Chapter 619
Why Don’t You Know How to Have a Conversation? (3)
Piote boldly spoke out, scanning the reactions of those around him before continuing.
“We should tell the dragon that we’ll help. We’re looking for the Adversary too. Then there’s no need to fight the dragon! If we can persuade it, we’ll have one more ally, won’t we?”
Everyone was slightly taken aback. No one had ever considered such a concept before, not even Vanessa, who wasn’t particularly fond of fighting.
It seemed that after spending so much time simply beating down everything in their path, their way of thinking had become rather narrow.
Of course, not everyone accepted the idea in good faith.
Kaor scoffed and retorted.
“Why bother talking? It’s coming to attack us first. We should capture it and take its hide. A dragon’s skin is legendary, after all.”
A statement truly befitting the Leather King of the North. Even though he was a crybaby, he never doubted his own victory.
Alfoi chimed in from the side.
“Dragon heart, dragon bones… There’s so much we could gain from it. Why would we let that go to waste? We should take it down and make use of every single scale. That’s all money - cold, hard cash!”
Having spent so much time in Fenris, the two had grown incredibly aggressive. Especially when it came to dragon hunting an opportunity to make a name for themselves they weren’t willing to let it slip away.
Of course, their bravado was largely due to the powerful allies around them. If they had to face the dragon alone, they would have run away without a second thought.
Frustrated by their ridicule, Piote turned to Parniel.
“Saintess! You’re not thinking of just fighting, right? We can at least try talking first, can’t we?”
“Uh… Hmm…”
Parniel hesitated. To be honest, her mind had been entirely preoccupied with figuring out the best way to shatter a dragon’s skull with her mace.
But at the end of the day, she was still a priestess. No matter how much she was called the Saint of Battle, as a representative of the Goddess, her duty to preach love and peace came first.
So, with some awkwardness, she nodded and replied.
“That… makes sense. As a priestess… of course… we should talk first… I was just about to consider… that possibility…”
Her awkward response made Kaor and Alfoi explode in protest.
“What the hell are you saying?! That’s not like you at all!”
“Are saints even allowed to lie?! No, wait, why does that sound so unconvincing?!”
Parniel gazed at the two with an expressionless face.
“…What? Why?”
At the chilling tone of her voice, Kaor and Alfoi immediately shut their mouths, lowering their heads and avoiding eye contact.
Among everyone present, the person they feared the most was Parniel. If she wanted, she could have them subjected to an inquisition for heresy.
And to be perfectly honest, they were terrified of her sheer destructive power. One hit from her, and they’d be flattened like pancakes.
Regardless, Piote’s suggestion was reasonable and worth a try.
However, Ghislain remained somewhat skeptical.
A conversation… with that insane dragon…
Had he not possessed memories of his past life, he might have readily agreed but Ghislain had experienced Arterion firsthand.
The United Human Army had to hastily assemble forces just to fight against the rampaging Arterion. They hadn’t even had the luxury of attempting dialogue.
Because at that time, Arterion had been utterly insane.
Come to think of it…
Arterion had spewed incomprehensible words in its fit of rage.
— Finally! I can kill you!
Back then, he hadn’t understood. But now, he could roughly guess what it had meant.
It must have mistaken Julien for the Adversary.
That realization made Ghislain even more doubtful. As soon as Arterion saw Julien, it would attack just as Ereneth had.
Piote seemed to understand that as well, turning to Ghislain as he spoke.
“The dragon won’t stay still if it sees Lord Julien. That’s what happened with Lady Ereneth too.”
“Yeah. It’ll refuse to talk altogether then what?”
“…What if we hide Lord Julien for now?”
“Hide him?”
“Yes. Julien shouldn’t reveal himself at first. We should initiate the conversation and warn the dragon in advance that there’s someone who looks similar to the Adversary but must not be mistaken.”
“…You really think that’ll work? The moment it sees his face, it might go into a frenzy.”
“That dragon was friends with Lady Ereneth, wasn’t it? We should tell it that she also misunderstood at first but eventually stopped fighting. Then we convince it to join us in verifying and searching for the real Adversary.”
“Hmm… Persuasion, huh…”
Ghislain had almost never relied on persuasion in his life. The closest he had ever come was letting his spear "Persuasion" do all the talking.
Sensing his hesitation, Piote quickly added,
“If it still insists on fighting, then we fight. Simple, right?”
Most of the group Vanessa, Belinda, Gillian, and others agreed with Piote’s proposal.
“Like Piote said, if possible, why not try talking first?”
“I’m in favor.”
“It seems like a worthwhile approach.”
Even Parniel, in an uncharacteristically solemn voice, declared,
“The Holy One speaks wisely. We must always strive for more peaceful solutions.”
“……”
Silence fell over the meeting room.
After all, this was Parniel, the same person who introduced herself after beating her opponents into a pulp. When it came to battle, she was the most aggressive among them.
Hearing the word peace come out of her mouth left everyone too stunned to respond. Instead, they just stared at her.
“…What? Why?”
Everyone quickly looked away.
Ghislain fell into deep thought for a moment.
In truth, if they could avoid a fight, that would be ideal. Arterion was on an entirely different level from any enemy they had faced so far. And even then, it wasn’t at its full power.
“Hm…”
The chances were slim, but attempting persuasion wasn’t a bad idea. However, could Arterion really maintain its composure after seeing Julien?
In a way, this entire battle revolved around Julien. He was the one being targeted, making him the most vulnerable.
Ghislain turned to Julien and asked,
“What do you think?”
“If we can avoid fighting, that would be best.”
