Chapter 205 – Chapter 43: Storm #2
“The legend of the red dragon?”
It was Anastasia, not In-gong, who asked. It was apparently a completely new story for her.
Felicia gazed at In-gong from her position next to Anastasia. Similarly, In-gong also looked at Felicia, and the two exchanged glances. They didn’t use any message magic as their eyes were sufficient to communicate the message. In-gong gave a small nod, and Felicia responded with a similar nod.
Indara gazed at Anastasia and Felicia, then he opened his mouth slowly.
“Yes, Your Highness. According to legend, the red dragon destroyed all civilizations in the distant past before the Era of Struggle. He was a type of destruction god.”
Although he had the power of a god, he hadn’t been a being who walked alongside the gods. Every species had their own myths and legends.
The destruction and creation of the world appeared in many myths and legends. The concept of a destruction god wasn’t anything new. However, Anastasia was confused by Indara’s story because there was something strange.
“The destruction of civilization? Not the world?”
“Yes, the red dragon confronted the elder dragons of that time and both sides were destroyed after a bloody battle. In the process, the civilizations which had been shining brilliantly in the Demon World were destroyed.”
In-gong and Felicia’s gazes met once again. Apart from them, the other children of the demon king showed interest in Indara’s story.
Chris, Caitlin, and Silvan were staring with fascinated expressions, but Anastasia frowned. Although she didn’t know as much as Felicia, Anastasia was an excellent magician and knew a lot of ancient knowledge. She frowned because she was reminded of the existence of the indigenous species.
The cave they were in was big enough to accommodate 200 people at once, but it was still a sealed place. Indara didn’t speak in a loud voice, however, everyone in the cave had no problem hearing his story.
“As a result of the battle which shook the heavens and earth, the magic flow of the whole Demon World became a mess, and it became a land that suffered from abnormal weather, just like beyond the limit line here. After many years of effort put forth by many people, the Demon World managed to recover and become a place where people can live, but it is hard beyond the limit line because this area still hasn’t recovered.”
Indara said slowly before catching his breath. Anastasia looked up as she thought about this story.
“Hrmm, this seems to be the first time I’ve heard this story. Felicia, have you ever heard it?”
Felicia was the best when it came to ancient knowledge. As all eyes focused on her, Felicia shrugged and replied,
“I’ve heard a similar story. When I went to Curtis, I heard the legend about a red serpent god from the giants.”
The reason for her exchange of gazes with In-gong was to discuss whether they should tell this story.
“The giants?”
Anastasia’s eyes widened as she asked again. Felicia nodded before gazing at Indara.
“The lizardmen told a story that was similar to Indara’s. They… they said that they were a species created by the indigenous species in order to fight against the red serpent god.”
“Indigenous species… they really exist…”
It was more of a statement than a question. Anastasia frowned and thought deeply before asking Indara,
“Indara, is this a sura legend?”
“Yes, Your Highness. The story has been handed down among the suras.”
Indara responded with an aloof expression. Unlike the Sanctuary, this wasn’t a secret.
‘Indeed, it would be surprising if this story was a secret.’
The fact that the Four Riders of the Apocalypse and Drakon Kechatulla didn’t appear in the story meant that it was quite simplified.
“That… can I ask you one thing?”
Carack asked, raising his hand abruptly. Indara didn’t think that an orc would ask a question instead of the royal children, so he was confused for a moment.
“Feel free to ask.”
Carack was In-gong’s aide, so Indara didn’t object as he was basically a person from outside the Demon King’s Palace. Carack’s eyes shook as he spoke,
“You said that people worked to help the Demon World recover? Are those people the guardians?”
“Are you talking about how the lands became devastated after the guardians disappeared?”
It was Chris who had remained silent until now. Carack nodded straight away.
“Yes.”
It was the reason why the children of the demon king were being dispatched to several places around the Demon World. The lands which had lost their guardians had become deserts and were now uninhabitable. This mainly took place on the borders, but it happened in so many places that it was a well known story in the Demon World. Indara nodded like he had also heard about it.
“It is possible.”
“Enger Plains.”
Felicia said suddenly. As everyone’s eyes gathered on her, Felicia took a breath and chanted a spell. Then a large and translucent sphere covered the place where the children of the demon king were sitting. It was a magic shield which was used to block sounds from leaking.
As Felicia opened the shield, everyone’s eyes sharpened. Felicia looked at In-gong and said,
“Shutra, isn’t that the reason we fought to protect Green Wind on Enger Plains? If Green Wind or the small temple was destroyed, then Enger Plains will lose its greenery.”
Only Felicia had been with In-gong at Enger Plains, even though she hadn’t participated in the fight to protect Green Wind and the small temple. However, it wasn’t important whether she fought or not. They quickly understood what Felicia was talking about.
“If this story explains the ultimate goal of the group with the purple aura that is attacking the Demon World… do they want to turn the Demon World into an area like the limit line?”
Chris growled ferociously as he spoke.
It made sense. All of the demon king’s children, except for Felicia, didn’t know everything about the Four Knights of the Apocalypse. If the whole Demon World became like beyond the limit line, then their goal could be achieved to a certain extent.
‘But…’
In-gong couldn’t help feeling like something was lacking. If that was the purpose of the Death Knight and War Knight, then they should’ve attacked the guardians more extensively.
“Does Green Wind know anything else?”
Felicia asked In-gong, who shook his head. In-gong had already talked to Green Wind about this a few times. In-gong asked Indara instead,
“Indara, do you know anything else?”
