REFDL 114

[…I am.]

The One who burns.

An undying flame and a primordial cry.

The source of all dragons.

[a Kremlis.]

The One who walks the world again.

The oldest watchtower, observing all that is wicked.

The one who watches the latch hanging on the rift of dimensions.

……The adversary of all demons.

I took a deep breath.

Cr-crack.

Snap, crackle.

The demonic energy, stretching out into the void like a net, had now hardened and taken shape. It shattered from the center.

Monsters are coming over.

Grrr!

Enormous flames engulfed the entrance. Fueled by demonic energy, the flames burned blazed.

That was the signal.

Screeeech!

Shriek!

Grrrr!

Dragons rushed toward the gap where embers remained. They collided with the monsters writhing in the flames.

Crunch!

It was a one-sided slaughter. At a glance, it seemed like it would end in victory for this side without much trouble, but…… the problem is the sheer numbers.

The excited Pensiltas bared their teeth and growled.

No. That shouldn’t happen.

I tilted my head.

“Uh…… wait!”

The Pensiltas looked displeased, but an order is an order. They hesitated but started flying toward Firmus while supporting their comrades.

Ah. I should’ve sent Kaelus to that side too.

“Do you think I’d go obediently?”

…How did he know?

Kaelus growled sinisterly.

“It hasn’t even been a minute since you said you wouldn’t do it again.”

[I won’t.]

Kaelus sent a look that didn’t have even a speck of trust.

……Isn’t that too much?!

[It’s fine.]

It’s true.

[They’re coming.]

Roaaaaar!

Screeeech!

A roar with a resonance different from other dragons.

Because they were in the deepest place, they were the ones who arrived last.

Like twilight falling at midday, a swarm of Kremlis dragons came against the sky.

Unlike other monsters, dragons can move freely inside the Sea of Trees.

The Kremlis, the highest species, are especially like that.

Even so, there is a reason they don’t bother to leave the center. The reason they stay in the center, even while enduring the annoyance of moving to the edges for the sake of the hatchlings that will break out of their eggs, is because there is a ‘door’ with a rift there.

They were living weights.

The dragons that were fiercely fighting the monsters opened a path.

The Kremlis rushed in like a red storm. The monsters were shredded as soon as they crossed the entrance.

Gyaaaaak!

Skreeeee!

While the momentum faltered.

The true power of the weights began to shine.

The rift that had split wide, tearing through [visit our site]space, started to stitch back together slowly, as if time were rewinding.

It’s as if the hole is roaring. From beyond that abyss, a demon let out a furious scream.

The rift gradually narrowed until it was small enough that monsters couldn’t properly escape, and it remained there without closing any further.

…Just like the ‘rift’ in the north that closed before.

Yeah. I thought it would turn out like this.

The new rift stabilized.

This time, it was really over.

As soon as I realized it, I felt like a string snapped in my head.

“……Yuram……!”

Ah. Kaelus will worry…….

***

The Dragon Knights started to return to the capital one by one.

The Pensilta carrying the Nitan and Odan also arrived at the capital, flapping its weary wings.

The news they brought was shocking.

The imperial palace was turned upside down.

An unbelievable incident happened at the edge of the continent.

The news spread like wildfire, and the citizens of the empire trembled in fear.

The nobles’ reaction wasn’t much different. The pale-faced Council of Elders finally got up from their seats.

However, Tortan didn’t even open the gates of the imperial palace. The panicked Council shouted, but it didn’t reach the emperor’s ears.

There was nothing good about treating them poorly. Rather, now was the chance to take the upper hand and manipulate those who were like thorns in his side.

……But Tortan didn’t do that.

“…….”

He looked down at Odan, who had fallen asleep after receiving treatment, visit our sitethen checked the magic messenger pigeon sent from Kaelus.

Yuram’s injury.

The newly created rift to the Demon Realm.

“……Dispatch dragon healers immediately and load as many medicinal herbs as possible into the carriage!”

In preparation for an emergency, some dragons that remained in Firmus imperial palace also headed to the edge to block the newly occurred rift.

In the end, only horses, carriages, and mages headed toward the North Forest Village by the emperor’s command.

***

The mages who arrived at the edge of the forest witnessed an unbelievable scene.

