Reincarnated as a dragon’s egg ～Lets aim to be the strongest～ - Chapter 576

576 – To the Top of the Mountain
I awake to the rays of sunlight filtering into the waterfall cavern. Looking to the side, I see Aro lying down and watching me.

“Ah! Dragon-god-sama, good morning!”

Aro happily calls out to me. H-how long have you been there…?

I meant stay half-awake, but it seems I fell into a deep sleep as a result of my relief. It might have been unavoidable, since I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since fighting the slime.

…But, it’s not over yet. Lilixira’s betrayal and the slime’s rampage were ultimately due to God’s Voice. There’s still too much that I don’t know. Until I’ve settled things with God’s Voice, I won’t have truly avenged my partner.

My two clashes with the slime, the fight with the Hero in Harenae Desert, Lilixira’s betrayal – all of them were probably the result of God’s Voice pulling the strings behind the scenes. No, God’s Voice might have even had a hand in my arrival to this world.

I still don’t know if God’s Voice is really an opponent I can fight. But, knowing what I know of their personality, I’m sure I’ll have to reach some conclusion or other. Even if I do nothing, I’m probably going to get some message from God’s Voice as the last divine skill holder. As a result, I can’t afford to ignore Umukahime.

Once everyone has woken up and we’ve eaten a breakfast of dried fenrir meat, I gather everyone in front of the waterfall cavern.

『I’m going to go consult with Umukahime about God’s Voice. She’s probably going to press me into taking an active role to fight God’s Voice. I still haven’t decided if that’s what I want to do. In the worst case, it’s possible that relations between us could break down and I could end up fighting her.』

At Hero Miia thought she could win, but was defeated. God’s Voice also doesn’t seem to be scared of me in the slightest. If God’s Voice really were worried about me, they wouldn’t have tried pushing me into getting stronger. Lilixira knew a lot more about God’s Voice and presumably gave the matter more thought, and she clearly thought that directly opposing God’s Voice would be impossible.

I don’t want to say it, but.. It’s possible that Miia and Umukahime deluded themselves into thinking that God’s Voice could be defeated as a result of their hate. I can understand.

According to the stone monument, God’s Voice induced Miia into destroying her homeland of the Harenae Empire. She became inhuman due to Noah’s curse, resisted God’s Voice’s influence, and fought against Saint Lumira in a war that swallowed the entire world. It might have been inevitable that she would then devote her life to seeking revenge.

But… I don’t think we should go down that path. Lilixira request for me to resist without directly opposing might have been to prevent me from becoming a repeat of Miia’s tradgedy. If God’s Voice has some purpose in mind for me, then I might have to follow along to some extent. It might be possible to limit the harm.

I know that God’s Voice is unforgivable. But, if it’s the same entity as the one who guided Miia, then they’ve been spreading war throughout the world for hundreds of years. No, they might have been doing it for far longer. The scale is far too big.

『I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on. I might end up fighting an unwinnable battle. However, I also think that settling things with God’s Voice is my duty to some extent. If you want to withdraw, then I’ll take you wherever you want to go.』

I look at Volk and magiatite-jii. Volk is a human, and magiatite-jii originally only wanted to take down the slime to make up for past mistakes.

“I plan to fight by your side until the end. I’ve already defeated Howgrey, who was my main objective. If there’s a stronger foe out there, then I could ask for nothing more. Besides, I can’t part ways now that we’ve come this far.”

Noticing my gaze, Volk responds without hesitation. I bow my head down. He has saved me countless times in the conflict against Lilixira.

Volk frowns slightly.

『Volk…?』

“Howgrey seemed to have some thoughts about God’s Voice. I’ve only ever been fighting because I wanted to. I don’t believe I have a duty to carry on the wishes of the defeated. But still, I want to see with my own eyes his reason for swinging a sword.”

It seems something about Howgrey caught his attention. Howgrey’s way of fighting was different from anything I’ve ever seen. He was probably seeing a different world than all of us. I’d also like to know why he chose to help Lilixira.

“I have also come this far. I shall accompany you on your journey until the end too.”

I bow my head in gratitude to magiatite-jii.

『…Thank you, Volk, magiatite-jii.』

Then, should we go to see Umukahime straight away…? As I think that, I see the tree spirit form treant-san has folded his arms and tilted his head to the side.

『An opponent far beyond anything so far…』

“Treant-san, no way…”

Aro looks at him with disappointment. He jumps up with a start.

『N-no, that’s wrong! It’s not that I want to run away… It’s just, umm, I’m not sure if I’m going to be of much help.』

His wings flapping in panic, he explains to Aro. She giggles, her face breaking into a smile.

“I know. Treant-san is incredibly kind, after all. Even though you thought you had no chance, you went to rescue atlach-nacha all by yourself. You were just worried about us, right?”

『Aro-dono…!』

I see tears of gratitude welling up in his eyes.

I’ve already heard what happened. After Aro was defeated by Aruane, he set out alone to fight Aruane alone in order to rescue atlach-nacha, and somehow managed to prevail.

I don’t know how he managed to corner the A-rank equivalent Aruane. Apparently he rampaged mindlessly. But, what’s most impressive isn’t the fact that he defeated Aruane. I think his best virtue is his bravery to challenge Aruane for atlach-nacha’s sake, despite knowing he had practically no chance of winning.

『…Though in truth, I am a little bit scared.』

“Treant-san…”

Aro frowns slightly, as though let down.

『Treant… Umm, if you’re scared, you could wait in the Lithovar forest…』

『I-I’m okay, master-dono! It was just a moment’s hesitation! I don’t want to be left behind by myself again!』

Restlessly flapping his wings, treant-san explains to me.