NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 594
Chapter 594: Only Us Left (2)
Just as Ereness couldn’t escape the World Tree’s forest, Arterion, under restriction, couldn’t break free from the Shadow Mountain Range.
That being said, his immense power had not vanished.
Arterion shouted loudly enough to reverberate through the cave.
“I have been fighting without rest!”
He had spent a long time engulfing the surrounding monsters, driving them mad to endlessly breed.
Arterion certainly felt the challenger being reborn. That’s why he sent monsters in his stead instead of moving himself.
He was grasping at the slightest possibility of killing the foe while it was still young, before recovery of power.
“Is that what you’re saying? That I am wrong!”
This was nothing more than obsession.
And Arterion knew that fact well.
Through the goblins, he had heard how the Kingdom of Turian was brilliantly blocking the Monster Wave.
Still, he did not give up. He needed to vent the rage boiling within him somehow.
“Even if all humans die because of this, I will not give up. This is also a revenge for my kin, abandoned by the Goddess!”
Dragons were extinct. It had been over two hundred years by human standards since the last corpse was found.
For now, the traces still remained, so they weren’t forgotten, but someday dragons would be completely forgotten and become mere legends.
That was the curse laid upon the dragon race.
Ereness, witnessing Arterion’s wrath, pressed her forehead and stumbled.
‘It’s wrong.’
There was only one reason she came here.
If the foe had truly resurrected, they needed to unite their strength once more.
She intended to persuade Arterion to take her to Ruthania once the restrictions were lifted. If they joined forces with Ghislaine, she believed they could prevent the challenger from reappearing.
But Arterion was no longer the wise dragon she once knew. He wasn’t even the harmonizer maintaining the balance of the world.
Only then did Ereness realize.
That proud dragon was half-mad with revenge.
Arterion’s eyes momentarily twisted. His voice turned soft again.
“Ereness, my long-time friend and hero who saved this world with me. Now, we are the only ones left who remember that war.”
“……”
“Our efforts to save the world have become meaningless. We couldn’t save ourselves. So… we have to carry out revenge properly, don’t we?”
“…Arterion.”
“You’ve come to join me again, right? So hurry, we must find that bastard. With your skills, it should be entirely possible.”
“…How am I supposed to find him?”
“There are surely those gaining fame in the Kingdom of Turian. One of them will be the challenger. Once we find the sacred relic, we can confirm it. The relic will definitely react to him!”
“…What if there’s no sacred relic?”
Arterion’s enormous eyes closed in on Ereness.
Each time his mouth opened, an eerie chill washed over her.
“Then just kill them all. All the interfering humans too.”
Arterion’s blue eyes had now completely turned red. Blood tears were dripping from his eyes.
His chilling voice echoed through the cave again.
“When I make my move, I will destroy the Kingdom of Turian first. If the challenger is still alive, I will kill all humans on the continent.”
Ereness looked at Arterion with a sullen gaze.
After staring at him for some time, she turned away.
She had to go back to Ruthania. She needed to inform Ghislaine.
That the mad dragon would soon be unleashed to kill humans. So they needed to prepare.
As she left with a hardened expression, Arterion’s voice rang out again.
“I will definitely find that bastard and tear him apart!”
*
“Ha….”
Ereness suppressed her exhaustion as she retraced her steps.
Monsters continued to pretend not to see her. Thanks to that, her descent was quite smooth.
Once she came down the mountain, her followers who had been waiting approached her.
“Are you okay?”
Seeing the worried faces of her followers, Ereness asked.
“How many days has it been?”
“It’s been a month.”
“Really….”
In reality, the time Ereness felt had barely been less than a day.
But the place where Arterion was located was a rift in space-time. Thus, time flowed differently from the outside.
The same went for the World Tree’s forest. That’s why she could escape the flow of the outside world as well.
An elf carefully asked her.
“So… what will you do now?”
Everyone knew whom she went to meet. Ereness’s choice would determine the course of their journey going forward.
After pondering for a moment, Ereness asked.
“How’s the war?”
“The last news we received was that the allied forces were fighting the Army of Atrode in the Kingdom of Grimwell.”
“Then let’s head that way. I think it would be better to assist with the war for now.”
