Chapter 67 - Dragon Weapon Producers (1)
1
When he opened his eyes, Azell realized he was crying. The rims of his eyes was wet, and tears flowed across his cheeks to land on the pillow.
“You are awake?”
He heard Kairen"s voice. He raised his hand to wipe away his tears, but Azell flinched.
“Oohk.”
“Don"t be rash in moving. I"ve been told your ribs and arm bones are broken.”
“Ah. I"m in such a state from a single blow... It makes me resent my feeble body again.”
“The healer had a differing opinion. Your internal organs hadn"t ruptured. He was surprised at how st.u.r.dy you were.”
Kairen spoke in an apathetic manner. Azell turned his head to look at Kairen, and he couldn"t hold back his laughter.
“Duke. Your eyes....”
“Ughh.”
Kairen"s eye were swollen blue. Kairen spoke as he covered his eye with his hand.
“That corpse b.a.s.t.a.r.d was quite formidable. I"ve never seen an Undead from the Dragon Demon race.”
“He was of the Dragon Demon race?”
“I confirmed it when I broke his helm. I had split his head open, and for a brief moment, I let my guard down....”
His sword had sliced through the Undead"s skull, and his sword had lodged in its body. Kairen thought he would have some respite, but Delta had punched Kairen in such a state. This made his eye swell up. Kairen had never suffered such humiliation.
After letting out a laugh, Azell was racked with pain.
“Ooh-goo-goohk. I can"t even laugh like I want to.”
“That"s what you get for daring to laugh at my expense.”
“How long was I out?”
“You were out a little bit longer than your normal sleeping time. The healer found it very interesting that your body was in a mess yet your condition was very stable.”
“I"m used to maintaining my body, while I"m hurt. The habit is engraved in my bones.”
Azell let out a bitter laugh.
During the Dragon Demon war, he had frequently escaped from the throes of death. When he received a wound, he used a technique to minimize the effect of the wound. His harsh experiences allowed him to reach the zenith of this technique. It was nothing for him to maintain his body even when he was unconscious.
Kairen spoke.
“You are no worse for wear.”
“My body is a mess. What are you talking about...”
“I meant your state of mind. You were crying in your sleep. I thought you were crying so much, because you were enraged by your loss....”
“…when you see a man"s tears, it is courteous to act like you never saw it.”
“Is there really such a courtesy? Somehow, my mouth feel itchy, and I feel like telling Arrieta about this next time I see her....”
“…….”
“Well, all right. Anyways, how are you doing?”
“I"m not doing so great. My inside is boiling.”
“I thought you were a daredevil, who wasn"t afraid of anything in this world, because you"ve never experienced any loss. I"m a little bit surprised that this wasn"t true.”
Azell had pa.s.sed through death"s door after experiencing a sudden defeat. However, he hadn"t been consumed by the shock. For those with incredible potential, they put a lot of faith into their power. This means the shock of defeat is that much larger when they lose..
Azell spoke.
“I"ve never had the luxury of doing that. When one fights, one could lose, get hurt or die. The important part for me is to stay alive. Then I can use my sword for revenge next time.”
“Sometimes you say things I really like. That"s a problem.”
Kairen stood up. Azell asked a question.
“What happened to them?”
“When you fell, they ended the fight then they retreated. The annoying kid went with them.”
“I see.”
“They said they"ll be back. I don"t know when....”
Kairen spoke as he was about to exit the room.
“I"ll ask them to bring your meals here. We"ll be staying here for four more days. Don"t think about moving and just rest.”
“Your schedule is going to be delayed, because of me. I apologize.”
“Stop it. The doctor recommended that timeframe. Also, you were beaten by an organization I am affiliated with. I"ll be very embarra.s.sed if you apologise to me. Anyways, I left the capital, because it was too much work there. It isn"t as if I"m in a hurry, so don"t worry about it. Rest.”
Kairen exited, and Azell was alone. For a brief moment, he blankly stared at the empty air, and he had a thought.
‘Should I trust those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds?’
