TDAA Ch 63
by soapaThe dragon roared ferociously.
The terribly rough and vicious dragon’s roar created a storm of magic that sent everyone in the room flying into the walls. The wolves, who had been in the middle of a fight, managed to withstand the shock and immediately resumed a combat stance, but Budril did not.
Budril, having slammed into the wall, lay sprawled on the floor, unable to breathe, and the previously open gap slammed shut. The tree trunk that had extended into the ruins was severed and writhed for a moment before going limp.
Eorzen’s incomplete spell scattered in all directions, randomly heating the surroundings before dissipating. Eorzen, clutching Siol, anxiously called his name.
“Siol, Siol….”
But Siol, collapsed on the floor, did not wake, even as Eorzen knelt beside him, even as he held him, even as he called his name, even as he kissed his cheek.
“No…!! Siol, Siol…. Where on earth did you go?”
He could feel that only Siol’s physical body was held in his arms.
A sense of loss, incomparable to what he had felt in the labyrinth earlier, churned violently through his mind.
Eorzen swallowed his anxiety, gathered Siol’s limp body into his arms, and searched desperately for Siol’s soul. But no matter how his hands fumbled for a trace of it, he could only feel an empty space.
Siol’s soul was gone.
The blue dragon collapsed, unable to breathe. A deep regret consumed him.
“Siol, I told you… we just had to endure until today….”
Eorzen’s voice was like a dying ember as he sank further to the floor. Draped over the prone Siol, Eorzen gasped for breath, his trembling hands clutching Siol tightly.
“I was…, I was wrong.”
At first, he had been so happy just being with him that he couldn’t think of anything else. He was overjoyed just to be able to properly caress the cheeks of Siol, whom he had only ever been with in the form of a small rat.
And later, he was so preoccupied with pretending nothing was wrong, afraid Siol would discover the curse’s true nature, afraid he would hate him, that he misjudged what was truly important.
No desire, no wish, could ever be more precious than Siol’s life.
Why did he only realize that now?
“…At the tower, I should never have let you leave.”
He should have locked Siol up in the castle.
He should have had Ryufen watch over Siol to prevent him from leaving the castle grounds, and he should have fulfilled Siol’s wishes for him. He should have stepped in himself, hunted down Nathaniel and the king, and crushed them to death. He should have forbidden the moniker ‘Alchemist of Death’ in this land and torn to shreds anyone who dared utter the name.
If he had done that, he might have ended up in the same predicament as the black dragon, but he would not have lost Siol.
No, even if his situation became worse than the black dragon’s, as long as Siol was alive, he could have endured anything.
Why couldn’t he have made this resolution sooner? Before Siol ended up like this….
No, this was not the time to dwell on such regrets. A black fox that dealt with souls and darkness had attacked Siol, and they had both vanished simultaneously. That black fox had stolen Siol away.
“How dare…!”
I will burn all the darkness that dared to steal my mate from this land. I will rip that fox to shreds and ensure that darkness never again casts a shadow anywhere in my lands.
As if representing the dragon’s dreadful fury, rampant magic wreaked havoc all around.
Within that space, only his arms remained serene.
“Siol.”
Eorzen stared at his mate without blinking, gently stroking his pale cheek.
“It seems I’ve been thinking about this all wrong until now.”
Your wish doesn’t matter.
“The most important thing was your survival.”
He never thought he would lose it.
“From now on, I will ignore your wishes.”
If this was the result of his efforts to make his mate completely his, to fulfill Siol’s wishes in the way Siol wanted, then it was a complete failure.
He had no intention of repeating this failure ever again.
“You can hate me. As long as you wake up, yes, that would be fine….”
He wanted to see Siol looking at him right now, even if it was with eyes full of hatred. If only they could meet eyes, it would be far better than this, even if a Siol who had lost his freedom kicked him, hit him, and hurled curses at him.
He gasped in agony and kissed Siol’s cheek. Tears streamed down and fell onto Siol’s face.
To track Siol, who had been abducted by the black fox, he needed the power of darkness, and fortunately, there was someone here connected to the fox. His eyes, burning red, searched for Budril.
“Gasp…!! C-Commander…!”
Budril, who had been choking and struggling to catch his breath, trembled and backed away as Eorzen’s gaze fell upon him. That damned arm protruding from Budril’s neck had said it wanted the fox. He didn’t know the relationship, but it would be enough to hold him responsible.
And perhaps, he might even get a clue about Siol’s disappearance.
