Ch.125Chapter 125. The End of the Promise

“Hyoseong~ It’s time to leave!”

“Yes, I’ll just say goodbye first!”

About two weeks had passed since the battle at the Dragon’s Tomb ended.

After being tasked with defending this place until new forces dispatched from the Empire arrived, I was finally preparing to join the caravan heading home.

Fortunately, there were no further problems after the battle concluded.

With two of the highest-ranking officials of the Undead Legion gone, and considering that a real dragon had appeared and rampaged here, no monsters or vicious creatures would dare approach this place.

Yes, that’s how this matter ended.

Though we couldn’t fully secure the dragon’s bones, it was resolved as humanity dealing with a calamity that threatened us by our own hands.

“So this is goodbye for now.”

Seeing me off as I prepared to leave with a light heart was the Paladin of the Spade who carried a shovel on his shoulder as his symbol.

And beside him, a girl with light pink hair.

“I understand Jaseong staying, but you too, Garam? You’re staying here as well?”

“Yes, well… Unlike my brother, I came here with a recommendation from a noble patron. I was told to achieve as much as I could before returning.”

Indeed, while Garam had been paired with me, unlike me, she was sponsored by nobility.

Despite being labeled as a fallen hero, her patron continued to support her without withdrawing, so from her position, she had no choice but to prioritize his instructions.

“From what I heard, they’re planning to build a collection site to gather even scattered bone powder, and my abilities are quite efficient for creating defense lines, right?”

“That’s right! With this little one and me working together, there’s nothing we can’t build!”

“Stop calling me ‘little one,’ old man!”

“What? This kid! You call Hyoseong ‘brother’ but keep calling me ‘old man’?!”

Jaseong and Garam started bickering again.

But despite their squabbling, they didn’t seem to be on bad terms.

Seeing how well they coordinated during the war, they must have gotten along well while I was away… Well, that’s fine.

It’s good for Garam to make other acquaintances besides me, and Jaseong tends to take good care of younger people.

“By the way, that friend isn’t coming to see Hyoseong off.”

As I felt relieved about this, Jaseong glanced to the side.

There, standing blankly in the center of the construction site being prepared for excavation, was a man looking up at the sun in the sky.

With a nearly naked body and just a paper bag on his head.

The man who would catch anyone’s eye was Taeyang Lim, the hero whom I had once served.

“……”

And he, unconcerned with the gazes around him, just kept looking up at the dawn sky with his mouth firmly shut.

Eventually, when the sunlight fully revealed itself over the mountains, he spread both arms and began to absorb the sunlight into his body.

Just like when I followed him as a porter.

“…That person does this every day.”

“Hahaha, well… we have to understand him.”

Always quiet, it’s impossible to know what he’s thinking, but that doesn’t mean he’s indifferent to the world.

His sense of justice and mission as a hero was evident enough from how he silently cleared the path in the previous battle.

“Well, I should get going now.”

As I turned my back, thinking I shouldn’t worry about it, Jaseong casually threw some words at me as he saw me off.

“Take care. Don’t pretend you don’t know me when we meet next time after you’ve succeeded.”

“Pardon? What success?”

“What else? You’re the greatest contributor to this battle, aren’t you? Traditionally, the one who lands the final blow gets the most rewards, so when you return to the Empire, they’ll surely give you plenty.”

“You’re not planning to forget about us once you rise in status, are you?”

Ah, right. I’d forgotten about that with all the duties of guarding and scouting the garrison.

Indeed, the fact that I defeated the Red Knight of War is something all soldiers present at the scene can testify to.

Though it wasn’t an achievement I made alone, objectively speaking, no one could deny that I was the factor in winning this war.

So I should consider receiving a medal on behalf of the group…

“…Haha, yes. Well, I’ll treat you to a meal next time we meet.”

Still, not feeling it real, I quietly prepared for the journey home without showing my thoughts.

Whatever happens afterward, I’ll accept it proudly as the path I must take.

