“Cough….”
I tried to suppress a cough that felt like it was filled with the metallic taste of blood, not wanting it to be heard.
‘My body…’
Despite the overflowing vitality, my physical condition was far from good. It was like being forcibly doped up on someone else’s mana—how could that be beneficial?
And that “someone” was a dragon, no less.
Still, compared to when I first activated the blessing, my condition was much better. Back then, the backlash had knocked me out cold for days.
‘I shouldn’t have touched this back then.’
Curiosity is a sin.
It was surprising that my father, who had no interest in ornaments, owned a ring, and I just touched it out of sheer fascination. Who would have thought it would lead to this mess?
At that time, my skills were nowhere near as refined as they were now; I couldn’t just handle the ferocious mana of a raging red dragon, let alone resist it.
That poison—no, it left a scar far worse than poison—had attacked my still-developing body.
It only added to the burden on my already malnourished body…
And here I was, with this tiny frame.
I hadn’t completely stopped growing, but the energy that could be used for growth had been redirected toward recovery, making it look like growth had nearly halted.
…that’s what the culprit behind my current state had helpfully explained.
“…Isn’t this your fault?”
‘You were the one who rushed in the moment I touched it.’
I was merely touching it back then, without any thought of activating the blessing. I had no idea that a perverted lizard was dwelling within the ring.
“It’s your fault. How could I resist when you approach with such an alluring soul?”
‘….’
In simpler terms, it was Gracis’s accusation of me “tempting” him first.
I had no spirit to argue against such a brazen statement.
I had told him countless times to back off from my unwanted attention since the moment we met.
Yet there he was, prattling on about how my soul caught his fancy, showing no intention of leaving me alone.
Because of that, Gracis’s blessing essentially belonged to me.
“Ka, Kana…? Is that you…?”
“Have you really forgotten already?”
Alas, it seems…
“No! I’m still as bright as ever!”
Da-eun shook her head vigorously when I looked at her with pity.
“Is she your party member? She has quite a strange scent.”
‘Mind your own business.’
“Are you being jealous? Don’t worry. I won’t go after anyone but you.”
‘…Couldn’t you just leave me alone?’
“No.”
One day, I would surely find a way to snatch this ring from my finger and throw it into a boiling volcano.
…No, being a red dragon, it might actually enjoy it.
Maybe I should just bury it deep at the bottom of the ocean instead.
“I thought you were Kana at first because of your outfit…”
“Ah, this?”
Clink.
Flap.
As I moved lightly, the light armor I wore made a cheerful sound.
“It’s nothing special.”
“Nothing special? It’s incredible! The armor, the cloak—it’s like I’m seeing a knight!”
“R-really…?”
I scratched my cheek. I hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.
“You’re quite the lively one.”
‘Yep. I agree.’
I turned my back on Da-eun, who looked at me with admiration, in agreement with Gracis’s words.
“Hey, um—”
“We can talk about this later.”
“Ah, yeah! Of course, now’s not the time for chatting…”
Even while having this conversation with Da-eun, my body ached.
If I feel like this now, what will happen when the aftershock hits…?
I need to clear this situation up quickly, at least to reduce the impending aftershock.
But before that, I had to ask something.
“Gracis.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know anything about that guy?”
“That one? He’s quite an interesting fellow, but I don’t know him well.”
“He said he was Krumo himself.”
“…Krumo?”
It seemed that his words were not something that could be ignored. Gracis’s previously indifferent voice became a tad clearer.
With a snort, Gracis seemed to examine the guy.
Then the answer came from him.
“No. That guy is not Krumo. I saw him die with my own eyes; there’s no way he could have come back.”
“…I see.”
“But I have a guess about that guy’s identity.”
“Identity?”
“Yes.”
Dragons are known as the masters of magic.
The reason they hold that title is due to their extraordinary ability to handle and sense mana, surpassing any living being.
Though they possess physical forms, they are beings that are closest to mana in essence.
