Chapter 633 – Doubt and Collaboration

000

Herti couldn’t help but tilt her head, questioning the sudden stop of Cleon and Bourbon’s breathing and speech.

What happened? Could it be that they’re both mad at me for sleeping in a place like this?

If that’s not the case, excuse the two without me knowing?

I am perplexed as such questions pass through my head, but the two people who should be most perplexed in this situation are Cleon and Bourbon.

A total of four jewels were adorned on the dragon ring that Cleon was holding in his hand.

Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, Amber.

Each of them is a proof of the promise with the dragons who have received horns and filled them with jewels.

That is, except for Amber, who has not yet met her and has been given only horns.

So, from now on, in the situation where Gaius, who remained in her amber, is going to use her own magic to go find her.

If the clue, the traces of magic flowing from the ring, points to Herti and Bahamut in front of him.

Of course, a number of questions will inevitably pop up in your head.

“Brother Cleon… Didn’t I say that Gaios would be at the end of the ring? It’s not broken, is it…?”

Bourbon whispered so much that only Cleon could hear it.

“…That can’t be.”

The ring Cleon wore on his hand was not simply an ornament containing the dragon’s magical power.

It is an artifact created by the five elemental dragons, risking the fate of their race and pouring everything for just one person.

It is hard to imagine that such a ring would break.

If there was something broken or damaged in the ring, Rhetios would have noticed it right away.

“But if so…”

Bourbon’s continuation of those words was almost certain to lead to ‘why does the ring point to Hertie?’, So Cleon raised his hand first to block Bourbon’s words.

I didn’t want to confuse Hertie with something that wasn’t certain, because Cleon was the same.

And when Bourbon, who had grasped Cleon’s intentions, nodded her head as if he knew, her gaze then turned towards Bahamut.

Okay. The guidance of magical power flowing from the ring was directed not only to Herti, but also to Bahamut, who was sitting next to him and licking his paws peacefully.

That is what confuses Bourbon and Cleon a little more.

“Excuse me…”

Then, after Herti, who noticed the seriousness of the two, called them out and looked anxious, Cleon and Bourbon looked at each other and nodded.

“Oh, no, it’s okay. Brother Cleon tried to do something strange, so I tried to stop him. Yes?”

“For a moment!?”

There, Cleon raises her voice, not expecting that she will be selling herself.

“Anything strange?”

But Herti tilted her head at Bourbon’s words, and Bourbon spoke there.

“That, yes. She says she wakes up Hertie, she tried to wake her up with a kiss like a storybook somewhere. So don’t worry, I was just trying to say, ‘It’s already happened, what are you doing’.”

“Sup… ─That, that’s right. Just as Bourbon said.”

When Cleon, helpless, tries to tune in to Bourbon’s nonsense, Herti listens quietly and blushes slightly.

“Well, if it’s something like that, I won’t refuse…”

“…”

Watching her react as if she didn’t hate her somewhere, Cleon looked at her Bourbon’s expression as if he was embarrassed.

And, Bourbon, who was standing there, looked at Cleon and Hertie alternately with a slightly salty expression, and spat out a dry laugh saying ‘Haha…’.

001

“That’s what happened… Come to think of it, what about Herti?”

“Because she was sleepy in the mines too. I sent it to my room now.”

“Huh…”

After hearing Cleon’s explanation from the mines, Lila crossed her arms and seemed to ponder something for a moment, then she turned her head and saw Bourbon sitting next to him.

“What. In any case, you’re welcome Did you say Bourbon? We’ll take care of your escort. Don’t worry.”

“You’re a member of Cleon’s party? Please take good care of me.”

When Layla got up from her seat and stretched out her hand, Bourbon would kneel in her chair and hold her hand with her knees extended from the seated position.

“More than that, I heard from Cleon. You are one of the most knowledgeable wizards on this continent. Can you hear why Mr. Cleon’s ring pointed to Herti and Bahamut as Gaios?”

What if Hertie, whom you have known since childhood, was actually a dragon instead of a human?

Itself was a rather frightening possibility for her-her Bourbon.

That’s why I wanted to hear from someone who completely denied that possibility.

Layla would then hear Bourbon and make a sound of thinking, ‘Mmm…’, Then let out a sigh and shake her head.

