Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: The Nightmare's End
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The brutal war, like an endless nightmare, came to an end in the dawn light piercing through the fog.
The dead and the ancients, having lost their powerful control, scattered in chaos—perhaps as a backlash.
Taking advantage of that gap, we gathered all the wounded without missing a single one and sent them south, then cremated the bodies of our fallen comrades.
“Don’t cry…….”
Among the corpses laid on the pyres was Barlzen, the warrior chief of the Durankus tribe.
When Kasena and I found him, he was already on the verge of death, his wounds too deep to be healed by any healing spell.
As we bowed our heads and began to sob, Barlzen chuckled, coughing up blood with his hot breath.
“To tell you the truth…… I’ve actually…… been resenting my ancestors for a while…… Why the hell…… did we have to fight even as our bodies turned into this…….”
“Barlzen, don’t talk. Your breath, your breath…….”
“But after meeting you guys…… I get it now…… I would’ve done the same, heh heh heh. Who could just leave fools like you alone…….”
The moment Barlzen weakly raised his trembling hand, we immediately grabbed it.
“I’ll go ahead…… and boast to my ancestors. Not as much as you guys…… but I too fought for proud friends…….”
That was the last voice of Barlzen we could hear.
I thought my tear glands had dried up, but watching Barlzen’s body engulfed in flames and turn into a black lump of charcoal, tears began to flow down my cheeks.
Now their battle was over…… The memorial service for the warriors ended with the final prayer.
“Ah, au, aba, aba!”
And throughout all these events, baby dragon Akirea was always by my side. Even now, playfully nibbling my head and babbling.
Without anyone teaching her, the moment she realized her appearance was different from mine, she transformed into dragonkin form.
A two- or three-year-old girl with seductively red hair and captivating golden eyes……
If Lilian’s hair color was blessed by fire, Akirea’s was the flame itself, just like Alakish.
“…….”
Kasena seemed troubled by Akirea and avoided her, probably because she reminded her of Alakish. Her eyes, which had cried all through the dawn, were still red and swollen.
“Stay still! Stay! Tsk, I said stay still?”
She gave a firm command.
Ignoring it completely, she continued to chew, nibble, taste, and enjoy my crown, so my head had long been soaked with her saliva.
“Ah please, just listen once.”
In the end, begging had no effect either.
She just wagged her short tail excitedly poking out from the infant fur clothes lent by the beastkin.
Since she wasn’t yet an adult, unlike Alakish, when in dragonkin form, dragon scales didn’t form like armor.
“What on earth makes you so happy?”
In the end, with a sigh of resignation, I stopped thinking.
This was the infirmary hastily set up on the lower deck of the warship base.
Prisvia, lying on the sickbed and watching this bizarre scene with interest, hmm-ed and stroked her chin.
“Isn’t that how living beings are? Hm, there’s an interesting theory. Beasts having cute appearances when young is one of the survival instincts.”
“Survival instinct?”
“Having lots of charm when young or cute looks is to prevent easy abandonment. Heh heh, thinking that way, you can view that filthy creature more rationally, heh heh heh heh.”
Seeing her laugh sinisterly, I thought it would be hard to get close to this person.
“But Prisvia, your leg became like this trying to buy time for me…….”
Prisvia had one leg amputated. Though thinking of trying a biological transplant with another leg, the prospects were dim.
In the end, not her own leg—how could she move freely? As Platinum 1st rank, the blow was inevitably fatal.
Far from being depressed by such concerns, Prisvia laughed even more sinisterly than usual.
“Hm, it’s regrettable, but rather good. With the samples taken from Alakish this time or the primitive spiders, I can knit a new leg and attach it, heh heh.”
“I’m sorry…….”
“Why that face? It was a deal from the start. Do humans express thanks even when the other party faithfully fulfills the deal?”
Kasena, who had silently watched Prisvia since entering the infirmary, took out the black sheep scale from around her neck and placed it in her hand.
“You said it would take at least 10 years until the research is done, right? You said that at first.”
“Hm?”
“Then, 10 years later, after the research is finished, you can return it.”
I doubted my ears for a moment.
Prisvia did the same, scrutinizing Kasena’s face with distrustful eyes.
“What? That irrational judgment? As I said, it’s a deal. Hm, such things are common for adventurers. Losing one leg against an ancient god is cheap. I don’t need cheap pity.”
“It’s not pity. I just came to respect you. I’m entrusting it because I trust you.”
“Spare me the flattery that I can see through, heh heh heh heh. I might really blow you away.”
“I’m serious too. Prisvia, your personality is twisted, but you’re exactly as in the adventure books I read as a child…… You’re the ultimate adventurer I dreamed of!”
For a moment, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Prisvia’s usually hollow, cavern-like eyes. Of course, it was quickly hidden behind her characteristic twisted smile.
