Chapter 638 – The Story of the Past Told by Gaios -Part 2-

000

The wagon, which had stopped in the mountains, began to move once more.

As if the horses, frightened by the impact that shook the ground, were genuine, their footsteps were regular, and they moved forward while emitting a sound at regular intervals, ‘quick, rattle, rattle’, to the extent that it gave off a somewhat mechanical feeling.

Only the cries of the newborn baby came out of the carriage and resounded, but the driver, holding the reins for driving the horses with a somewhat nervous expression, was steering the carriage so that it would not count the other way.

And, the four pupils watching that scene from a little distance.

It was Enrai and the dragon-slaying elf who had been chasing the Earth Dragon, Gaios, who had fallen to the ground.

The two of them, crouching in the bushes, followed the moving carriage with their eyes.

“That carriage… It’s the carriage of the Dark Dragon Company. Judging by the decorations, that cheeky merchant lord is burning.”

“…”

While talking to himself about something he didn’t ask, Enrai put his hand on the elf’s shoulder.

“So? Where did the dragon go? He wouldn’t say he missed it.”

“…The traces have been cut off.”

“What!?”

When the elf held the bloodstained leaf in her hand, it was clear that the leaf had been rotted by the poison mixed with the blood.

It was clear that the blood of wild beasts was not accidental, but the blood of a dragon that had been hit by an arrow he had shot, and the bloodstains continued a little farther.

Enlai, because she was watching it, she raised her voice in revolt against the elf’s words.

“What are you saying, you stupid elf…! Aren’t the bloodstains all the way there! Are your eyes decorative, or are your bangs too long to see?”

“Even so, it will be cut off on the spot. I track dragons through all my senses, not just my eyes. It’s no use talking to an untrained human like you.”

The elf dismissed Enrai’s wrath and destroyed the leaf he was holding by burning it with magical power.

It must have been to prevent his deadly poison from flowing into the ground and destroying the surrounding plants.

However, Enrai turned her head and pointed at the slow-moving carriage as if she couldn’t understand.

“No, think about it, bitch elf…! Where could the earth dragon Gaios escape with his pierced wings! If there is no trace, it means you entered somewhere, and if there is anything like that around here, that carriage is the only one!”

“…”

At Enrai’s words, the elf looked at the carriage accordingly.

The red eyes that shone ferociously between those hidden by the bangs were sharp, as if they could see through everything that came into view.

But, even so, when the elf didn’t say anything, Enrai pounded her chest in frustration, then raised the corners of her mouth as if remembering something good.

“…Okay. Now that this has happened, it is a good opportunity to clear up the Dark Dragon Company that is in the way.”

The leader of the Dark Dragon Company, who has been obstructing the progress of the treaty that strengthens cooperation with the kingdom that he intends to do from behind the scenes.

If the treaty is passed, it will be possible to station the Kingdom’s army in the East, so Adam’s influence in the East will naturally become stronger.

Not only that, but if he can attract his knights, it will be possible to reestablish order in the Orient from within.

It was a treaty that he had been preparing behind the scenes for a long time since his ancestors’ predecessors, but the one who interfered with it was a guy named Sangdanju of the Dark Dragon Company.

Although he is of the same age as himself, he looks as young as someone in his early 20s, is popular with the people, and is not angry at having a beautiful wife.

He is still single!

In any case, people’s eyes gather, and it is Sangsanju, which is usually accompanied by an escort, as if he knows his location well, but today, for some reason, he is secretly moving through the mountains without an escort attached to the wagon. It was seen

Besides, isn’t there an elf with bow skills that can accurately pierce even the eye of a needle from far away?

Shoot his horse to stop the carriage, then shoot the coachman to eliminate any witnesses.

After that, if he rains arrows on the wagon, he calculates that whatever is inside will turn into a lump of blood and meat, and he will be able to achieve his goal.

Besides, it was the elf who shot it.

There are many bow masters in the Eastern countries, but it is true that their skills seem a bit inferior compared to the elves.

‘Whatever it is, burning this mountain so that it leaves no traces is probably the way… Heck…’

Grateful for seizing the golden opportunity to clear the dragon and the silence that interfered with Adam’s plan at once, Enrai spoke to the elf who was quietly watching the carriage from the side.

“Hey Elf. Just like this, turn that wagon into a bowl of jelly. If the dragon is there, there is no problem, and even if there is no dragon, there will be no complaints because it was sacrificed for Adam-sama’s ideal.”

In Enrai’s eyes as she spoke while pointing her finger towards the wagon, there was black greed boiling up from the inside.

