Chapter 169: Demodras (1) |
On a sunny holiday…
In the corridor of Hugo’s mansion,
“Where exactly are you planning to go?”
Seira was being dragged somewhere by Lucia. The face of the person being pulled along by a determined hand seemed a bit troubled.
“And, you know, it’s fine for me to just stay at home?”
“What are you talking about? You’re a magician of the century and a comrade who fought alongside our ancestors. How could you possibly be treated like an unemployed person doing nothing?”
Although Lucia said this, she knew why Seira was showing a troubled reaction.
Because of the curse placed on her, Seira couldn’t form normal relationships with people.
It seemed fine while they were together, but once a certain distance was created, or such situations occurred, no matter how close they were, they were forgotten from their minds.
“I’ll go along with it, but it’s useless no matter how many people I meet. It’s not like I haven’t tried everything possible during the hundreds of years I’ve… been living alone.”
“But it doesn’t work on me. Neither on Shiron nor on Siriel.”
“But Hugo is…”
“Let’s just go.”
Lucia cut off Seira’s words and entered the banquet hall.
It’s useless. She had heard enough complaints about it being futile. However, Lucia made a great effort to drag Seira outside.
She didn’t want her comrade from a past life to live like a shut-in or an old man secluded in a back room, and she couldn’t bear to see her sulk in front of Kyrie’s tombstone every day.
‘The dead are dead. The living should not be tied to the dead.’
“Mother, we’re here.”
“…You’re late.”
“I had to bring someone important with me. This person here, she’s an excellent magician. I really wanted to introduce her to you and the knights.”
Lucia timidly placed Seira in front of Eldrina. Seira introduced herself for the 56th time to the dignified hostess sitting upright.
“Hello, ma’am. My name is Seira Romer.”
“…I’m Eldrina Prient. You seem to be a very famous magician, and it’s surprising you know our child. We’re in your care.”
“Yes…”
It was indeed futile. Seira weakly responded and glared at Lucia resentfully.
“See!”
“Eh… Then, let’s go to my uncle.”
Before Seira could say more, Lucia directed her attention to a particularly large man in the banquet hall. Pushing through the crowd, they saw Hugo engaged in conversation with some robust-looking individuals.
“Uncle!”
“…It’s Lucia. And who might this be next to you?”
“Hello. My name is Seira Romer.”
Seira introduced herself mechanically, just as she had done with Eldrina. She just wanted to quickly escape this uncomfortable situation and be alone. If possible, enjoying various foods laid out on one side of the banquet hall by herself seemed like a good idea.
However, the words uttered by Hugo were beyond Seira’s expectations.
“Ah, I’ve already heard a lot about you. They say you’re a very skilled magician.”
“…Excuse me? How could you know…”
Seira was taken aback and widened her eyes, to which Hugo chuckled.
“Um… I’ve always heard about it from my niece. She boasts every day that a very great magician lives in her annex, and even during the expedition, she consistently sends letters, so how could I not know.”
“That’s what I thought. Since we’ve never met, I wondered if the young master was playing a joke.”
Johann also chimed in on Hugo’s words.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you face-to-face like this. I am Hugo Prient. Since you’ve come all this way, how about it?”
Hugo, joking lightly, offered Seira a plate with a cake. Seira looked back and forth between Hugo and Johann with a dazed expression.
Lucia felt the same.
‘What? They both seem to recognize Seira?’
Until now, Lucia had often shown Seira to the people in the mansion, but this was the first time Hugo recognized Seira.
‘What’s going on?’
Hugo was often away from home due to expeditions, so he had less contact with Seira than Eldrina, and Johann was supposedly meeting Seira for the first time.
Lucia then silently gazed at Johann, whose hair was fully white.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Ah… It’s nothing. Congratulations on your retirement without any problems, Sir Johann.”
“Ha-ha. Thank you. It’s definitely a safe retirement.”
With a kind smile, Johann started to tremble slightly and then sighed.
He thought he’d only retire after losing a limb or two on an expedition. Indeed, fortune was on his side.
Johann considered it fortunate to retire now, despite having had the potential for several more expeditions in the future.
However, even while harboring such thoughts, Johann couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease.
“I heard that Lord Shiron is serving on the frontier.”
The old cog must be replaced by a new one. Johann couldn’t fully enjoy his retirement party, concerned about Shiron, who wasn’t present.
“Don’t worry too much, Johann. It’s just an expedition dealing with a few beasts, isn’t it?”
“The difficulty of an expedition lies not just in the physical toll but more so in dealing with people.”
“Is that so?”
Hugo found it hard to sympathize with Johann’s words. The idea that dealing with people was harder than battling beasts seemed absurd.
“Yes. I’ve experienced expeditions even in the absence of our captain, so I know very well how annoying and tough it is to be amidst hot-blooded swordsmen all vying for glory.”