“Nothing at this point. Among the artifacts, Cleon’s dragon ring contains magic that is difficult to reproduce with human technology. It’s magic that dragons use. Dragon and human magic have very different structures. Analysis will take time.”

“Is it…”

Bourbon unexpectedly backed down at Laila’s answer, but since she is both a miner and a craftsman at the same time, she respected Laila’s knowledge of other skills, so she reacted that way.

“But. There is a way to find the right answer in no time.”

But then, when her lila smiles at her as she speaks, Bourbon raises her body to look at her, widening her eyes again.

“Is that true?”

“Of course~. Well, the adamantite mine where Bourbon was located isn’t the only place where we can find traces of Gaios. Given that Gaios left a piece of her horn like that, it’s highly likely that there are pieces of her horn somewhere else.”

At Lila’s words, Cleon nods her head.

“From now on, Layla and I will go check the traces on the other side. In the meantime, Sasha and Amelia will replace Bourbon’s escort.”

Saying that, when Cleon turned his head, he saw two people with their faces sticking out from the open space in the living room.

“You have kids.”

When Bourbon said something curious, Cleon thought for a moment that her appearance was childlike enough, but she refrained from bringing it out of her mouth.

“Both of them are young, but their skills are clear. Sasha in particular has a great sense of humor, and Amelia is the most pro at protecting someone among us.”

“Ehehe…”

When Sasha scratches her head in embarrassment at Cleon’s praise, Bourbon sees the ear protruding from her head.

“Is she Ain too?”

She is a Bourbon who smiles as if feeling a sense of familiarity somewhere, but Cleon spoke with an expression of a little apologetic because he seemed to break her expectations.

“Ah- Sasha… Should I say that the situation is complicated?”

“Where is Ain who doesn’t have complicated circumstances? I don’t care about that.”

Lila then understands that Bourbon is a good person, but she is the kind of person who doesn’t doubt what she decides for herself.

You will understand that it constitutes the aspect of craftsmanship that dwarves possess, and at the same time constitutes what is often said to be stubborn.

“What. Isn’t she half a child?”

“Is she a mixed race too! This makes her more friendly.”

“Do you understand that…”

After hearing Leila deepen her misunderstanding by her attempting to get over it, Cleon puts her hand on her forehead in anguish and speaks to Bourbon.

“For escort, the two intend to follow Bourbon as much as possible, but if something happens- you put your body first and act.”

“Bundle. Is that what your colleagues- even if those kids are in danger?”

Looking at Cleon’s words, Bourbon was a bit surprised – rather than frowning – did Cleon put the request ahead of the lives of her comrades – and even the lives of her children – for Cleon to say such a thing? It was like a reaction.

Cleon then talks to Bourbon.

“Those kids are obviously still young, but from my point of view, they have enough skills and consciousness as professional adventurers. Bourbon entrusted his life to us with ‘trust’. It is the duty of the adventurer who fulfills the request to repay it.”

“…”

At Cleon’s words, Sasha nodded her head as if it were natural.

“Of course. The best thing is that nobody gets hurt and nobody dies.”

When Amelia spoke as if she understood Cleon’s intentions, Bourbon sighed helplessly.

“Anyway, it must have been me who was lacking in determination. I’ll do as you say.”

“I wish you would. For now, can we assume that it will be in Mr. Daza’s forge?”

“That’s right. So, if something happens around there, consider it our business.”

As Bourbon poked Cleon’s thigh with his elbow as he said that, Cleon nodded his head knowingly.

“And… About Herti. I wish you well. …What if— No, I don’t really think that’s possible. Seriously, if Herti is Gaios…”

Bourbon’s expression when he said that was a mix of confusion, worry, and a bit of sadness.

However, she soon shook her head and talked to Cleon.

“No. Also of something. Yes?”

“…Okay.”

002

“So. What do you think about it?”

This is the stairs leading to the basement of the Temple of Asteris.

Cleon and Layla walked the path that the priestess of the temple guided them to, and Layla, unable to overcome her silence, spoke first.

Quon and the priestess Tokoyo had already said that they were in the basement of the temple that Cleon and Layla had seen in the video – the traces of Gaios’ nest that existed in the past.

Didn’t you say you’d go down first and start the investigation?

However, when she heard Lyla speak so out of the blue, without her subject or her purpose, Cleon looked at her for a moment, then let out a sigh.