“Look this way, Blue Dragon.”
Someone called out to Eorzen as he walked toward Budril with a grim expression, but he paid no heed.
He had to torture that thing if necessary to find a trace of Siol.
“Blue Dragon!”
The one who grabbed his shoulder was Nathaniel.
Eorzen flinched and stepped back, having been about to sever his opponent’s windpipe with the edge of his hand. As if expecting that reaction, Nathaniel grinned.
“How is it? It’s there now, isn’t it?”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Sparkle sparkle…?”
Nathaniel tilted his head and said.
“Now, the only one who sparkles for you is me, Blue Dragon.”
Eorzen stared blankly at the confidently declaring Nathaniel. It was true that Nathaniel was sparkling. And Siol, lying on the floor, no longer sparkled. Because Siol’s soul was not here.
As if mesmerized, he approached Nathaniel and reached for his face. The moment Eorzen’s hand, passing over the cheek of Nathaniel who wore Asios’s face, reached his neck, someone grabbed his wrist and stopped him.
It was just before Eorzen could have snapped Nathaniel’s neck.
The dragon turned to Ladie, who had interfered, with cold eyes.
“…Let go.”
“You must not kill him.”
“Are you breaking your promise to help?”
There was no emotion in the chilly question. Like a monster with no interest in anything other than tearing into the flesh of the living.
Ladie looked at Eorzen with troubled eyes, clenched her teeth as if suppressing something boiling inside, and then opened her mouth.
“I’m not trying to protect Nathaniel! Blue Dragon, this child, this body, is your mate….”
The words that had begun with harsh anger gradually lost their force toward the end, eventually trailing off without a proper conclusion.
“Nonsense. My only mate is Siol.”
“You are mistaken!”
Ladie shouted.
“Did you ask why I have hated you all this time? This is why! Because my child became like this for the reason that he is your mate…!!”
“……”
“Why do you think I have cared for a child who could not even open his eyes? Why would I have believed so firmly that this child would one day awaken! On the night I lost my child’s soul, the Demon King came to me. He said that child is the Blue Dragon’s mate, and that he will one day surely return!!”
Ladie, having confessed the story she had hidden for so long, panted as she glared at Eorzen. Her face was deathly pale, and the hand gripping Eorzen’s wrist had no strength in it. Yet, Eorzen could not shake her off.
Siol’s past and the truth Ladie had just revealed swirled and clicked into place inside his head. And even the reason why he had been a dragon without a mate for so long.
“The witch….”
“That’s right, the witch banished my child’s soul to another world.”
“……”
“So, you must not kill him. My child will return. Until my child returns, I must protect this body.”
Ladie warned Eorzen with reddened eyes.
“You should do the same, Blue Dragon.”
A mate who had not appeared for an unusually long time.
Ladie, who had hated him from their very first meeting for some reason.
The sudden appearance of the Alchemist of Death.
Everything connected, even the incomprehensible sight of a radiant Nathaniel.
Perhaps, just perhaps, all the misfortune Siol had suffered was because of him, Eorzen.
As Eorzen stood with wide eyes, unable to speak, Nathaniel took a step closer to him.
“I have sent Siol’s soul to a time before he was born.”
“Before he was born… you say…?”
“He won’t be able to come back. So… Blue Dragon, from now on, the only person who sparkles for you will be me. Forever.”
The witch had banished Siol, who should have been born as Ladie’s child, to another world.
Eorzen, ignorant of this, had wandered the entire continent in search of his mate, eventually giving up. He had even thought that perhaps a mate did not exist for him. In the meantime, Siol had returned to this world by his own power, met the king, and taken on the moniker of the Alchemist of Death. If he had not given up and had continued to search for his mate, if he had found Siol before the king did, none of this might have happened.
Nathaniel took another step toward Eorzen and tried to wrap his arms around his neck. Eorzen pushed Nathaniel away with a trembling hand. He couldn’t bring himself to shove him, but he firmly and strongly removed the hands from his body.
“Did you not understand what I said? From now on, I am your only mate.”
“You… are not my mate.”
“No, from now on and forever, your mate is only me.”
Eorzen staggered backward. The witch’s son- no, the witch, smiling before him was still sparkling. Eorzen wanted to gouge out his own eyes for perceiving that filthy, disgusting thing as sparkling.
Siol and that thing were completely different. Siol’s sparkle had led him to complete happiness. Just gazing at him would fill his heart with a serene joy, and he would be enveloped by a greedy yearning to be alone with him a little longer. That yearning sometimes caused him pain, but when Siol noticed his desire and came closer, happiness would swell to its fullest.
