For Perfect Victory
Meanwhile.
Stubborn as an Ox, reduced to ashes.
—Shwaaaaa———
The scattered ashes gathered, reforming his shape once more.
But this was no ordinary soot-stained ash.
It was darker, like ash freshly spewed from a volcano.
The 'ashes' that had been Stubborn as an Ox soon fully coalesced, taking on form.
Color returned to his flesh, that greenish skin proving he was no longer among the dead.
"Wh-what is this…?"
Once fully revived, he could only stare in bewilderment.
As he gawked at his perfectly restored hands.
—Well done.
—A true believer resides here.
—Yet against the Red Dragon, you are too weak. You need more power.
A familiar yet unheard voice echoed in his ear.
Each word brought the roar of a storm.
An ominous presence, one no mortal could even imagine, infused those sentences.
"…No way."
Stubborn as an Ox looked down at the back of his hand.
There, etched into his skin, was it—the symbol of his god.
A mark symbolizing lightning, storms, volcanoes… calamity.
Seeing it, Stubborn as an Ox instantly understood what had happened.
—Indeed, Stubborn as an Ox. Your guess is correct.
He had been chosen.
By Selloir, god of storms, volcanoes, and calamity.
Selloir had blessed Stubborn as an Ox.
"…Huh? How is that even possible?"
"…?!"
Kellian, hearing Stubborn as an Ox's report, felt chills run down his spine.
'The gods are watching over our journey.'
The gods—beings beyond the world—were aiding them.
Verinal's fragment dwelled within Kellian, and Stubborn as an Ox's life had been extended.
A miracle beyond belief.
Having received it firsthand and heard of it, Kellian couldn't shake the profound elation surging through him.
Yet he steadied himself.
As a servant of Verinal, as a faithful priest.
He still had much work to do.
"What happened to Leviathan?"
And this was the most crucial matter.
He showed possessiveness even toward hostages.
His countless elves stood as living witnesses.
So what would happen if they touched Leviathan, whom he could truly call a comrade?
He was certain.
Leviathan would erupt in flames.
Leviathan would burn fiercely, just like Yggdrasil.
Only then would feats pile up for him, and the name calamity adorn him all the more.
But.
"…Pardon?"
He had suppressed his rage.
The greatest calamity, unstoppable by any, had controlled his own emotions.
"Th-that can't be. How could something like that…."
It defied all logic.
The Red Dragon was a calamity beyond even his own control.
This was an eternal truth, no matter his will.
Still, the situation defied his common sense.
The place was unscathed, and the Red Dragon's actions had ended in mere 'petty personal revenge.'
Kellian was momentarily flustered but soon composed himself.
'…Right. He's different from the Red Dragon of old. That's all.'
"…Understood, Stubborn as an Ox. I pray for your safe return."
Kellian ended the communication spell.
Then refocused on the matter at hand.
"…Well then, shall we go in?"
Before him stood a great man.
One who had slain swarming monsters and demons alike.
Saving villages on a small scale… cities on a grand one.
Kellian needed to meet him.
—Knock, knock.
Kellian and his fellow priests knocked on the door of his home.
His voice came from inside, so they waited at the door.
And when it finally opened.
"Hm? What brings Verinal's priests all the way here?"
There he was.
The hero called… the one who had led the Red Dragon's expedition.
Einhardt was inside.
Einhardt eyed them suspiciously for a moment… then recalled why they had come.
Verinal.
The elves' creator god.
And himself, the former expedition leader.
It all pointed to one thing.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir Einhardt."
"…What is it?"
"As you suspect, we have a proposal."
Kellian pulled a massive sword from his robes and offered it to him, continuing.
"Take up this sword once more. This time, we'll behead the Red Dragon for good."
A proposal to subjugate the Red Dragon.
An offer to grant him the glory of that seat again.
That was what Kellian was telling Einhardt.
"…Huh."
Einhardt seemed to ponder his words briefly.
