Ch.239Chapter 239 – Request for Salvation (1)

Following Lorona’s call, we decided to change locations.

Since we were near the workshop, Sera, Beatrice, and Asam joined us directly, and I brought along Mask, who had somehow sneaked away to read my book alone.

Eina would continue monitoring Chris’s condition.

“What about the blacksmiths?”

“They said they can’t come because their work is urgent.”

Apparently, the three of them had immediately declined, saying they could hear about it later since it wasn’t directly related to their work.

Above all, they were in the middle of an important project.

“Strike while the iron is hot. That’s the blacksmith’s motto.”

With Dvel’s words as justification, all the forge personnel were absent, and we agreed to relay the information to them later.

So with everyone available gathered, we headed to the location Lorona had specified, where some familiar faces awaited us.

“…Lorona, did you bring everyone?”

“Yes, sister.”

Lirina with her blue hair and Lorona’s other sisters were also there.

Essentially, everyone from Lair except for our absent members and Rubrum had gathered.

“So what’s going on?”

At my question, Lorona hesitated slightly.

But soon, as if gathering her resolve, she nodded.

“Urgent news has arrived from Ferarius.”

“Urgent news?”

“Yes.”

Lorona waved her hand.

A map-like object appeared, and red dots could be seen swarming over it.

“What is this?”

“It’s a simplified map of the terrain around Ferarius. I displayed it to make the situation easier to understand.”

Then, Lorona pointed at the map and said:

“From here to here marks the boundaries of Ferarius.”

“And what are those red dots covering it?”

To Sera’s question, Lorona looked at her and quietly replied:

“Monsters.”

“Monsters?”

“Yes. Monsters.”

Pointing at the red dots densely filling the map, Lorona said:

“…Countless monsters are advancing toward Ferarius.”

“…What?”

Sera’s voice, confused by the sudden news, spread around us.

“Let me briefly explain the situation.”

Lorona carefully began.

According to her, about a week ago—

During the aftermath of our battle with Rubrum, when I couldn’t move properly and Chris had entered his egg state.

That was when the monsters of Ferarius began their advance.

“Monsters from all regions suddenly began marching toward cities and villages, as if by agreement.”

Lorona said with a grave face.

“Of course, the dwarves didn’t just take it. They used their honed weapons and tools to fight the monsters and establish defensive lines.”

“But as monsters kept pouring in, they were gradually pushed back.”

Lirina also joined in to explain the situation.

“The monsters’ advance didn’t distinguish between night and day, and they attacked as if they had lost all reason.”

“Dwarves from various regions began to flee. Many took refuge in their own tunnels or secret passages.”

It seemed most dwarves had escaped to underground villages like Lara’s that we had visited.

Indeed, deep underground would be an excellent shelter in a disaster situation.

But that alone didn’t guarantee safety.

“Not all dwarves had such places. Moreover, some monsters occasionally attacked even the underground villages, so they weren’t absolutely safe. The evacuation continues even now, and quite a number of dwarves have lost their lives in the process.”

Lirina quietly explained the situation.

Then Lorona stepped forward again and spoke:

“Ferarius has opened its royal castle to accept refugees and dispatched elite units to drive away monsters from various regions. Given time, they say they can handle most of the monsters in the kingdom.”

I had previously doubted the purpose of the dwarven king’s existence, but it seemed he was doing his job properly.

However, they wouldn’t have approached us just to boast about how well the dwarves were doing.

“I understand the overview. What exactly is happening?”

“As the elite units from the royal palace were dispatched far away, powerful boss-level monsters began advancing toward the capital, as if they had been waiting for this moment.”

Lirina spoke while slightly glaring at Lorona.

“The royal palace currently lacks proper defenses, so they’ve asked various forces, including adventurers, to participate in the defense battle, which is ongoing.”

And Lorona, slightly avoiding Lirina’s gaze, said:

“…As they struggle day by day, the dwarven king, clutching at straws, has knelt before our master begging for help.”

He even knelt?

Though I can understand it since Ferarius was practically Rubrum’s territory…

“Clutching at straws?”

It sounded as if they had done something wrong.

At those words, Lightina with her yellow hair spoke as if it were pathetic:

“…The dwarven royalty failed to properly carry out the task our master instructed them to do in exchange for protection. So our master was angry with them, yet they still asked for help. It’s absurd.”

“The task?”

“It was something extremely important. But the dwarves stupidly…”

“That’s enough, Lightina. There’s no need to mention that incident now.”

This time it was Windina with her green hair.

