CH 177

It was as if time had just stopped. Aiartelle froze with her mouth wide open. Then, after belatedly closing her mouth, she began to silently consider Eugene’s words.

Hamel — although it was unexpected for this name to have come up, Ariartelle was immediately able to recall whose name it was.

“...The Stupid Hamel?” Ariartelle said hesitantly.

Eugene sighed, “Why not just leave out the Stupid part?”

“Eugene Lionheart, you, a descendant of Vermouth Lionheart, are claiming that you’re the Stupid Hamel?”

“I told you to leave out the Stupid part.”

“...Human, are you seriously trying to make fun of me?” Ariartelle demanded as she stared at Eugene with slightly furrowed eyes.

Although she didn’t release any of that ruthless Dragon Fear, even without that, Eugene could clearly tell that Ariartelle was highly displeased.

After wondering what he could do to make her believe him, Eugene thought of a simple method. He immediately stuck his hand inside his cloak. Ariartelle was slightly startled by this sudden move, but she soon resumed watching Eugene with a calm gaze.

Eugene couldn’t retrieve his hand from inside his cloak right away. This was because Mer had grabbed onto his hand. She was curled up into a ball and trembling inside the cloak. Eugene frowned as he felt Mer’s trembling conveyed through her grip on his hand. But, instead of frowning because of Mer’s resistance, Eugene glared at Ariartelle, who was responsible for attacking them with her Dragon Fear in the first place.

“Hey, she’s terrified because of you,” Eugene complained.

“...What?” Ariartelle asked in a puzzled tone, but instead of answering, Eugene just stroked Mer’s head with his hand that was inside the cloak.

However, her trembling refused to abate. Dragon Fear was spread by scattering mana. Thus, as a familiar, Mer was more sensitive to Dragon Fear than a human, especially because she had a sense of self-awareness that allowed her to be scared of being destroyed.

Eventually, Eugene managed to pull Mer out of the cloak.

“...I’m perfectly fine,” Mer insisted in a shaky voice, even though her body continued to tremble.

“Alright, alright,” Eugene mumbled in comfort as he hugged Mer with one arm. Mer sniffed as she buried her face into Eugene’s chest and handed over Wynnyd, which she had carried out of the cloak with her.

“...I’m not here because I’m afraid,” Mer claimed. “Since you are looking for Wynnyd, I decided to bring it to you myself, Sir Eugene.

“Alright, alright,” Eugene continued to murmur in comfort.

“Since I'd be bored staying in the cloak on my own, I’ve decided to stay with you, Sir Eugene, for now.”

“Alright, alright.”

…Just what in the world were they doing? Ariartelle narrowed her eyes as she scanned Mer. Although she looked no different from a human being, this was definitely a familiar that had been created through highly advanced magic. Even for Ariartelle, it would be impossible to create a familiar with such a high level of realism.

‘...For him to hold that familiar in his arms like she was a child…,’ Ariartelle thought curiously.

“Do you have a problem with keeping your eyes wide open?” Eugene asked suddenly.

“...Are you talking to me?” Ariartelle demanded as her cheeks twitched in irritation.

Instead of replying, Eugene drew Wynnyd.

The wind immediately enveloped the silver-blue blade. Soon the Wind Spirit King, Tempest, arrived in response to Eugene’s summons. It appeared as if he already understood the situation, as Tempest appeared in front of Eugene in the form of a small whirlwind rather than his usual full-scale storm.

“...The Wind Spirit King…,” Ariartelle recognized Tempest. After looking back and forth between Tempest and Eugene, she tilted her head to the side and asked, “...You surely haven’t summoned the Spirit King with the intention of fighting me, have you?”

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“Tempest, tell her about the fact that I’m Hamel,” Eugene ordered.

Eugene had no intention of doing something like fighting Ariartelle, a dragon, head-on. He just summoned Tempest because he needed a guarantor.

[...Young dragon. He really is Hamel Dynas, the one who made a name for himself three hundred years ago. And in the current era, he is known as the Stupid Hamel.]

Ariartelle listened silently.

[I understand your disbelief, but I, Tempest, guarantee that Eugene Lionheart is the reincarnation of Hamel. As you should know, a Spirit King like me wouldn’t lie to you like this.]

“...Did you just say reincarnation?” Ariartelle muttered with a blank expression.

Even though it had been personally guaranteed by a Spirit King, she stared blankly into Eugene’s face, unable to believe it.

A hero from three hundred years ago had been reincarnated into the present age. And as a descendant of a fellow hero at that?

