Chapter 16 Dragon Slayer’s Ritual (1).
Chapter 16 - Dragon Slayer’s Ritual (1)
If one asked anyone from Rulain Kingdom’s Western Border Patrol as to what was the most frightening existence inside the Balan forest was, they wouldn’t hesitate to give their answer.
Dragons.
These tyrants existed deep inside the s.p.a.cious Balan forest, and none of the demonic beasts could approach them. They were on the apex of the food chain. Enormous amounts of damages occurred every time they moved. The Western Border Patrol was cautious as to never enter their territory.
Koo-roo-roo-roo-roo……
It was rare for the dragons to come out of their territories. They filled their bellies by catching preys within the boundaries of their territories like full stomached demonic beasts.
However, they were always beholden to a thirst. Normal beasts couldn’t understand this agony.
They were aware that they were unintelligent, so they thirsted for knowledge.
“This is a trade.”
The short stature of Regina was standing in front of a dragon. She was breaking out into cold sweat within her hood.
Two large eyes were watching her within the darkness of the forest, and it was emitting a tremendous amount of intimidation. Even if she was a Dragon Demon, she couldn’t help but feel fear when she was in close proximity to a dragon.
On the surface, it looked like a large violent animal. Will this existance be able to understand her?
In her head, she knew it could understand her language. However, she felt more and more unsure as she stared at it. What would happen if it didn’t understand her words and it treated her as a prey, who had invaded its territory?
Regina desperately tried to suppress her worries and fear.
“If you fulfill our request, you will be able earn the ‘Moment of Wisdom’.”
Koo-roo-roo-roo-roo….. (TLN: Dragon growls)
“Will you accept it?”
Koong! Koo-oong! (TLN: sound of dragon moving)
The dragons walked forth from the darkness when it was asked this question. Regina stopped breathing when the enormous body appeared between the trees.
Earth Dragon. (TLN: ji-ryong)
This was the name given to dragons that could move freely underground like swimming fish. The silhouette looked like an elongated lizard, and it had dark brown scales that had a rock-like texture. It had a curved horn, and its red eyes were slit vertically. From head to tail, it measured over 30 meters, and it was a monster with a castle-like bulk.
The dragon nodded its head, while looking at Regina.
‘It really… It understands human speech.’
It couldn’t form words by itself, but it could understand everything. Even if it was any other language in this world, it would have understood it. Regina didn’t know how this was possible. Still, the earth dragon could understand Regina’s words, and it had accepted her request. This was all that mattered.
Regina spoke naturally, while she was suppressing a sigh of relief.
“Then I’ll describe your target.”
2
At night, the forest was swept up in deep darkness. The only source of light one can rely on was the moon light and starlight.
However, 4 people were moving through this darkness.
It was Azell, Rick, Arrieta and Enora.
“Enora.”
Suddenly Arrieta opened her mouth. She was looking at Enora, who was stumbling from fatigue.
“Yes?”
“I’ll carry you.”
“…I, I cannot commit such disrespect ”
Enora was startled as if she was burnt by a fire.
Arrieta had a loose personality, so much so that it was hard to believe that she was royalty. However, it was fact that she was someone who was as high as the sky. So how could she allow this precious person to carry her?
“I know you are having a hard time walking. Currently, it’s the right move.”
“But…”
“It’s an order. Get on.”
After Arrieta started showing her back in front of her, Enora hesitated before she got on. Azell was impressed when he saw this.
‘This princess’ personality is quite awesome.’
At first, he was annoyed that she had followed him, but as he observed her actions he liked her. It wasn’t easy for a member of a royal family to act this way. Is it because she was born with a unique ident.i.ty called the Dragon Demon Princess?
Azell turned around and looked at Rick.
“Rick. Want me to give you a piggy-back?”
“…I’ll refuse.”
Rick was also tired.
After the Dragon Demon Jackal started the forest fire, the party was continuously ambushed by monsters and demonic beasts for half a day. The fire was spreading aggressively, and they were desperately running away to avoid the fire. They were barely able to escape from the direction the fire was spreading when they were again attacked by the monsters and demonic beasts.
Arrieta was also getting tired from continuously battling them. It was a miracle that Enora and Rick hadn’t received a major injury during all this.
‘My condition isn’t that great either.’
While coming to this place, he had rotated with Arrieta to recharge their magical energy with meditation. However, he could do nothing about the acc.u.mulated fatigue.
Azell spoke.
“Currently, I don’t feel anyone’s Sight on us. This must be the effect of the fire I started a while ago. ”
“I could have never imagined you would do such a radical act.”
“The other side started the fire first. If we want to escape, we have to take on some risks.”
Azell took drastic measure to escape from the enemy’s pursuit. He also set the forest on fire like Jackal. Of course unlike Jackal, he devised a means to do it in a controlled manner.
While they were moving, he had conversations with Arrieta to get all the relevant information, and he had started a fire in certain areas. He also put in a spell that’ll automatically extinguish the fire after a certain amount of time had pa.s.sed. However, this was the forest not the plains. There wasn’t any guarantee that it’ll turn out like they wanted. Like the fire that was still burning at the other side of forest, there was a huge risk that the fire would continue to spread.
