Episode 786 Blood Alliance (2)
Verden and his party finished their business in the Desert of Silence and set off to the continent. Naturally, they did not hold a farewell ceremony.As long as the Great Tree of Life stabilizes the spatial coordinates, they could visit the desert whenever they wanted.
The Desert of Silence was no longer an uncharted territory.Though barren, it was a place where people lived.It was simply the continent’s ignorance that such a misunderstanding arose and deepened. Just like this, how many things in the world does humanity have yet to discover?
“Finally, I’m heading back. Hmm, maybe because I’ve gotten used to the desert, the continent feels unfamiliar now. Anyway, it was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had.”
Legrit explored the Desert of Silence with Hilla for nearly a year.
Finding the first magic tower, getting swept up in the conflict between the Tuhar Creed and the Apostates, waging war against the Tuhar Creed and Kirondar, becoming a Dragon… … even Regrit had never experienced such an intense experience before.
It is overflowing with reward.
Legrit turned his back while stroking the broken dragon horn embedded in his right forehead.
“Did you have fun too?”“I wasn’t bored.”
Verden gazed at the boundary between the land where magic had returned and the desert where magic was still depleted, then set his eyes on the Great Tree of Life.
“Thanks to you, I gained much more than I expected. Thank you for guiding me this far.”“You don’t need to thank me. It is a captain’s duty to lead a qualified candidate through trials. Though, to be honest, it was a bit excessive for a trial.”
In the path the Ark has traveled, there is no instance where a mere candidate other than the captain awakened as a transcendent being, nor is there a case where two transcendent-level beings were defeated through the captain’s trial.
The records of a very long history are being rewritten today. Being born in such an era is truly nothing short of a blessing.
Legrit said.
“As I mentioned before, Hilla and I will return to the Ark straight from here. As captains, there are more than a few things to report. While I’m at it, I’ll also give you a heads-up regarding your request. Don’t worry about the Ark; deal with the Blood Alliance first.”“I’m counting on you.”“As the sixth captain, it is my natural right to utilize the Ark’s specialized intelligence network. Even though you are the next captain, you have received a unique airship from your superiors, so there is no particular problem with using your rights early. After all, finding a mere person is no big deal.”
The person Verden intends to find through the Ark has been decided long ago.
Survivor of the Deiros family───Xenia Deiros.
Croden Olentiana, the culprit who brought tragedy to Isabella’s family, stated that her younger sister did not die but suddenly disappeared.
Unless Zenia’s death is confirmed, we must find her no matter how long it takes or how much it costs.
That was the promise shared between Verden and Isabella Deiros.
Since the Ark has mobilized its global intelligence network, we should be able to obtain a clue one way or another. It might take some time, though.
Originally, Verden was merely a candidate for the Ark, and even then only a half-candidate, so he could not utilize the Ark’s intelligence network at all.
This was because the Principality of Liviant had made a contract with Listener to follow only a part of the Ark’s duties in exchange for a reward for overcoming trials.
Verden needed only partial assistance from the Ark related to growth.That was the case at the time.Now, several years later, considering he has readily accepted the position of the sixth captain, truly a great deal has changed.
Then, Legritt asked nonchalantly.
“I should probably leave soon. Ah, before that, could you take off that pitch-black glove? Just one.”“……? Alright.”
Verden tilted his head inwardly, yet he half-undressed [The Tribulation of Famous Poems]. The moment the edge of his right hand was revealed, Legrit approached.
closely.
Legrit bit Verden’s bare hand with a certain amount of force. He could feel the sensation of teeth that had become sharper since becoming a dragon.
Verden lowered his gaze.
“What are you doing?”“I’ve always wanted to bite you at least once.”
Legritt cleared his throat and took a few steps back, seemingly satisfied in his own way yet feeling a bit embarrassed.Then, he clenched his fist in the air and pulled his arm down.
Explore the questions, Miravis.
────!
A medium-to-large-sized seaplane silently burst through the space from the rear. It was nearly the same size as Verden’s Arsis, but its appearance was quite different.
If Arsir was intimidating,Miravis was free.
Then I’ll see you at the World Conference, Verden.
thud!
Legrit kicked off the ground, snatched Hila who was nearby, and mounted Miravis. He seems to be controlling his strength more comfortably than a few days ago.It appears he is gradually and significantly adapting to the physical sensations of a dragon.
A moment later, Miravis’s hull was enveloped in a translucent purple heat haze, gradually fading until it vanished without a trace.Nuhara’s stable spatial coordinates also serve as a passageway for others.
