Book 7 Chapter 22

Episode 171

The Violet City, <Aurelinople>.

The port district of this city, where the resources of the great Belisor River and the sea converge, saw frequent traffic of people coming and going, to the extent that it was a sleepless city even in the middle of the night.

With turmoil breaking out in the upper river regions and the Red Mountains, for reconstruction, relief efforts, and security personnel, the traffic seemed to have increased severalfold.

"It's already midnight. Shouldn't we just sleep and eat tomorrow?"

"What do you take a Republic metropolis for? You'll be in for a rude awakening if you think cities quiet down at night."

The city was certainly bustling even at this late hour. It was like this the last time I came too.

The place Miria took us was a dockside restaurant frequently used by sailors, so it wasn't particularly clean.

But the taste was superb, enough to impress not only Akki but even me.

Quail marinated in honey, grilled freshwater fish seasoned with garlic, even goose marinated in wine…

To be able to taste dishes that could only be seen on a noble's table in the Empire, in a restaurant like this!

Even if it was declining with the end of the Dragon Era, I thought the Republic's potential was still formidable.

"Pipi, you should eat some too. There's plenty here you might like."

But Pipi didn't touch any of the food. She was merely perched on the dock railing, staring endlessly towards the Mythic Peak of the Red Mountains.

'She still can't escape her sorrow. Yes, she must have been with Tureina longer than me.'

Who could possibly comfort that wound in her heart, and how? Even for me, simply not showing my sorrow in front of Akki was quite an ordeal.

"Still, eat for now. You can only take care of your mental health if you fill your body's health."

But a problem arose when I tried to eat the last piece of goose liver remaining on the final plate.

As soon as my fork pierced it, another fork also stabbed the liver, and as I discontentedly raised my head, that bastard on the opposite side narrowed his eyes resolutely.

"Do you not know how to respect your elders?"

"This is mine."

"It's-mi-ine."

"Oh dear, oh dear, I really wonder what kind of dragon that hatchling, who grew up not knowing what compromise is, will become later. It's truly something to look forward to."

Miria, who had been watching their childish war of nerves, pressed her temples with a sigh.

"Why don't you just order another plate?"

"No, that won't do. I don't want to eat another plate. I want to eat this one remaining piece of liver here as the perfect finish and feel pleasantly full."

"I agree. You could call this a battle of wizards' pride."

"Yes, well said. Let's settle this like wizards, you bastard."

"A wizard-like showdown? Are you going to fight here right now? Are you crazy?"

Miria, fearing it would escalate into a big problem, tried to dissuade them, but Valensidis, who had put his hand into his pocket, flicked a coin and simply caught it in mid-air.

"Tails."

"I'm heads."

"It's tails. My first move. 1113 multiplied by 148 is?"

"That's barely even a problem. It's 164,724. 1844 multiplied by 339 is?"

"625,116. A very disappointing attack. 9699 multiplied by 9611 is?"

This childish game is a wizard's fight?

The multiplication table showdown that instantly began started to draw the attention of everyone in the restaurant, and soon after, laughter erupted from all over.

"Wow, those Empire guys are crazy!"

"Crazy, they're not just blurting out random numbers, are they?"

"Someone checked with an abacus and says they're all correct?"

Only Miria (the sole sane person) let out a deep sigh as if the ground were collapsing, and simply spoon-fed Akki.

"Akki, don't learn things like that and become a stupid adult."

"Abbu."

It was a stew made of plump mushrooms seasoned with garlic and dipped in butter, and Akki loved it so much that she was already on her third bowl.

"Pipi, why don't you come and eat too?"

It must have been around that time.

A female swordswoman, equipped very similarly to Miria, approached from behind them, completely suppressing her presence, and as she brushed past, she said this:

"Dur-Morris, Slime Slayer. Where on earth have you been all this time? The Slayers are looking for you. They're saying you might have run away."

The moment the word 'Slayers' was heard, Miria's face froze coldly.

