Chapter 387

The wind was rough.
The sea of white clouds was so close I could reach out and touch it.
As I lowered my gaze, I saw the world slowly slipping away from me.
The monotonous red and white earth was actually quite forgiving from the sky.
I lay down and blew out a puff of cigarette smoke.
“I’d buy a car for this flavor.”
The ride itself was different from the telekinesis of the Letancier.
I’ve ridden it a few times in the past, so I’m familiar with it.
The only problem was that it had been a while since it took off and I hadn’t heard from it.
I said, bouncing on my heels.
“When are you going to get there? I’m going to get bedsores.”
[Don’t complain].
A low, gravelly voice rumbled at my feet.
It was Captain Orsay, who was now flying with me on board.
I really liked the softer demeanor.
You’ve slain three giants in front of your eyes, and for good reason.
The destination was the resistance’s headquarters.
‘Asshole. You’ve been through a lot.
The beastly first impression was fading.
Rather, it was more serious and calm than the Orsay of the original world.
I could see why.
You’ve been living like a dandelion peeking out of a paving stone.
A polymorph of his true self, Orse’s body was marked with countless scars.
I swallowed hard and opened my mouth to speak.
“You’re a tough one, but how come you fly so low for a guy who used to soar higher than the clouds at the local watering hole?”
[You sound like you’ve been on my back before].
“Oh, that’s bullshit, ignore it. Is that why it’s flying so low?”
【Being a nuisance—if you go up in the clouds, they’ll see you. I don’t want to make a nuisance of myself.】
“Huh? To those bald guys?”
Orse wagged his tail in displeasure.
It was meant to be positive.
I asked him why he insisted on flying low, and there was a reason.
The bald men had robbed the shooting stars of their right to make wishes.
“They’re even more assholes than I thought—.”
I muttered in disbelief.
The cloud layer that completely covered the star wasn’t just a decoration.
In addition to the detection net, Orse explained that it also serves as a canvas to better draw the magic circle for the giants’ descent.
“Well, that’s the way it is. I’m tired, so I’ll see the stars later.”
【That’s great. I wonder if you can handle more than three people.
“Of course. Three is not three, twenty is twenty–damn, that doesn’t sound right.”
I briefly thought about asking for a higher altitude, but stopped myself.
It was better to rest when I could rather than push myself too hard.
I wasn’t going to let a single bald head out of this world alive anyway.
When I straightened up, I saw Letancier tied to the back of my head.
It’s been a while since I passed out, and I still haven’t woken up.
I think I’m alive, but am I semi-dead?
It was a car that I approached to see if it was breathing.
“Ugh… My head…”
“You’ve been sleeping a long time. Are you awake?”
My heart sank.
Letancier slowly opened his eyes.
She stumbled around in a daze, and then she fluttered to her feet.
“Yahhh! Wh-Where is this?!”
It was a tiny little thing that reminded me of a freshly caught mullet.
His light brown bob was whipping around frantically.
“I knew it. Good job tying it up.”
“Hey, where are we?! We were definitely in the woods—! That’s right, what happened to Orse!!!”
“This is the top of Orse’s back, and you’d better keep quiet. I just barely convinced him that I’m going to tear you to pieces and eat you.”
“That, that–breathe!”
Letancier was silent.
His already pale face turned even whiter.
In reality, Orsay still harbored an intense vendetta against Letanci.
I’m not sure what she’d done, but she was a member of the Order’s staff, so the punishment wasn’t usually severe.
She stumbled back and forth, then opened her mouth.
“Whoa—okay, I’ll be quiet, but can you untie this? I’m suffocating.”
“Sorry, that’s going to be tough.”
“Uh, why?”
“Come to think of it, I don’t think your friends in the Resistance will be too happy to see you. I’m thinking we might have to treat you a little rougher to make them understand. Do you think they’ll let you go if you’re sure?”
Letancier’s face hardened.
He seemed to realize that my argument had merit.
The resistance are the last ones to stay and fight the giant, and unless they’re drugged, they’re not going to look kindly on the gnomes who brought it down.
Especially if you’re an archbishop.
She swallowed hard as she pondered something.
“——I’ll just leave it at that.”
“Good idea.”
“Joe, I think it’s a little loose, could you tighten it up a little more, and when we get there, we’ll still be crawling around on all fours, or maybe it’s safer to make a leash and have Ronan drag you around—.”
“At that point, don’t you just want to be treated like a dog? You’re a pervert with no answers.”
“Joe, you’re not doing it because you like it, you’re doing it to live, why would you say something like that—ahhhh!”
As he pleaded, Letancier was stunned.
Suddenly, Orsay’s trajectory was derailed.
The back tilted forward, revealing a view of the ground.
The vast expanse of land was littered with craters.
Suddenly, my eyes widened.
“Here.”
[Ho-ho, you got it].
Orse raised a brow.
It was a bit of a self-deprecating laugh.
My gaze was still fixed on the ground.
It was devastated, but the outline was recognizable.
This is where I used to live.
“Balon.”
【Yes. This land was once an island.
Orsay affirmed.
After more than a thousand years of prosperity, the ancient city was now a ruin with no trace of the city.
The majestic Imperial Palace was nowhere to be found, nor was the Pileon Academy where I giggled with my friends.
