Chapter 294

Chapter 294

The wind wooshed loudly in their ears until shield magic was erected.

“Is this real, or am I dreaming?” Iceline muttered as she recovered her balance.

From the sky, the great Tower of Trials looked like a black, fingernail-sized dot.

“What is this?” Cain cocked an eyebrow at her. “Aren’t you used to this by now?”

“There’s no easy way to get used to this. We might be the first people to ride a dragon!” Iceline’s voice rose, and her cheeks reddened.

Cain stared at the scales under his feet.

“Really... Now that it has come to this, I feel like a Dragon Knight,” he said.

“Don’t you feel that a Dragon Mage sounds cooler than a Dragon Knight?”

“What are you even talking about!?”

“Plus, you are not even the first Dragon Knight, are you?” Iceline looked pointedly at Joshua.

Cain stopped.

“Why does it matter who’s the first? Anything can be meaningful as long as you give a meaning to it.”

“But you look disappointed—”

“You’re just seeing things,” Cain quickly objected, cutting her off. “Besides, our master is not the kind of person who can be described as a mere knight.”

“But Joshua isn’t a mage, either.”

Cain just shrugged.

“Well, he’s not not a mage. Master casts black magic so casually that something like ‘The Dark Dragon Mage’ would be a more fitting name for him. So, you are not the first Dragon Mage either, are you?”

“Why are you so childish?”

After listening to them bicker for a while, Icarus finally interrupted the argument. “Miss Rebrecca, please understand. This is why he’s not married yet.”

“Huh?” Cain was infuriated.

“Since the olden days, taciturn men are the most appreciated, like our master over there.”

“You know there’s nothing worse than when you compare me to someone.” n0Velusb.c0m

“Comparisons give you more motivation.”

“You should not live in this world with that kind of mindset.”

“Not everyone can afford to live your way.”

Cain’s forehead acquired a deep crease.

“Are you picking a fight?”

“What? What are you saying so suddenly?”

“Were you born just to irritate people? I already feel bad for whoever you end up marrying!”

“Well, at least I’ll have someone for you to feel bad for. But you, Sir Cain...”

Cain glared at her.

“You know what, let’s stop. Do you think that if you don’t shut up, I’ll just sit here and do nothing? I can hit a lady too, you know.”

“My god... How can you just say that like it’s nothing...?”

“Monster,” Iceline accused him, delivering the final blow.

“Damn it,” Cain grumbled, glaring at the women. “I can’t even win!”

“So why are you acting up?”

Then, and only then, did Icarus let her satisfaction slip through.

“You’re a crossdresser with a nasty temper,” Cain complained.

“Even if I were a true crossdresser, I'd probably be more popular among the ladies than you, Sir Cain.”

“Ha! Do you want to bet on that?”

“Great! What do you want to bet?”

“As much as you want!”

“And you’re certain you won't regret it later?”

“I won’t!” Cain shouted.

Icarus’s eyes sparkled.

After that, the second fight began.

Theta watched them, shocked.

“Do they act like that all the time?” he asked Joshua.

“You'll get used to it if you travel a lot with them; it's actually kind of fun.”

“I think I’d just get a headache,” the mage moaned.

Joshua looked at Theta, whose voice was slowly trailing off, and couldn’t contain his laughter.

“Figures. You must’ve taken the time to choose them because you have your own plans and reasons,” Theta realized.

“They’re my allies.”

“...Huh?”

“Do I need other reasons?”

At that, Theta fell silent for a brief spell before continuing.

“...So, about your offer last time.”

Joshua gave Theta a perplexed look.

“You know, the part where you said I should join your Knightly Order.”

“Ahh.”

“I will do it.”

Joshua froze, a look of astonishment crossing his face.

“You mean—”

“But, there will be conditions.”

“Conditions?”

“Evergrant con Aswald. I'm aware of how deep your grudge against him is. But...”

The look that flashed across Joshua’s face affirmed Theta’s assumption.

The mage spoke with great difficulty, “Leave him to me.”

“....”

“I know that I’m asking something hard, but if you could do me that one favor—”

“Alright.”

“Then that offer... hng?” Theta's one eye stayed completely open for a few seconds. “Really?”

“It’s not as hard as you think.”

Joshua noted Theta’s disbelief and smiled. He turned to look around him.

“Great,” Cain proclaimed. “Then whoever loses has to grant the winner’s every request.”

“Cain.”

“Master, did you call for me?” Cain cocked his head to the side.

“Here, one of the Gold Spirit Knights' newest recruits.”

“Huh?”

“As his senior, make sure to take care of him.”

Cain stared blankly at those words. Theta stared back, completely bewildered.

In the awkward silence that resulted, a whisper of magic reached Joshua’s ears.

- We’ll reach our destination shortly.

As soon as Joshua looked, he caught sight of a massive tree towering high into the sky in the distance.

It was Yggdrasil, the World Tree.

In less than a day, Joshua and his companions had traversed half the continent.

“How...?” Ash, who had remained silent up until that point, suddenly spoke out in surprise. “Why can we see Yggdrasil?”

