Book 11 Chapter 4
Episode 256
#1 Interlude, Prologue to the Epilogue (1)
Rem and Bart parted ways in the yellow city of <Raftas>.
They said they would wait for the adventurer's guild to arrive and receive their contribution rewards. Of course, their true intention was probably to protect the city until then.
I liked these guys for not boasting about such things.
“Are you really not coming with us?”
“Are we you? We don’t do business empty-handed. We’re taking all the contribution for catching a Vajra-rank and a Black Church pillar.”
Rem grinned, shrugging his shoulders with the Serwebon strapped to his back.
“But do you know what? Lady Friede praised me this time! *Kuh-euh!* She said the arrow I shot at the end was like one shot by an ancestor.”
“When I saw it, it wasn’t like that at all.”
“No, look here. You didn’t even see it then!”
“Nah, it’s obvious even without seeing it. And why is it Lady Friede but just me? You should show some respect to me too.”
Miria, holding Aki who had fallen asleep from exhaustion, sighed as if she couldn't stop them, but a smile played on her lips.
“Still, it’s a bit sad to part ways here. It’s really over, isn’t it?”
Then Bart extended his hand to Miria.
“If you ever need us, contact us anytime. Just like this time, we’ll rush to you no matter where you are.”
Rain shook his head with a bitter smile.
“No, we can’t be indebted to you any more than this.”
“You’re not indebted to us, Rain. Rather, thanks to you, I feel clearer about what we should do next. We had a truly rare experience this time.”
“Right. And if we follow you, we get all these crumbs falling our way, so it’s profitable for us too. And even though it was hard, it was fun. Truly.”
Saying that, Rem extended his hand, requesting a farewell handshake.
Rain stared at it blankly, and only after Miria caught Bart's hand and gave him a knowing look, did he grasp Rem’s hand.
“I was glad to have friends like you too. Truly. If even one of you hadn’t been here, this journey…”
Then Rem shook off Rain’s hand and snorted.
“*Ehe, hey,* cut it out. You may have lived twice, but you haven’t lived long, so you don’t know anything.”
“…?”
“Look here, old archmage. At times like this, we just part ways coolly. Why be so serious? We’ll meet again anyway.”
Ah, right.
We can just meet again.
It’s that simple, so there’s no need to put weight on each and every one of these farewells.
“Now, we’ll handle the world, so you, old man, go to some mountain valley and happily look after children, that’s what I mean.”
Soon, the hands of the other three piled up on Rem’s outstretched fist. Bart said,
“Most of all, the first pillar that still hasn’t appeared concerns me a bit. We’ll contact you if we get any information.”
Right, the first pillar…
They said it went down below the wall, and I don't know the reason, but its danger seems incomparable to the other two.
“Absolutely do not try to catch it yourselves. If you find that guy, call this old man. Got it?”
It was the being that controlled Zernix, so I couldn't even guess what kind of power it possessed.
‘I wish I could defeat it.’
But I never encountered that unidentified being in my lifetime.
「That is not your task.」
On the day I left <Raftas>, Karen-Den’s voice had already warned me in a faint dream…
「That one is currently consolidating the demon tribes in the Demon Realm, so it will take quite a long time.」
The Demon Realm was below the wall, the deeper world where demon tribes lived.
It was not only the capital of the six great demon tribes but also a place teeming with various powerful demon beasts.
Even before <Flames of a Thousand Li> was built, it was a forbidden land. Humans who entered it would die.
“Then are you saying I should just stand by and watch?”
No answer came.
When I tried to ask again, I woke up as if expelled from the dream.
Wiping the cold sweat from my face, I saw the faces of the three dragon siblings sleeping soundly beside me.
‘Can I just stand by and watch?’
There must be a way.
There must be a way to empower these kids. If not, I have to find one.
“Why did the Southern Republic collapse to such an extent?”
I asked Shirin, who had become my companion until we reached the Crimson Holy City of <Shuriganakyus>.
Wasn't Shirin a living witness to 200 years of history?
Before its downfall by Zernix, the Republic had served as a bulwark for humanity.