“Hyoseong, over here, over here!”

With their send-off, I headed toward the people who were already waiting to return with me.

Among them, Merilyn, sitting in an empty seat in the carriage, patted the spot beside her with a bright smile.

“Hehe, I saved this seat for you! Come on, over here!”

“…You never get tired, do you.”

Irie glared at her, not seeming pleased with her behavior.

But as always, Merilyn just continued her provocation with her characteristic playful smile.

“I’m not giving up this time~ First come, first served!”

“Fine, whatever. Unlike when we came here, there are plenty of seats now, so I can sit elsewhere. Come on, Hyoseong, let’s ignore Merilyn and sit over there.”

“Ah~ Irie. Could it be you’re running away because you think you’ll lose to me?”

“R-running away? What are you talking about?”

The two started bickering again as usual.

But this time, I didn’t find it as perplexing as before.

I know that such friction occurs because they both consider me someone precious.

“You two, I understand how you feel, but please calm down. There are plenty of seats this time, so we can all sit together…”

“Excuse me, may I have a moment?”

Just as I was trying to mediate before things got too heated, I suddenly noticed a familiar face approaching, wearing a cloak.

No, only her appearance was familiar.

Unlike before when she seemed sharp, her aura had softened, and her body showed almost no strength.

Nevertheless, unlike usual, her face also showed a considerable sense of relief.

“Unfortunately, I only arranged for a one-way carriage and couldn’t find a suitable seat. If it’s okay, I’d like to borrow the seat next to you…”

At her words, I took a moment to gauge the reactions of the two who had also recognized her.

Tachia Pailoi.

I was worried about how the two, who knew her identity, would react to seeing her current weakened state.

“…Merilyn. This way.”

The first to react was none other than Irie.

After organizing her thoughts, she tugged at Merilyn’s clothes, urging her to vacate the seat, and Merilyn began to watch her cautiously, even erasing her characteristic smile.

“Irie, you know this woman’s identity too. But now you’re letting her approach Hyoseong…”

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems.”

Irie spoke calmly to Merilyn’s urgency.

Her words were cool, but her gaze toward Tachia faintly reflected compassion.

“Rather, this is an issue that shouldn’t be dragged out any longer.”

“……”

Merilyn silently gauged the situation.

After organizing her thoughts, she quietly followed Irie, who had held her back, to vacate the seat.

In stark contrast to the previous commotion, only Tachia and I remained inside the carriage.

I boarded the carriage first and then extended my hand to guide her.

“Tachia. This way…”

As I spoke the name I knew her by.

“Tashian.”

But the response I received taught me that the relationship between her and me could never return to what it was before.

“Call me that now. It’s a name I no longer need to use.”

Tashian Pailoi…

Her real name, which I had known even before hearing it from her.

“…Yes, Tashian.”

No, it’s not just her name that I know.

What kind of being she is, what she has done.

All of that was conveyed to me through the memories of “that child” who had become one with me.

****

Tachia Pailoi.

Currently, my mind was in a state where the memories and personality of a woman with that name were mixed in.

To gain power in a short time, I needed to follow her path exactly.

But even if I succeeded in taking control of the personality with my ability, it didn’t mean her personality had completely disappeared.

When I sleep, I sometimes have nightmares of the battlefields she fought on, and I feel the heartache she experienced, as well as her feelings toward the one who caused it.

“Please accept this.”

Just as I was pondering how to deal with these emotions, the caravan leader approached us during a brief stop.

He, who had previously served as an adjutant to Legion Commander Marcus, approached us with an urn, offering something we hadn’t expected at all…

“This is an urn containing the remains of the Red Knight.”

“…What?”

My breath caught, and I looked at him with rigid eyes.

But his gaze was already fixed on Tashian, who had received the urn.

“You are Tachia Pailoi, the craftsman who participated in this expedition, correct?”

Yes, that’s how she was known publicly.

The form she revealed during that day’s battle was when the dragon’s appearance remained, and now she had changed to human form with what little power she had left.

