Book 1 Chapter 695

Dwayno let out a bitter sigh and subtly moved aside, pressing his hand firmly against Driana's back.

*Thwack-!*

"Calm down. Driana."

"Do I look like I can calm down right now?!"

Driana gritted her teeth, exerting force.

"Your strength, young one, is futile even if you struggle."

"I know! I know! But! How can I stand by and do nothing!"

Driana raised her voice.

"Do you even know that the Dwayno you see now is not the Dwayno you should know?!"

Driana snarled.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you. But this is how it is. How well do you know me to say such things?"

"Yes! I don't know Dwayno! I've only encountered Dwayno through stories passed down for generations! The first time I met you in person was last time in the hero's world! It's absurd to say I know you just from that! But still!"

Driana began to sob.

"This isn't right! The current Dwayno is completely strange! You're wrong!"

"Calm down."

"You're the one who needs to calm down! Don't you see?!"

Driana shouted.

"The people of Evaldi, who you should be protecting, are now in danger!"

"What?"

"You said you wanted to bring them to the future, even if just a little! You said you had to protect them! But those people are on the front lines, risking their lives! They need Dwayno right now!"

"That's… If you destroy the records… we'll be finished…"

"Yes! But if everyone dies, it's all for nothing!"

Driana did not understand Dwayno's feelings.

However, she knew that Dwayno was currently neglecting the people of Evaldi.

*Grind- Grind-*

An unusual sound came from Driana's body.

"Stop it. You'll die at this rate."

"Ughhhhh!"

*Squeeze-!*

Dwayno suppressed Driana, who was trying to wriggle out of his grasp.

'What… what… what do I actually want to do?'

Her mind was tangled.

'I just want to show the people of Evaldi… Enniha… the future. Is that such a great wish?'

Must her people, who were denied a future without even seeing hope, be deprived of it? Was it such a grave mistake to grant them a future?

'Stopping these children… is because these children are trying to steal Evaldi's future.'

Her mind became confused.

'Yes. It's a selfish thought. But can't I be selfish?'

*Gooooo-*

Golden flames ignited in Dwayno's eyes.

'My choice will lead the people of Evaldi to their deaths? I just… I just… wanted to show them the sun. I just wanted them to experience even a little of what you enjoyed.'

*Hwa-reureuk-*

The golden flames suddenly began to turn black.

"I… I'm not wrong. The peace you enjoy… even a little… even a little…!"

*Kkwaak-!*

"Kuhuk!"

Dwayno's grip tightened.

Immense power crushed Driana.

For a moment, Driana coughed up blood.

But she quickly gritted her teeth and used all her strength to push Dwayno's arm away.

*Hwa-ah-ah!*

The black flames burned even more fiercely.

At that moment.

*Kwang-!*

A Wind Wyvern rammed into Dwayno.

"Dwayno's condition is serious!"

"I can see that! But he's not budging!"

Eliza invoked her spiritual power, drawing out the Wind Wyvern's full strength.

"I… I…!"

The black flames emanating from his eyes had already begun to burn his entire body.

"Kyaak?!"

"Eliza!"

*Kyaa-ak-*

The black flames briefly spread and engulfed the Wind Wyvern.

The Wind Wyvern, instantly dispelled, vanished.

As the black flames surged, Kal instinctively pulled Eliza into his arms and threw himself forward.

Eliza fainted from the shock of dispelling.

Just then.

'What should I do…!'

As Kal's face turned pale.

"Ge-get… hold of yourself…"

In Kal's vision, he saw the unconscious Artian, who was behind Dwayno, stirring.

"Ah, Professor Artian! We have to save Driana…!"

Suddenly, Kal noticed that Artian's eyes, which had just opened, were black.

"Get a hold of yourself! You perverted dwarf!"

*Kwaga-ga-gang-!*

Artian's fist struck Dwayno.

Dwayno, sent flying, sprawled on the ground.

Kal's mouth hung open in a daze.

That person was not Artian.

Of course, it was common for Artian to entrust his body to spirits, but there was a spirit who would call the divine blacksmith such a name.

And with black magic…

"…Lis… Nas?"

Kal blankly uttered the name.

*Thud-!*

But Artian fainted again.

Seeing that, Kal snapped out of it.

"Driana! Are you okay?"

"I… I'm… okay…"

*Gulp!*

Driana coughed up blood as she got up.

Kal hastily took out a potion from his embrace.

At that moment…

Dwayno got up.

"You… You're denying my choice?!"

Dwayno shouted hysterically at the unconscious Artian.

"Kyle! Kyle understood me! So why don't you understand me! Weren't we comrades!"

The black flames burning on Dwayno's body flared up even more fiercely.

Watching Dwayno like that, Kal felt goosebumps all over his body.

'Dwayno-nim is not in his right mind right now.'

He had lost his reason.

The Dwayno, who Leo had said was the strongest in spirit among the great heroes and the pillar of the great heroes, was no longer there.

'Those black flames.'

Instead of the golden flames, the flames of disaster were burning from Dwayno's body.

'Why on earth?'

As Kal's face contorted in shock, a thought flashed through his mind.

'Dwayno-nim must have been the original owner of this world.'

Although he became the Legion's record, the original owner of this record was Dwayno.

That record was overlaid with Gia's record by Erebus's power.

'If that influence… has reached Dwayno as well?'

It explained why Dwayno was not in his right mind.

And why black flames were burning now.

"Why can't you understand me! Did I wish for something so great! Answer me! Lisinas!"

