Chapter 119 - Guides Gift (5)

Chapter 119 - Guide’s Gift (5) ‘It is only a recording.’

Carlos’ manifestation of thought left behind in the ruins of the Balan Forest was similar to a ghost. It was able to think and converse by itself. On the other hand, this was just a recording. It delivered Carlos image and voice to Azell.

When he realized this fact, he felt disappointment wash over him. Even if it was a ghost-like manifestation, he had been excited about being able to converse with his friend.

-That fact that you were able to acquire this.... You were able to complete two tasks, and my prediction is heading towards the most positive direction. You were able to find and acquire this item before others could find it. Moreover, you were able to obtain the map from your sleeping place.

In the ruins of the Balan Forest, Carlos had arranged many things for him within the sleeping place of Azell. However, Azell hadn’t been able to acquire anything except for his Dragon Maken. It would be useless to point out this fact to the manifestation, since it was only a recording.

-I don’t know how many of them are left. Please try to acquire all of them. I thought about storing everything in one location, but the risk was too high. This was why I placed the items in various locations when I had the chance. In the past, I always wondered why Magicians kept creating facilities that would be found as ruins by the future generation.... I can now understand why they did it.

Carlos’ manifestation let out a bitter laugh.

-Ah. I should tell you what this is. I designed it exactly like your White Dragon armor. However, you probably realized at a glance that this isn’t your White Dragon armor.

This was a replica of the White Dragon armor. Carlos had made it with the help of his comrades. It was a replica, but it was better than the original.

-I spent a good amount of money making this. If you sell this, you’ll be able to buy a castle easily. Ah. That doesn’t mean you should sell it. Only I could have made this armor. It is something you won’t be able to purchase with money.

‘.......’

Azell couldn’t help, but laugh. There were several decades difference between this Carlos and the Carlos he had known, yet Azell couldn’t believe how much he hadn’t changed.

-Azell. I hope what I left behind for you will help you face your future tribulations. My body is old, and I regret that I cannot stand by you during your time of need.

After fulfilling its task, Carlos’ mental manifestation disappeared, and Azell’s consciousness returned to reality. Azell mumbled bitterly as the White Dragon armor easily accepted him with no resistance.

“Me too.”

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Azell put on the White Dragon armor immediately. He took off his leather armor, and he recited the keyword....

Chul-kuhng! Chul-kuh-kuhng!

The White Dragon armor broke apart into pieces, and it reformed perfectly around Azell’s body. When Kairen saw this, his eyes turned round.

“Azell.”

“Yes?”

“This is the first time I’ve been jealous of an item you possess.”

“Hoo hoo. Even if you say such words, I won’t be giving this to you. I’ve been a bit disappointed at the state of my own defense, but now......”

“No, I don’t care about that. It is an armor that can be put on and off automatically. What a revolutionary idea. Shit.”

“.......”

A full body armor was always terribly difficult to put on and off Once knights put on their armor in battle, they kept it on even if they became filthy. When one’s bladder was about to burst, knights sometimes contemplated not taking off the armor before going to the restroom. The decision came down to whether the knight wanted to lose his dignity as a human rather than go through the difficult process of taking off the armor.

For reference, the original White Dragon armor didn’t have the automatic equip function. In the past, Azell had use his Spirit Order’s telekinesis skill to take off his armor. His laziness allowed him to grow in proficiency using that skill.

Suddenly, Laura spoke.

“It really looks the same.......”

“Mmm?”

“You look like Azell Karzark.”

“.......”

Unlike other people, Laura had actually seen the recorded image of Azell in the Dragon Demon war. Azell already looked eerily like the real Azell Karzark. Now he was wearing an armor of the same design, so it felt as if the figure in the record had appeared in reality.

She spoke.

“Now that I see it, the cape is different.”

“This cape doesn’t seem special.”

During the Dragon Demon war, Azell had worn a red magic cape made out of Dragon leather. On the other hand, it seemed Carlos had made this cape using magic when he replicated the White Dragon armor. It wasn’t some amazing object.

‘Anyways, that guy.... Did his thought process change as he grew older? He made protections against water, heat and even dirt?’

It would be very hard to dirty this cape, since it had been treated with protection magic. Carlos had also put in an auto-equip function for the armor. Carlos had devised solutions that was strangely practical and convenient.

‘In the past, he usually put performance above all else....’

This had been a common complaint from others when they obtained magical items made by Carlos. It felt as if one was complaining on a full stomach when one was able to acquire a valuable magical item made by Carlos. However, what would happen if a person, who showcases a precision style sword art, was given a heavy and thick blade for the sake of performance? Of course, people would have no choice but to complain.

‘How dare a mere human try to raise objection to a rare artificer like me? You don’t like my magical item? I bet my magical device hates you too. Just shut up, and you adjust to the magical item. If you don’t like it, I can give it to someone else. I chose to give it to you, and you are rejecting it. I’ll strike you off of my waiting list. Let’s see if your turn comes up before the damn war is over.’

...Carlos had been like that. It felt weird for Azell when he found out that Carlos took into consideration of the user’s comfort and convenience when making this item.

Azell suddenly looked towards Yuren.

‘What is he.......’

He wondered what the identity of the guide was and why did the guide know about a facility left behind by Carlos? Moreover, how was the guide able to tell Yuren about the methods needed to disable the magic spells protecting this place?