Yes, the one he needed was Siol. Not some fake like that.
But Siol’s sparkling eyes, his cheeks that would flush with shyness, his timid smile, his voice filled with longing, his strong soul that never stayed down no matter the circumstances—they were no longer here.
Eorzen’s lips trembled as he looked up, and his blue eyes turned red. He gazed into the pitch-black darkness and spread his wings. His human body instantly expanded in volume, transforming into a dragon.
Once he took his dragon form, he could feel a faint trace of Siol that he hadn’t been able to sense before. Eorzen shoved Nathaniel aside with his wing and went to Siol, covering him with his body.
“I will do anything to get you back, Siol….”
That threat was no bluff.
If he had to turn both the lands of the beastmen and the humans into a sea of blood for him, he was willing to do it. Such things were nothing compared to Siol’s soul.
“Anything, I’ll do absolutely anything….”
At last, the dragon’s voice began to tremble. But it was only for a brief moment. When the dragon opened his eyes again, they were stained with terrible agony and fury, a visage that made it unbelievable that he had uttered such a weak sound just a moment ago. He looked like a vicious, evil dragon that would wreck the continent.
In fact, it wasn’t untrue. If he were to lose Siol forever, he really would do just that.
“You don’t have to give yourself to me completely…. Please, Siol….”
He whispered in a fading voice, desperately fumbling for and chasing after Siol’s traces.
Barely maintaining his sanity by clinging to the sound of Siol’s beating heart.
He was sleeping inside a small fruit. It was a perfect space, a place where he felt no hunger, no cold, no heat, where he felt he could sleep forever.
Siol rubbed his eyes, which refused to open, and sat dazedly for a moment before the shaking of the fruit sent him tumbling backward. This was the reason he had woken up. It was shaking so much that it was impossible to keep sleeping. Besides, it felt like he had slept for quite a long time, so why was he still…?
Siol pounded on the wall of the fruit’s shell in protest. In response, the person holding the fruit chuckled and gently stroked the top of the shell.
“Oh, my. How diligent. You’re already awake.”
How could I not wake up when you’re shaking me like this? Siol, annoyed, knocked on the wall once more.
“Sorry. I’m still being pursued. Please bear with it a little longer.”
Siol sighed deeply and sat down, hugging his knees. Well, it couldn’t be helped. Besides, there was nothing he could do but wait. And it wasn’t as if he didn’t know why he was in this state.
The reason the owner of this voice was constantly moving, fleeing, and hiding was all to protect Siol.
After a moment’s hesitation, Siol wrapped his arms around the shell.
“Are you hugging me? How cute. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re born in a safe place.”
Feeling better at the sound of the person’s laughter, Siol leaned his back against the fruit-shell wall. This was the person who had cared for him the entire time his soul had formed and grown within the fruit. This person would never harm him.
Just as they said, if he just waited a little longer, surely….
—Why are you perfectly fine?
Startled by the voice echoing in his head, Siol turned to see a fox. A small, pitch-black fox sat beside him, wagging its tail. Seeing its red eyes, he felt as if something he had forgotten was coming back to him.
The black fox pushed its head toward Siol and spoke.
—Huh? How are you okay? I sent you to before you were born, so why are you in a place like this?
“Before… I was born?”
—Yeah. Your soul should have returned to the world.
Before he was born? His soul to the world?
The moment he understood the meaning of those words and thought of Eorzen, a flood of countless memories rushed into his mind. From his original memories as Siol to the very old memories he had lost upon birth.
Siol cowered, enduring the memories that crashed down on him like a tidal wave, and was eventually swept away somewhere. Fortunately, the current was guiding him not to the depths of the sea, but to the sunlit surface.
—No. Where are you trying to go? If you go recklessly, you’ll be swept away somewhere strange!
The black fox bit onto the hem of Siol’s clothes and pulled. For some reason, he knew that if he was dragged down by the fox, only an eternal sleep awaited him.
And if Siol fell into an eternal sleep, there was someone who would spend their entire life crying and grieving. Siol reached his hand toward the surface, which was now shrouded in darkness, its other side invisible. No matter the price, no matter what happened, he wanted to return. He didn’t want to make him wait any longer. Siol himself, and the other, had waited for far too long.
