Chapter 615: Vermouth Lionheart (7)

Chapter 615: Vermouth Lionheart (7)

“Ah...!" Vermouth exclaimed.

Indeed, the dragon was swift. The vast battlefield began to recede behind them in an instant. Vermouth glanced back. He could not entirely shake off the continuous shouts coming from behind.

"Did you want to stay there longer?" Eugene asked sarcastically.

"No... that's not it...,” Vermouth replied.

Though he harbored many secrets and bore considerable anguish, Vermouth Lionheart was not one for social graces. He had let tears escape because he had been overwhelmed by surging emotions. But knowing how to handle what came next was a monumental challenge for him. Then suddenly, he found himself abruptly hoisted onto the back of a dragon by Eugene and his comrades.

‘A dragon...,’ Vermouth thought with a grim expression.

The realization that he was riding a dragon brought a strange feeling, considering that the Demon King of Destruction had nearly eradicated them all. Of course, Vermouth no longer considered himself an avatar of Destruction and felt no guilt about the past; it had been the same even three hundred years ago.

But that was merely Vermouth's point of view. Wouldn’t any surviving dragons have every reason to hold a grudge against him?

‘Not just dragons either,’ he thought.

Vermouth cleared his throat awkwardly as he turned his gaze towards a little girl who sat between Sienna and Eugene. The girl giggled merrily.

"That girl is... Sienna, she is a familiar you created, isn't she?" Vermouth asked.

"My name is Mer," Mer answered immediately. She looked at Vermouth with sparkling eyes as if she had been waiting for this moment. "My first name is Mer, and for now, my last name is Merdein. Mer Merdein."

"For now...?" Vermouth asked, confused.

"Soon, it will be Mer Lionheart," Mer replied brightly.

She laughed happily while pulling Eugene and Sienna’s arms around her. Eugene closed his eyes without saying a word while Sienna blushed and dropped her head.

"I see,” Vermouth commented.

Everyone was in the know about the feelings Sienna harbored for Hamel since three hundred years ago. Vermouth smiled knowingly and nodded.

"Is this dragon... one... that survived from three hundred years ago?" Vermouth asked.

"No,” Eugene answered.

It wasn’t as if Vermouth was the keeper of all knowledge. Eugene opened his eyes and gently stroked Raimira’s scales.

"Do you remember Raizakia?" he asked.

"How could I forget?” Vermouth responded.

The Demonic Dragon Raizakia.

Even after Helmuth became an empire, Raizakia shunned humans and named himself the Black Dragon Duke upon receiving the title of duke. He was a dragon that reached the pinnacle of misanthropy. Vermouth had pondered in the past whether he should kill Raizakia for the sake of the future.

"She is Raizakia's daughter,” Eugene said.

[Oh, Great Vermouth, this lady is called Raimira!]

The fact that the legendary Vermouth from the fairy tale took an interest in her elicited a bright voice from Raimira. Vermouth’s cheeks twitched after hearing their answers. He was grappling with several doubts. Vermouth was well aware of what the demons called him: Vermouth of Despair. He wondered why Raizakia's daughter showed him such reverence when he had been a figure of fear among the demonfolk and earned himself such an ominous nickname.

And then....

"Isn’t Raizakia dead?" Vermouth asked tentatively.

"I killed him," Eugene answered with a calm expression.

[Even thinking about it now, the Black Dragon Duke deserved to die,] Raimira also responded nonchalantly.

She never had any familial affection for Raizakia to speak of, and she knew what schemes the Black Dragon Duke had harbored.

"I see...." Vermouth reluctantly nodded.

He could somewhat understand. If the dragon could allow her father’s killer to ride her, why couldn’t she accept the one responsible for nearly wiping out her race?

"Hmm... Hamel, they're still calling us,” commented Vermouth.

"Your hearing is sharp. You can still hear them from this distance?" Eugene asked, surprised.

"There are also some people following us from behind,” Vermouth said while pointing behind them.

Indeed, Vermouth's words were true. Several figures were pursuing them from afar, with Melkith in the lead. Eugene gestured towards Sienna with a face full of disgust.

"Drop them,” he ordered.

"Okay,” Sienna answered.

Knowing that Melkith was leading the pursuers made it easier for Sienna to cast aside any hesitation. The beam of light she fired exploded upon making contact with Melkith.

Kyaaaaah.... With a long scream, Melkith plummeted downward.

