Just as Erenes had been unable to leave the World Tree's Forest, Artherion, bound by his seal, could not leave the Shadow Mountains.
That didn't mean his immense power had disappeared.
Artherion roared, his voice reverberating through the cavern.
"I have been fighting without rest!"
Over countless years, he had dominated the surrounding monsters, driving them into madness and endless reproduction.
Artherion was certain the adversary had been reborn. Unable to move himself, he had sent the monsters in his stead.
He was clinging to the faint hope of killing the adversary while he was still young, before regaining his strength.
"Are you saying that I am wrong?!"
It was nothing more than an obsession.
And even Artherion knew that.
Through his goblin messengers, he had heard that the Turian Kingdom was successfully holding off the Monster Waves.
Still, he didn't give up. He had to vent his seething anger somehow.
"Even if this means all humans perish, I will not stop. This is also vengeance for my kin, whom the goddesses abandoned!"
Dragons were extinct. The last of their bodies had been discovered over two hundred years ago, by human reckoning.
Though traces of them remained, one day, dragons would be completely forgotten, remembered only as legends.
That was the curse laid upon their kind.
Erenes, seeing Artherion's wrath, pressed her hand to her forehead and staggered.
'He's lost his way.'
There was only one reason she had come here.
If the adversary had truly returned, they needed to gather their strength once more.
She had hoped to convince Artherion to join her and, once his seal was broken, bring him to Lutania. With Ghislain by their side, she believed they could stop the adversary, no matter what.
But Artherion was no longer the wise dragon she had known. He was no longer the mediator who had once balanced the world.
It was then that Erenes realized.
The proud dragon before her was half-mad, consumed by his thirst for revenge.
Artherion's eyes softened for a moment, and his voice grew gentler.
"Erenes, my old friend and a hero who once saved this world with me. Now, only we remain to remember that war."
"..."
"What we did to save this world has become meaningless. We couldn't even save ourselves. So… shouldn't we at least get our revenge?"
"... Artherion."
"You came here to stand with me once more, didn't you? So hurry, find him. With your skills, it should be possible."
"…How am I supposed to find him?"
"There must be some who are gaining fame in the Turian Kingdom. Among them, the adversary will be hiding. If you can find the holy relic, it will confirm his identity. The holy relic will surely react to him!"
"…And if there is no holy relic?"
Artherion's massive eyes loomed closer to Erenes.
Every breath he exhaled enveloped her in an icy chill.
"Then just kill them all. Every last human who stands in the way."
Artherion's once-blue eyes had now turned a deep, blood-red. Tears of blood streamed down his face.
His chilling voice echoed through the cavern once more.
"When I am free, I will destroy the Turian Kingdom first. And if the adversary still lives, I will kill every human on the continent."
Erenes gazed at Artherion with sorrowful eyes.
After a long moment, she turned away.
She needed to return to Lutania. She had to warn Ghislain.
She had to tell him that a mad dragon was about to break free and would seek to kill humanity. Preparations had to be made.
With a determined expression, she left the cavern. Artherion's voice resounded behind her.
"I will find him! I will tear him apart!"
***
"Hah…"
Erenes retraced her steps, suppressing her exhaustion.
The monsters continued to ignore her presence. Thanks to that, her descent from the mountain was much easier.
When she reached the base of the mountain, her subordinates approached her.
"Are you alright?"
Seeing their worried expressions, Erenes asked, "How long has it been?"
"A month has passed."
"I see…"
To Erenes, it had felt like less than a day.
But the place where Artherion resided existed in a rift in space and time. The flow of time outside and inside was different.
The same was true of the World Tree's Forest. It was why she could also avoid the passage of time in the outside world.
One of her elves cautiously asked her, "What will you do now?"
They all knew who she had gone to meet. The journey ahead depended on Erenes's decision.
After some thought, Erenes asked, "What's the current status of the war?"
"The last we heard, the Allied Forces were fighting the Artrode Army in Grimwell Kingdom."
"Then let's head there. For now, it seems better to assist in the war."
