Vivian (6)

Although the Holy Dominion had fallen, the war did not end immediately.

Instead, the war entered a new phase.

In particular, a new resistance continued, centered around the Daesurim,

and the Elves’ resistance, utilizing the forest terrain, was fierce.

Underestimating them and pushing in large-scale forces resulted in considerable damage.

“We underestimated those Elves too much.”

“The Fairy’s barrier is also a problem. Even our Empire’s Magic optical equipment cannot penetrate it…”

The Empire’s generals sent me desperate gazes.

It was a situation where, if they failed, they could incur Vivian’s wrath and lose their heads.

In the end, I was the only one they could trust.

“Haa, just when things were going well for a change, if you let your guard down, this happens.”

“We are ashamed, O Dragon-isiyeo…”

“So, I just need to break that barrier, right?”

“That is correct. If only the barrier were gone, our Imperial army could deploy its firepower assets and advance at once.”

“It will take a few days. I don’t know anything about the Fairy’s barrier either.”

Leaving the Imperial army’s command tent, I sighed with a heavy heart.

I had thought that if the Holy Dominion fell, the war would truly end…

But the war’s direction remained as dark as an endless tunnel.

“I’d rather just get hit by a stray Magic spell while flying.”

I was so tired of it.

The stench of this bloody battlefield.

The flames burning down homes and the acrid smoke.

The cries of people weeping, having lost family and comrades.

All of it slowly eroded my spirit, loosening my will to live.

“Vivian.”

While in this distant place, I sometimes thought of Vivian.

At first, it was affection for her.

In the middle, it was resentment towards her.

And now, I feel nothing at all.

Whether it was hatred or longing, I should feel something…

But because I was suffering too much, her place in my heart was continuously being pushed away.

“Is this it?”

After flying over the Daesurim for more than a day, I finally reached the location of the barrier that the Imperial generals had told me about.

After examining the barrier’s structure for a long time, I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

“It’s incredibly intricate. Is it a combination of Magic and Fairy enchantment?”

At this level, it was certainly understandable that the Imperial army was struggling.

A structure that would instantly restore itself unless the core, which was not the center of the barrier, was destroyed.

However, even so, I could see the weakness of this barrier.

“If I blow away the surrounding terrain features entirely, it will be impossible to maintain.”

Woong!!

Instantly returning to my Dragon form, I soared back into the sky.

If I burn down that entire forest, the barrier won’t be able to automatically restore itself again.

Of course, destroying a forest isn’t exactly a pleasant task for me either…

But now, having already breathed fire at living humans dozens of times, everything was just numb.

Hwarururuk!!

The flame breath engulfed the forest, burning everything.

I stared blankly at the catastrophe, as if my mind had snapped.

The forest’s screams seemed to echo in my mind like a banshee, causing me agony.

Hwiiiiiik!!

It was then.

A tearing sound that seemed to rip my eardrums.

Along with it, something flew at an incredible speed.

Peo-eok!!

It struck me directly in the chest, unleashing a tremendous explosive sound.

“Kyaaaak!!”

Overwhelmed by intense pain, I cried out on the spot.

I began to fall straight towards the forest, which was ablaze with flames.

Kwoooong!!

Fortunately, I used Polymorph at the last moment, reducing the impact of the fall.

If I had fallen in my Dragon form, I would have died instantly.

“Ugh…”

My ribs were completely shattered, making it difficult to even breathe properly.

I was too careless.

To think I couldn’t even avoid a mere stray arrow like that…

It was so absurd that a hollow laugh escaped me.

“Heal…”

Suppressing the pain, I squeezed out a healing spell.

A pure white light burst forth, barely suppressing the pain.

However, my body was still a wreck.

“Cough…!! Cough…!!”

As I coughed, dark red blood gushed out.

My ribs heaved, and intense pain enveloped me once more.

“Huuuh…”

I lay prone on the ground, gasping for breath.

Then, a faint vibration came from the ground.

Footsteps, audible at regular intervals.

Someone was approaching me.

“Don’t move. The moment you do, an arrow will blow your head off.”

It was a clear female voice.

But within it was cold fury directed at me.

It seemed she was the one who had shot the arrow.

Well, I had no right to complain, having burned down the forest in front of an Elf who loved it…

“Kill me…”

“What?”

“I said, kill me.”

I gently closed my eyes and lay my body on the ground.

I had participated in this war and harmed countless people.

To kill someone meant, conversely, to be prepared for one’s own death.

So, it wouldn’t be strange if a day like this came eventually.

“Why…”

“…”

“Why are you giving up on life so easily?”

The woman’s voice indicated she couldn’t understand at all.

In response, I painfully squeezed out my words.

“I’ve… I’ve… committed too many wrongs…”

“…”

“Including burning this forest…”

“…”

“I’ve destroyed too much, killed too many…”

It was ironic.

To save even one more person, I had to kill another.

To prevent one city from being destroyed, I destroyed another.

“Kill me… I don’t want to live anymore.”

“No, I refuse.”

The woman approached me and choked my neck.

She was an Elf.

A beautiful Elf with long, pale green hair.

Seeing the massive longbow slung across her back, it was clear she had shot me.

“You must pay the price for what you’ve done.”

“…”

“So, don’t try to escape with death.”

The Elf woman took out some powder from her pocket and sprinkled it around me.

At that moment, an ethereal sensation came over me, accompanied by an unbearable drowsiness.

In that hazy state, I realized what the powder she had sprinkled was.

‘Fairy Dust.’

A hallucinogen that guides the mind into a dream world, reducing pain.

