Chapter 262 - 261
Chapter 261. Luri’s Return
Ferda’s consciousness gradually faded, and everything went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the study that had been in front of him when he sat upon the magic circle.
He had returned to reality.
It seems the exploration ended normally.
Perhaps because he had felt such comfort for the first time in a long while, his mind felt considerably clearer.
He could only hope that the deep projection had been effective, just as much as he had felt at ease.
Ferda turned his head toward where Erika was.
She had moved away from Ferda and seemed to be deep in thought about something.
She had definitely discovered something.
"Is it over?"
"Yes."
"Would you tell me what you discovered during the exploration?"
"......"
Erika couldn’t bring herself to speak easily.
Ferda examined her expression again.
"......Just what happened?"
She was afraid of something.
After hesitating for a long time, Erika finally opened her mouth.
"Regent Ferda."
"Yes."
"You know very well that humans aren’t allowed to mention dragons recklessly, right?"
"Of course. They make an example out of anyone who does, usually in blood."
"Then you also know that there are things even dragons aren’t allowed to interfere with when it comes to humans... right?"
It was the first time Ferda had heard of this.
"As a rule, dragons do not interfere with the myths created by humans. All dragons abide by this, whether they are Evil Dragons or guardian dragons."
"What do you mean?"
"Take the Alte Religion, which worships the sun... Have we ever interfered with something like that?"
They hadn’t.
Even those arrogant dragons dared not stop humans from worshipping someone.
"The reason is because there are beings who truly exist."
"......"
"The most representative example is the Outer God known as Sierra, the being of the moon."
"An Outer God...?"
"Beings that were not born during the Creation but entered the world after order was established. The most representative examples are the sun and the moon, now known as Alte and Sierra."
"I see."
Why was she telling him this now?
"To stop with the digression and tell you the conclusion... Regent Ferda, you are the child of Sierra, the Outer God we call Sierra."
Ferda couldn’t hide his shock.
"Then... the person whose form I thought was my mother..."
"She really was your mother. And she was the Outer God, Sierra."
Erika placed a hand against her head.
"But that’s not the problem. Children born from gods aren’t actually that uncommon when you consider the amount of time we’ve lived through."
"Then..."
"Regent... you are someone who has lived far longer than we initially thought."
Ferda’s heart sank.
Did she finally realize that I killed Valdrova and returned to the past?
"To put it clearly, you’re both a descendant of Sierra and a reincarnated person."
Reincarnated.
That was very different from someone who had traveled backward through time.
Erika recalled once again everything that had happened inside Ferda’s body.
The statue of Valdrova, something that could only have been created after being carved over an incredibly long period of time.
Sierra’s words about how, even after plunging a soul into the Swamp of Oblivion and rolling it around in malice, it still could not forget what it had wished for.
"All of that... can only be explained if Regent Ferda is the reincarnation of someone."
"Is... that so?"
Ferda was inwardly worried.
"Then do you know whose reincarnation I am?"
"......"
It was the first time Ferda had seen Erika make such an expression.
It was a face filled with awe toward him.
The answer that soon came out of her mouth made it clear why she was afraid.
Even Ferda himself was afraid of the words she was about to say.
"Based on the information we’ve gathered, I believe that you are the reincarnation of Godwin."
Who could say that Ferda was the reincarnation of Godwin, the one once called the worst Evil Dragon?
"So that’s why Regent Ferda was able to become so powerful and use the power that allowed him to overcome crises."
Ferda fell silent.
Erika couldn’t say anything either.
She couldn’t offer any words of comfort, nor could she say anything to ease the situation.
All she could do was wait for Ferda to finish thinking and speak.
"You didn’t know this until now?"
"Because Regent Ferda doesn’t possess Essence. Unless we penetrated this deeply, no one could have possibly guessed your true identity."
Ferda felt as though his mind had gone blank.
Not wanting to continue talking about the subject, he asked her instead.
"Is that all you managed to retrieve?"
"Yes..."
"Are you going to tell the others about my identity?"
"No."
Erika answered.
"If Regent Ferda were the evil god Godwin, who sought to destroy everything as the Demon Race’s god, perhaps I would. But that’s not who you are now, is it?"