Reincarnation of the soul was nothing special. All beings died someday and were reincarnated into other beings.

However, being reincarnated with their memories of their past life intact was, in Ariartelle’s opinion, something impossible to be a coincidence. If that was the case, then had someone planned his reincarnation? Was that something even possible to do with magic?

“...I’ll believe you for now,” Ariartelle conceded, nodding slowly.

She had some serious suspicions about Eugene’s reincarnation, but at the same time, she felt curious about why Eugene had come looking for her here.

“...If you really are Hamel, then you would, of course, be aware that the founder of the Dragonic family wasn’t a half-man-half-dragon. Since you were living in the same era as him,” Ariartelle concluded.

“So why is a dragon watching over the Dragonic family?” Eugene asked as he turned his head to look behind him.

He might not know where exactly this place was, but it was clear that Ariartelle had been watching over the Dragonic family for quite some time.

“...You could consider it a form of entertainment,” Ariartelle replied with a wave of her hand.

At this gesture, all the screens that filled the wall were turned off simultaneously.

Ariartelle continued, “Pallasquez, the dragon that the founder of the family, Orix Dragonic, claimed as his own ‘father,’ was actually my father. …Orix absorbed my father’s Dragonheart and then lied to the world, claiming that Pallasquez was his father and that he was a half-human-half-dragon.”

“...If you consider that an insult to your father, have you thought of trying to erase the Dragonic Family?” Eugene brought up carefully.

“No, I don’t really consider that an insult,” Ariartelle denied. “My father died while I was still just an egg, and dragons do not feel much affection for their parents in the first place.”

Tempest had referred to Ariartelle as ‘a young dragon.’ Eugene didn’t know how long a dragon’s lifespan was nor how old they needed to be to still be called ‘young.’

“...How old are you?” Eugen decided to ask openly.

After consideration, Ariartelle eventually decided to answer him, “...I’m over two hundred years—”

“So you're younger than me,” Eugene interrupted her triumphantly.

“Hmm?”

Tempest turned his head to look at Eugene with a confused expression, and even Mer, whose face was still buried in Eugene’s chest, raised her head to stare at him.

Ariartelle appeared just as confused. Her eyes widened into circles as she looked at Eugene, and she tilted her head to the side in question.

Eugene changed the subject, “While I’m not sure about the first time you shot your Dragon Fear at me, just earlier, you shot your Dragon Fear at me because you thought that I was about to kill Leo, right? To me, that doesn’t seem like you’re simply watching them for your own entertainment.”

“Wouldn’t it be strange for me to just let him die while I’m watching?” Ariartelle said defensively.

Eugene let out a snort at this off-balance answer as he continued to rub Mer’s back.

“The truth is that I’m not really interested in your reasons for doing so,” Eugene admitted. “It doesn’t matter to me whether I know or not.”

While Eugene wasn’t even able to guess what a dragon’s version of family affection might look like, seeing how she was looking over them like this, it was clear that Ariartelle had some form of attachment to the Dragonic Family.

However, that was none of Eugene’s business. Although he may have developed some feelings of respect for Alchester after being taught the Empty Sword, the bond between Ariartelle and the Dragonic Family seemed several times deeper and more personal than the bond between Eugene and Alchester.

So rather than a mystery like that, Eugene was more concerned with something that Ariartelle had said earlier.

“...Did you say that you’re the only dragon whose eyes are still open in the present era?” Eugene asked in confirmation.

Three hundred years ago, the dragons fought a battle with the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration withdrew from the front line after killing five or six dragons, while the Demon King of Destruction slaughtered half of all the dragons.

During that battle, Raizakia betrayed his fellow dragons. He killed the Lord of All Dragons, who had been leading them from the front with a surprise attack from behind, took the Lord’s Dragonheart, and then fled from the frontlines.

“...Stupid Hamel, you should also be aware of what kind of battle the dragons fought three hundred years ago. In that battle with the Demon King of Destruction, barely half of the dragons managed to survive, but the ones who did weren’t unharmed,” Ariartelle said in grave tones.

In Helmuth, they had met a dragon who was on the brink of death.

“Dragons whose deaths are imminent will devise methods to make their remaining lifespan worthwhile,” Ariartelle continued.

“…”

Eugene listened in silence.

Ariartelle explained, “A deceased dragon will leave no trace of their presence in this world. Their bones, scales, blood, and heart, everything will just return back to mana. Some of the dying dragons decided that they wanted to leave their hearts behind, and my father, Pallasquez, was one of them.”

