Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Dragon's Presence (2)
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Strange.
Why are they reacting like this?
Alenja shook both her hands as if to say, "Look at this."
Flutter, flutter. It was as if sound effects were playing.
Thanks to that, the dragon's dignified appearance—filled with majesty when she wielded different powers in each hand—had turned into quite the spectacle.
"Wow!!!"
Rishir added his applause and cheers, which only amplified the effect.
"Ugh...!"
Alenja felt a complicated mix of emotions.
The meaning behind Rishir's actions was clearly different from what she had intended, no matter who looked at it.
It was a situation where she might have felt humiliated if things had gone wrong.
But for some reason... it didn't feel all that bad.
"Rishir?"
At Latsil's urging, the elves—who had been clapping mechanically—now watched Rishir intently.
Huh?
Rishir likes it?
Then I should like it too?
Strength returned to their soulless cheers.
Enthusiastic cheers erupted.
The cheers called forth even greater cheers—
And the elves' campsite transformed into a heated stage.
"..."
The dragon girl, the star of the show, wore a peculiar expression.
It certainly wasn't a bad reaction.
Compared to the days filled with blame and resentment, this was a dazzlingly joyful situation.
The problem was that, while not bad, it wasn't born of awe either.
"What... is this...?"
Was this the right reaction to unleashing the authority of a dragon?
A response like cheering for a young niece's antics?
"Alenja!!! Amazing!!!"
Whether he had interpreted her reaction that way or not, Rishir sent even more fervent support.
"Ah, ugh!!! I get it, so stop!!!"
The dragon girl couldn't endure the stage any longer.
She shouted, her face flushing bright red.
Alenja felt humiliated.
To treat a dragon like this, of all things!
But the cheers from others—something she was experiencing for the first time—were undeniably sweet!
Before she knew it, the corners of Alenja's mouth twitched upward, the mouth of a girl in her prime before she was a dragon.
Because of that, her dragon's roar almost sounded like a childish whine.
"Wh-what's wrong with all of you!? Can't you see this!? Magic and divine power coexisting!!! Even Nad'ga can't do this!"
"Well said! Dragon! To harbor such pure mana and divinity together..."
The great noble's face was filled with wonder, as if he had witnessed a miracle.
Not only his knight order, but everyone who had once followed Nad'ga felt the same.
The initial goal had been achieved.
They now felt more awe toward the dragon than they ever had toward Nad'ga.
And in a very positive direction!
Divine power!
The sacred power—not anything else—had manifested alongside magical power.
"I, Ares Ye Debryen!!! In my life, I have never seen a being as divine as you!"
"Well, I suppose so."
Alenja nodded contentedly at the humans' reactions.
Yes.
This is the natural response.
...But why are these guys...?
With a glimmer of hope, Alenja checked the elven expedition's reaction again.
Was the cheering time(?) over?
They just stared at her blankly.
"...Ah!"
At that moment.
Alenja nodded as if she understood.
'Right. Elves are long-lived species who live far longer than humans!'
Broad experience proportional to their long lives.
It was only natural that elves had a higher threshold for awe than humans.
"Now I get it. You all. You've already encountered beings with abilities just like mine, haven't you?"
"That's right."
"What!?"
Karoer.
The elf's calm response contrasted sharply with the humans' reactions.
"Unbelievable! Another wondrous being like that exists!?"
Murmurs spread through the human group.
Among them were middle-aged men with wrinkled skin and an elderly knight with white hair.
They were respected in the group for their elders' vast knowledge.
Now, their world was crumbling helplessly.
Because of the conversation between the dragon and the elf.
The confusion deepened due to the youthful appearances of the two races, who would be considered far below in human terms.
"To think 'frog in a well' fits so perfectly..."
"What veteran, what elder...?"
The elderly knight was also the great noble's mentor, who had guided him and taught him about the world.
Ares Ye Debryen, shocked by the elderly knight's reaction, said to the dragon and elf,
"What on earth is it...? That other wondrous being you saw!!!"
"Why are you so worked up? It's obvious, isn't it?"
Alenja smirked and exchanged glances with Karoer.
Nod.
They spoke at the same time.
"The dragon—"
"Is Rishir."
"?"
Alenja turned serious and exchanged glances with Karoer again.
They both shut their mouths at the same time.
An awkward silence flowed.
"No way!!!"
That was the dragon's roar from moments ago.
"No way..."
And now.
The dragon girl's dazed mutter.
It was the moment Rishir was pushed by Alenja into unleashing his power.
He manifested magic in one hand and divine power in the other.
Alenja's wide eyes shook more and more.
There was no room for doubt.
It was clearly pure magical power and pure divine power.
"A h-human had this kind of power...?"
Alenja muttered in disbelief.
It was unheard of.
"..."
At Alenja's words, the humans exchanged awkward glances.
