Chapter 629
Then Give Me a Reward (1)
Ziiing—!
"Khk."
Julien clutched his head in an instant. A searing pain, as if his skull was about to shatter, surged through him at the woman’s words.
Gritting his teeth, he asked again.
"What do you mean?"
But the woman remained silent. She simply faded into the darkness, disappearing slowly.
Only then did Julien realize it wasn’t an entity he could interact with.
It was merely a form projected by the energy that had seeped into his mind.
He didn’t know exactly who the woman was, but he had a suspicion.
"The Saintess from a thousand years ago?"
The woman had a necklace around her neck. He had seen that necklace before.
A relic.
It was the sacred artifact Ghislain had obtained when he took control of the Ritania Kingdom. Julien recognized it because Ghislain always carried it.
That necklace had emitted an inexplicable light on the day he and Ghislain first met. Though it never happened again afterward, it was too strange an event to forget.
Julien let out a quiet sigh.
Something beyond his comprehension had just occurred. He considered discussing it with Ghislain but quickly dismissed the idea.
"It must be a coincidence."
He knew Ghislain had locked eyes with him for a brief moment. But he doubted Ghislain could perceive this formless energy.
He had probably just looked over to confirm that Julien was prepared for the next attack.
Since childhood, Julien had always handled everything on his own. Relying on others was still unfamiliar to him.
Besides, everyone was celebrating the defeat of the dragon. There was no need to burden them with unsettling news.
Yet, the thought of the Mad Dragon’s energy transferring onto him left an undeniable sense of unease.
And there was something else that troubled him even more.
Julien slowly looked down at his own hand.
"Why did I do that?"
Arterion had been saying something Ghislain had wanted to hear.
It wouldn’t have mattered if they had listened first and then killed him. But in that moment, the urge to kill him immediately had been overwhelming.
So he had struck.
"…Dangerous."
Acting on impulse like that meant his thoughts and body weren’t entirely under his control.
No matter what emotions surged within him, he had always been one to pause and think. He always remained coldly rational, analyzing the situation before making a decision.
This had never happened before.
Not once had he ever felt such an intense, burning hatred even if it lasted only for a fraction of a second.
"……"
After a moment of contemplation, Julien shook his head. He resolved to observe himself more carefully.
He had to uncover the true nature of this energy.
He absolutely could not allow this energy to influence him.
And he was confident that he could resist it.
Julien lifted his head and looked ahead.
“Waaaaah!”
“We won!”
“We killed the dragon!”
Everyone was cheering in triumph. It was a well-earned celebration after all, they had just defeated an enemy unlike any they had ever faced before.
Once again, Ghislain seemed extraordinary to him.
How had Ghislain known exactly how to prepare so perfectly?
It was as if he had fought a dragon before as if he had already known everything in advance. Julien knew he could never have prepared like that.
"You really are… incredible."
Ghislain had faced hardships, but he had never once failed. That was why Julien had always trusted and followed his decisions.
If something were to happen to him…
A fleeting thought crossed his mind Ghislain would find a way to fix it.
Julien turned his gaze toward Ghislain, who was still sitting down.
He was smiling, watching the people celebrate. Then, as he turned his head, his eyes met Julien’s.
Ghislain smirked and gave him a thumbs-up.
At that ever-unbothered and shameless expression, Julien found himself smiling before he even realized it.
- - -
Alfoi was dreaming.
It was a dream he had seen occasionally since childhood. The foundation of all his foolish hopes.
— Kyaaaarrr!
His younger self, just a toddler, was waddling through a grand mansion, wandering about.
The mansion was enormous and luxurious. Though parts of it were blurry, it was still recognizable.
A large figure approached him and suddenly scooped him up in their arms. The man then rubbed his face roughly against Alfoi’s.
— Kyaaar!
Delighted, he burst into laughter, and the man holding him shouted in a loud voice.
— This brat is mine! Ahh, my adorable little pup…
In the dream, it felt completely natural.
But upon waking, Alfoi always felt uneasy.
That tone… it didn’t sound like a noble’s refined speech at all.