Politicking to claim achievements is standard, and when a unit faces poor outcomes, they’re more likely to be undercut than consoled. That’s the true nature of expeditionary forces.
For nearly 20 years, such troublemakers couldn’t raise their heads, thanks to Hugo, but it had been over a year since Hugo has been to the front.
‘Human nature doesn’t change.’
Johann felt a sense of pity for Shiron, who was likely struggling.
A week had passed in the search for the lair of the Fervent Dragon. On a blizzardy night, crossing the snow-covered mountains where every step sank deep, Shiron chewed on jerky he had sneakily taken.
[Hero. It’s about time you rested…]
‘It’s okay. I can still move.’
Shiron shook his head at Latera’s concern.
Despite wandering the snowy mountains without rest, pushing his physical limits, Shiron felt strangely light.
Was it the allure of the Dragon’s Heart, or perhaps the anxiety knowing Yoru might be nearby?
Whatever it was, it was fine. Soon, having thoroughly scoured the uncharted territory to the point of seeing the sea, he believed the lair would be found before they collapsed from exhaustion.
Shiron believed so, and it seemed they were about to see the fruits of their labor.
“Found it…?”
His advancing steps halted. What he faced in the blizzard was a familiar-looking cliff. Below, darkness spread, its end unknowable. Yet…
Without a moment’s hesitation, Shiron jumped off the cliff.
[Yo, Hero! What are you doing!]
‘The opportunity always starts after falling off a cliff.’
The sensation of wind and buoyancy enveloped him. He didn’t slow down by embedding blades into the wall, so his speed only increased.
“Kyaaaah! Hero! We’re really going to die!”
“We’re not going to die! So, stay still!”
Shiron scolded Latera, who tried to grasp his clothes in her materialized form, by giving her a flick on the forehead.
Thump, bang!
Such sounds did not occur.
It felt like an elevator coming to a slow stop with a slight jolt.
And then,
The oppressive air and chilling cold prickled his skin.
Shiron took out a fire lance and whale oil to create a makeshift torch.
Whoosh-
The flame illuminated the dark space, and Shiron quickly identified the source of the chilling sensation.
“…Who are you?”
In the center of the massive form, vertically slit eyes glared at Shiron. It was the Fervent Dragon Demodras, a legion commander who had once served under the Demon God and the master of this space.
“Damn, I intended to surprise it.”
With a sigh of regret, Shiron spat out his dry saliva and said,
“Do you need to know my name? You’ll be dead soon anyway.”
“…Is this your story?”
Demodras asked, as if bewildered. His voice, resonating throughout his body, was tinged with fury. Instead of replying, Shiron planted the Fire Lance into the ground and drew a holy sword from his bosom.
“…A holy sword? Mortal… are you certain that is a holy sword?”
Demodras asked, with a surprised look directed at Shiron.
“Why, never seen a holy sword before? Then watch closely now. You won’t have another chance.”
Shiron steadied his breath, feeling the sensation of blessings being switched within his mind. He didn’t know the name of the blessing Latera was applying, but he could tell it was specialized for combating dragons, enhancing his physical abilities and endurance.
Walking towards the giant eyes, Shiron felt his blood boil and the heavy sensation in his hands. Light burst from the tightly gripped holy sword, whitening Demodras’s field of vision. The bravery was so extraordinary that Demodras’s red pupils contracted and trembled.
“…Are you a hero?”
“Just hand over your heart quietly.”
“Answer me. I asked if you are a hero…!”
Demodras swung his hefty front paw threateningly at Shiron, who was approaching.
“Oh, throwing the first punch?”
But it was futile. Shiron dodged the falling mass with a light step.
“Typical of an evil reptile. But I already know every move you’ll make.”
Shiron felt adrenaline surge from the narrow escape. Despite being mentally exhausted from staying alert all week,
Swoosh!
It’s okay. Demodras wasn’t just an opponent Lucia had often faced but also one well-known to Shiron.
Although the story was set for an interloper to deliver the final blow in the 3rd phase, having experienced the process of reaching there hundreds of times, he could reflexively combat the dragon.
‘Is it acting on impulse, or has it lost its mind? Conversation is impossible.’
Demodras grimaced, enduring the blades cutting into his flesh, and began chanting a spell.
‘All phases connect to a single point. Mana seeks the repeating point. And reconstitution…’
The magic about to be manifested involved phase transition and polymorph. The current outburst was too threatening for proper judgment. All humans who had come here had been like this, the dragon firmly believed…
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Swoosh!
“Stop! Enough! Talking…!”
“Talking after you swung first?”
“Come on, hero! Take down that lying lizard’s head!”
“Yes! Finish it quickly and let’s rest!”
“I will give you my heart!”
Shiron’s sword halted abruptly.