As the black flames burned even more menacingly.

"Dwayno."

A voice was heard from behind.

Dwayno turned his head towards the direction of the voice.

"Enniha."

"…I came to pick you up."

At Enniha's words, the black flames subsided.

"No, there's no need for that."

Dwayno shook his head with a gentle smile.

"Just trust me. I will bring the people of Evaldi… you… to the future."

"…If you can't defeat Gia, won't there be no future or anything else?"

"Don't worry about that! Because Kyle is here! Kyle is a friend who will defeat Erebus in the distant future! He can surely defeat Gia!"

Dwayno smiled broadly.

"So don't worry about the Giant King's Legion. You said you wanted to draw the sun, right? I will show you the sky where the sun rises again…"

"Dwayno."

"Yes?"

"As expected, we are a burden to you."

Dwayno's face contorted.

"What do you take me for! Do you think I would think that! Get a grip! Enniha!"

"Oh, really?"

Enniha smiled sweetly.

Then he twisted his arm behind his back.

*Baaak-!*

In an instant, Enniha's punch, swung with all his might, struck Dwayno's face.

Dwayno's head spun.

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

Enniha rolled on the ground, clutching his hand that had struck Dwayno's face.

"You're really damn hard!"

The dislocated finger joint was clearly shattered to pieces.

"E-Enniha! Your hand!"

Dwayno, knowing that Enniha, who painted, cherished his hands, rushed towards him in a panic.

Enniha, who was rolling on the ground, kicked Dwayno.

*Paa-ak-!*

Dwayno was sent flying, and an unusual sound came from Enniha's shin.

"It really hurts!"

Enniha gritted his teeth and got up.

His shinbone was also shattered, so he unconsciously limped and approached the stunned, fallen Dwayno.

"You're the one who needs to get a grip, you damned dwarf."

"What did you say?"

"You're not treating us as anything more than baggage right now!"

"No. I…"

"You'll bring us to the future? Without asking us, just by your will? If that's not treating us as baggage, what is?"

"What's wrong with bringing you to the future? You are fully entitled to enjoy the future."

"Yes. I'm sure we are."

Enniha said coldly.

"But if we have to push that future into crisis for a fleeting moment. None of the people of Evaldi would welcome that. Except you."

"…"

"Dwayno. Our time ended a long time ago. And my time ended even longer before yours."

Dwayno bit his lip tightly.

"The people of Evaldi… all knew what kind of end they would meet. So they had long given up on going to the future. But they all thought you were different."

Enniha laughed.

"When you were freed from the burden of us. You could go to a future even farther than ours. So eventually…"

Enniha knelt down and met Dwayno's eyes.

"We believed you would restore peace to this world. That's why we didn't break."

"You… are not a burden."

"That's right. We're not a burden. We're your comrades. You're just carrying the wish we entrusted to you."

They had given up on life, but not on hope.

They had just not found it.

Looking at the reliable back that protected them.

They believed that one day that back would become a shield for others dreaming of hope.

That was the wish of the people of Evaldi, and Dwayno eventually fulfilled that wish.

Looking back now, it might not seem like a great wish.

But at that time, it was the greatest wish the people of Evaldi could dream of.

"Just as we are your comrades. You have other comrades, don't you?"

"…"

"You said we weren't a burden? Then are you going to be a burden?"

Dwayno closed his eyes.

"Just as we believed in you."

*Hwa-reureuk-*

The burning black flames slowly transformed into brilliant golden light.

"Comrades who believe in you are waiting for you."

Dwayno clenched his fist.

"The wishes we entrusted to you were eventually passed from you to him, weren't they?"

"That's right."

"Then Leo must have carried far more than we could imagine. So…"

Enniha said firmly.

"Don't push it onto him anymore."

At those words, Dwayno turned around.

*Thump- thump- thump-*

"Ugh…"

"Dwayno-nim?"

"How…?"

The hero candidates began to regain consciousness one by one.

Leaving the hero candidates behind, Dwayno entered the workshop and soon came out carrying a large box.

*Thump-!*

Dwayno placed the box in front of the hero candidates.

"It's a gift."

He said calmly, then slung Brave over his shoulder and approached Driana.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you."

"Ah, no! I wasn't disappointed at all."

"I see."

After patting Driana's head, Dwayno took a deep breath and said,

"I've made a spectacle of myself. I don't know if I have the right to say this, but you should head towards the center of the Legion's world."

"You have more right than anyone to say that."

Artian, who had regained consciousness, said in a solemn voice.

Dwayno looked at Artian and opened his mouth.

"Thank you."

Dwayno, who expressed his gratitude even to those he couldn't reach, started walking.

*Thump- thump-*

Step by step.

As he walked forward, Dwayno stopped when he reached Enniha.

"Enniha. I have one request."

"What is it?"

"When you defeat Gia. Be my model."

"That much is easy."

"Look forward to it. You'll fall into despair after seeing my work, an artist far superior to you."

"You damned dwarf!"

Enniha, who had flared up, soon let out a deep sigh.

"Fine. I'll be your model or whatever, so hurry up and go deal with that damned Giant King."

At those words, Dwayno burst into laughter.

*Hwa-reureuk-!*

The flames burning on Dwayno's body turned into a complete golden hue.

And at that moment, the world changed.

"Huh?"

Kal's eyes widened.

[The objective has changed.]

[Objective: Save Dwayno.]

[Objective (Hidden): Save Evaldi.]

[Objective (Hidden): Defeat Giant King Gia.]