Chapter 90
Gula was furious. Ever since returning from his failed mission at the academy.
“Buuuh…… buuuh……! Kraaaah!!”
He was angry that his noble, perfect body had been wounded. But what enraged him even more was letting a rare, top-tier ingredient—a half-human, half-dragon—slip right through his fingers.
As a glutton and a gourmet, he loved hunting for new foods. Whether ingredients or intelligent beings, he devoured anything that satisfied his palate without discrimination.
So when he faced a situation where he couldn't fulfill his desires, a maddening rage began tearing through his mind.
“Gula.”
“Buht!? S-S-Sub-Cult Leader?!”
In the midst of his rampage, he whipped his head around at the sound of the Sub-Cult Leader calling his name. Tension gripped him at the fact that the Sub-Cult Leader had come all the way here, but his perpetually emotionless face made it impossible to tell if he was angry or simply indifferent.
“I-I'm sorry…… It was because of some unknown intruder……!”
“Enough. I've heard the report. It's understandable—unexpected interference from an unforeseen figure. And…… I have a rough idea of who that person might be.”
“R-Really?”
Gula's face lit up at the Sub-Cult Leader's words, implying he'd already pinpointed the culprit. After all, no one but him wanted to personally slaughter the human who'd ruined his feast.
“Still, it's a shame we couldn't recover her. She would have made for a significant asset if we'd succeeded.”
“I-I'm sorry……”
“Her surroundings will be on high alert now because of this, so the same method won't work. Nations have been growing restless ever since we began revealing ourselves, making further interference impossible.”
“Buuuh……”
“However…… there's no need to fixate solely on her.”
“Pardon? What do you mean……?”
Gula tilted his head, unable to grasp the Sub-Cult Leader's intent.
“She's undoubtedly a monster born of dragon blood. I don't know why that long-forgotten, diluted lineage has resurfaced now, but it means her blood kin carry dormant dragon blood as well.”
“!! Buht, you mean—!”
“Indeed.”
The Sub-Cult Leader slowly turned his gaze. The wall he stared at was blank, but Gula instinctively knew.
“The north. It's time we paid a visit to the Auros humans guarding it.”
His gaze was fixed on the frozen northern plains.
The infirmary, thrown into chaos by Lady Prazia's intervention, quickly stabilized with the arrival of Count Helios.
The aides, locked in a subtle battle of wills with her, seemed to rein in their emotions before their master—unwilling to show disrespect.
“Your relationship…… with those guys?”
“Yes.”
“No offense, but you knew those bastards even existed?”
“Yes.”
His matter-of-fact tone made me wonder if I had asked the wrong question. These world-threatening scum were strutting around, and he had no intention of wiping them out? What the hell was he doing?
“No, this is insane.”
“Cursing at your master?”
“No, come on! If you knew, you should've crushed them ages ago! What I'm doing now is just cleaning up your leftovers—what's the difference?!”
The surrounding stares weren't normal either. They wouldn't disrespect an Aura Lord, humanity's pinnacle, but the aides eyed their master's actions with clear doubt.
Polo, caught between us, alternated glances, visibly conflicted about his father overlooking such villains and struggling to mediate.
“……I first learned of them before my wife…… Polo's mother…… passed.”
“……!”
Countess Helios, Polo's mother. She'd never been mentioned before. Of course not—she was gone.
From what I'd heard, she'd died when Polo was too young to wean, her frail body worsening after childbirth, compounded by a chronic illness.
“After giving birth to Polo, her health declined daily. We consulted every doctor nearby, even begged the emperor for the imperial physician, but it was congenital—nothing could be done.”
He'd have given his own life force if possible, but as an Aura Lord, his power would overwhelm her fragile body, potentially causing it to burst. He could only watch her fade.
Yet the famously devoted master refused to give up, scouring for miracle cures—physicians, herbs, holy power, sorcery, anything.
Begging, threatening, every method failed. As her breaths grew ragged, the thought of burying her himself tormented him.