Pallasquez created a dungeon as a test of ability and sealed his own Dragonheart at the end. He hoped that an outstanding adventurer who had managed to break through his dungeon would absorb his Dragonheart and continue to play an active role in saving this terrible world.

…Although he wasn’t that outstanding, Oryx Dragonic did manage to break through the dungeon as Pallasquez had hoped and laid his hands on the Dragonheart.

In his previous life, Hamel and his comrades managed to get their hands on a Dragonheart through similar means.

“...The dragons whose deaths were unavoidable disappeared from the world like this, while the dragons who were in slightly better states devoted themselves to caring for their own wounds. However, the war ended before the dragons could recover and return to the battlefield,” Ariartelle revealed.

The Great Vermouth managed to wring out an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration.

“I don’t know what the contents of that Oath were,” Ariartelle confessed. “However, after the Oath was sworn, the dragons all decided to go into hibernation at the same time. I, who was just a newborn hatchling at that time, was charged with the duty of managing the ‘cradle’ and remained alone in this world all on my own.”

At the mention of the Oath, Eugene shot a glance at Tempest. However, Tempest didn’t show any sort of reaction to this. Tempest had probably been aware that the dragons had gone into hibernation, but it seemed that he wasn’t in a position to reveal this without permission.

“Wouldn’t it have been possible for them to heal their wounds without going to sleep?” Eugene asked in uncertainty.

“I don’t know why all the other dragons went into hibernation simultaneously, either. That should be a satisfactory explanation for your question. So, Stupid Hamel, just what business has brought you to come looking for a dragon?” Ariartelle asked while at the same time making a display of her full power.

Although it was certainly interesting that the one in front of her was the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago, there wasn’t any reason for Ariartelle to bow her head in front of him.

“I want to borrow your strength,” Eugene revealed without any hesitation.

At these words, Ariartelle let out a snort as if she had been expecting him to say something like that and shook her head, “How regrettable, Stupid Hamel, you seem to want to borrow my power to bring an end to the Demon King subjugation that you weren’t able to fully achieve three hundred years ago, but unfortunately I am not in a position where I can become greatly involved in the affairs of the world—”

“What are you talking about?” Eugene interjected. “How could you expect me to join forces with a dragon who’s only a little over two hundred years old to defeat the Demon Kings?”

“...If so, just what in the world have you come looking for?” Ariartelle demanded.

“I need your draconic magic,” Eugene revealed.

Ariartelle’s brow furrowed as she tilted her head to the other side and asked, “...Just what exactly is it that you want?”

“I need a spell that searches for a gap between dimensions,” Eugene explained as he dragged over a nearby chair without asking for permission and sat down in front of Ariartelle. “I don’t know the exact coordinates of the gap, and I don’t even know which dimension it’s next to. What I do know is that it can’t be in a dimension too far from our own. I’m also a wizard, so speaking from my perspective, I feel that the gap is probably somewhere that straddles our own dimension.”

“…”

Ariartelle was speechless.

“The spell, a Forced Expulsion to an Outer Dimension, was cast in an incomplete form, so the subject was only thrown into a gap between the dimensions,” Eugene informed her. “Even so, their link to this world has not been severed. It seems that their contract with their subordinates is still being supported in a limited fashion—”

“Hold on… just hold on a moment,” Ariartelle raised her hands and interrupted Eugene, unable to hide how flustered she was. “A Forced Expulsion to an Outer Dimension? So it’s a spell meant to banish a target to an outer dimension through magic?”

“Uh-huh,” Eugene confirmed.

“That’s absurd. There’s no way that such a spell exists. Forcibly banishing an existence is impossible, even with a draconic incantation spell. Just who in the world would—”

“Sienna Merdein.”

The name that Eugene spat out caused Mer to prick up her ears. If she had her way, she would have shrugged in disdain and even puffed her chest a little to show off, but Mer was still in a state of fear because of the Dragon Fear that Ariartelle had emitted.

“The Wise Sienna…” Ariartelle muttered in realization.

“Whether or not such a spell actually exists is none of my business. Sienna cast it, and what I said did happen,” Eugene stated confidently.

“Just what in the world… would be able to survive going through a dimensional rift?” Ariartelle asked in shock.

“The Black Dragon Raizakia,” Eugene finally revealed.

The moment that name passed his lips, Ariartelle shot up out of her seat. Her red hair shook like a wave of flames, and her eyes were filled with strong murderous intent. She even began to ruthlessly emit her Dragon Fear.

