Chapter 588: The Dragon’s Escape

「Shad. Wake up. It’s already past noon. You’re skipping morning again. It’s been like this for a while now. 」

The voice calling out to the copper dragon Shadraput was one that was finally beginning to shed its childlike tone. The fingers shaking her body vigorously showed no fear of the dragon whatsoever.

Shadraput responded to the call while wrapped in her bedding, deliberately using a displeased tone.

「You big idiot! I’m sleepy! Besides, it’s partly your fault that I’m not feeling my best! 」

Still groggy, Shadraput went further into her bedding. The magical devilish being Leu, who was calling out to her, seemed to have grown completely accustomed to her attitude after the few days since returning to the capital, showing no sign of exasperation.

And what Shadraput was saying wasn’t a lie.

Leu had caused the dragon city to collide with the spirit god Zebrililith, shattering it spectacularly. The city, along with the faith of the spirit god, vanished without a trace. The Celestial City, a symbol of the dragons that dwelled in the heavens, was almost like a temple that governed the faith of the entire race. Its very existence was the core of the dragon’s power.

However, normally, its loss should have little impact, but in this era, where magic had waned and many dragons had perished, the loss of a temple had a profound effect on a powerful dragon like Shadraput. She felt a drastic decrease in her magical energy.

This sleep wasn’t just a sign of decadence, but rather an act of rest to avoid using unnecessary magical energy.

「It’s not that I hold a grudge. It was unavoidable in order to kill Zebrililith, wasn’t it? I’d even like to praise you for it. But that being said! I need rest! 」

「…I won’t be too harsh this time. But we’re in a time of crisis, so please pull yourself together, okay? 」

Shadraput replied to Leu’s words with a small voice. A feeling of exasperation filled her heart.

Despite inheriting Agathos’ powers and becoming a complete demon, Leu remained an incredibly naive girl. Perhaps the remnants of her humanity were something she could never completely erase, no matter how hard she tried.

When exactly was this “time of crisis”? Shadraput no longer had any reason to side with humanity and fight. After the war against Zebrililith, what she desired had been returned to her. She was now resting in the safety of the royal capital to recover her strength, but this ambiguous relationship would end once she was fully recovered.

The clash between the monstrous Altia and Lugis was now inevitable.

Shadraput didn’t particularly like these words, but what lay between them was truly destiny. They were bound by a strong fate even though the two originally lived in different eras.

…In other words, one of them had to die.

Shadraput believed this was a turning point in history. Would Altia’s era of “domination” continue, or would a new era begin?

But for Shadraput, it didn’t matter either way. Shadraput wouldn’t be in danger if they fought each other. She just needed to escape before Altia reached the capital.

Thinking about this, she pulled the bedding over her head…and suddenly sat up. A few strands of her red hair, peeking out from beneath the bedding, poked towards the sky. She clicked her fangs, a habit she had when irritated.

「…Shad? 」

Shadraput didn’t respond to Leu’s puzzled voice. Yet, she let out a heavy, very heavy voice.

「…You’re still as crazy as ever. How…How has your soul lived for a thousand years? 」

A scent she’d smelled a thousand years ago, an air she’d felt before. The breath of that being, filled with the will to kill demons.

Shadraput knew whose this was. There was only one person who had transcended humanity while remaining human.

In an instant, Shadraput picked up Leu under her arm. The sight of her, tall for a human, carrying Leu in one arm was strangely dignified.

「Hmm, what is the meaning of this? 」

「It’s best to keep quiet. We must escape. 」

「Escape? Where!? 」

Shadraput’s voice was serious. There was no hint of weakness or trembling in her face. It was the face of a dragon who had chosen escape as one of her means of fighting.

If Altia was a monster skilled in domination and subjugation, Shadraput was a monster that persevered. She had always survived, regardless of the means or the meaning. There were undoubtedly those who despised her, and those who resented her.

But those were now dead.

If the greatest purpose of a living being was solely survival, then no creature had achieved it more than Shadraput. Despite possessing an immense power, since she was the Copper Queen Dragon, she simply desired to survive.

That was the wisest, and the strongest. Why should a strong being whom had lived for thousands of years need to confront a weakling who could die in the blink of an eye? A strong being who could survive couldn’t overcome a weakling who couldn’t even consider escaping.

It was precisely because Shadraput believed in this that she was terrifyingly sensitive to danger. She was certain. That being would undoubtedly consider herself…and possibly even Leu, who had become a magical devilish being…as enemies. That being would kill them.

Therefore, they had to jump into the strongest embrace. Their forces should be concentrated.

「Of course, we need to be near someone safe. Until that being meets Altia, that’s the safest place, isn’t it? 」

With a shout, Shadraput leaped from the palace window. Only Leu, being tossed around, let out a scream-like cry that echoed through the air.

—

Several carriages were traveling down the main thoroughfare of the royal capital. The carriages were heading straight for the large gate leading out of the capital.

Even though it was still war time, the carriages were attracting unusual attention, given the extremely low number of carriages entering and leaving the capital lately. The presence of a cavalry escort only added to the spectacle. It seemed better to remain inconspicuous since they were supposed to be meeting the envoy from the former kingdom’s army in secret.