"...."
"Regent Ferda is... simply Valdrova’s lover who loves her, and a single representative of the Grand Duchess. That’s the Ferda Valdrova I know."
Ferda looked at Erika’s face and said,
"And yet, you still can’t shake off your fear."
"......."
She couldn’t refute it.
Erika knew what Godwin was, and she was a living witness who had experienced his existence.
Godwin was the Aspect of Darkness and Void, the traitor of the continent who sought to reduce everything to nothingness.
When she had faced him, Erika had been overwhelmed simply by realizing that the being before her was Godwin.
"...I need some time."
"I understand."
Ferda needed time as well.
Erika quietly left, while Ferda remained seated, staring blankly at one spot.
Whenever he tried to think about it, he felt that he wouldn’t be able to accept it, so he could only hesitate over and over again.
Then he felt a small touch against his clothes.
When he turned his head, Mori was looking up at him.
"Is there something you want to say?"
She quietly wrote something on the floor.
—According to the records, Godwin was Chaos itself, the Chaos that sought to plunge the world into disorder.
"...."
—The match between Godwin’s achievements and those of Ferda Valdrova is 0.001%.
"Are you trying to say that I’m not Godwin?"
Mori quietly nodded.
Was she simply trying to tell him this?
Or was she trying to comfort him because he was feeling dejected?
Could a Slave Sage without a sense of self empathize with someone’s emotions and offer comfort?
Perhaps she was simply telling him what she wanted him to hear.
"Thank you."
Ferda gently stroked Mori’s head.
Normally, Mori would have closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation, but this time her eyes remained fixed on Ferda.
They seemed to know that her comfort wasn’t enough.
Ferda wasn’t Godwin.
But he still couldn’t shake off his anxiety.
Ferda loved Valdrova.
He would do anything for her.
—Now, look, Valdrova.
Even if it meant my own death, I would do it.
—This is what the things you wanted to protect look like when they disappear.
Godwin must have been the same.
***
Luri took a deep breath and opened her eyes.
She was in a dark room.
And within it, she was facing something.
—Nuuunaaaa...
The burning form of a small child appeared before her.
The child wailed and cried out in resentment.
—Why... why did you let me go?
Luri bit her lip tightly.
It was unbearably painful, but she didn’t avert her eyes.
"I’m sorry..."
Luri confronted her own regret.
"I’ll make sure... something like that never happens again."
Then she swung her axe at the boy’s head.
The boy’s form, which had tormented Luri, transformed into a mass of flesh.
It was something called Trauma.
That was the tenth Trauma she had killed.
Luri could make a promise to herself.
No matter what kind of mental attack Trauma used against her, she would be able to escape from it quickly.
The door to the training room where Luri had been staying opened.
Standing there was an elderly elder, Lance Silverwind.
"At last, you’ve learned to overcome it, Luri."
"Thank you, Lance."
"Your movements have become more fluid than before. You’ve become worthy of the name Captain of Silverwing."
Lance Silverwind smiled warmly as he spoke.
For several weeks, Luri had stayed at the Silverwind stronghold, Eisenfels, undergoing special training.
Special training.
It was something she had never expected.
When Luri had first arrived at Eisenfels, she had only had two choices.
Defeat Goz or die.
She had provoked Goz and fought him.
Goz hadn’t used the power of Silverwind to suppress Luri.
He had fought her purely with the skills of a warrior, and after ten minutes of exchanging blows, the result had become clear.
It had been devastating.
There was no way Luri could defeat him.
She knew what fate awaited the children of Silverwind who challenged its authority.
Luri calmly accepted that this would be her future.
But Goz didn’t kill her.
The reason was simple.
—How can you call yourself a warrior when you had no courage to take your own life, yet walked straight into a place where you were certain to die?
His tone made it clear that he had never even considered the possibility that he would lose.
Luri couldn’t swallow her frustration.
—I will give you a chance to cast away your weakness.
Goz took Luri somewhere.
It was the training room where she had been beaten and worked to exhaustion endlessly inside this castle.
There, she encountered a demonic creature called Trauma.
—If you don’t want to keep suffering, face it and destroy it. Prove yourself as a warrior.