“It must be about Herti, right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“…”

Cleon wasn’t sure what to say about Layla’s story.

Herti is the daughter of the previous head of the Amryong Sanghoe.

She lost her father and mother in her childhood and was raised by their friend, the mercenary Lionel.

And when she reached a certain age, she returned to the Dark Dragon Company and became its lord.

As a result, she was well-liked among her people, and there were many people who trusted her wholeheartedly, making her an ideal merchant.

For Cleon and his companions, he was a benefactor who took and sheltered those who had lost their place in the kingdom-

Together, comrades who resist Adam who tries to color the order of the continent with himself.

And, while there is a bit of a lazy side somewhere in the private part, a girl who is serious about sleepwalking.

At the same time, while spending the night with Cleon.

There are too many of her words that qualify her, and none of them can be left out to describe her.

But if- she really is Gaios.

Her personality that we have seen so far is a woman named Herti.

Wouldn’t Gaios disappear the moment he finds her memories?

And, is the ‘life’ that she has been living so far actually only a temporary shell created by Gaios?

If you think that everything you’ve done so far to find Gaios, and that the end will probably be ‘killing’ Hertie.

Cleon feels the absurdity of the current situation where he cannot stop advancing toward the truth even while feeling a sense of upside down.

In order to save the East from danger and protect the continent from Adam, it is necessary to find Gaios.

But for him – if Herti really is Gaios herself, will she be able to tell her to ‘abandon herself as her Herti in order to become Gaios’?

“If you’re thinking that long, is Cleon convinced of something?”

“That’s…”

At Layla’s words, Cleon murmured a little.

It was because he was confident that he was ‘agreeing’ with it.

It would have been fortunate if it was fortunate that the reason was at the level of intuition – or feeling ‘maybe’ somewhere.

“…What. I feel the same way as Cleon… First of all, let’s shake off all remaining traces. It’s never too late to make a judgment.”

“Ah…”

At Layla’s words, Cleon nodded, deciding to put this matter behind him for now, and finally descended all the stairs.

Then, there, the underground cavity seen in Kanon’s video remained as it was at that time, and it was possible to see that there was a space that would remain even if a huge mansion entered.

“Even though there is a space like this in the basement, the top doesn’t collapse.”

“Look over there.”

After listening to Cleon’s sentiments, Layla raised her hand and pointed at one of the ceilings, where she could see that the roots of a very thick tree had penetrated the ground and even pierced the ceiling.

“Is it the root of a divine tree?”

“I think so. However…”

Layla frowns as she says that, and looks at the root.

The sacred tree on the ground had green leaves and a brown trunk, giving the impression that it was a healthy tree—but the roots were not.

It was a gray color, as if it would not be strange if it turned to ashes and scattered, and it did not look very healthy.

“That means that the condition of the Divine Tree is not good either.”

If you look at it, of course you will feel once again that this country- this land needs Gaios’ existence.

“Come to think of it, what about Quon and Tokoyo?”

“I said I’d go down first and wait…”

As she says that, Lila puts her hands over her eyes to look around, and when she turns her head around-

“… Huh?”

From the corner of her gaze, I could see something that bothered me.

“No Quon! Not like that, like this!”

“Eh, like this?”

“Put your legs up a little more! The angle of the left arm is 54 degrees!”

The voices of two girls are heard in a commotion.

When Cleon hears the sound and turns her head in that direction, he sees it.

Chaat! Chow! With both arms raised and standing on one leg, with an exclamation of screaming, Tokoyowa in an embarrassing-no, strange pose.

Even while copying such Tokoyo, the figure of Kuon who blushed her face in shame of her.

“…What are you doing? Them.”

“…Well.”

Layla said it as if she was dumbfounded, but there was no way Cleon would have an answer to such a question.

“Ah.”

And, when Quon and Cleon’s eyes met, Quon’s face turned red even more as if the previous red color wasn’t the limit.

“AA AA AA…!”

“Oh? What is it, Kuon, her body suddenly stops… Okay, that’s the posture~ If you fix her body in that posture-“

When Tokoyo, who doesn’t know why Quon became like that, is praising her Quon’s attitude, after a while.

It was a high-pitched scream that resonated throughout the cavity.

“I hate it!!”