Book 17 Chapter 32

Episode 120

Ancient Rulers, Ancient Madness Summoning the Sea Wind (9)

"Tsk, the Green City, <Karsico>, is famous as a tourist city, so why can't I even tour the library and have to go learn something?"

Immediately descending onto Rin's grumbling head was Fride's Iron Fist! Master!

This place was the Green City, <Karsico>.

They arrived at the City Hall Square, located in the central downtown area, after crossing through the city, which was fragrantly colored by the scent of tangerine and lemon trees!

"You have come."

Originally, this place, where tourists swarmed, was a spot to enjoy the stinging sunlight of the South Sea and cool sea breeze under the shade of lemon trees.

But what about now!

There were no bustling tourists as usual, and sitting in the fountain was only a single True Dragon!

"Yes, Lord Tajirmum. This fellow was lagging… though stupid, he's not a bad guy. I would be grateful if you could forgive him."

There was certainly no noisy commotion from tourists.

What could be the reason why this vast space felt even more packed than usual, despite that?

Perhaps it was because of the serene and beautiful majesty wielded by this blue True Dragon.

"Child of the spring breeze, you possess an eagerness for knowledge, but as yet no yearning for wisdom."

The moment the blue True Dragon exhaled its Dragon-touched breath, lo and behold, the fountain water rose as if dancing and rushed towards Rin!

It was like a wheel!

Not only was the water entwined in the form of a wheel, but it also followed the mechanics of a wheel's motion, attacking Rin with tremendous rotational force!

"Deploy Osarius Rosary."

If attacked suddenly, he would accept the challenge without question or answer. There was no forgiveness, whether the opponent was a dragon, human, or beast.

"Earth Pillar Wall."

An earthen wall instantly rose before Rin! However, the water wheel spun around the surface of the earthen wall and directly struck Rin!

What a miracle!

What an impossible power! The face of the boy who dreamed of becoming the Strongest Mage was truly aghast!

"Th-this is… to use water magic like this, I've never seen or heard of it before!"

The torrent that instantly engulfed Rin had its impact force drastically reduced at the moment of collision, merely giving the sensation of being hit by a wave on the seashore.

Rin's body was thoroughly soaked!

However, his two eyes were burning more passionately than ever, for the alteration of providence that had just occurred before him was utterly unbelievable!

"What in the world are you? The Strongest in water magic?"

"Hey, you crazy bastard, that's a True Dragon! Of course, as a blue True Dragon, he's a master of water manipulation!"

"To be able to draw out the power of old Osarius to that extent, then perhaps there is a yearning for wisdom, but the shyness of a tender heart merely conceals it deep within."

Tajirmum murmured thus with an expression of interest.

The blue True Dragon, Tajirmum.

Among True Dragons, there is no inherent hierarchy, but an unspoken one exists. There is one being designated to carry out the most important duties as the eldest.

"Sir, please tell me how you used that just now."

Among the Five Pillars of the Papacy, there is Inlahit, and among the Five Lights of the Red Dragon Legion, Alakish, who single-handedly monitors the abyss in Harbardonya, would be prime examples.

"Sir."

This Tajirmum could also be called the eldest among the blue True Dragons.

"Answer."

He was not originally the eldest, but 500 years ago, Zernix killed three brothers, so now he has inherited the role of the eldest!

"From now on, I, Tajirmum, shall personally impart the teachings of the Pure White Mother to you, Rin and Fride."

Even while enduring furious knuckle-twisting, Rin repeatedly asked about the power he had just witnessed!

"I'm truly, truly sorry. This guy is really, what's-his-name, to put it crudely, he's a nutcase, you see? He's the kind of guy whose eyeballs roll back if he can become the Strongest, so please, please understand."

"Do not worry. We blue True Dragons have received the authority from Mother to see beyond words and actions, into the very core of the heart. Upon seeing the texture of his soul, I merely understood why She chose him as the 'Bearer of Light'."

"She?"

Fride, who was secretly pleased that Rin was praised, let out a sigh of relief.

"Enough chatter. Time is pressing, so let us get straight to the point. Do you wish to wield this power?"

Rin nodded furiously, leaving afterimages, at a rate of 8 times per second.

"However, this is not a power permitted to mortals."

"Whoa."

"Nevertheless, you must be able to wield this power within three days."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Speak more respectfully! Please!"

"You cannot do it, but 'you all' can… there is no longer a need to hide. Vessel of the Divine Dragon, created for a mission even greater than ours."

Rin and Fride had to exchange glances. And pointing at each other with their index fingers, they said:

"If we combine our powers, we become the vessel of the Divine Dragon?"

"This crazy, idiotic kid? Then the world would really be doomed."

However, it was not referring to the two of them! At Tajirmum's summons, what reluctantly crawled out of Rin's arms was none other than, Snowflake Sval.

"Hey, it's not time for the likes of you to come out. Go hide in the corner of my body."

"Kyooong!"

"This is one of the crystallizations of truth forged by the Black Sun, prepared for the final hour."

Amidst such childish squabbling, where Rin pinched Sval's fluff and Sval pulled Rin's cheek, Fride asked.