Since she had used her identity as a craftsman when she came here, it wouldn’t have been difficult for her to hide after the situation was resolved.

“…I’ve heard the Legion Commander mention that name several times. A name referring to someone other than you.”

But the man before me clearly had his suspicions.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to give the Red Knight’s remains to someone using the same name.

Nevertheless…

“And now that she’s gone, no one will know who the person with that name really was.”

Despite this, he was choosing to give up on learning more about that name.

“Delving too deeply into the details might actually hinder humanity’s future.”

Even if he knew that the person he followed was obsessed with that name, knowing that the one who used it was already a vanished calamity, it would be an unnecessary obsession for humanity.

Even if someone using the same name once threatened humanity, they ultimately helped save humanity once.

“…Is that enough for you?”

The leader made a bitter expression at my question.

Then, after briefly glancing at Tashian, he quietly turned his back.

“With the scattering of these remains on the journey home, the funeral for the victims of this incident will be concluded.”

With the massive number of casualties, it wasn’t feasible to take back even the cremated remains, let alone the bodies.

So the plan was to scatter the ashes at a suitable riverbank or cliff found during the journey home, concluding the funeral.

Despite the difficult circumstances, they wanted to comfort the dead in at least this way.

“So please accept it. Only you can comfort her, whom we cannot consider a ‘victim’.”

And even a being who was once an enemy of humanity has the right to have a modest funeral.

After quietly conveying this intention to us, he gave a light salute and left to rejoin the main force.

As he prepared to honor his comrades and respected individuals in the procession of carriages lined up ahead.

“…Funeral.”

Tashian, looking bitterly at the scene, handed me the urn and quietly said,

“Can I ask you to handle this child’s funeral?”

“……”

Silently, I accepted the urn from her and set out to find a suitable cliff nearby.

The direction was exactly opposite to where the soldiers’ funerals were being held.

Even if it wasn’t by their own will, it would certainly be remembered that way by them.

“Life is so fleeting.”

As I scattered the ashes from the cliff, Tashian, who was watching the scene beside me, spoke in a desolate voice.

“No matter how hard one has lived, no matter what one has done, in the end, when burned, one becomes nothing more than dust.”

With her delicate fingers tightly gripping her cloak.

Is it my imagination that she looks like she’s trying to wrap her body that might scatter at any moment?

“Perhaps this is better. Compared to being bound to an unfulfilled mission, having to collect even ashes.”

No, it’s not my imagination.

Having burned all the fuel left in her body, she was no different from smoke created by scattered ashes.

A body that could disperse at any moment without the shackles holding such smoke together.

“Tashian. I…”

“I’ve had plenty of time to realize.”

As I opened my mouth, realizing what those shackles were, her gaze remained fixed on the bottom of the cliff.

Though no trace remained now, it was as if she could still see it clearly.

“I just didn’t want to accept it, so I dragged it out this far. Because time gone doesn’t return. Because if I accept that, I have to accept what I’ve done.”

Finally turning her gaze away from even that illusion, her head now turned toward me.

To the one who reflected the being she had shattered with her own hands because she failed to recognize her love.

Despite this, she believed that if that person were alive, she would surely come to challenge her.

“Tachia.”

I know.

That she now sees her daughter’s image in me.

That she believed if her daughter were alive, she would challenge her again and overcome even the last ember she had burned.

“As you are now, you could fulfill the conditions of the contract.”

Such belief had come to fruition, so this outcome was natural.

“…Tashian.”

“Kill me.”

In a miserable form, having lost even her status as a dragon.

Dying at the hands of the one who reflected the person she loved would be the ideal picture of paying for her sins.

“Don’t forgive me for defiling your life.”

Yes, she was in love.

With me, who couldn’t shake off my feelings for her at this moment and finally drew my spear.

“Don’t forgive me for desecrating even your death with my foolishness.”

With her heart pierced by the spear of such an unfilial person.

She was hoping that her love would finally be completed.