In the space buried in deep darkness, Siol spotted a faintly glittering light. It was the precious ring Eorzen had placed on his finger. Siol took the sparkling ring from his finger, kissed it once, and then clasped his hands together. Of course, the ring was very precious, but it was a worthy sacrifice to meet Eorzen again.
The important thing was to meet again. And so, without any lingering attachment, Siol activated a magic circle between his palms.
—Huh? No. This is my…!
The darkness split apart, and from the crack, a shining hand descended toward him. The massive hand gently enveloped Siol’s very fragile soul and pulled it upward. The moment the black fox, which had been biting Siol, touched the light, it dispersed like ink. The black fox, screaming as it retreated, was too stunned to approach again.
The fox stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly charged toward the hand.
—Wait!! You…, do you happen to know my master?
Amazingly, the black fox continued to rush toward the hand, paying no mind to its own body melting away. Just when it seemed it would completely dissolve into the light, the hand covering Siol turned its palm toward the black fox. As if to say, wait.
—I hate waiting.
A low, humming sound echoed. Siol could tell that the Courier was saying something.
—Really? No, but… I’m currently bound….
Once the Courier said something again, the black fox spirit finally nodded and scattered into the shadows. At that moment, Siol felt a warm sensation inside his chest, but he didn’t have time to pay it any mind as the Courier immediately pulled him up.
A bright light filled his vision, and then Siol could see a very large person. A very, very large and beautiful man.
It was his Courier. How could he see him? Siol had only seen him in person once. When Burdril’s Courier attacked Siol, his own Courier had leaped out of the magic circle, beat the opponent mercilessly, and sent it back. That was all thanks to borrowing Eorzen’s power, which had temporarily granted him ‘eyes that could see.’
How could he see now, without even borrowing the dragon’s power?
As a stunned Siol stared up blankly, the Courier brought Siol close to his face and whispered.
“I was sorry for not being able to keep my promise. This time, I’ll be sure to deliver you safely.”
What promise?
Siol, lost in a daze, blinked slowly, then, as if suddenly remembering, held the ring out to him. The Courier didn’t take the ring, but simply stroked Siol’s head lightly with his finger.
“My child, it was my duty to guide you. Right now, I am only finishing the job I failed to do properly back then, so no payment is needed.”
Then he whispered in a slightly flushed tone.
“I’ve always wanted to say this. Thank you for returning safely.”
Thank you for returning safely?
But there was no time to ponder its meaning. Eorzen was groaning in agony.
Siol had to go meet him as quickly as possible. With that in mind, he patted the Courier’s hand he was sitting on. At that, the Courier let out a low laugh and raised his hand upward. To send Siol back.
It was then. Dark clouds instantly spread across the transparent sky that had been nothing but bright light. Fierce lightning writhed between the clouds, and soon, a bolt struck the water’s surface. Crushing and parting the flashing dark clouds, a blue dragon stuck its head out.
“Oh, my. A dragon isn’t supposed to come to this place.”
The Courier muttered, as if finding the situation absurd. But his voice was full of amused laughter. Siol glared at the Courier, slapped him lightly, then stood up and reached his hands out in that direction.
The blue dragon, its red eyes glowing like a malevolent dragon, dark clouds spilling from the corners of its mouth, spotted him and roared ferociously. The dragon snatched Siol.
Got you.
The dragon glared at Siol and declared chillingly.
That’s right. It was a declaration. It was also a powerful expression of will, stating that now that Siol was in his grasp, he would never let him go again. It was a pained roar that said no matter what happened, no matter who came, he would never let him leave again.
Before Siol could answer, the dragon, still clutching Siol, pulled itself with all its might back through the hole it had come from.
Siol was roughly snatched, as if being pulled out from underwater.
⋆୨🔮୧⋆
“Gasp…!”
Siol gasped for breath, panting like someone who had just been pulled from drowning. And Eorzen, who had been leaning over Siol, quickly coiled his body, trapping Siol within it.
The dragon lowered his head and rested it on Siol’s shoulder. Siol hugged the dragon’s head tightly. He had clearly heard the dragon’s pained groans, its roars. The dragon, groaning in agony, had still come to save him, Siol. How shocked he must have been. Putting himself in his shoes, he couldn’t imagine a more terrible event. Siol thought he had to tell Eorzen he was sorry, and thank you.
“Eorzen-nim.”
“I can’t do this anymore.”
“Pardon?”
The blue dragon spoke in a voice that seemed to be fading away.
“You will be confined to the castle.”
“…What did you say?”
“I have endured it so many times until now. Every time you were in danger, it felt like my heart was being crushed, but I endured it.”