"Understood."
Erenes and her elves moved discreetly to avoid being noticed.
But upon reaching Grimwell Kingdom, they learned the war had already ended. The Allied Forces had left only a small occupying force and returned to Sardina Kingdom.
"Yeahhh! The Allied Forces won!"
"Of course, Duke Fenris made it happen!"
"The Lutania Army took care of everything!"
Hearing the news of the Salvation Church's destruction, the people were celebrating.
Erenes listened to their chatter with a look of relief.
"Duke Fenris… You did it after all."
Even when she fought alongside him in Lutania, she had felt he was extraordinary.
To stop the expansion of the rifts and destroy the Salvation Church's main force, which had ravaged the continent…
Even in the ancient war, there had been stronger individuals. But none had led a war as brilliantly as he had.
"If you had been there back then… would the outcome have been different?"
Erenes murmured bitterly.
In the ancient war, she had lost so many loved ones and endured so much grief.
That's why Duke Fenris's incredible achievements brought her both joy and a tinge of sorrow.
She shook her head, dispelling her thoughts.
Clinging to the past was futile. If she let herself be consumed by anger and pain like Artherion, she would lose herself.
Instead, she allowed herself to enjoy the voices of the people around her. The spirits of the wind carried their words to her ears.
"Hey, did you hear? It wasn't just Duke Fenris—his allies were amazing, too."
'True, Lutania forces had many remarkable individuals.'
Erenes nodded with a pleased smile, recalling those who had fought alongside her against the Delphine Dukedom.
"You know Vanessa? She's this incredible mage, and I heard she wiped out the White Knights with Duke Fenris!"
'Indeed, Vanessa is nothing short of a genius.'
"And Gillian! They say he lived up to his nickname, the White Lion, cutting down everything in his path!"
'Gillian—loyal and steadfast, above all else.'
Erenes had helped Gillian achieve the level of a superhuman, which made her feel even prouder.
"Do you know Parniel? She's a Saintess and ridiculously strong! They say her mace just smashed through everything!"
'…Hmm.'
Erenes chose to ignore that. She didn't like the Saintess, and the feeling was mutual.
"They say Belinda's skills are the best on the continent!"
'True, she is that exceptional.'
"Oh, and that one-armed knight! They say he's an amazing fighter and a brilliant commander. And Lutania's princess—her strength is monstrous! They say she crushed everything in her path!"
'They've all done remarkable work.'
Erenes smiled warmly.
In a way, they were the first companions she had met after emerging into the world. Seeing them receive such praise filled her with pride.
"Kaor became a superhuman, too!"
'Huh? Kaor became a superhuman?'
Erenes's face showed surprise. She had thought it impossible for Kaor to ascend to that level.
She wondered if the stories were exaggerated, but the rumors were coming from all directions.
'It seems Kaor gained significant insight during this war. What could have happened?'
Kaor's convictions were beyond Erenes's imagination.
"And Jerome! They say he's the strongest of all—he stopped an undead army by himself and even used divine magic this time!"
'Hmm, is that the mage I've heard about? He seems incredibly powerful.'
"And what about Claude? They say he's a master strategist, a genius! Even the bribes he took were all for the kingdom—he collected them to fund the war effort! A true patriot!"
'Hmm… That man… Let's not dwell on him.'
Erenes chose to dismiss it.
Of course, Claude's abilities were undeniable. His strategic prowess was outstanding, and he had even trapped her with one of his absurd contracts.
It was just the man himself that was… peculiar.
"And do you know Alpoi? The White mage who defeated a goddess! They say he's Lutania's ultimate secret weapon. A 100-circle mage!"
'…Hmm???'
Just as her head began to throb, Erenes decided to stop listening to the chatter. Clearly, ridiculous rumors were spreading alongside the truth.
But then, something caught her attention, and she began to listen closely again.
"Hey, no matter what, the real deal is the prince of Turian. They say he's insanely strong!"
Turian?
Artherion's words echoed in her mind.
