Chapter 592: Over Thousands of Years

The buildings shrunk in the blink of an eye, while the view continued to expand. Was the sky really this vast, and the earth this magnificent?

After feeling that way, I finally realized my body was soaring through the air. The wind against my skin was painfully cold. I blinked my eyes repeatedly and instinctively.

Of course, I wasn’t flying on my own. The copper dragon, Shadraput, was simply carrying me from behind and swinging me around.

For a moment, I almost became dizzy from the sensation of flying. It seemed humans weren’t built to glide through the air after all.

「So, what happened, Shad? You’re not the type to act on a whim, are you? 」

「Of course not. If you know that, then there’s no need to ask. I saved your life, so you should be a little more grateful! 」

Shadraput was the same as usual. It was amazing, in a way, how much she wanted me to show her extreme gratitude.

However, saying I was saved wasn’t entirely wrong. My body was throbbing, some joints were shattered, and I was spitting up blood.

I was undeniably injured and bloody. Finding a safe place would be difficult in this condition.

Honestly, I didn’t know what would’ve happened if I had continued to fight with Medic. At the very least, I couldn’t picture myself winning easily.

「The chances of you dying were much higher if I didn’t intervene for you to escape! I’m just doing business as usual, while analyzing the odds, okay? 」

「…You’re saying whatever you want. 」

I wished she’d learn to tone her words down a bit. Shadraput’s words pierced me strangely.

But my real question wasn’t whether I could survive or die in that match.

「So, why did you save me? You were in danger too, weren’t you? 」

I frowned and shrugged slightly.

I knew very well that Shadraput’s guiding principle was survival first and avoiding danger.

This time, our opponent was that monster…the Human King Medic. It wouldn’t be surprising if he possessed the ability to kill dragons, just like fairies and giants.

Yet, Shadraput roared, distracting the Human King, and even breathed fire to save me.

I didn’t see the reason why she would do such a thing. I didn’t recall her doing that much. Besides, she wasn’t the type to care about favors.

To be honest, I thought she would run away. And I was even prepared for that.

No one in this world had an obligation to confront threats. There were those who, despite their power, couldn’t face them. It wasn’t a matter of ability, but of character.

If we were to say that those who faced danger were right, and those who turned their backs on danger were wrong, then those who couldn’t face danger would not be able to survive. Such a world would be far too cruel.

「It’s simple, isn’t it? 」

Shadraput spread her wings, responding to my words with ease. At this altitude, where the clouds seemed closer, even my sense of sight became hazy. It felt foolish to even try to figure out how high we were.

「I can’t have you dying here. If you don’t win, then I’ll have nowhere to run! 」

「Well, I don’t recall ever becoming your convenient escape route. 」

It was the typical Shadraput response, but I felt there was something more.

Anyway, it was better than her saying she couldn’t bear to watch me die.

「Besides, I thought there was nothing we could do in that dire situation…Well, we can deal with it once we arrive. Just flying through the air is dangerous because there’s a chance Medic will spot us. 」

Shadraput’s red hair spiked as she increased her altitude and speed even further.

At this rate, even speaking became difficult. Opening my mouth felt like opening a gust of wind rushing into my body, driving me crazy. She clearly lacked the understanding that I was seriously injured.

But her flight wasn’t just aimless; it had direction. Even I could tell she was heading somewhere in the unmarked sky.

「…!」

She soared through the sky with the help of magic. She broke through the clouds covering a slightly lower altitude than the others. Repeating this several times, Shadraput finally spread her wings after diving into the deep clouds. My eyelids instinctively opened.

「Hey, hey, what is that…」

My vision cleared, and it unfolded within the clouds.

A majestic celestial castle. A fortress piercing the heavens, floating in the air. The celestial castle, which made human structures seem insignificant in the earth, was flying, enveloped in clouds.

It was several sizes smaller than the one that crashed into Zebrililith, and it looked more like a flying fortress than a city. Even so, it was still enormous. This must be a part of the structure built by the dragons that once ruled the skies.

Considering that era of myth, even a castle like that in the heavens was probably nothing more than a remnant.

Shadraput descended with her wings spread and landed on the top of the castle. The area was much larger than a typical plaza, perhaps to accommodate a dragon’s body without issue.

「…So this is one of your hideouts. Though, you rarely use it, right? 」

Shadraput added that a hideout was only a hideout if it was truly needed. Indeed, the castle looked impressive, but upon closer inspection, it was hardly maintained, and there were no signs of humans…no, dragons…touching it. It truly must be a place only she knew about.

However, that wasn’t the point.

「No, wait. I need to be with Matia and Caria. You can stay here but at least drop me off somewhere nearby. We don’t know what Medic is up to. 」

I said I’d catch them you soon, but if I rested in a place like this, who knew what Caria would say.

Besides, it was unclear what Medic would do next. He could head to the capital, or he could go after Matia and Caria. There was not a shred of time to stand still.

「Don’t say such stupid things! What can you do in your current condition? You can’t do anything unless your wounds heal. And besides, Human King Medic has already decided you’re his enemy. So he won’t enter the capital or attack anyone else. He’s the kind of man who hates sacrifices the most. 」

A man who hated sacrifices. That statement strangely made sense. Although I’d only exchanged a few words with him, he certainly didn’t seem like someone who delightedly slaughtered humans and demons.