His tone was bleak and gloomy. He sounded pained, as if being strangled.
Siol unknowingly hugged the blue dragon’s head a little tighter. The dragon was staring at him without blinking. He couldn’t read his expression in his dragon form. He wanted to know what kind of face Eorzen was making right now.
“I have no intention of enduring it any longer. Even if you-.”
Siol thought the dragon seemed to be gritting his teeth.
“-come to despise me.”
“…Eorzen-nim.”
“Don’t call my name. No matter how much you plead, it won’t work. From now on, you cannot be separated from my side for even a moment. Know that from now on, you won’t be able to take a single step out of the castle.”
“If you would just listen to me….”
“I’ve already given up hope that you would ever love me completely anyway.”
The dragon squeezed his eyes shut and panted.
The massive predator in his dragon form trembled, unable to even properly embrace Siol, then suddenly, the dragon let out a bloodthirsty growl.
“You will, now, in my arms, for the rest of your life…!”
The dragon stopped shouting, looked at Siol standing there with a bewildered face, and then cried out.
“Say something, anything. Even if it’s words of contempt for me…. Please.”
“Eorzen-nim.”
“…More.”
“Eorzen-nim….”
“Keep going. Let me keep hearing it. Keep letting me hear your voice….”
Siol, leaning his cheek against the panting Eorzen who was overcome with emotion, slowly stroked him. The dragon seemed pleased, and surprised, and at the same time, unable to understand why this was happening. His pupils trembled as if he couldn’t believe Siol was treating him so gently.
“Eorzen-nim, please return to your human form now.”
The dragon’s eyes sharpened. He seemed to suspect that Siol would run away while he was in human form. Siol felt deeply wronged, but he couldn’t say he didn’t understand Eorzen’s feelings. He had already run away from Eorzen’s side once before.
He had been wrong. Cornered by fear, he had left without a single thought for the feelings of Eorzen who would be left behind. Even if he hadn’t been his mate, he shouldn’t have parted like that. If he had at least written a letter, if he had only let him know what he was feeling when he left, perhaps they wouldn’t have had to take such a roundabout path back to each other.
Siol held out both hands towards Eorzen, who let out a rough, guttural growl as if to say, ‘don’t be ridiculous.’
“Hurry. I can’t hug you properly when you’re in your dragon form.”
Even at that request, the dragon hesitated, deep in thought. However, just as Siol was about to lower his arms, thinking he’d have to try something else, he immediately shrank, transformed into his human form, and buried himself in Siol’s embrace. Eorzen bent down, opened Siol’s coat, slipped his hands under his armpits, and hugged his waist tightly. Then, he rested his forehead on Siol’s shoulder and tilted his cheek to the crook of his neck, feeling his pulse. A slow, long sigh of relief escaped him.
Eorzen couldn’t control his trembling body. Siol hugged Eorzen’s back with all his might. The two of them fit together perfectly.
Just as Siol was about to say something, Eorzen whispered grimly.
“Doing this won’t make me let you go.”
Rough anger and sharp suspicion still laced the words that slipped through his clenched teeth.
Siol let out a low laugh, and upon hearing it, Eorzen bit his neck hard.
“Ah…!”
“I’m not kidding. I will not leave your side for even a single moment from now on. Wherever you go, I must go with you. Do you understand?”
“Not even one step?”
“Not a single step.”
At that firm declaration, Siol smiled, looking a little troubled, but also happy.
“Then, go ahead.”
“…You’ll let me?”
“Yes. You can do as you please.”
“You haven’t understood a single word I’ve said!”
Eorzen grabbed Siol’s shoulders, pushed him away, and shouted.
“You’ve become fated to live your whole life captive to the terrible dragon who dragged your life into misery! You can never leave my side now! You, who know nothing of what I have done…!!”
As Siol tried to embrace the dragon, who was half-berserk with agony, to explain everything, a scream-like shout came from behind.
“Again?! You’re back again? How? What on earth did you do?”
It was an irritable voice, as if utterly fed up.
It was true. Siol had returned, and returned again. And the one who had banished Siol from this world each time was the witch.
Siol turned to Nathaniel with a cold expression. Nathaniel was pinned to the floor under Ryufen’s front paw, struggling to get free and continuing to shout.
“Damn it, why do you always come back so stubbornly every single time!”
His tone was one of someone driven mad by injustice. Anyone watching would think he was the victim.
