Chapter 646

Chapter 646

Crossroad downtown. The smithy.

"Huh, huhuhuhu..."

Dearmudin let out a sinister laugh.

Today, he was clad in the gear crafted from the newly completed magic core of Wingianthe [Old Phoenix].

The robe, thick with dusky grey feathers, suited Dearmudin quite well as he stroked his long beard and stood confidently. It gave him the air of a villain from a martial arts novel.

'Something about him reminds me of the leader of an evil sect...'

He didn't look like a hero of the righteous path; it was more the other side. Maybe it was because of the color of the robe?

The old mage seemed quite pleased with his new gear, spinning around in place and inspecting himself in the mirror.

"Truth be told, I've never mentioned this, but,"

"Yes?"

"Every time the other youngsters received impressive gear, I wondered when it would be my turnI looked forward to it."

You've been expecting this, I had no idea...

"I didn't show it, but I thought, 'Why are they making me wait so long? What are they planning to give me?'"

"..."

"And just when my disappointment was about to reach its limit, you manage to deliver just in time. Huhu, Prince Ash, you really are perceptive."

No, I'm not... I didn't realize you thought that...

Of course, I didn't show my surprise outwardly and simply smiled.

"It took a while to find the right gear to present to you, Dearmudin. How do you like it?"

"Good. Very good. The gear crafted in our exclusive Ivory Tower workshop is already powerful, but this one is on another level."

Then Dearmudin snapped his fingers.

"And this feature is amazing."

With a snap

Flap!

Large wings unfurled from both sides of the robe. Onlookers ducked to avoid the spreading wings, all while expressing their amazement (and alarm).

"It's like giving wings to a tiger!"

Dearmudin referred to himself as a tiger, but no one thought it was arrogant. After all, this old man truly deserved that title...

"With these wings, I can cast flight magic on all our allies in the vicinity. We'll be able to easily dodge even the dreadful dragon attacks."

Dearmudin flapped the wings for demonstration and then flashed me a grin.

"Plus, it enhances sensitivity to wind attributes. With this..."

"So, you can use wind magic now?"

"No, that's not my style. I'll use the wind to fuel even stronger flames."

He was quite openly a pyromaniac, this old man. Always looking to enhance his fire magic.

Besides this special function, the robe, infused with a dragon's heart, also boasts impressive performance.

Particularly, I was impressed by the built-in magic amplification feature.

It works just like the Artifact Power Amplifiers currently in use on the front lines. It can amplify magical power a limited number of times.

It's truly a piece of equipment that gives wings to Dearmudin, who is already a formidable damage-dealer, a nuker.

"For a mage, there might be no better equipment than this. I will make good use of it, Prince Ash."

Holding a flame in his hand, Dearmudin muttered.

"Now I can avenge those children even better..."

"...Having seen the other gear distributed to the heroes, you should know."

I felt the need to remind him.

"That equipment is also a sort of Nightmare Slayer... imbued with the malice of monsters. Please be careful how you use it, Dearmudin."

"Don't worry too much. To have survived this long in such a position, one must befriend the darkness."

Dearmudin laughed ominously.

"No half-hearted darkness can bring me down."

"..."

I silently nodded.

Dearmudin is the strongest offensive mage on the front lines, owner of the Ivory Tower, and, as he says, a veteran of many battles. Naturally, I trust him.

Meanwhile, several other pieces of equipment were being produced simultaneously. Some were custom-made for me.

"Here, this is that infamous cape you ordered!"

"And that one is the Claw, also known as the Plough. It looks like a claw but also like the end of a farming tool, right? So in ancient times, it was a constellation that both hunters and farmers prayed to for prosperity."

"...!"

When he mentioned the Claw, Parekian stretched his neck even further upward. He was nearly standing on his spot.

"Wow, Claw! I'm falling, I'm falling!"

Violet couldn't maintain her stance and screamed, startling Parekian who then slowly lowered his posture and gently enveloped her.

"That's right. Good, good."

Violet, her hands greasy from eating cookies, casually wiped them on Parekian's head. Parekian, whether he realized it or not, submitted to her touch like a well-trained beast.

"Assigning rules among the stars thrown into chaos, carving names and symbols, and giving them stories. Isn't human creativity truly amazing?"

Meanwhile, absorbed in his own tale, Scalian continued his lecture regardless of the surroundings.

"Even though they don't know the true nature of the darkness beyond those stars..."

"Ahem!"

The constellation talk was interesting, but the pressing matter wasn't this.

As I cleared my throat and approached, the people in the garden turned to look at me.

"Your Highness!"

"You've arrived, Your Highness!"

"Yes, I have. Now, since we have a sortie tomorrow, let's all start wrapping up for today."

Following my command, everyone began to disperse with sounds of agreement.

"Scalian."

Approaching the dragon, who seemed disappointed to be interrupted, I asked bluntly.

"Are you really not planning to help in tomorrow's battle?"

"I've told you, Ash."

Scalian scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I want to watch from the sidelines, to see what measures you humans take and what heroic battles you fight. If I join in, the balance will be completely ruined."

"..."

"Are you expecting it? How you will defeat my elder brother."

I considered using 'Imperial Edict' to force him to participate, but.

If I had to drag this guy into the battlefield, it would be more fitting during Night Bringer raid, not the Ipian raid.

"What about Ipian? Isn't there any chance of persuading him?"

Avoiding battle if possible was the best course.

I looked around at the two captive dragons in my garden and asked.

"I heard last time that if the world ends, you die too, right? Wouldn't Ipian also not want to die?"

It was a story I heard when capturing Scalian. If the world ends, these creatures die too.

I thought they just planned to live peacefully among themselves after the apocalypse... But it seems the world that Night Bringer imagines after the destruction is different.

"We are but extensions and avatars created from a part of our father's body, tools to achieve his great deeds."

Scalian stated calmly.

"It's natural for tools to be discarded once their use is over. After achieving the destruction of the world, we were meant to be discarded from the beginning."

"..."

"Initially, the destruction that our father envisionsa process that returns this world to nothingnessincludes even his own death."

After reducing the entire world to ashes, he even plans to erase his own life.

Why would Night Bringer want to end the world to such an extent?

- You are a mortal, aren't you? Eventually, your life will decline, and the ideals you hold will weather away and perish.

Suddenly, the resonant voice that visited me at the end of the "King of Flies" echoed in my mind.

- The end is a given. So, what kind of end do you wish for?

- Tell me, great ender. While fighting to prevent the world's destruction, what kind of death do you desire?

I really want to ask.

Night Bringer, what...

What kind of death do you wish for?

--TL Notes--

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