Chapter 159
Chapter 159
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 159
Chapter Title: Forest of Illusory Dreams (2)
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Kadim, Duncan, Ilenia, and the unassuming mercenary, Benson.
The four travelers heading to the Great Forest had an awkward reunion. Ilenia made an excuse about needing some private time with her husband, then hooked her arm through Kadim's and put some distance between them and the others.
They'd gone far enough that even a shout wouldn't carry. Kadim immediately pulled his arm free and glared at her with a fierce scowl.
"I'd like an explanation as to when exactly I became your husband."
"……."
Ilenia hesitated for a brief moment, her face slipping back into its usual businesslike expression. But she quickly donned the cheerful mask of an archaeologist and bowed her head.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, sir mercenary! You must have been shocked. I ran into that toad-looking guy, and he kept hounding me relentlessly! I figured saying I had a husband would make him back off, but he wouldn't leave me alone……."
"……Didn't you hide a knife up your sleeve? A little threat with that should have sent him packing."
"Pardon? A knife? Oh, well, I do have something like a relic…… But come on, you can't just point it at people! I keep it hidden for true emergencies only…… heh heh……."
"……."
Those weren't words from a woman who'd once pinned a high-ranking physician with that very transparent blade. As he started to make a dumbfounded face, her bright yellow eyes flicked upward slyly.
He followed her gaze. Sunlight shattered brilliantly through the leaves. He got the hint. Ah, right—they still had to fool those damn "eyes of Elga."
"Ow! Oof, look at this. It even cuts its owner if I think bad thoughts! Ow, that stings……."
Ilenia followed up by pretending to have accidentally cut herself and showing her forearm. A thin line of bright red blood—the proof that this wasn't a clone forged from the "Silver Coin of the Fallen Kingdom." It saved them the hassle of the complicated verification ritual from before.
Suddenly, memories of their tumultuous encounter in Galentana flooded back. And how that meeting had ended with Ilenia enduring "divine punishment."
Kadim let out a rough breath and adopted a calmer demeanor.
"……Leaving that arm aside, how's the rest of your body holding up? Last I saw, you looked pretty rough—probably from all that 'sunlight' exposure."
"Oh, my health? I'm perfectly fine now! Wait…… were you just worrying about me?"
"……."
"Wow, this brings tears to my eyes! The mercenary who ignored me and left so coldly at first is now the one checking on me first…… At this rate, who knows what we might become in the end? Heh heh heh……."
"……."
"Unlike that immutable, conclusive past, the charm of the present lies in how these threads of fate weave together to create unexpected patterns……."
"……Cut the nonsense. Why have you crawled out of the woodwork this time? Got bored cooped up in that university again?"
Ilenia flashed a bright, breezy smile.
"Of course! The greatest archaeological discoveries aren't made in dusty backrooms—they happen out in the wide-open world!"
"So, following the Wild Witch of the Wastes and the Forgotten God, what's the subject of your 'research' this time?"
Unlike Ilenia, who seemed purely cheerful, a heavy shadow darkened Kadim's face.
There was no way this archaeologist in disguise as a priestess of the Forgotten God had shown up here by coincidence. What bothered him most was her timing—right before they set off to find Melissa. Sure, their basic stance had been as allies before, and she might be here to help again…….
……But it might be different this time.
The one-eyed follower he'd met in the demon cave had said it: uncovering the cause of the demon outbreak and rooting it out was important to them too.
And Melissa was currently the prime suspect behind that outbreak.
It didn't matter if it was intentional or a mistake. Once that came to light, the followers of the Forgotten God would almost certainly move to execute her. No, not just them—the Empire, the Alliance, the North…… every faction on the continent would be baying for her blood.
Kadim didn't want that.
Even if Melissa was the culprit, he wanted to hear her side first.
Even if she'd been irreparably broken, he didn't want to leave her fate in someone else's hands.
"……."
It was partly due to the Magic Tower Lord's request and his feelings as a former comrade. But the core reason was his self-blame—he was the one who'd provided the trigger for her breakdown.
If he hadn't made that empty promise not to leave…… or at least held back his impatience and said a proper goodbye…… maybe she wouldn't have lived a life filled only with pain and despair…….