It was the human eye that could tolerate sacrificing anything for the sake of a purpose.

And what kind of tragedy those with such eyes cause, the elf had seen several times in the past.

The dragon flesh elf held back the disgust that flowed from inside her, grabbed Enrai’s hand, lowered it, and spoke.

“That is impossible.”

“What…?”

When he clearly indicated his intention to disobey Enrai’s order, Enrai at first looked back at the elf, wondering if he had heard it wrong.

‘Are you insane…?’

She tried to suspect the elf’s mental state, but since her eyes looked a little unstable from the beginning, it was difficult to understand her mental state just by looking at it.

“Hey. I may be mistaken, but it is not a story of impossible or possible. Aren’t you a member of Adam’s family who came to help me on his orders? If so, isn’t it following Adam-sama’s command to do what I ask of you?”

“I see you are really mistaken. I am collaborating with Adam, not a member of the machine.”

As the elf said that, she took out from her bosom a dagger made for her dragon slaying.

“He said he would lend me the power to kill the dragon. Instead, I had them hunt down dragons and exterminate them from the face of the earth. My purpose is to hunt dragons. It’s not about killing people.”

“No, now, wait! Then, in Adam-sama’s plan-“

The elf who said that was not interested, returning her dagger to her arms and talking to Enrai.

“Is there anyone who sanely approves of such a crazy machine’s plan?”

“…”

“Besides, I am not a human like you, but a pure-blooded elf. The elf’s ‘right to command over modern humans’ does not apply.”

“That, that’s…”

An elf who knows Adam’s most powerful authority, but doesn’t work with it.

Is this woman really all about hunting dragons in her head?

“Well, then, is it okay!? If that guy wraps her gaios, there’s a chance she’ll be cured! Besides, if she tells me- about us, you won’t be safe!”

“…”

The elf replied with an expression as if asking what was going on.

As a sub-race anyway, the moment she entered the kingdom’s territory, the kingdom didn’t have a good impression because of Adam’s anti-racial discrimination policy.

Even if she is being chased now, she seems to have nothing to do with herself.

“Ku, ugh… Eh, this woman…!”

And Enrai, too, reads that expression and looks at the elf and grinds his teeth, but it is impossible to impose sanctions directly on this elf with his authority.

As she said, if she were Adam’s collaborator, then she would be a few steps above him.

“…If you don’t do it, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

However, Enrai was no fool either.

If the elf did not follow him, he himself had prepared the means.

As he said that, what he took out of the large pocket he wore around his waist was something small enough to fit in his hand.

Somewhere, it resembled the shape of a crossbow, but there was no place to load an arrow, a trigger, a hole, and a black body.

And, the purple magic light flowing through the body told me that the object was not an ordinary object.

“…Firearms?”

“It is something that Adam entrusted to me. It’s a defective product that can’t be used for months once fired, but if it were me, I’d be able to use it wisely.”

And, even though it is such a small item, once it is fired, the magic contained in it – the ‘chain explosion magic’ that indiscriminately destroys the surroundings, can be activated, making the target point devastated.

Since it was an item held in one’s trump card, it is necessary to estimate the timing to use it as much as possible.

Now is the time, he thought.

Enrai raised the gun imbued with that magic, and aimed it at the wagon.

It was only during the demonstration shooting when I received this weapon that I used it myself, but the advantage of this guy was that it had such a wide range of destruction that it could be hit even with a rough shot.

The elf, then he said nothing, looked at him as if he had no intention of restraining him.

As long as he didn’t kill himself, he wouldn’t mind…

The very next moment-

‘───!’

Until I heard the cries of a newborn baby inside the carriage.

The moment Enrai’s finger on the trigger tried to move, the elf unknowingly moved his hand and pushed Enrai’s hand up.

OK-

As soon as the trigger was fully pulled, a purple line was fired and disappeared into the blue sky.

“What, what!?”

Enrai must have looked at the elf in amazement as he watched the magic he fired disappeared across the sky.

The magic that didn’t find the landing point would probably fly up there and go on endlessly until it crashed into something and then disappear.

As the purple light from her gun faded, En Rai looked at her elf in dismay.

“What are you doing!?”

“…”

The elf looked down at her own hand, saying she didn’t even know why she did that.

Then, as soon as she got up, she was talking to him.

“It is my role to kill the dragon. I will not yield to you.”

“Hey, hey… You crazy bitch…!”

In the end, Enlai couldn’t stand it and slapped the elf on the right cheek, and after that, after saying ‘Ouch’, Enlai made an expression of fear that the elf would become enraged at what he had done and kill him.