In that spot, only there, a chilling silence seemed to flow. As if only this place were isolated from the boisterous din of the restaurant-cum-pub.

After a suffocating silence, Miria briefly buried her face in the crown of Akki's head. As if to remember that warmth one last time.

How long she stayed like that, I wondered. Miria raised her head with a deep sigh.

"I'll go back today."

* * *

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

It was around the time when, with a pleasant feeling of fullness and Akki's warm body temperature, my consciousness began to sink to the bottom of sleep.

"It was the same last time, but there's a reason I can't let you speak. It's because I can't answer questions. If the time I manifest becomes too long, they'll notice."

Suddenly, the dream-like vision dissipated on its own, and instead, I found myself in a space where an unknown fog shimmered dimly.

And in the middle of that space, a 'god' in white robes of unfamiliar style was sitting perched on a table made of black lead, staring at me.

The moment I realized it, a hot sensation spread from my throat. A sensation that shouldn't exist if this were a dream, and the Black Yangrin…

"Do you resent Haraderiman?"

Karenden, the Black Sun, waited for me to grasp the situation then suddenly said that. Of course, he didn't wait for an answer.

"If you're going to resent, resent me, not Haraderiman. That child pitied you all so much that she even petitioned me to tell your disciple that I resurrected you."

In this world, the only being who could refer to Haraderiman the Mad Dragon, one of the Three Divine Dragons, in such a way was probably that one God.

"But at that time, your disciple had already been eroded by the Abyss, and I couldn't allow it. Because your information leaking to the Abyss would cause a fatal problem for my plans."

I understand, I said.

If it were a god, if it were a divine dragon, I wondered if they couldn't have overturned such a problem, burying a trace of sadness in my heart.

The god, who had been gazing fixedly at me with my head bowed, opened his mouth again.

"I don't know if it will be a comfort, but I will tell you two facts first."

As Karenden rose from the formless table, the black mist that formed the table shimmered and transformed into the shape of a hatchling dragon.

It wasn't Akirea.

Nor was it Mirngardia.

That form, which seemed to exude a much more noble and grand aura… Could it be the juvenile form of Yeriserika the Water Dragon?

As if answering that question, Karenden scratched the hatchling's chin and said:

"Yeri seems to have scared you more than necessary, but most of the threats on the Akrad Continent are now gone. Thanks to your efforts. Even if there are any left, they are not dangerous adversaries for you."

Indeed…

Unlike during Shar'kas, this time when fighting Nariaduk, I felt my body moved quite fittingly for a transcendent being.

My thinking like this might seem utterly ridiculous from Karenden's perspective, but.

"Therefore, there's no need to rush your journey too much. No, rather, you must not rush. If you go directly to the Adriun Continent right now, both your life and Akirea's will be in danger."

My life would be in danger?

Are there such powerful adversaries on the Adriun Continent?

"The Shar'kas you faced could only exert 20% of its original power because Alakish had inflicted a fatal wound upon it, and Nariaduk, having borrowed a human body, could barely produce about 40% of its strength."

As expected, it was thanks to Alakish.

If Shar'kas hadn't been one-armed, and could have spewed spiderwebs with its other hand as well, and thus launched twice as many attacks…

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine. I would have been slaughtered before I could even bind it with Jeseoseo Ranyeon and land Hwajangbanghyeol.

"But the one you might encounter on the Adriun Continent now… is difficult to explain. You should head south, tracing back the past sufficiently."

The past? What past?

Instead of answering, Karenden snapped his fingers.

Then the black mist this time… created vivid images of nostalgic backs, and my mouth hung open in a daze. Lista, Kiese, Fride…

"True Dragons need happy memories during their juvenile period. They must live their immortal lives nourished by those memories."

It was a story Alakish had told me.

But I didn't know how to give happy memories.

"Is there anything difficult to think about? You just need to do for them what your old companions did for you. And I'm not sure if I should say this, but it's probably better to do so."

As Karenden snapped his fingers again, a sudden weight was felt in my arms.