“Evil always overflows in the shadow of justice. My master also worried about the era after her disappearance.”
“…?”
“She said that even if one tried to lead humans on the path of good with strict rules and control, they would eventually fall into evil.”
“Still, I don't think slavery came into existence when Friede was alive.”
“Of course not. But we didn’t have the leadership or dignity like our master. Forcibly suppressing things would inevitably lead to an undesirable explosion someday, and our master had told us to interfere as little as possible.”
Shirin spoke with a look of regret.
“Compared to my childhood, that is, 200 years ago, the world has declined to a shameful degree. Not technologically, but humanly.”
“The era Friede influenced was roughly 100 years?”
“Yes. When she was the focal point of justice…”
“100 years, then I should set my goal around that time.”
100 years.
In that amount of time, Aki, Nen, and Mir would all be able to grow close to adulthood.
Aki wielded the power of two true dragons, Nen possessed the power of ten wyverns, and Mir had the soul of a true dragon combined with the soul of Tureina.
If their powers were combined, they would be able to overcome even when the first pillar appeared. I hoped for that.
“Thank you, Shirin. Thanks to you, my future goal has become clear.”
Let’s aim to spread positive influence throughout the world.
Let’s guide the world on the right path until these kids become the focal point of good.
‘The things that come after, I’ll leave to you.’
Rain smiled faintly, looking at the sleeping trio of siblings.
And ten days later, the party arrived at <Shuriganakyus>. They decided to stay in the Crimson Holy City for a while.
The fatigue of the journey was extreme, and they also intended to help with the city's reconstruction.
‘Still, the most important reason for our stay is definitely the Great Holy City Library of <Shuriganakyus>.’
This place was famous for having the most books in the world.
There was even talk that even the Central Library of <Delheiten> had to concede to it.
As I was about to respectfully face the ancient texts, there were, of course, disturbers.
“Shhh, be quiet.”
“Aki, silence!”
“Setsu, siiiileeence!”
“….”
“….”
“Aki, dash!”
“Setsu, daaaash!”
The problem was these two mischievous sisters…
Even if told to be quiet, it was only for a moment, and soon they would be giggling and making a huge ruckus.
If I hadn’t come with the former priestess Shirin (there’s a current one separately), I might have already been kicked out.
“Look how people are frowning, take a lesson from your sibling, you two…”
Something about that statement seemed contradictory, but it was true.
Mirngardia was quiet.
From the moment he was born, he didn’t even know how to whine. He wouldn’t babble “Ma kiome” and rush over, nor would he cover my face with drool.
He just quietly lay in Ceresia’s swaddling clothes, serene as a lake. By the way, Mirngardia is, hmm, the only boy among the dragon siblings.
Miria expressed some concern. She wondered if the soul of Tureina was causing confusion in his gender identity.
But as Karen-Den had said, Mirngardia couldn't recall memories from his time as Tureina.
“What will your sibling learn from you, you older sisters, huh?”
“I’ll take Aki and Nen.”
Miria offered to look after the children, perhaps feeling sorry for them. Then Shirin pulled Setsunen toward herself.
“I will take Nen.”
“?”
“Even for dragon-kind, gifted education is necessary. Yellow dragons are not a species that learns martial arts like red dragons. They must learn, above all else, a love for justice. They are seekers of good and evil, after all.”
I immediately grabbed Shirin’s shoulder.
“No, no, no, no, if I leave her to you, something irreversible seems like it will happen.”
It was an intuition as a sage who had crossed the threshold of truth. Then Shirin gave a wry smile.
“Aki has already grown quite a bit, almost into adolescence, but aren’t you concerned that Setsunen remains in her previous state?”
“Hmm…!”
“For dragon-kind, physical growth is spiritual growth. No one can deny that there is a problem with Lin-nim’s teaching methods.”
“Kuhk…!”
“So, please leave her to me.”
Such stubbornness, if Setsunen refused like Aki did in <Flames of a Thousand Li>, there would be no problem.
But Setsunen had strangely followed that person well ever since they first met… Even now, if it were someone else, she wouldn’t have followed.
