Chapter 16 — The Dragon's Reverse Scale
Chapter 16 — The Dragon's Reverse Scale
Translation: Godtl
In the night when everyone had fallen asleep.
Lelia sat at the desk in her bedroom, clutching her head.
Through her memories of the original work, she could know the major events that would happen in the future.
But while there were futures she could change, there were also futures beyond her ability to influence.
First, the most important thing was preventing her own death.
In the original work, it was said to be an accident from slipping, not murder, so she would only need to be careful near the pond.
Aside from her own fate, everything else was beyond her control.
The current emperor dying, the crown prince dying, and a new emperor ascending to the throne.
And the matter of her friends participating in the subjugation force to fight the Mad Dragon.
Also the damage Kalix would suffer in that battle.
Those were things she could not prevent.
'If only I had magical abilities like the original female lead or male lead...'
Not that she could save Kalix even with that.
In this world, if there was a power as great as divine power, it was the power of mana.
Mana referred to the energy of nature, and those with high mana affinity could absorb mana existing in nature into their bodies and cultivate it.
Using aura, a form of mana, to strengthen the body and infuse power into weapons was what made an Aura Master, or Sword Master.
And using mana to create formulas and perform magic was what defined a mage.
'It's forbidden, but I wish I at least knew alchemy.'
At the very least, she wouldn't starve like before. She could secretly sell magic potions and earn some money.
'Though it would be a huge problem if I got caught...'
Alchemy was essentially forbidden magic in this world. Though a type of magic, it was treated as heresy.
The reason was that the ultimate goal of alchemy was to create the 'Philosopher's Stone.'
The Philosopher's Stone was known to have properties similar to the' Divine Relics' of the temple that granted all wishes, and the temple judged this as a challenge to divine authority.
Additionally, the Elixir, one of the ultimate goals of alchemists, was also a problem.
Divine power had healing abilities but was not omnipotent. It could not revive the dead, regenerate severed body parts, or cure long-standing illnesses.
However, the Elixir that alchemists spoke of was an immortality potion that could make all those things possible.
Of course, no alchemist had actually created the Philosopher's Stone or Elixir yet. But the temple could not tolerate the very logic behind them.
Thus, alchemy came to be treated as heresy.
However, as in any world, illegally traded drugs made by alchemists were dealt in the underworld.
When caught and reported to the temple, alchemists faced inquisitorial trials and were burned at the stake. Like a witch hunt.
'They should have given me some ability at least.'
Lelia sighed in regret. Looking at the moon outside the window beyond her desk, her heart felt unsettled.
'But still, I'm worried about Kalix...'
Perhaps because the day of her return to her home country was drawing near, she was particularly worried about Kalix.
The greatsword Kalix would obtain in the future was enormous, about the size of an ordinary person's torso.
It was a treasured sword crafted by a master artisan, mixing diamonds, mithril, and legendary minerals passed down through legend.
And the gemstone embedded in the center of that sword's handle was one of the holy relics the temple was searching for.
As a special sword, it possessed immense power.
It had the power to remove a dragon's reverse scale.
In the battle against the Mad Dragon, Kalix was the main character responsible for the final strike. Just before his greatsword pierced the Mad Dragon's reverse scale, the dragon launched its final attack.
Kalix blocked that attack with his entire body while piercing the reverse scale, and the Mad Dragon fell. As a result, Kalix suffered burns all over his body.
After the Mad Dragon fell, Griffith infused divine power into Kalix to restore his melting bones and flesh, but...
One thing alone could not be healed. His eyes.
Kalix lost his sight from the battle with the Mad Dragon.
'I can't help but worry...'
If she didn't know, that would be one thing, but knowing, she couldn't help but feel concerned whenever she saw Kalix.
To pierce the Mad Dragon's reverse scale, there was no choice but to receive that technique with his entire body.
As seen in the novel, there was no way to avoid that attack.
'Even if I knew beforehand, there was nothing I could do.' Kalix had said to comfort his comrades. With a very composed appearance.
'If not for that damage, he could have had the throne...'
At that time, the Ascard Empire was in a devastated state due to the emperor's tyranny.
The current emperor, Kalix's uncle, was terrified that the Mad Dragon subjugation force might return in defeat.
So he hired powerful sorcerers to build a new castle to block the Mad Dragon, and even young commoners were conscripted to labor camps all day long.
However, the subjugation force won the war, and the people of the Ascard Empire hoped Kalix would return and drive out the tyrant.
But the symbol of the Ascard imperial family was golden eyes, the eyes of the Son of Heaven said to see through everything.
