Chapter 284

Chapter 284

“Speaking of which, I have a question.”

Ronan said. He sat down on the icy floor, cold enough to peel the skin off his ass if he stood up unsteadily, and waited for the Savior’s ritual. Gathering his strength, the Savior waggled his eyebrows.

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“This guy, who killed him?”

Ronan’s gaze had been fixed on the giant trapped in the ice since earlier. It was a sight to behold, no matter how many times. Eight wings and the bulk of a dragon told him that this giant was no Ahayu or Duaru.

“What does that mean?”

“So–oh, wait a minute, I’m nauseous.”

Ronan frowned as he tried to beat the horse. He hadn’t felt well since drinking the giant’s blood. His stomach felt like it was dancing. His senses were becoming progressively sharper.

“That’s weird,” I said, “I’d believe you if you were the King of the Bald, but I don’t think you’d be hurt by falling to the ground like that.”

“I see.”

The Savior’s eyes narrowed. Ronan’s words were certainly convincing. He hadn’t thought of that, since most of the giant’s body was buried in ice, sealed away and turned away in the long ago. Ronan raised his index finger and spoke.

“And the wounds are unnatural for a crash death. You don’t get hurt like that unless you’re fighting something, and fucking violently at that.”

His fingers pointed to the scars carved into the giant’s body. There was no coherence to the marks, which were spread evenly across his body.

There were slashes and stab wounds, as well as burns from the fire. The presumed fatal wound was a gaping hole in its abdomen, so cleanly cut that it looked as if it had been struck by the dragon king’s beam.

“Did it come from outer space? Or is there something guarding this star?”

“I don’t know–I hadn’t thought of that until now.”

“That’s weird.”

Ronan cleared his throat. It didn’t make any difference to know now, but it was strangely disturbing. Suddenly, all the mysterious experiences and phenomena he had seen before flashed through his mind.

Things like the massive shield that surrounded the star that no one had put up, or the “Seniel” that Sarante, the formerly rocky elf, had mentioned. The strange being that had taken up residence in the new heart, unknown to Ronan himself, was still a mystery.

Of course, the most mysterious was reserved for the most mysterious. Ronan, his jaw clenched, asked a question.

“Hey, just out of curiosity.”

“Hmm?”

“Is there such a thing as a treasure that turns back time?”

The Savior’s brow narrowed. It was as if he were asking what kind of stupid idea that was. Scratching his chin, he shook his head.

“—I can’t say for sure, but I think it probably doesn’t exist, and if it did, I wouldn’t have lived such a regrettable life.”

“That’s right.”

Ronan twisted his lips. He would have thought that a Savior would know. Three years into his second life, he still didn’t know the identity of the orb Adeshan had passed into his mouth.

“It’s all over anyway.

Of course, at this point, it didn’t matter. All he could do was hope that if there was such a thing as a guardian of the stars, it would chase away all those damned bald men. Suddenly, the Savior snapped his fingers as if he’d remembered something.

“Oh. As soon as you’re done drinking, come with me and we’ll go somewhere.”

“Going, where?”

“The Red Desert. Have you ever been there?”

“Huh?”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. The name was familiar. Dainhar, the greatest magus on the continent, was there.

I had been there with Schlieffen about three years earlier. I still remembered slicing up Nebula Clazier, who had slaughtered the natives. It was covered in strange machinery, just like here.

“I know, I know, but what’s up with that?”

“The best-preserved ruins of the Dynahar Empire are there. It will help us thwart Abel’s plans.”

“Huh.”

It was then that Ronan realized that the name of the empire that had sent humanity to the stars was the same as the Book of the Dead. Finally ready, the Savior sighed.

“Huh—that’s ugly. May we begin?”

“Whatever, but you make it sound like I’m stalling because I’m scared.”

“No? I thought that’s why you were asking such a weird question.”

The Savior raised the corner of his mouth. Ronan couldn’t help but smirk at the mischievous grin he’d never seen before. In the Savior’s hands, spheres of shimmering mana pulsated in a way that Ronan could barely see.

“Will it hurt?”

“Very much.”

“I fucking knew it.”

Ronan sighed heavily and looked ahead again. There was no more conversation. The Savior placed a hand on Ronan’s back.

“If you can’t stand it–well, no, just suck it up.”

“Damn it. If I can’t talk—”

Ronan, stunned, was about to say something. The Savior shoved the sphere of mana she’d collected into his back.

“——!”

Ronan’s eyes went white. It didn’t take him long to realize that his father hadn’t lied. An animalistic roar echoed from the depths of the stars.

****

[Are you sure he’s dead?

“Yep. I’m sure.”

Adeshan froze at Navardoze’s question. The two women’s gazes turned to the giant Basagia, whose face was split in half.

The giant’s carcass, lying in the center of the battlefield, looked like a whale washed ashore. The zaifa that had delivered the finishing blow still rested on his shoulder. Adeshan called to him.

“Ms. Jaifa.”

Locking eyes with her, Jaifa nodded. He reversed his grip on the Unworldly Sword and drove the blade into the giant’s throat.

Blue blood spurted out with a gurgling sound, but there was no response, and Navarordze breathed a sigh of relief.

【Haha—That was a lot of work. You did a really good job.

“Everyone fought hard for it.”

Adeshan prayed. The waning sun was shedding its summer rays in the western part of the sky. After the battle, the Allied forces were diligently collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Navarordze returned an hour after the giant Basagia’s death, and she was accompanied by Lorhon, the Shadow Archduke, and the best of the Alliance’s forces in Orse.