"As expected… I thought it wasn't a simple spirit, but a being touched by the hands of <Those Who Came>. But why is it so weak?"

"Its discovery by the Corrupted before the final hour was the root of the problem. However, they did not understand the will imbued within it; if they had known its purpose and destroyed it, then indeed disaster would have struck, but they merely warped it maliciously to suit their own nature. This, too, is the guidance of Creation."

"But a vessel of the Divine Dragon… that's utterly preposterous. Aren't the Divine Dragons only the Three Divine Dragons: the Water Dragon, the Light Dragon, and the Fire Dragon?"

"Its attribute is Ice! It has the nature to swallow and destroy the abyss. I know no more than this. Even if I knew, I could not speak of it, for anything beyond this is not knowledge permitted to mortals."

Spirits inherently have no kings.

However, in the past, Fride's spirits had used the term 'Spirit King' for Sval.

She remembered that the Hagnis had used the same expression for the Fire Dragon, Bel'dakidun, in the past. To think it wasn't a mistake but real.

"Then the reason you called Rin here is so that Rin can unleash Sval's true power. What about me? Am I to help Rin reach that enlightenment?"

At that moment, the sacred orb that had been quietly floating next to Tajirmum since the moment of their meeting exploded.

It was light…

Light that conveyed the providence of Creation to all darkness. Before that light, the very concept of darkness was not allowed, and everything was purified into clear light.

That light, took form.

A light so faint it brought tears to the eyes, a radiance so holy and serene, bound into a single form—it was a scroll! A scroll of psalms.

"Th-this, surely…!"

Fride, as a guardian of psalms, who was in a position to protect no less than three psalms, knew it well.

The priestesses of the Republic manage three psalms each from the Seven Psalms of Creation, conveying their teachings to this land.

However, this psalm far surpassed the brilliance of the psalms Fride handled.

"The Psalm of Manifestation. The first among all psalms, it deals with the beginning of Creation. Its tale is the power of true light, banishing the authority of the abyss beyond the world of Creation."

"Th-this is… I mean, it's a power that humans can neither handle nor should handle, so I heard the Water Dragon personally keeps it?"

"Until now it was so, but Yelisarika has judged that a new suitable person has appeared, and that is you. Fride, priestess of the Fire Dragon."

"No, no, that can't be. This is a psalm used by Lord Karenden, the Black Sun! How could someone like me… such power…!"

"Receive it. And comprehend it. This psalm you inherit, its teachings, will later be passed on to the 'Bearer of Light' and delivered to the final hour."

At that time, Fride, the priestess of the Fire Dragon, did not know. Who could have known?

That light, that lamp, would later be inherited by Dragon Sage Rain Ludwig, and then passed on to Azure Star Myrngardia…

…to be the guidance of providence that would dimly yet brightly, and serenely yet clearly illuminate this world until that final hour, when the 'Successor of Berkensia' and the 'Last Eldia Hero' would appear.

"From this moment, three days in my spiritual space, which will feel like fifteen days to you."

Suddenly, the square, where lemon trees filled the entire world with their fragrance, vanished.

Instead… it was blue.

Everywhere the eye could reach was only blue. The lake water, deep enough to reach the ankles, was calm yet comforting, enough to make one want to take a nap.

"Th-this is…!"

It was a spiritual space created by Tajirmum, a place projected from the Lake of the World Tree, his homeland!

"Within these fifteen days, you must awaken this psalm and awaken the vessel of the Divine Dragon. Before the Sea Commanders completely engulf this sea in darkness."

"Only fifteen days…!"

"This space is still too overwhelming for your tender souls to bear, so if you cannot break through this space with the Psalm of Manifestation and the power of the Ice Dragon within those fifteen days… cracks might form in your souls."

A psalm does not end merely by reciting a scroll.

Only when one grasps and understands the will and heart of Creation imbued within its holy words and can relay them to this land, can one finally embody that power.

In other words, communion with Creation must be possible, and this Psalm of Manifestation is the most powerful, but also the one with the longest holy words!

"Just reciting it seems like fifteen days won't be enough, and I have to understand its teachings too… doing this in fifteen days is simply too…!"

To Fride's desperate cry, Tajirmum merely shook his head firmly!

"The calling has already begun for you."

"!!!"

"This is not to give you power, but to ignite the flame of the age. There is no room for leisure anywhere."

However, Rin, having summarized the conversation so far, was able to reach a very definite and conclusive conclusion.

"So, if I make this useless fellow useful, I can use that power from before, right?"

In that case, there was no hesitation.

Learning, from the beginning, is endless, and its entire process is simply enjoyable.

Especially when such a definite reward exists, the joy is inexpressible.

"Then please explain what I need to do and how."

This very heart. An endless curiosity for knowledge! That was why the Black Sun Karenden chose the boy as his successor!

This curiosity would later lead to a yearning for wisdom, or truth, making Karenden the being known as the 'Black Sun'.

And similarly, that curiosity would later transform the boy into Dragon Sage Rain Ludwig, ushering in the 'Age of Silver' for the world.

The Age of Silver.

It was named thus because it was the era of peace that followed the Golden Age, yet some scholars also called it the 'Age of Grace'.

Meaning, the 'Age of Grace', handed down from Creation.