— He was reborn in the Turian Kingdom. I am certain of that cursed energy.
— There will surely be those making a name for themselves in the Turian Kingdom. Among them, the adversary will be hiding.
— When I am free, I will destroy the Turian Kingdom first.
'Could it really be…?'
She had been doubtful when Artherion said it. But hearing the people talk about a prince of Turian, she couldn't dismiss it any longer.
Erenes focused on what the people were saying about the Turian prince.
"They say he's ridiculously handsome."
"They say just looking into his eyes can make you swoon."
"Apparently, his black hair gives him such a striking aura."
"...."
Most of what she heard were exaggerated tales of his charm and good looks.
Erenes and her subordinates gathered more detailed information.
'His name… is Yulian?'
Her heart began to pound with shock.
It could be a coincidence. But for someone with that cursed name to hail from the Turian Kingdom? The likelihood was too great to ignore.
'The prince trapped in the tower… so his identity was hidden until now.'
His incredible strength was only recently revealed during the battles against the rifts. As a result, few people knew about his past.
Hearsay could only provide limited insight. Seeing for herself was the only way to be certain.
She had already planned to seek out the Lutania forces again. Erenes turned to her subordinates and said urgently,
"Let's go to Sardina Kingdom."
They set out for Sardina, where the Allied Forces' headquarters was located.
Along the way, bandits tried to attack, but they posed no threat. Erenes, in her haste, obliterated them with her power, leaving nothing but dust.
Fortunately, the post-war meeting had not yet concluded, so the Allied Forces were still stationed in Sardina.
Reaching the leadership of the Allied Forces wasn't difficult.
"Lady Erenes!"
Most knights and soldiers of the Lutania forces recognized her.
They greeted her warmly and promptly led her to Claude.
"Wow, why'd you take such a long vacation? The war's already over!"
"...."
"What's the point of making contracts if you're not around when we need you? How is that helpful at all?"
"...."
Erenes struggled to suppress the anger rising within her at Claude's nagging.
In truth, the contract was valid, and her presence would have made the war easier. For now, she decided to postpone smashing Claude's head—perhaps 30 years into the future.
Cutting him off, Erenes said, "I need to meet with Duke Fenris."
The commanding aura in her voice made Claude shrink back, and he reluctantly led her to Ghislain.
Ghislain, training in the sparring grounds, was delighted to see her.
"Hey, so you're finally done with your business?"
"Yes. I heard you achieved victory in the war. Congratulations."
They exchanged brief pleasantries, but Erenes couldn't hide her urgency.
"Can I meet the prince of Turian?"
"Hmm? Why?"
"I just heard some rumors on the way… and there's something I'm curious about."
"Hmm…"
Ghislain nodded. The moment had finally come.
That was clearly a lie. Erenes had a reason for seeking Yulian.
In the past life, Erenes had attacked Yulian the moment they met.
'I'd better change the setting for this…'
Ghislain guided her to a vast open field and summoned the key figures of his territory to join them.
Everyone was pleased to see Erenes. They exchanged greetings and caught up. Only Parniel, the Saintess, gave a curt nod, showing little enthusiasm.
Erenes graciously returned the greetings, but to Ghislain, she seemed unusually tense.
'Let's see what happens.'
In the past life, he had merely enjoyed watching their fight unfold. But now that he was aware of the oddities surrounding this situation, he wouldn't just let things play out.
Finally, Yulian arrived, intentionally summoned last.
With his usual indifferent expression, Yulian gazed at Erenes.
The moment their eyes met—
Rrrrr…
Erenes's face hardened, and a massive aura began to emanate from her. It was so overwhelming that those nearby instinctively took a step back.
Crunch, cr-crunch…
Vines shot out of the ground and coiled around her body, fully arming her in an instant.
Whoosh!
Before anyone could intervene, Erenes lunged forward, green light radiating from her hands as she aimed directly at Yulian.
Yulian showed no surprise. With a steady, somber gaze, he drew his sword and swung it into the air.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted, and blinding flashes of light scattered in every direction.
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