However, contrary to expectations, the elf stood up as it was, then turned around and headed down the mountain.

“… Anyway, Gaius dies. It would be a mistake if I said that I pulled this bow just to drop the wings.”

“Do you think it will end like that, you guys!? Ah… It’s over…! Four years or me, it’s all over!”

Enrai runs rampant all the way. But the elf ignored En Rai’s words, and he went down the mountain path.

001

“… I’m sorry… I got caught up in this…”

Gaios leaned inside the carriage and apologized to the man who saved him and his wife.

Inside the carriage, the smell of her blood pulsated and the blood flowed from her wings did not stop, but her husband and wife looked at him with worried eyes as if they didn’t care.

“It’s okay Gaios. No way, I thought there were people in this city who wanted to harm Gaios. And that’s… Enrai-dono.”

Obviously, the man had a relationship with Enrai who had been at odds with him, but he felt sincere about his political skills and his promise to make the East a safer country.

That’s why he didn’t think of him as an ‘enemy’, but when things got to this point, he had no choice but to evaluate him differently.

“Anyway… First, I’ll take you to our mansion. And then, treat Mr. Quartz…”

“No… I don’t think this is a poison that can be cured by you humans…”

Gaios could only click his tongue as he watched his body slowly rot away from the pierced part of his wing.

I hope it was still there.

In the past, in a war between dragons who tried to rule over humans and those who adhered to the attitude of protecting humans, the dragon was considered the most dangerous in the army of evil dragons.

‘Man-poisonous dragon Hydras’ was only able to be defeated as a result of countless dragons and their subordinates throwing their bodies to suppress the poison and burn their heads.

The poison of Hydras is a deadly poison that can never be cleansed, and even dragons that can heal almost all poisons on their own can’t do anything about it, and their body rots from the poison-contaminated part, leading to death.

At the time, it was said that it took hundreds of years to process all the poison that flowed out of his body, but it must have been that the process was not perfect.

This poison, which had already flowed through his veins and crossed his wings to his body, would become increasingly vicious and destroy Gaios’ body.

It was said that they could not do anything about cutting off their wings.

“That… How can you not do that?”

“…”

Gaios shook his head at the words of the upper class, and seemed to be somewhat resigned to his own death.

If there is a concern, it is that the leyline of Asteris, who has lost herself, will not be purified after that.

If mankind’s technology advances a little further, it will not be impossible to reproduce the dragon’s power, but it is a story of the future, which is not enough in the next few hundred years.

As for that part, we need to solve it somehow…

However, the cry of a newborn baby was heard as if to interrupt Gaios’ thoughts.

When Gaios flinched and trembled at the sound of her cry, the mother of the upper house owner who was holding her baby-her baby’s mother would shake and soothe her as if to soothe her baby.

“Sorry, Gaios-sama.”

The top lord apologizes for not being offended by the noise, but Gaios shakes his head.

“…The baby, doesn’t stop crying quite a bit. How old was she?”

“Now, about a month. But…”

Sang Sangju stops talking as if he is at a loss for words.

“…Let’s talk about it.”

“…Ever since the baby is born, it doesn’t stop crying when it’s awake. The doctors also said they didn’t know the cause, but maybe something went wrong…”

Gaius then moves his body and looks at the crying baby’s face.

Raise her hand, touch her forehead, close her eyes, examine her body through her magic-

“…This.”

She found something, something not good, and her expression became serious.

“…Whatever…?”
As her expression changes, the top lord follows her and leans forward, looking at her baby.

“…Someone put her curse on her. This child…She will die before long.”

“Yes…!?”

Sang Sang-joo raises his voice in surprise, and his wife’s face turns blue.

Gaius talks to the two with a confused expression.

“This curse is a very old curse. I wish I could do something with my own power, but still, I can’t use magic because of the power of the dagger that elf guy used.”

“That, that… That’s right, if it’s the temple’s grand priestess…!”

I tried talking with a little hope, but Gaios shook his head saying it would be impossible.

“It could be…”

“We, the child… Why are you cursed…”

What came to Gaios’ mind was the Enrai he had seen earlier.

Because, to him, he seemed like a man who would do anything to plunge this man into despair.

And at the same time – the next moment when he seriously thought about whether there was really nothing he could do for this child.

In her head, a possibility passed through.

“…There is a way.”

“Yes…!? Is there a way to save the child?”

When Gaios nodded at her man’s question, she raised her own, yet unpoisoned hand, and fashioned a blade of her magic upon her hand.

