Book 1 Chapter 928
928.
Crackling- Crackling-
In front of the campfire at the campsite.
Ar, covered in bandages here and there, looked at the tent where Elena was sleeping and asked.
“So. The healing magic Ms. Elena cast on me… was a spell that took my injuries upon herself?”
“Yes. Sacrifice. It’s a forbidden magic in elf society.”
Lunia sighed softly.
“H-how many times did she use such a dangerous spell on me?”
“That’s about right. When Ms. Elena wakes up, please thank her. If possible, grant her one wish.”
“W-one wish?”
“Yes. Even if it’s not a wish, shouldn’t you show your sincerity?”
Driana poked the campfire and said.
At her words, Ar fiddled with his tail and said.
“S-should I allow her to touch my tail?”
“That’s all?”
At Lunia’s words, Ar’s fur stood on end.
“What do you mean ‘that’s all’! What do you mean ‘that’s all’! My tail is sensitive!”
“Leo just grabs it whenever he wants.”
Lunia made a puzzled expression and reached out her hand to Ar’s tail.
Then Ar’s tail annoyingly avoided Lunia’s touch.
“…”
“…”
Lunia tried to grab the tail again, but it didn’t get caught this time either.
‘…It’s bothering me, making me want to grab it for no reason.’
Lunia, who felt a strange demonic allure from Ar’s tail, shook her head vigorously.
“Anyway, Azonia-nim…”
Driana looked at the campfire and spoke with a surprised expression.
“It really is her, isn’t it?”
“Probably. This is a big problem.”
Lunia sighed and said.
“It means the Hero Dungeon open somewhere in the Ajo Desert belongs to the Heroes of Genesis.”
Neglected Hero Dungeons erode the world.
If the erosion worsens, things existing in the hero’s world emerge into the real world.
Azonia being here now was one of these erosion phenomena.
“This is serious.”
It was a situation where one couldn't simply be happy about meeting a legend.
At that moment.
Ar, with his arms crossed, was deep in thought.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“No. Earlier, the black rabbit said…”
Ar blinked his blue eyes.
“Azonia-nim created Arion-nim’s world… nyaaaaaaaak?!”
Suddenly, Ar screamed and jumped.
“What are you talking about?”
Ar, with wide eyes, turned around with a fierce expression.
There, Leo was pulling Ar’s tail.
“I said! My tail! Don’t grab it!”
Ar hissed and tried to scratch Leo.
Of course, he was whimpering, held by both wrists by Leo.
Watching that sight and shaking her head, Driana spotted the two people behind Leo and her eyes widened.
Lunia also looked at the small figure standing next to Azonia with a surprised expression.
“Y-you!”
Driana jumped up from her seat and approached Damian with a trembling voice.
Looking at such Driana, Damian said.
‘Is this child the successor of Dwenno-nim, whom Kyle-nim spoke of?’
She had a small physique and a cute face, but her small hands were scorched by fire and calloused.
Seeing that, Damian could easily deduce that Driana was a dwarf who diligently hammered in front of a forge.
A slightly warm light appeared in Damian’s eyes.
In fact, he was not a very good-natured person.
He was extremely reluctant to show himself to others and disliked getting close to anyone.
He had the Heroes of Genesis, his friends more precious than life, but he wasn’t particularly kind even to them.
Rhodia even joked, referring to Damian, that ‘he lives up to his looks’.
But there was one type of person he was kind to: the Great Hero and the Shadows.
Damian looked at Driana, who walked towards him, and gave a gentle smile.
“You are Driana, aren’t you?”
“You know about me! Then you must know about my reputation too!”
“Huh?”
Damian made a puzzled expression at Driana’s reaction.
‘Ah, does she not know I’m Damian? Indeed, my face isn’t publicly known, so she wouldn't know.’
Damian nodded.
And he recalled Leo’s words about Driana.
‘He said Dwenno-nim might have reincarnated as a girl. She must be that skilled of a craftsman…’
“Young lady! Have you ever thought of becoming a nude model?”
“…”
For a moment, Damian’s thoughts froze.
Azonia, who had been looking at Leo and Ar with amusement, looked at Damian and Driana with a stiff face.
“She’s doing it again.”
Lunia clicked her tongue at the sight.
At that moment.
“Kyle-nim, Kyle-nim.”
Azonia urgently called Leo.
“What’s wrong, Azonia-nim?”
Ar, who was still held by Leo, looked at Azonia with a puzzled expression.
And seeing Azonia’s fear-stricken, pale face, he instinctively knew something serious had happened.
Great Warrior Azonia.
A warrior so great that she was called the reincarnation of Brave Arion, she was a legendary beast warrior who re-taught the beastkin the value of courage.
So much so that all images of brave warriors that beastkin of this era envision originated from Azonia.
‘Such an Azonia-nim is scared? Something incredible must be attacking!’
Thinking that, Ar activated his supersenses.
“We have to stop Damian!”
“Huh?”
Just as Ar made a blank expression.
“What? Nude?”
Damian asked in a chilling voice.
“Indeed! Your beauty must be passed down to future generations…!”
“Who are you telling to be a nude model, spouting nonsense?!”