There was no sense of popularity in the lifeless city.
Only the white trees that had grown through the rubble swayed in the night breeze.
“——shit.”
I had nothing to say except curse.
Letancie was gently snowed in.
Adeshan’s face was moon-like.
I couldn’t stand the thought of this being the future.
Orse glanced at me and said.
【What a strange man. You act like it’s the first time you’ve ever met him.
“Shut up.”
[Hmm. Hold on tight. If it falls on the way, it’ll turn into a stain.
“Okay, wait a minute, what does that mean?”
Sensing something ominous, Letancier interrupted.
Instead of answering, I squeezed the equivalent poem hard.
The angle of the orce, which was originally steep, is now completely vertical.
“Haaaaaah! No!”
A new scream erupted.
A gut-wrenching sensation washed over me.
Woohoohoohoo!
The four wings were fully folded and the plunge began.
“Bar, hit it! Hit it, Ronan!”
It felt like the ground was pouring over my head.
Even when it was time to slow down, Orsay didn’t stop.
Despite the fact that there is no water or giant marshmallow underneath.
It was more suicide than flight, but I held still.
I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen next.
“Lord, the dying—heh.”
“You’re going to get me, man.”
Unable to overcome his fear, Letancier fainted.
The distance from the ground was about 10 meters.
It was getting to the point where I was wondering if I should jump now.
Every single scale on Orse’s body began to glow black.
“Of course.”
I was speechless.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Poof!
The light intensified and my vision went black.
There were no crashes.
Within a second, my vision was bright again.
The ruins disappeared into thin air and a huge vertical shaft appeared.
The outer walls of the shaft, which was wide enough to fit three orcs, were covered with luminescent moss.
“Is this—?”
I’ve seen this moss before.
I’m about to do a little sight-seeing when the bottom drops out.
Orse and our bodies were once again engulfed in black light.
Poof!
The floor disappeared and the shaft opened up once more.
It was Orsay’s proprietary short-range flasher.
“Asshole, that’s great.”
I was blown away.
Being underground should have made it difficult to control the power, but I didn’t miss a beat.
Poof!
Poof!
Poof!
Several flashes occurred in quick succession.
The camera’s flash seemed to go off over and over again.
The rapidly shifting landscape suddenly became static.
Paaaaaaah—!
A bright, warm bundle of light spilled over my face.
Orse unfolded the wings he had been folding.
You’ve arrived.
“Huh.”
I stiffened, at a loss for words.
I couldn’t believe it was the same world I had just been in.
It was a huge, sprawling space underground.
I could have put the entire Phileon Academy in there.
The enchanted sun and the luminescent moss that covered the walls provided a source of light not unlike that of the earth.
“Green—.”
The ground was covered with vegetation.
The various tree species were not the corpse-like white color I’ve come to recognize, but rather a lush green.
There were many other colors.
Red, yellow, green, and sometimes purple.
Suddenly, the tip of my nose turned sour.
I’ve been here before, albeit much more revamped.
Along the didikan.
With Asel and Marja.
I swiped a hand across my face and whispered.
“Gran Cappadocia.”
[I think that’s what it used to be called].
I should have known that when I came to the Islands.
This is the forge where Ramancha was born.
This is where I cut off Cyrilla and Eduon’s limbs.
Suddenly, a loud cheer erupted from far below.
“Look, the boss is back!”
“Captain Orse!”
His voice was uncharacteristically cheerful.
I peeked my head out and saw people bustling around.
Most of them were long-lived species like elves and dwarves.
Or a polymorphic dragon.
Orse looked down and growled.
【Shut up. Assholes.】
“How was your day, did you give them a run for their money?!”
They hailed Orsay as if he were an improvement general.
This guy seemed too friendly for someone who called himself a resistance fighter.
I giggled and touched his back with my toe.
“Hey, boss. Say something.”
[—— is noisy].
Orsay blurted out.
He was disingenuous anyway.
The wind was warm, ruffling my hair.
Slowly gliding down, he landed in a giant circle.
It was a relatively secluded corner, and the wildflowers were in full bloom.
I wondered if there was any point in bringing him here.
“Welcome home. Child.”
“——!”
Not far away, a woman’s voice called out.
I turned my head away reflexively.
A red-haired woman was watering a flower bed.
The crystal clear water was coming from her fingertips, not the watering can.
“I’m surprised Orse hasn’t brought anyone with him, and I’ve called you here to talk to him slowly.”
[I’m not doing your bidding].
“Yeah. Yeah. Of course.”
The woman cackled.
I felt like I was treating a legendary demon dragon like a child.
Soon enough, she finished spraying and turned away.
The voluptuous thorax spun a beat late.
“Ah.”
I quickly dropped to one knee and nodded yes.
I didn’t even need to see their faces.
The moment I saw the unrealistic movement, I was sure of her identity.
I didn’t expect to see you so soon.
I took a deep breath and released my mouth.
“Meet the Mother of Fire.”
“—— in the world.”
But the answer I got back was a little strange.
Her voice was neither pleased nor wary, but more like alarmed.
She froze for a moment, then came to me.
Elegant fingers cupped the tip of my chin.
A beautiful face is on the cornea.
His lips, as crimson as his eyes, slowly dropped.
“You are the son of Cain.”