Book 20 Chapter 34

Episode 196

Zernix, who possessed the power of the Abyssal Grandeur (深淵), the Lizard Lord, as immense as it was ominous, disappeared somewhere to the south.

"Navigating through a sandstorm is truly… I'm so sick and tired of it, I've had my fill."

There was a reason why the hero party did not immediately pursue Zernix's whereabouts but remained in the Red Sanctuary, <Shuriganaquyus>.

They waited until the Water Dragon Yeriserica could accurately pinpoint his location through the 'Pure White Dream.'

At this time, the regions south of <Shuriganaquyus> were still held by demons, so the recovery of territory up to the border was a distant prospect, and dangers lurked everywhere.

"Damn it, that Zernix bastard… where on earth did he disappear to? You mean because of him, we have to go out there again to suffer? All my beautiful skin will get chafed."

Perched on the uneven surface of <Kyurios>, the southern satellite city of <Shuriganaquyus>, Friede exhaled a stream of cigarette smoke irritably.

"Friede, speaking that name is taboo."

Rista chuckled awkwardly.

Since voices were torn and scattered by the sandstorm, the syllables and phrases were reassembled and sounded different to Tureina's ears.

"Ze, Jelly? What, what is Ze, Jelly [Hmm, this part is quite interesting even to me, the strongest]…-nim?"

Tureina speaking using the [Lynn Dialogue Compendium] was still the source of laughter for the hero party.

Since Lynn had taken Tureina as her apprentice and Tureina had grown remarkably more mature after the decisive battle with Julak Kepel, the role of the cute youngest had passed to Tureina.

Friede burst out laughing, "Puh-hat."

"You don't know what jelly is. Hmm~ it's something the Ain made as preserved food. When sweet fruits are cooked with animal fat and then cooled, the gelatin in the fat solidifies with the fruit, creating a unique texture. It's sweet and very delicious."

"Jelly, jelly, I want to eat Pipi jelly, jelly."

"Are, are we chasing that jelly now?"

"Yes, some bastard ran away with that jelly when it was most delicious and sweet. So from now on, I'll call him the Jelly bastard. Though he looks too cute, that's the problem."

It was from this moment that Zernix came to be called 'Jelly' as slang within the hero party.

"Friede, but really, where did Jelly disappear to? Jelly possesses the King's Abyss. It shouldn't be possible for him to disappear without a trace like this."

"It seems he detected the Holy Dragon of Fire and the Holy Dragon of Light coming here together and fled… but since he's that Jelly bastard, it couldn't be that simple, surely."

[Sandstorm.]

Kies pointed south.

It meant that there was no other place for him to hide but the south, that ends of the earth where the sandstorm raged fiercely.

"Yes, as Kies says. If we keep going south, we'll find him. But that bastard is no ordinary cunning fellow, is he?"

"Yeah, no one knows what kind of traps he might have set in that storm where you can't see an inch ahead."

"That's why we're still waiting here."

Just then, a witch flew in on a broom and respectfully prostrated herself before Friede.

"Priestess, the Holy Dragon of Fire is looking for you. All commanders have been summoned!"

Rista, at that moment, felt the weight of Shirpeng on her back heavier than ever, to the point of being suffocating.

'In one corner of my heart, I wished this daily life would continue forever.'

But knowing it was an impossible fantasy, she had to steel her resolve.

'So, resolve…'

She thought she had sufficiently steeled herself.

'But now that the time has come, why does only such a lonely feeling remain…?'