There were too many suspicious aspect to their story to just blindly trust the Guardian Shadows. He had no idea what the ghost-like member of the Guardian Shadow was, but Undeads could only be born through the use of evil black magic.....
‘First, I have to break that test or whatever they were suggesting. Then I"ll be able to get some more information.’
Unfortunately, he was a weakling right now. He couldn"t catch the Dragon Shadows and extract the truth out of them. He had no choice, but to be pulled by their machination...
It had been a long time since he felt this feeling of powerlessness. Azell showed a face he kept hidden from Kairen. His face crumpled, and he grinded his teeth.
2
Azell was still weak after four days. Even if they spent a lot of money on a healer, there was limit on how much a human body could heal. There was a limit to one"s recuperative powers.
Still, it wasn"t as if Azell couldn"t move. This was why the two of them went back on the road.
Kairen asked him a question.
“Are you really ok?”
“Well, my bones have somewhat mended. If I don"t over do it, I"ll be fine.”
“We"ll travel 30 kilometres per day.”
“Are you trying to kill me?”
“Then how about 20 kilometres?”
“Let"s try it first.”
Azell grumbled as he traveled across a mountain, lake, and the plains. Azell was able to power through 30 kilometres of travel in a single day.
After a week, he had made a full recovery even though his body was being abused daily.
They were finally able to enter into the Dukedom of Tarantos.
However, the Dukedom of Tarantos was so large that it took them two days to arrive at the castle.
Even though, he was a lord that ruled over such a large domain, Kairen refused to reveal his ident.i.ty. Everyone knew he was of the Dragon Demon Race, so he had disguised himself as a human. This was why no one recognized him.
Their incognito traveling lasted until they reached the Tarantos castle. When the two of them were in the immediate vicinity of the Tarantos Castle, Kairen asked a question.
“What do you think?”
“It"s wonderful.”
Azell had expressed his honest opinion.
The Tarantos castle was surrounded by a wonderful city. This place was the heart of the Tarantos Dukedom. The castle couldn"t be compared in terms of grandness to the other lord"s castles Azell had seen on his travel here. With the ancient castle at the center, the city was very well landscaped. Moreover, a large wall surrounded the city.
Kairen spoke.
“My parents were very artistic. I didn"t inherit that particular trait.”
“You are quite honest.”
“I"ve lived a long time, but I don"t have any profound knowledge about the arts. The people of my domain should be thankful that I hadn"t been burdened with making this city.”
“I have no opinions on Duke"s artistic sense. However, I"ll admit your ancestors had excellent artistic sense.”
“You always add in an insolent phrase.”
Kairen took off his disguise before he entered the Tarantos castle.
“The Duke is back!”
The guards yelled out in surprise when they saw him. The news spread quickly, and there were commotions in various parts of the castle. Kairen asked the guard to bring two horses, and they got on the horses.
Azell asked a question.
“I thought you said running is faster than riding.”
“I have to put up a front of dignity in front of the my people. If I don"t, they"ll nag me about it. The people below me always tell me what to do. Sometimes I wonder who is really in charge.”
Azell watched the streets as he rode on his horse. The people lining up on the streets let out a fervent cheer when they saw Kairen.
“It"s the Duke!”
“Look over there! The Duke is here!”
Kairen waved their hands towards them. The women looked like they were about to faint from the pleasure of being waved at. Azell spoke.
“Your popularity is almost as high as the princess.”
“I"ve done well in my role as a lord. Do you admire me a little bit more now?”
“I"m just surprised the residents of your domain aren"t reserved around you.”
When the lord"s authority becomes stronger, it manifests itself on the att.i.tudes of the residents. When the lord"s party pa.s.ses by, wasn"t it normal for residents to lower their head in silence?
However, they weren"t showing any signs of acting that way. They just showed their love for Kairen.
“I hate being stuffy. I"m of the Dragon Demon race, and I really won"t be popular if I acted that way.”
“Ah.”
The human society was united now, but the scar leftover from the Dragon Demon war was still present. Those of the Dragon Demon race still had to be cautious on how they treated humans. This was the reason why the Dragon Demon Princess and Dragon Demon Prince still existed.
