Episode 258
EPISODE.129
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After a while, the answer that came out of Jillian was a bit unexpected.
“…I can not say.”
“—?”
The question mark raised in my head is ‘Why?’ Before the words came out, Jillian opened her mouth first.
“It’s being washed away little by little, but it’s not yet completely free from ‘him”s dominance.”
Saying so, he pressed his heart with five fingers.
It was a heart that was too dull to be considered that of a dragon, yet possessed gloomy magic power.
If you could cut open your chest and take it out, you’d have the same appearance as a black spinel.
It absorbs all the light that flows in without even a twinkle… It’s too ugly and hideous to be seen as a dragon’s heart.
Like my heart, I felt like I wanted to grab my heart and explode it.
The tip of his anger that spread like that soon came to be aimed at someone other than himself.
“If you were perfect, there would be no problem.”
If he had fully awakened rather than partially awakened his divinity, he would have been able to completely shake off the cursed remnants of his heart.
Russell made a sour expression at Gillian’s voice, which was even fierce.
“ah. yes. okay. All right.”
It’s been a day or two since he’s been staring at me, but he’s been floating in the sky for days already, following himself with his gaze.
Even if you don’t want to, you have to adapt.
Isn’t it his own fault that Jillian became like that in the first place?
‘It’s not something I feel responsible for.’
Ignoring Jillian’s gaze, Russell took a big bite into the sandwich. However, there were some things that came out of this conversation.
‘Among the cultists…there is a guy.’
The one who corrupted Jillian.
If you think about it in reverse, you can’t help but come to that conclusion.
‘A transcendental person who had the ability to corrupt a dragon even back then.’
I don’t know how it survived that long.
No matter how transcendental, it was impossible to live intact for thousands of years. The only concern is how far that strength can reach.
It was then.
Jillian, who was glaring at Russell, opened her mouth again.
“But one thing is certain…”
“…?”
“It must be that even with your divinity and dominance, which are still insignificant, his curse is being lifted.”
You can knock it down now. Jillian’s eyes as she turned her head said so.
‘Am I saying it’s not perfect?’
A side effect of living for thousands of years?
If not, are there other problems?
Gillian twisted as several questions and speculations continued one after another.
“joy.”
He snorted and spread his wings wide.
After a while, a rustle—
At the place where Jillian disappeared, only the wrapping paper that had wrapped the sandwich was rolling around on the floor.
‘Even though I’m going to eat it after all…’
* * *
Hwi-oh-.
A gust of wind blew across the dry plains.
Along with him, the sand and dust that had settled on the floor rose into the air, and Hubert opened his mouth.
“I see.”
He took out a handkerchief and wiped the monocle he was wearing.
Just like that.
When I lowered my head a little from the hill I was on, I saw a huge military camp filling the whole area.
Flags embroidered with the symbols of nobles, magic towers, and knights fluttered inside the camp.
Among them, there was one flag that stood out.
A flag that is more than twice as large as other flags and is fluttering in the wind while hanging from a much higher place.
Embroidered with a horse running through the sky on a blue background, it was definitely the national flag of Endymion.
‘Cheonma flag.’
The military camps at the bottom of the hill were all Endymion troops.
‘About 300,000 or so.’
Indeed, it is a military power worthy of the great powers that are the only two on the continent.
An ordinary country would be frightened by the presence of such an army.
A level that is literally enough to trample all nearby small and medium-sized countries.
Moreover, what is surprising is that not all of the troops gathered here are present.
As if to prove that fact, even at this moment, Endymion’s troops scattered throughout the battlefield were gathering towards this place.
But…
‘The opponent is an empire.’
There was no way I could be intimidated by this.
Grand Tournament.
‘As usual, they will come crashing into each other using more troops than their home country.’
It was an empire that even embraced cultists by recognizing the existence of the Black Tower.
It is clear that the undead they create will be added to the army and the scale will be enormous like never before.
Whoo oh-.
Feeling the smell of death in the blowing wind is probably not your own illusion.
Confirming that fact once again, Russell opened his mouth.
“let’s go.”
Russell spoke briefly and moved toward the bottom of the hill.
In step with him, Hubert and Baron Donovan followed.
With them at the forefront, the troops standing behind them move in unison.
The knights armed with iron armor and the magic corps wrapped in robes. Even regular regulars who don’t belong to either side.
Chuck Chuck Chuck-.
20,000 soldiers.
The earth shook lightly at the sound of their boots.
It was time to join the main unit.
.
.
“…?”
Leading the army down the hill and heading in the direction of the main unit for a while.
Russell’s steps halted.
It was because they sensed signs of approaching from the military camp where the main base was located in the direction they were heading.
‘The number is more than 100. Judging from the heavy stride and the sound of metal, most of the personnel are armed soldiers.’
In addition, the presence of those at the forefront was formidable.
If I had encountered a sign like this elsewhere, I would have immediately jumped into battle.
But Russell didn’t.
It was because he was perfectly familiar with the energy he felt at the head of the approaching crowd.
He should be the same because the signs of the leading figures belonged to his teacher, Daria Snowwhite, and his first brother-in-law, Vermilion Ulsen.
Besides that, there are many familiar faces that seem to be wizards belonging to the Tower of Flames.
