Chapter 793: For the Sake of the World
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 793: For the Sake of the World
When the spatial turbulence shrouding the Abyss vanished, the harsh environment of the entire realm seemed to undergo a massive improvement in the blink of an eye. Lorne looked up from the fortress walls to see a brilliant, white-hot sun hanging in the sky. Though it wasn't as piercing or blazing as the sun outside the Abyss, being able to see the sun at all in this godforsaken place was something he hadn't dared to dream of before.
The howling winds that had blown incessantly were gone. The vast, swirling sands returned to the earth under the pull of gravity. Looking out, the visibility across the Abyss was incomparably better than it had ever been.
Yet, Lorne’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon, filled with anxious longing.
"Has the first wave of scouts returned?" he asked those beside him.
"They have, my Lord."
An officer standing behind Lorne reported, "All twelve squads have returned successfully. Aside from three unfortunate souls who fell to magical beasts, the rest are safe and sound. According to their reports, every Demon tribe they encountered along the way was completely empty. Not a single trace of a Demon was found."
"Truly none? Could it be just as King Indra said—that the entire Demon race has completely vanished from this world?"
Lorne still found it hard to believe.
The whole affair was simply too bizarre.
Even though he had personally witnessed the souls of a million Demons ascending to the heavens on the battlefield earlier, he had never imagined that this phenomenon extended to the entire race.
Had the Demons truly all died? The race that had waged war against the Empire for centuries... would they simply cease to exist in this world from now on?
Lorne himself had fought the Demons for over twenty years. Looking further back, the Campbell family’s blood feud with them spanned centuries. He had never imagined there would be a moment where it all just... ended.
Lorne took a deep breath. "And... is there any news of Muen?"
"This... we have no news of the Young Master yet."
"Then go find him! Quickly!"
"Yes, sir!"
As the officer led his men away in a hurry, Lorne slowly closed his eyes.
Whether the Demons existed or not wasn't that important to him. As for how to handle this now-ownerless Abyss in the future, that was a problem for the people at the top to worry about.
Old Lorne had worked himself to the bone for long enough; he’d be satisfied with a manor or two to retire in. But...
My dear son... you better be alright. If anything happens to you...
Lorne slammed a fist into the fortress wall. When he opened his eyes, a cold, lion-like glint erupted from his pupils. No matter who the enemy was, if they dared to harm his son, he would make them pay the ultimate price!
"Du... Duke Lorne!"
Donnik came running over, frantic. "A message from the lookout tower! Something is approaching the fortress from the sky at high speed!"
"What’s the panic for!"
Lorne barked, "If something is approaching from the sky, it’s nothing more than a flying beast of the Abyss. Is that worth making such a fuss over?"
"Ah." Donnik screeched to a halt and scratched his head. "I guess it isn't."
"How many times have I told you? Do not panic when things happen. Stay calm. Calm, do you understand?"
"Understood, sir!"
Donnik instinctively straightened his back, but after a few seconds of seriousness, he added hesitantly, "But according to the lookout tower, the thing that's approaching is... kind of big."
"Big? The largest beast in the Abyss is just a type of griffin. I’ve even caught a few of those to use as mounts. How big could it be?"
Lorne snorted, looking up with disdain.
Sure enough, at the edge of the sky, he spotted a small black dot.
Because there were no reference points in the sky, he couldn't tell how large it was. However, judging by the speed at which it was expanding in his field of vision, its primary characteristic wasn't its size—it was its speed.
In the blink of an eye, the small black dot expanded into a clear silhouette. A fierce gale began to lash the air above the walls from a vast distance away. Moreover, that silhouette looked remarkably like...
"Whoa," Donnik marveled as he looked up. "That griffin looks a lot like a dragon. Are there dragon subspecies among griffins? Legends say that dragons will mate with just about anything, but are even birds of prey like griffins within their... strike zone? As they say, dragons are naturally 'you-know-what,' right, Duke Lorne?"
Donnik turned to the Duke, only to find Lorne’s face had turned grim.
"Duke Lorne?"
"Duke your grandmother!"
Lorne smacked Donnik across the head and roared, "All units, on high alert! That's a damn dragon!"
Alarms instantly blared throughout the fortress. The soldiers, who had just begun to relax, tensed up once more. Lorne stared intently at the approaching dragon, holding back his own aura for the moment, silently hoping it was just passing through.
"Come to think of it, that dragon looks a bit familiar," Donnik muttered, rubbing his chin, having learned absolutely nothing from the smack he just received. "Why does it look so much like the drawing of that Calamity I saw in an ancient text?"
"Shut up! The Calamity Death-Calamity Dragon is supposed to be in the Forest of Death. How could it be here?"