It was unheard of.
"What are you saying, girl? Of course a normal human couldn't have that power."
A flamboyantly red-haired great mage smiled faintly and corrected the girl's misunderstanding.
"Then..."
"He's not human. It's possible because he's Rishir."
"Rishir, who isn't human..."
"No, he is human too."
Rishir, who was holding up divine and magical power like bees' wings, answered.
He found the current situation quite uncomfortable.
He had complied with Alenja's demand-like request for now, but wasn't this just needlessly bothering her?
"Um... if I may be so bold, how long do I have to keep this up?"
Rishir asked cautiously.
"...!"
At Rishir's attitude, Alenja's eyes widened in delight.
"Why, Rishir? Is it hard!? Handling that power!?"
The dragon's sharp eyes had caught onto a possibility.
The human's modest gray eyes had caught the same possibility.
"Ah! Of course! It's exhausting! The first time I handled this power, I nearly died from overload! Even now that I'm used to it, it's not an ability I can wield comfortably! The burden and fatigue are immense! On the other hand, Alenja looks perfectly at ease!?"
There was a bit of exaggeration, but Rishir's admiration was sincere.
For some reason, Alenja had been manifesting magic and divine power in her hands the whole time, and even after quite a long period, there wasn't the slightest disturbance in her aura.
"You nearly overloaded? Why?"
Alenja blinked, genuinely puzzled.
"Why...?"
Rishir let out a wry laugh.
It was a familiar yet unfamiliar situation for him.
Being deceived.
To be on the receiving end for once!
"Well, it's not a normal power for me. It takes considerable strength and effort to handle it. Moreover, it comes with an enormous price."
Alenja beamed and placed both hands on her chest.
"I don't need any of that!?"
"Is that true?"
"Yes! I could do this all day!"
Rishir no longer adjusted himself for Alenja.
There was no need to in the first place.
"That's... incredible...?"
Rishir sincerely admired the young dragon before him.
Was this what they meant by "no matter how hard a titmouse tries to match a stork's stride, it can't"?
His secret art, lifelong aspiration, and eternal homework—magic swordsmanship—was something as natural to a dragon as hands and feet from birth.
"...!"
At that moment.
A stir finally began among the elves.
Alenja's ears perked up happily at the murmur.
"He can wield Rishir's power freely!?"
The direction bothered her a little, but the elves were undoubtedly feeling awe regardless.
Her guardian Karoer and Lunadien of the Flower Garden were no exceptions.
"Oh, huh? Oh!!!"
Alenja waved her arms, stomped her feet, and couldn't stay still in excitement.
The elven expedition, which possessed inherently higher status and power than the humans.
Had the flow shifted to their awe?
The dragon felt something immense and indescribable descending upon her.
The dragon was slowly regaining her presence.
Her vertically slit, mystical eyes gleamed with golden light.
The girl's youthful appearance was overlaid with a transcendent presence.
"Uh... uh!? R-Rishir!?"
It was while the dragon was basking in that immense fulfillment.
For a moment, her companion.
The dragon reverted to her girl form and covered her mouth.
Blood was flowing from Rishir's nose.
And his eyes were bloodshot.
Signs of overload.
"Hm? Ah. Don't worry about it. Like I said just now—"
"What!? No! Overload!!!"
Alenja paced anxiously and summoned pure divine power.
"What, overload!?"
Those three words were enough.
Ares and his group immediately grasped the severity and gathered around Rishir.
"Here, try drinking this!"
Ares pulled a vial from his bosom and handed it to Rishir.
"Lord Ares, that's!"
The elderly knight cried out in shock.
Tears of the River.
It was the supreme elixir that the great noble house of Debryen could produce only in limited quantities, known to purify a polluted river with a single drop.
A treasure that the hot-blooded Ares carried with him. He offered it to Rishir without hesitation.
"Old man! He's the benefactor who freed us from that monstrous being! Please, don't say it's a waste!"
"...But, will the Tears of the River even work on overload—"
"We have to try. From the symptoms—it looks like the overload just started."
"Rishir! Why is this happening!!! D-don't tell me it's because of me!?"
By now, tears welled in the dragon girl's eyes.
The atmosphere in the urgent scene grew tense.
In the midst of it, Rishir raised both hands calmly and said,
"Alenja. Calm down first. Isn't this common for us?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"Pardon? Ah. Ah! Come to think of it—you can use that power without any burden, so you wouldn't experience overload."
"...?"
"As I said, I'm not as capable as you, Alenja. Whenever I use that power, I get overload like this consistently. But I'm used to it now, so this level doesn't faze me. I'll be fine after a short rest."
Rishir smiled sheepishly, embarrassed.
A thought suddenly struck him.
How pathetic and feeble must this unstable sight look in the eyes of a flawless dragon—
It was unfounded worry.