「There’s a silver-haired giant and a jewel-demon in the carriage. They’re already a formidable force. Therefore, what we should be worried about should be something else…you. That’s why I came here. 」

Shadraput’s eyes, burning red, widened as she looked at me.

Honestly, I was shaken. I’d never seen her speak so rationally before. Or rather, I never expected her to talk about anything other than wanting to escape or be safe.

What was going on? Shadraput tilted her head slightly and then spoke with a dignified demeanor.

「You understood after engaging in a sword fight with Medic, didn’t you? You are a human hero, yes, but also with demonic roots. And if we consider only the aspect of a heroic human being, then Medic is purer. 」

Purer. I immediately understood what she meant.

Medic, the Human King, possessed a body with almost no magical power. A mystical quality that transcended humanity while remaining human. That was a unique quality that neither Helot Stanley nor even Altia possessed.

And what he gained at the end of that journey was that secret, ultimate technique, the pinnacle of human skill. The pinnacle of martial arts beyond the reach of one’s eye.

Certainly, he was far more heroic than I was.

「So what? You brought me all the way here, and you’re trying to say this: You can’t defeat Medic. 」

I was deeply aware of Medic’s formidable presence. I would never reach that pinnacle since I only reached this point with demonic power.

Not Helot like the sun, nor the old man like lightning. Medic was the only one who shone as the King of humanity. It even made me doubt whether any human being could possibly defeat him.

「If you think you can’t win, then that’s the truth. It doesn’t matter, does it? 」

A smile almost escaped from my lips after hearing Shadraput’s words. My cheeks softened. I was beginning to understand her character. She never spoke about things that weren’t in her best interest.

She never said anything truly insignificant. No matter how roundabout it could be, her words were always for her own benefit.

That was why I couldn’t help but laugh.

「Shad. There are better ways to say it if you want to provoke me. You don’t need to be so roundabout…I’ll win. I can never accept Medic as long as he’s with Altia. No matter what you say. If I were going to give up here, then I would have given up from the start. 」

「…I see. You like straightforward communication, don’t you? I finally understand. Well then, let’s speak directly. 」

Shadraput’s teeth clenched, and her red hair was fluttering. Her eyes met mine directly as if reflecting her state of mind.

She didn’t glance around, nor did she even seem to look away. The scent of iron and blood, something I had never been able to discern from her before, wafted from her gaze.

「You are great. You beheaded Vrilligant and you annihilated Zebrililith. Those are miracles I could never accomplish. There’s no doubt you’re a human hero…But as long as you’re a human hero, you won’t be able to defeat the Human King. No. Not only the Human King, which is a great hero and brave warrior. Don’t forget there’s Altia out there. You, being human, can’t possibly defeat them, the pinnacle of humanity. 」

Then, Shadraput added, as if to say that this was the very reason she brought me here.

「Therefore, you must know not only how to fight as a human…but how to win through magic. You are an artificial hero, infused with magic by human hands…Your battle with Medic was astonishing, wasn’t it? Why, despite possessing the dragon’s magic, can you only mimic wielding a sword? Why, despite possessing the giant’s strength, not utilizing it? Despite having the blessing of spirits, why are you not fully benefiting from it? What you are doing is like using a sword to employ spells and trying to cut things with a staff. It’s merely an extension of a human hero’s methods. It’s not a demonic way of fighting. 」

「Honestly, I wouldn’t be having this trouble if it was that easy. Humans only know what it takes to be human. 」

I understood what Shadraput was trying to say. I remembered that Jewel Bar Agathos said something similar.

I was taught that the way demons fight was much more magnificent and destructive. But it wasn’t restricted to the realm of humanity, or was it?

I still didn’t understand much about it. Whether dragons, giants, or spirits, whatever power swirled within them, the method of manifesting it seemed to lie in the darkness.

I had heard stories like this before. Sometimes, humans were born with immense magical power surpassing even that of demons. However, even then, what humans could do was still very, very limited compared to demons. Why was that?

It was said that the human body was fragile, and therefore, fundamentally, humans couldn’t do anything more than what humans possessed. Perhaps this was determined from the moment our souls were born.

「I’ll be frank with you. There’s only one reason I brought you here, okay? In short, I can’t have you losing. And if you don’t know how to do better, then all you have to do is learn. 」

Shadraput moved her heels while still standing. It wasn’t a threat. It was like a signal.

In an instant, her appearance began to transform. Her red hair vanished, and only a glimpse of her tall body remained. Her dwarf human body was transforming into a dragon’s. Her skin turned to scales, and the suppressed magic burned even my eyes.

There stood the copper-colored Queen Dragon, who had once surveyed the world and scorched the earth.

「Now, what do you know and what do you not know? Solar science? How do you read the stars? How do you steal magic from others? These are all things you, a being with demonic roots, should know. Listen, you must know the history and knowledge of demonic beings. Everything is connected to power, possessing a radiant glow. 」

There was no hesitation or falsehood in her words, as usual. It was simply a straightforward voice, doing what she felt she had to do. It was a strangely resonant voice.

The female dragon’s light voice, which I instinctively felt that had transcended over thousands of years, enveloped me in heat.

「I will make you…a demonic hero. Rest assured. There is no longer a demon in this world who possesses more knowledge and experience than I do. 」

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