Barlazin Ariun
Barlazin Ariun
The frozen land occupied by the Dragon Beastkin consisted of one massive glacier.
Neither the Allied Kingdom citizens nor the Imperial citizens considered it a land where humans could live.
Everyone just called it the Frozen Land.
About 1,000 kilometers across the sea from there was the 「Aurelia」 continent.
A continent that had now become the Empire of the Elves. Ariun was swimming through the sea near it.
'The slope of the seabed is getting steeper.'
As she approached the continent, the bottom began to come into view.
She had succeeded in swimming through a whopping 1,000 kilometers of ocean.
When hungry, she chewed on squid; when great white sharks attacked, she whipped them to death with her tail; she didn't sleep a wink.
This sea was harder on Ariun than the frozen land, which neared minus 50 degrees Celsius.
The depth of the sea, where even with her eyes she could barely perceive a few meters ahead, and the cold that was hard to endure even with the unique body of a Dragon Beastkin.
'Still, I made it somehow!'
This, too, was thanks to the exceptional physical abilities of the Dragon Beastkin. Dragon Beastkin could hold their breath for a whopping hour while swimming.
When it got too hard, she swam using her massive wings.
Even for a Saint-level Dragon Beastkin, swimming 1,000 kilometers was no easy feat.
As the end of the grueling swim came into view, a smile appeared on Ariun's long snout.
'Ariun did it!'
Varla-jin Ariun had finally arrived at 「Aojibas」 in the north of the 「Aurelia」 continent.
"Arrived within 1 kilometer?"
-Yes, Mother.
"Is there really such a crazy Dragon Beastkin?"
Actually, Kalina already knew that Dragon Beastkin lived in the frozen land.
-Yes, Mother. They say it was clearly captured on the underwater drone for identifying Dragon Beastkin.
"To think that making a drone specifically for Dragon Beastkin would actually be meaningful."
-Since no Dragon Beastkin has come by flight in the last 100 years, it seems there are some guys slowly going crazy trying to kidnap beastkin."
"They hated incest, didn't they?"
-Yes, according to recorded matters, they didn't even mix blood with their retainers to prevent the dispersion of power. The last Dragon Beastkin captured 100 years ago said the same thing.
"If they had infiltrated the Empire with such crazy behavior 100 years ago, I might not have known."
-But not now."
"My seventeenth daughter, Sonya."
-Yes, Mother.
"Gather all the Northern Defenders. If they managed to succeed in something like this, they are likely a Saint-level ability user. Even if the Northern Defender Knights combine all their strength, the damage will likely be immense. If that Dragon Beastkin runs away, you may just let them go."
The northern part of the Empire was the main place for processing Mandite and Orichalcum.
-Northern Defender Captain, Sonya Drebovna Drebana. I receive Mother's command.
Sonya, who was appointed there, was only in the early stages of High-level. Even if she gathered all the Northern Defenders, they wouldn't be able to stop one Saint-level Dragon Beastkin.
"Like a Dragon Beastkin, even if it shows hostility, just buy some time. I will arrive soon."
About 4,000 kilometers from the Imperial Castle to the northernmost part of the continent.
If it were Kalina's 'Firebird', it would reach top speed in an instant, a distance that would take less than an hour.
'The size of the ship is enormous.'
As she surfaced, the shadow of a massive ship came into view.
'What on earth happened in the meantime!? A ship this huge, it's unbelievable.'
Ariun could have surfaced rapidly and kicked off the sea to fly onto the ship in one go, but she didn't.
She carefully rose near the surface and slowly poked her head out.
'If a Dragon Beastkin, known to be extinct, suddenly appears, they will be surprised. There might be people on that large ship. I don't know what to say to make them listen to me.'
Even if she were suddenly attacked, she had no choice but to endure it.
'If I show no intention of attacking until the end, they might spare...'
"Huh!?"
"Welcome!"
As Ariun poked her head out to survey the surroundings, someone appeared and spoke.
A woman on the ship with red hair fluttering, a High Elf.
And dozens of beastkin in uniform appearing around her.
It was Northern Defender Captain Sonya and her members, who had already gathered the Northern Defender unit and were waiting.
"Was the underwater trip fun?"
"High Elf!?"
"You must have had a very hard time coming here! What are you here to kidnap this time? An Elf? Which beastkin race is your preference? Even if you succeed in kidnapping, unlike you, they wouldn't be able to endure being underwater, right?"
Sonya was attempting a conversation according to the Emperor's orders. However, given her personality, there was no way kindness was embedded in it.
The Defender members were tense. The reason Captain Sonya worked in the North.
It was because it had to be a quiet North with no people so that trouble would be minimized.
With the Captain's sharp tone, it wouldn't be strange if that Dragon Beastkin attacked immediately and a battle broke out.
