Ch.99Chapter 99. Beloved by All Things.

After hearing Jean’s words, I took some time to reflect on the moments I spent with Tachia.

To find evidence of why Tachia might have come to the conclusion that she loved me.

‘Since you’re here, have a meal before you go.’

The first thing that came to mind was that whenever we met, without exception, she prepared meals for me.

Yes, come to think of it, after receiving the weapon from her, she always prepared food when we met.

There might have been one exception, but looking back, I don’t recall any such instance.

This was also true when I had a dinner appointment with Irie.

‘I’m sorry, but I have someone to eat with today…’

‘Then eat here and eat again later.’

‘…What?’

‘At your age, you need to eat a lot to grow. Eat before you go.’

‘No, I’m not a teenager anymore…’

‘You don’t like the food I make?’

‘…No, that’s not it.’

‘Then eat before you go. I’ll prepare it for you.’

Her attitude was almost forceful.

Thanks to that, I ended up eating three meals that evening alone, but it’s not that I didn’t enjoy the food.

The taste was decently good, the portions were generous, and she didn’t ask for any payment.

During my early days as an adventurer when money was tight, even that was something to be grateful for.

Back when I knew nothing about her circumstances, all I felt toward her was pure gratitude.

‘Excuse me, Tachia. Are you perhaps lonely?’

But no matter how much I liked her, it was inevitable to feel a disconnect between such hospitality and her rough personality.

One day, while sitting across from her during a meal, I committed the discourtesy of asking what might have been a rude question right to her face.

‘…What?’

‘Ah, no, I just… I wondered if you had no one else to dine with.’

Though I was aware it was impolite, I couldn’t help but be curious.

Her base was in a remote location with few people around, both before and after, so it seemed unlikely that anyone besides me would visit her.

So despite her outward appearance, I thought perhaps she was actually lonely inside, which is why she served me meals.

‘…If I were lonely, I would grab anyone and feed them.’

But her response was far from what I had expected.

Feeling puzzled, I looked back at her, but she had already turned her head and was staring at the distant mountains outside the window.

‘What?’

‘Stop asking useless questions and finish eating. The food’s getting cold.’

‘Ah, yes…’

Her voice was unusually sharp, unlike her usual self.

I sensed she was being evasive, but I still remember clearly what she said.

That she doesn’t do this for just anyone.

Isn’t that enough to make me think I was special to her?

****

Of course, this is a world where lacking awareness can get you killed at any moment.

Having been through many near-death experiences, I was well aware of how dangerous it is to make assumptions.

Moreover, now that I know more about her circumstances, it seemed certain that she couldn’t possibly have “those feelings” for me—yet love?

Could that really be possible?

“You’ve been quite comfortably getting free meals from her, I see.”

But after hearing my story, what Jean focused on wasn’t her inner feelings, but her actions toward me.

“…Is that so surprising?”

“It’s beyond surprising. I’d find it more believable if someone told me the world would split in two tomorrow than what you’ve just described.”

I thought that was an exaggeration, but the cold sweat running between his furrowed brows told me his words were sincere, not a joke.

“If you’ve met the soul in the spear, you must know she’s not an ordinary human.”

“……”

After a moment of silence, I finally nodded in affirmation.

I deliberately avoided answering directly because I hoped what I thought about her identity wasn’t true.

That she was a dragon who nearly destroyed the world in the past, and not only abandoned her daughter in an era of war but even went so far as to kill her own daughter who tried to stop her.

Isn’t that at odds with my first impression of her as someone who, though rough around the edges, knew how to care for others?

“I suspected as much, but still, to say I’m loved just because she prepared meals for me…”

Conversely, if all those stories were true, I couldn’t help but wonder why she had shown me consideration, however rough it might have been.

Her goal was to have me make that child kill her, yet she kept preparing meals for me as if she cared about me.

“Why would love be limited to relationships between men and women? Parent-child relationships, affection for pets—these are all legitimately defined as forms of love.”

Pets? Did Tachia really see me as such a being?

From a dragon’s perspective, are humans seen as cute creatures?

…No, I don’t know.

From the beginning, I was accidentally caught up in her circumstances, and to navigate through them, I had no choice but to cooperate with the person before me.

Having been kicked out midway through my conversation with Pailoi, there was no way I could understand her thoughts right now.

“…Is there some connection between Tachia loving me and my ability to create circles?”

So rather than focusing on unresolved questions, it was better to concentrate on what was immediately necessary.

Whatever happens next, I would definitely need strength, so I decided to set aside my questions and focus on training with him.

“Before I explain that, let me ask you one question.”

Jean seemed to read my intention and didn’t press further.

Before beginning the training, he asked me one more question.

“Before creating a circle in front of me, did you ever create one in front of her?”

“Ah, yes. I have done it in front of Tachia.”

“And did she feed you her blood before that?”

“…Blood?”

“I mean the blood flowing from her body.”

For a moment I thought he was talking about some kind of blood soup, but soon I realized why he was asking.

After all, we were in a dragon’s tomb.

In a world where even the remains of dead dragons are considered resources coveted by humanity, Tachia, being a “living dragon,” would naturally be seen as a resource with special powers.

“No, she just put her cigarette in my mouth—the one she had been smoking.”

But ironically, I had never directly consumed her blood.

She might have hidden it in the meals she prepared for me, but considering that I created the circle after she put her cigarette in my mouth, the evidence pointed more strongly in that direction.

Thinking about it now, it was quite an awkward situation, but anyway.

“A cigarette… Well, I suppose in her worn-down state, feeding you ashes wouldn’t make much difference.”

“Worn-down?”

“You’ll understand later, so let’s focus on training for now. Sit down, close your eyes, and take deep breaths when I signal.”

