Published at 26th of June 2021 3:45 pm

Chapter 142: Calm before the Storm (3)

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(You arrogant……!)

It was the first time for sure. That was, to have someone, a human being at that, to be talking such absurdity right in to his face.

“It would be helpful if you can see my point at once.”

Upon hearing the response from ‘Herpai Dotos’, the red dragon, Ian sighed as he murmured, shaking his head. Why was it that everyone was so eager to look down on humans whether one was a dragon or the gargoyles’ king?

“Did I expect too much?”

Ian raised one hand and then lowered it softly. It was as if he was crushing a tiny ant. Then the red dragon Herpai Dotos’ knees became buckled as if he was kneeling. Furthermore, even his long neck and head plopped down, burying into the purple sandy ground.

(Krrrrh……?!)

Herpai Dotos felt a rush of surprise by the unanticipated event. The present situation was hard to understand. Why was he getting buried into the ground? Who was doing this? Was it that little human? No, that couldn’t be. That much was certain.……

Kwoong!

However, his belief did not come to fruition. Before that, he felt so much gravitational force from that little human’s hand gesture.

Considered to be the strongest embodiment of all life forms, which has even attained a certain experience level of the power of the language, the dragon could not even move a finger.

“Reseese Rajendu, your leader. Call him.”

(Do, do you think he will come to see you when you ask to see……)

“I have something to tell him about Fran Page.”

(……What? Fran, Fran Page?)

“He is also called the first sorcerer.”

The dragon knew of Fran Page as the first sorcerer.

The explanation with respect to the past was not necessary at all.

(You, you are……!)

“Not me.”

(Such power is reserved only for our race and no other……!)

Kwoooong!

Herpai Dotos’ body was getting buried even deeper. Going further deeper would be like being buried alive.

“That’s not it,”

The difference in power was clearly demonstrated.

When that difference was about to climax.

(Enough.)

A clear voice was coming from far away. It was also a familiar voice. It was the voice of ‘Reseese Rajendu’, the spiritual being of the leader of all dragons, who lived in the repository of time.

(Release that child.)

It wasn’t just Reseese Rajendu, but a countless number of dragons that flew in from the empty sky. It appeared that every member of the race, except the ones that maintained the purple seal that housed Fran, came forth.

‘Surely, it will be challenging for me, alone.’

He felt a big threat. However, it was different than from the past. Ian did not feel the similar level of fear as when he had first faced the dragon, during which time he felt like his body was being paralyzed.

It was an effect of knowing he has harnessed powers that were similar to theirs, and there was a sense of relief in knowing that there was a being of another self in himself.

[Proofreader note: Remember the sacrificial resurrection selves that are gathered from branching timelines]

(Fran Page, did you say you’ve come to talk about him?)

Reseese Rajendu’s low toned question. Ian replied, gathering all his energy.

“It seemed that you’ve grown another horn. Here, on the top of your nose?”

(……Do you know me?)

How could he not know? He has seen him a number of times in the repository of time. He had even rolled around in the name of some sort of a test or something.

“I’ve met your spiritual being before.”

(That child, he must be quite lonely. I thank you as he might have endured it all alone, for a long time.)

What was he thankful for. Ian let it pass without much thought. Then he continued to speak.

“At any rate, as I’ve said just now, I’ve come to visit you to talk about Fran Page.”

Reseese Rajendu fell into a deep thought upon hearing Ian. Ian was definitely a dangerous being. There were many risks in talking to such a being in a defenseless fashion. Much judgment and consideration would be needed.

(Is talking all you want to do?)

“Today, yes.”

(It means it could change.)

“I’ll decide after hearing you, first.”

The dragons wriggled at Ian’s rather arrogant conversational tone. Or it could be said that they were enraged. However, the subject to which the arrogance was directed, Reseese Rajendu, did not even make a minute movement. It just seemed that he fell into a deep thought.

(What kind of answer do you want from me?)

Reseese Rajendu said after a long consideration.

It was a question of what Ian wanted to ask.

“I’ll say it in simple terms.”

Truly Ian spoke in a simple fashion. He spoke immediately in a straightforward way.

“I think I am a descendant of Fran Page. Just recently, his spiritual being had approached me, and I was even taught the power of the language. He said that by combining his power with mine, we ought to annihilate your kind.”

Annihilate. The ambience has changed with just that one word. It was different than a simple rage or defiance. It was enmity that rose from deep down. A highly concentrated form of enmity was being displayed.

“I am not sure if you were aware, but I have been receiving direct and indirect threats from your race, all my life. Maybe because of that, my mind tells me to destroy you all. Not just you, but also Fran Page, and that dangerous race as well. That is my true feeling though.”

There was even a murderous spirit in his response. However, that murderous spirit soon faded.

“Of course, it will be hard. So, I’ve come to discuss it. As to which drum beat I should dance to, and how I should control the situation, so that I’ll avoid getting stabbed in the back. I need to make an accurate assessment.”

Using mana, Ian made a form of a ‘chair’. Then he sat on it, even crossing his legs. At this moment, it was as if he had entered the creativity realm, rather than the realm of sorcery.

(First.)

It was Reseese Rajendu who was examining the actions and words of Ian.

He parted his huge lips.

(Our race has never placed any threats on your life. Although I’m not sure as to what extent indirect threats would make up, at least I’m certain that we have never made direct threats on you. This is because we’ve just known about the existence of your being for the first time.)

It was said with certainty.

Ian replied.

“I’ve heard that there is a posse, chasing after Fran. And those posses have attacked me and my city, too. Spartoi, the dragon mercenary, and real dragon, does anything come to your mind?”