She stood up and spoke:

“However, regarding this matter, our master has requested that we resolve this issue and that we receive your assistance.”

“Why?”

“First of all, the reason the damage has grown so large is because of Sister Lorona.”

Everyone’s attention focused on Lorona.

And Lorona cleared her throat once.

“Well, if I may defend myself, it’s not entirely my fault…”

“How unsightly, Lorona.”

At Lirina’s rebuke, Lorona averted her gaze.

I thought I heard someone snickering slightly, and when I turned, I saw Mask trying to hold back laughter.

“Enjoying this?”

“She’s been teased a lot, that’s why.”

Mask’s words were barely audible even to someone right beside her.

Meanwhile, Lorona was protesting her innocence.

“But it was because I couldn’t ignore the Emiris Order. Those people were targeting our master’s guests, so I had to keep them in check!”

“If you had recalled your pets back to Lair when the guests arrived, would the dwarves’ damage have grown this large? And why didn’t you call them back? You weren’t thinking of doing it later because it was troublesome, were you?”

“That’s…”

Lorona averted her gaze.

That must be it.

And unfortunately, Lorona’s eyes met mine in mid-air.

“…Hey, could you help me out here? If you think about it, this happened because I was helping you…”

“Well, it’s true we did receive some help…”

It was awkward since this seemed like someone else’s household matter that we shouldn’t interfere with.

Then Lorona spoke with desperate eyes:

“Please. Despite appearances, I saved your life too, so please save mine.”

“Life?”

“The centipede you were commissioned to hunt, do you remember?”

“I remember.”

We had definitely received an extermination request in Lara’s village.

It was the centipede that had injured Lara’s colleague.

Thanks to that centipede’s sudden appearance, we had been able to escape from Kara.

“But why bring that up?”

“That was sent by me. I had sent it near the dwarven village to test you all.”

Fortunately, Lara isn’t here.

I nodded quietly and looked at Lirina, saying:

“Scold her more.”

“Of course.”

Lorona’s face began to fill with despair.

Then Ive, who had been quiet, stepped forward and spoke:

“I understand from the first reason why you need to help the dwarves, but that seems like your reason.”

With a somewhat firm voice, Ive addressed Lirina:

“Why should we help you?”

“Because our master has detected the presence of demon-kind.”

“Demon-kind?”

Mask stepped forward, slightly surprised.

And Lirina quietly looked at her and said:

“This isn’t unrelated to you. In fact, our master requested your assistance precisely because of you.”

Lirina spoke with a somewhat solemn expression:

“Ms. Mask. Our master has demanded the execution of the demon-kind who have invaded this land.”

“…Execution?”

“Yes. Execution.”

Lirina waved her hand and quietly added:

“They’ve crossed the line.”

A chilling voice came from Lirina’s lips.

Meanwhile, as if she had manipulated something, the red spots indicating monsters disappeared from the map, and a purple circle began to cover Ferarius.

“What is this?”

“Demon… excuse me. As a half-demon, you must know about the Soul Absorption Formation.”

“What?”

For a moment, Mask’s voice was filled with bewilderment.

And the next moment:

A very sharp voice came from her lips:

“Please tell me you’re not joking about that being activated.”

“Unfortunately, that has actually happened.”

Mask’s demeanor changed.

Though her expression wasn’t visible due to the mask covering her eyes, she had clearly changed.

Sera, sensing this atmosphere, flinched slightly and quietly asked:

“What exactly is this Soul Absorption Formation?”

Mask, with her completely changed demeanor, slowly looked at Sera.

And answered in a cold voice:

“…As the name suggests, it’s a massive barrier. When activated, it converts the souls of those who die within its effect range directly into power for the caster or a target guided by the caster.”

“Convert?”

“Literally. It completely breaks down souls and turns them into magical power. When a soul is converted to magical power, it produces a significant amount of energy. This is used to strengthen and grow the target in a short time.”

Sera was slightly taken aback by Mask’s cold voice.

Glancing slightly at Sera, I turned to Mask and asked:

“Is there a way to restore souls that have been converted to magical power?”

“No.”

Mask quietly looked at me and said:

“It’s similar to how you can’t turn nutrients back into food once you’ve digested it. A soul converted to magical power is permanently extinguished.”

“…That’s horrific.”

At my words, Mask quietly nodded:

“…It’s the worst spell, taking away even the final rest that the dead should enjoy.”

Mask’s cold voice echoed around us once more.

As a slight silence fell, Lirina stepped forward and quietly added:

“…And it was also a spell frequently used by the old Demon King.”