“Ah, yes. Like this…”

Whatever the case, there was no point in delaying further.

After that, I followed his instructions and went through the preparations before entering the main training.

Quietly closing my eyes and exhaling as if meditating.

As I began to feel a refreshing sensation spreading from my lungs throughout my body, he placed his hand on my back and quietly said:

“Do you feel any difference from usual?”

“Yes, it feels more refreshing than usual. My head feels clearer too.”

“That’s the result of the rich energy from the dragon veins. Now, quietly manipulate your mana in that state.”

-Woong.

Jean’s mana transmitted through the hand placed on my back.

As I manipulated my mana with the help of the armor, I began to feel a sensation of collision with the physical force rising from behind me.

But the feeling of collision was only momentary.

As soon as I expressed my willingness to accept his mana, the resistance disappeared, and I could feel his controlled mana seeping into my body.

“…You’re doing well without even needing guidance. It’s rewarding to teach such a cooperative student.”

As I continued to manipulate mana while accepting his into my body, I gradually felt the vibrations through my skin becoming more distinct.

Yes, something changed the moment his mana seeped into my body.

-Weeeing…

The strange ringing sound that followed was like ultrasonic waves created by the intensified natural vibrations of mana.

As if the medium producing the vibration had suddenly multiplied like a swarm of cicadas.

“Are you starting to hear something?”

“Yes, something like a ringing sound…”

“They’re being drawn to your caliber and beginning to recognize your existence. I expected this, but the progress is faster than I thought. Continue a bit more.”

They?

Is there someone else here besides him and me?

-Weeeing, weeeeeing.

The resonating sound became more pronounced amid my confusion.

Now it was closer to an “echo” than a cicada’s cry, making me feel dizzy, but I endured it and continued to concentrate.

And then…

-Woong.

After some time, I felt a vibration as something grabbed the tips of my fingers.

At first it was soft, but soon it wedged between my fingers, and eventually the sensation of it folding over my hand was like holding hands with a person.

Did Jean take my hand?

No, it wasn’t hard enough, and there were no wrinkles.

Moreover, at this moment, Jean had both his hands placed on my back.

If someone was holding my hand, it would have to be a third person.

-Thump, thump.

Perhaps one of the undead we encountered on the way here had appeared before me.

Despite my anxiety, his voice behind me remained perfectly calm.

Though his words about “mental preparation” made me nervous, I decided to trust him and quietly opened my eyes.

Preparing myself not to be surprised by whatever might appear before me, as he advised.

-Woong…

What appeared before me was a bluish afterimage within a space where light rippled.

Though its form resembled a human, it was ultimately just a form.

There were no facial features, and only the upper body was visible.

The lower body seemed half-formed before evaporating, leaving only an afterimage.

-Weeeing, woong…

Nevertheless, I could still feel the sensation of it holding my hand, however unstable it might be.

Though the touch wasn’t perfect, it was tangible enough to recognize it as a physically touchable entity.

“Is this… a ghost?”

Could it be that ghosts have appeared alongside the undead that are running rampant?

“It’s a spirit.”

Denying my thought, Jean removed his hands from my back, stood beside me, and began explaining the entity that was holding my hand.

“Spirits are extremely tiny beings that exist in this world… They dwell in the flow of mana, the energy that permeates all things, so they exist everywhere and can move anywhere.”

Beings that move along mana but are too small to be perceived by human eyes.

To use an analogy, they might be like cells or molecules… or perhaps even smaller concepts.

If they’re entities that live by parasitizing the energy that dwells in all things, that would be an apt way to think about them.

“And another way to describe spirits is that they are ‘fragments of will.'”

“Fragments of… will?”

“Mana is drawn by will and responds to that will to exert physical force… Even mere insects are drawn to mana, so if these invisible beings can draw mana, wouldn’t you say they too possess will?”

They’re called fragments only because their scale is extremely small.

But contrary to that assessment, the being before me clearly had enough consciousness to touch and face a person’s hand.

As if the fragments of will dwelling in all things had gathered and transformed into a ‘single colony’ in human form.

“Of course, they have almost no intelligence and merely follow the flow of mana. But because of this, they are instinctively drawn to beings that exert strong influence over all things.”

“If you mean beings with strong influence… does that mean I’ve received power from Tachia that allows me to draw these spirits?”

“Yes, it’s only a fragment, but enough to more easily grasp opportunities for contact. And when a certain number of them gather, they clump together in a form similar to the caliber that drew them out and approach it.”

That was the reason for choosing the tomb of the dragon, known as the lord of all creation, as a training ground, and why Tachia had put her cigarette in my mouth back then.

Although the clumped form was imperfect and couldn’t speak, the hand holding mine was vibrating again as if it had something it wanted to convey.

-Weeeing.

Beings that were mere fragments before being drawn to me.

At this moment, they had clumped together to imitate humans, resulting in something that could be called ‘intelligence and personality.’

“…Haha.”

And interacting with such beings was the foundation of the technique he had shown me earlier.

Sensing this, I tried to draw my own conclusions about what was happening at this moment.

“Sir, do you think these spirits might be affected by my ability too?”

“Probably. Seeing how they’ve started imitating a personality, albeit imperfectly, from the first attempt, it might mean you have a constitution that easily attracts spirits.”

Well, if they are beings with will, they wouldn’t be exceptions to my ability.

So like ego weapons and the undead, these spirits would surely be influenced by my ability and some kind of phenomenon would occur.

For instance, they might flock to me as soon as they recognize my existence, and speak my name in front of me.

“So that means… these guys are also going ‘Hyoseong’ in front of me.”

-Woooong…

The spirits wailed in response to my words.

It was a message I could understand without translation.