While hugging the trembling Mer with an even tighter grip, Eugene glared at Ariartelle. He cursed, “Fuck, I told you not to do that!”

Ariartelle roared, “Raizakia…! The Black Dragon! You’re talking about the Dragon Demon Castle’s Raizakia?! Stupid Hamel! Are you actually trying to save Raizakia from a gap between dimensions?!”

Did she have to keep using that foolish name and call him the Stupid Hamel? There was no way that she could possibly think that calling him by that title was showing off her draconic dignity, was there?

Eugene snorted, “Why would I want to save him? I want to find him to finish him off, but it would be a bit difficult to find him with just my abilities. That’s why I need your help—”

“You want to kill that Raizakia with your own hands?! Stupid Hamel, I know you were a hero in the past, but you can’t kill Raizakia with your current strength!” Ariartelle chastised.

“I’ll take care of that on my own, so… for now, calm down, retract your Dragon Fear, and take a seat,” Eugene calmly instructed. “And stop calling me stupid.”

“I… I will help you. Raizakia is a traitor to all dragons. His misdeeds must end at the hands of us dragons…. Wait, no…,” Ariartelle trailed off, her eyes widening hugely. She covered her head with both hands, groaned, then sat down with a sigh. “Do I really… no, there’s no way. I already have a different mission….”

“No, stop. I’ve never even asked you to fight alongside me, so why are you making a fuss all by yourself? I just need you to tell me the method to find the gap between dimensions where Raizakia is trapped,” Eugene reminded her.

“Such a spell doesn’t exist,” Ariartelle said thoughtfully as she tapped her temple. “A dimensional gap… if the contract between the master and his subordinates is still intact… that means that his connection with the world hasn’t been fully severed. However, if such a contract is under the full control of the master, and the contractors cannot go against it or even interfere with it… then….”

Ariartelle muttered to herself for quite some time. Eugene left Ariartelle alone while she was occupied with this and turned to look around the room.

Eugene still didn’t know where this place was exactly. He first decided to approach a window and look outside, only to see the scenery of a secluded rural village.

‘This place seems to be in Kiehl… but where exactly?’ Eugene thought curiously.

For now, all he knew was that this house wasn’t a mansion for nobles or wealthy merchants. It was just a small, ordinary house that you could find in any village. And apart from Ariartelle, it didn’t seem like anyone else was living here.

“Strengthening a tracking spell… to be able to find its targets beyond this space and in another dimension…. No…. Once you leave the spatial area and go into the gap between dimensions, things like boundaries and coordinates are meaningless…. If we just want to get a rough heading… that’s right,” Ariartelle muttered to herself for quite some time before lifting her head. “...Let’s cooperate.”

“How would you like to do that?” Eugene asked.

“I’ll place the draconic magic needed to track down Raizakia in an artifact. However, it’s impossible to find Raizakia with just this. We need something connected to Raizakia,” Ariartelle informed him.

“Connected?” Eugene repeated.

“Something like an item that Raizakia has carried with him for a long time. The longer an item has been carried with him, the more of his spiritual energy it should have absorbed, and such spiritual energy is bound to have the disposition of its owner engraved in it,” Ariartelle explained.

“An item, you say… what about blood?” Eugene asked, his eyes brightening.

Blood? When Ariartelle asked him to elaborate, Eugene informed her about the possibility that the Raizakia who was currently ruling over the Dragon Demon Castle couldn’t be Raizakia himself and might just be his hatchling.

“Unlike with a contractor, such blood ties are of equal restraint to both parties. If it really is Raizakia’s hatchling, then we might just be able to find Raizakia through him,” Ariartelle confirmed optimistically.

Having heard all this, Eugene pulled Akasha out of a pocket. Ariartelle’s eyes shook as she saw the red jewel glowing at the tip of the staff. This was a staff that had been created using a Dragonheart and the branches of the World Tree. Ariartelle gulped, mesmerized by the power of the staff.

“What are you doing?” Ariartelle asked once she collected her composure.

“Wouldn’t such a draconic spell work well when engraved into Akasha? The effect should be amplified as well,” Eugene guessed.

“That might be the case, but I won’t be able to carve such a spell into it right now,” Ariartelle informed him.

“Then I’ll just leave it with you for now,” Eugene replied to her calmly and handed Akasha over to Ariartelle. “Can I come back to pick it up in a week’s time?”

“That much time… should be enough,” Ariartelle agreed.

