Chapter 97

“Cough…”

Trying not to make a sound, I forcibly suppressed the cough that threatened to escape, along with the metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

‘My body….’

Despite the overflowing vitality, my body condition wasn’t good. It was practically like forcibly doping with someone else’s mana. It couldn’t possibly be good.

And it wasn’t just anyone’s mana—it was a dragon’s mana.

Still, compared to the first time I activated this blessing, my condition was far better. Back then, the backlash had knocked me out for several days.

‘I shouldn’t have touched it back then.’

Curiosity was a sin.

I’d only touched it because I found it strange that my father, who never cared about trinkets, had a ring in his possession. Who could’ve known things would turn out like this…?

Back then, I didn’t have the skills I do now. I couldn’t handle, let alone resist, the violent mana of the Red Dragon that coursed through me.

To my still-undeveloped body, that mana left behind a scar—no, more like a lethal poison.

As if the already malnourished body wasn’t enough, the overwhelming strain added on top of it… resulted in this stunted form.

It wasn’t that my growth was completely halted, but the energy that should have gone into growth was redirected to recovery, making it seem like I’d stopped growing altogether.

…Or so the one responsible for turning me into this state had explained so kindly.

—…Isn’t that not my fault?

‘You were the one who eagerly jumped at the chance the moment I touched it.’

At that time, I had literally just touched it. I hadn’t even thought about activating any blessing.

How could I have known that a perverted lizard was sealed inside the ring?

—It’s your fault. With such an enticing soul, how could I possibly resist?

…

Grasid’s words were essentially saying, ‘You tempted me first.’

His shamelessness left me at a loss for words.

I’d told him countless times to buzz off, ever since he started showing that unwanted attention.

But from the moment we met, Grasid had been babbling nonsense like, ‘Would you like to be mine?’ or ‘I like your soul,’ and had no intention of leaving me alone.

As a result, Grasid’s blessing was now effectively bound to me.

***

“Ka, Kana…? You’re Kana, right?”

“Are you already old enough to start forgetting?”

Oh dear, what a pity…

“No, no! I’m still young and healthy!”

Da-eun shook her head violently when I looked at her pitifully.

—Is she an ally of yours? She smells unfamiliar.

‘Stay out of it.’

—Are you jealous? Don’t worry. I have no intention of leaving you for someone else.

‘…Can’t you just go away already?’

—No.

One day, I swear, I’ll yank this thing off my finger and toss it into a boiling volcano.

…No, he’s a Red Dragon. He might actually like that.

I’ll have to bury it deep at the bottom of the ocean instead.

“For a moment, I thought you weren’t Kana because of your outfit….”

“Oh, this?”

Rattle.

Swoosh.

As I lightly moved my body, the lightweight armor I wore made a slight rattling sound.

“It’s nothing much.”

“Nothing much? It’s amazing…! The armor, the cape… You look just like a knight!”

“Uh, really…?”

I scratched my cheek. I hadn’t expected her to react so strongly.

—Quite a lively girl.

“Yeah, I agree with you.”

I turned away from Da-eun, who was looking at me with admiration, as I agreed with Grasid’s words.

“Um, that—”

“We’ll talk later.”

“Ah, y-yeah! Right, now’s not the time to just be chatting….”

Even while talking to Da-eun, my body was throbbing with pain.

If it’s already like this now, then when the backlash comes….

To minimize the inevitable aftermath, I need to wrap up this situation quickly.

But before that, I need to ask something.

‘Grasid.’

—What?

‘Do you know anything about that guy?’

—That one? It’s quite an interesting fellow, but I don’t know it personally.

‘He called himself Krumo.’

—…Krumo?

Grasid’s indifferent voice became a bit clearer, as if the name was not something he could easily ignore.

Grasid let out a nasal sound, examining the creature, and soon gave his answer.

—No. That thing isn’t Krumo. I watched him die with my own eyes, so it’s impossible for him to have come back alive.

‘…I see.’

—But I think I know what that thing really is.

‘What it really is?’

—Yes.

Dragons are beings often referred to as the “Masters of Magic.” S~eaʀᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The reason they are called that is because of their unrivaled ability to control mana and their sensitivity to it, more so than any other creature.