“Understood.”
Ereness and the elves moved discreetly, avoiding the eyes of the people.
However, upon arriving at the Kingdom of Grimwell, they heard news that the war had ended. The allied forces had already returned to Sardina Kingdom, leaving only part of their troops for occupation.
“Yay! The allied forces have won!”
“Just as expected from Duke Penris!”
“The Ruthania Army handled it all!”
People were rejoicing at the fact that the Salvation Society had been crushed.
Ereness felt her heart swell with emotion as she listened to their words.
“Duke Penris… you did it after all.”
Even when she was with him in Ruthania, she had felt he was truly remarkable.
He had stopped the expansion of the rift and obliterated the main force of the Salvation Society that swept across the continent.
Even in the wars long ago, there had been stronger individuals. However, there hadn’t been anyone who led a war so excellently.
“If you had been there back then… would the outcome have been different?”
Ereness muttered with a bitter expression.
In that war from long ago, she lost many loved ones and suffered much sorrow.
That’s why the tremendous achievement of Duke Penris brought her both joy and regret.
Ereness shook her head to clear her thoughts.
She couldn’t hold onto past events. If she became consumed by anger and pain like Arterion, she would lose herself.
Instead, she embraced the voices of the people surrounding her joyfully. The Spirit of Wind was darting around and relaying their voices.
“Hey, it wasn’t just Duke Penris who performed like that. The people who fought alongside him are also remarkable!”
‘That’s right, there were many excellent talents in the Ruthania Army.’
Ereness nodded with a pleased smile. She knew better since she had fought alongside them against the Delphine Duchy.
“Have you heard? There’s an incredible mage named Vanessa who supposedly wiped out the White Silver Knight Order with Duke Penris!”
‘Then, Vanessa can truly be called a genius.’
“Gillian too! He lived up to his name as the White Lion, slicing through everything!”
‘Gillian, a man with unwavering loyalty and strength.’
Ereness had helped Gillian ascend to the near-superhuman level. That’s why she felt even prouder.
“Hey, do you know Parniel? The Saint? She’s incredibly strong! Just one swing of her mace crushes everything.”
‘…Hmm.’
Ereness tried to brush off that topic. She didn’t feel good about the Saint, but the Saint didn’t seem to like Ereness either.
“Belinda’s technique is said to be the strongest on the continent!”
‘Indeed, she’s that impressive.’
“Oh, and what about that one-armed knight? He’s said to fight and lead extraordinarily well. And the Ruthania Princess? Her strength is monstrous! She sweeps everything away!”
‘Everyone performed excellently.’
Ereness wore a pleasant smile.
In some ways, these were the first comrades she had met in this world. It made her incredibly happy to see such people being praised by others.
“Kaor has become a superhuman too!”
‘Huh? That guy became a superhuman?’
Ereness’s expression turned to one of surprise. She had thought Kaor could never become a superhuman!
Thinking maybe the tales have been exaggerated, she heard snippets of those stories from various places.
‘It seems Kaor gained significant realization during this war. I wonder what happened?’
Kaor’s beliefs resided in places far beyond Ereness’s imagination.
“Jerome is truly the strongest! He single-handedly stopped the undead swarm, and this time he supposedly even used some divine magic!!”
‘Hmm, is he the mage I’ve only heard rumors about? He seems quite powerful.’
“What about Claude? They say he’s a master strategist, a genius! The bribes he exposes are all for the kingdom! Collecting that to use for war funds! A complete patriot! A patriot!”
‘Ugh… let’s not think about that guy.’
Ereness let that one slide too.
Of course, there was no doubt about Claude’s ability. He was exceptional in strategy and had even managed to bind her with some odd contract.
It was just because of his oddity as a human.
“Have you heard about Alfoy? The white mage who defeated a god! It’s said he’s actually the ultimate secret weapon of Ruthania. 100 Circles, you know, 100 Circles.”
‘…Huh???’
Ereness’s head began to ache, making her stop listening. It seemed silly rumors were spreading right along with it.
But suddenly, she caught a sound that made her perk her ears back up.
“Hey, above all, the real deal is the Prince of Turian. They say he’s that strong!”
‘Turian?’
