TDAA Ch 21

Siol patted Asios’s arm and laughed.

“Asios, it’s probably because you suddenly ran away and came to this land.”

That was right. The alchemist – Nathaniel – would have been planning to lure his target in after completing all his preparations. Whether that target was Ryufen, Eorzen, or someone else, he didn’t know, but someone, nonetheless.

Then, Asios suddenly returned, and following him came Eorzen, Ryufen, and the knights.

It was like guests arriving before he’d finished preparing to receive them. Nathaniel would have been flustered and angry. He must have been incredibly irritated, thinking he might be exposed for everything he had been preparing because the guests even included the kid known as his master’s assistant.

The strange sensation he felt when arriving in the city was the magical wave created by the malfunctioning, incomplete magic circle.

The owner of the gaze watching Siol in the basement was definitely Nathaniel. The basement itself was a trap. It was Nathaniel’s laboratory, set up to check if Siol, an alchemist, could recognize the traces of magic he’d left throughout the city. If Siol had used alchemy then, Nathaniel might have realized. The fact that the master he killed had returned alive in another shell. Because he wasn’t discovered then, because Nathaniel thought he was an incompetent alchemist, he had so carelessly revealed himself today and finished drawing the magic circle.

The weakening of the dragon’s curse… he hadn’t found the connection yet, but he was sure he would discover the link if he kept investigating.

“If I were that alchemist, I’d want to kill Asios for ruining my preparations. So, I can’t help but trust you.”

His tone was matter-of-fact, but because of that, it felt all the more sincere. However, Asios happily accepted the grudge he’d incurred unknowingly.

“If this is the result, running away was worth it.”

Siol shook his head, watching Asios shrug and grin, and Ryufen smacked the back of Asios’s head with his thick paw. Glaring, as if to say, running away is not okay, no matter what.

After that, the two wolves and one bird sat around the fireplace, discussing the imminent problem.

“Nathaniel is definitely up to something. I saw him drawing a magic circle earlier while hiding with Asios.”

“Hmm…. You don’t know what he’s planning yet, do you?”

Siol nodded and slipped his hands, which wouldn’t warm up, under Ryufen’s flank as he lay down. It was already warm under there, even though he hadn’t been inside for long.

“That magic circle… as far as I know, it’s definitely a magic circle for restraining large monsters. But….”

The drawing method and the shape were slightly different from what Siol knew. If only the shape had been different, Siol could have studied it and figured out what and how it had changed. But Nathaniel used potions and completed the magic circle in a way Siol had never seen or known before.

Since he was using an unknown method, Siol couldn’t easily predict how the magic circle had been modified. But he was also concerned about the way Nathaniel hid the magic circle. It would be a disaster if it was designed to send a signal to Nathaniel when someone touched it.

“The shapes are different here and there, and the drawing method isn’t normal.”

“So, what changes?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

Ryufen glanced at him with such an incredulous look that Siol felt a surge of frustration. He had no idea how difficult it was to figure that out, looking at him like that! Whatever else, he absolutely couldn’t tolerate that kind of look when it came to alchemy.

“Magic circles are extremely delicate! Even a slight deviation can render them completely useless! That’s why modifying a magic circle is really difficult, and there’s no way Nathaniel has that kind of skill…!”

“…Wait, Sizool, do… you know Nathaniel from before?”

“Huh?”

“You’re talking like you know him, aren’t you?”

Siol’s face paled at those words.

No, it was still okay. He was known as the wolf beastman rescued from the hut where the Alchemist of Death lived. Then, it wouldn’t be strange if he knew his disciple, Nathaniel.

“Th, that’s….”

He came up with an excuse in his head, but his body wasn’t quick enough. While he hesitated in his confusion, Ryufen patted Siol’s knee with his paw.

“Kid, looks like you’re finally ready to open up about the past. The Captain will be happy. He’s been really worried, saying you look like you’re about to die whenever the past is brought up, you know?”

“…Eorzen… said that?”

“Yeah, when Burdril was prying, too…. Well, you still look like you’re about to die, but it’s better than back then.”

There was a time when he thought he’d rather die than be revealed as the Alchemist of Death. Because he couldn’t bear the stigma of the Alchemist of Death, and the weight of it made him feel like he was going to die.

That weight still pressed down on Siol heavily from time to time, but despite that, a sense of confidence welled up that he might be able to endure it.

This peaceful life he had now. Relationships where they tried to understand each other, even if they bickered a little. A sense of belonging, like they were within the same circle.

He didn’t know exactly how to describe this feeling he was experiencing for the first time in his life, but he didn’t want to lose it.

Yes, a desire had formed within him, a desire to endure and keep it.

A desire arose to shed his false appearance and reveal himself. He knew that he might not be accepted. He was afraid, but despite that, the desire to make himself known and be acknowledged overcame his fear.

That’s why he was trying his best, making plans to deal with the past….

“I feel… a little better.”

“That’s good.”

Hearing Ryufen’s unusually gentle reply, Siol felt the battle between stability and fear in his mind. The desire to hide and the desire to speak fought fiercely, and unsure of which was real, Siol impulsively blurted out,

“I met Nathaniel many times. I… thought we knew each other well, but he… tried to kill me.”

“Wait, you almost died by his hand?”

“Yes.”

Actually, it wasn’t that he almost died, but that he did die.

Seeing Siol’s face turn pale as he spoke calmly, Ryufen patted Siol’s knee again, and Asios, who was next to him, gently patted his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get revenge for you.”