For some inexplicable reason, an egg was cradled in my arms.

A dazzlingly white dragon egg, it was Mirngardia, entrusted by Yeriserika.

Karenden, who had approached with both warmth and an absolute sense of awe, gently stroked the dragon egg and said:

"The reason Yeri's last egg hasn't hatched yet is because there aren't enough fragments of soul to reside within it."

Fragments of soul?

I didn't understand what he meant.

"It's because I commanded her to create the World Tree so I could interfere with the world."

So, when the other Divine Dragons created the five True Dragons with fragments of soul, the Water Dragon used one of those fragments to create the World Tree?

"Truly befitting the child I chose. Excellent comprehension. Since time is short, to return to the main point, that egg will hatch soon. Why do you think that is?"

When Karenden told me the reason, I doubted my hearing—no, in this case, the information that directly reached my consciousness.

"It's because your disciple, Tureina's soul, entered there, completing the missing fragments."

Tureina…

It was a name buried deep in my heart. A name I had now sent away to a distant place. A name I yearned for, but should not yearn for.

"She won't have memories of you. Even if faint memories of the soul remain, it's impossible to recall them clearly. That's the structure of soul combination."

Although it wasn't a space where I could speak in the first place, I felt my words catch in my throat from something hot welling up from deep within my soul.

Tureina, it's Tureina.

Tureina becoming a dragon.

It's alright if there are no memories, if we can be together again, that alone would be enough…

"But her feelings and affection for you will remain in her soul, and she will follow you well, even if you don't particularly try to foster a bond."

Karenden suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder.

Like the day we first met, his face was hidden by divine radiance, but I had a feeling he was smiling sadly.

"This is the only solace I can offer to your sorrowful fate."

Thank you.

Saying that, I repeatedly bowed my head.

Even if Karenden had allowed me to speak, I wouldn't have been able to utter a sound at that moment. Except for stifled sobs.

"I don't particularly need to command you, but cherish her greatly. But don't discriminate against Akirea. For Alakish was truly the child I cherished."

Wait, just a moment.

If it's possible to implant a new soul, then perhaps Miria could also [revive] Lista—

"---?!"

It was at that moment, as I reached out to ask the question.

Suddenly, the dark space abruptly vanished, and the empty space was filled by a familiar ceiling—that of the inn.

'So, no questions are allowed at all…'

I touched the Black Yangrin, which was still radiating heat from my throat. This meant it wasn't a dream.

After carefully getting up so as not to wake Akki, I took out the pure white dragon egg from Seresia's subspace, which had been covering me like a blanket.

I placed my ear against the surface of the egg. I could definitely feel a stronger pulsation than when I first received it from Yeriserika.

'Ha…'

I immediately beckoned Pipi, who was perched on the windowsill looking at Mythic Peak.

Although my throat was completely hoarse and I couldn't speak, Pipi immediately flew over and rubbed her head against my cheek.

'Tureina is in here.'

I whispered the precious secret.

Pipi tilted her head as if she didn't understand the words.

'Tureina's soul is going to enter this dragon's body and be reborn. Lord Karenden said so.'

Of course, she wouldn't be wholly reborn, and would only become a part of the whole… but even that was enough.

Just that much was more than enough.

Was she thinking the same thing as me? Pipi, who had been pecking at the dragon egg, landed on the dragon egg as if to incubate it, perhaps to warm it, and wiggled her head back and forth.

'This is a secret just between the two of us.'

Smiling foolishly, I pressed my forehead against Pipi's head, and Pipi rubbed her head.

'You mustn't tell anyone. Understood? Even when this egg hatches. Only we will know.'

I lay down on the bed again. This time, the pure white dragon egg and Pipi sitting on it were also with me.

The young man, holding a red-haired hatchling in one arm, and the pure white dragon egg containing his disciple's soul in the other, fell into a happy dream amidst tears.

In the constellation of his heart, though its light was still small and faint, he felt the star that had been buried in tears rise again.