Thoughts of what Arterion had said flashed through her mind.
— That guy was reborn in the Kingdom of Turian. I can clearly feel that cursed energy.
— There are surely those gaining fame in the Kingdom of Turian. One of them must be the challenger.
— When I make my move, I will start by destroying the Kingdom of Turian.
‘Could it be…?’
When she heard this from Arterion, she had been skeptical. But now, with the mention of the Prince of Turian from people, she couldn’t ignore it.
Ereness focused only on the details about the Prince of Turian among what people were saying.
“They say he’s incredibly handsome.”
“Just looking into his eyes makes you swoon.”
“His black hair gives off such an impressive vibe.”
‘……’
Most of what they talked about was how splendid he was.
She collected more detailed information with her followers.
‘His name is… Yulien?’
Her heart began to race with shock.
It could be a coincidence. But the one cursed with that name just so happens to be from the Kingdom of Turian!
Why had she not realized such a capable person existed while surveying the world for so long?
‘The prince trapped in the tower… so that’s why his true identity was hidden.’
It was said that his immense power had been revealed while fighting the rift. That’s why no one knew about his past.
There are limitations to what can be learned through rumors. Nothing compares to seeing it in person.
After all, she was intending to return to the Ruthania Army anyway. Ereness spoke hastily to her followers.
“Let’s head to Sardina Kingdom.”
They made their way to Sardina Kingdom, the base of the allied forces.
Though they were ambushed by robbers several times, it posed no problem. Ereness, anxious to get there, annihilated them on her own.
Fortunately, the allied forces were still present as the post-war discussions had yet to conclude.
Upon arriving, it was not difficult to meet with the upper echelons.
“Lady Ereness!”
Most knights and soldiers of the Ruthania Army recognized her.
They greeted her warmly and quickly led her to Claude.
“Hey, why were you gone so long on leave? The war is all over!”
“……”
“If you’re going to do this, what was the point of the contract! What good is it if you’re not around when needed?”
“……”
Under Claude’s persistent scolding, Ereness was busy suppressing the growing anger inside her.
Nonetheless, it was true that she had signed the contract, and if she had been there, the war would have been easier. So the thought of smashing Claude’s head was postponed by 30 years.
Cutting Claude’s nagging short, Ereness declared.
“I need to meet Duke Penris first.”
As she spoke with determination, Claude bit his lip and led her to Ghislaine.
Ghislaine, training in the training ground, was delighted to see Ereness.
“Wow, have you finally finished up?”
“Yeah. I heard you won the war. Congratulations.”
The two exchanged brief greetings. Ereness couldn’t hide her anxious expression and asked.
“Will I be able to meet the Prince of Turian?”
“Hmm? Why?”
“Just because I’ve heard various rumors on the way… I have some points of curiosity.”
“Hmm…”
Ghislaine nodded. The time for that had finally come.
This was certainly a lie. There must be a reason Ereness was looking for Yulien.
In her past life, Ereness had immediately gotten into a fight upon seeing Yulien.
‘We need to change the location.’
Ghislaine led Ereness to a very large open space. He also called the key figures of the territory to join them.
Everyone was delighted to see Ereness. They exchanged greetings and inquired about each other’s well-being. Only Parniel simply nodded without much enthusiasm.
Ereness graciously received the greetings from everyone. But from Ghislaine’s perspective, she seemed a bit anxious.
‘Let’s see…’
In her past life, she had merely found amusement in watching the two fight. But now that she was aware of so many suspicious points, she had no intention of letting it go.
Finally, Yulien, who had been purposely called last, appeared in the open space.
Yulien looked at Ereness with the same indifferent expression as always.
And when the eyes of the two met.
Thud, thud, thud…
Ereness’s expression hardened as a tremendous aura began to emanate from her. People around her were startled and took a step back.
Crack, crack…
Vines erupted from the ground, wrapping around her body. Before she knew it, she was fully armed.
Boom!
Before anyone could stop her, Ereness lunged forward. The green light emanating from her hands targeted Yulien.
Yulien showed no surprise. With a grave look in his eyes, he drew his sword and swung it through the air.
Boom!
With a tremendous explosion, flashes burst out in all directions.