And so the unknown explorer left the desert.
“I think resisting the impulse comes before regaining physical sensation. Well, I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
Verden stared at the bite marks on his hand, then put his gloves back on.He was somewhat flustered because it had become more difficult to see into Legrit’s inner self since Legrit became a mercenary, but not enough to show it.
The problem was something else.
Hmm.
Isabella approached.Then she smiled.
“Is Yongin’s sexual impulse closer to that of a beast than a human? What does the Head of the House think?”“…….”
Verden pondered the best course of action for how to answer. Having found a clear path in a split second, he changed the subject.
“I’m heading over to Gargant before the World Conference. I think it would be nice to spend a day or so there relaxing and wandering around the city center. What do you think?”“……Are you serious?”“Fine, if you don’t want to.”
Isabella grabbed Verden’s arm as he walked past her.
“Wait, taking the initiative like this? Isn’t that too cowardly?”“What’s your answer?”“I’ll plan the schedule.”
Isabella smiled shyly.It was a genuine smile.
* * *
[Departure. Ready.]
[Ready to return.]
Hehehe.
Beta and Alpha, mounted on the Dreadmere, met the two at the far edge of Nuhara’s outskirts. Verden’s party is not the only one heading to the continent.
Personnel were separately selected to periodically travel between the continent and the desert to handle the exchange of goods and culture.
Notably, Arion Barslan, the armchair intellectual of the Barslan clan who had a hole in his abdomen for the first time this time, was included among them.
“Uh, you can leave anytime……!”
Arion trembled uncontrollably, shouldering a backpack larger than his frame and gripping the reins of his family member, Karash.He could have been put into a subspace, but Arion adamantly refused.
“Shouldn’t you take care of the things that are precious to you yourself…!”“Of course, that’s how it should be.”
This was the teaching of Lito Barslan.
For reference, Rito was also carrying a large backpack filled with alchemy tools and materials.
Although the ingredients were depleted while making potions for the injured this time, the size has increased and the weight has become heavier as additional alchemy equipment was brought from the First Magic Tower.
“Anyway, you brought that much gold, yet you couldn’t even use it properly.”“It can’t be helped. No one expected the nation’s cities to be transported to pieces and vanish. Are you disappointed?”“What? Disappointed? Hahaha! All I need is ‘that’! Hahahaha!!!!”
Rito, having obtained two real elixirs, was constantly filled with excitement and burst into maniacal laughter day after day.
The ultimate goal of alchemy is before my eyes. Perhaps I might even see the end of alchemy… Such anticipation stimulated the life of the eccentric alchemist.
The whole place became noisy.
Seizing the opportunity, the apostate Ramisha stepped forward holding a bundle of papers.
“Ah, excuse me. Lady Isabella. Here is the painting you requested last time.”“Let me see… Oh my.”
Naturally, Ramisha has never learned to draw professionally.
Although it was merely a hobby she had built up in her spare time while engaging in apostate activities, fortunately, even objectively speaking, she had a talent for painting.It was not for nothing that Alpha and Beta in Naharind praised Ramisha’s paintings.
Characters expressed purely and sensually, unstandardized because they had never been taught a single path… … There were Verden and Isabella, looking at each other with gentle smiles.
Isabella was a continental musician once known as the lucky melody-maker. As a famous artist, she caught a glimpse of poor Ramisha’s artistic talent.
“I like it.”“Um, really?”“Of course. Really.”
Isabella, who had quickly stored the paintings in the subspace of [Endless Myriad Forms] so that no one would see, gently put her arm around Ramisha’s shoulder.
“I’ll take care of you from now on.”“Oh, th-thank you!”
As Ramisha was selected for the Naharind Assassination Squad, she knows how to fight, but that won’t work on the cold stage of this world.Therefore, it would be right to place her where she can be most effective rather than relying on her actual combat power.
Now Ramisha is Eon’s painter.
Eon, not limited to magic alone, welcomes talent from all fields. And so, Ramisha won today’s trip to the continent.
Verden, who had turned a blind eye to Ramisha and Isabella, partially revealed his presence and raised his voice toward everyone.
“We will dispatch a person in charge from Eon along with supplies within 10 days.”
Silence fell.
Everyone listened attentively to Verden’s words.
Trust and wait.
The new leadership of Tuhar, who had come out to see them off from Nuhara, responded immediately.