Since Elves were allied with Fairies, it wasn’t strange for her to possess such a thing.

I had heard it was a very precious item, so why was she using it on me?

Harboring a small question, I slowly closed my eyes.

******

The pungent scent of grass brushed past my nose.

Warm sunlight tickled my eyelids, and I unconsciously stirred.

“Ugh…!!”

My eyes snapped open at the sudden, intense pain radiating from my ribs.

I flinched, gasping for air.

Foolishly, I had moved too much, forgetting I was injured.

“How foolish… Do you have the luxury of rolling around when your ribs are shattered?”

It was that voice from before.

Turning my head, the Elf woman with the pale green hair who had shot the arrow at me was standing before me.

On the silver tray in her hand were disinfectants and bandages.

That must have been the source of the grass scent I smelled earlier.

“How long have you been here…?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

The Elf woman replied with an unexpressive face.

Feeling a strange sensation, I looked down at my arm and saw shackles.

I looked at her, seeking an explanation, and the Elf woman readily answered.

“It’s a restraint that suppresses Magic. No matter that you are a Dragon, you won’t be able to easily break free. It’s an Elven artifact.”

“You’re right, Polymorph isn’t releasing.”

“It would be beneficial for your well-being not to do anything foolish. You are currently a prisoner of war.”

The clanking chains were uncomfortable, and my face naturally contorted into a frown.

It was certainly a well-made restraint, befitting an artifact.

However, if I truly put my mind to it, it wasn’t impossible to break.

“Why did you save me…?”

“How rude. Isn’t it proper etiquette to introduce yourself first?”

“…”

At the Elf’s words, I fell silent.

After a moment of hesitation, I finally opened my mouth.

“Helix.”

“So you truly are a Dragon.”

“You know me?”

“Isn’t it stranger not to know you? Your notoriety is widespread among the Anti-Empire Alliance. There are more than a few who shudder just at the mention of your name.”

Was it that bad?

Indeed, having breathed fire so much, I had no right to complain about being treated as an evil Dragon.

“Who are you?”

“Excellia.”

“I don’t know you. I’ve never heard of you.”

“They call you the Dragon of Wisdom, yet you know nothing. And I’m the Daughter of the World Tree, no less.”

“The Daughter of the World Tree…?”

“What? You don’t mean you don’t know that either?”

No, I know.

The guardian of the World Tree and…

a reserve World Tree, meant to inherit its position in case the World Tree died in an emergency.

That’s what I heard the Daughter of the World Tree was.

But to think this Elf before me was the Daughter of the World Tree.

“No wonder the arrow was so fierce.”

“You tried to destroy the forest, so you should have been prepared for that much.”

“Yes, you’re right. If I tried to kill someone, I should be prepared to die myself.”

Excellia stared intently at me without a word.

Her pale green eyes gazed piercingly, as if trying to dissect me.

“It’s strange.”

“What is?”

“Your soul isn’t defiled at all.”

“…”

“You’ve killed so many, destroyed so much, yet why…?”

Could the Daughter of the World Tree see souls, then?

Or was it just a unique aura that Elves could sense?

“I don’t know, that kind of thing.”

“You… why did you side with the Empire? Even after the war broke out, you remained neutral for years.”

“I did. At first.”

At least, it was like that back then.

I couldn’t side with Vivian, but I also didn’t have the courage to point a sword at her to end the war.

And so… and so…

I stood by and watched this world burn.

“But as the war dragged on, I started thinking, ‘If only it had ended quickly, fewer would have died.'”

“Is that why you got involved in this war?”

“Laugh if you want. Because, in the end, I completely failed.”

I couldn’t stop the war, nor could I end it.

I only brought suffering and death to people.

There was no room for excuses.

“Surely… you were also the Empress’s husband, weren’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Didn’t you ever think of abandoning the Empress? This world is burning because of her.”

“I did. But I couldn’t.”

Do you think I never had such thoughts?

But Vivian and I had spent a lifetime together.

No matter how arrogant she acted…

In the end, I couldn’t abandon her.

“What’s going to happen to me now?”

“Are you only worried about that now? To be honest, there are many voices calling for your death.”

“I suppose so.”

“But no one is actually stepping forward to kill you. They probably know. They don’t have the confidence to handle the aftermath of killing a Dragon.”

A fleeting look of contempt crossed Excellia’s face.

Are there also many here who speak loudly but then back away and avoid responsibility when handed a sword?

It seems Elves aren’t all that different from humans after all.

“If you’re the Daughter of the World Tree, then you’re the highest-ranking being here, apart from the World Tree itself, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. Unless there’s a direct order from Mother, I decide on important matters.”

“Then you’ll have to decide whether to kill me or not.”

“I told you, didn’t I? I won’t kill you until you pay the price for what you’ve done.”

What kind of price was she talking about?

“Are you going to torture me?”

“Ha, our forest folk don’t commit such barbaric acts.”

“Then what exactly do you want from me?”

“You’ll find out in due time. Before that, you must meet Mother.”

“Mother?”

Excellia said she was the Daughter of the World Tree.

In that case, was she referring to the World Tree?

“Mother World Tree wishes to see you.”

“For what reason?”

“I don’t know either. However, the main reason you are still alive is because of that.”

What on earth could the World Tree want with me?

Perhaps it intends to reproach me?

For failing to fulfill my duties as a Dragon?

“Once your wounds have healed somewhat, I will guide you.”

“…”

“Until then, please remain docile.”

Excellia left, closing the door behind her after saying only that.

“What a boring woman.”

That was my first impression of her.