The witch’s staff was summoned into Nathaniel’s outstretched hand. A purple mist poured out from the staff. It was the same mist that had flowed from the witch’s tree earlier. Perhaps the staff was made from the witch’s tree, connecting them.
Ryufen, the tips of his fur corroding first, yelped and fled behind Eorzen, while Kadion grabbed the hesitant Ladie by the waist and escaped. Eorzen hid Siol behind him and pushed back the curse with his own magic. Fortunately, the curse that came into contact with the blue dragon’s magic was purified and scattered, just as powerless as before.
Eorzen caressed Siol’s cheek and cast a spell on him. It was a spell to prevent the curse from coming near Siol.
The gaze with which he cast the spell to protect him was ferocious. He was afraid of the words that might come from Siol’s lips. This time, as if he would not accept any disagreement, he turned toward Nathaniel without even asking for Siol’s opinion.
“Siol!”
“I’m sorry, Chief. Not anymore. I won’t let Eorzen-nim endure it any longer.”
Siol shook his head firmly at Ladie, who had run to him, asking him to stop Eorzen.
“The dragon is going berserk. Not just today, the dragon will continue to go berserk, and the cycles will get shorter. To stop a dragon’s rampage, you must-…”
“I can handle that, Chief. I’ve even done it before.”
“…What did you say?”
Siol grinned at the stunned-looking Ladie.
“In the city of dragons. I went and calmed down a berserk Eorzen-nim once.”
Ryufen, who had been listening, ran over.
“Right! You disappeared back then, didn’t you? You didn’t just pass out in a corner, you actually went to the Commander?”
“Yes. That’s why I was so frustrated when I got scolded.”
“No, why are you only telling me this now?”
“When was I supposed to say it? Back then, I thought I’d be killed if my identity was revealed.”
“Ugh, the two of you are equally frustrating. I’m going to die of frustration watching two beastmen like you in a relationship.”
Ladie stared at Siol bickering with her younger brother, having forgotten to even breathe.
The only being who could calm a dragon’s rampage was the dragon’s mate. No other being, besides the dragon’s mate, could control a dragon. Truly, no other being. She stood frozen as if struck on the head, staring blankly at Siol.
But, but… the witch said the dragon’s mate was my child. Even the Demon King said the child was the Blue Dragon’s mate and would one day return.
Siol looked at Ladie and said.
“You can’t understand how it’s possible when I’m not his mate, right? Hmm. You might find it hard to believe, but I’m actually from another world.”
“…You’re from another world?”
“Things like this were commonplace over there.”
Ladie’s eyes, which had been filled with disbelief, were now colored with shock.
She could barely make a sound, muttering in a fading voice.
“I never thought… it would be in this way….”
Siol didn’t quite catch that low voice and turned his attention to the fight between Eorzen and Nathaniel.
A dozen ice spears created by Eorzen rained down on Nathaniel simultaneously. Shards of ice scattered. From within the shattered ice fragments, frozen vines cracked and fell to the floor with thuds. Nathaniel was still alive and unharmed inside.
Nathaniel raised his staff with murderous eyes, and dozens of vines grew from under his feet, writhing and drawing a magic circle with their bodies. Then, from within the vine-made magic circle, sewer rats, snakes, and crows began to pour out.
Eorzen struck the vines with lightning and burned them, but too many beasts had already poured into the ruins.
A dragon was not well-suited for dealing with such small fry. Siol took a gem from his pocket and fumbled with his foot on the floor. But before he could do anything, Eorzen spread his wings and let out a low growl, and the beasts began to struggle desperately to get away from him.
That’s right. There was no way the dragon’s power to repel monsters wouldn’t work on beasts.
“That’ll just push him closer to a rampage.”
Ryufen said worriedly. Before his words had even finished, horns suddenly sprouted from Eorzen’s head. And the concentration of the magic Eorzen wielded became so thick it could be felt on the skin.
Nathaniel slammed his staff on the floor.
At that moment, the rats, snakes, and crows that had been filling the floor and the air abruptly stopped moving. The crows fluttered to the ground, dead, mixing with the dead rats and snakes. A sacrifice. Nathaniel had sacrificed all the creatures he had summoned. Blood flowed from the hundred or so corpses that had died without a scratch, pooling on the floor.
That wasn’t all. Blood also streamed from Nathaniel’s hands gripping the staff, mixing with the blood pooled on the floor.
“Even you, Blue Dragon, won’t be able to withstand this move.”
Nathaniel boasted with a cackle. And surprisingly, that statement was, to some extent, true.
