Chapter 668
Chapter 668
After telling the former Demon King’s army to rest and the warriors to look around freely, the expressions on Lelie and Yekaterina’s faces when they met were serious in many ways.
As Yekaterina said, I found out because I could hear Lelie’s whispers to some extent, but the seriousness the two of them have is different. That must be why Lelie, who is worried about Yekaterina, looks at me with wary eyes.
“I think it would be better to keep it quiet, so let’s talk in the office first.”
Just by not cutting off the conversation out of the blue, it can be said that Leli has a sufficiently rational judgment ability. Knowing that, I also suggested an environment where we could calm down and have a conversation, and the two silently accepted it.
But that doesn’t mean the road to the office was always peaceful. There was no way to prove that he hadn’t been subjected to the curse that inevitably follows when he turns over the dragon’s blood.
If I mention my meeting with Ice Dragon Niath Ezelf and tell him that I have been proven not to be cursed through his mouth, this problem can be solved in one go, but then it would be like advertising that Ice Dragon lives in the dwarven kingdom, so I can’t even try.
How did it turn out like that because I’m a warrior? If I were the only warrior in the history of the continent who bathed in dragon’s blood, then I wouldn’t know, but since I’m not like that, I wouldn’t be able to eat anything. If I were to answer vaguely or not answer properly, then it would only make Relief more wary, so it was a difficult problem.
I wonder if it is really necessary to go through all this trouble to prove that I am not cursed… but I am worried that Catherine, who seems to know specifically about the Dragon Blood, is trying to foolishly offer me help.
Just looking at Lelie’s reaction right now, mentioning Dragon Blood would not be a light matter for her. Nevertheless, as soon as I became certain that I was under Dragon Blood’s influence, I mentioned the details. I couldn’t help a friend like that, but I couldn’t make the problem worse.
“No tea, don’t let anyone come until the story is over.”
Tie, who had been quietly following us, nodded to my request and left the room. Her appearance was exactly like that of a maid, and I felt like the future of hiring people from the other sect as servants was becoming more and more certain, but I decided to turn away for now and focus on the present.
“Honestly, I don’t know where to start and where to end my talk. But let me start by saying the things I can honestly talk about.”
After the two people sat down, I belatedly put away my armor and sat down across from them. Their eyes widened at the unexpected performance. However, since the story they wanted to talk about was about the dragon’s blood, they didn’t ask any questions.
“It’s true that my senses were heightened due to the bloodshed, and I had no time to spare when I was catching Wind King Iranoleph, so I turned it over. However, I wasn’t under any curses, and I only benefited without any inconvenience. Now, let’s ask questions based on this premise. I will answer with all my heart.”
“You turned the dragon’s blood over and said it didn’t have any ill effects?”
As soon as I finished speaking, it was naturally Catherine who reacted immediately. Her face, which had been surprised by the uniqueness of the armor, was now filled with astonishment and doubt, but those emotions seemed closer to a sense of wonder stemming from concern rather than simple distrust.
“Have you noticed any changes, such as tinnitus, increased desire for something, or feeling angry for no reason?”
As if to prove this, Catherine mentioned specific examples as if a doctor were checking the symptoms. I smiled, not hiding my gratitude for her consideration, and slowly shook my head and responded with a smile…
“Of course not···?”
···I was about to do it and then I flinched for a moment.·
Why aren’t the symptoms similar to my daily life?
Only after seeing Catherine’s expression become serious in response to that, could I urgently shake my head.
“No! No, no! I’m not lying. It’s so similar to my daily life right now that I was momentarily flustered, so don’t misunderstand!”
“It’s similar to everyday life? How can that be···”
“The tinnitus is because of talking to him, the specific desires are exaggerated because I often feel like I want to throw everything away and rest, and the reason I get angry is because there are so many people blocking my path every day. Of course, each of them has their own reasons, so it’s not an abnormal phenomenon caused by hemolysis. Really.”
I hurriedly shook Este with the scabbard, but for some reason, Catherine and Lelie’s gazes only grew more sorrowful. After seeing their reactions, I realized belatedly that I had not had the chance to tell them that Este had become a holy sword.
“Actually, for one reason or another, this guy has become a holy sword now, right? Hey, Este, before your master becomes a strange person, at least make the sword god cry.”
[Hey, it’s annoying.]
Thanks to Este, who responded with a grumble and a hum, the gazes of the two people who thought he was a crazy person who talked to a sword quickly softened.
···In fact, I could still feel Relli’s gaze filled with doubt as to whether or not she was using a perfectly good sword to perform something like a doll ventriloquism, but I let it slide for now, so I decided to gradually convince her.
