Dragon Maken War - Chapter 168

Chapter 168

Chapter 168 - The Wise Dragon (5)

“The creator of the Dragon Soul?”

Saibein’s expression turned peculiar .  Azell was puzzled, so he asked a question .

“Is it someone I know?”

“I believe so .  If Albatan-nim hasn’t informed you of it… .   He probably wants you to meet the person yourself .  He probably wouldn’t want me to tell you the identity of this person . ”

“From my perspective, it is annoying, but since I’m in Albatan’s care, I’ll have to be patient .  I’ll overlook it . ”

Azell clicked his tongue .

Saibein had burst out laughing at the sight .  He asked Azell a question .

“So could you tell me about my daughter?”

At his words, Azell became silent for a moment .  Instead of answering the question, he asked a question of his own .

“Why didn’t you meet your daughter when you gave her the Dragon weapon?”

“I was keeping a promise . ”

“Promise?”

Saibein let out a bitter laugh .

“When I came here, I was at death’s door from the wounds I received from the Guardian Shadows .  As a condition for taking me in, Albatan-nim required me to sever all connection with the outside world . ”

The reason was simple .

The relationship between the Albatan forest and the Plain of Darkness was poor .  When Atein was alive, there had been a mutual respect between the two sides .  After the Dragon Demon war, the Plain of Darkness had invaded the Albatan forest several times .  This was why their relationship was frayed now .

If one considered the context of the situation, Albatan had shown great generosity when he accepted one of the key figures in the Plain of Darkness into the forest .

“Even the act of delivering the Book of Darkness was controversial within the forest .  However, Albatan-nim allowed me to do it… . . ”

Suddenly, he remembered a story he heard from the Count Beorein Michael .  He asked the question .

“Around 20 years ago… .  It was said that a powerful Dragon Demon fought against the Guardian Shadows within the Rulain Kingdom .  Was that you?”

“Did you hear it from the Guardian Shadows?  If so, you are correct . ”

“I see . ”

“It all started from there .  The Guardian Shadows relentlessly tracked me down, and in the end, I arrived here . ”

“Why did you do it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you escape using the help of the Dragon Demon King worshippers?  Why did you come here?”

“…… . ”

Saibein shut his mouth .  The pursuit of the Guardian Shadows was so dogged that he wasn’t able to escape .  However, he didn’t say this, because he did have another reason for coming here .

Soon, he let out a sigh as he spoke .

“Before I tell you that story, I would like to hear about my daughter . ”

“Niberis is alive and well .  She is making good use of the Book of Darkness you gave her .  Currently, she is one of the vanguards put forth by the Plain of Darkness .  She is in the forefront amongst the younger generation .  She used to be in a rivalrous relationship with my comrade, Laura . ”

“I see…… . ”

“Aside from that… .   You won’t be happy hearing the rest of my story . ”

“I would like you to tell me .  There is no reason why you should try to spare my feelings . ”

Since he spoke those words, Azell didn’t really need to spare his feelings .  Azell felt trepidation as he told the truth .

“All right .  I almost died at the hands of your daughter .  She almost killed my comrade… . .  Moreover, I almost killed her too .  You should thank Laura next time you see her .

“What do you mean by that?”

“Your daughter’s life was in my hands .  However, Laura betrayed them, and as a price for your daughter’s life… .  To be precise, everyone present with her was spared, but Laura had to betray them and give up the Vitan’s Chalice to me as a price .  If I didn’t accept her offer, your daughter would already be dead . ”

If he hadn’t, he would have never become comrades with Laura .  Azell was sure now that he had made the right decision at the time .

Saibein had a complex expression on his face .

“I see…… . ”

“Moreover, I killed the man assisting your daughter .  His name was Duran . ”

Saibein looked at Azell with a surprised expression on his face .  Azell spoke .

“He lamented the fact that he couldn't protect Niberis .  He died as he apologized to you .  It seemed he was indebted to you . ”

“Duran…… So that is how he died…… . ”

Saibein raised his hands to cover his face .  His voice held a deep sadness .

One could clearly see that there was a deep connection between Saibein and Duran .  From Duran’s perspective, Saibein had been his savior, who had led him down the correct path in life .  Saibein also didn’t treat their relationship lightly .

Azell just watched as Saibein silently grieved .  

Azell asked him a question .  

“Do you resent me?”

“…I would be lying if I said I didn’t . ”

Saibein looked at Azell with sad eyes .

“There are people, who had given themselves up to despair, yet they decided to put their trust in me .  I don’t have the right to blame you for anything that happened since I left them . ”

“Why did you do it?”

Azell asked once again .  Saibein let out a bitter laugh .

“As I’ve said, everyone had given themselves up to despair .  For me, my wife’s death was the final straw… . .  Even before I reached that point, I shuddered when I saw my surrounding, which was slowly descending into madness . ”

His eyes headed towards the lake .  However, he wasn’t looking at the calm surface of the lake .  He was looking further into the distance .