[Sorry I’m late, I didn’t realize there were three of you coming down at once].

“Don’t say that.”

It was too late for an emergency, but no one could blame them, for the four of them had just defeated two giants that had descended from elsewhere.

“The second one was really close. Ronan was fighting with almost no blood left in him, but somehow I managed to win.”

Lorhon said. It was a fight you don’t want to think twice about, he said, and he’s sure it will take at least a few hundred years for the site of the battle with the giants to regain its original appearance.

The four of them looked gaunt and exhausted, more so than before, as if the battle had been fierce. Looking around, Orse muttered in astonishment.

“Well, that’s good, you’re barely dead.”

It was pure admiration. Hundreds of people were killed and close to a thousand injured, but it paled in comparison to the tragedy in Adren.

Everyone played their part, but the single biggest contributor was Adeshan, who took over the command from the commander who was killed in action.

She harnessed the mana of the shadows to give orders efficiently, deploying personnel at the right places at the right time to minimize casualties. It was a remarkable feat for a student who was not an officer in the Imperial Army and was just about to graduate from Phileon Academy, but she was not satisfied.

Adeshan chewed his lower lip and shook his head, “It doesn’t change the fact that an innocent life was lost in the end.

“—could have been saved.”

“He’s so greedy. I wonder why all his friends are like this.”

Orse chuckled at the reaction. By brat, he was referring to Ronan, of course.

Why are there so many people here who are too modest for their abilities, including a wizard named Asel?” asked Schlieffen, who had suddenly returned from carrying the bodies of the fallen, to Navarordje.

“Speaking of which, what happened to Drimoor? If the giants have come down, doesn’t that mean the skyline has been breached?”

【Don’t worry about that. I’ve already told the Azidahaka boy that if the giant comes, don’t try to stop it, just let it pass. He’ll come down as soon as he’s ready.】

Navarordze said. Since they couldn’t be killed by conventional means anyway, the strategy was to conserve power by passing them through rather than wasting it.

“What you mean by coming down is—.”

[Yes. It means joining forces. I’m going to call a quick meeting, and I need you to gather everyone together.

Navarordze smiled weakly. Adeshan did so. Not long after the telegram was sent, the key figures of the Alliance were gathered together.

Any semblance of a tent had been blown away, so the meeting was simply held in the middle of the ruins. Navarordze looked around at the faces of the participants and spoke up.

[Okay, let’s get this meeting started. The bottom line is, we need to drop the defense and go on the offensive].

“—Yes?”

【We’ve been thinking about it since we heard we’d found their home base. But these three battles have convinced me that the odds are not in our favor.

Navarordze looked back at Adeshan, who, in the midst of the giant’s descent, had managed to find Nebula Clazier’s headquarters and deliver the news of Balzac’s death to the key players.

The Shadow Archduke, who had lost his only brother, said nothing. The crowd began to murmur at the unconventional proposal.

“Man, a total offensive, what the—.”

“Mother of Fire. Are you serious?”

【Yes. I’m serious].

Navarordze nodded.

【To put it bluntly, the only reason we can stand against them is because of Ronan’s diligent blood donations over the past three months. We still have a bit to spare, but we don’t know how many giants are left, and we don’t know when Ronan will return, so it’s too dangerous to play the long game.

“I, Navarordje, am right, there will be more if we keep this up.”

“Asel?”

It was very unusual for the usually quiet Asel to speak up.

Now that everyone knew of his power, no one looked down on him for being young or dwarfed. Asel drew in a sharp breath and opened his mouth.

“Those giants are coming because they’re calling from this side of the world, and they’re sending a steady signal from somewhere, most likely the headquarters of the Order.”

His voice was trembling. Asel remembered the home of the giants he’d glimpsed in the City of Dragons. The Shade invaded other worlds through portals that appeared in the sky from time to time. Zaifa, who had been listening, asked a question.

“If we go into their home base and kill and destroy them, does that mean they won’t come down anymore?”

“Oh, maybe, because the medium will be there anyway—.”

“Then it’s a no-brainer, I vote yes.”

Zaifa raised one hand. It meant he was in favor of a general assault. If Asel, who had communicated with the giants himself, could not be trusted, no one here could. One by one, the hesitant men began to raise their hands.

“—I’m in favor of it. I guess we’ll have to hurry up and make a decision.”

“I’m in favor, too. We had to go, even if it was for the hostages.”

“I vote yes. Ronan, I don’t know if he’ll be able to make it in time.”

Nabiroje, who had been listening intently, raised his hand. His bland-sounding voice was filled with concern for his student.

Less than a minute later, the vote was all in favor. No dissenters returned. Navarrozadeh smiled.

[Okay, then let’s just open it without delay].

“Open?”

Adeshan scratched his head. Shouldn’t the word “departure” or “beginning” be used at a time like this? But Navardoze hadn’t made a mistake.

【Yes. We can’t just be dragged around forever, Lorhon!

“Yes. Mother of Fire.”

Lorhon stepped forward, and with a clap of his hands, he summoned his apprentice, Kratyr.

“Let’s do it, then, apprentice. You remember the coordinates, don’t you?”

“Of course, sir. Master.”

Normally, Kratyr was full of majesty as the headmaster of Pileon Academy, but before Lorhon, he was nothing more than a young apprentice. Turning their backs to the crowd, the two walked out onto the deserted battlefield.