Leo and Azonia grabbed Damian before he could pounce on Driana.
True to a legendary dwarf, Damian’s strength was beyond imagination, but he was held by a legend no less powerful and another even more so.
Eventually, the subdued Damian was pressed to the ground.
“Hey, hey. Calm down! She said it by mistake, let it go!”
Azonia calmed Damian down.
“If you dislike being a nude model so much, then semi-nude…”
“Kuaaaak!”
At Driana’s continued words, veins once again bulged on Damian’s forehead.
Watching that, Leo understood why Damian was acting this way.
‘That damn old man. What the hell did he do to this guy?’
“Ar, Lunia. Take Driana somewhere out of sight.”
Only after the three disappeared did Damian finally calm down.
Just then, Eiran, whose injuries had been treated by Melina, approached.
Eiran, terrified by the messed-up surroundings, asked.
“W-what happened?”
“Many things.”
***
Dawn, after Lunia’s treatment was also finished.
There were three people other than Leo in Leo’s tent.
Damian, Azonia, and Melina.
“I apologize for showing such an undignified display, Kyle-nim.”
“It’s alright. Judging by your reaction, Dwenno, that damn scoundrel, must be the culprit.”
Leo clicked his tongue.
Watching Leo, Damian covered his face with his hands.
Watching Damian, Azonia said.
“Thank you for understanding. Damian never really liked his appearance ever since he was little.”
Azonia sighed softly.
“A certain degree of beauty is an advantage, but excessive beauty often leads to more disadvantages than advantages.”
Leo nodded at Azonia’s words.
“I understand.”
After gaining a certain level of power and position, appearance might become a strength, but before that, excessive beauty is often a poison.
Just then, Melina, who was listening to the conversation, asked.
“But ‘ever since he was little’? Were you two childhood friends?”
“Yes. Both Damian and I were born in this Ajo Desert. To put it simply, we’re childhood friends.”
“Childhood friends, my foot! Get out!”
“So prickly.”
Damian irritably pushed away Azonia, who was putting an arm around his shoulder and grinning- grinning-.
Watching that, Leo asked.
“But Damian. Why is your appearance different from what’s known?”
Hero Records of the Heroes of Genesis are mostly destroyed, so their actual appearance cannot be confirmed, but portraits and statues of Genesis remain throughout the world.
And the known appearance of Damian was that of a typical ‘dwarf’.
A face anyone would think belonged to Dwenno’s successor.
But Damian’s actual face was unbelievably beautiful for a dwarf.
Even Leo had only seen three people with looks comparable to Damian throughout his past and present lives.
Damian made a bitter expression at Leo’s question.
“Did you disguise yourself?”
It was Azonia who answered Leo’s question.
“No. I never disguised myself.”
Shaking her head, Azonia glanced at Damian and asked.
“Will you tell him? Or shall I?”
At that question, Damian let out a deep sigh and said.
“The one known to the world with my appearance… is my shadow.”
“Shadow?”
“Yes. To be precise, originally I should have been his shadow, but…”
Damian gave a wry smile.
“I became a hero, and he became my shadow.”
Melina’s eyes widened at the unexpected story.
“I had an appearance unlike Dwenno-nim’s successor. So when conducting external activities, I put my shadow at the forefront.”
“Even if you disliked your own appearance, was there really a need to go that far?”
“I didn’t use a stand-in merely because of my appearance. There was another reason.”
“What is it?”
At Leo’s question, Damian took a deep breath and said.
“It’s an embarrassing story… but I have no talent whatsoever as a blacksmith.”
“What?”
“Pfft. This guy. His talent as a blacksmith is at a desperate level.”
Azonia suppressed her laughter, patted Damian’s head, and giggled.
Damian punched Azonia in the side.
“Gah?!”
Ignoring Azonia, who had fallen to the floor, Damian said.
“Dwenno-nim was not just a hero. He was also a blacksmith who was responsible for his party members’ weapons and armor. That’s why I, with my terrible blacksmithing skills, couldn’t publicly claim to be Dwenno-nim’s successor. Fortunately, my shadow was an excellent blacksmith. So I put him at the forefront.”
“It wasn’t bad. But it was a little lacking.”
Azonia stood up with an “Ooh-cha-”.
Leo stroked his chin at the completely unknown fact.
Soon, Leo’s gaze turned to Azonia.
“Why didn’t you conquer Arion’s world?”
At Leo’s words, Arion pouted.
“Because there was no need to conquer it.”
“Why?”
“Even without conquering it, that coward… no, I could use Arion-nim’s techniques.”
At Azonia’s words, Damian curled up the corners of his mouth.
“You were jealous of Arion-nim, though.”
“Quiet!”
Azonia glared at Damian.
“Did you learn Arion’s techniques directly from Arion?”
“No.”
Azonia made a slightly sullen expression.
“He wouldn’t be able to teach anything properly.”
“That’s true. Then who did you learn from?”
Leo, convinced by Azonia’s words, asked again.
“I learned from my master.”
“Master?”
“Yes.”
Azonia took a deep breath.
“My master is the Guardian of the Azure Sky… Agon-nim.”