“Wow, she really went for it.”
Ravina marveled as she looked up at the spot where Aria had vanished like the wind, a short distance from the cliff.
“…It’s a bit ironic for the one who pushed her to say that.”
Ravina averted her gaze from Eleonora’s lukewarm stare.
After all, it was Ravina who had urged Aria to confront whatever fate awaited her, but who could have imagined actually asking for help from a mythical being?
“Hmm. Still, it seems like she’s gathered her strength, so maybe it’s not so bad?”
Honestly, Ravina didn’t think asking Yustelein for help was a realistic plan.
Of course, why would an elder dragon, regarded as a mythical being, have any reason to assist a mere creature of the earth whose face it hadn’t even seen before?
Aria had resolved to provoke Yustelein just like the first Progenitor did to bring him down, but realistically, if Yustelein were truly angered, it would be quite impossible to escape.
“It would have been nice if we could follow her…”
Eleonora mumbled vacantly.
The reason she, who was prepared to follow Aria to the ends of the earth, was still in the Dragonkin’s Village with Ravina was because the boundaries of the living did not allow them to step into the divine realm.
Why hadn’t the Dragonkin ever sought the Progenitor of Dragons, whom they revered as their ancestor, who was right above them?
Was it out of respect for Yustelein? Or fear of offending him by trespassing on his domain?
The answer was simply that they were unable to reach the place where Yustelein resided. There was no other reason.
It was a place that was both on the ground and yet not; an extremely high altitude transformed by Yustelein’s powers over the ages, where the atmosphere was so thin that even oxygen scarcely existed.
No matter how robust a Dragonkin’s life force was, it was pointless if they could not breathe. This fact applied equally to humans, dwarves, elves, and even vampires.
Because of this, the divine realm had remained untouched. It was a place where earthly beings could not physically set foot.
“Yeah, even though the external features are similar, it’s impossible not to feel the difference when it comes to such matters.”
There had been only one instance in history where an earthly being trespassed into the divine realm since the records began to be kept by humans.
The first vampire, the Progenitor Ophelia. The manifestation of a dark spirit resembling a human had proven that the elder dragon’s domain at the pinnacle of the Dragon’s Gorge was not an impregnable territory.
It was possible because the Progenitor of Vampires was closer to life than being living.
The Progenitor’s body, which only mimicked human forms, could be considered merely decorative except for its heart, stomach, and brain.
Even the intestine was merely a temporary storage for the blood it drank, and considering that losing the brain would only result in a brief loss of consciousness before regeneration without issues, everything besides the heart could be deemed fake.
Thus, Aria did not perform fundamental biological functions like breathing or excretion.
Aside from drinking blood and absorbing the life force within it, she required nothing else to survive. That was why she alone held the qualification to challenge the divine realm here.
“Master, leave this to me.”
Eleonora mumbled while gazing up at the cliff, then turned sharply and marched confidently towards the Warrior Chief waiting in the distance.
Late to realize, Ravina exclaimed and tried to catch up. But before she could say anything, Eleonora stood resolutely before the Warrior Chief.
“Please help us.”
“Are we going right away? I’ll be ready shortly—”
“No, it’s not that.”
When Eleonora shook her head firmly, the Warrior Chief looked puzzled.
Ravina felt the same confusion. Adding another Dragonkin wouldn’t change things, and there was no need to refuse their offer of help.
But only after hearing Eleonora’s next words did they understand what she was really trying to say.
“Even if just your faction could help, please assist us. All of them.”
“…Miss. As I mentioned, due to the village rules, we can’t recklessly leave the gorge.”
The Warrior Chief shook his head, looking quite troubled.
With no eyes around, he softened his tone to express his sincerity, yet Eleonora remained unyielding.
“Once the war is over, I’ll ensure everyone from your faction can live on the ground. So please help us.”
It was not a pre-arranged condition, but Eleonora was sure that Aria would gladly accept it.
However, the Warrior Chief still looked distressed as if he considered the proposal to hold no merit.
“Considering the possibility of a good outcome, it wasn’t a bad proposal, but… if we lose the war, it’s a blank promise, isn’t it? I truly apologize, but as the leader of a faction, I cannot stake our faction’s future on a battle with no chance of victory.”