Self-reproach was like an involuntary muscle. Even knowing it wasn't his fault, it surged up uncontrollably at times. The only way to quell it was to correct the root cause himself. But if this priestess of the Forgotten God got involved, there was a real risk she'd turn hostile toward Melissa and ruin everything midway.
He eyed her sharply, brimming with wary suspicion, wondering what purpose she'd claim to have come for…….
……But the words that tumbled from Ilenia's mouth were utterly unexpected.
"The subject of my current research is…… dragons!"
"……."
While the barbarian stood frozen like an ancient statue, the archaeologist's eyes sparkled like a boy's idolizing monsters.
"People are so simplistic, aren't they? Everyone thinks Great Forest and immediately pictures elves! They have no idea about the unbelievable enigma hidden there!"
"……."
"Dragons! The supreme beings that only the heavenly gods could rival! Creatures that incinerate oceans with their breath and shatter mountains with their roars! In the mythic age, they ruled the continent as living embodiments of destruction. But nowadays, even finding traces of them is no easy feat. And yet, I recently uncovered an incredible clue!"
"……."
"An ancient tome I stumbled upon mentioned that not long ago, the last dragon—defeated by a human—went into hiding in the Great Forest…… Its name was Rapustran!"
For a moment, he thought his ears had failed him.
"……What?"
"Rapustran! Rapustran! Haven't you heard of it? It's a super famous dragon!"
"……."
It seemed like a direct phonetic reading of some ancient script. Even hearing it repeated didn't make it register in his head. The sole listener furrowed his brow in a feeling he couldn't quite describe, but Ilenia pressed on relentlessly with dragon legends undeterred.
Surprisingly, it was a tale even Kadim had heard before.
The legend of Remillion—the great figure who united the fractured eastern continent and forged the Alliance.
Over three hundred years ago, born the son of a wealthy magnate, Remillion was a profoundly brave and adventurous man. In his youth, he wandered the continent, resolving local troubles with brilliant solutions and earning great renown. One day, a treasure he received as reward for solving a problem became his undoing.
"And of all things, it turned out to be a treasure the dragon cherished deeply! The dragon, Rapustran, found out and flew into a rage, kidnapping Lord Remillion back to its lair! Everyone thought that was it—he'd be dragon chow for sure!"
The rest of the story—minus the ending—was similar to what Duncan had roughly told him a few months back.
The kidnapped Remillion used his wits to defeat the dragon with its own treasure…… He returned safely, earning the epithet "He Who Vanquished a Dragon and Returned"…… The humbled dragon hid deep in the Great Forest, never to cross paths with humans again…….
"……And that legend endured through the ages, leading me here to chase its traces!"
"……."
After her passionate recitation ended, Kadim stared blankly at Ilenia.
He almost wondered if she really was a priestess of the Forgotten God or just a dragon-obsessed archaeologist…… Her acting was that convincing. But something else nagged at him more. Swallowing his bitterness, he thought it over carefully before asking.
"……By any chance, is that dragon's name not 'Rapustran'?"
"Pardon? Oh, no, it's Rapustran…… Er, well, if you really slur the pronunciation super briefly…… it might kinda sound like that…… Ahem, not that it isn't!"
"……."
He'd had his doubts just listening casually, but now it was confirmed. Kadim let out a hollow chuckle.
"I can't imagine why such an absurd legend even exists. That Remillion guy wasn't kidnapped—he walked into the lair of his own accord. The dragon wasn't defeated either; it withdrew willingly. You really think it makes sense that a mere shield could slay a dragon?"
"……Pardon? A shield? What shield?"
Kadim mulled over his exasperated feelings without elaborating. Unbelievable—the revered founder of the Alliance, treated like a demigod, turned out to be that same reckless punk he'd run into in the first playthrough…….
……But that wasn't what mattered now. The dragon story was obviously just a cover. She was hiding her real intentions, so his thinking remained the same.
There was no reason to travel with this uncertain risk factor.
"……Whether it's the dragon or Remillion, I hope you find them. I'm heading back."
"Pardon? Aren't you, sir mercenary, going to the Great Forest too?"
"Is there a law saying we have to travel together just because our destinations match? We clearly want different things anyway."