Still, he chose to ignore it.
Most people would dismiss this as a meaningless dream, a delusion. But Alfoi refused to accept that.
If he believed this dream was a memory from infancy, then his claim of noble lineage remained justified.
There was always a follow-up scene to this dream.
A memory of himself drowning, being swept away by the water.
He always woke up in shock at that part.
But today, something was different.
Crack!
The water froze over into pure white ice.
As he cried in fear, a colossal face suddenly appeared.
Grrr…
It was a dragon.
A dragon with glowing red eyes, staring him down.
And then—
The dragon opened its jaws wide, as if about to devour him whole.
“Uwaaaaah!”
Alfoi jolted awake with a scream. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
Only after realizing it was just a dream did he feel a bit of relief.
"He's awake!"
A voice shouted beside him.
Suddenly, everyone nearby rushed toward Alfoi.
He blinked several times, trying to process what was happening. A crowd of people stood over him, staring down.
It was incredibly irritating.
"What the… What are you looking at… Shit…"
Muttering in a voice barely above a whisper, Alfoi suddenly widened his eyes, finally regaining full consciousness.
"T-The dragon?!"
As he abruptly sat up and asked, the people around him erupted into cheers.
"Wooooah! Alfoi is awake!"
"Dragon Slayer!"
"Alfoi! You saved us!"
"Hey, you idiot! You okay?!"
The shouts and cheers made Alfoi's face flush red as he repeated, flustered,
"D-Did we kill the dragon?"
Vanessa grabbed his hand tightly.
"We did! It's all thanks to you, Sir Alfoi!"
Jerome, watching from the side with an amused expression, chimed in.
"I heard you did something amazing. How the hell did you pull it off?"
Both Vanessa and Jerome had been shocked when they heard what had happened after waking up.
They had known that, for a brief moment, Alfoi could dispel magic. That was the extent of what Vanessa had expected from him.
But what they learned was far beyond that.
The dragon’s magic wasn’t just any spell it was a persistent, reality-altering enchantment.
Such magic couldn’t be undone by a momentary dispel. To break it, one had to either engage in an intense, continuous battle of mana with the dragon or gather an enormous amount of mana and shatter it all at once.
Even with exceptional mana control, a 5th-Circle Mage simply couldn't achieve such a feat.
It could only be described as a miracle.
Hearing this, Alfoi immediately puffed up with pride and smirked.
"Hmph. Of course, only someone like me could pull that off."
Despite his arrogance, the truth was he had no idea how he had done it either.
At that moment, he had felt certain that dispelling the dragon’s magic was impossible. He had thought he was going to die.
In desperation, he had simply poured every last drop of his mana into attacking the dragon.
And yet, somehow, it had worked.
"I guess this is what it means to be the man who defeated a god."
Even as Alfoi wore a smug expression, no one scolded him this time.
Instead, the people around him showered him with praise, making the atmosphere almost unbearably noisy.
"Alfoi! Alfoi!"
"I knew you'd pull it off!"
"That annoying bastard actually did something amazing!"
Ghislain also approached, placing a hand on Alfoi’s shoulder with a grin.
"Hey there, Dragon Slayer. This time, we really owe it to you."
"Hmph! I already beat a god, a dragon is nothing."
Thud!
At the heavy noise, Alfoi instinctively turned his head.
Parniel had slammed her mace into the ground, glaring at him.
Alfoi immediately lowered his gaze.
He had been so caught up in the moment that he completely forgot he shouldn't say things like that in front of Parniel.
So, he quickly changed the subject.
He had made a huge contribution, which meant he had every right to brag and demand a reward.
"A-Anyway, we won because of me, right?"
"Of course. Without you, we'd all be dead."
Ghislain was someone who always rewarded achievements.
Alfoi knew this well, which was why he immediately brought it up.
"T-Then give me a reward."
"A reward? Sure. Ask for anything. If it's within my power, I'll grant it."
At Ghislain’s easygoing response, Alfoi gained confidence and blurted out,
"I want to get rid of my slave status! Give me my freedom! I want to be a free man, just like everyone else!"