The blood that had crept to Eorzen’s feet suddenly shot up and grabbed him. More than a few dozen hands grabbed his ankles, his calves, his thighs, and climbed up. Eorzen seemed to try to shake them off, but for some reason, he couldn’t use his strength properly. He himself seemed to find it difficult to understand why.
At that moment, Ladie stepped forward.
The blood of the child who is the Blue Dragon’s mate is neutralizing the dragon.
She felt a dizzying sense of how to resolve the misunderstandings and wrongful situations brought about by her own vengefulness. Everything she thought she had done for her child was, in turn, tormenting him.
She couldn’t remember the look on Siol’s face when she had smugly said, ‘You are not the Blue Dragon’s mate.’
Ladie’s sword swiftly cut through the hands gripping Eorzen.
“Go, Blue Dragon.”
Freed, Eorzen flapped his wings and flew toward Nathaniel. Nathaniel was smiling. He had an arrogant attitude, as if Eorzen would never be able to strike him.
Slaaash!
Eorzen neither hesitated nor stopped. He raked Nathaniel’s chest with his sharp claws and then struck him.
“What? Wait, I’m sparkling, why-…”
Then he placed his foot on the fallen Nathaniel’s chest and stomped down with all his might.
Craaack!!
Blood splattered, and the light in Nathaniel’s horrified eyes flickered out. Then, black smoke began to slowly seep out from Nathaniel’s slack-jawed mouth. It seemed to be struggling, as if it was extremely difficult to exit the forcibly fitted body.
Ryufen, who had been watching the scene, cautiously stepped back and tugged on the hem of Siol’s clothes.
“We’re screwed. The Commander has gone berserk….”
It was true. There was no sign of reason in Eorzen’s movements. Only beast-like instincts such as vigilance and rage filled Eorzen, seething within him.
The reason was soon apparent. Eorzen bent down and sniffed Nathaniel, then spread his wings out sharply. He seemed to be excited by the blood that carried the scent of Nathaniel- no, of his mate. A sharp killing intent blanketed the surroundings.
Eorzen straightened up and this time, flew to the wall. The wall where the gap had been open just moments before. It seemed Eorzen had read some kind of trace on that wall.
Eorzen, who had placed his hand on the wall and was reading its magic, suddenly opened his eyes wide, and the wall began to crumble in the shape of a magic circle. Amazingly, Eorzen was reading the traces of the magic that had existed there and replicating it exactly. It was impossible to even imagine how much magic was being consumed.
“Wh-what do we do?”
“Calm down, Ryufen. I told you I could calm him.”
“Then do it now, quickly!”
Siol pressed his lips together and glared at Ryufen.
He probably didn’t know, but his guiding required intense contact, or a deep night. There was no way he could do that with everyone watching.
In the meantime, the magic circle on the wall was completed and a gap opened. Cold, chilly magic flowed out from beyond the gap once more. Wondering if the same fight as before was about to begin, Siol turned to see Eorzen already holding blazing masses of flame in both hands. They were bomb-like masses of flame, compressing an enormous amount of magic.
This time, he had instantly manifested magic of a power he had said required preparation earlier.
“…How could he do it so fast…?”
“He’s in a rampage.”
“Wasn’t a rampage just losing your reason and going wild?”
“What? That’s right, but it’s not just that. For a dragon without a mate, magic residue builds up every time they use magic. It builds up more and faster if they use too much magic at once. So they usually control how they use magic to prevent that from happening. But when they go into a rampage, they lose both the reason and the sanity to control it, so they end up like that.”
“So they… don’t have to worry about the magic residue.”
The mass of flame that left Eorzen’s hand exploded on Nathaniel, who was hanging from the witch’s tree.
So that’s how he can use magic by consuming it so inefficiently. I always thought dragons were strong beings, but they were in a state where they were being careful not to go on a rampage?
Eorzen-nim is truly amazing.
Siol watched Eorzen, who was mutilating the witch’s tree with magic, with eyes full of admiration. Eorzen was relentlessly attacking Nathaniel and the witch’s tree. The flames born from Eorzen’s fingertips persistently burned away the sap flowing from the witch’s tree and moved onto the tree trunk, expanding their territory.
Tree trunks randomly burst through the gap and charged at Eorzen, but not a single one got close. This was because they were repeatedly struck by crashing thunderbolts and burned to pieces.
Screeeeeeeech———
Suddenly, the human figures visible on the tree’s surface opened their mouths wide and began to scream. It wasn’t a pained groan, but a mental attack containing a curse that penetrated the opponent’s mind.
