Chapter 216
[Translator – Peptobismol]
Chapter 216: King of the North (10)
“He’s gone. Completely.”
Ronan, who checked for a pulse, nodded. Barka didn’t move anymore. It was a pitiful death that suited a piece of trash, suffocating himself to death. Adeshan, who was silently staring at him, opened her mouth.
“…Is it really over this time?”
“If you’re really anxious, we can do it like this. Just turn your head for a moment.”
Ronan tugged at the hilt of his sword. Dozens of threads were drawn over Barka’s remaining head and torso. Swoosh! As soon as Ronan finished his slash, Barka’s body disintegrated into pieces.
“You disgusting bastard.”
This should have been enough for even Barka’s grandfather to never come back to life. There was no trace of the wicked Weretiger in any part of the blood puddle, flesh scraps, or entrails. The fierce cold was already freezing the blood and flesh fragments solid.
Whoosh… A chilling wind blew, freezing the wounds. Soon, Barka’s existence would vanish, becoming a part of this icy sea.
After finishing his work, Ronan turned his back. Adeshan was watching the gruesome process without turning her eyes away. Ronan scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“I told you to turn your head. It’s not a pleasant sight.”
“I wanted to see how the knot was tied.”
Even though Adeshan would be unable to eat after having watched the scene, she remained composed. Ronan pursed his lips without saying anything.
‘A knot, huh.’
Considering Barka’s actions, she had essentially eliminated the enemy who had caused the death of her mother and brother. Coming to the northern end and marking the end with blood was no different. Suddenly, Adeshan, who was standing still, swayed like a reed.
“What’s wrong, are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just a bit tired…”
Adeshan awkwardly smiled. Though she said that, her pale complexion didn’t look good.
It wasn’t surprising. To control Barka’s mind, she must have consumed tremendous strength and energy. As if to prove it, the power felt by Adeshan now was not even 20% of what it was before.
At that time, Adeshan’s power had become so strong that it seemed like she had borrowed it from someone. Just like when Ronan forcibly drew out his inherent potential with the power of the Holy Sword.
It was a close call. Adeshan, whose legs gave away, lost her balance and fell.
“Ah.”
“I knew this would happen.”
Ronan chuckled lightly. He successfully caught Adeshan just before her knees touched the ground. Adeshan, who was staggering, covered her flushed face with both hands.
“Th-Thank you…”
“You worked hard. Get some rest.”
“I’ll try to get up as soon as possible. But… what about those people?”
Adeshan was looking at the ice plain through the gap between her fingers. The bodies of the drowned people, which had been buried shallowly, were rising as they broke the ice.
-Grrrrr…
-Gyaaahhh…
The already awakened corpses were aimlessly wandering around. There seemed to be no purpose now that Barka had revoked his command before he died.
“We should put them to rest.”
It didn’t seem dangerous, but it wasn’t a pleasant sight either. Since corpses don’t move, it’s only natural for them to rest eternally as bones or ashes. Ronan, who was observing them, spoke up.
“But we can deal with that later after we handle other matters. Come here, let me carry you.”
“Sorry.”
Adeshan bowed her head deeply. The strength of her legs didn’t come back easily once it was released. Ronan, without saying a word, lifted her up and started walking towards the laboratory.
“I’m heavy.”
“You say the same thing every time, but you’re not heavy at all.”
“Umm… lies.”
Unable to overcome her embarrassment, Adeshan buried her face in his back. Ronan chuckled. In fact, considering her height, she was on the lighter side. As he carried her like this, memories from the past came flooding back.
“It was like this even during the beast festival, remember?”
“Yeah…”
“At that time, I still don’t understand why the Alpha Doppelganger turned into me. I really hated myself at that time. I wonder if Doppelgangers make mistakes too.”
Ronan, who had just finished off the poacher, encountered the Alpha Doppelganger while returning with Adeshan on his back. The Alpha Doppelganger, who could transform into the person the opponent liked, astonishingly had taken on Ronan’s own appearance.