“Fortunately, it seems to have ended without spreading…”
Arrieta showed signs of disapproval. His actions had too much risk. She had followed Azell’s words, because she didn’t have any other choice.
‘However, if we didn’t do that then we wouldn’t have been able to avoid the enemy’s surveillance.’
The members of the Dragon’s Shadow took action after using a far-seeing magic to locate their party. If they weren’t able to avoid the Sight, then the party would have had no reasons to feel relief.
Azell spoke.
“We should rest right about now. Are you able to generate heat without making a fire, Princess?”
“I can. However, why don’t you also work once in awhile?”
“It’s unfortunate, but I have very little magical energy.”
“You have so much skill yet your magical energy is weak. You are a really strange man.”
“I really don’t want to be this kind of a man.”
After Azell answered back cheekily , Arrieta casted a magic on the ground while snorting. Heat started coming out from the location where the magic was casted, and it drove the cold air away.
Azell spoke.
“Let us rest in shifts. I don’t think we can rest for long.”
“We can’t expect the enemies to not move during the night.”
“Yes. Even if we set aside the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds from the Dragon’s Shadow, there are the monsters and demonic animals they use as troops.”
There were a lot of nocturnal monsters and demonic animals.
Azell spoke.
“Princess and I will rotate sentry duties.”
“Huh? Why? Shouldn’t everyone rotate? Ah, even if we exclude Miss Enora….”
Rick raised the question. Even if they excluded the young girl Enora, shouldn’t a healthy adult male like him take a turn on sentry duty?
Azell explained his reasoning.
“Unfortunately, you aren’t much help as a sentry. Once you are able to detect the enemy’s movements, it’ll be too late.”
“Ughh. So that’s how it is.”
“So rest well. You will have to recover your stamina, at least a little bit, to be able to follow us.”
They hadn’t had anything to eat, while they were coming here. They were able to occasionally drink some water they found. This meant their stamina was extremely low.
Rick bit his lips.
“I’m sorry.”
“Before you rest why don’t you look after Miss Enora. I believe she sustained some minor injuries.”
“Ok.”
Rick followed his words. Enora had traveled the forest road in haste, so her clothes were ripped in places and she had sustained some injuries. Rick performed his healing art, and the wounds healed.
Azell spoke to Arrieta.
“Let us set the night watch for 1 hour. Do you want the first watch, Princess?”
Usually the earlier watch is easier. He had made this suggestion as a kind gesture, but she shook her head.
“No. I want to sleep first, even if it is a little bit. You go first, please.”
“Understood.”
Suddenly, Arrieta’s face was drowned in anxiety.
“I don’t know what happened to the others.”
“They’ll be safe.”
Azell wanted to rea.s.sure her, eventhough he didn’t have any basis for it. Arrieta sighed.
“After rescuing Enora, I decided that it would be safer for them if I moved independently. So I followed you… I don’t know if I made the right choice….”
‘Is that why she followed me?’ (TLN: she knew the bad guys would kill her party is she stayed with them)
Azell wondered as to why she followed him instead of the party she came with from the throne. However, she did have a reason.
It was both funny and shocking at the same time.
“So you thought it was ok for me to fall into danger?”
“That wasn’t the reason why I followed you.”
“Then why?”
“I was suspicious. At first, I thought maybe you were an agent of the organization called Dragon’s Shadow.”
“Even after I had saved you, Princess?”
“You fought against them and injured them, but you hadn’t killed them. Therefore, there was a chance that it was an act to trick me.”
Even though these were words casted suspicion on him, Azell was a bit impressed.
‘Ho-oh. She’s pretty good?’
It was a sharp observation. For beings with superhuman capabilities, they would do unimaginable things to disguise themselves. It was beyond normal human’s imagination.
Arrieta spoke.
“However, I have confirmed it while we were cooperating with each other. At the very least, you aren’t an enemy.”
“I want to thank you for believing in me.”
“There are still a mountain of things that is suspicious…. At the very least, I am willing to believe that you don’t hold any evil intentions towards me. Now I’ll sleep for a little bit.”
After saying this, Arrieta leaned against a tree and she closed her eyes. Before 3 seconds had pa.s.sed, she started breathing steadily.
Azell started mumbling because he was amazed.
“How can she sleep in such a situation….”
Azell was a man with a certain view about sleep. His view on sleep might be strange to hear, but he considered the ability to sleep as the most important ability to have in the battle field. It was important for survival to sleep when opportunity presents itself, and use it to recover one’s stamina.
Among the Spirit Order techniques, there were techniques used to induce sleep. Azell enjoyed using such techniques.
However, Arrieta wasn’t using any such techniques. She just decided she wanted to sleep then she slept.
“Jeez.”
Azell burst out laughing.
Unlike her previous figure that was overflowing with dignity, her appearance right now was vastly different. Her face was that of a innocent girl. She was covered in dirt, but she slept soundly as if she was sleeping on her own bed. It almost blurred his sense of reality.