Chapter 127: In Search of a Scream (4)
“In that case, please come. The innocent are waiting for you today as well.”
“Indeed.”
“I’ll go out first and wait for you”
The woman turned and went out the door. There was a faint scent of lilies lingering where she had been. Ronan was constantly trying to do something, anything, but the enigmatic Savior, whose body he was restrained inside, never relinquished control.
‘Damn it, what’s happening?’
It felt as though he was being told to just stand and watch, leaving him feeling queasy. The Savior, who had moved toward the desk, hung a star pendant with seven points around his neck.
Mana sparkled within the rugged seven-pointed star like mist. Once again, lips moved involuntarily, murmuring softly.
“…May the Protection of the Stars be upon us.”
Adjusting his attire, the Savior opened the door. With a creak, an entirely unexpected scene unfolded before him.
‘What…?’
Ronan’s eyes widened. A small village reminiscent of Nimberton stood under the blue sky. With every gust of wind, wildflowers scattered and rose repeatedly as if awakening and lying back down.
Whatever he had passed through had disappeared entirely, be it doors or buildings. It was a frequent occurrence in dreams or imaginary worlds—a sudden change of place. Ronan, looking around, shook his head in disbelief.
‘Was there a fire?’
Contrary to the initial impression, the village wasn’t entirely peaceful. Many of the buildings, mostly constructed from wood, were either collapsed or charred.
It seemed less like a fire and more like an attack by something spewing flames. Residents wearing scorched clothes were walking around busily. Then Ronan’s gaze settled on something peculiar.
‘That’s…’
Cattle, horses, monkeys, and more—a variety of creatures, easily a hundred, were carrying wood and stones. Transparent-looking beings, likely spirits made of magic, as indicated by their semi-translucent bodies.
The smaller or medium-sized spirits carried materials or repaired destroyed houses. Occasionally, larger spirits undertook significant tasks like digging up land or creating mounds of earth to form gardens.
It didn’t take long for him to realize that their actions were aimed at drawing water from a distant river. Ronan, who was looking at the spirits’ civil engineering work, laughed.
‘That’s amazing.’
Since the mana wavelengths emanating from the spirits were identical, it was certain that they were all being controlled by a single entity. Considering that the average Spirit Mage could manage two to three spirits at most, this was truly an incredible skill.
The Savior made their way toward the village center. The woman he had conversed with earlier was surrounded by villagers. The locals dressed in shabby clothes continuously bowed, expressing gratitude.
“We thought we’d freeze to death this winter…! Thank you so much!”
“Th-Thank you for allowing the river to reach the village… There’s no need for such…”
“This land is fertile, and many more people will gather here in the future. After completing the reconstruction, we’ll truly bring the river forth.”
The red-eyed elven woman was controlling the spirits with perfect precision. The mana exuding from the spirits was flowing from her. When the Savior and the woman met gazes, she politely nodded.
“Savior.”
“Your skills have improved again, Elysia. Seems like you’re capable of controlling intermediate-level spirits now.”
“It’s thanks to you, Savior. The magic book you personally compiled was very helpful.”
“Is that so? How does it compare to the first book?”
“Of course Lerant was a great book, but I believe what you wrote this time surpasses it. By the way, have you decided on a title?”
The woman took out a book from within her robe. Ronan’s brow furrowed as he instantly recognized it.
The book, with its cover and pages both black, were sickeningly familiar. Words that drove a wedge between the lips flowed out again.
“Virja.”
“It’s a great name. I’ll work harder.”
“Good. Please work a little harder.”
The woman resumed her concentration on her spirit magic. Ronan, observing from within his widened eyes, was in shock, unable to utter a word.
‘Fuck, how far back in time is this?’
The fact that this figure known as the Savior had authored Virja was astonishing, but what was more astonishing was the current time frame. Eyrie, the librarian of the Dawn Magic Tower, speculated Virja to have been written at least two thousand years ago.
It was unbelievable. The scenery he was witnessing right now was from a thousand years earlier.
Ronan stood still for a moment, forgetting any resistance. Unperturbed, the Savior moved on. Villagers flocked around them at every step.
“Savior, really, thank you. We never imagined you would come to our village…”
“Wuuwuuu… A mo-monster burned down the entire village and devoured all the people.”