Lirina briefly explained that the Demon King who had faced the hero of old had used this spell on occupied territories and battlefields to continuously strengthen himself.

“It seems the demon-kind are using this spell to strengthen their forces or… their leader.”

Lirina said this while looking at us once.

Then she opened her mouth again:

“Given the situation, our master, who originally intended to ignore the dwarves’ request for help, has ordered us to assist because this matter cannot be dismissed based on personal feelings alone.”

Lirina said:

“However, since it’s not a good option for our master to move personally, he instructed us to seek your assistance instead.”

“Us?”

“Yes. Ms. Mask has an obligation to help, and our master said you wouldn’t leave Ms. Mask to handle this alone.”

What an unnecessary thing to do.

As I unconsciously gritted my teeth at Rubrum’s arbitrary words, Mask quietly looked at me and said:

“Kay, this is my problem, so you all…”

“…As frustrating as it is, he’s right.”

It was true that this matter was closer to being Mask’s problem.

But I couldn’t just tell Mask it wasn’t our business either.

Her help had been significant in our growth.

“When someone helps you, you should think about repaying them.”

“…Thank you.”

Mask quietly bowed her head.

As I nodded to Mask, Lirina smiled and said:

“That’s nice to see.”

When I turned my gaze to Lirina, she slightly bowed her head and said:

“Good news for you all. Our master said he would provide compensation if you help with this matter.”

“Compensation?”

To my question, Lirina nodded and continued her explanation:

“Basically gold and jewels from the treasury. And if you desire something else, he will provide it according to its value.”

“That seems a bit materialistic.”

I wasn’t necessarily expecting some incredibly powerful magical tool or weapon, but jewels and gold seemed somewhat petty for a dragon’s compensation.

Lirina shrugged and said:

“Cash is better than unwanted gifts, isn’t it?”

“…That’s true.”

It sounded like logic typically used during holidays, but it wasn’t wrong.

“And of course, there’s also a special compensation.”

“Special compensation?”

“Yes. A special, compensation.”

Lirina said with a smile.

Looking particularly at Ive, Lirina said:

“It’s a compensation that might change the mind of that silver-haired lady who seems a bit displeased with the current situation.”

“…I hope so.”

Ive quietly averted her gaze.

For a moment, our eyes met, and I could understand her thoughts from her worried eyes.

‘…It’s because of me.’

Considering my current physical condition, she didn’t want to send me into battle.

I gently placed my hand on Ive’s shoulder, and she didn’t reject it, instead slightly pressing her body against mine.

Meanwhile, Lirina took something out from her bosom.

“What’s that?”

“This is the special compensation our master said he would provide specifically to you.”

On Lirina’s hand was a white stone.

It was clearly a stone with some kind of special power.

And Beatrice seemed to know what it was.

“…Hey, is that…”

“Indeed, the magician recognizes it right away.”

Lirina smiled at Beatrice.

Then Lirina extended the stone to me.

“Healing Stone.”

Offering me the white stone filled with magical power, Lirina said:

“I’ll explain the details later… but this stone is effective in stabilizing physical condition and correcting the flow of magical power. Yes, it will be of great help in stabilizing your chaotic body.”

“That thing?”

“Isn’t it a bargain? Don’t you think so, Ms. Magician?”

Lirina said, shaking the stone.

Following her gaze to Beatrice, I saw Beatrice slightly biting her lip before saying:

“…If that’s a real Healing Stone, it would certainly help Helmet’s body, but…”

“It is real.”

Saying this, Lirina threw the stone to me.

Catching it with one hand, Lirina smiled and said:

“Would you hold the stone and place it near your heart?”

“…Alright.”

As she instructed, I held the stone near my heart.

And I felt one change.

“…It feels a bit easier.”

When I placed the stone there, breathing became a little easier.

At the same time, I felt the flow of magical power around my heart stabilizing slightly.

“You can feel your condition improving a bit, can’t you?”

“Yes.”

Seemingly satisfied that the effect had been demonstrated, the stone suddenly disappeared and reappeared on Lirina’s hand.

Lirina shook the stone and said:

“While it won’t be a fundamental solution, it will be of great help in improving your current condition. It will even extend your lifespan a bit, which has been greatly reduced.”

“……”

As Lirina finished speaking, Ive’s eyes trembled slightly.

Seeing this, Lirina smiled as if she had succeeded and said:

“Now, everyone.”

Extending her hand to us,

The blue hatchling quietly said:

“Will you now help us and the dwarves?”