“We can win. That’s why Master went.”
“…You certainly have a lot of faith in your benefactor.”
In other words, the Warrior Chief was implying he did not share that level of faith in Aria.
Eleonora realized that ordinary persuasion would not suffice. Ultimately, she decided to resort to extreme measures she would never normally consider.
“You are the ones who once simply abandoned my life, are you not?”
Her sharp voice made the Warrior Chief, and even Ravina next to him, flinch.
A clear accusation. Eleonora continued with an expression reminiscent of interrogating a sinner.
“Did you discard the food my father brought from the humans?”
“…No, we did not.”
“Interesting. You exiled the Warrior Chief for interacting with humans, yet you consumed the very food he acquired. That’s quite the double standard, wouldn’t you agree?”
It was a rather rude attack, but the Warrior Chief couldn’t respond. He couldn’t openly deny it, as he had also thought at the time that it was a contradictory act.
Though he had temporarily set aside his emotions to support Aria’s cause, Eleonora despised the Dragonkin here who had driven her father to death.
She had no sympathy for the three factions that led to her exile and even those from her father’s faction.
Elon Drake could have defied the banishment. But realizing that victory against the three factions was unlikely and trying to keep his men from bleeding, he had opted to retreat alone instead.
What about his subordinates? The remaining Dragonkin of the Drake faction had ultimately remained silent and passive in the face of the Warrior Chief’s words, which meant sacrificing themselves for their own safety. Though they may have mourned outwardly, none of them ever made a significant objection to the decisions of the other three factions, leaving the Drake father and daughter unable to avoid tragedy.
What value did their confessions have now, when the bystanders were merely offering hollow apologies?
Could a reassurance that they felt regret over past events serve as sincere remorse when they were merely offering help based on their own interests, rather than what the other side genuinely needed?
Eleonora’s answer was, “I cannot accept it.”
“…I very much regret that.”
“Did you truly follow my father? Isn’t your apology just empty words to spruce up your conscience?”
“That is absolutely not true! We truly respected and followed Warrior Chief Drake!”
“Then prove it. If you feel even the slightest guilt regarding what my father faced, or if you feel discomfort that a mere child was allowed to fall into slavery, then show it through your actions.”
Eleonora did not step back an inch and confronted the Warrior Chief directly.
She had never preferred to threaten others using their guilt, but the situation left her no choice.
If Aria had not given up, she too had to do her utmost to devise a strategy.
“…Miss, may I ask you one thing? I heard that even if all the Dragonkin of the village went, the odds were grim. So, are you asking for our help to hold us accountable for our past inaction?”
“No. As I said before, the Master went to ensure we win.”
In response to the Warrior Chief’s question, Eleonora shook her head. There was nothing but certainty reflected in her bright golden eyes.
“Certainly, even if all of you attacked at once, you would not be able to defeat Luminous. But you can buy some time.”
Eleonora did not know how long it would take to reach Yustelein.
No one had ever made it to the peak of that divine realm and returned, leaving everyone guessing about the height and treacherousness of that cloud-kissing place.
Thus, they needed time. Even a few days would suffice. A single day would be good. No, even a few hours would work.
“If we can hold out until Master returns with the time granted, then it would be our victory.”
Eleonora spoke with conviction, showing no signs of believing that Aria would fail.
Ultimately, it was the Warrior Chief who was the first to relent. The man who had once served as Elon Drake’s second-in-command could not turn a blind eye to the stubbornness of the daughter left behind by his former leader.
“Pass it on. I will summon the forces.”
“Yes.”
Raising his hand, he called for the subordinate waiting in the distance and immediately issued a brief command.
As he watched his busy subordinate, the Warrior Chief fell deep into thought. Would there come a time when he would regret this choice in the future?
Honestly, he believed there was a high likelihood that he would. But he also knew from experience that a life bound by the safe side could never be free from regret.
“This time for sure.”
The one who claimed to be a descendant of dragons. He hoped to become a warrior worthy of that name.
Glancing at the girl with eyes resembling those of the great warrior he once followed, the Warrior Chief secretly made his resolve.
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