Lorne felt a sudden urge to throw Donnik over the wall to feed the dragon.
But now that Donnik mentioned it... he also felt it looked familiar. However, since he had never seen a legendary Calamity with his own eyes, he couldn't be sure.
No, no, no. How could he have such a ridiculous thought? That legendary Calamity had occupied the Forest of Death for centuries, and the human world had long since classified it as a Forbidden Zone. If that dragon had left its territory, it would cause a massive upheaval in the human world. How could he not have received word of it beforehand?
"Look at you, shaking like a leaf!"
Lorne stroked his bushy beard, glancing disdainfully at the trembling Donnik beside him. With an air of composed confidence, he said, "It’s just a dragon. Does it really dare to attack us? If that truly is a Calamity Dragon, I’ll pry the bricks off this wall and eat them one by one..."
"Father!"
"Hmm?"
Lorne frowned.
How strange. Could it be that he missed his dear son so much that he was hearing his voice even over the roaring wind kicked up by the dragon?
But in the next moment, Lorne realized he hadn't misheard.
The black dragon beat its wings violently as it drew near, and a terrifying pressure descended like a physical weight. To everyone's horror, the creature was far larger than they had anticipated. Its massive frame blotted out the sun, casting a deep, suffocating shadow over the entire fortress.
Under that horrific Dragon Might, many veteran soldiers who had crawled through mountains of corpses and seas of blood felt their eyes roll back as they fainted on the spot.
Lorne’s eyes widened even further. As a Crowned powerhouse, his perception told him clearly that this dragon was far stronger than he was. In the entire continent, there was only one dragon with such an aura...
The Calamity, Hamulein!
But compared to the terror of a Calamity, Lorne was even more horrified to discover that his son’s voice was coming from atop the dragon!
Resisting the pressure, Lorne focused his vision and saw Muen being held in the dragon’s claws. Only half of his body was visible; he looked pale and weak, as if he were at death's door.
"You bastard!"
Lorne roared instantly. Regardless of whether the opponent was a Calamity or not, a blood-red phantom manifested behind him as he released his full aura as a Crowned.
But just as he was about to stake his life against the Calamity, the dragon claw loosened, and Muen fell.
Lorne’s heart leaped into his throat. Fortunately, Muen didn't seem as weak as he looked. He flipped in mid-air and landed steadily... well, not entirely steadily. The moment his feet hit the ground, Muen leaned against a wall and began to retch.
"Damn it... twice in one day, and for the same reason. I really don't want to experience this feeling ever again."
Muen stood up with difficulty. Behind him, An landed gracefully while holding Ariel.
"My dear son, you..."
Lorne rushed over and grabbed Muen by the shoulders, looking him up and down, terrified that he had already been devoured by the evil Calamity and that what he was seeing was just an illusion.
"It's alright, Father. There's no need to be so tense. This Calamity... Lord Dragon might look fierce, but she was just giving me a lift. She means no harm."
Muen waved a hand with a bitter smile. Riding the "dragon car" was a miserable experience. To make matters worse, the Calamity favored women over men and detested "stinky men." An and Ariel were allowed to ride on her back, while he was forced to spend the entire flight dangling from a claw.
"Giving you a lift?"
Lorne’s eyes widened again. His mind was a whirl of confusion, wondering when his son had become impressive enough to get a ride from a Calamity. Just then, the massive dragon in the sky vanished, transforming into a human figure.
Fiery red hair cascaded down like the sunset, and an exquisite dress flowed like the Milky Way. Hamulein hovered high in the air, her face stunningly beautiful and her figure tall and elegant. Yet, no one present dared to look up to catch a glimpse of her.
"I have delivered the person. I shall take my leave."
"Thank you very much," Muen said, bowing his head in gratitude.
"No need."
Hamulein nodded slightly and said coldly, "Just remember the condition Mela promised me."
"Of course I rem—huh?"
Muen was left in a daze as he processed her words.
Condition?
What condition?
Did Teacher Mela mention a condition? Wasn't this just a ride because we were going the same way?
And if it was a condition promised by Teacher Mela, why did she specifically tell him?
Muen had a sinking feeling in his gut, but before he could ask, Hamulein tore through space in her human form and vanished.
The crowd on the wall was left in shock, unable to snap out of the dreamlike sequence of a Calamity Dragon arriving and then departing in human form.
Only Donnik nudged Lorne secretly. "Duke Lorne... do you want to eat the bricks one by one... or all at once?"
"...I'm going to chop you up and eat you!"
Lorne shot a glare at the dim-witted subordinate. He didn't have time to stay angry at Donnik, though. He immediately pulled Muen into a tight embrace. The Lion King, usually so stoic that he wouldn't blink in the face of a million-strong Demon army, found his eyes growing moist.