Even if he was called the living legend, Kairen was also one of the Dragon Demon race. Moreover, he was in a position where he had to rule over humans as their lord. This was why he didn"t like coming out to official events. He was well aware of his situation as a lord belonging to the Dragon Demon race.
Azell suddenly asked a question.
“Do you like humans, Duke?”
“It"s a question with a set answer.”
“Well, you can tell me a little bit of your true feelings to me.”
“I"ll do so if you answer my questions truthfully.”
“You are being cheap trying to make such a deal.”
“You don"t like it?”
“No. I"ll agree to it.”
“All right. I like humans, sir Azell. I was born in a n.o.ble family affiliated to a human country. I"ve never hated the responsibility of a lord. Is that a satisfactory answer?”
“It"s enough.”
Kairen"s answer made Azell think about his old comrades. During the Dragon Demon war, his comrades had opposed the will of the Dragon Demon King, who wanted to dominate the humans. They received gazes filled with hatred and mistrust. From humans They were pitiable existence, who put their lives on the line for their love of humans. His comrades had wanted to save the humans.
Azell suddenly asked a question.
“There is something I am curious about, Duke.”
“What is it? I think it"s my turn to ask you a question. Why are you being like this?”
“Amongst the Dragon Demon race in this country...”
At that moment, Azell stopped speaking. Azell was so surprised that he didn"t even feel Kairen staring at him with a quizzical glance.
‘Rogan?’
Servants were lined up in front of the entrance to the Tarantos castle. At the center, a Dragon Majin in a butler"s garb was standing there. Normally, people would be surprised at the fact that a Dragon Majin was being employed as a butler. However, Azell"s brain wasn"t even thinking such thoughts.
‘He"s still alive?’
His face looked like someone Azell had known.
Kairen asked a question.
“What"s wrong?”
“That person…….”
“Mmmm? Who?”
“Ro… Ah. Nothing.”
Azell suddenly came to his senses.
When they arrived a bit closer, his memory and the present overlapped, and he started seeing discrepancies. The Dragon Majin butler looked surprisingly like Rogan, but it wasn"t him.
‘He"s a Dragon Majin.’
Rogan was of the Dragon Demon race. He wasn"t a Dragon Majin.
Still, he looked surprisingly like Rogan. Even his age range looked to be around what Azell remembered. This Dragon Majin was in his late 30 or early 40s.
His skin color was a bit dusky. His eyes were blue like the clear autumn sky, and his hair color was a faded blonde. His ears were slightly pointed, and he had small gray horns curving atop his ears. It looked like a ram"s horn. On the back of his hand, there was a somewhat murky blue colored Dragon Demon stone.
Azell was acting strange, so Kairen spoke.
“Hmmm. Are you surprised by Havanz? I guess I can understand why, since he is acting as a butler when he is a Dragon Majin.”
“I guess such a thing can happen.”
Azell replied as he couldn"t tear his gaze away from Havanz. They weren"t the same person, but they were almost identical.
Rogan.
He was from the Dragon Demon race, and he had fought alongside Azell in the Dragon Demon war. He had fallen in love with a human woman, and they had produced a young child. Azell remembered Rogan bashfully showed a portrait of his wife and child. Azell considered him to be more human rather than a being from the Dragon Demon race.
Azell spoke with far away look in his eyes.
“I remember it now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought he looked very similar to someone. In the beginning, I thought he was someone I knew, but I was mistaken. Do you perhaps know Rogan of the Dragon Demon race? He had an active role in the Dragon Demon war....”
“Sir Rogan was Havanz" grandfather.”
“I see. He looks exactly like the portrait I saw.”
“Ah-ha. Is that why you were so surprised?”
“The memory suddenly popped into my mind."
Azell tried very hard to give the impression that everything was fine.
The existence of Havanz, who made him think about the past, gave him a huge shock. He had accepted the fact that he had been thrown into this era on his own, and he was trying to live with this fact. However, he couldn"t erase the loneliness he felt.