That proof was painful.
While confronting Trauma, Luri fainted countless times and trembled in fear.
Yet it wasn’t unbearable.
Her entire life had been filled with things like this, so she knew the result all too well.
Pain that couldn’t kill her would always make her stronger.
In the end, she faced her inner regret and even learned how to overcome it.
"Goz is waiting for you. Go and speak with him."
"......Yes."
Her heart sank.
Luri didn’t know what he intended to talk about, so an undefined fear weighed heavily upon her.
She changed into neat clothes and headed toward the audience chamber.
Goz was sitting upon the throne.
"Finished?"
Goz still didn’t meet her eyes.
Luri answered.
"Yes."
"Do you still need Lord Silverwind’s power?"
"......"
"I knew it. You understand what a shameful choice it is, even for yourself."
Goz scoffed.
Luri bit her lip before opening her mouth.
"Now... what do you intend to do with me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You must have had a reason for showing this much kindness to someone who isn’t family. If so, can’t you tell me that reason now?"
"You’re mistaken about something."
Goz answered while resting his chin on his fist.
"I simply didn’t like seeing a warrior I had created behaving so pathetically. I didn’t want to leave a blemish."
"Then..."
"What you want to do is your choice. You can stay here, or you can return there."
Hearing those words, Luri thought again.
Once she had been given the right to choose, the answer was obvious.
"Then... I think I’ll return."
"If you go back there, you’ll only suffer."
"Is that important to you, Lord Goz?"
"You are precious."
Luri’s eyes widened at those words.
"Because every additional person who carries on Lord Silverwind’s bloodline is precious."
Her brief moment of expectation disappeared.
Yes. Of course.
Goz Silverwind.
The man who had been closest to Silverwind, a warrior among warriors, and a cold-blooded one at that.
A man who had been more cruel to her than anyone else.
And yet, Luri couldn’t contain the overwhelming emotions those words stirred within her.
"I don’t understand."
Like a girl experiencing adolescence late in life, she poured out countless questions.
"What don’t you understand?"
"You said I’m no longer family."
"......."
"You said there was nowhere for me to return to, so why are you helping me?"
"......."
"If you hate me enough to want me dead, then why are you treating me like this...?"
"Luri Silverwind."
Goz cut her off.
"Just because I helped you doesn’t mean you can whine."
"...."
"Since when did a descendant of Silverwind ever have a conversation?"
In the end, Luri was rendered speechless.
She rubbed her chest and calmed her emotions.
"I’m sorry. I overstepped. Lord Silverwind is the only one who has ever shown me kindness, and..."
Luri decided not to question Goz’s intentions any further.
There was only one fact that mattered.
He had helped her overcome her weakness.
Because that was simply how he had always been.
"I sincerely hope you stay healthy..."
Luri turned around and left the castle without looking back.
Goz didn’t watch Luri leave.
Instead, he silently filled his glass with alcohol.
At last, when she had left the castle and become a silver comet in the distance, a voice emerged from the silent space.
"Do you intend to let her leave like this?"
The one who spoke was Lance Silverwind.
He was the eldest among the descendants of Silverwind.
Even Goz, who had acquired Silverwind’s Essence, treated him with respect and did not dare act carelessly toward him.
"What could I possibly do?"
"At the very least, you should tell that child about the misunderstanding she has."
Goz stared into his glass.
Reflected within it was his own face.
His fierce features and scars left no doubt that he was a warrior.
At the same time, his past began to appear.
Long ago, there was a kingdom.
Because of the king’s reckless words insulting a dragon, the entire castle had disappeared without even having the opportunity to resist.
The castle had been reduced to ruins.
The descendants of Silverwind searched for survivors.
It wasn’t enough for the king to die.
They had to kill every survivor inside and make an example of them.
Goz had taken part in that work as well.
And then he found a girl.
Goz looked down at her.
Then he pointed his spear at the girl’s neck.
For a mere Mortal girl like her, the only way to show mercy was to give her a quick death.
Even if she survived in these ruins, all that awaited her was suffering.
Then the girl grabbed the spearhead.
At first, Goz thought she was desperately struggling to survive.
But he was wrong.