However, it was Krevas, not Joshua, who provided the answer.

- The shield was broken.

“...!”

- Are there any humans who could destroy the blessing of the High Elf?

Ash’s expression fell as Krevas spoke.

“No... No!”

Even a regular being like Icarus could see the World Tree with the naked eye now. But the real problem was...

“Is the tree... on fire?” Icarus mumbled inaudibly.

They could feel the heat even high in the sky. Joshua’s expression turned grave as he looked up at Yggdrasil’s burning branches.

“Before we go, I have one question.”

- What is it?

“What was at the top of the Tower? I’m going mad with curiosity.”

Krevas remained silent. He finally spoke after a long moment.

- Even if I had stopped you, didn’t you still plan on climbing the Tower?

“I can’t for now.”

- I could give you a hint... Originally, the doppelganger was one of the rewards for reaching the Tower’s peak. On top of that, only those who had been chosen by Kingdom could receive it.

“....”

- In other words, what is at the top of the Tower is the equivalent of the reward given. And there is also the reality of this world.

“The reality... of this world?”

- Yes. However, that knowledge is now forbidden.

“....”

- But, of course, you’re an exception.

Joshua looked down and frowned before he spoke again.

“I... I will ask for the detailed story the next time we see each other.”

What he did next made everyone’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Master!”

“Joshua!”

A series of shouts resounded from the sky high above. Very?high above, in fact—many, many meters above the ground.

Joshua had nonchalantly leaped from a height that was bound to turn most people into a bloody smear on impact, with not a piece of bone left intact.

***

Around the World Tree, Yggdrasil, countless elves had fallen and were bleeding. The green mountains and rivers had been painted a fiery crimson.

“Damn, that’s all money...” Yovik sat in the back and licked his lips as he watched the fight between the humans and elves. He never took his eyes off the slain elves; he seemed to be feeling regretful about their deaths.

“Where’s Stormwind? Answer me, Elf.”

Freya, opposite Evergrant, bit her lip so hard it bled.

‘Damn, that’s high quality. I wish I could get my hands on that...’

Yovik’s eyes pored over Freya greedily. Her skin was as white as porcelain, and her golden hair had an exotic green tint that couldn’t be found anywhere else on the continent. Despite her best efforts to hide it, it was easy to tell that she was incredibly curvy and had exquisite, divinely sculpted features.

She was so beautiful and perfect that it was obvious she was an elf.

“EK, WNRDLSEK, SLDRPS!” Freya shouted in a language they did not recognize.

“Runes...”

Evergrant erupted in laughter and slowly raised a hand.

“Kyaa! Miss Freya!”

Freya's eyes widened for a moment. The screams came from behind the humans. There, a young-looking elf was attempting to free herself from a human hand that was holding her by the scruff of her neck. There were about twenty other elves of similar age nearby.

Evergrant eyed the young elves silently.

“I haven’t touched them since they look like harmless sprouts...” He grinned grimly. “But if you fight, I will cast fire magic on them.”

“You coward!” the female elf next to Freya shouted furiously.

“You still won’t speak?”

Yovik added to Evergrant’s words.

“Shouldn’t you first save the precious items... no. Shouldn’t you save the little ones? Elves feel maternal love, right?”

Freya bit her lip again, shedding fresh blood as she stepped forward.

“M-Miss Freya?” the other elf was startled and gave her a confused look. “You...”

Freya softly shook her head and took out an item from her sleeves with a resigned expression.

“Please let the little ones go.”

Evergrant looked at her.

“And if I do?”

“Then I’ll give you what you want.”

Whoooosh.

Something like a gust of wind rushed over them... or perhaps it was only their imaginations.

Evergrant stared at the pale green thing in Freya's palm as if he were possessed, a statement of its importance.

“Is that... Stormwind?”

It was unnecessary to check its authenticity. The air was pervaded by the strong scent of mana.

“I thought I’d be stuck here looking for it.”

Evergrant got right up to Freya and extended his arm. When he laid his hand on the Stone, Evergrant felt as though a colossal wind had pierced through him from head to toe.

“The Primordial Stone!”

Evergrant's eyes lit up with happiness as he finally obtained the Primordial Stone.

- That is not yours.

Evergrant flinched.

‘Whose voice is this?’

Evergrant's focus inevitably shifted toward Stormwind. However, it simply continued to give off its distinct vibe.

‘Then...?’

Without hesitation, Evergrant closed his eyes. He could clearly feel that the subtle changes in the mana waves hadn’t come from Stormwind.

‘If it’s not from Stormwind, then... up?’

With some intense focus, Evergrant was able to trace the energy by following its path of least resistance. It was most certainly not a suitable location for anything. But in this case, the energy was going...?

Evergrant recoiled in astonishment as he sensed something.

Right on time, a jarring noise filled the space like a gong.

“Kyaa!” Freya screamed softly as a cloud of dust rose to block their vision.

“We meet again, Evergrant.”

“No...” Evergrant's eyes widened.

The voice that pierced Evergrant’s ears belonged to none other than...

“Joshua Sanders!”

Evergrant practically screamed.