Although they possess a physical body, they are beings that are essentially akin to pure mana.

That’s what dragons are.

—All life leaves behind remnants of consciousness when it dies. Normally, these remnants scatter and disappear quickly.

But a strong consciousness, especially from a being as close to mana as a dragon, is different.

Krumo left behind a remnant of intense hatred even after his death, and that remnant lingered in the form of mana instead of dispersing.

Grasid, who witnessed Krumo’s death, was aware of this fact.

Yet, Grasid didn’t interfere with that remnant. The reason was simple.

Even he couldn’t predict what would happen if he carelessly touched it.

Rather than meddle and cause a catastrophe, it was better to let it naturally fade away.

Even if it was a remnant, it was ultimately just a lump of mana. Over time, it would disperse into the earth, the wind, or the sky.

It couldn’t wreak havoc like it did in life, so there was no reason to interfere.

However, there was something Grasid hadn’t foreseen.

The massive system that regulates the world of Silia—the purification system—had broken down.

The Demonic Race, unable to survive in Laxia, migrated to the Ardina Continent, settling near the area where Krumo’s remnant lingered. The mana-filled remnant was altered by the influence of the Demonic Race, and as a result…

Ta-da.

And thus, a monster called “Krumo’s Shadow” was born.

‘It all came full circle, huh?’

Only the Demonic Race ended up being pitiful.

Just when they finally found a place to live, it turned out to be right next to where the Evil Dragon died, and now they’re stuck with this mess.

It must have thought it was Krumo because it was formed from Krumo’s lingering consciousness.

‘If you knew, you should’ve taken care of it.’

—Can I be honest?

‘…What is it?’

—I forgot about it because I was asleep.

‘….’

Of course, a lizard like him is of no help.

It was a reminder of that undeniable truth.

“I had a little hope. If you really had come back from the dead—”

There might’ve been a possibility.

I muttered inwardly as I readjusted my grip on my sword.

After all, I’d already received an answer from Edel. What was I even hoping for?

I felt like an idiot and let out a crooked smile.

Meanwhile, the shadow seemed to have sensed something when it looked at me.

-The red… that flame…! Ah, ahh, AAAAAAAHH!!!

The shadow twisted its body.

With each painful scream, the heavens and earth trembled as if weeping in anguish.

-Grasid…! You filthy traitor, you’re standing in my way again…!

“Traitor?”

I tilted my head at the unexpected word, but Grasid dismissed it firmly.

—Don’t mind it. It’s just the nonsense of a long-dead wraith.

“I see.”



It seems like there’s something between them, but I’m not really interested.

“Whatever happened between you two, deal with it yourselves.”

Whoosh—

“You’ll pay the price for trying to mess with what’s mine.”

After cutting through the Breath attack, the flames that had subsided flared up once more.

Maybe that’s where the saying “Even a dead fire should be watched carefully” comes from.

Well, of course not. But regardless, the shadow, which was already convulsing, completely lost its mind when it saw me channeling sword energy.

-“GRASIDDDD!!!”

The shadow threw aside its strongest weapon, Breath, and charged at me with a reckless physical assault.

“Joanie.”

“Y-Yes!”

I only called her name, but Da-eun, understanding perfectly, immediately took off running.

As expected, she’s got an uncanny sense of when to back off.

“You can call me Da-eun now!”

“…Is that really what’s important right now?”

For her to say something like that while running away… She sure has gotten braver compared to before.

That’s enough pointless thoughts for now.

It’s time to deal with this fake lizard that’s charging at me.

Its size is smaller than the dimensional creature that took the form of a wolf that I fought recently.

But the strength emanating from it feels similar, if not greater.

It’s not an opponent to take lightly.

It doesn’t need any fancy tricks; if it just crushes me with its massive body, I’d end up as a flat piece of jerky.

But—

“If I don’t get squashed, that’s all that matters.”

I haven’t lived such an easy life that I’d get taken down by a mindless lizard charging at me.

The tip of my sword drew a smooth arc.

Compared to its massive frame, the arc I drew seemed pathetically small.

But my sword hadn’t stopped yet.