“When you killed my father, we suffered an irreparable damage . ”

From the perspective of humanity, the Dragon Demon king’s army was the biggest calamity to happen in their history .

However, if one looked carefully through the world’s history, one could find organizations, who had similar aspirations as the Dragon Demon king’s army .  If one only focused on their actions, the Demon King’s army were like any other army under a king .  They just had very high aspirations .

A conquering force would usually place the conquered people into a lower class .  So why was their actions considered to be out of the ordinary?

It wasn’t .  Whether it was in small scale or large scale, these incidents were common throughout human history .

The only difference was the fact that the conqueror wasn’t human .  The center figure of the Dragon Demon king’s army was a Dragon Demon .  This particular conquering force had shown overwhelming force and power compared to any other conquering forces from the past .  This was why the humans had pushed backed fiercely .  Their resistance was unprecedented .

Basically, if the fact that a Dragon Demon was leading the army was taken out of the equation, the Dragon Demon king’s army was like any other armies from human nations .

However, the Plain of Darkness thought differently .

“The poison of madness started to seep into the irreparable wound… .  At some point, we reached a point where we couldn’t turn back . . ”

After losing in the Dragon Demon war, they deified Atein, and they clung to the belief that Atein would revive from death .  The members of their organization started to turn into religious zealots .

“The remnant of our defeated army were elite warriors of our kingdom .  However… .   They degenerated into being a dark religious group . ”

They started conducting all kinds of evil acts in the name of Atein .  They did it to get ready for the revival of their savior, Atein .  Their original creed had been to unite the continent to create a utopian world .  Atein’s original intent was shattered into pieces .  It was nowhere to be seen .

If the upper levels of the organization controlled themselves, it might have been a different story .  However, the madness affected the upper levels of the organization the most .  As Aincera’s sense of self was sucked into the Great Darkness, the atmosphere worsened .

Azell asked the question .

“Didn’t you think about stopping that?”

“I tried .  However, I didn’t have the ability to bring about that change . ”

He was the last remaining child of the Dragon Demon king .

However, he had only been a symbol .  In reality, he didn’t have any true power .

“I was just put up as a front, so that the others could make use of me .  I became painfully aware of my shortcomings .  I didn’t have any political influence . ”

He was a figurehead and proof that the Dragon Demon king’s line continued .

He had tried to reach a position where he would be able to correct the wrong he saw .  He went around the world, and he willingly did dangerous and vile acts .  He gathered comrades in the process as he built up the organization .

However, the popularity he gained only earned him a spot on the bottom of the power structure .  It was twisted .  As he worked harder, he was getting farther and farther away from power .  The casualties of the Dragon Demon war… . no, these beings that were a husk of their prior selves refused to go out into the front line .  They sent out the youngbloods to fight for them, and the weight of the madness over the organization deepened .

If Aincera was behind him, the situation might have been different .  However, Aincera kept losing her sense of self, so she slowly became disinterested in the culture within the organization .  She didn’t care about the discord between the various factions .

“I was tired .  I’ve been tired for over a 100 years .  It didn’t take that long for us to lose our minds . The truth was that we became crazier as each day passed .  Our past couldn’t highlight the fact that we’ve gone mad . ”

Even if he fought to save someone, it was useless .  The elders were gripped by the ghost of past glories, and anyone he saved would have been sacrificed by them .

He had been in a dilemma where the fundamental problem worsened as he solved the problems in front of him .

There was no end to the dilemma, and it wounded Saibein .  There were two incident that drove him to give up on everything .

“That is…… . ”

He was about to tell Azell the reasons when he shut his mouth .  He had seen Minerel approaching them .  She put on a charming smile as she spoke .

“Instructor Saibein .  I’m sorry for intruding in on your conversation… .   A message was sent to our guest here . ”

“A message?”

“The creator of the Dragon Soul is waiting for him in his abode .  He wants our guest to visit him there . He likes to wander around, so if we don’t hurry, he might leave on a whim . ”

“He seems to be an unpredictable person .  All right . ”

After he spoke those words, Azell turned to look at Saibein .

“I’ll hear the rest from you later . ”

“Let’s do that .  I still have some stories I would like to hear from you… . ”

“All right . ”

Azell left behind Saibein .  He followed Minerel towards the creator of the Dragon Soul .

Saibein mumbled to himself as he watched Azell’s back move away into the distance .

“The thing that makes me despair the most… . .   When my father realized  that we failed to bring about our ideal world and everyone was falling into despair, he might have put his trust in you . ”

8

They were deep within the forest .  The territory ruled by Albatan was vast .

There weren’t too many living within the forest, so there were gaps where no faction ruled over the land .  Still, the residents of the forest didn’t dare to cause too much trouble .  Albatan was like holy king to them, and the land he ruled was like their holy land .

The creator of the Dragon Soul lived at the edge .  He lived at the the peak overlooking the eastern shore .