But he smiled faintly and spoke calmly.
"Haha, you're insane."
"…Pardon?"
"Is this the will to exterminate evil, or Verinal's command?"
"Of course it's to destroy e—"
"Then you're even more off-base. He's too kind to call evil, too brutal to call good. Chaos fits better."
Kellian couldn't comprehend his words.
The Red Dragon wasn't evil?
Wasn't he the prime embodiment of evil, summoning and unleashing countless calamities?
He couldn't accept Einhardt's view.
"Then why did Yggdrasil burn? Countless elves died, countless lost their homes. Isn't that clear evil?"
"I say this with full conviction: it was the elves' karma. The Red Dragon doesn't act unless lines are crossed. And I'm proof of that."
"…."
Einhardt's gaze held no doubt.
He truly believed his own words.
Thus, Kellian had no rebuttal.
Einhardt looked at him with pity.
Bound by faith as a priest, he couldn't bend his thoughts.
Such people often met tragic ends, in Einhardt's view.
So, with sincere advice, he placed a hand on Kellian's shoulder.
"Elves have always been infamous for their arrogance. And I don't think that's changed. So… think of it as a great disaster. Like a volcanic eruption, an earthquake, a massive tsunami."
"What nonsense is th—!"
"Moreover, this calamity called the Red Dragon never stirs if you leave it be. So please, let him alone. Do nothing. If you've already acted, bow your head. If you plan to, prepare thoroughly."
Einhardt turned back inside.
Glancing at Verinal's followers outside the door.
"So, I'll say it again. I have no intention of joining you. I have a fine wife, and no reason to dance with death anymore."
It was a declaration of will.
The hero's true heart: he wanted no ties with them.
"…."
Thus, Kellian… no, he grew furious.
The elves' deaths, Yggdrasil's destruction as karma?
The Red Dragon's evil a lie?
It was like saying the sky was red, the sea yellow.
'…I'm different. I'm not like that loser.'
A blatant falsehood.
To Kellian, and him, Einhardt was a filthy being corrupted by the Red Dragon.
Thus, Kellian could no longer stand idle.
—Subdue him.
"Subdue him."
"…?! What the—"
—Chaaeng!!
Kellian was devout.
And chosen by Verinal.
Thus, he unleashed that immense power.
Believing his choice was just.
Steadfast, pressing ever forward.
[…Mage, and Elenoa, Isabella. Can you tend to Leviathan?]
Returning to my lair, I immediately ordered her treatment.
"Yes, of course."
"Wh-how…! What in the world happened…!?"
Leaving Leviathan to be healed, I sprawled atop the golden mountain once more.
But naturally, it wasn't to sleep.
A rare bout of anguish, something I seldom indulged.
A lesson from the past.
To that end, I needed to reflect on myself.
And the more I did, the more I confirmed that the past 'me' was utterly mad.
Smashing kingdoms at every turn, hoarding their treasures like a maniac.
Or turning some poor soul into a lunatic and unleashing him on a nation when bored.
Chaos, calamity, archfiend.
That was the old 'me'.
Of course, that 'me' lacked any real thought.
Pure chaos, born insane.
That's why everyone feared, hated, and revered it.
And through this incident, I think I finally understood why the old 'me' was so deranged.
The world never leaves me be, whether I stay put or not.
Hole up in a cave feeling annoyed, and they come thinking I'm easy pickings, stirring up shit.
Unleash calamity outside, and they foam at the mouth calling me the bad guy.
No matter what, I draw eyes.
That seemed to be the sheer presence of 'me,' the Red Dragon.
So the old 'me' probably struck first.
Crushing all opposition with overwhelming force—a tyranny ensuring no one could rebel.
A bid to carve out his own peace that way.
However.
'Because of that, I've gained divinity now.'
That's the problem.
The old me did secure peace.
Not some grand world peace, but the Red Dragon's personal peace.
The issue was bearing all that karma, like it or not.
[…Red Dragon. First off, I'm sorry. I was too complacent.]
