episode_0086

I’m completely exhausted. I never thought I’d be able to fight until the effects of the booster wore off.

But more than the physical fatigue, I was concerned about the queen. She didn’t dodge my attacks. She must have been quite slow because she was concentrating all her energy on the power. Surely, she could have dodge them.

But she didn’t dodge. She accepted my attack as if she had been waiting for this. She was a woman I could never understand.

Still, if there’s one thing that’s clear…

“Oh, innocent dragon who knows love. I will support your love.”

Her body, limp and sagging, lost its strength, came to me.

“Once in a million times. Yes, may your love come true at least once in a million times.”

I drew my weapon, hoping that such a coincidence would happen.

Despite the hole in her stomach, she smiled as if she was at ease. Her smile, as if she had shaken everything off, was beautiful.

“You are a lethal woman. You injected poison into me and made me suffer for the rest of my life. And yet you walk away with such a relaxed expression? You are so lethal.”

I decided to just lie down on the wet grass and catch my breath. My left arm seemed to be broken, and my whole body was screaming in pain.

There must have been cracks in his ribs and leg bones, and judging by the tingling in his ankle, it must have been slightly sprained during the attack just now.

Now that I look at it, I see that my whole body is covered in small wounds. Judging from the way the blood keeps flowing, I don’t think they’re that deep.

I was in a state of total ruin. I couldn’t even move a finger.

Just as I was about to give my tattered body a little rest, I heard the sound of wings flapping.

“The Queen is dead! That lowly woman is finally dead!”

“The heart! Where is the heart! That heart is mine!”

“The giant hunter is also here! Kill him! I will take the blood and flesh of the queen and the hunter! ”

Their true identity was, of course, dragons. It wasn’t just for a day or two that the demons were disgusting and cowardly, but now it was a little difficult.

He was injured, exhausted, and suffering from the side effects of the strengthening agent. In his current state, it would be difficult to even run away, let alone fight back.

“Congratulations, Yong-i. We barely separated, but we’ll be meeting again soon.”

Of course, I had killed so many dragons that I was sick of it, so I had no right to feel resentment. Just as I had justifiably killed them, they also had the right to kill me.

I burned their nests, slaughtered countless dragons, and even destroyed their eggs. My end at the hands of dragons won’t be so bad.

So they flew in to devour our flesh.

The last thing I saw was the dragon’s mouth. It was quite jarring. I tried to close my eyes with that thought.

“What a disgusting bunch of idiots.”

An ivory arrow pierced the dragons’ heads along with a chilling, eerie voice.

“I won’t tell you to respect the king. I won’t tell you to mourn the king’s death. She was a tyrant who didn’t deserve it.”

The darkness of the forest began to ripple.

“But I cannot stand those who try to defile the warrior’s fight. Serpents with wings and tongues. Even if I take their hearts, I will not be able to make up for the lack of dignity.”

The eerie overlapping of voices, as if several people were speaking at once. The murderous aura that made your hair stand on end and your skin feel cold. And the overwhelming sense of strength that could be felt even without fighting.

“The Queen of Dragons fought the enemy and was defeated. Although the process leading up to it was not clean, the fight itself was pure. Do not defile the death of an honorable warrior.”

But dragons were creatures that were difficult to understand. Perhaps it was because of their arrogant nature. Even though they had just seen an example, they had not yet considered that they could be hunted.

“King of the Ghosts! Now you’ve finally gone mad! Do you dare to fight us!!!”

“That can’t be true.”

“If you know, go back to your grave. Since you have reduced the number of competitors, I will not ask you to kill your own kind.”

“A fight should be fought between equals. Even if a pack of worms forms, they will never be able to be on equal terms with a tiger.”

The King of the Ghosts stood before me, his old armor creaking. No, perhaps he was guarding the corpse of his queen in my arms.

“Hunter, let your guard down. Today, I am not your enemy, but an undertaker who collects the bodies of your comrades.”

“… Camilla?”

“Don’t worry. Your comrades have just fallen from exhaustion after repelling the enemies.”

When I heard that, I put the cane I was holding on the floor.

