Chapter 174
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 174
It was about Hero Sian.
Ar nodded slightly as he took the report. With a few of the major pieces now in place, the bigger picture was starting to come into view.
…And it was not a good one.
Just as he was about to pack a few belongings and leave his office, a full-length mirror in the corner caught his eye. Ar stopped in front of it.
The mirror in the hospital room had been too small, showing only his face, but this one revealed the state of his entire body at a glance.
Staring at his reflection, Ar muttered, “I suppose… I don’t have much time left.”
A body that had been forced awake could not possibly be normal. He was just grateful that his limbs could still move.
After assessing his condition, Ar dragged his staggering body toward the Imperial Palace.
The palace was in utter chaos.
The nobles were nowhere to be seen, having apparently fled to their own estates. Only the maids and servants remained, scurrying in every direction. Every single one of them looked on the verge of tears, utterly consumed by despair.
When Ar passed through the crowds and entered the inner chambers of the imperial family, he found…
“…”
Not a single member of the imperial family was in sight.
…Had they all run away already?
“Splendid.”
After a moment of blankness, a faint smile touched Ar’s lips.
He turned to leave without a shred of regret, ready to head to his final destination, when—
“Sir Ar.”
A familiar voice called out from behind him.
Hero Sian was walking toward him through the now-empty imperial chambers.
“I was looking for you.”
“I left no trail, yet you found me so easily.”
“I simply predicted your path and came to meet you.”
“I didn’t expect Sir Sian, who has never shown much interest in the Empire, to be so considerate.”
“It is merely the final request of Uin and Sir Rashumer.”
At the mention of Uin, Ar hesitated.
“Uin is…”
“She is alive. Sir Rashumer knocked her unconscious as soon as the situation escalated. She is with him now.”
“Kurak must have used the teleportation hub to cross over… and Swallow will be there as well.”
Sian flinched, looking at Ar in surprise. He seemed taken aback that Ar understood the situation without him even mentioning Swallow.
Paying it no mind, Ar continued, “Is everyone evacuating?”
“The remaining knights requested that I evacuate you to a safe place.”
So, everyone had evacuated.
With the imperial family gone and Uin safe, there was no need to worry about them. The fact that Sian had come all this way meant that another capable mage was helping Rashumer and Uin.
One less thing to worry about in the time he had left. At the thought, Ar let out a sudden, breathless laugh, like a man gone mad.
With only one task remaining at the very end of his life, there was no need to agonize over choices. How blissful.
The Masterpieces.
The imperial family would have taken the ones owned by the Empire, and the two seized from the Papal Faction should be in Sian’s possession.
Since Uin was alive, there would be no major issues with their future plans. The fate of the Empire was uncertain, but since the imperial family had evacuated first, the possibility of reconstruction was high.
For the Empire.
He tried to summon that feeling once more, but the Ar of this moment was utterly powerless. Perhaps because he had only just awakened from the darkness, he couldn't easily discern what he was supposed to do.
“Could you…”
However, there was one thing he wanted to do.
“Could you teleport me to where Swallow is?”
Hearing those words, Sian’s expression stiffened.
“If you go, you will die.”
“If that is your concern, then it is fine.”
“The Empire still needs you—”
“Sir Sian.”
Ar took a step toward him.
He gently raised his hands and placed them on Sian’s shoulders.
Sian, who had pulled back the hood of his robe, glanced down at the hands gripping him.
The fingernails were completely gone.
Parts of his fingers dangled limply, soon to rot and fall off. Beyond that, there wasn't a single intact part on Ar’s body.
Despite his entire body being in such a ruinous state, Ar didn't let out a single scream. He didn’t even seem to be in pain—which meant he could no longer feel it at all.
And with a body like this, he had made his way to the Imperial Palace.
“…”
Amid his decaying flesh, only his eyes—which had regained their original color—seemed to speak to Sian.
Do you really think I can go on living with a body like this?
“…Could you teleport me to where Swallow is?”
*
The scene that greeted them upon teleporting was much as he had expected. The corpses of soldiers were piled high, and the massive fortress walls that once brought peace of mind to the citizens of the Empire had crumbled helplessly.
Thump.
Inside his dying body, only his heart still beat with life. Yet the further he walked down these streets of death, the more alive Ar seemed to become.
Ar walked alone, backward through the battlefield.
As the concentration of black energy grew thicker, he let it guide him.
Past the collapsed walls, the corpses of Orcs lay strewn everywhere. An equal number of homunculus corpses were piled beside them. Walking further, he saw the carcass of a giant larva, dozens of centimeters long.
Traces of a chaotic battle were everywhere.
Many thoughts crossed his mind, but…
The black energy interfered with his thoughts, as if urging him to ignore everything else and simply draw closer. Clutching his throbbing head, Ar kept walking.
He walked.
And walked.
Until he was slowly reaching the absolute limit of his physical body.
He walked for a long time. As he did, a chunk of insect flesh larger than a man blocked his path. Ar bypassed it, avoiding the toxic stench it emitted.
He walked until his body began to refuse his commands, and there, at the end of his path, stood Swallow.
“…”
The moment he arrived, his eyes met Swallow’s.
For a long while, he just watched him in silence.
There were so many things he had planned to say. So many things he wanted to ask. Even though the black energy had drawn him here, Ar had brought a communication magic tool in his pocket, hoping to gather one last shred of information. And yet…
“…”
Now, he couldn't think of anything. Instead, a single thought, born of pure instinct, took over his mind. I must go closer. It felt as if approaching that entity would grant him some kind of answer.
He stepped over the debris of the stone walls and moved forward.
The black energy was a double-edged sword. It was the very force that allowed Ar to move, yet it was also the plague eating him away. Ar realized that the closer he got to Swallow, the faster his body collapsed.