Before I could even stop them, they were already far away.
“I’ll take that as permission, and also, please be quiet inside the Great Library.”
I should have stopped her then…
Anyway, so I was left alone with Mirngardia in the Great Library.
It was a strange feeling.
The memory of Tureina gently lifting my straw hat and smiling broadly, on the day I fell asleep while reading a book in the Great Library 300 years ago, was still vivid.
– Master, you’ll catch a cold. Please sleep in bed.
It was then, as I became engrossed in heartbreaking recollections and opened the book I had taken out.
Mir, who had been fidgeting on my back, crawled onto my shoulder, then onto the desk, and began to fiddle with the stack of books on it.
“Mir?”
It was a miraculous sight.
As if knowing how to handle books, Mir carefully spread a book on the desk and began to read it from the beginning.
No one had ever taught him characters, yet it was as if he saw the character forms and pierced through them.
“Mir, can you read?”
“Information inputting, not difficult.”
My jaw dropped.
Aki and Nen were barely babbling at that age!
Though it was strange that his language use was formal written language rather than colloquial speech.
“Book, repository of knowledge, much information needed, Mir needs concentration, do not speak to.”
I spent the night watching Mir, unable to read my own book.
Mir flipped through the books in an instant, and what gleamed fiercely in his golden dragon eyes was extreme concentration.
He finished such a thick book in about an hour, and unbelievably, remembered every single detail of its content without a single mistake.
“Not difficult. Information memory computation.”
They say Yellow Dragons are seekers of good and evil, Red Dragons are judges of destruction, and White Dragons are seekers of wisdom…
Oh, why are tears coming?
Aki and Nen just need to be healthy. Yes, health is the most important thing, indeed.
“Mir, doesn’t your head hurt from reading books all the time? Shall we go get some fresh night air?”
“Not necessary. All information can be acquired from books, no need for external stimulation felt.”
At that moment, what came to mind was my past self.
I remembered answering similarly when the headmistress used to say such things.
With an uncontrollable bitter smile, Rain abruptly stood up, forcibly picked up Mir, and headed out of the Great Library.
“Illogical action, incomprehensible. Suspect hearing damage, recommend visit to treatment facility.”
Mir, carried on my back, said that, but he didn’t act wild like those red adorable and yellow mischievous ones.
We then left <Shuriganakyus> and climbed to the western peak of the Kelimut volcanic region, which encircled the city like a screen.
Perhaps displeased with the dark atmosphere and the eerie chirping of night birds, Mir subtly fidgeted in my arms.
“Demand inquiry regarding this action. Mir has mission of information absorption.”
He was being snarky even though I was trying to give him a good experience, just like the Lin of the past, so I burst out laughing.
It was at that very moment Mir tilted his head.
A red and dazzling band wrapped around the horizon, and soon, warm and brilliant rays of light began to illuminate the world from its lowest point, rising.
“Look at that, Mir. This is the dawn.”
Mir’s eyes, which had always been cold and expressionless since hatching from the egg, probably widened for the first time then.
“What does the book say about dawn?”
“Faint light… when the day… brightens…”
“But what does it feel like to actually see it?”
As if overwhelmed by the wonder of nature, as if thrilled by the providence of creation, Mir couldn’t take his eyes off the dawn painting the world in vibrant colors.
“Dazzling, warm…”
In a voice that seemed both excited and moved, carefully choosing words acquired from books, he answered,
“And, and, and, beautiful…”
The emotions that welled up then were pride, to the point of my body trembling, and a déjà vu that pierced my heart.
“Mir.”
Rain placed a hand on Mir’s head. Just as the headmistress had done for him.
“In this beautiful world, what do you wish to achieve?”
Mir did not answer.
However, I could see a clear light shimmering deep within his emotionless eyes.
Just as a lake, darkened by the night, brilliantly reflected the morning star of dawn.
I didn’t ask what light had seeped into his heart. I just said the same thing as that person.
I couldn’t do it in my last life, but this time.
“Whatever it is, I’ll always support you by your side.”