Swoosh—

From a point to an arc.

From an arc to a semicircle.

And finally, a circle of flame was drawn and stood still.

It’s a technique that’s a bit tough to execute with my own power, but if I borrow Grasid’s strength…

“I can even pull off something like this.”

Canaria Style – Wind Cutter

The shadow’s body was engulfed within the circle of flames.

A massive body contained within a small circle.

The sword that had stopped cut diagonally through the circle.

Slashhh!

A massive wound was carved onto the shadow’s body.

-…! KRAAAAAARGH!!!

The shadow twisted in agony, letting out a tormented scream.

“…Tsk.”

One hit isn’t enough, huh?

-Wha, what have you done?!

Still, it seems the damage registered properly.

The eyes that had flipped back into its head returned to normal.

There’s a saying that the best remedy for a crazy person is a good beating. It seemed to have regained its sanity after taking a hit.

“It’s nothing much.”

All I did was include the space it occupied inside the circle I drew with my sword and then severed the space along with it.

When you think about it, it’s a simple technique.

If I were a bit stronger, I wouldn’t have even needed to draw a circle.

-…No matter how many times I see it, your talent is absurd.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

-This doesn’t make sense…! How can a mere human possess such power…! Right, it’s you, Grasid! You cowardly bastard!

I shrugged my shoulders.

It’s true, so I don’t have much to say.

Without Grasid’s help, I wouldn’t have been able to perform that technique so easily.

“But you know…”

With a crooked smile on my face, I spoke to the shadow.

“Is there really any need to feel resentful?”

The most important thing in a fight is staying calm.

It’s much easier to deal with a creature that only acts on instinct rather than one that uses its reason.

“If you were strong, none of this would have happened. But you lost because you were weaker than Grasid, right?”

-…What did you say?

“Calling others cowardly after losing…”

Ahahaha.

I didn’t bother suppressing the mocking laughter that escaped.

“That’s pathetic.”

There’s nothing like taunting to make someone lose their temper.

──────!

No sooner had I finished speaking, the shadow lunged at me.

The light of reason that briefly returned to its eyes disappeared without a trace.

It’s so agitated by just a few words.

How simple-minded. It’s no wonder it’s just residual thoughts.

—If it were me, I’d probably fall for it too.

‘Then you’re just as pathetic.’

Isn’t it odd for a dragon to be provoked by such trivial taunts?

Despite its massive frame rushing toward me—bigger than most buildings—it didn’t frighten me at all.

The desperate, final outburst of a wounded lizard isn’t intimidating.

If it had any sense, it would have tended to its wounds first before attacking again.

“You’re an idiot to the very end.”

The sword in my hand began to grow.

One span, two spans, three spans.

The flames that expanded rapidly formed a massive sword that reached up to the sky.

The shadow, finally snapping out of its rage, hesitated and tried to stop when it saw the sword towering over it.

But it was too late to run now.

“Well then, goodbye.”

The massive sword descended toward it.

And at that moment—

Scarlet flames engulfed the world.

When the seemingly endless flames finally subsided,

Nothing remained where the shadow once stood.

***

“…Haa.”

Maybe I overdid it a bit.

I released Grasid’s blessing and sank down to the ground.

Even that bothersome Grasid, who wouldn’t stop talking once awake, was silent now. That must mean my condition is truly terrible.

It’s not that he’s choosing not to speak, but rather, he probably can’t because of my current state.

My body, filled with the rampaging mana of a dragon, felt like it was tearing apart.

“Urgh…”

“Kana!”

As I curled up and endured the pain, I heard Da-eun’s voice reach my ears.

It seemed she had rushed over the moment she saw the shadow disappear.

I couldn’t greet her properly since I was busy trying to bear the pain.

“…Why, why are you like this?! Are you okay?!”

“…I- I’m fi- …Cough!”

Ugh…!

Just as I barely managed to lift myself to respond, something hot surged up from within me.



Before I could suppress it, it spilled out, staining the ground red.

The smell of fresh blood filled the air.

“B-Blood?!”

…It doesn’t look like saying I’m okay will work this time.

I thought that as I looked at Da-eun’s face, pale from shock and panic.