That is the dragon.
“Life leaves behind thoughts when it dies. Those thoughts usually don’t last long and scatter.”
“But intense thoughts, especially those of a being so close to mana like a dragon, are different.”
The intense hatred contained within the thoughts Krumo left behind remained intact after his death, not scattering but remaining in the form of mana.
Gracis, who had witnessed Krumo’s demise, knew that fact.
Even so, the reason Gracis didn’t meddle with the thoughts was simple.
He couldn’t predict what would happen if he carelessly interfered with them.
It was better to allow them to scatter naturally than risk creating a disaster by tampering with them.
Even if they are called thoughts, they are ultimately just clumps of mana. Eventually, they will disperse into the earth, wind, and sky over time.
Since it wouldn’t be possible for them to wreak havoc like in their living days, there was no reason to touch them.
But there was something Gracis hadn’t anticipated:
The great system that circulates the world of Silia—namely, the malfunction of the purification system.
The demon race, unable to live in Raxia, migrated to the Ardina Continent, and near the place where they settled, Krumo’s thoughts remained behind.
Those thoughts, which were clusters of mana, became corrupted under the influence of the demons, and resultantly—
Ta-da!
The monster known as ‘Krumo’s Shadow’ was born… how ironic.
“In the end, it all came back around.”
The demons ended up becoming the pitiable ones.
Just when they thought they had found a place to live, it turned out to be near the spot where the evil dragon had perished.
It figured that mistaking oneself for Krumo was because of the thoughts left behind by Krumo.
“You should’ve handled it if you had known.”
“Can I be honest?”
“…What is it?”
“I forgot because I was asleep.”
….
Dragons really are completely useless.
That was a realization I had to face once again.
“I had a little hope. If you really came back from the dead—”
There might be a possibility, after all.
I muttered silently and adjusted my grip on the sword.
Having already received answers from Edel, it was stupid to have any more hopes.
Feeling like a fool, I couldn’t help but let a crooked smile appear on my face.
Meanwhile, it seemed the shadow was also sensing something as it looked at me.
“That red color… That flame…! A-Aaaaahhhhhh!!!”
The shadow contorted its body.
With every agonizing scream, the world trembled, echoing in uncertainty.
“Gracis…! That filthy traitor stands in my way again…!”
“Traitor?”
I tilted my head at the unexpected term, and Gracis firmly dismissed it.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s just the ramblings of a long-dead specter.”
“Hnngh.”
It seemed there was something between them.
Still, I wasn’t particularly interested.
“You two figure out your business.”
Whoosh—
“You’ll have to pay the price for touching what’s mine.”
The flame that had subsided after releasing the breath ignited once more.
Maybe the saying “Even the extinguished flame will rise again” exists for a reason.
Of course, that’s not true.
Not at all.
The shadow, already showing signs of instability, completely lost its mind after witnessing the sword energy I unleashed.
“Graaciiiiiis!!!”
The shadow unleashed its most powerful weapon, the breath, and charged at me in a physical assault.
“Joanie.”
“Uh, right!”
I only called her name, but Da-eun immediately took off running.
Her vigilance was incredibly sharp.
“-But, right now you can call me Da-eun!”
“…Is that really the important thing?”
The audacity to say that while fleeing was remarkable.
She must have indeed become bolder compared to the past.
No more distractions.
It was time to deal with the fake lizard charging straight at me.
Its size was smaller than the dimensional wolf I had faced recently.
But the power felt similar, if not greater.
It was certainly not someone to be taken lightly.
Even if it simply tried to crush me with its large body, I would end up as flattened jerky.
But—
“If I don’t get crushed, then it’s all good.”
I hadn’t led such an easy life where I would fall to a rampaging lizard.
The tip of my sword drew a soft arc.
The grand motion seemed small in comparison to the massive form trying to crush me.
But my sword hadn’t stopped yet.
