Chapter 465
Chapter 465
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 465
>Chapter Title: The Speaking Wyvern
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Baldu chieftain Ka-bu.
He had inherited his father Ka-zan's temperament, approaching the conversation with Kang Seol in a gentle, easygoing manner.
"Keshi and the Dekki tribe's forces were ambushed? Hmm... Baldu will probably come under suspicion. But it wasn't us."
"...I figured as much."
"Hahaha! Baldu doesn't resort to such petty tricks. If we fight, it's head-on. Right... the ones behind this must be connected to the recent troubles in our tribe."
"Recent troubles? Has something happened to Baldu as well?"
"Ah, yes. Something very troublesome."
The scout's report about the tribe being in disarray suddenly came to mind.
"You'd see it just walking around the village a bit. We've suffered massive losses in a short time."
"What in the world..."
"We might lose Wing Canyon, which my father entrusted to me."
The Baldu tribe were the rightful rulers of Wing Canyon. Monsters that freely swam through the erratic winds infused with strange mana.
'Such beings... losing Wing Canyon?'
Kang Seol couldn't hide his shock at Ka-bu's following words.
"The wyverns have vanished."
"...Pardon?"
"The wyverns we've raised together since they hatched from their eggs—more than half disappeared overnight. Baldu can barely muster half our original strength now."
"...Who did this?"
Ka-bu recounted the events as if reliving that day.
"The wyvern pens are guarded by carefully selected elite warriors on staggered shifts."
Strict surveillance.
Yet somehow, they'd lost their wyverns.
"Were they attacked?"
"It's unclear. We didn't hear anything."
"You didn't hear anything... The guards..."
"All the warriors on shift that day took their own lives."
"...What?"
Had they fallen in battle defending against an assault?
"They all killed themselves."
"......"
"By the time we sensed something wrong and arrived... more than half the wyverns were already gone."
Ka-bu gave a bitter smile.
"They looked so free. Maybe that's what they wanted. Perhaps living with us felt like bondage to them."
"...I doubt that's the case."
"...Anyway, one warrior who just stood there blankly watching the wyverns fly away immediately threw himself off the cliff. That's why we know nothing. Do you have any guesses?"
Kang Seol rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
'The method is insidious. Illusion... or enchantment. Or perhaps... corruption?'
Kang Seol shook his head.
There wasn't enough information to pin it down.
"It seems peace has lasted too long. With the Federation crumbling overnight, we should have realized Baldu would be next. Do you know what's happening in the north?"
"That's..."
Kang Seol explained the council's existence, its members, and their plans.
Ka-bu listened gravely before responding.
"The Three Giants... Never heard of them. Probably an ancient legend. But we must be wary of this council."
"Agreed."
"Even Azanik... Do you know about our relationship with Azanik?"
"...I know it well."
"Baldu and Azanik can never live under the same sky—they're mortal enemies. If what you say is true, proud Baldu will aid you with all our strength."
This was the response Kang Seol had been waiting for.
Ur had told him to gather strength, so he needed as many allies as possible.
But things wouldn't go that smoothly.
"Of course, not right away."
"......"
"Retrieving our wyverns is our top priority."
"I understand."
"Finding out where they went comes first... That's why I rushed to meet you."
Ka-bu and Kang Seol's interests aligned fairly well. Though it was inconvenient that solving one side's problem required solving the other's.
As the conversation continued, Ka-bu took an interest in Tansia.
"This child is a dragon."
The abrupt comment made everyone flinch.
"You can tell just by looking in her eyes. A dragon that turns into a human... Truly noble blood."
"...You're right."
"May I take a look?"
"Ah..."
He meant examining Tansia's condition. And it wasn't a bad offer. Ka-bu, who had tended wyverns his whole life, could likely assess her state in detail.
Tansia nodded to Kang Seol.
She was fine with it.
Ka-bu said to her.
"Turn into your dragon form."
Rrrumble...