“If the Vice-Captain can’t do it, I will, Sizool.”

That impulsive remark just now was definitely aimed at this reaction. He wanted to hear kind words, he wanted them to take his side, so he’d taken advantage of his weakened state and revealed his feelings.

Looking at the two beastmen approaching him with the honest and kind reactions he’d longed for, Siol realized his own baseness.

“Why wouldn’t I be able to do it?”

“When a fight starts, Vice-Captain gets a little… crazy, so you might miss him.”

“It’s not always like that! I pay special attention to things like this!”

“So, you weren’t paying attention before, which is why you’ve been so careless with your missions….”

“Ah, shut up!”

However, that self-disgust didn’t last long. Ryufen was acting so childish that it dissipated.

Ryufen stood up, punched Asios in the chest with his thick fist, knocking him over, and then calmly lay down on top of him. When Asios, crushed beneath the heavy wolf, let out a strangled gasp, Ryufen even covered his face with his paw. Only after Asios became quiet like a carpet did Ryufen uncover his face. Asios exhaled with a dying look on his face.

Ryufen, he’s more violent than I thought…. Siol realized anew that Ryufen was always going easy on him.

“Hmm…. Anyway, the original form of that magic circle is one for restraining large monsters. But Nathaniel drew a modified magic circle, and it’s large enough to cover this entire city. It’s impossible to make a reasonable guess as to how it’s changed.”

“Meaning?”

“Unreasonable guesses are possible. You said the original magic circle restrains ‘monsters.’ That means it can’t be used on beings with intelligence. Naturally, it can’t be used on beastmen either. My guess is… he changed it so that it can be used on beastmen, too.”

“So, the target is a large beastman.”

It had already been revealed that the king and Nathaniel were working together with the aim of using beastmen as weapons of war. Muriel was conducting further investigations, but that was simply to confirm the evidence. Eorzen, Ryufen, and Muriel were almost certain. Therefore, it was reasonable to assume this trap had the same purpose.

“Then, there’s a high probability that I was the target.”

Ryufen said, stroking his chin.

“The Captain doesn’t usually leave the castle for war purposes. It’s usually me who goes out if something happens outside.”

“But Ryufen lost a hind leg. Would Nathaniel not know that?”

Even when asked if they wouldn’t find him somewhat lacking as a weapon of war, Ryufen didn’t back down.

“Humans think of dragon magic as all-powerful. Even if they saw my limbs blown off, they’d think the Captain restored them.”

“That… could be true.”

“But could it… really restrain me?”

He had a look of challenge on his face. Siol narrowed his eyes and smacked Ryufen on the back. Of course, Ryufen reacted as if a fly had landed on him.

“Don’t even think about getting caught in a trap first thing. This magic circle is originally very effective even when small, but he drew it over the entire city! I can’t even guess how powerful it will be. And….”

Siol hesitated mid-sentence and glanced at Asios. It was time to discuss something that he was worried about Asios’ reaction to. Siol, facing the two beastmen looking at him quizzically, started speaking with difficulty.

“It consumes a tremendous amount of magical power. To supply magical power to such a large magic circle, you’d need an enormous magic stone, and I’m sorry, Asios, but… I believe the magic stone in the Tower of Survival is the source….”

“Ah! That’s why you were so surprised when you heard there was a magic stone in the tower. But why are you apologizing to me… oh.”

Asios, who had been wriggling out from under Ryufen, suddenly froze, his breath catching in his throat. He seemed to have finally realized what Siol meant. That he was predicting the magic stone of the Tower of Survival would be used for Nathaniel’s magic. That meant…

“That’s… impossible without the lord’s permission, isn’t it?”

Ryufen calmly pointed out the part the two beastmen couldn’t bring themselves to mention directly.

Perhaps sensing that this wasn’t the time for jokes, Ryufen released Asios. Asios sat up and shouted in a confused tone,

“That’s absurd! My father would never allow such a thing! He’s someone who was exploited by humans for a long time and has only just been freed. Why would he help Nathaniel? It’s preposterous to suspect my father!”

“Asios….”

He could fully understand how he felt.

He’d heard that Asios’s father, in his final moments, had exerted superhuman strength to send Asios away alone to save him. It was obvious what kind of memory such a father would leave on Asios, who had been a very small bird.

“Then, for now, that part….”

“But because of that-“

Asios continued in a trembling voice.

“It’s something I have to do, more than anyone else. Please leave the matter of questioning my father to me.”

Asios was a strong-willed beastman.

Siol recalled his own past, when he’d run away from reality in a similar situation. He had regarded everyone around him as enemies, been wary, hidden himself, and only recently begun to look towards the future, but Asios had composed himself in mere seconds.

Where did this difference come from?

“I will do it. Before I am Lord Period’s son, I am a knight of the Blue Dragon.”

Ryufen patted the head of Asios, who was trembling but continued to speak resolutely.

Would things have been different if he’d had beastmen like Ryufen and Eorzen by his side since he was young? Even though he knew this was a petty, childish jealousy, Siol couldn’t stop thinking about it.

He wanted to see Eorzen. Right now.

He wanted to feel that special sense of fulfillment, the warmth, the affection that he could only feel when embraced by Eorzen. He wanted to confess all his vileness while held in the Blue Dragon’s embrace and be accepted for even that.

But if he were actually held in that embrace, he wouldn’t be able to say anything and would just hold him back, remembering that moment as if it were an eternity.