitty growth backstory is Rudika Hassan Shadow.
I don't know the details.
What kind of training makes you lose all sense of sensation?
But one thing's clear: Rudika wields her dagger like it's a game, even though she only has one life in this reality.
Fighting while ignoring your own life is honestly downright eerie.
"......"
So when a kid like that says she'll give it her all, what can an adult do but support her properly?
When I opened this Jefrin convenience store, my goal was to become a boss like my brother.
The kind who'd welcome neighborhood delinquents and poor kids alike with a smile.
Not out of excessive pity or sympathy—just a good boss everyone could rely on.
The kids from our orphanage who came to see me even got a few whacks from him.
But that day, he took their money anyway.
When I asked why, he said:
'Those kids have already gotten more than enough pity. What they need to learn isn't pity—it's equality. They have to accept themselves as normal people, not pitiful ones.'
Hm. Good words. Good memory.
'But since they can't pay, I'll just dock it from Young-jin's salary.'
What a trash bastard.
...
......
Anyway.
Everything I do—buying them stuff, paying albas well—is all learned from him.
Kids should grow up smiling, after all.
Anyway, the conclusion is this:
"Might as well go a round with Rudika properly."
A matchup between a hardcore vet and the world's top assassin.
Isn't that the ultimate battle lineup? Tickets would sell out, scalpers wouldn't even bother—the fight of the century everyone'd watch live.
"She won't kill me. No way, after all I've done for her... I trust Rudika."
Really.
My chest feels all tight.
True hardcore play is, of course, naked with just your fists, parrying infinitely to take down monsters.
But before becoming a vet—back when you had like a thousand hours and were still a noob—the playstyle was one-shot kills.
Wrap yourself in buffs, pump stats, learn high-multiplier skills, cycle cooldowns, spam infinite CC, and one-shot the boss. That kinda vet play.
I used to think that was romantic too, and I even had a save file for it.
Anyway, long story short:
"Aila. Get up. We have somewhere to go."
"Where? I need to fix my Magic Power 1..."
"That's what I mean. We're going to fix Magic Power 1 right now."
"Eh, huh? Where? Magic Power 1 has never been solved in history by anyone..."
"Didn't I tell you before? There's exactly one way."
"Y-You did? That was... the Blue Dragon of the Desert...?"
Aila remembered what I'd said and let out a sharp gasp.
"Right. We're going to meet the dragon."
"...Okay. I'm ready."
Oh. Impressive.
"Then let's go."
"...This soon? I-I'm ready mentally, but I need a bit more prep..."
"Like what?"
"W-Well. I need to write a will for my parents, say goodbye to my sibling to take care of the family... We're crossing the Blazing Desert, after all. Could you give me just a little more time to prepare?"
"......"
Ah, I see.
She still doesn't get it.
"The dragon's inside the academy."
"Huh?"
"So we're going to meet her now."
"Understood. I, Aila Trista, shall spread my glorious black wings and prepare for my final rebellion in shining splendor."
Suddenly giving up like that?
Why?
"Eve von Loengrin and Regina Ciel don't know about Jefrin's crisis. Dragon invasion. We'll join hands, slay the dragon, and forge our karma. True heroes of Jefrin's shadows... Wolfram. I'll stake my life on making this rebellion succeed."
"......"
"Perfect timing too—my childhood dream was to be a dragon slayer. If I can't become one, I'll slay it to prove I'm greater. The time for that dream has come."
No, that's not it at all.
Hmm, what now.
Where do I even start explaining?
"Listen well, Aila Trista."
"Yes. I'm listening, Wolfram."
"The dragon is, well..."
"Well?"
"The dragon's my big sis."
"......?"
This time, Aila really tilted her head, utterly baffled.
Man, I have no idea how to explain this either.
Like...
"...Is Wolfram actually a dragonkin? Ah... Have I uncovered the 300-year hidden truth of Loengrin? Oh my... A secret tying Jefrin and Loengrin history that even I, Aila Trista, can't catch up to. And you're telling me because... Ah. You want me in on that grand undertaking too? Wolfram? Is that it?"
"No, wait... Um. It's..."
Argh, seriously.
I'll explain on the way. On the way.
"...So that's the story. The daughter of the great founding emperor is in Jefrin..."
"Mm."
I gave her a rough rundown on the founding emperor and the dragon.
The dragons nearly went extinct, so the emperor left his youngest here in Jefrin. That's all I said.
Even so, spilling about demon world gates or other lore felt like too much...
Aila's smart—cool-headed at times.
Makes it tricky to explain.
【Why's there a demon world gate in Jefrin? It's an artificial island made by the founding emperor? Why demons in a place of learning for all?】
If she asked something like that.
What could I say?
I think so too! That's all I'd have.
......
But get this. From my experience with other console games?
Dungeons that unlock post-New Game+—like 'Tower of Time' or 'Dimensional Rift' or 'World of Memories,' those infinite hardcore grind spots—usually have zero lore.
At best, some NPC pops up: 'An anomaly at the world's core! Time and space twisted—you might face past bosses inside!' Total cop-out.
D/Z SAGA bothered with some lore, but explaining it would just complicate things more.
Whatever.