I couldn’t believe the enemy’s words. But there was no need for lies to kill me now. I had no choice but to believe it.

“I came as an undertaker. If you interfere with the collection of the body, I will shoot you regardless of whether you are human or demon.”

“Kuhahahaha! King of the Ghosts! Your mind has gone crazy because of the years! You intend to fight us all at such close range! And with just one bow?!”

It was a common-sense point. The bow is an excellent weapon, but that is only true when used from a certain distance.

It was an unsuitable weapon for fighting multiple enemies at such close range.

But that was just a story based on common sense.

Can we rationally explain a person hitting an arrow from hundreds of kilometers away? Probably not.

“Do you know what it means for us to be this close!”

“I guess that means there are many targets that I can hit with my arrows faster than others.”

The King of Ghosts drew back the string of his bow with a gesture similar to playing a harp.

And with the flash of a bowstring, ivory arrows pierced the heads of nearly forty dragons.

“Is there anyone who still wants to receive the Bow of the Ghost? If you want to become my people, I won’t stop you.”

As the King of the Ghosts drew his bow again, the dragons fled in haste, maintaining their haughty expressions.

No matter how strong the dragons are born with, they will never be able to defeat someone who has truly become a monster.

After catching my breath, I stood up, using my cane to support myself on the ground. I never thought that there would come a day when this cane would be put to good use.

“What brings you here, King of Ghosts?”

As I aimed my cane, he answered in his same creepy voice.

“Didn’t I tell you, hunter? Today I come as an undertaker, not as a warrior or a king.”

“You weren’t on bad terms with the queen of dragons, were you? I recommend adding a little bit of realism to your nonsense.”

“Is personal friendship or disagreement of interest a reason not to collect the corpse? The Empire has always been like that. The ugliness of giving a reason after deciding the outcome remains unchanged.”

“I ask sincerely.”

“I hate her. I hate her values, the way she treats her people, and the way she rules without any pride. But such trivial things are no reason to not bury the bodies of her comrades.”

I had nothing to say.

Because the words of someone who was nothing more than a monster sounded plausible.

The King of the Wraiths strode towards me, extended his hand, and a jewel emerged from the Queen’s corpse, emitting a bright light.

The jewel that had passed through the bones and flesh was incredibly beautiful even to an outsider like me.

“This is the heart of the Dragon King. It is the power that the wise old dragon created to make himself immortal in order to protect his people.”

“I have no interest in that kind of history.”

“The hatred for things that touch one’s own unknowns is still the same. Does the empire have a mold for creating people?”

“……”

It felt like my insides were turning, but I had no choice but to endure it.

If he were to grow up, it wouldn’t be a big deal for him to kill me and turn the townspeople into beehives out of anger.

“That is, this is a power to protect. It means that it is not a fight to oppress the people and cause internal strife.”

And the king of the ghosts took hold of the jewel and blew it up, turning it into dust.

The only things that looked intact in the wreckage were three small gems the size of pebbles.

“I have done my duty. All that remains is to carry the body. You may take your rightful spoils.”

“It doesn’t seem like the mindset of taking something that’s already been destroyed is bright.”

“Those fragments are also powerful objects. Your comrades will not live long due to the strengthening agent. Isn’t it a valid gift for you?”

“Just in case, there are four of us. There are only three…”

“Your person has already been prepared by the Queen.

The king of the ghosts took a jeweled necklace out of his pocket and tossed it to me.

“I also carried out the work the Queen prepared. I don’t know what the Queen wants, but…”

The King of Ghosts looked at his sleeping queen with a satisfied expression.

“It must be painful to leave the object of that smile behind. It must have been a truly regrettable and painful death, Queen of Dragons.”

He picked up the Queen’s body and began to walk into the darkness of the forest.

“Let’s say goodbye now.”

“No, let it stand… I can’t just let it go like this…”

“The harvest time will come according to the natural course even if you don’t rush.”

“……”

“At that time, as a warrior and a king, I will treat you to a quiet death.”

And so the king of ghosts disappeared into the darkness, leaving me behind, my body completely wounded.