“Rest assured. An exceptional warrior has gone to deal with the monster.”
The Savior reached out, comforting a crying child’s head. They were touring the village alongside the residents.
A peculiar scene caught Ronan’s eye, a giant man was sitting at the corner of the village. The man’s back, as wide as a stingray, had a large tattoo of the seven-pointed star, the symbol of Nebula Clazier.
“Oof…! Ah, it hurts!”
“Just endure a little. Connecting is always the most painful part.”
A dwarf farmer was lying in front of him, screaming agony. The giant held onto the farmer’s leg, trying hard to put something on it.
Ronan realized that the farmer’s right leg was severed below the knee. The giant yelled,
“Alright, I’m connecting it. Huuah!”
“Aaaaah!!”
A long scream echoed. The wife and child, who had been watching, covered their mouths. Eventually, the farmer, coming back to his senses, lifted his head.
“Gasp… Wha… What’s…?”
“Haha, you did well. Now, try getting up.”
Below the severed part of his leg, a metal limb had been attached. Sensation returned, and the farmer cautiously rose. As he gingerly placed his foot down, he let out an exuberant gasp.
“It… It moves! I can walk!”
“Hahaha! Of course, you can. This is a prosthetic leg I made, not anyone else!”
The man burst into hearty laughter. Rushing forward with cheers, the farmer embraced his wife and child. It was a heartwarming scene. Approaching the giant, the Savior spoke.
“You did well. Your craftsmanship is impressive as always.”
“Oh, you’re here.”
The giant stood up. His height seemed closer to that of a beast than a human, easily towering over 2 meters. With his hand in his pocket, he responded.
“It’s all thanks to the skills you taught me. How do you even know such things?”
“It’s no big deal. I just have a little more experience than others.”
“You won’t tell me about your experiences this time either, will you?”
The Savior silently nodded. The man who had been twitching the corners of his mouth eventually burst into laughter.
“Haha, as expected, you’re the strangest mortal I’ve encountered.”
“I don’t want to hear that from a dragon who makes prosthetics for mortals. Alivriha.”
‘Alivriha…?’
Ronan’s eyes widened upon hearing the man’s name. It was someone he had heard about through Teranil and Yuria not long ago—a master craftsman of prosthetics and artificial limbs.
He had thought of meeting this skilled craftsman someday, but he hadn’t expected it to happen like this. But a dragon? Various questions swirled in his mind when suddenly, a voice came from behind.
“Savior. I’ve dealt with the nearby pests as you instructed.”
Ronan, who belatedly sensed the presence, was startled. The presence exuding from the figure was far more intense than Elysia or Alivriha.
The Savior turned his head. A man, wearing a white robe up to his nose, stood there. The longsword hanging from his waist was soaked in blood.
“There were a lot of them, so I only cut off the head of the one that seemed like the leader and brought it back.”
The gleaming mana emanated from the sword wrapped in a white aura. Bound tightly to his back was the head of a massive drake. Alivriha patted it in admiration.
“Wow, just the head is this huge. It could be called an honorary dragon.”
“It’s quite sizable. It’s presumed that this creature is the one which incinerated the surrounding towns and villages.”
“There isn’t a single drop of blood on your clothes this time either. As expected, you are truly remarkable.”
The man in the robe bowed his head. Despite everything else, his not arrogant demeanor was appealing. The Savior spoke up.
“Well done. ■■.”
“Thank you, Savior.”
“Get some rest. The reconstruction work is almost done…”
Ronan furrowed his brow. He couldn’t make out the word that seemed like the man’s name. As the man was about to turn, there was a sudden brightness.
“Hmm?”
Everyone present turned their heads simultaneously and gasped in unison. From high above, crimson flames cascaded like a waterfall.
“What…!”
It was an immensely powerful flame, enough to cover the entire sky as if to blanket it entirely. Alivriha’s face contorted in confusion. Shrieks erupted from all corners of the village.
“Aaaah! Fire!”
“Help!”
The first to react were Elysia’s spirits. They desperately conjured shields, throwing their bodies into the flames but couldn’t withstand even a few seconds before being engulfed and vanishing.
Alivriha also shot water created through magic into the sky, but it didn’t seem to assist much in extinguishing the fire. Ronan shouted.
‘You idiot, do something!’