“Are you really okay? Well, I guess it’s fortunate that you’re okay···”
“Yes, if this was common and normal, then everyone who has done nothing until now when the dragon’s blood was about to fall would be a fool. I know it’s unusual. At first, I also thought it was something like Epha’s protection.”
“You’re saying it wasn’t true”
The situation had come where I had to convince him in earnest. As soon as I made that decision, my head, which had not been working well until just a moment ago, seemed to be spinning at a furious speed for the first time in a while.
“I have confirmed that I am not experiencing any curses using all the means at my disposal. However, that does not solve the question of ‘why’. It could be because Wind King Iranoleph has fallen from grace as a dragon, or it could be that he has mutated as he has been infected by the remnants of the evil god. It could be both. I cannot even imagine any other possibilities. So I cannot answer the question of ‘how.’”
The reactions of the two people who heard the words pouring out like a machine gun, just like their brains were fast-paced, were different.
Lelie no longer looked at me or anything, but that was not because she trusted me, but because she was looking at Catherine to follow her judgment entirely.
Yekaterina, who is receiving the attention of me and Lelie, looks at me with a straight, unwavering gaze and maintains silence. I can’t even guess what she is thinking.
Is it because she is my acquaintance that she is so worried about me being affected by the dragon’s blood? Or is it because the dragon’s blood is like a sore spot that causes her to overreact? At that moment, as I was making various guesses in my head.
“Even if you, Eldmia, are cursed, there is no way for me to remove it. The reason I am bringing this up is because there is a way to find out if you are cursed or not, and I know of a place where you can temporarily suppress the curse.”
It was Catherine who spoke first.
“As you may have guessed, I am one of the Dragonblood Clan of Lovell.”
Lelie let out a silent sigh, but Ekaterina didn’t even look at her. And I couldn’t question her or take my eyes off her, despite the sudden change in topic.
“The reason I know how to suppress it is also related to this. My ancestors did not live only enjoying the privilege of dragon blood.”
She was more serious than ever.
“Strictly speaking, they’re called the Dragon Blood Clan, but in reality, they’re just a boring family obsessed with past glory. Their ancestors are said to have inherited the blood of dragons, but we don’t know if that’s true, and even if it was true, it was hundreds of years ago. They say that in the early days, there were people who could consistently prove their lineage, but… Even in horses, they endlessly mate good horses to obtain better species, so wouldn’t it be funny if that continued with just one mix?”
Catherine shrugged her shoulders with a self-deprecating laugh, but it was clear what was to come.
“But it continued on”
“Yeah, that’s ridiculous…”
To be exact, in the past few decades, only a very small number of people have been able to demonstrate the ability that can only be thought of as being influenced by the Dragon Blood. It goes without saying that the people of the family known as the Dragon Blood Clan were very excited by the appearance of the favorite child who appeared without any signs or portents.
“Is that Catherine?”
I was wondering if the story that would follow would be difficult and asked questions based on my guess, but…
“No, I wasn’t. To be exact, I should say ‘I thought it wasn’t true.’”
···Surprisingly, what came back was a negative.·
“First of all, it wasn’t just one or two people. Before I left Lovell, there were about ten people who showed signs of having the Dragon Blood. Do you remember what I said before? That Lovell lacked a system for spirit magic, so only those who are born with it can become spirit magicians.
“I remember the day we first received the request.”
The vague memory, as if it was from a long time ago, brought a brief smile to me, Catherine, and Lely. Thanks to that, the atmosphere relaxed slightly, and Catherine continued speaking while clasping her hands together.
“It was like that. Some were so comfortable with the cold that they could walk through a snowy mountain range without a single piece of clothing on. Some were so in tune with the spirits that they could control the snow. Others breathed cold air from their mouths like dragons.”
Anyone can see that it’s Niathezelp’s blood.
Is this a coincidence? Or is this also related to ‘balance’? Why is it that whenever I feel better these days, my head keeps hurting?
“What about Catherine?”
“I didn’t stand out at the time. Because of that, I was naturally compared to those around me and was pushed down the line of succession…”
Just got pushed down the line of succession?
This time, I couldn’t control my expression properly because of the sudden bombshell statement. And since she was looking straight at me, Ekaterina quickly noticed the change and nodded with a bitter smile. Then, as if trying to act cheerful, she puffed out her chest and declared confidently.
No? No way···
“The Dragon Blood Clan is the King of Luville. Is this Princess Irae Bbaedo?”
Oh my gosh Epha
It wasn’t like that·