Eorzen endured it without batting an eye, and the mental curse that had pierced through the area filled with the dragon’s magic was weakened, having little effect on Siol and the other wolves. Siol glanced at Burdril, but thankfully, Burdril was unconscious and seemed unaffected. He thought he caught a glimpse of Burdril’s Courier gripping and shaking something, but he didn’t have the mind to pay attention.
Eorzen reached out, called his sword that had fallen to the floor to his hand, and began to pour magic into it.
Woooooong- With a strange vibrating sound, Eorzen’s sword began to glow a vivid blue. Cracks spread across the blade, which was filled with magic beyond its limit. Eorzen paid no heed and pushed even more magic into it, then glanced at the witch’s tree and flapped his wings.
With just a single flap of his wings, Eorzen had reached Nathaniel in the blink of an eye. Severed tree trunks fell behind Eorzen with a thud. They were the remnants of the tree trunks that had attacked him mid-flight.
I couldn’t even see him…?
Come to think of it, wasn’t this the first time he had seen a berserk dragon fight?
Siol stared blankly at the sight of Nathaniel’s true body, the witch’s tree, exploding. Eorzen slowly withdrew his sword and let it drop to the floor with a clatter; only the hilt remained, the blade completely gone.
“……”
Eorzen, having dealt with Nathaniel, slowly turned to look at Siol. Siol took a step forward without realizing it, while Ryufen, Ladie, and Kadion took a step back.
Zzzzzk, with a strange sound, the gap closed.
“Ryufen, escort those two out.”
“What? You, what about you?”
“It takes time to stabilize a rampage. So, go back.”
Without further explanation, Siol reached his hand out toward Eorzen. As if he had been waiting, Eorzen snatched Siol. It was rough, but not painful. Thin, membranous wings wrapped around them as if to protect Siol.
Eorzen buried his face in the nape of Siol’s neck and took a deep breath. Siol, feeling ticklish and a little embarrassed, flinched his shoulders, then, conscious of Ryufen who had yet to leave, brought his lips to the side of Eorzen’s cheek.
Eorzen froze as if surprised, then let out a growl and bit Siol’s shoulder.
Ah, I wanted to prove to Ryufen that it wasn’t dangerous, but at this rate….
“…Go. Sister, brother-in-law.”
Contrary to Siol’s thoughts, Ryufen immediately led his sister and brother-in-law out of the ruins. On their way, they didn’t forget to retrieve the unconscious Burdril and the corpse of Nathaniel’s child form.
Siol felt Ladie pause for a moment and look back at them, but he was too surprised when the blue dragon pushed a hand inside his shirt to properly check. By the time Siol managed to pull the dragon’s hand out and look back, everyone was already gone.
“……”
“……”
Now, only Siol and Eorzen were left in this space.
As if he had been waiting for just this, Eorzen lifted Siol into his arms. But it wasn’t the usual posture with his legs gathered to one side, but a position where Siol’s legs were spread, wrapping around Eorzen’s waist. While Siol was frozen in surprise at the suggestive posture, Eorzen nipped at Siol’s lower lip and pushed his tongue inside.
“Mmph… uh, uungh…!”
There was no time to say anything.
Siol, completely captured by Eorzen, accepted the kiss. There was no way to resist, with one hand supporting him under his bottom and the other sliding up his back to hold the nape of his neck in place. His feet dangled powerlessly in the air, and his hands, contrary to his bewildered feelings, were wrapped around Eorzen’s neck.
Every time a tingling sensation spread and he panted, trying to escape, Eorzen only became more persistent.
Ah, no.
Siol tried not to give in to the pleasure. This was not the time to enjoy a romantic moment; he needed to focus more on guiding to bring the completely berserk blue dragon back to his senses.
“Hahk…!”
Siol flinched and straightened his back.
Eorzen’s fingertips had only lightly scratched the nape of his neck, but the sensation pierced through his body as if he’d been electrocuted, stimulating somewhere in his lower back. Siol grabbed Eorzen’s shoulders with trembling hands and pushed him away.
Th-this is strange.
His body felt strange.
He was just being held and kissed, but he couldn’t understand why his body was trembling like this, why every touch of their skin against each other was ringing deep inside him. No matter how much he had been looking forward to this moment, this was strange. His head was dizzy with heat, and the skin all over his body felt flushed, filling his mind with the sole thought that he couldn’t go on like this.