“And if the dragon still insists on killing you?”
“Then I’ll handle it alone. There’s no need for others to sacrifice themselves.”
A simple, straightforward answerone that was unmistakably Julien.
He seemed cold and emotionless at times, but that wasn’t the case at all. At his core, his actions were more self-sacrificing than anyone else's.
He had always fought for others, always saved people.
He never asked for anything in return. He never preached some grand ideology.
He simply did what needed to be done just as naturally as breathing or eating.
And because of that, he was impossible to figure out. But one thing was certain: someone like him couldn’t possibly be the Adversary.
Ghislain nodded. He had expected that answer.
Could he really be… the reincarnation of the Hero?
If anyone here could be the Hero, it was Julien, the one who had saved the world and sealed the Demonic Abyss at the cost of his own life, alongside the Saintess.
So then… who was the Adversary?
Well… it’s not me.
Recalling his dreams left him with an unsettling feeling. But if he were the Adversary, the Saintess wouldn’t have sent him dreams to help him. That was why he convinced himself it couldn’t be him.
Besides, the power that had led to Ereneth’s misunderstanding had only appeared after he obtained Dark. In his past life, such an event had never occurred.
And there’s no way something like Dark is the Adversary.
— What’s wrong with me?!
Stop peeking into my thoughts.
— KIEEEEEK!
Dark was immediately forced back into the depths of Ghislain’s subconscious.
There were still many mysteries surrounding Dark’s existence. It was undoubtedly connected to all of this in some way.
It felt like everything was intertwined, even Julien and Arterion’s impending confrontation.
“Haa…”
Exhaling deeply, Ghislain sorted out his thoughts before giving his decision.
“We’ll proceed with our battle preparations as planned. Once we’re fully ready to fight, we’ll attempt to talk.”
At those words, everyone’s expressions brightened. Just as Piote had said, avoiding a battle was the best possible outcome.
Still, they couldn’t be careless. They had to keep thinking of ways to deal with the dragon. If a fight broke out, they needed to capture it with minimal damage.
And so, the meeting continued. But even as Ghislain led the discussion, he couldn’t shake off the heavy feeling in his chest.
It was because of a vision that had been haunting him.
That painting…
When they had taken over Eclipse and he had spoken with Ernhardt, Ghislain had seen it.
A massive serpent trampling and devouring people.
Its bloodstained form was grotesquelike a fusion of a Riftspawn and a dragon.
— That was practically a prophecy. Everything unfolded exactly as the dream foretold.
Ernhardt had claimed to know the future, as if he were a regressor himself.
So then… could that unsettling painting also be a glimpse of the future? It was entirely out of place in the grand halls of a noble’s estate.
Could it be… Arterion?
The creature in the painting was different from the Arterion he had seen. The resemblance was only faint.
Ghislain had no doubts that they could defeat a dragon. Even in his past life, despite the heavy casualties, they had ultimately slain one.
The key was ensuring that this time, they avoided such massive losses.
However…
A foreboding feeling remained, an unshakable suspicion that this situation was somehow tied to Ernhardt.
* * *
A faint crack…
One more black chain that had bound Arterion shattered and disappeared.
Now, only two chains remained.
Yet, Arterion took no joy in this. Or rather, he wasn’t even fully aware of it.
“…Mm…”
With great effort, his massive eyelids lifted as he muttered to himself.
“I fell asleep again…”
As the bindings weakened, strength gradually returned to his body. He wasn’t at his full power yet, but that would come in time.
However, he kept drifting into unconsciousness.
For a dragon, a being of transcendent might that should have been impossible.
No matter how he examined himself, he found no abnormalities. If anything, his power was only growing stronger.
“…Is it because of nostalgia…?”
Each time he lost himself in slumber, his consciousness would slip into the world of dreams.
A faint smile formed on Arterion’s lips as he recalled those dreams. Beneath that smile lay an indescribable, aching longing.
It had been a grueling battle. A war that had seemed endless. The agony and sorrow he had felt in that desperate battlefield still weighed on his heart.
And yet, paradoxically, those painful moments had become his most cherished memories.
“Yes… You were the ones who could stand by my side.”
The Saintess, the Hero, and their comrades.
Arterion had shared a bond with them, one that transcended species.
The images from his dreams surfaced vividly. Their laughter, their sorrow, their fights, those radiant moments unfolded before him like a living painting.
Those memories were etched deep into his soul, like an ancient masterpiece.
As he opened his eyes and returned to reality, a heavy emptiness filled his chest.
Drowned in that suffocating longing, he wished, more than anything, to sink back into that dream.
For now, it was his only source of solace.
Arterion closed his eyes once more, whispering in a dry voice,
“…Ereneth… Did we not save the world…? Did we not succeed in sealing the Demonic Abyss…?”
His murmurs faded as he drifted into unconsciousness.
“…Our choice…”
“…What the Saintess wanted…”
“…Kill the Adversary…”
Arterion mumbled incomprehensible words in his dazed state.
This was something that should have never happened to a dragon.
Dragons were supreme beings with ironclad wills. Without that strength of mind, they could never survive the ages.
But his already half-mad mind was clouded beyond reason. He failed to grasp what was happening to him.
No, there were moments when he sensed something was wrong.
As he slipped into sleep once more, a sharp question surfaced in his mind.
‘Why… am I falling asleep…?’
‘What am I doing…?’
‘This… isn’t my will…’
Arterion struggled to keep his eyes open. As doubt crept in, every fiber of his being screamed in warning.
And then, the most crucial question of all struck him.
‘Why… was I able to sense that the Adversary had returned?’