CH 185

Chapter 185

When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : Each Choice, Part 7 — The Five Sages

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

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After that, Alfiris and her group turned their course to the North Highway. Although there were more people, Aerial’s horses were quite large, so three could ride together as long as they didn’t go too fast. In any case, even if they procured a new horse, it wouldn’t be able to keep up with the speed of Aerial’s horses. Alfiris and her group thought it would be necessary to borrow a wyvern when they were in a hurry from now on.

None of them spoke on the road to the North Highway. Even Euthy did. The encounter with a group of enemies, including Aurangzebul, had cast a dark shadow over the girls’ minds. Only the young Ilmatar was very happy to see Alfiris and was making a lot of noise on her lap, but Alfiris did her best to return the favor with a smile.

The sun was just above them when Miranda opened her mouth gravely.

「I know it’s a little early, but can we take a lunch break? I have some things I want to talk to you about.」

「Well… Gwen, can we?」

「Very well. Let’s take a rest.」

Then, a little off the highway, they all found a grassy place to sit down for a proper lunch. Here, too, Ilmatar was excited, and seeing her smile, they all felt uncomfortable talking about what they had just said. However, after Ilmatar ate her meal and had a good time, she fell asleep in Alfiris’ arms. As Ilmatar began to sleep peacefully, Alfiris started the conversation.

「Gwen, I’d like to check on this girl first. This baby is from that egg, isn’t it?」

「That’s right, Alfiris. And the name Ilmatar, you gave it to her.」

「I knew it…」

「Explain to me what this is all about, Alfie.」

In response to Miranda’s question, Alfiris explains. She was told by Serpent that Gwendolf needed to warm the eggs as the chief of the True Dragons, and that she was there unbeknownst to her. And that when playing at Gwendolf’s place, she was mimicking Gwen and warming eggs herself. She had intended to name the egg Ilmatar when it hatched at that time, but she found herself on the road earlier than the egg hatched.

「That baby was born shortly after Alfiris left on her trip.」

「That’s right… you certainly responded from within when I spoke to you.」

「Yes. That’s why this girl remembered Alfiris and her own name. She must have liked you very much. As soon as she was born, she didn’t even look at me, she was looking for you. She totally recognized you as her mother. More likely, though, it was you who warmed the eggs.」

「I didn’t know I was doing it… At first I snuck in when you were out of town and kept the eggs warm. I’ve been irresponsible, I know.」

Alfiris patted Ilmatar’s head. Ilmatar was sleeping comfortably in Alfiris’ hand with her fingers in her mouth.

「I don’t mind. Normally, warming the eggs for a little while doesn’t make them this nostalgic. The dragon’s perception of its parents should be proportional to the amount of time it has been warmed. And yet this child has been with her for only a short time, say over a year, but she recognize Alfiris as her parent anyway. I’ve been warming up to her for years. I don’t know why this is, but I guess you two are just too good for each other.」

「Is that so… but is that happy for this child?」

「That is up to her from now on. Her instincts will tell her who her real parents are, but in her current state, matching Ilmatar to her real parents may only confuse her. So maybe you should stay with this child until she has a clearer ego.」

「And how long is that?」

Alfiris asks anxiously. True Dragons live thousands of years—— Alfiris can’t imagine how long it takes them to grow up.

「Don’t worry, it’s probably a lot faster than you imagine. Normally, even a True Dragon can change into a person as early as 10 years after birth. And yet, this child learned the art of Phantom Body about a year after being born. It must’ve been her single-minded desire to meet Alfiris. Surely she thought that if she met you in human form, you would properly think of her as your daughter?」

「I see. And yet I said terrible things to her. I must have hurt her.」

「I am responsible for that. I tried to explain to her in a proper order before I took her to see you, but as soon as we got to that town, she started running off. I had no idea that she would head so straight for you. I underestimated the instinct of a child who adores her parents. I also assumed that you would recognize Ilmatar. I hope you will forgive me for teasing you as a result.」

「No, we don’t need to talk about that anymore. Will this girl forgive me if I apologize?」

「It will be fine. She’s a kind-hearted little girl.」

「Sorry to interrupt, but…」

Miranda interrupted the conversation.

「I’ll ask her to leave that for later for now. More importantly, I think we might have better things to talk about while she’s sleeping.」

「Ahh, right. I apologise.」

「First of all, Gwendolf… should I put “-sama” on?」

Miranda scratched her head. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that this dragon is one of the True Dragons. Most people living on this continent know what a True Dragon is.

True Dragon—— It is a creature said to be the pinnacle of life on this continent, and is also known as the entity that gave wisdom and magic to the elves and giants. Few people have ever seen it alive, and it is considered a legendary creature. The True Dragon is now sharing a meal with Miranda and the others, and talking with them. It said that Serpent was also a True Dragon. This surprised Miranda and the others. They are seeing two of these legendary creatures, said to be the only ones in the world, one after the other. Little did they know that there were actually still dozens of them.

Gwendolf gently urges Miranda, who is embarrassed in front of such creatures.

「No, Gwen should be fine. I’m here not so much as a True Dragon, but as Alfiris’ guardian.」

「Then, Gwen. First, why did you come here at such a convenient time? You may be offended, but I am a person who is suspicious of everything. I want to ask you this just in case.」

Miranda looks at Gwendolf with half apologetic, half suspicious eyes. Gwendolf chuckles a little and slowly speaks up.