In the blink of an eye, the young girl became a hatchling.
"No scales, and the wings... are small."
"Eeeeng..."
"More than anything, if the wings stay like this, they might atrophy."
"...Huh?"
Tansia made a sad face.
"Hahaha! She can't become a crawling lizard with such great blood! What's your name?"
"Tansia..."
"I see... You're his descendant. This needs more attention."
Ka-bu stroked his chin, then his face lit up as something occurred to him.
"I remember now. The perfect solution."
"Really?"
"Tansia, do you want to fly?"
"Yes!"
Ka-bu pointed to the mountain peak.
"Only chosen warriors may stay at Jorun Peak's summit. Shamefully, even I, Ka-bu, haven't earned that yet. My father Ka-zan's statue is also there."
The great dragon lord Ka-zan's statue.
Even from here, his statue stood tall at the summit.
"There will be one staying by the statue. Ask that one for a way. They should know."
Tansia nodded with sparkling eyes.
"Then, I wish you a good meeting. Feel free to stay in Baldu as long as you like."
"Thank you for your hospitality."
Kang Seol's group headed straight for Jorun Peak's summit. No matter who it was, if they could draw out Tansia's full potential, Kang Seol would seek them out, no matter how far.
And it wasn't far—just the peak right in front of them.
"Huff... huff..."
"The path is... pretty rough."
"Doesn't seem like a place people live..."
Reaching the summit with great effort revealed a dizzying vista. Cliffs on all sides, at a considerable height—anyone faint of heart would pass out.
"...That statue is impressive."
"You can tell the dragon lord's majesty at a glance."
Dragon lord Ka-zan held a black spear, gazing down at Wing Canyon with his wyvern Maktoos.
Even as a statue, it stirred the heart.
"...Huh?"
"Something behind the statue..."
"A wyvern! It's a wyvern!"
Kang Seol snapped to attention.
'No way...'
- Maktoos, protect Baldu in my absence.
- Kiiing...
When the dragon lord left Wing Canyon, he hadn't taken his wyvern. There were circumstances.
"Maktoos..."
The wyvern with its back turned was definitely Ka-zan's wyvern, Maktoos.
The wyvern, gazing pathetically down at Wing Canyon, turned its head toward Kang Seol's group.
And instead of a kiiing or kiii, it gave an utterly unexpected reply.
"Do you know me?"
"...Huh?"
"What are you staring at?"
"It spoke..."
"So what if a wyvern talks? Want me to sing too?"
Kang Seol was at a loss for words.
Maktoos was a primal wyvern.
Completely different from Tancred or Azanik.
Maktoos, who hadn't spoken a word with Ka-zan, now fluently wielded language in a grumpy tone.
"Hm? Kid, why are your wings like that?"
Maktoos instantly grasped why Kang Seol's group had come.
"Oh ho... You want to fly, huh?"
Maktoos's mouth corners stretched wide.
"Then... you'll have to make me fly."
* * *
Clang... clang...
Kastreng raced along the frozen Federation rails. Not everyone in the Federation had met the same fate.
Those uninfected by frost fever sought their own paths to survival. Especially remote villages, which continued much like before.
Of course, the despair of a world-ending catastrophe lingered.
"Did you hear? This Kastreng we're on... might be the last one running in the Federation."
"...I see."
Whiiiiiing...
The blizzard outside grew fiercer by the day. Snow blanketed the entire Federation, and the rails were no exception.
When snow piled up like mountains, Kastreng couldn't run. It wasn't an icebreaker.
Thus, the rails used magic engineering to heat them.
Not the entire network, but pre-heating scheduled routes to melt snow and ice.
The problem: with resources cut off, this was only possible for so long.
That's why Han So-mi called this the last run in Kastreng history.
"Hey, Jamad."
"Speak."
"Is this the only thing Ur didn't tell me?"
"This?"
"Why we're heading north instead of the ungoverned zone. And why so many Kastrengs are moving."