Later, although it did transform into the Adeshan from her days as the General, over two years had passed and the lingering question remained unresolved.
“Uh, th-that…?”
Adeshan mumbled with her face buried. She couldn’t bring herself to say that, at that time, the Doppelganger hadn’t made eye contact with Ronan, but rather her.
‘It changed without a moment’s hesitation.’
It was dangerous for the conversation to head in this direction. Memories from the Hill of the Four Seasons, thoughts of the mouth to mouth cpr, just hours ago, were surfacing one after another.
If things continued like this, she was afraid that her accelerating heartbeat would be heard. Her body temperature started to rise as well. Adeshan, who was rapidly turning over thoughts in her head, decided to change the subject.
“B-but by the way, what was that all about?”
“What do you mean?”
“Th-the story about the City of Dragons.”
“Oh. Right. I did say something like that.”
Ronan raised an eyebrow. He had momentarily forgotten due to the chaos. Barka, who was under control, also spilled out information related to Nebula Clazier.
Among the wealth of information, one thing stood out the most. The leader who showed up at the meeting after a long absence hinted that it was time to make contact with the Dragon City of Adren. This happened long after Ronan had visited Drimoor with Navardose, just a few days ago.
‘I thought the conversation with Navardose was over. It seems suspicious.’
Ronan’s brow furrowed. He had successfully warned the Mother of Fire about the danger of Nebula Clazier.
Although there was a king ruling Adren, ultimately Navardose was the one in power, so it seemed odd that there was a separate entity. Ronan nodded as he pondered something.
“Hmm… I should contact them as soon as this is over.”
“Whom?”
“Navardose, of course. She’s so busy that I’m not sure if she’ll reply.”
“…You really have a wide network.”
Adeshan muttered in amazement. Not only the Emperor, but now the Mother of Fire as well. For a moment, a worried expression crossed her face.
‘Is it okay for me to like you?’
Her once flushed ears were quickly cooling down. She was afraid that her affection might hinder him from pursuing his path, which was always aimed at justice.
Nevertheless, the two arrived at the laboratory. A stronger stench assaulted their noses. It was due to the experiments, samples, and other items that had been broken and spilled.
The orderly space had transformed as if the drunken ogre family had stayed overnight. Adeshan commented.
[Translator – Peptobismol]
“I don’t sense any presence.”
“Me neither.”
“I think I can walk now. Thanks for carrying me.”
With regained strength in her legs, Adeshan descended from Ronan’s back. Both of them cautiously searched the laboratory. Soon, Ronan found what he was looking for and stopped in his tracks.
“It’s here.”
“Oh, found it.”
Approaching from elsewhere, Adeshan joined him. Side by side, they looked down at the body of Aradan Turkon.
He was lying peacefully. It was hard to believe that he had been thrashing around as if on fire just a while ago.
The regenerated body was in better condition than before Ronan had chopped it up. With closed eyes, he seemed not dead, but rather asleep. Ronan tilted his head.
“How is he in such good shape?”
“It seems his regeneration coincided with the moment Barka released his soul.”
“…It’s miraculous.”
Ronan murmured to himself. The monstrous right arm and grotesque tentacles had disappeared, leaving only the Weretiger boy who once admired his father remained, to rest in eternal peace. Adeshan, looking at him, spoke up.
“Why did we have to go through all this?”
Her voice was heavy as if laden with clouds. Ronan didn’t answer. Maybe “unable to” would be the right expression. Both of them were victims of the misfortune caused by Barka’s madness.
Why did they have to go through all this? No one knew. Since doing what they could was the rule of life, Ronan simply embraced the quietly weeping Adeshan by his side. After a moment of trembling shoulders, she whispered softly.
“…Thank you.”
Her breath sounded loud. Fortunately, she regained her energy in less than five minutes and stood up. There was still much to do, too much to indulge in contemplation.