It wasn't that his body felt heavy. Rather, it was growing lighter.
Yes, lighter.
Plop. Thud.
The dangling parts of his fingers fell limply to the ground.
He stepped over the corpses of Orcs as he walked.
Plop. Plop.
Patches of skin on his face peeled off and fell away.
It was fine. He felt no pain.
Only…
Throughout Ar’s approach, Swallow remained expressionless. He didn't utter a single word, nor did he take a single step. As Ar stared only at him, it felt as if time itself had stopped.
—What is that monster thinking as it looks at me?
Harboring that brief question, Ar kept walking.
With every step, the concentration of the black energy grew thicker. Unable to withstand it, his body crumbled and fell apart. Even so, Ar kept walking. He walked and walked. He pushed forward by any means necessary, until he could walk no further.
A hundred meters.
After what felt like an eternity.
He finally managed to get close enough to be considered right in front of him.
‘Now, then.’
One step.
Just one more step.
…
…
His legs wouldn't move.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't walk.
…
‘If I cannot get closer…’
At least let me touch him.
Ar raised his right arm.
His trembling hand reached toward Swallow’s face. Ar leaned forward, as if collapsing.
Thud.
Just before he could touch Swallow, both of his arms fell limply from his body. His staggering legs gave out and detached as well. Having lost his rotted, decaying limbs, Ar collapsed face-first onto the ground.
He couldn't reach.
Then…
Something.
At least say something.
Any words would do.
Please.
“…”
Not even a sound would come out.
A single raindrop fell from the dark sky, a heavy drop landing near Ar’s eye. Only after collapsing did he look up to see the gloomy sky. Judging by the weather, a downpour was imminent.
“Ah, I wondered who it was.”
Only then, at the very end, did Swallow’s voice reach him.
Only then did Ar’s tightly closed lips part, and he smiled one last time.
It was a smile twisted with agony.
“…Ha.”
In the end, he couldn't reach him.
*
Kurak's head was impaled on the tip of a long spear.
“I’ll give you three minutes. If you’re still in my sight after that, I’ll make all of you look just like your captain here.”
The Orcs fell into utter chaos the moment they saw Kurak's head. The panicked horde fled in scattered groups, but upon realizing they had no path of retreat, they all gathered back in one place.
It was quite the spectacle: tens of thousands of Orcs wandering aimlessly before finally retreating toward the Annun Plains.
“It’s embarrassing to even call them an army.”
This was a natural outcome. Kurak was not just a commander but the absolute measure of strength the Orcs worshipped. The moment that strength was broken, the army’s will to fight evaporated.
The remaining chieftain, Kalum, was no exception; he too was panicking, unable to control his forces.
No, wait—just one.
Amidst the Orcs who had become a disorganized rabble, a single soldier turned his head back.
“…”
Patrick’s gaze met the Orc soldier’s.
Eyes that were clear and focused, free of any stray thoughts.
“There was one with the makings of a general.”
After an exchange of glances that felt exceptionally long for just a few seconds, the Orc soldier turned and rejoined the retreating horde.
It was the moment the Great Evil Cave ‘Nilkumbal’ was reduced to a mere Orc settlement.
*
“Is the situation finally settled?”
Azi Dahaka landed behind Patrick after having been flying about quite busily.
In truth, Azi Dahaka deserved a fair share of the credit for the Orcs retreating without resistance. With a legendary evil dragon looming overhead, some Orcs barely dared to breathe.
“You show mercy in these matters.”
“It’s a whim. Though, to be more precise, there’s simply nothing to gain from killing them all.”
“Perhaps so.”
Nodding, Azi Dahaka naturally shifted into her half-human, half-dragon form. Unlike Swallow, her polymorph had no defects, so a smaller size was undoubtedly more convenient for moving around.
“More importantly, Lord Azi Dahaka, aren’t you curious about the truth behind this incident?”
“Do you take me for a fool?”
Of course, she was curious, but…
From Azi Dahaka’s perspective, there was no reason to go looking for trouble.
Had she not seen with her own eyes a mere gatekeeper defeat a Great Evil Cave boss, and that boss lightly erase two Great Evil Caves from existence?
“I am the Dragon Lord. Margar’s prosperity comes before my personal curiosity.”
“How exemplary. I only wish our boss would think like that for once,” Patrick replied in a bright voice, as if satisfied with her answer.
‘He seems to mean what he says.’
As far as Patrick knew, the Dragon Lord possessed the character of a true leader, not a boss.
Those with much to protect are naturally discreet. There was no need to treat him as an enemy for now.
Turning his head, Patrick gazed at Swallow in the distance.
Quite some time had passed.
Swallow also seemed to have wrapped up most of his business.
A human had approached Swallow, only to collapse lifelessly to the ground a moment later. Swallow, who had been about to turn away and resume his casting, suddenly whipped his head around to look at Patrick.
“You intend to erase it… Indeed, blowing up the entire city is the easiest way right now.”
It was the cleanest way to eliminate any room for Hexabel to play tricks. And above all, hadn't the humans gone and created homunculi again?
In the current state of utter devastation, tracking down all traces of the homunculi would be difficult. Since things had come to this, blowing up all of Riaze was the most reassuring option. The breeding grounds for the homunculi were bound to be located within the city, after all.
Understanding the meaning behind Swallow’s glance, Patrick planted the blunt end of his spear into the ground and spoke.
“Lord Azi Dahaka, I believe we should start leaving as well.”
Sensing an unusual flow of mana, Azi Dahaka asked, “How far away do we need to go?”
“Outside of Riaze.”
“…That far?”
“Well.”
It would be better to show her directly rather than explain it in words.
Since it was a rare sight, he could consider this payment for the ride. With that decided, Patrick smiled meaningfully and said, “For now, please head outside of Riaze.”