The members felt their bodies stiffen automatically at the sight of the Dragon Beastkin, whom they were seeing for the first time in their lives, and the current situation.
'Did it really swim through the sea? And for 1,000 kilometers at that?'
It was a shocking event even for the Northern Defender members, a quarter of whom were High-level ability users.
The Empire had already secured air superiority 100 years ago. From around that time, they had been catching Dragon Beastkin coming by flight one after another.
Knowing it was useless, they hadn't sent any for about 100 years.
Thinking there might be a case of them swimming through the sea, they had even created underwater drones specifically for Dragon Beastkin.
That Dragon Beastkin, unaware of the scientific advancements of the last 100 years, would not be able to believe the current situation.
Because even though it had struggled to swim through the sea, the situation was as if they already knew everything.
"Are you going to keep staying like that? Come on out!"
"I, Varla-jin Ariun, speak! Ariun has no intention of attacking! I have come to deliver a very important fact."
Ariun raised her voice desperately. She thought that if things went wrong, this would truly be the extinction of the Dragon Beastkin race.
"I cannot believe you so easily. If it is the truth, you can accept these restraints, right? Bring them here."
Sonya said to a member next to her.
Immediately, restraints made of Mandite and Orichalcum were brought.
So-called Mano Restraints. They had durability that even a Saint-level ability user couldn't break immediately.
<Mano Helmet: Covers vision and is hard to take off.>
<Mano Rope: Hard to break once wrists and ankles are tied.>
Seeing that, Ariun was rather relieved. It meant they were willing to listen to her story.
"I, Ariun, swear to be restrained willingly!"
The sight of Ariun boarding the ship very lightly was truly a spectacle.
As her massive wings spread, the seawater spread out into calm waves with a single flap. And she flew up to a height that must have been 10 meters straight away.
'This is the phantom beast race...'
The members gulped down dry saliva.
If a battle broke out with this cheat race, most of them here would die. That was because there was no Saint-level here.
The members carefully approached Ariun.
"Mano Restraints consist of a Mano Helmet and Mano Rope. We will use these restraints from now on. Do you agree?"
"I, Ariun, have already sworn!"
The Defender members were relieved. Even while they were putting the Mano Helmet on this Dragon Beastkin and tightening the bolts, it was docile.
Afterwards, they tied her wrists behind her back with the Mano Rope.
"If you even attempt to undo this, we will have no choice but to attack with full force."
"Ariun swears not to undo these restraints herself."
Sonya gestured for the members to step back and stepped forward.
"Yes, now speak. You said you came to deliver an important fact? I am Sonya, the 17th daughter of Mother, who is the Ruler of Radiance and the Transcendent of Fire. Speak to me first."
Ariun revealed that she was a princess and confessed all the plans of the hardliners.
"If you make the Empire's land a battlefield, it's hard to use 'Before the Sun', so there's a chance of winning?"
"Ariun does not think so! It is the thought of the hardliners!"
"How so? Do you not know what a Transcendent is?"
"It just so happens that among the kidnapped beastkin, there was one who had a Mythic Awakening. It was a Horse Beastkin who was an enhancement ability user, and even though we were both High-level, our physical abilities were superior. Since Elves' physical abilities aren't much, the hardliners had a crazy idea!"
Sonya honestly thought that could be the case. Because the physical ability correction of the Elf race wasn't much.
"Even so, a crazy idea that you can oppose a Transcendent with just physical ability?"
"Among the retainers, there are 8 Saint-level ability users, and my father is also a Saint-level ability user."
"10 Saint-level ability users including the princess."
"If you add my siblings and the children of the retainers, there are nearly 100 High-level ability users."
"Still, it's strange. Do you not know the fact that when you were destroyed, dozens of Saint-level ability users and thousands of High-level ability users were suppressed by Mother alone? Mother only used 'Before the Sun' once at the beginning."
"At some point, it was distorted. The hardliners deceived us cleverly. That most died from the first 'Before the Sun'."
"When was your father born? Was your father also deceived?"
"Father is intoxicated by his own power. He thinks his physical ability is comparable to a Transcendent."
"I guess 2,000 years of time is long. To have such a crazy idea, then why are you delivering this story?"
"Ariun is a moderate. Ariun does not want the Dragon race to be destroyed. I hoped that with the overwhelming power of the Transcendent, we would be the ones to receive a preemptive strike, and the current plan would be neutralized."
Sonya understood Ariun's words.
"You want at least those who survived to maintain their lineage."
"That is correct. You pierced through the thought that Ariun didn't even say."
"That is for Mother to decide. She will be here soon, so wait quietly."
Sonya, who had finished speaking, stopped her walking steps and added one word.
"Oh, but do you know that? There are two Transcendents in the Empire."