The girl pointed precisely at her own heart.
As if telling him to finish it with a single strike.
Her eyes were unfocused.
She was overwhelmed by such despair that she couldn’t even shed tears.
Everything about her wished for death.
Blood from the young girl’s hands dripped down the blade of the spear.
"Luri believes that Lord Silverwind was the one who took her in."
"Isn’t that true? Without Lord Silverwind’s permission, we couldn’t have taken her in on our own."
"You’re right."
But Lance remembered it clearly.
"However, isn’t the reason that child is still alive because you begged for her life?"
"....."
Lance had lived for a very long time, and having been by Goz’s side even longer, he remembered that incident vividly.
Goz Silverwind, the great warrior without blood or tears.
A man who had embodied Silverwind’s ironclad principle that strength meant surviving by completing every mission he was given.
Yet that man had shown something uncharacteristic of a warrior for the first time.
During a mission where there were supposed to be no survivors, he had brought back a survivor.
He had brought the girl before Silverwind with her wounds bound by strips of cloth.
Goz had begged Silverwind to spare someone’s life.
Instead of blindly obeying Silverwind’s command, he had stopped to think and pleaded.
It was the moment Lance had sensed humanity in Goz, who had been covered in the smell of ash.
"What would I gain by correcting that misunderstanding? Am I supposed to hope that they’ll reconcile and live together peacefully?"
"....."
"Even if it was my plea that saved that child, I was the one who pushed her to the edge of the cliff in the first place. And the only person she could rely on was Lord Silverwind, who has now died."
"....."
"This should end as nothing more than a game brought about by my own immaturity."
Even Goz didn’t know the exact reason he had saved her.
But one thing was certain.
It had originated from a past he had abandoned long ago.
To live as a Dragon Spawn meant abandoning the past and devoting oneself entirely to one’s god.
Therefore, it could only be described as immaturity.
The other descendants of Silverwind were the same.
They learned this after capturing the demonic creatures known as Trauma.
Trauma dug up the past that had accumulated and sunk deep beneath the passage of time, reflecting the weakness they had possessed before becoming warriors.
Even the descendants of Silverwind, selected for their bravery as warriors, could not escape it.
Goz himself could not escape it either.
Through Trauma, he too had discovered something he regretted.
"I am simply someone who turns a weak human into a warrior."
He had turned a young girl into a warrior.
"There is no value beyond that."
There was no turning back now.
Goz swallowed his past.
***
After returning to Valdrova Castle, Luri stood before the entrance.
She had spent a long time here, yet this moment felt incredibly unfamiliar.
Had she ever been away from this castle for this long since she began working here?
Should I apologize first when I go back?
No.
Wouldn’t it be strange for someone who had simply said she was going on vacation to return and immediately apologize?
There was no reason for her to feel guilty.
All she had to do was show them that she had rested well and returned.
She would act as naturally as possible.
As if nothing had happened.
As if everything were the same as usual.
Luri practiced this image in her mind as she entered through the main gate.
"I’m ba—"
BOOOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion shook the floor.
It was more than enough to completely destroy all of her carefully rehearsed composure.
"What the hell is going—"
"Brother Vernel Marquis!!"
Before she could even ask what was happening, an unfamiliar voice rang out.
Someone came rushing from the direction of the voice.
A blue-haired man.
It was Vernel Marquis.
"AAAAH! You crazy woman! Stop chasing me!! I blocked it exactly the way you wanted, didn’t I?!"
"Just block it one more time!! The adjustment was just a liiiittle bit wrong!! Okay?! This time, I can actually kill you, Brother!!"
Vernel was being chased by an extremely skinny woman.
A woman who looked as though she had escaped from a mental institution was running wild throughout the castle, yet no one was stopping her.
No—
They couldn’t stop her.
Luri understood the situation instantly.
Just then, someone noticed Luri and greeted her.
"Oh, L-Luri, Chief Attendant, you’ve re—"
"Where is he?"
"What?"
A shadow fell over Luri’s face.
With an expression as cold as finely honed blue steel, she asked again.
"Where is Ferda, that ’damned’ Regent?"
Luri Silverwind.
Had returned home.
Read more here - Apexnovelhub.com