Eugene’s attitude confused Ariartelle. Even though she was a dragon, this human wasn’t showing her the respect a dragon deserved. Instead, it felt like he was entrusting this item to her like she was some common blacksmith or a seamstress….

“By the way, you and Lady Carmen… why did you make that Heaven Genocide for her?” Eugene asked curiously.

“What is ‘Heaven Genocide’?” Ariartelle asked in confusion.

Was she just pretending not to know?

With some embarrassment, Eugene explained, “...It’s that thing. The thing that usually looks like a pocket watch, but if you shout 'form change,' it goes through a strange transformation….”

“...Are you talking about the Alchemy Gloves?” Ariartelle murmured. “It was all because of an accidental meeting.”

Decades ago, Ariartelle had been doing what she did every day, enjoying her leisure time while watching the scenes of the Dragonic mansion play out across her viewing wall. She was interested in the lady from the Lionheart clan who had arrived at the mansion a few days ago. Although her personality was a bit bizarre, Ariartelle admired her good looks and martial arts skills.

Alchester had been five years old at the time, but unlike his father, who didn’t have any talent, Alchester was extremely precocious. If that child were to become the next Patriarch, then the Dragonic family would enjoy greater power than ever before. Then, what if they managed to arrange a betrothal to the Lady of the Lionheart clan on top of that?

“...A dragon’s daily life is quite boring. So dragons soothe the boredom of their life through various amusements. It’s for the same reasons that I watch over the Dragonic family. Watching these humans live their short lives with such passion and even tracking the progress of a family is quite an immersive pastime, even for a dragon. It could be said to be similar to how humans watch creative performances such as operas and plays,” Ariartelle explained.

Contrary to what Ariartelle had hoped for, Carmen didn’t feel any affection towards Alchester. That was the same for Alchester. In the first place, Carmen was seventeen years old back then, while Alchester was only five.

Although there hadn't been any progress in terms of a relationship, Ariartelle never lost interest in watching Carmen Lionheart. This was because Carmen was more bizarre than any human that Ariartelle had seen thus far.

“...Carmen Lionheart was a fascinating human. When she was alone in her room, she once drew a strange magic circle on the floor and attempted to cast a spell all on her own. It was just a scribble without any magical influences, and the spell she cast was…,” Ariartelle hesitated.

Eugene groaned, “I don’t think I really want to know what she said….”

“I don’t really want to say it either,” Ariartelle agreed.

Ariartelle grew sloppy. She couldn’t help but think of it that way. Carmen was so much fun to watch that she ended up watching over Carmen far too closely. No... more than that, it happened because Ariartelle could have never imagined that Carmen would behave like that.

“One day, after Carmen Lionheart had returned from her training and finished washing up, she became enamored with her reflection in the mirror,” Ariartelle began.

“What?” Eugene barked in confusion.

“Don’t humans sometimes behave like that?” Ariartelle asked. “With her hair still drenched, her eyes watering, and her rough panting… Carmen Lionheart seemed to really be appreciating her own appearance, only for her to suddenly slam her fist into the mirror.”

“...No… just what?” Eugene asked once more.

“Carmen ended up passing through that mirror and arriving here,” Ariartelle’s expression crumpled as she recalled that moment.

Back then, Ariartelle had actually been punched right in the eye by Carmen’s fist, but she had no desire to allow such an incident to escape her lips.

Ariartelle continued, “...The Alchemy Gloves were something from my mother’s lair, battle artifacts that could change their appearance in response to their owner’s blood. I gave her those Alchemy Gloves as a reminder to keep our meeting a secret and as a tribute to a human with such outstanding talents.”

Deep down, she had actually hoped that Carmen would develop a good relationship with Alchester after receiving such a gift and knowing that a dragon was behind the Dragonic family. Carmen made a promise with Ariartelle not to tell anyone, but that didn’t matter as long as Carmen herself knew. For a family with a dragon watching them from behind the scenes, Ariartelle didn’t think that it would be too unconventional for Carmen to consider marrying a boy twelve years younger than her.

Contrary to her wishes, however, Carmen hadn’t married Alchester in the end. Alchester himself didn’t have any romantic interest in Carmen. Ultimately, all that happened was that those precious Alchemy Gloves were reborn as Heaven Genocide in Carmen’s hands.

“...Why did she hit the mirror?” Eugene asked, still confused.

More than a few people would have gotten the feeling that their reflection in the mirror looked quite sexy after having taken a bath.

But why would she then hit the mirror?

More than anything else, Eugene just couldn’t understand this fact.