Swish—
From a single point, an arc formed.
An arc transitioned into a semicircle.
And finally, a blazing circle came to a standstill.
Though it was slightly overwhelming for me to pull off with only my strength, with Gracis’s power behind me—
“This is possible.”
“Kanaria Style—Cutting the Wind.”
The circular flame encased the shadow’s body.
That gigantic mass was trapped in the small circle.
The halted sword sliced through the encircled space.
Whoooosh!
A massive cut marked the shadow’s form.
“—…! Kkkyyyyyaaaaa!”
The shadow writhed, letting out a painful scream.
“…Tch.”
Once wasn’t enough.
“What did you do?!”
Still, it appeared the damage had connected properly.
The eyes that had rolled back came to focus again.
I had heard that you should hit a madman to bring them back to reality, and it certainly worked.
“It’s nothing special.”
I enveloped it in the space I drew with my sword and merely sliced through that space.
When put like that, it was an incredibly simple technique.
If I had been a bit stronger, I wouldn’t have needed to draw the circle at all.
“—…It’s an absurd talent.”
“Thanks for the lip service.”
“This is outrageous…! How can a mere human possess such power…! Y-Yeah! It must be Gracis’s doing, you coward!”
I shrugged my shoulders.
I had nothing to say since it was the truth.
Without Gracis’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to unfold it this smoothly.
“But you know…”
I spoke to the shadow with a crooked smile.
“Is there really a need to feel wronged?”
In battle, what’s important is composure.
Usually, it’s easier to deal with someone who’s driven purely by instinct than with someone aware of their reason.
“If you were strong enough, this wouldn’t have happened. In the end, you lost because you were weaker than Gracis.”
“—What?”
“Losing and shouting about being a coward…”
Ah ha ha.
I didn’t bother to hide my scoff as it spilled out.
“How pathetic.”
I had said nothing but provocation to drive him crazy.
──────!
As soon as I finished speaking, the shadow dashed toward me.
The flicker of reason that briefly shone in its eyes vanished without a trace.
It was amusing to see it get so agitated over merely a couple of words.
“Seems I’d have fallen, too.”
‘Then you’re just weak.’
How strange for a dragon to be swayed by such provocation, right?
Even with a frame larger than most buildings charging at me, I felt no fear.
The final desperation of a wounded lizard posed no real threat, after all.
If it were a smarter creature, it would have steadied itself before attacking.
“You’re dumb as a rock.”
The sword in my hand swelled in size.
An inch, two inches, three inches.
The flame that had increased in size quickly turned into a massive blade, reaching up toward the sky.
Seeing a sword so much larger than itself, the shadow regained some semblance of its paralyzed reasoning and halted.
But if it wanted to escape, it should have done so earlier.
“Alright, farewell.”
The gigantic sword fell toward the shadow.
And in that moment—
The red flames consumed the world.
When the blaze that felt like it would last forever finally subdued, nothing remained where the shadow once stood.
*
“…Hah.”
Maybe I pushed it a bit too hard.
I released Gracis’s blessing and slowly sank to the ground.
Seeing that Gracis, who would surely annoy me now that I was awake, remained silent, it seemed my condition was pretty severe.
He probably wasn’t quiet because he couldn’t talk; my condition was just that bad.
The dragon’s mana had thrashed my body to the point where it felt like it was tearing apart.
“Ugh….”
“Kana!”
Da-eun’s voice flew to my ears as I curled up, enduring the pain.
She must have rushed over the moment she saw the shadow vanish.
But I couldn’t greet her, as I was engulfed in agony.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?!”
“…I’m fine— COLLOK!”
Urgh…!
As I barely managed to sit up and respond, something hot surged from within me.
Before I could even suppress it, what burst forth stained the ground crimson.
And I felt the metallic scent of blood.
“B-blood?!”
It seemed saying I was okay was pointless.
Watching Da-eun’s panicked, pale face, I couldn’t help but think that.
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