The flawless dragon did not view the unstable human's appearance as pathetic.
Nor feeble. She couldn't in the first place.
A disconnect in perception.
The dragon couldn't understand how humans treated overload.
"Ah."
Then.
Rishir wiped under his nose with his fingertip.
Good.
That quiet mutter lingered in their ears.
"Wait. Rishir, you—"
"Yes?"
By now, his eyes were gleaming with golden light.
"It's done...?"
He had inadvertently drawn out the dragon's awe.
"No, why does everything always end up like this..."
Rishir checked his appearance in the mirror Latsil had handed him.
His gray eyes, rubbing his brow, were emitting golden light.
"Don't tell me... that presence has dwelled in me?"
"It seems... that way?"
Lunadien observed him with interest right in front of him.
"These eyes are proof? That's strange, though. I clearly confirmed Alenja entered this state first just now—"
"The presence must have some fluidity until it fully settles... Like a tug-of-war. Fascinating."
"Tug-of-war... Ah! Then, conversely, it should be possible too!"
"Hm?"
"Just as the presence that dwelled in Alenja transferred to me, we can transfer this presence back to Alenja!?"
"..."
Hmm. Hm.
Lunadien let out a hum and averted her gaze.
"Lady Lunadien?"
It wasn't just her.
Everyone, including Karoer, looked at him with expressions screaming "read the room."
Their gazes then turned to the young dragon.
Possible?
Gazes laden with that meaning—
"...!"
The young dragon's body flinched.
But only for a moment.
"No problem!!!"
Alenja shouted bravely.
"As I said, what I showed was just a tiny fraction of a dragon's authority!!!"
Far from mere bravado, her eyes burned with firm confidence.
"Oh..."
Rishir and others let out admiration for the dragon's majesty.
"Huh?"
And then, Alenja's eyes gleamed with golden light once more.
"No..."
Rishir was dumbfounded.
This presence thing.
Wasn't it too flighty?
Did it really shift back and forth so casually?
At this point, he couldn't help but wonder.
Are we... doing this right?
"Lady Lunadien. Lady Karoer."
Rishir's gaze pleaded for an answer.
But the two elves gave no reply. Rishir couldn't press them.
Their expressions were steeped in agony as well.
Eventually.
They all reached the same conclusion.
They simply lacked information.
Continuing in this state carried too much risk.
"If only we could get more information somewhere..."
"Lady Lunadien? Is there any place we could obtain information on this?"
"Well—it's such a mysterious power. To gather info on it, we might need to find another Nad'ga—"
"Nad'ga..."
Rishir mulled over the name for a while.
Then.
Rishir's eyes widened.
"Could it be—"
"You? Do you have some idea—"
Lunadien stopped mid-sentence.
Rishir had closed his eyes and entered deep concentration.
It was so profound it felt like he had left the room.
Perhaps that's why.
Their attention naturally shifted elsewhere.
"..."
To the dragon girl, Alenja, who had been absorbed in something since earlier.
"What are you doing?"
Lunadien approached and asked.
"Trying to summon spirits."
"Spirits...?"
"Yes. Our dragons' guardians and advisors. Now that Nad'ga's curse is gone... maybe they'll respond to my call—"
Alenja's words stopped there.
"Ah...!"
Her body was enveloped in golden light.
"This is—"
Lunadien blankly took in the light.
A being with immense will had descended upon the dragon girl.
"It worked! It worked!!!"
It was then, as the excited Alenja shouted.
"Everyone!"
Rishir beamed and called out.
"I think I've found a way!"
Alenja tried to say she was fine.
To rely on her right now.
This might be a more certain answer.
"I found that Nad'ga! Hera!"
But Alenja's words caught in her throat at Rishir's follow-up.
"Y-you found Hera? Where...?"
"I had a hunch, and sure enough, that Nad'ga's soul was still wandering the nearby astral realm! So, I bound the soul and made a proposal! If it provides information on this power and cooperates, I'll help it achieve nirvana as a constellation!"
Was it really the same language?
They couldn't understand a word Rishir said.
"Ah... that's good..."
The dragon girl's eyes shook.
The human's gray eyes gleamed with even clearer golden light.
Lately, Bondalles had been going through a turbulent period without a moment's peace.
Because of the elven expedition.
And the consequent possibility of war.
That was why Fienne had meetings with the city's power brokers from early morning.
In the midst of the ongoing conference.
"So, this incident is with Rishir and—"
The moment Fienne spoke and mentioned that name.
"!?"
Fienne's expression hardened.
"...!?"
"...!!!"
"!?!"
The others listening to her reacted the same.
"...What is this now?"
Fienne muttered in a trembling voice.
Rishir.
The moment his name was mentioned, things related to him surfaced.
"Guardian of Harmony and Balance...?"
An abnormal number of them.