While suffering from tyranny, the people heard the news that Kalix had lost his sight and were horrified by him.
Saying he was 'cursed by the Mad Dragon.'
That was the reaction of most people. They praised him as a hero who defeated the Mad Dragon, but behind his back, they feared and shunned him as cursed.
In reality, after losing his sight, his eyes changed to a very mysterious color.
Mysterious eyes mixing blue, red, gold, and gray.
Knowing that his eyes cursed by the Mad Dragon caused discomfort to people, Kalix began covering his eyes after that.
But the original female lead, Julianna, saw his eyes and offered words of comfort.
"Kalix, I don't think you're cursed. Your eyes saved everyone in this world, so how could that be a curse, right?"
From that day on, Kalix too became one of Julianna's fish in her fishery.
'Whether he becomes a fish in her fishery or not, that doesn't matter...'
Kalix literally loses everything after the battle with the Mad Dragon.
Oscar, who became the semi-immortal emperor. Griffith, who gained power to covet even the position of Pope. Romeo, who built the first magic tower and became its master.
And the other main characters.
Among them, Kalix had the most miserable future waiting for him.
Unlike others praised as heroes, Kalix turned his back on everything and wandered the world again.
As if he never expected any reward. As if it was only natural.
In the original work, he had even lost one arm.
'Losing one arm, losing sight, no family, no friends, nothing... He's basically a beggar, completely...'
He doesn't even receive the original female lead's love.
Lelia, despite having a future where she might starve to death, thought what business did she have worrying about others, but whenever she saw Kalix laughing foolishly like "woo-ha-ha," she felt pity for him.
"Argh, I don't know, I don't know! Let me just worry about myself."
Lelia decided to erase thoughts of Kalix and think about her own future.
'...Should I just escape from the imperial palace after the rebellion breaks out?'
That wasn't bad either. Of course, just as secretly entering the imperial palace was difficult, leaving was also difficult...
'If I sneak out on the day the rebellion breaks out, maybe it's possible?'
No. That was too dangerous. Soldiers would be stationed throughout the palace, and she might die if she made a wrong move.
'But if I just stay still, I might be used as a hostage for the marriage alliance or offered to the meritorious retainers for marriage...'
That was even more terrible.
'Or should I beg Julianna to save me? Prostrate myself completely?'
Oho... Now that she thought about it, that wasn't a bad method.
Emperor Perseus, his sons Cedric and Damian couldn't move at all in front of Julianna.
'And Julianna is kind, so if I tell her I'm hungry, she might give me food.'
But this wasn't a safe method either.
Emperor Perseus, Cedric, and Damian harbored tremendous hatred toward her. The possibility of being assassinated before even approaching Julianna was higher.
'Should I rather go there...'
The imperial palace grounds were enormously large, with a vast forest, and if you went inward, a small cabin where the forest keeper stayed would appear.
But that place was not the forest keeper's resting place, but the secret hideout of Emperor Perseus's late former wife.
She was a mage, and in that secret place Perseus had prepared for her, she used to secretly create magical tools.
It was a place containing the two people's memories.
'Later, Emperor Perseus takes Julianna there...'
Emperor Perseus, seeing Julianna who was also a mage, was reminded of his dead wife.
So he took her there to show her the things his wife had made, and gave her that secret hideout as a gift.
According to her memory, there were quite useful magical tools in that secret hideout.
'There was emergency food preserved with magic too, right?'
Food was something she desperately needed above all else.
When she returned, the problem she had to worry about most was starving to death.
Neither the current emperor nor Perseus who would become emperor were people favorable to Lelia.
Especially after Perseus became emperor, it was even more ambiguous.
Originally, there were few maids assigned to Lelia, but they also couldn't afford to show favor and risk falling out of favor with the new emperor.
When they barely had enough time to curry favor with the emperor, there was no one who would treat the criminal who was no different from the emperor's enemy kindly.
'Plus Cedric and Damian had threatened them...'
Fine, I'll find my own way to survive.
'I need to take over that secret cabin.'
However, she would have to be careful not to encounter Emperor Perseus while secretly stealing food.
Lelia laughed despicably, "heh-heh-heh," and returned to lie down on her bed. Then she hugged the small rabbit doll at her bedside.
Even if she returned to her home country and became alone again, she felt reassured knowing that having this doll would make her a little less lonely.
"So, what is this again?"
Lelia sat surrounded by four friends, gazing at a mysterious fountain pen placed on the table.
The fountain pen looked undeniably high-end, with jewels embedded in it, exuding an extraordinary aura.
It was Romeo who had brought this fountain pen.