The anger of the Sky Island suddenly subsided. Aegis, eroded by Yuren’s fury, remained proudly in place, as if nothing had happened. The Dragon Lord could only stare in shock.
He thought he would never be able to stop it. This belief wasn’t just stubbornness; it was a conclusion drawn from the Dragon Lord’s knowledge and experience. And from an absolute perspective, it was close to being correct.
It was only natural. Aegis, the guardian of the Sky Island, wasn’t so easily swayed by mere emotions. Yet, it was such intense feelings that caused Aegis to rampage.
If such a powerful emotion, capable of eroding even Aegis, were to explode upon crashing down to the ground, the force would be terrifying to even imagine. Still, the man named Hans faced all that emotion head-on.
And he successfully rescued Yuren with dignity. For the Dragon Lord, it made him reflect on the path he had walked until now. I thought I was right, but…
Had all the choices made until now been the wrong path? Looking back, were there things I could have done better? It felt like everything he had believed in was being denied, yet it didn’t feel particularly unpleasant.
“I should ask that man for advice later.”
He pursued a path that everyone said was wrong until the end. How could he not seek teachings from that man, who proved he was right, simply because he wasn’t a dragon?
“He’s asleep.”
On the other hand, Hans was watching Yuren, who had quietly fallen into slumber in his arms. Perhaps the mental exhaustion was severe; she had dark circles under her eyes and many wounds on her body.
It was evidence that she had been running forward non-stop. Of course, he had no intention of justifying her actions. But he also had no intention of blaming her. Ultimately, he was the one responsible for this situation.
If that were the case, at least for now, he wanted her to rest comfortably. However, just as he was gently stroking Yuren’s hair, it happened.
Waaah! I did it! I managed to stop the dragon!! Master!
“…….”
I worked hard this time, and now slowly…….
Hans almost screamed at the sudden voice of a woman that came out of nowhere. But he didn’t, thanks to the poker face he had developed through experience.
If it weren’t for that, he might be rolling on the ground, screaming like a girl. Anyway, Hans looked around to figure out who the owner of this voice was.
But there was no one around him, nor even far away, who seemed to be the owner of the voice. It sounded less like it came from outside and more like it echoed inside his head.
Calmly scanning his surroundings, Hans soon realized that the voice was coming not from someone else but from the sword tied at his waist.
The sword is talking? No, it’s not entirely impossible.
It sounded ridiculous in reality, but talking swords were surprisingly common in the fantasy world. Weapons that spoke, often referred to as ego swords, were quite prevalent.
Before replying to the sword, Hans closed his mouth and slowly retraced his memory. What did the Divine Sword say? It said it worked hard this time. Then it asked for something.
“What request are you trying to make?”
Hans thought he shouldn’t let that slide. So he directly asked the Divine Sword. However, the reaction that came back was far more intense than he expected. The Divine Sword trembled greatly like an earthquake.
Finally, you listened to me!!!
“……I judged it was worth it.”
Thank you! Finally…Finally…!!!
The Divine Sword was overcome with emotion and couldn’t even articulate properly. It had kept trying to talk without ceasing until now, but Hans had never once responded. Each time the sword felt downcast and disheartened.
Nevertheless, it didn’t give up. It believed that if it continued to try, the one it recognized as its master would eventually notice it. And now, time had passed, and it was finally acknowledged.
At least, that’s what the Divine Sword thought. But Hans found it even stranger upon hearing the sword’s words. Did that mean it had been trying to communicate all along? Did I just not hear it?
Hans shook his head. For now, he decided not to pry into that. It was clearer that the sword was in its own delusion, and he didn’t feel the need to stir things up. Hans opened his mouth.
“It seems it ended well.”
“Commander!!!”
“Are you okay?!”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
As the situation calmed, Bayard and Cluna rushed over. Cluna immediately checked Hans’s condition. He scratched his head sheepishly and said he was fine.
However, Cluna and Bayard didn’t listen to that. They had a history where he had said he was fine before and then vanished for three years, making it only natural that they couldn’t trust him when it came to safety.
Thanks to that, Hans was quite tormented by them before finally regaining his freedom after a long while. He sighed. While it was nice to be worried about, it was a bit too much.
Boom! Bang!
However, even as he thought it was all over, a massive explosion was approaching deep within the Sky Island. Bayard and Cluna immediately prepared without waiting for each other.
“Is it an intruder?”
“I won’t allow any intruders!”
“No, it’s more like….”
But unlike the cautious duo, Hans soon realized what the booming sound was. He thought the fight might still be unresolved, but could it be that they had been fighting this entire time…?
Knock their heads into the ground!!
You die! You useless ironclad!!!
“Fortunately, it seems there aren’t any injuries.”
He nodded as he watched Clara and Ruby fighting fiercely, determined to tear each other apart. He wondered where their weapons had gone, as they now seemed to only be using their fists.
Naturally assuming they were enemies, Cluna and Bayard had astonished expressions, but it wasn’t long before they rushed in to stop Clara and Ruby from their duel.
Cluna held back Clara, while Bayard restrained Ruby. Despite how strong they had become, Cluna and Bayard still found it easy to manage the two girls.
“Let go! I’ll make that fat brat come to her senses with my own hands!”
“Try it! You can’t even dominate in close combat and just yap away!”
“What is this?!”
Ruby and Clara, who had been rampaging non-stop, could only be calmed down after each received a light smack on the head. Hans sighed and shook his head.
“How did they end up like this?”
Hmm, well, it seems there’s a misunderstanding.
“Misunderstanding?”
Yes! That dwarf girl seems to know nothing!
Perhaps it was because it was happy to get a reaction to its words. The Divine Sword purely shared its opinion. Upon hearing it, Hans looked slowly at Ruby. She was currently enraged.
“Bayard, you’re just like that jerk. How could you forget our vow? We swore we wouldn’t forgive them!!”
“I understand the vibe, sort of.”
Hearing Ruby’s furious shout, Hans understood a little. Simply put, before meeting him, she was similar to Yuren. If that was the case, the way to resolve this wouldn’t be hard. Hans moved forward.
Soon, Ruby, subdued by Bayard, caught sight of Hans. At that moment, it was as if Ruby’s wild body stopped in disbelief. Her eyes shook violently, as if she couldn’t believe it.
But in this moment, both Bayard and everyone gathered here understood exactly how she felt. Therefore, Bayard chose to say nothing and let go of Ruby, whom he had been holding down.
“Commander…?”
“Your tone has changed, Ruby. Was there some sort of reason?”
“Really, it’s him… right?”
Ruby’s voice trembled with fear. She wasn’t yet certain if the commander before her was real or just an illusion created by her resentment. And if it were the latter…
She felt like she might collapse and never rise again. After watching Ruby for a brief moment, Hans said nothing. Instead, he opened his arms wide, like a father receiving a child.
No more words were needed. Ruby ran straight into Hans’s embrace. The warmth she had long missed enveloped her. Feeling that warmth, the girl burst into tears.
“How could you forget our vow?”
“……”
At least until Clara behind her mocked Ruby’s words, that is.
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