“This is……”

There were over dozens, hundreds, and thousands of dragons, presumably gathered from all over the country, overflowing everywhere.

They didn’t fight or oppose each other. Blending in well, they rolled around and played, then entered the Sea of Trees to hunt monsters when they got hungry. It was a scene that looked like a paradise for dragons.

Jut he could understand up to that point.

It was certainly a strange thing for this many dragons to gather in one place, but dragons themselves weren’t unfamiliar.

……But if the dozens of dragons grouped on one side were Kremlis, the story was different.

“…….”

Though no words were shared beforehand, the mages all closed their mouths and held their breath as if they had agreed on it beforehand.

There were easily dozens of Kremlis, each exuding an enormous sense of intimidation even when there was just one.

They sat apart from the other dragons and took their own spots. To be precise, it’s right in front of the rift to the Demon Realm.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed. However, even while joking around or squeaking as if having a conversation…

[…….]

They would turn their heads and stare at the rift.

Yuram was among those Kremlis.

An artificially created clearing.

The surroundings were full of tree fruits and flowers that could be found nearby.

Especially the white cotton flowers enveloped the giant Kremlis like a blanket. It was a wondrous sight. The healers forgot their fear and were momentarily entranced.

“……What are you doing instead of examining him right now?”

A human head suddenly popped up from among the cotton flowers.

“Aaaaah!”

“Ah!”

It was Duke Irelion.

He poked only his face out from among the white flowers and muttered coldly.

“I asked what you are doing. Are your eyes just decorations?”

Objectively, it was a pretty funny sight, but no one dared to laugh. On the contrary, the fierce murderous intent made their heart shrink.

The healers turned pale and rushed over in a hurry.

Dragons originally had excellent self-healing abilities. The joke that “a little saliva heals it” was practically made for them.

Before the healers arrived, the Pensiltas, having already recovered to some extent, began flying around moderately unless they had serious injuries.

But Yuram was an exception.

He didn’t wake up even after the healers started working in earnest.

“There are no visible injuries.”

“At first, I suspected internal injuries…… but the inside is fine too.”

“……Well, the symptoms themselves seem similar to overwork…….”

All eyes were on him.

The youngest healer barely finished his sentence while stuttering.

“……For, for now, there’s no other way…… than to watch…… him. For, fortunately, he reacts if you shake food right in front of his nose. Though rare, it’s not an, an impossible case.”

“…….”

It was decided that Yuram would be moved to the capital to monitor his condition.

The mages worried that the other Kremlis might block them, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

A Pensilta was mobilized for the transport.

They wrapped Yuram like a cocoon with a cloth made of monster hides and connected it with sturdy chains.

Yuram’s condition was stable. His breathing was regular, and he didn’t have seizures. He was simply asleep. Deeply.

It is different from Anax

Kaelus held onto that sentence like a lifeline. Otherwise, he couldn’t even guarantee what he might do.

Except for the fact that he couldn’t open his eyes, Yuram’s body was gradually recovering.

Though they couldn’t say it out loud due to responsibility issues, the healers shared the same opinion. That once he completely recovers from the accumulated fatigue, he’ll likely wake up without other treatments.

Kaelus accepted it, though he was skeptical. He couldn’t just keep watching Yuram anymore.

Problems were piled up like a mountain.

Thanks to the divine beasts who didn’t forget their duty even after being eroded by demonic energy for a long time, they could seal the new rift in time.

However, the damage and confusion caused by it were at a level that couldn’t be ignored.

Merchants who suffered massive property damage due to the sudden escape of the Knums, the owners of each dragon, and the dragon breeding grounds that were half-destroyed and empty.

Fortunately, when the owners who possessed the vessel artifacts came in person and gave orders, the dragons obediently followed their guidance.

They kept looking back, but after confirming that the Kremlis wouldn’t leave the vicinity of the rift, they quickened their pace with a slightly relieved look.

Tortan opened the national treasury to compensate for their losses and dispatched people to identify the damage caused by the movement of land-type dragons to prepare separate measures for that side too.

After organizing everything up to this point, the biggest problem remained: Denos.

“…….”

The mere thought of it made his stress level rise. Tortan clutched his head. What on earth was he to do with these bastards?

…Was war really the only option?

But the matter was resolved in an unexpected way.

Denos prostrated themselves.