The two searched the laboratory for a long time. They gathered evidence to prove Barka’s evil nature and destroyed any magical items or devices that could be misused.
Since a massive ship had been converted into Barka’s hideout, it took much longer than expected. As Ronan packed the materials into his backpack, he murmured.
“This should be enough to rectify the North.”
“Probably. Just realizing they were deceived might bring about a lot of change.”
“I hope so.”
Having finished their tasks, the two picked up their belongings. Adeshan carried both her and Ronan’s backpacks simultaneously, while Ronan carried Aradan’s body. Even in death, this boy who fought like a true warrior deserved to be buried where the sun shone.
Now, giving eternal rest to the wandering corpses would be the end. As they passed through the corridor they had come through, it was the moment they opened the stone gate. Whoosh! A sudden gust of wind blew back their hair.
“Ugh?!”
“Aack!”
The hot and dry wind was mixed with a blaze. The scent of burning that belonged in a crematorium permeated the air. Frozen in place, the two glanced at the scene before them.
“What on earth is going on here?”
“Wh-What…!”
It was like something out of a madman’s fantasy. A radiant glow reminiscent of a green skirt streaked across the dark sky. Below it, waves of flames, as if coming from hell itself, engulfed the ice plain.
-Kieeee!
-Araagh!
All the bodies gathered by Barka were burning. The resurrected corpses wandered in the flames, screaming, until they turned into ash, while the corpses that didn’t come back to life lay quietly, turning into ashes like firewood.
It may not be the right expression, but it seemed that there were no survivors. Frozen in shock, Ronan was staring at the scene of the conflagration. Suddenly, Adeshan pointed to the sky and shouted.
“R-Ronan! Look there!”
“Huh?”
The already large eyes widened even further. Ronan turned his head in the direction she was pointing. He froze in place as his gaze reached the sky.
“Ah, shit.”
A single eagle, almost as large as Itargand, was flapping its wings in place. With each flap of its enormous wings, a gust of wind swept away the flames.
Its body, like a sculpture, shimmered with a blue light. Ronan narrowed his eyes. There was a sense of familiarity emanating from the eagle. Soon, he succeeded in dredging up memories.
“Hyran…!”
It was unmistakable. It was Hyran, the highest-ranking wind spirit known as the Prince of Storms. Ronan remembered seeing him during his two years journey to the Sea of Ghosts.
‘If Hyran is here, then maybe…’
There are very few people who can make a contract with a high-ranking spirit. At least, among the people Ronan knew, there was only one. Suddenly, the map he found in his father’s room came to mind. The target destination on the map was clearly the Sea of Ghosts.
Gradually, the flames covering the Sea of Ghosts subsided. Like fallen meteorites, the bodies could no longer be found in the deeply excavated ice pit. A trembling voice escaped Adeshan’s lips.
“It won’t come this way, right…?”
Her gaze lingered on Hyran, who was flapping his wings in the air. The Prince of Storms remained aloof, staring blankly at the two. After about a minute, Hyran, who had been gazing at Ronan, suddenly roared.
“Pyuuuhhh!”
“Eeek!”
Startled, Adeshan embraced Ronan. Hyran folded his wings and began to descend. Making a wide circle, the Prince of Storms finally landed on a cliff.
It wasn’t too far away, so they could observe the area with the naked eye. Ronan’s eyes widened as he surveyed Hyran’s surroundings.
“That’s…!”
A single elven woman was stroking Hyran’s head. Her silver hair, illuminated by the aurora, sparkled with a dusky green hue.
Even after thousands of years, the ruby embedded in her staff-like weapon hadn’t lost its luster. The image of her, struggling to save the Savior, still lingered in his eyes.
The Great Spirit Sage. And one of the founders of Nebula Clazier, who followed the Savior. Ronan’s mouth fell open in awe.
“Elysia.”
[Translator – Peptobismol]
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