From the tens and thousands of the mercenary dragons to the real dragon.

Wasn’t every one of them the beings connected to the dragon?

(A posse, what do you mean? Of course, it is true that our race can command the dragon mercenary and real dragons. However, that power does not solely belong to us. Fran Page, he, too, is a being who can wield it.)

It was a power that Fran Page could also wield?

“That means.”

Was everything just a Fran’s script to manipulate Ian? He couldn’t be sure yet. Still, his mind swayed. At least, it was more believable than Fran’s words.

“……I’d like to hear more. Everything that your race knows about Fran Page, every single detail.”

On Ian’s request, Reseese Rajendu surveyed the surroundings.

He was looking at the herd of the dragons, and Herpai Dotos, the sentry who was barely able to sustain himself.

(Everyone, return to your places and maintain the seal.)

(But, But……)

(It’s fine. Are you concerned about me?)

(……We will follow your order.)

(Hm.)

Finally, everyone has returned to their own places.

Only Ian and Reseese Rajendu remained.

The private conversation between the two strong beings continued.

(Fran Page.)

Reseese Rajendu fell into a deep thought. He had so much to talk about the being of Fran Page. The question was, from where, and in what fashion should the story be told. He was thinking about how to go about doing that.

(To attain our flesh, to attain the power, stronger than every member of the race combined, he wasn’t shy about committing some of the most heinous deeds. To escape from the weak human body, he had conducted a countless number of experiments. Is this a fact that, perhaps, you are aware?)

Ian nodded his head once.

Wasn’t it a story that he has heard from the real dragon?

(It would have been good, had he put a stop to his greed…Then perhaps, it might have stopped by cutting off just the relationships. However, Fran Page. That sorcerer, who has fallen to the lowest level, did not know how to stop. He began to show excessive obsession in strengthening his power, and in protecting humanity, such that whenever his plan got sidetracked, he began to abuse the power of time. He was so quick to change the outcome by turning back time, even over a very minor event.)

Fran Page regularly turned back the time?

This was the first time that he was hearing about it.

(As a side effect, what had been one world has been divided into many dimensions. The tens of thousands of spawned dimensions, different worlds while the same, which cannot be controlled. Think about it. What do you think is waiting at the end of those divisions?)

That was, just because time was turned back didn’t necessarily mean that everything was turned back. It was a concept of spawning a new, independent dimension, every time at which point the event of turning back of time would take place. That was, even the world, in which Ian had been poisoned by Ragnar, was continuing as an independent dimension as well.

“……”

It wasn’t easy to believe.

Yet, it was persuasive.

(Not even I, nor my race, could dare to guess what the end of that will be. So, I wanted to eliminate the being of Fran Page first, and put my race in charge of managing the divided dimensions, but it was impossible to bring death to someone who had already become an invincible monster. Hence, I couldn’t help, but be satisfied by merely sealing him in.)

Fran has harnessed the ‘power of invincibility’.

Sealing was just the best alternative method.

That’s what it was in short.

(So, this dimensionless space was chosen as the place to seal him in. That’s because this place does not get influenced by the outside world, at all. Even if he was able to resurrect his spiritual being and turn back the time, it would still be meaningless.)

Reseese Rajendu who had looked at the purple sphere.

His story has stopped, right there.

“……Thank you for the story.”

It was a story that was quite satisfactory to Ian. It was entirely the work of Reseese Rajendu’s. Unlike Fran who would make invidious remarks, or played tricks, he spoke with a speaking capability, fitting a being that lived for a long time.

The story was nearly perfect, only if what was true and false was filtered.

“However, there seems to be one thing missing.”

(What is missing?)

“I’ve heard that your race and Fran Page were very close. A teacher and an apprentice, or teacher-pupil relationship was what I’ve heard…”

Reseese Rajendu nodded his long neck when he heard Ian’s question.

“How did you become enemies?”

(It was a difference in the points of view.)

“Difference in the points of view?”

(He wanted us to protect humanity from the many monsters, and even go further and nurture them afterwards. Initially, I accepted that idea. I’ve diligently worked at it, and it wasn’t particularly problematic, either.)

The cooperation of the dragon race and Fran Page.

As a result, humanity was able to continue to exist until this present time.

(All the problems began to arise from that humanity. As when they were able to take roots, they immediately began to take sides among themselves. That is, going beyond establishing tribes, they formed countries, and then they killed, plundered, and robbed from each other. Yet, they continued to cry out to us to be only on their sides.)

Reseese Rajendu who has been quiet as if to be reminiscing those times.

He continued in a lamenting tone.

(My race drew one conclusion, after having watched those endless conflicts. That was that there was no more reason or value in protecting humanity. As far as we were concerned with respect to the request, we were the protector of the entire humanity, rather than to be on the side of a part of the humanity.)

It was a very wise and cool headed decision. Perhaps, if Ian had been on the stand as the leader of the dragons, he thought that he might have made a similar decision.

(However, Fran Page had a different thought. He had proposed to stand on the better side of the humanity as the humanity was divided between good and evil ones, amongst themselves. We could not agree to that idea, at all. No, not just disagreeable, we had decided that it was impossible.)

Fran’s idea was to help those groups that deserved help while it was the dragons’ position to equally not help any of them, at all. Of course, there probably was a deeper and serious discussion on it, but that was the whole story in short.

(That’s how we ended the long existing cooperation, and things started from there. That is, when he began to distrust us, and…)

There formed complex emotions around Reseese Rajendu’s eyes.

(When he had begun to fear our powers.)

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