Minerel spoke .

“This isn’t really a great place to live, so he only resides here when he had a student . ”

“There is a fine town over there, yet he chooses to live in such a place .  He must be unsociable . ”

“He isn’t like that . ”

Minerel shook her head from side to side .

“He is friendly and informal .  Like the other 1st generation Dragon Demons, there was a time he was unapproachable, because of the tumultuous atmosphere around him .  But now… . . . ”

“Are 1st generation Dragon Demons normally have a violent personality?”

Azell was curious, so he asked the question .

He didn’t hold 1st generation Dragon Demons in high regards, but the ones he met had disparate personalities .  Reygus was an idiot .  His idiocy knew know bounds .  Atein was unreadable .  Then tehre was Reshoo .  He had be qualities of an innocent beast .

Minerel answered him .

“I haven’t met too many 1st generation Dragon Demons .  However, from what I’ve heard from my elders, they receive the nature of Dragons quite strongly in the beginning .  That is why they are like wild beasts, and many die early from fighting everyone . ”

“Hmmm…… . ”

Azell hadn’t known this .

Minerel continued to speak .

“At the very least, he doesn’t have that disposition, so you don’t have to be worried .  He is quite popular with kids .  Of course, he is monstrously strict as a teacher… . ”

“Did you learn from him?”

“I did .  Many have tried to learn the Dragon Soul, yet very few have been able to manifest it . ”

“Was it the same for your husband?”

“No, he was my first pupil . ”

“…… . ”

“It’s a love developed between a teacher and a pupil .  Isn’t it a bit romantic?   When I first met him… . . ”

As if she had been waiting for this opportunity, she enthusiastically told Azell about her love life with Havan .  She was talking about her own love life .  Of course, it gave goosebumps to anyone who heard it .  It was an unsightly story for others .

However, as he listened to her story, he realized something .  Outsiders called this place the demonic lands, but it was still a place where people lived .  He made himself somewhat agreeable as he heard her story, and he asked her a question .

“Is marriage here the same as the humans?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?  Ah .  The only difference is that the divorce rate is higher here .  Sir Saibein also remarked on this fact . ”

In the Albatan forest, Dragon Demons and Dragon Majins married humans .  It wasn’t seen as something out of the ordinary .  Since each races had different life spans, it was common to see couples that had an age difference of hundred years .

In dating and marriage, people unhesitatingly broke off relations without regret .  Of course, outsiders would consider such a culture to be strange .

What would have if a being that could live for over 300 years married someone that can only live for less than 100 years?  The probability of them staying together was very low .

Maybe that was the cause?  They became married, but the ritual didn’t require them to stay together until death .

Also, the start to their marriage differed from outside .

“There are cases where this isn’t true, but we get married when a child is conceived . ”

“So you have a child?”

“My son was in the crowd of children you saw earlier . . ”

Minerel let out a playful laugh .  Azell had a thought as he looked at her face .

‘There is no way she looks like a mother… . . . ’

It might be, because she was a Dragon Demon .  Or maybe it was the unique atmosphere of this place .  She wasn’t giving off the energy of a mother with a child .

Anyways, it seemed marriage here was a promise that they would take care of the child as parents .  When the child safely comes of age, they had the choice of keeping the marriage or they could divorce .  The choice was up to the individuals .

As outsiders, their culture seemed very foreign .  However, Azell’s party accepted their way of life quite easily .

Azell had lived through everything life could throw at him during the Dragon Demon war .  Leticia lived at the fringes of society, so regular societal bonds didn’t hold much water with her .  Kairen also traveled throughout the continent, so he had experienced numerous cultures .

The party shared their stories, and they were able to reach their destination before the sun set .

“I can hear the sound of ocean . ”

The metallic flavor of the ocean was being carried by the wind .  One could also hear the faint sound of waves .

Their destination was a large cliff that had been carved by the ocean .  When they ascended to the top, they caught sight of a hut made out of wood .  Then… .

“Thank you for coming all this way . ”

A Dragon Demon male greeted them .

“It has been awhile, master . ”

Minerel gave a respectful greeting, but Azell couldn’t follow suit .

The Dragon Demon looked like he was in his mid-20s .  His eyes and Dragon Demon Stone was green .  On top of his ears, there was a grayish-white horn that looked similar to the horns of a mountain goat .  His face was kind, and there was no tension on his face .  He also wore loose clothing with no weapon in sight .

Then there was the most eye catching characteristic .

He had bluish-white hair color .  It was a color that could never develop within humans .

Azell knew of only one being that possessed this hair color .

“When I observed Albatan’s attitude, I thought this might be a possibility… . . It really is you, Reshoo . ”

He was Azell’s fourth teacher .  He was the 1st generation Dragon Demon Reshoo .

The disheveled blue haired Dragon Demon named Reshoo let out a gentle laugh .  He was markedly different from what Azell remembered .

“It has been a while, Azell . ”