「No, I think it’s plausible. I believe your name was Miranda, wasn’t it?」

「Ahh, yes. First of all, do you have any proof that you are a True Dragon?」

「You are a cautious woman. But you’re right. Let me show you the proof.」

Gwendolf’s back, near the shoulder blades, rises up, and large wings emerge. The majesty and beauty of the dragon was definitely different from that of ordinary dragons. At the same time, a sense of intimidation that cannot be concealed is emitted from the graceful-looking Gwendolf. The pressure was more than lifeless, and Miranda and the others realized that he was definitely a True Dragon.

「If this doesn’t add up, shall I put the whole body back together?」

「No, I got it. It’s totally enough.」

「I’m glad you understand. The reason I’m here is that Ilmatar has been chirping so much in memory of Alfiris that I thought I’d give her a chance to meet her. I’ve been looking for Alfiris for a long while. But I was careless and didn’t keep an eye on Alfiris, and she was wandering around so many places that it took me longer than I thought to find her trail. I couldn’t go out in public so much, and I managed to follow you up to the prairie by asking the spirits, but the prairie was difficult to track because of the buzzing of the spirits. Just when I was at such a loss, the Serpent’s familiar came to me. I think it was yesterday.」

「Serpent’s?」

Alfiris was surprised. Serpent had never said a word about such a thing.

「Yes, that’s correct. Serpent is extremely indebted to you. But since he cannot leave the swamp himself, he asked me if I could return the favor to you instead. Serpent knows me, and he thought it would be just fine. I’m his big brother, in case you’re wondering, but he’s a guy who hasn’t respected me at all for a long time, that guy,」

Gwendolf sighed, as if to say he was the guy who had no choice. Alfiris was honestly pleased with Serpent’s thoughtfulness, but she wasn’t sure what was going on with True Dragons. Gwendolf continues.

「Then I heard that you were supposed to be in that town and that you were being chased. I literally flew there as fast as I could. It was just a coincidence that I got there in time. I just happened to be flying close by, so I got there in time.」

「I see.」

It really was a coincidence. If Gwen had been even a day late, Alfiris and others could’ve been wiped out on that spot by Lifeless. While Alfiris was deeply moved, Miranda continued with more questions.

「Further question. This is the most important one… is Gwen acquainted with that Aurangzebul or whatever his name is?」

「Yes, I did. We were rather good friends. At least until 2000 years ago.」

「2000 years…」

They all sighed at that tremendous amount of time. The recorded history of man is still only about 1,000 years. Humans and other creatures had existed before then, of course, but not in the records. Elves, for example, may have had them, but they were not known to man or beastmen.

「May I ask for more details?」

「Of course. But there are some things I can’t talk about with you girls right now. I hope you will forgive me for that.」

「Ahh, I know.」

「Then, I’ll tell you.」

Then Gwendolf, the True Dragon, tells them a startling history.

「First of all, about me, as you may have heard Alfiris, I never did anything praiseworthy in the past. I was more of a tag-along scoundrel.」

「I know. I heard you were called『The Destructive Dragon.』」

「Shamefully, you are right. I have refrained from doing so since I was named chief of the True Dragons about 2,500 years ago… but when I needed to initiate sanctions, I often went there myself, and every time I did so, the fairies and spirits would make a fuss about how『The Destroying Dragon was on his way,』so even the Heroic King knew my nickname. Good grief, bad rumors never go away.」

Gwendolf chuckles. Miranda doesn’t care about Gwendolf, but sharply points out the problem.

「So who appointed you as chief?」

「They are the True Dragons of the『Old Generation.』They have mostly become one with nature now, but they were still active in our time. I was a rampager, but also a serious student of this world. Perhaps in recognition of his attitude, the then chief of our clan, the old generation Dalen Rokia-sama, nominated me to be the next head of the clan. I turned him down many times, but my friends convinced me otherwise.」

「Is that that Aurangzebul?」

「He was one of them. He was a High Elf, a race with a much longer lifespan than the Elves. They were also powerful in magic, but their population was very small. There will be no more than a few other high elves of pure descent nowadays. The others were Broncel the Elder Giant, Yelasha the Nike, and Gora the Beast Man. These five were the friends that Dalen Rokia-sama had discovered and taught. Later generations called us the『Five Sages』and praised us. It didn’t matter what they called us. Of all of them, Aurangzebul was especially good.」

「What did you learn?」

Gwendolf opens a pause at Miranda’s question.

「How do we guide the creatures that live on this land?」

「What do you mean?」

「I can’t go into details… but we were in agreement at the outset. Let’s just say that we were acting to impart some of our wisdom and guide them in the right direction.」

「…I don’t know how to say this to a True Dragon, but I feel like this is a big favor. Surely we have progressed a few steps faster under your guidance, but isn’t that the arrogance of the powerful? It does seem a bit distorted, doesn’t it?」

Lisa stared at Gwendolf with unfriendly eyes. They all gasped at her words, but Gwen was listening sincerely.

「You are right. That is why Gora left us and went down to the plains, Broncel got out of the project, and Yelasha left the land to explore other possibilities. And Aurangzebul…」