"Oh…."
People around them showed interest at his words.
Of course before he could do anything with his life, shedding his slave status was the first step.
No matter how much fame or wealth he gained, as long as he remained a slave, he was still just property.
"Hmmm…."
Ghislain crossed his arms, deep in thought.
Looking back, Alfoi had always had an unusual knack for survival.
During the war, he had contributed mana in ways that were more useful than expected.
In the Forest of Beasts, he played a key role in kidnapping Queen Grex.
In the territory, he was effective in capturing runaway slaves and maintaining discipline.
And now, in the dragon hunt, he had performed a literal miracle.
Letting go of such a strange (?) talent would be a waste.
So, Ghislain set a condition.
"Fine. But until the continent stabilizes, you’ll stay in my territory. You'll take on the role of a Magic Tower Branch Head. I'll release you from your slave status."
"YEEEEEEES!"
Alfoi clenched his fists and shouted in triumph.
His slave contract had been extended over and over again so much so that it had reached a staggering 300 years.
But now, he was finally free.
Even though he was still tied to Fenris Territory, his status had completely changed.
Now, he could retire and live a comfortable life.
The dangerous times were coming to an end.
The Salvation Church had fallen. The dragon had been slain.
The chances of encountering another life-threatening situation were close to zero.
"I will NEVER fall for Claude’s tricks again!"
Alfoi vowed to himself.
From now on, no matter what Claude suggested, he would refuse without hesitation.
At Ghislain’s declaration, everyone cheered for him.
"Wow! Alfoi is finally free!"
"Damn! I thought this bastard would be a slave forever!"
"Incredible! What a persistent bastard!"
"Congratulations, Sir Alfoi!"
The entire crowd burst into laughter, celebrating his long-awaited freedom.
But in the end he was still stuck in Fenris Territory.
He would still have to work at construction sites.
Nothing much had really changed.
Still, Alfoi was ecstatic.
His slave status had been an invisible barrier in his life, holding him back in more ways than he had realized.
More than anything, the feeling was completely different now.
Alfoi threw his arms into the air and shouted,
"I AM FREEEEEEEEEE!"
This time, people praised him instead of looking at him with contempt.
By slaying the dragon, Alfoi had finally achieved the honor he had always longed for.
His name would now spread far and wide.
His contribution had been that significant.
After congratulating Alfoi, Ghislain turned to address everyone.
"Alright, everyone! We’ve been through a lot, let's take a few days to rest."
There were no pressing matters at the moment.
The remaining forces would feast, rest, and prepare for withdrawal.
They had been stationed here for a long time, and reports from the United Army about the ongoing mop-up operations were steadily coming in.
"Hmm, things are going smoothly."
With the Kingdom of Atrode completely destroyed, wiping out its remnants was easy.
The power gap was too vast, and the few surviving High Priests had already fled.
For those who had participated in the dragon hunt, it was safe to return home.
Ghislain exhaled, looking relieved.
"This war is finally coming to an end."
As he moved toward the Kingdom of Sardina, the central hub of the allied forces, he continued to maintain contact with each army.
He wanted to identify any remaining threats before moving on to the next phase.
Meanwhile, news of the dragon hunt spread across the various armies.
Claude also received word about Alfoi.
His hands trembled as he clutched the letter.
"A-Alfoi… made a contribution in the dragon hunt… and escaped his slave status?"
The shock was so overwhelming that he felt dizzy.
"H-How could this happen…?"
Alfoi freeing himself from slavery on his own?
Absolutely unacceptable.
The jealousy burned so fiercely that it felt like he was losing his mind.
Claude gritted his teeth, still gripping the letter so tightly that it crumpled in his hands.
Then, suddenly his eyes lit up, as if he had just realized something.
"Ah-ha."
Wendy stared at him in silence.
A devilish grin spread across Claude’s face.
"Then I just have to make him a slave again, right?"
Wendy clicked her tongue, her gaze turning icy cold.
This man was beyond saving.