‘Looks like the soldiers who were standing in line found us coming down from the hill.’
While thinking that, the two groups approached a distance where they could recognize each other before they knew it.
“Master.”
“I heard the story. You bastard.”
—When Russell spoke first, Daria giggled.
“Didn’t you say that you really ran amok on the battlefield?”
In just one day after the war began, he single-handedly pierced the fortress, which was even called impregnable.
Even that was not enough, until he defeated the heroes of the empire one after another.
Among them are the 6th circle wizards, who are called the white envoys of the Empire, as well as the superhuman level strongmen who have reached the level of the 7th circle?
“It’s almost like getting a scab on your ear.”
Contrary to what he said with a grunt, the corners of his lips touched his ears, and it seemed that he quite liked the major that Russell had established.
It has to be.
Of all the news from the battlefield, nothing was as reassuring as exploits and feats.
Of course, he knew very well that there were few enemies who could threaten Russell.
Knowing, but still worrying like a child left at the water’s edge is the teacher’s heart.
Daria smiled brightly as she recalled the reports that had come in succession.
Then, after staring blankly at Hubert, who was standing next to Russell, he said,
“Looks like you’ve realized something too.”
“haha.”
Hubert smiled awkwardly at the teacher’s accurate reading of his changes.
Vermillion, who was listening to the story from the side, exclaimed in amazement.
“Is that really it? Priests?”
Rather than being jealous of a priest younger than himself, he welcomes the beginning of a new realm.
“Master’s eyes can hardly be fooled.”
When Hubert nodded and acknowledged that fact, Vermillion smiled brightly and moved towards him.
He shouted, tapping his back with his huge hand, as thick as a pot lid.
“ha ha ha! Congratulations! congratulations! With this, one more comrade will walk the same path as me!”
After years of stagnating at the level of a 6th circle master, he also had a clue about the 7th circle.
Now that he could walk down the road with the priest, it wasn’t surprising that Vermillion laughed heartily.
Puck Puck!
This is Hubert, who hasn’t neglected training since the conversation with Russell
about ten years ago .
In addition, he learned martial arts to reduce his weaknesses as a wizard.
But-.
“Ugh… Ah, it hurts. execution.”
Despite all their efforts, it was not easy to overcome Vermillion’s palm.
Haha, despite being a wizard, isn’t it Vermillion who has the ability to smash even rocks with his fists if he wants to?
Moreover, due to the unique skills learned from the dwarves, the muscles that were otherwise hard were compressed with a high density.
“Tsk tsk. Why did I get that guy as a disciple…”
Rather than a wizard, he was a martial artist.
Daria, who had clicked her tongue while looking at Vermilion, who looked as if she had ingested an elixir with side effects, suddenly asked Russell.
“Did anything special happen on the way?”
“yes. No big deal…”
Russell was about to reply politely, but then he lengthened his words.
“…?”
“It’s nothing special, but I had something to report.”
“report?”
He nodded and briefly explained what had happened on the way.
After searching the sky using spirits, he found and defeated a group of undead.
“hmm.”
After a not very long story.
“I don’t intend to disparage it as a small ball and pour cold water on it…”
Daria’s meaningful voice continued.
“…I don’t think it was a very meaningful action.”
As she finished speaking, her gaze was no longer on Russell.
I just turned my head and looked in a completely different direction. Russell also nodded and moved his gaze.
He said while staring in the same direction as his teacher.
“yes.”
Perhaps the formation of the Imperial Army is located somewhere in that direction.
As a rule of thumb, the distance between the two camps is more than ten kilometers.
Even if he used magic to enhance his eyesight, he could not even see the flag, let alone the wooden fence of the military camp.
Nevertheless, the reason Russell was convinced that the Imperial Army was there was simple.
‘Seeking and cheating…’
An ominous energy that was terrifying was coming from somewhere over the horizon in that direction.
How many undeads do you need to create such a scam?
‘At least hundreds of thousands…’
No, it didn’t seem easy to reproduce that kind of scam even with that number of dead.
Also, how many other cultists and high-ranking undead are there in the mix?
It is not a number that can be obtained simply by collecting corpses buried in cemeteries.
It was clear that countless innocent lives would have been sacrificed to achieve such morale and military strength.
‘Those who aren’t even as good as beasts…’
– Tight!
Feeling their resentment, Russell clenched his fists to be crushed.
At first, he was a cultist who was hostile only to his father’s death and social norms, but not anymore.
Even for the sake of peace in the material world, they must be destroyed,
said the divinity as the Dragon Lord at the apex of the dragon, which was also called the guardian of the material world in the past.
‘Guy…’
Daria muttered to herself, seeing Russell like that.
He was the youngest student who grew up faster than anyone else.
It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t worried that I might get drunk with power and go the wrong way in the process.
But to put those worries to shame, her youngest pupil was still on the right track.
‘…Remarkable.’
After taking a look at the first and second disciples who are still struggling—
“You and the soldiers must have worked hard to come a long way…”
——he opened his mouth again.
“Let’s go inside first.”
“yes.”
Russell nodded, feeling his fingernails digging into his closed hands.
Beyond being suffocated, I continued to capture the fraud that seemed to suffocate me.
dragon-swallowed wizard