“Be at peace, High Lord!”“I shall meet the gods in the future……!”“I will make this place, Nuhara, a sanctuary incomparable to the likes of Tuhar of old!”“Thank you once again for freeing me from the status of an exile!”“For Eon!!!”“For the new gods!!!”
Verden nodded and shifted his gaze from left to right.Familiar faces flashed by.
Tarvi, who leads the freed slaves; Tasrik the Venomous Fang of Apostasy; Shiraz; Tadim; Zarmina; Rastan Barslan. Fajan and Orahat, who commanded the apostates; Morning Sun, the former second-in-command of the Tuhar Creed; Rudok the Exile… … .
In the desert of silence, the distinction between the Tuhar Creed and the apostate no longer exists.
There is only Eon.
Munadim the Wanderer let out an excited sigh.
“I have a lot of bad memories, but I still feel a bit uneasy about leaving the desert. It’s my first time setting foot on a continent, so I’m nervous too.”“You’ll adapt quickly.”“……Yes, I’m sure I will.”
She stroked my arm.
After finding the remains of the first demon through the human skin map discovered at the Great Temple of Tuhar, Verden promised merit to the wandering Munadim, butas the offer was so sudden, she could not immediately decide what to accept.
My head is a bit muddled… could you give me a moment to think?
Take your time thinking it over. You have plenty of time anyway.
But never imagined that having so much time would be like this… Munadim the Wanderer trembled slightly at the unfamiliar continent before him.
What on earth is this person expecting from me?
Munadim the Wanderer was curious about Verden’s as-yet-undisclosed motives. In any case, her going to the continent was a done deal.
Andes twitched his jawbone.
[Haha, there’s no need to be so scared. Life is pretty much the same everywhere.]
“Didn’t you say last time that the continent is full of dangerous things that you wouldn’t even dare to imagine?”
So that means life is terrible.
“…….”
[Just kidding. Verden, when are you leaving?]
Verden answered immediately.
“now.
Gate
They opened the spatial portal using the Infinite Magic Path and [Einber].There is no time to waste.Led by Isabella, they began moving to different coordinates one by one.
Verden raised his gaze.
From that distant hill, the Great Tree of Life, the Keeper, and Omega are seeing me off. When I waved, they waved back.
The Giant Tree of Life shook its massive branches, shedding countless leaves, and Omega moved its round body back and forth.
[hi.]
[See you next time.]
While Dreadmere was throwing squirts, Alpha and Beta also waved their adorable little arms. Since they could be reunited at any time, they turned around and walked away.
See you later.
Verden greeted him once more in his heart and crossed the
As an array of ownerless land.
* * *
Central part of the Eastern Continent.
The allied forces of the Kingdom of Estiria, the Principality of Liviant, the Autonomous Region of Midlos, and the Republic of Beldirn established a border to block the undead forces.
Amidst a battlefield raining down elemental magic, a pure white sword sliced through a zombie.
Callia de Esperensa took a short breath.
No matter how much I cut, there is no end to it.
I defeated thousands of undead not long ago, and thousands of undead have appeared again this time.
The glory of the dead.
It was enough to bring back memories of the time two years ago when the undead outbreak had extensively contaminated the granary of the Kingdom of Estiria with deception, and when I had hunted down the black mages who caused it together with Verden.
Fireball
Boom!
As the White Knights blocked the 3rd-tier magic cast by three Liches simultaneously with their shields, Kalia rushed forward quickly.
The sword split the skull in half.
He glided forward and broke another reach’s spine with his knee, then spun around and lifted his leg to smash yet another reach’s skull.
Vespa, the commander of the Baekgyeol Knights, shouted.
“Lady Kalia…! Please don’t slip away from your escorts without permission!”“This much is fine. The extermination is almost over—”“Look, it’s a Corpse Golem!”“Seven individuals!”
A massive undead creature emitting a foul stench approached the front lines. Nearly 300 corpses followed closely around it.It was just as Kalia clicked her tongue and the mages aimed their staffs in unison.
───Kwag
A magical bombardment from the sky wiped out all the undead remnants. I recoiled from the shockwave, then raised my gaze again.
“That’s…….”“It’s the Bohemian Magic Tower! Reinforcements have come from the Tower!”
Amidst the cheers for the reinforcements known as the Magic Tower… … Kalia focused her attention on the woman at the very front among the mages of the Bohemian Magic Tower.
Red hair.Red eyes.
“……Lobeline.”
Temporary Bohemian Tower Master
and.
Verden’s childhood friend.