Then came Leviathan's voice.
She must have come here once her treatment was underway.
[….]
[I trusted them too much, I guess. I'd met them face-to-face before. Never imagined they'd pull something like this. …Sorry.]
I didn't know what to say to her.
Basically, 'I' usually wandered alone.
No need for company, no opportunities either.
So I'd sent Leviathan off thinking she was no different.
In other words, something that might've been prevented.
Which only fueled my anger more.
How dare they touch what's mine… right in front of my lair.
Forgiveness was fading fast.
[…But Red Dragon. You're on the cusp of ascension. To avoid becoming a god, you absolutely can't rack up any more feats.]
But as she said, I couldn't act rashly.
She was right.
I really didn't want to become a god.
Too much work, and I'd have to share a world with those vermin gods.
The moment I joined their realm, they'd attack me directly.
A clear threat to my survival and comfort.
So I wanted ascension even less.
Yet on the other hand.
[…Just once. If I do it just once—burn them all to ash so they can never touch us again.]
[Red Dragon….]
Desire.
The impulse to destroy whispered.
A fierce urge to incinerate all who troubled me.
It brushed my ear.
Of course it did.
They were my enemies, coveting what was mine.
And they weren't fully prepared yet. If I willed it.
[…I could wipe them out.]
Worthless kindling alive only by my mercy.
That was the enemy out there.
But no, I couldn't.
That was their scheme.
The gods and their vermin followers.
What they wanted most was my ascension.
If I ascended, abandoning all I had?
Leviathan, Elenoa, all of them would be trampled.
I might endure torments worse than death from countless gods.
That could never happen.
'Too much to think about. So damn annoying.'
I agonized over what to do.
Sometimes I wanted to surrender to rage, sometimes to laziness.
But that was mere escapism.
For my own peace of mind.
…And for those now mine.
I needed a proper countermeasure.
As I pondered, a possibility dawned.
[…What if I became king?]
[…!]
Leviathan stirred her still-healing body.
[Become 'king.' Found a nation. Create a place where only mine can move freely, untouched by gods.]
[Red Dragon, you don't mean….]
I said this while gazing toward where Elenoa was.
Where the Draconic Elves—not mere elves—resided.
Where they endlessly refined the defenses.
[I think… I care for them.]
[…Yeah, it shows. Never thought you'd build their homes yourself.]
[And to live comfortably, I need them.]
They were… now my eyes and shield.
Only if they lived and thrived could I sleep in greater peace.
So I had to make them stronger.
Strong enough to sweep away all who opposed me.
Grow them, create countless 'allies.'
What could I do?
[You once suggested I become Dragon King, right?]
[…Yeah.]
[But I won't be Dragon King. For my own and their future peace… I'll be their king.]
I seek a peaceful life.
But the world won't let me.
So what now?
What to make them suck their thumbs and leave me alone?
I already knew the answer.
My nation, the Red Dragon's.
A space untouchable by mortals or gods beyond.
I'd create it.
[From now on, I'll sweep away all my enemies.]
[….]
[But not alone. My followers, my own, will reap the rewards themselves.]
If I couldn't move directly, I'd command those below.
Make the 'nation' so mighty no great power could touch it.
[So, Leviathan. Will you stand with me? Dedicate the life I saved to me?]
I knew I needed her for this.
I know little of the wider world.
And don't care to.
She was perfect for that.
I urged her strongly to stay under me.
[I've always been ready.]
[Then prepare now.]
Hearing her reply, my resolve hardened further.
For the most comfortable cradle of all.
And to exact 'payment' from those fools daring to oppose me.
[Preparations for founding the nation.]
The world's most annoying task, decided.
[…Haha, alright. Red Dragon. And thank you. For becoming my king.]
Thus, we charged toward our new goal.
A pain, but necessary.
[…You're calling me Leviathan now instead of Blue Dragon? Aw, thanks.]
…Whatever.
Yeah.