Heh……
Watching Kasena, Rista sometimes comes to mind. She often disconcerts people with that gentle purity.
“By the way, what will you do with that creepy monster now?”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s a true dragon, a true dragon’s fluid. Hm, won’t those below the barrier covet the source of that infinite power? Plenty will try to kill you and take it. Maybe better to leave it here.”
“No problem. Rain is super strong. Right now, the strongest in the world? He defeated the legendary White Young Master.”
“It wasn’t me who defeated him.”
Kasena shouted bravely as if not to worry, but I had to answer while clutching my throbbing chest.
“You know, from start to finish, it was all Alakish who did it…….”
The White Young Master Shar’kas only got serious against me twice.
My Fire Scene: Thunder Field Blood Spray dealt an unexpected critical hit, exactly twice before and after near-death.
Even when I awoke again receiving Alakish’s soul, he toyed with me splendidly. Despite being one-armed from battle with Alakish.
“When fighting me, probably, no, definitely didn’t use even half his real power…….”
One could argue it’s because the pearl received from dying Alakish was weakened (probably 1-2/10 of Alakish’s power)……
But similarly, Shar’kas had just awakened from the seal, likely couldn’t fully exert his power.
Above all, can I feel that omnipotence again? This time Alakish’s soul remained, allowing me to draw out the power to its limit……
“Ah, au, abu, aba.”
I could only pinch the cheek of Akirea, who panted while playfully biting my crown, and give a sad smile.
“Since coming here, I’ve only received from Alakish…… So I must repay.”
“Repayment?”
“Promised to take this one to [Flame Myriad Miles]. Where the red dragon legion gathers.”
Prisvia twitched her eyebrow at the name, then snorted as if it was hilarious.
“Heh heh, heh heh heh…… South Pole, from the end of the world to the end of the world.”
“Yes.”
“Whether you bratty kids get ambushed and die, collapse from exhaustion, or get the baby dragon stolen while sleeping, none of my business. No, better if you die that way, hm…….”
Prisvia sat up on the bed and extended her hand to us. That smile felt a bit warm, unlike her usual sinister one.
“I’ll pray for your path’s safety. Purely formally, of course.”
Kasena and I exchanged surprised looks, then smiled and shook hands with the world’s second strongest adventurer in turn.
A strong and warm hand.
As Kasena took her hand, Prisvia gave a sinister laugh and shook her head.
“A freak noble who aspires to be an adventurer? If you’re confident you won’t cry after getting beaten by me, come find me when you’re grown, heh heh heh heh.”
Kasena held that hand for a long time, apparently delighted to receive recognition from the heroine she admired while holed up in her room.
Platinum rank adventurers don’t take just anyone…… We weren’t fools enough not to know the weight of Prisvia’s words.
“Get going. Hm, unless you want to be lost when the barrier gate closes.”
Coming out of the warship base, the grand white land filled our view once more.
But unlike yesterday, the sky was high and clear, and the flesh-cutting abyss blizzard didn’t rage.
After everything, Pippi whom we sent to the barrier first returned just in time, landing on Akirea’s crown on my head.
“How’s it? Everyone passing the barrier?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“Good, then shall we go too?”
Before leaving, we turned north briefly to the true dragon fossil that rose overnight.
Prisvia promised to guard the seal with the warship base. For her to continue research here, better the ancient ruler stays asleep.
Placing my hand on the ivory bones—the benefactor’s grave with an irrepayable debt—suffocating sorrow wet my heart again.
“Alakish, we’ll be going now.”
Kasena gently stroked the bones, saying so with a voice wetting with tears again; I was bowing deeply.
“Really, really…… thank you.”
What does she think seeing her mother’s grave? Does she know it’s her mother’s?
Suddenly, Akirea got down from my head, tilted her head at the bones, took out an oat biscuit from her bosom, and placed it on top.
She had saved one given by Prisvia’s subordinates without eating…… Then brightly smiled and patted the bones several times.
“Ah, ahu au, abu!”
Couldn’t understand what it meant, but I turned my head hastily and wiped the hot tears welling in my eyes.
Because it was too, so much alike.
With the baby dragon in Alakish’s dreamed future, innocently smiling while eating clumsily made food……
“Rain.”
Kasena gently held my silently trembling shoulder as if comforting.
“Let’s go now.”
“Yes…….”
I propped myself with the pearl embodying primordial flame in staff form, the Four Rings Staff, and moved my reluctant feet forward.
Forward, forward again.
To the future created by the benefactor.
Jingle, jingle, jingle…… The four rings on the staff rang with a clear tone like igniting flames, echoing like a dirge over the ancient snowfield.
For the great flame that has quietly illuminated the world’s darkest places since the age of origins.
Low, profound, distant.
Low, cozy, poignant……