Chapter 130
“Then, I’ll be leaving now.”
“Yes, rest well.”
With Sei and Epethes standing up, the meeting that no one could feel comfortable in finally came to an end. After they left, silence filled the room, where only the Knights remained. Kalph took a deep breath and looked over at Syran.
After a moment of silent exchange, a shimmering light scattered, revealing a snow-white horse. It was Eli, Syran’s Guardian. As soon as Eli was summoned, she formed a thin air barrier around them. It was a barrier to ensure no one outside could see or hear what was happening within.
“It’s done.”
“Thank you.”
Kalph, expressing his gratitude, then quietly looked at Aska, who had been sitting silently.
“Now, explain, Aska. Why did Rafiel go to meet that mad dragon?”
“……”
“We thought it was just a simple trip, so we didn’t question it further. But if there were other purposes involved, that changes things. Especially Temperas. Did Rafiel have any connection to that dragon?”
“……”
“We lost a King and a Knight on that journey. At the very least, Syran and I deserve to know what happened. Is my request unreasonable?”
“…… No.”
Aska, who had been silent and firm, finally spoke.
“You’re right, Kalph. It’s a story that shouldn’t be hidden, and can’t be hidden.”
“Then tell us. Why did he go to meet that mad dragon?”
A dragon being called mad typically falls into one of two categories: either they committed unforgivable atrocities, or they were genuinely insane. Temperas fit both descriptions.
As a Silver Dragon, he was originally a prominent candidate for Dragon Lord due to his exceptional abilities and noble demeanor. However, one day, he began claiming he had returned from a thousand years in the future and started proclaiming that the world would end.
If he had been able to prove his claims, people might have listened. However, since none of his predictions came true, and the doom he foresaw was too far in the future, his words lacked credibility. As a result, most people believed he was suffering from delusions.
It was only after he brutally murdered his own kind, including a newborn dragon, that he was considered a menace. His reason was that they would hinder the destruction of the world, which he claimed to have seen in his travels from the future.
‘I was saving them from bringing about a catastrophe!’
In front of the grieving parents who lost their child, he insisted that he had only done what was necessary. Even if it were true, it was an unacceptable excuse.
This incident led to him being called a mad dragon, and he was sentenced to be imprisoned forever in the ice cliffs of Bukryeong, a harsh and remote region. This was approximately 5,000 years ago.
“The future he claimed to have seen is now in the past. What story did he want to tell? I wonder what triggered such delusions?”
“It’s similar.”
“Similar?”
Kalph’s face warped in astonishment as Aska nodded affirmatively. Aska looked up, his gaze intense.
“Kalph, do you know how Temperas managed to travel back in time?”
“What… do you believe that ridiculous claim?”
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not. I just want to know if you’re aware of it.”
Kalph’s face twitched slightly at Aska’s calm response. It wasn’t hard to come up with an answer.
“If I remember correctly, didn’t he say he learned transcendental magic? He claimed to have intervened with the fabric of time and space to turn back the clock?”
Of course, it was an absurd claim. If he had indeed mastered such magic, he could have simply turned back time when he was punished. Naturally, no one believed him.
“But why ask this now… wait, just for a moment.”
Kalph’s eyes widened in surprise, and Syran’s face, which had been passive until now, suddenly stiffened.
“Did Rafiel… try to find a way to turn back time?”
“Yes.”
At Aska’s curt response, both Kalph and Syran swallowed hard.
“… Why?”
“Around that time, the King heard news about his estranged partner. Forced into an unwanted marriage and living an unhappy life, it distressed him deeply knowing it was partly because of their bond.”
“…….”
The air around them grew cold. They guessed what would come next. Aska continued, his low voice filling the tense silence as he looked at their pale faces.
“The King wanted to turn everything back to the way it was before. To a time when nothing had yet happened.”
Overcome with sorrow, Kalph squeezed his eyes shut. Syran, equally pale, swallowed dryly. It felt as if everything had become a tangled mess, too chaotic to even begin to understand where it all went wrong.