"It’s good that you’re back... it’s good that you’re back!"
"Don't worry so much, Father." Muen smiled. "I'm not a child anymore... also, your beard is really prickly."
"Prickly... haha! Prickly is good! Prickly is good! You used to say the same thing when you were little."
Lorne laughed heartily and finally let go of Muen, though confusion still lingered on his face. "So, what exactly happened with the Demons? And... wait, isn't this An? Why is she coming back from the Abyss with you?"
"Greetings, Master."
Though An was holding Ariel, her etiquette remained elegant and flawless.
"An’s story is a long one; we’ll talk about it later."
Muen drew Lorne’s attention back and pulled a small notebook from his coat, handing it to his father.
"Everything that happened in the Abyss... and to the Demon race... at least the parts that can be told, I’ve recorded in here. You’ll understand once you read it, Father."
"Recorded?" Lorne frowned. "You won't just tell me?"
"I’d love to have a long talk with you, Father," Muen said with a wry smile. "But I must return to Belland as quickly as possible, so..."
"I see... you really have grown up, haven't you?"
Looking into Muen’s eyes and understanding something, Lorne patted his son’s shoulder with a touch of melancholy. "I’m getting old too. After this, I’ll likely submit my resignation to Her Majesty and retire to a vacation manor. Your mother’s side... well, your new brother or sister should be born soon. With you supporting the Campbell family, I can finally enjoy some peace and quiet."
Of course, Lorne’s desire to retire wasn't just for that reason. Now that the Empire’s greatest threat, the Demons, had vanished, the Campbell family no longer had a reason to hold such vast military power. Combined with Muen’s relationship with the Empress, trying to cling to more authority would only make things difficult for the ambitious young Empress.
"You're still in your prime, Father. Don't talk like that."
Muen offered a few words of comfort, his expression turning slightly awkward. "But speaking of manors... I didn't mean to..."
"Don't worry about it. I'm not so petty that I'd truly be angry over a few manors."
Lorne waved his hand magnanimously. "In fact, your judgment was correct. In the aftermath of those events, the intangible benefits the Campbell family gained are worth far more than a few estates."
Whether it was the family’s now-unshakeable status or Muen’s relationship with the current Empress, those things couldn't be bought with manors. A man destined for greatness shouldn't sweat the small stuff. As the Lion King, how could he truly care about such trifles?
"And..."
Lorne suddenly gave a mysterious, knowing wink.
"Did you really think your old man only had that much capital? Let me tell you, never keeping your private stash in one place is an essential quality of a successful man! Even though the manors on the books were sold by you, I’ve secretly kept a few places for my retirement."
"There are more manors?" Muen’s eyes widened. "How many?"
"How many? Two or three, not many. Compared to the ones around Belland, the locations are a bit worse, but the environment is absolutely—"
"Then if they were mortgaged, they could probably fetch a lot of money as a temporary loan, right?"
"Of course. Your father’s eye for property is top-notch. When I bought them, I was certain they’d appreciate in value... wait."
Lorne’s brow furrowed.
As he spoke those words, he realized he wasn't receiving the look of admiration he expected from Muen. Instead... it was the gaze of a hungry wolf.
Muen was staring at him, his eyes practically glowing.
"My... my dear son, what do you mean by 'mortgaged'?"
Despite being the mighty Lion King, Lorne instinctively took a step back under that predatory gaze.
"It’s nothing. It’s just that your son’s cash flow has been a bit tight lately... I was wondering if you’d let me mortgage another manor or two to raise some funds. Of course, once I’m through this difficult period, I’ll definitely pay you back!" Muen rubbed his fingers together sheepishly, closing the distance step by step.
"Nonsense!"
Lorne barked angrily. "You’re the fiancé of the Empire’s Empress! Are you really short on money? Go ask Her Majesty for a loan! That’s far more reliable than taking your old man’s retirement fund!"
"Well... I have no choice." Muen smiled bitterly. "If I asked Celicia for this money, she’d kill me."
"What about your other lovers?"
"They’d kill me too..."
"Then..."
Lorne thought left and right and realized that in this world, the only way to get a large sum of money quickly without breaking the law—aside from being a gigolo—was to squeeze the old man for gold coins.
And unfortunately, this "old man" actually had gold coins to give.
"Then you at least have to tell me what you need such a huge sum of money for!" Finally, Lorne succumbed to the relentless pestering of the "good son" he had just been praising.
"Actually, it’s nothing much..."
Muen glanced at the sleeping girl beside him and said seriously:
"If I said I was using it to save the world, would you believe me?"