"Ah... This is more personal. Ur probably didn't see the need to tell you. Holding a grudge?"
"Hmph... Whatever. Ur must have his reasons."
"Reasons... Who knows. He acts without a plan sometimes. This time too."
"Huh?"
"He only acts within thorough calculations. Never trusted anyone. Not even comrades."
"...He had that side."
Jamad looked at Han So-mi and said.
"But he seems a bit different now."
"What do you mean?"
"He's starting to share trust with others bit by bit. Whether that's good or bad... Honestly, I don't know."
"Of course it's good! Why think otherwise?"
He replied indifferently.
"Because even I don't trust the plan."
"...Huh?"
"Honestly, it's a half-baked mess. Full of holes, a terrible idea. Sigh... Put nicely, it'll somehow work out."
"......"
Jamad gazed out the window, lost in thought. Such worries grew frequent as they neared their destination.
Clang...
Clang...
Kastreng stopped.
They had arrived.
The engineer approached.
"Two days. That's the max we can stay. Any more, and we can't melt the rails to get back."
"...Got it. We weren't planning to wait longer anyway."
Han So-mi didn't know who Jamad was waiting for or where this was.
Creaaak...
Opening the Kastreng door let in a blast of cold wind. Sharp wilderness air filled their lungs, pushing out the stale interior.
"Haa... A snowfield. Endless snowfield."
"......"
"What are we waiting for here?"
"Ur's wild ramblings."
"What's that?"
"...Hope?"
"Ahahaha! Ur said 'hope'?"
"Damn bastard..."
Ur had anticipated this to some extent. Even before their last meeting, he'd sent separate word.
- Jamad. Trust the path you and Kang Seol blazed.
- ...Blind trust?
- Your path was messier than you think. I'm pinning hope on that. If it doesn't pan out, no big loss. The situation's already worst-case.
Ur had grinned at Jamad.
- So... isn't it worth betting on once?
"...See, Ur. Right on cue."
Endless snowfield.
No footprints anywhere.
Han So-mi, Jamad, and over ten Kastrengs braved the blizzard here for a day.
The next day, Han So-mi said.
"Feels like we're at the apocalypse, doesn't it?"
"The mood is depressing."
"Snow's piling on your head. Let me brush it off."
"No need. If he comes, it's proof we waited."
"...You're hoping deep down too, Jamad?"
"......"
Whiiiiiing...
The blizzard intensified.
Visibility dropped sharply.
"...Let's go in. Can't see a thing out here."
"Yes."
As they turned to enter the Kastreng.
A small sound pierced the silent snowfield.
Crunch...
Crunch...
Footsteps in the snow.
Someone was approaching the Kastreng through the snow.
Whoosh-!
Whoosh-!
Jamad and Han So-mi's heads whipped around.
"...He really showed."
The figure crossing the snowfield laughed heartily as he spoke.
"Snow on your head? You've been waiting a while."
"You noticed?"
"Got a bit lost. Not familiar with the terrain. Look around—all snow! How am I supposed to find the damn rails?"
"...Didn't think of that."
The one who spoke wasn't human.
"So, this the train to death? Looks weird."
"Well, it's a crossroads. Not sure if the end is death or a new era."
"Uhahaha! Won't say no."
"...Alone?"
Whiiiiiing...
Blue eyes emerged from the blizzard.
Glowing eyes lit the snowfield, bringing fear and thrill.
Now, an army occupied more space than the snow in sight.
Huff... huff...
"No chance."
"...Board this train, and it's all death or half death. Still want on?"
Why Kastreng hadn't gone straight west to the ungoverned zone. Why north to near Whigeltung.
Why so many trains.
Bron of the Great Tide and the glacier jaws advanced.
"Have to..."
The empty trains filled up.
"If this train heads to the era's end, gladly."
Kang Seol and Jamad's unbreakable blood oath.
Whigeltung's glacier jaws moved.
"...Forever, precious guests."