* * *
“What? What kind of nonsense is that? What kind of escape from reality is that?”
Crash! Boom!
A massive blade pierced the body in front of him, which collapsed lifelessly to the ground. The man who withdrew the spear from his opponent’s forehead casually flicked off the liquid that had stained it.
“Talking about magic that turns back time! If such a thing existed, would the world be in this state? How delusional do you have to be to come up with such absurd fantasies and let things get this bad?”
His harsh words poured out, but no one around could pay attention. They were engaged in fierce combat with countless enemies relentlessly attacking them.
“Las, your left is exposed.”
“I know!”
The man shouted again, already swinging his spear towards that direction. It was also the moment when the breath of the enemy exploiting the gap was cut short on the spot.
“I’m seriously losing my mind!”
The man who had just retrieved his spear aimed its tip to the side. There stood his colleague, who had already finished his cleanup before him.
“You guys are the real problem! What were you doing not stopping that foolishness? If a superior is about to do something stupid, you should have stopped him!”
The person, lightly tying back his troublesome hair, gave an awkward smile at those words.
“Hmm, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah! You should be sorry! Pampering and indulging the King in everything he does is why things turned out like this! How could you even entertain such a ridiculous request?”
“Yes, we are reflecting on that.”
“Honestly, if I were a Knight.!”
However, those words didn’t finish. Someone suddenly leapt forward and mercilessly rammed into him.
“Ugh!”
He fell to the ground with a rough grunt as a man with black hair glared at him and shouted.
“Don’t blame Semeion, you idiot!”
“That hurts! What are you doing! Are you crazy?”
“You’re the crazy one! What’s with all the bragging since earlier? You look like an old man even though you act like this!”
“What does appearance have to do with this? And Semeion is older than me!”
“So what! Is it a point of pride to look older while being younger?”
“Do you think Semeion isn’t going to age? All creatures get old eventually!”
“Who says? When that time comes, you’ll be even older! You’ll go from uncle to grandpa!”
“Ugh, seriously!”
The argument in the middle of the battlefield was enough to draw everyone’s attention. Despite the familiarity of this scene, some still couldn’t get used to it.
“Such a childish fight, no matter when.”
Next to Semeion, who had his hand on his forehead, markatis voiced what everyone else was likely thinking. Semeion let out a light sigh with a wry smile.
“They seem to enjoy it now, so let’s leave them be.”
“Well, do they really enjoy it? We might need to hear Las’s opinion on that.”
“Fights only happen between equals.”
“That’s true enough.”
During this casual conversation, the surroundings were gradually being cleared up. The location, where a fierce battle had taken place moments ago, still bore the marks of intense fighting, with bodies strewn across the ground. Most of them were the handiwork of the four people currently gathered in one place.
The soldiers, exhausted and collapsing to the ground, looked at the four who were chatting (two of them arguing) with a mix of awe and dread.
‘What kind of people are they?’
‘Are they monsters?’
It was not a fight between ordinary humans; they had been battling the Demonic Beasts. At first, many didn’t even know of their existence, but now everyone was aware of how dangerous and strong they were. Normally, even five strong men attacking together would struggle against one of the weakest members of the Demonic Beast.
Yet, in front of those four, these formidable enemies fell like piles of straw. Each display of their overwhelming prowess left the soldiers feeling both a sense of deprivation and reverence. Camille, also exhausted like the soldiers, felt the same way.
‘Once again, I couldn’t inflict a fatal wound.’
The gap that he felt every time was hard to comprehend. The fact that they weren’t human offered little consolation. After swallowing his complicated feelings for a moment, Camille instructed the soldiers to clean up the area before approaching them.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work today. Because of you guys, the battle went smoothly.”
“It’s nothing. You worked hard too, Sir Camille.”
Semeion responded politely to the greeting. Only then did the bickering between the two cease.