Despite the imminent crisis, the figure known as the Savior remained nonchalant, just standing there. When the flames were about fifty paces away, the Savior suddenly raised his right armand opened his mouth.
“Everyone, please calm down.”
For a moment, the screams ceased. Simultaneously, flames engulfed the village. Kawaaah! The relentless surge of flames swept through the village and nearby lands, then abruptly stopped.
‘What…?’
Ronan, who had closed his eyes due to the heat, lifted his head. Nothing had happened. No one had died or been injured, and the village buildings stood unscathed without a single char mark.
The reason became evident in the sky. A purple-hued dome covered the entire area.
‘The Protection of the Stars…!’
Ronan’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out. It was a familiar sight, much like Virja. However, it was on a different level compared to any Protection of the Stars he’d seen before.
It was unbelievably thick, with a radius of at least a few kilometers. It resembled Ahaiyute’s barrier to some extent.
【What kind of tick did you use?】
At that moment, a majestic voice echoed from high above. The flapping sound heard earlier was gradually drawing closer.
Whoooh! Suddenly, the veil of smoke covering the barrier dissipated. Dense shadows loomed over the faces of the people. The gusts of wind, originating from the flapping, pushed away the smoke and embers. Soon enough, the culprit spewing flames revealed themselves.
‘Fuck.’
Ronan twisted his lips. From head to tail, the length seemed to exceed seventy meters easily. The crimson hue that engulfed its body denied the very essence of the world.
It was a Red Dragon, considered the most ferocious among all dragons, descending upon the village. Alivriha, upon seeing the sight, scratched his head as if he was annoyed.
“Damn it, why is that bastard here?”
“Do you know each other?”
“Yeah. Garagnes, the Red Dragon. He’s a guy with a dirty temper, but why did he come all the way here…”
Alivriha explained that the dragon was from the Naverdo tribe. Ronan was well aware of the Naverdo tribe.
A great dragon, still hailed as the Mother of Fire, the formidable one who had slain giants during the last great battle without perishing. The Savior spoke.
“Noble dragon, why indulge in such actions?”
【Bring me the one who killed my servant.】
“Servant?”
【Yes. The life of the servant who served me for centuries has just been extinguished. The culprit is undoubtedly here.】
Upon hearing those words, Ronan looked at the man in the flipped robe. From the situation, it was evident that the Drake he brought was the servant.
“I…”
“Stay put.”
The man was about to step forward, but the Savior intervened.
“I apologize, but that might be a bit difficult.”
【What do you mean?】
“It is true that we indeed killed your servant. However, it was because your servant trampled on human territories and preyed on mortals as it pleased. Would you not admit to each other’s mistakes and move on this time?”
【Ridiculous. Do you think my servant’s life has the same value as the lives of those insects?】
“It does to me.”
The Savior responded without any hesitation. A dreadful silence fell. Everyone present froze like statues. The Red Dragon’s laughter echoed in the sky.
【So be it. You will all turn to ashes and disappear.】
The dragon’s chest began to swell. The undulating flames were preparing to pour down.
Simultaneously, the Savior reached for the man’s sword hilt. With a smooth sound, the blood-red blade was revealed.
“Savior, I…”
The man tried to say something, but the Savior ignored him. Phwang! The Savior’s body, crouching low, shot forward like a spring.
【What…!】
The distance closed in an instant. Confusion flickered in the dragon’s eyes as they faced the towering figure that rose high enough to meet its gaze. The Savior swung the sword.
The elegant slash created a white line across the dragon’s horn. At its zenith, the figure descended once more. Bang! The horn suddenly divided into dozens of pieces and scattered like an explosion.
【Graaah!】
A pained scream erupted from the dragon’s mouth. Everyone below covered their ears at the voice that reverberated through the heavens. Failing to overcome the agony, the dragon regained balance just before hitting the ground.
“Whoa!!”
“Hey, the dragon’s retreating!”
The situation concluded in an instant. Cheers erupted as the Savior landed. Most people were caught up watching the dragon fly away, but not Ronan.
‘My God.’
The sword path drawn by the Savior was floating in his mind. Although he could barely follow it with his eyes, he could clearly see it.
The Savior’s swordsmanship closely resembled the swordsmanship of Navirose, he could tell. It was taught to him by a wanderer he had once encountered in the woods.
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