“The story about the red dragon is rarely passed down. But the sword duke… I’m not sure but he might know a little bit more.”
Indara replied solemnly since this was the first time he had heard about Enger Plains. Anastasia focused on Indara and said,
“It is worth checking out, Indara. It was a good story.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Once it was all over, Felicia took down the anti-eavesdropping shield. The reason for opening the shield in the first place was due to the part about Enger Plains losing its greenery if the small temple disappeared. If this information spread, something big could happen in Enger Plains.
Once the shield disappeared, the people in the vicinity wondered about what was spoken, but they didn’t say anything. It was the royal family who opened the shield, so they didn’t think too deeply about what had been spoken.
They consumed dry meat and hot water from In-gong’s inventory before falling into a deep sleep against each other. Even the ogres prioritized sleep over the meal, indicating how harsh today’s march was.
Felicia, who didn’t have the stamina of an ogre, also tried to fall asleep, but it wasn’t easy. Anastasia leaned against Felicia in her thick winter clothes and asked,
“Felicia, did you explore the ruin in Curtis with Shutra?”
Felicia responded in a small voice,
“Yes, we went to the holy place of the lizardmen.”
The lizardmen hadn’t told them not to talk about visiting the temple. Anastasia laughed and leaned against Felicia even more.
“That must have been good.”
Anastasia was just thinking about how much Felicia loved ruins, but Felicia’s reaction was amusing.
“Eh? Yes. G-Good. T-That… we were also with Carack and Delia. The two of us were hardly ever alone. Oh, but the fireworks were good.”
Anastasia’s eyes lit up at the unexpected babbling. Why was Felicia responding like this? Additionally, the center of the story was In-gong, not the ruin.
“Felicia?”
“Huh?”
“Your reaction is a little… Isn’t it unusual?”
Anastasia asked, and Felicia swallowed hard. Suddenly, she regained her spirit.
“Ah, no. It’s just…”
Felicia trailed off, avoiding Anastasia’s eyes. Then Carack raised a hand to In-gong’s shoulder, who was sitting not far away and listening to their conversation.
“Prince, laughing will make her feel worse.”
“Hmm, hmm.”
In-gong tried to fix his expression, but he couldn’t help smiling. Felicia’s reaction was very cute, but something was tickling at a corner of his heart.
‘Ah, it is embarrassing.’
In-gong recalled Caitlin’s and Felicia’s reactions on the day his birth secret had been revealed, and his smile grew wider. This truly was very sweet. Carack looked at In-gong and clicked his tongue. At that time, Anastasia shifted her suspicious eyes from Felicia to In-gong.
“Shutra, what have you done to Felicia? What have you done since then?”
“Unni!”
It was almost the same question as 3rd Queen Sylvia’s. As Felicia and In-gong remained silent, Anastasia’s suspicions grew even more. Then Caitlin, who was watching the conversation, sat down beside In-gong and said in a small voice,
“I also want to watch the fireworks with Shutra.”
The way she moved her fingers while saying it was also very cute. While In-gong was suffering an attack once again, Chris laughed and raised a hand to Caitlin’s shoulder.
“Caitlin, once we return, I will prepare a big fireworks display.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Chris smiled very gently. His smile was more like a father than a brother.
“Oppa is the best!”
Unlike Felicia and Anastasia who had used up all their stamina, Caitlin was still energetic. She smiled widely at Chris, painting a really warm scene. However, someone else was watching Caitlin and Chris with jealousy instead of warmth.
“Felicia! This Oppa as well!”
“Ah, come on!”
However, Felicia didn’t have any stamina to fend off Silvan. So, she was forced to stay in Silvan’s arms. Anastasia stared at Felician and Silvan, and then at Chris and Caitlin. A bitter smile appeared on her face. She thought it was unsightly, yet she was also filled with envy.
While everyone else was resting, the royal children were making a fuss, and it was the aides who ended up suffering. Carack, with the help of Delia, Seira, Sepira, and Chandra, managed to restrain the royal children, and the atmosphere soon quieted down.
“Everything is good, so do you have to sleep like this?”
It would be nice if he was next to Felicia and Caitlin. As In-gong spoke, Carack replied with a sour expression from next to him,
“Prince, I also want to sleep next to Seira, Delia, and Karma again.”
It wasn’t just one person… and he said ‘again’.
In-gong was just glad that Carack hadn’t mentioned Daphne or Sepira.
“Now, Prince, come this way. Prince smells really good. I will help get rid of the cold.”
Carack laughed with a really creepy expression. Despite knowing that he was joking, In-gong couldn’t help shuddering. After Carack laughed one last time, the cave fell silent.
Some time passed by, and In-gong woke up abruptly from a deep sleep. Aside from Amita’s flames, the inside of the cave was still dark, and everyone’s breathing was calm. From the entrance of the cave, the sound of wind could be heard through the small holes in the magic shield.
It was the same as before he had fallen asleep, but In-gong felt goose bumps. While everyone was sleeping, In-gong looked up at the ceiling.
He could feel a vibration, and tiny flakes of rock were falling from the ceiling. The moment In-gong took a deep breath, the vibration was amplified. Then he felt a sudden change. In-gong shot up from his spot, and Carack opened his eyes.
The vibration became bigger, and large debris began to fall. Suddenly, In-gong shouted.
Kwang!
With a loud roar, cracking sounds rang out all over the ceilings and walls.
It was at this moment that the cave collapsed with one final roar as rocks, snow, and water poured down from the sky on to top of everyone’s heads.