‘Maybe, this is Carlos’.... Did he arrange this too?’

That thought came to him. Of course, he didn’t have any evidence to support it...

Still, he looked at Yuren, who had stated that he was Carlos’ descendant. He looked so much like Carlos that Azell couldn’t help, but think about Carlos from his lifetime.

Yuren had a big smile on his face.

“What are you thinking? Do you like it?”

“Mmm.......”

Azell had a complicated expression on his face as he looked at Yuren. He nodded his head.

“Thank you. This is the best present ever.”

At the very least, he liked the present that had been prepared for him, so he was forced to admit it. There was the armor that reminded him of his past, and he had encountered the mental manifestation left behind by Carlos.....

9

Their business here was taken care of, so there was no reason to stay long in this place. The party immediately exited the cave.

“You all came out much faster than I had expected. This looked like a well hidden ruin, so I worried maybe I would have to wait a couple days for you guys to come out.”

A stranger was sitting on top of a boulder with his chin propped up on his hands. Azell was startled.

‘Who the hell is this?’

He was most definitely a human. However, Azell hadn’t sensed his presence even though they were only 10 meters apart.

The man looked to be in his mid to late 30s. He had long brown hair and a beard. His entire body was encased in metal armor, so he looked to be a knight.

The weird thing about him was his eyes. He had his face towards Azell, but his eyes were closed.

“Before I introduce myself... I’ll prove that I don’t have any ill intentions towards you.”

At the same time, the sound of children whispering could be heard in the surrounding. Guardian Shadows appeared in various locations. They were wearing white robes, but there was a incomprehensible darkness within the robes.

When he saw them, Azell realized something.

‘This bastard is similar to the Guardian Shadows.’

Azell was sure this man possessed a living body. However, he was able to thin his presence like the Guardian Shadows. He was able to avoid detection from Azell’s senses.

Of course, there was a condition. He had to be still. When the man stood up, his presence could be sensed by Azell. His presence was still weak, but it was detectable. Moreover...

‘He is one of the Keepers of the Prophecy.’

Azell could identify a Keeper of the Prophecy at a glance now. This man was also letting out the scent of Dragon Demon magic like Leone.

He still had his eyes closed as he approached Azell.

“I’m a Keeper of the Prophecy for the Guardian Shadows. My name is Balseru. This is the first time we are meeting face to face. You are Azell Zestringer, who might be the long awaited figure from our prophecy”

“I.......”

Azell spoke as he watched him.

“It doesn’t matter if it it is the Dragon Demon king worshippers or you guys. Everyone keeps attaching long and annoying disclaimers to my name, but I think I’m getting used to it now.”

“If you don’t like it, I’ll shorten it. Do you mind me calling you sir Azell?”

“So should I be calling you sir Balseru?”

“You can call me whatever you want. It has been 50 years, since I’ve last worked as a knight.”

“.......”

Azell was taken aback by his words. Balseru looked to me in his mid-30s on the outside, yet he was that old?

“...so you are the same as Leone?”

“Yes. Our time stopped when we became the Keepers of the Prophecy. It has been a long time, since we’ve faced our death as humans.”

“You don’t look like an Undead.”

“I do the work that can’t be done by corpses.”

“What do you do?”

“You already know my answer to your question.”

“Basically, you won’t tell me anything until you confirm that I’m the prophesied person.”

“Yes.”

“Well, all right. Why did you come looking for me? Are you here to complain about Laura?”

Azell looked at the nearby Guardian Shadows as he spoke. They were showing open hostility towards Laura. It was as if they wanted to attack Laura at that moment, and it was clear they were holding back.

Balseru spoke.

“We are very dissatisfied, but we respect your decision. If you are revealed not to be the person in the prophecy, we’ll take care of her.”

“Ho-oh.”

“At the very least, you should withdraw your killing intent since we aren’t here to fight. I feel the same as all the Guardian Shadows here, and I’m trying very hard not to show it.......”

“Your tone of voice makes it sound as if you are trying to pick a fight with me.”

“If it was harsh to your ears, I apologize. This is only an excuse, but all the Keepers of the Prophecy had lost everything to the Dragon Demon King worshippers. This is why it is difficult for us to act rationally in front of Dragon Demon king worshippers.”

He spoke such words, but his voice was as calm as ever. This dissonance was so stark that it made Azell more wary.

“...it seems I’m making you more agitated by speaking. Let’s get to the main reason I’m here.”

“I’m here to deliver an important information. It isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be able to understand a Guardian Shadow, so I am here to deliver it.”

“.......”

It seemed the Keepers of the prophecy were well aware of the fact that Guardian Shadows were poor messengers. Azell and Kairen agreed with this sentiment a hundred fold.

Balseru spoke.

“The Plain of Darkness has revived the Dragon Demon General Reygus as an Undead. Moreover, he is powerful. He is on a different level compared to the other Undeads.”

“What?”

Azell was taken aback. However, his shock couldn’t be compared to the one he felt after listening to Balseru’s next words.

“He asked us a question. He asked us where we are hiding Carlos.”

“...Carlos?”

“It was as if he knew Carlos was still alive in some shape or form. Do you have any conjectures regarding this issue, sir Azell?”

“What are you.......”

Azell was dumbfounded, but Azell’s gaze unconsciously fell on a single person. His gaze headed towards Yuren, who had a surprised expression on his face.