"I-is this really okay?" Vermouth stuttered.

Everything that was happening was hard to grasp with common sense.

"It is,” came the answer.

Vermouth was restrained by common sense only because he did not know what kind of person Melkith El-Hayah was. Eugene clicked his tongue in disgust and slapped Vermouth's back hard.

"I just saved you, got it?" he said.

"Why are you saying that all of a sudden...?" Vermouth asked, perplexed.

With Eugene holding the chains that controlled the demons, there was no need to worry about a rebellion.

"Still... it's a bit regrettable about Babel,” Eugene commented.

"Babel? Why?" Sienna asked, confused.

"I made a promise to Lady Ancilla. I was going to give her Babel as a gift,” Eugene answered.

The Lionheart family home had been turned into a mess by the elves and dwarves. But since it couldn’t be helped, he had made a promise to Ancilla to find her a suitable place. But now that Babel had collapsed completely, he couldn't even offer that even if he wanted to.

"We'll just have to build a new one,” Eugene said firmly.

"Got a spot picked out?" Sienna asked.

"Somewhere with a forest and a river flowing—" Eugene started to answer with a stern face.

Sienna's fist jabbed into his side.

"So where are we headed?" Kristina spoke up while sneakily pulling out a bottle of liquor from inside her robe. The mere appearance of the bottle drew everyone closer.

"Let's go somewhere secluded and rest for a bit.”

"Bring out the liquor first."

"Hamel, I know you stashed a bottle in your cloak before you stepped onto the battlefield,” said Anise.

"Wait a moment..." Vermouth, who had been listening to the conversation joyfully, suddenly spoke up. "You had it prepared in advance?"

"So?” Eugene shot back.

"Is there a problem?" Kristina asked, confused.

"You mean to tell me... before fighting the Demon King of Destruction... you had already stashed away a bottle?" Vermouth asked.

"Bastard, have you forgotten everything from being sealed away for hundreds of years?" Eugene clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Didn't we always do that in the old days? We always brought liquor before fighting a Demon King."

"Drink before dying or after killing."

"That's true, but...." Vermouth's eyes wavered.

Indeed, that was how it used to be. But to have liquor ready just before the final battle that could determine the fate of the world and their comrades....

"So, you're not going to drink it?" Eugene asked.

"If you give it... I'll drink,” Vermouth said with a smile.

"Yeah, but not now. If we're going to drink, we'll do it later. We’ll just share one bottle for now,” said Eugene.

The last drinking session had taught Eugene a lot. Drinking now in their less-than-ideal state could repeat history once more.

"So... after we rest, where do we go?" Vermouth inquired.

Unable to resist liquor, Anise was the first to open the bottle. She took one sip, then another.

"Why are you drinking twice when there's not much?" Eugene sounded annoyed.

"This is the liquor Kristina brought out. And I didn't drink twice. Once for me, once for Kristina. Understand?" Anise said with a giggle.

Sharing one body had its moments.

"I’m going to head to the World Tree,” Sienna said.

She passed the bottle she had sipped from to the side.

"I’ve said my farewell, but you should still report back. Then there's Raguyaran... and the distant seas to visit,” said Eugene.

He smiled faintly when he recalled Vishur in deep slumber. It almost felt like he could hear the laughter of Light from afar.

"We need to check on Lehainjar. My descendants are there, aren't they?" Molon said.

Eugene passed the bottle to Molon. After taking a swig, he handed it to Vermouth.

"If possible, I'd like to check on Ravesta too. There might be nothing left there now... but still, I want to see it with my own eyes,” Vermouth answered with a bitter smile.

Ravesta was where Vermouth had been sealed for over two hundred years. The demons that had made a pact with the Demon King of Destruction and lived there had perished, and the sealed beasts had died in the war of Hauria. Now, Ravesta was just a small, detached island in the sea. Vermouth knew it as well, but he wanted to see it for himself.

"And after that?"

"Vermouth, isn't there anything else you want to do?"

"Hamel said he wanted to establish an academy."

"Better than a tavern."

"Do you have a problem with my dream?"

"I think it's a wonderful dream."

Amidst the ongoing banter, Vermouth let out a soft laugh.

"What I want to do.... I'll think about it slowly," he murmured.

He had already achieved what he truly wanted. There was no rush for the next. No fate bound Vermouth any longer, nor did the world.

The destruction had ended.