Fortunately that her senses were being numbed by her venom, she ruthlessly cut off both of the horns that had grown on her own head.

“Keuuugh…!”

Even so, Gaius crouched down in pain as if his entire body was being cut off from the remaining sensations.

“Go, Gaios!”

“Gwa, it’s okay, listen carefully… The only way to save that child and go on to protect this country is. …All I can do is hand over the authority of the Earth Dragon to this child.”

Abandoning one’s original body and moving one’s body to a different one, which is taboo even for dragons.

Since it can be said to be a kind of ritual of a previous life, it becomes an act of occupying the body of another life form, so it was an unacceptable extrapolation for dragons born as planet guardians unless it was a truly unavoidable moment.

First of all, the body of the living being who has inherited authority transforms into a dragon.

And, the two souls coexist in one body, but naturally, the more powerful soul, the dragon soul, slowly erodes the original soul, and the two souls merge into one.

As a result, it completely turns into a dragon, and everything is taken away by the dragon.

That’s why, I’ll add one more technique here.

Instead of giving her power over, giving her dragon body, she splits her own soul even further, so as not to cause the erosion of her soul.

Of course, his memories as Gaios will disappear, but this child will have the power to overcome the curse.

In return, he himself would not regain his original form for a very long time, and furthermore, there was a high possibility that the ‘original Gaios’ would never return.

The Earth Dragon is not himself, but the existence that this baby grows up to become.

“…Well, then, Gaios-sama will…”

“Ah… This means my extinction. Besides- I’ll put a heavy burden on your baby too.”

First of all, if the container that receives the power is a living being that is not strong enough to withstand the dragon’s power, there is a high possibility that it will cause abnormalities somewhere in the body.

My arms won’t move, or my legs won’t move.

Or no voice, no eyes.

Even so, if you say that it’s a good thing because you can save your life-

When the dragon power within her all awakens one day, the day will come when she will be torn between herself as a human and herself as a dragon.

And since she inherited her own will, she will accept herself as her dragon and act to fulfill her duty as an earth dragon.

Perhaps, she may become an existence that denies all human life up until now.

Besides- Asteris has her. The dragon slayer’s elf exists.

Her day might come when she would confront her one day.

“…”

Hearing all the explanations, Sang Sangju didn’t know how to react to the story that Gaios would sacrifice himself to save the baby.

It was something he was very thankful for, but Gaios could feel that he was a person who did not take the sacrifice of others for granted.

“…After.”

And, Gaius, who was able to confirm that, smiled lightly.

Until now, she has seen the ugliness of humans many times over, but she still can’t completely hate humans.

It was because there were people like them.

“Don’t worry. I’m not disappearing, it’s because I exist inside this child. —Even this, you guys won’t remember.”

Saying so, Gaios reached into the horn he had and put some of his power into it.

While barely enduring the pain of being torn apart by the soul, the body begins to disappear.

The horn slowly changes its shape and becomes a glowing mass of magical power that flows into the baby’s body.

When the dazzling light gradually subsides—the child who had been crying for a while, stopped crying and fell asleep.

“… Uh, um…”

And, after the light disappeared- the man and wife slowly opened their eyes.

“…Ah, a while ago, it seemed that someone was here…”

Sang Sangju looked at the seat he had left aside for Gaios with a puzzled expression on his face.

Then, there was nothing——nothing.

In that seat, a small cat was curled up, breathing lightly.

“Ah, right. It was a new family for Herti…”

Memories altered to suit the circumstances.

That was part of Gaios’ torn soul and part of her words, created by reconstructing his still untainted body.

Although her ego and personality were unstable, her will to protect her ‘baby’ remained strong in her spirit.

And- part of the torn soul flew away to another place.

Split the horn into two pieces, one to the adamantite mine.

And another, in the basement of the temple she used as her previous nest.

Created her gargoyle, and passed a piece of her horn to one of her own minions, the Fairy.

As a kind of thought body, she decided to bet one possibility on the hope of the dragons that remained in her memory.

Dragon ring.

Rhetios’ plan to entrust all power to a single responder in a situation where no more responders appear.

If–if a being who can gain her recognition appears, wouldn’t it be possible to put an end to the many tragedies happening in this Eastern country?

Like the hero Lecia who saved Lutios—

With that hope in mind, she squeezed the last of her strength and put her remaining soul into the horn of the mumur.

In order to tell all these stories to the respondent who will one day find her.

The earth dragon, Gaios, met his death at this time.

The daughter of the upper lord – Herti and her friend cat Bahamut, and divided herself into two pieces of antlers.