"So right now, we're going to meet the great ancestor's daughter. My big sis."
"...R-Right. I'm super nervous."
"Why?"
"Just a feeling... Ugh, should I have brought something for an autograph? No, wait..."
"...?"
And so we headed to the Magic Division's 7th Library.
Conveniently, it was the day Filtia told me to visit, and Eve had been looking worn out lately.
Man, Eve's really useless sometimes.
Getting all hollow-eyed from a bit of teasing by Filtia, stressed enough to wanna blast people with light spears.
She's imperial bloodmate, sure, but such a prankster.
Hmm.
Makes me mad just thinking about it.
From now on, unless it's urgent, I'll sic Filtia on Eve exclusively.
No forgiveness.
Anyway, resolved to assign Filtia permanently to Eve duty, I opened the library door.
"Welcome, little brother. I sensed your mana and was waiting."
"It's been a while, sis. All good?"
"Yeah. Hehe. Our baby bro's gotten so cute. Hehe."
I see. Glad you like the imperial bloodmate sacrifice I offered. What a relief.
"So who's the girl?"
"Ah, this is..."
"Wolfram, let me introduce myself. Nice to meet you. I'm Aila Trista."
"...Yeah. And? What's your relation to my brother?"
"Aila Trista and Wolfram are engaged."
"...Wh-What?!"
Filtia's eyes went wide, staring at us.
Emotions swirling in them: disbelief, confusion, doubt, shock.
Basically: She's really his fiancée?
I met her gaze steadily and nodded slightly in confirmation.
"Th-...Hehe. I-I see. You're the cat who's gonna steal away my family..."
Oh no.
Blue lightning flickered in Filtia's eyes.
Dragon Eyes. The draconic authority she activated when we first met.
I'm holding up thanks to Imperial Bloodline.
Fine for me, but Aila...
"......"
She's breaking a sweat but hanging in there.
"...Filtia sis."
"Stay out of this, brother. You—Aila Trista, was it?"
"Yes."
"How much do you know about 'me'? Did brother tell you?"
"...Yes. He did."
"I see. Don't know how much or up to where, but I've guarded this academy alone for three hundred years on Papa's orders. And now I finally have family. Yet here you are, saying you'll take away my brand-new brother someday."
"......"
"How should I, Filtia Bluebreeze, treat you, Aila Trista?"
"Filtia sis."
I stepped in front of Aila, blocking her, and the Dragon Eyes' pressure hit me.
Countering with Imperial Bloodline, I spoke up.
"How about we stop there? If you're gonna keep pressuring her, we'll head out."
"I told you not to interfere, Wolfram."
"Can't do that."
"......You serious?"
"Dead serious."
I pulled up the party window and checked Aila's status.
If she had any debuffs, I'd force Imperial Bloodline—my top-tier skill—over it and bail from here. That's what I thought.
"Oh my. Lady Filtia, seems like there's a misunderstanding."
Aila's status was perfectly fine. Too fine.
"Me, stealing Wolfram away?"
And not just that.
Aila slipped out from behind me, stood before Filtia, and smiled brightly.
"..........?"
The lightning in Filtia's eyes drew question marks.
That's conscious-linked magic, but it displays like that?
"Ahem, we haven't even confirmed it fully yet. We decided to give our answers on graduation day."
"...Still, that's just a year left? Then after brother graduates..."
"Yes. And... if Wolfram and I do tie the knot... er, no, that deep bond... Ahem. If we form that profound connection!"
She's too embarrassed to even say "marriage"?
Come on, didn't your family talk about it casually before? What's with the sudden shyness?
"...Can't even say 'marriage,' huh?"
"...W-We do when we're alone! But in front of others outside family, it's... a major life event, right? Can't just toss it around lightly."
"I-I see. ...So, even if I hate imagining it—what then?"
"Th-Then... well."
"Answer quick. My patience isn't endless."
Aila, face beet red, placed her right hand over her chest and declared proudly.
"Wouldn't that just mean your family gains one more member?"
"?"
"?"
Filtia and I both tilted our heads.
No way you can just say it like that?
"What if you think of it that way?"
"...U-Uh. Logically, sure... Ah, right. Why should I accept you—who doesn't have Father's blood—as family..."
"But Lady Filtia, you're not of the founding emperor's blood either, are you?"
Filtia clamped her mouth shut.
Aila's smarter than she lets on.
"......"
The three-hundred-year dragon lost the logic battle.
"E-Even if Wolfram and I don't... tie that knot. We could get closer, right? Lady Filtia."
"Why should I?"
"...Actually, little Aila Star had a dream as a kid."
"......Huh? A dream?"
The sudden topic shift left me reeling.
Aila ignored it, eyes sparkling as she gazed at Filtia.
"When I was little... I dreamed of becoming a dragon!"
"......A dragon?"
"Yes! A dragon spewing black flames, roaming the world freely! Isn't it the most glamorous thing ever?"
Don't even think of becoming one.
Please.
"Nice dream. Fine. You can call me sis too, specially."
Filtia. You sure about that? Falling for it that easily?
"Really? Hehe. Feels like my childhood dream came true—I'm so happy!"
And Aila. Didn't you just say your dream was dragon slayer?