“That's when he appeared.”
Grief-stricken, he'd handed infant Polo to a wet nurse when a stranger arrived.
"Hello, Count."
An utterly ordinary face. Simple, worn clothes like a country youth. No distinguishing features, yet the master couldn't look away.
"We…… can cure your wife's illness."
"What?!"
He'd raged at first. No one else could heal her, and this brazen claim screamed con artist. Disgusted by the ploy to exploit her for gold, he'd nearly slain him on the spot but restrained his fury to send him away.
"Hm…… I understand your reaction. It'd be unreasonable to trust strangers outright."
The man gave a wry smile, scratching his head before pulling something from his pocket.
"……A bird?"
A small sparrow, common street fare. Why carry it in his pocket? Before the question faded—
Puk!
"Wh-What?!"
With fluid motion, he drew a small knife from his back pocket and slit the sparrow's throat. It chirped weakly, convulsed, and died.
"What madness is this? Mock me and—!"
"Shh. Watch."
Unaunted by the count's pressure, he stroked the bird.
Twitch!Flutter!
"!!!"
The clearly dead sparrow stirred and opened its eyes. A miracle—resurrection. No switch possible; the neck wound matched the knife perfectly.
"Satisfied? Ready to listen now?"
“So you fell for his trick?”
“Hardly. I'd not be here if I had.”
……Fair point. If he'd been duped then, the Helios County would be gone, and he wouldn't stand before us.
A Heaven God Cult with an Aura Lord wouldn't skulk in the empire's shadow.
“But I didn't expect them to wield such insane power……”
“They're not omnipotent. That miracle worked only on a sparrow's minor life force—anything larger, impossible.”
Humans dwarf sparrows in vitality. Resurrection's mechanics unknown, but easier on small life.
“I was tempted at first. I sent him away for time to think—it seemed too easy.”
“Then……”
“But I refused in the end. They hid the crucial part.”
“Which was……?”
“Equivalent exchange.”
“?”
“To recreate one life, another of equal value is needed.”
“!!”
After days of torment, he accepted their offer. A glimmer of hope, and their 'small price' seemed worth his fortune.
Dismissing all servants, he led the suspicious man to his wife's bedside.
"Not much time left. Such a thin thread of life—miraculous she's held on."
"Save my wife. Name your price—gold, honor, my secret sword arts. Anything!"
"Haha. I need nothing grand. Just one tiny thing."
The ritual began. Dark, sticky aura filled the room, but hope steeled him against the revulsion. Unsettling for life-giving power, yet he endured, eyes on her.
"Good. One more ingredient, and she'll recover fully."
"Wh-What is it? I'll fetch it—"
"Your child."
"……What?"
"Bring your child. His life for her healing."
Child? Wife? His mind reeled, scales tipping wildly. Imagining his sleeping infant, vile disgust surged, nearly making him retch.
"N-No…… I won't!"
"?! Darling?! How can you speak?!"
"Then…… in the next life…… I won't marry you!"
His dying wife lifted her head, piercing his hesitation for the child's sake.
Awakened, he bit his lip and rejected the offer outright.
"……Impossible. My wife refuses."
"Surprising…… Conveying will in that state. Unexpected."
But contracts bind. A fierce clash ensued—opponent rivaling an Aura Lord, wife's sorcery hostage limiting him.
"As expected of an Aura Lord…… Even overdrawing 'His' power yields a draw……"
"Playtime over?"
"……No choice. I can't lose my ace, but one constraint."
They bound anew: He lifts the wife's spell, no approach to count or child. Master no interference in his moves, aid if he seeks the wife.
“I had to let her go, but no regrets—couldn't sacrifice Polo. That constraint bars my involvement.”
“I…… see.”
Tied to the late countess, I could only scratch my head awkwardly.
Polo's eyes shook—nearly a sacrifice, mother's choice saving him. He'd only known her weak health; this revelation hit hard.
“Finding you brought joy. My foolish choice won't doom the world—you'll fix it.”