"B-but, sir mercenary, aren't you curious about the d-dr-dragon? Why not look for it together? It's the strongest creature on earth…… Roaring like krawrgh…… And I already told everyone we're m-married…… If you leave now, it'll look like we're separating already……."
"……."
Irritation was starting to bubble up.
If she had something she couldn't say outright, she should have prepared a way to dodge Elga's eyes in advance…… Why waste time with all this drivel……? If not for the past favors, he'd have broken a limb or two by now.
Kadim turned away brusquely. Just as he was about to leave, an absurd shout made him whip back around.
"Honey!"
"……."
As he shot her a shadowed glare, Ilenia hurriedly corrected herself.
"Ah, n-no, sir mercenary…… P-please think it over one more time. I could be really helpful if you take me along. I've researched the Great Forest extensively, so I know it well. If you just go in blind, it'll be super dangerous! Look, these are all the materials I've compiled—it's not just vast; there are tons of nasty traps……."
Ilenia yanked scrolls and books from her bag in a heap. Given the massive volume, the bag itself was probably something like an "inventory."
But now wasn't the time to care about that.
From inside the open bag emanated an aura he couldn't ignore.
"……What do you have in there?"
Kadim's face hardened as he hurled a thunderbolt.
Crackle-crackle-crack-boom!
A bolt of blue-white lightning struck right in front of the bag like a thunderstrike. Ilenia showed no surprise, only a hazy, misty smile as she whispered.
"……I'll tell you once we're deep in the forest."
The unassuming mercenary, Benson, nervously bit his nails. He debated just running off now, then asked the man beside him.
"Hey, buddy."
"……Pardon?"
"That…… burly mercenary guy and that pretty young lady…… are they really married?"
The finest guide, Duncan Wheeled, rolled his eyes this way and that.
"Well…… I, uh…… From what I know, n-no, they're not…… B-but something could have happened without my knowledge…… Even if we haven't met much, er…… When it comes to man and woman, sometimes a spark ignites out of nowhere, like oil on a flame……."
"No, no, no—are you saying they are or aren't? Can't you just pick a side clearly?"
"Ah, they're not. Probably……."
"……Phew."
Benson finally relaxed a bit.
He'd intuited as much from the barbarian's lukewarm reaction when the woman clung to him. At least he didn't have to worry about getting his head chopped off by an enraged savage right away.
'But that woman seems interested in the barbarian……? She's got a demure look, so her tastes are…… Wait, does that mean I'm not even as good as that monster?'
Sudden rage boiled up.
His pride as a male cracked wide open. Whether chewing her out for lying or demanding what he lacked, he needed to settle it alone with her to feel satisfied. Well, he was still single anyway—no strings attached—and he might even wrangle some perks out of it…….
The issue was that if the woman joined them, he'd have to tag along too for a shot at her.
Benson eyed Duncan sidelong, sizing him up.
What a pitiful-looking guy. Short, shabby features, and that goaty chin beard—what was that? The barbarian was tough to handle, but this one seemed easy pickings. He subtly opened the door to buttering him up and asking to join.
"Hey, buddy. What's your name? I'm Benson from Umtana. Decent mercenary there, you know."
"Ah, I-I'm Duncan Wheeled. From Maltana…… not anymore, and my trade's merchant……."
Duncan, huh—what a fool's name. From some no-name backwater, peddling goods for a living? You could tell at a glance he'd spent his life celibate, never holding a woman's hand.
Benson puffed up his shoulders and let out a hearty laugh.
"Haha, good honest work! Anyway, what's your business in the Great Forest? No markets here. You looking for that mercenary and the elves too?"
"Ah, n-no, I've got…… other reasons."
"Hmm, fair enough. But you can't have zero interest in elves, right? Any real man worth his salt has to have a couple of those pretty things hanging off his arm……."
"No, no interest. My wife is all I need……."
"……What?"
"My wife is enough for me. We've even got a son—eight this year. Wonder who he takes after, but he's smart as a whip, heh heh……."
"……."
Benson's face twisted grotesquely. His wrinkled eyes twitched like fat caterpillars.
'No way…… that, that loser has a woman…….'
A swarming inferiority complex gnawed at the toad-like mercenary's insides like venomous insects.