Or perhaps, they were deliberately attracting attention to show their intentions to the spies. Perhaps they were clearly demonstrating their choice. Either way, it was likely Queen Philos or Biomondor who were considering these things.

My problem, however, lay more inside the carriage than outside. I turned my attention to her after we had left the capital for a while.

「Whenever you say you’re running away, it usually doesn’t end well. 」

I looked at Shadraput, who was in the carriage, with the winter gloves tightly gripped. The carriage was slightly larger than a typical four-seater, so there was plenty of room for her to lie down comfortably.

When she and Leu first jumped onto the carriage, I wondered what was going on, but it seemed they really had been running away. Even while lying down, Shadraput’s eyes were fierce, and she stared intently at me.

「Do you think you can say that!? I’m supposed to be the one who contributed the most to the battle against Zebrililith! Isn’t it human nature to reward hard work with merit!? 」

「But you’re not human, are you? 」

The reply came from Caria, who was standing beside me with her arms crossed. Her silver eyes pierced Shadraput mercilessly.

I thought she had finally recovered from her bad mood recently, but it seemed this unexpected intrusion had upset her again. I realized then that all my hard work these past few days had been for nothing. Nothing good ever came of this.

「But even if you’re trying to escape, why here? I think the royal palace is far safer right now. 」

Suddenly, Matia spoke with her hair bouncing in the swaying of the carriage.

Normally, it would be unthinkable for a Saint like her to go out on external negotiations. But this time, the other party was a formidable figure. This was probably because the general details were decided through prior communication via messengers.

Furthermore, because this was a negotiation between the New and Old Kingdoms, there were times when someone like her needed to show up. I certainly didn’t expect to be asked to come along, though. Matia would be handling everything, and I’d just be sitting beside her.

「No, it’s more dangerous to be in the royal palace right now…After all, the human King has woken up. Wouldn’t it be safer to be near the human hero? 」

The human King. At that word, Caria, Matia, and even Leu and I fell silent for a moment. It wasn’t so much that we were surprised by the word, but rather that we didn’t quite understand what Shadraput was talking about. Why was King Medic, a figure from mythology and history, appearing here?

「I don’t understand the context. Why would a hero from the West suddenly resurrect and try to kill you? 」

Caria retorted to Shadraput’s words with a sharp, almost incisive tone. Her beautiful eyebrows furrowed. And her expression was clearly one of suspicion.

On the other hand, Shadraput, still lying down, spoke as if stating the obvious.

「What are you talking about? Altia collected not only the soul of King Medic, but also those of great heroes and brave warriors…If there’s a strong soul…No, there are countless ways to resurrect a strong soul. Whether completely or imperfectly…」

Shadraput added.

If there was a soul, then it could be resurrected. Those words landed surprisingly easily in my mind. No, thinking about it, that was true.

Altia, of all people, had toyed with the soul of that hero at will. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if she could do something similar to others. In fact, it was more surprising that it hadn’t happened before.

Shadraput’s blunt attitude made Caria’s eyes narrow in disgust. Seeing Matia’s expression harden, she might be imagining some kind of necromancy.

The souls of the Human King, the Great Hero…and the Brave. The souls of countless heroes were in the hands of that slut. A chill, or rather, a sharper shiver, ran down my spine.

The words she spoke felt heavy. Just when the great catastrophe was finally over, trouble after trouble kept piling up.

「…So, who exactly is this Human King? 」

Perhaps the brief silence was too much for her, as Leu broke the silence. Or perhaps, in reality, she didn’t know Human King Medic because of her upbringing.

Shadraput spoke in a single sentence in the brief moment Matia searched for words.

「He was a completely utterly ruthless fellow. 」

Shadraput delivered an assessment that would likely get her killed on the spot if heard by someone from Western Roa. She might be the only one to have described the human King Medic, who was even an object of worship, in this way.

Usually, one would hear assessments of him as a great man, or the founder of human nations.

However, thinking about it, the human King Medic we knew was merely a figure from history and myth. He existed only in hearsay and records.

If Shadraput, who lived more than a thousand years ago, was saying this, then perhaps her assessment was closer to the truth.

Only a possibility, though.

「From a human perspective, he is a great king who founded the first kingdom. 」

「That’s precisely why he was so utterly ruthless. 」

Shadraput continued, stifling even Matia’s words. Her words seemed strangely imbued with emotion.

It was odd. Shadraput spoke as if averting her gaze from something.

「Just think about it. A thousand years ago, the Heavenly Dragon Vrilligant, the Spirit God Zebrililith, and the Giant King Flimslat were still at the height of their power. It wasn’t an era where the magical energy was weak like it is now. In an era that could be called the golden age of magic, when demonic nations were being created, he built a human nation. If that’s not crazy, then…hmm. 」

Shadraput stopped speaking abruptly. A frown furrowed his eyebrows, and she seemed to be deep in thought. Her expression held anguish that proved the passage of a long time.

「…It’s happening much sooner than I thought. 」

Shadraput said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. That seemed to be a signal.

…A roaring sound that seemed to scorch the outside air rang out.

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