Chapter 230
Chapter 230
I got on Olivia’s back and flew to the sky .
I only brought Eleanor and Hikari and headed towards the north .
『Are you sure it’s over here?』
「Eleanor asked」
「I would not forget a human’s smell once I have met them . As long as they are still alive, I can track them . That human especially possesses a strong smell, so there is no way I can be wrong」
Olivia in her dragon form said with a heavy tone .
Because her body became bigger, not only her tone was heavy, but her voice was loud as well .
She would release a pressure that ordinary humans would feel frightened just by talking to her .
Despite that, more than half of that pressure is neutralized .
It’s because Hikari is hanging by her neck .
Olivia, O-chan .
Although they’re essentially different dragons, Hikari treats Olivia just like how she does with Chibi Dragon .
And Olivia accepts that . Because of how heartwarming they look, the pressure she releases decreased even more .
And I don’t really mind it like that, so I ignored it, and continued to talk with Olivia .
「What kind of place is in this direction? Althea seems to be worried about Rodotos so, is it a city?」
That’s right, it’s Althea .
To establish Mercouri as a kingdom, a proper internal affair is essential after defeating the Empire .
The other four kingdoms might be able to do something about it, but Mercouri only has Rex and Soora who I support .
One of them is a man from a country village and the other is a woman from a village who chose to cease connection with the world .
There was no way they could govern .
And so, there comes Althea .
The Great Sage Althea, the woman who was Rodotos’s right arm .
In the era I’m in, I have witnessed her political ability a bit, so I believe she could do it .
「If it’s the Imperial City Irion, it’s over there」
Olivia slowly raised her clawed hand and pointed diagonally .
「That’s an unfamiliar name . I see, it’s not the city huh」
『I turned into something like “that”, so there is no way she would stay in the city』
「I guess so……」
☆
We flew for about an hour and landed in a deep forest .
I got off in front of a mountain cabin that looks like a secret hideout inside the forest .
Olivia returned to her dragonkin form and Hikari was still hanging from her neck .
「It’s here?」
「Un, she’s inside」
Olivia completely changed her tone after turning to her dragonkin form . She seems like a friendly neighborhood childhood friend in this form .
Her tone just fits how she looks with Hikari hanging from her head .
「Ororo〜」
「What’s the matter?」
「I didn’t notice from far away, but this human, she’s dying?」
「What did you say?!」
『Umu . The life force of the human inside seems very weak』
Hearing what Olivia and Eleanor said, I opened the door almost destroying it, and rushed inside .
Inside the dark cabin was a bad smell and stagnated air .
A silhouette that faintly appears .
She is sitting on the ground, facing towards the wall .
Her long hair and familiar clothes, it’s Althea .
「Althea!」
I ran up to her while calling out her nameーーI was stunned seeing her face when she reacted and looked up to me .
It was an old woman .
The last time we’ve met was only a few days ago, but the youthful Althea turned into a wrinkly old woman .
「You came……I thought you’d come」
Although the tone of her voice sounded very youthful, the voice itself was completely that of an old woman .
「Rather than that, what happened, Althea? What happened to you?!」
「It is the, compensation」
「Compensation?」
「Ahh, it came again」
「What?」
I looked towards the opposite direction from Althea .
I looked over there and saw something dark and transparent passing through the wall .
「Hikari!」
「Un!」
I called Hikari and she turned into a Demon Sword . I raised the mother and daughter Demon Swords and faced towards that thing .
「A ghost huh, I’ll end you quickly」
「Wait」
「Eh?」
Althea grabbed me with her wrinkled hand .
「Why should I wait?」
「That is……he is……」
『Rodotos, huh』
「What?」
Althea and Eleanor said together .
I turned around in surprise . This ghost that doesn’t even have a shape, this is Rodotos?
『There’s no doubt, it’s him』
「……eii! If so, then let’s leave this place first!」
I couldn’t kill it at once, so I carried Althea and rushed out of the room .
☆
I gained quite a distance from the cabin . Although we’re still inside the forest, the silent air made me feel that we had ventured deeper .
Hikari remained in her Demon Sword form and Olivia and I faced with Althea .
And there, I had Althea explain what’s happening .
To save Rodotos whose soul is being sullied by Eleanor, Althea used an elixir to let Eleanor gain a physical body in exchange for releasing Rodotos .
Rodotos was released immediately but still passed away . His soul was released as well .
「ーーor, that was how it should have been」
「He wasn’t released?」
「He was, once . However, his soul did not return to the heaven completely . As you can see, he started to attack me」
「And because of that, you became like this?」
「It would seem that he has an attachment to life . He might be trying to revive himself by absorbing my life force」
「Is that so?」
I asked Eleanor .
『Although I don’t know whether it’s on purpose or just left like that, my powers might have remained in his soul . There are such times, when someone dies possessing my powers, they would turn into evil ghosts that are attached to life』
「You yourself were obsessed with having a physical body after all」
『That is true during this era . I do not anymore』
「Is that thanks to me?」
『Umu』
I spoke in the middle and let Althea and Eleanor speak to each other .
「I want to release him . What should I do?」
『It’s simple . Just ask this man』
「Me?」
『You only need to cut him . Not his soul, but my powers that is possessing his soul』
「I see」
「Can you do that?」
「Leave it to me . I’ll make him ascend to heaven the next time he comes」
What Eleanor is saying is not something that difficult . Rather, for me who was able to bring our powers that Eleanor didn’t have, the level of difficulty is just like riding a bike with one hand .
It’s Althea’s request . I’ll quickly end him .
「Rather than that, it’s you . That appearance, aren’t you in a really bad situation?」
「Let me see, it feels like he took fifty years of my life . I won’t live for long」
「Can’t you do something about it?」
「Well, when it comes to a person’s longevity……」
Althea made wry smile .
The Great Sage Althea, the woman who knows everything in this world .
She is saying that because she knows everything, she cannot do anything against a person’s longevity .
『……I see, it was like that huh』
「What do you mean by that, Eleanor?」
『I understood right now . I understood the reason why how she, an ordinary human, could meet you』
「What do I need to do?」
『You’re too quick to be convinced』
Eleanor laughed .
Althea, just Althea .
When we first met, she was an old woman who would suck up life force from humans, so I thought that she is from a long-lived race . But Althea who I met in this era said that she was an ordinary human .
I secretly had my doubts on why she was able to continue to live and meet me in the future .
『Do you remember? What I said to you after you slept with those Mercouri women?』
「Are you talking about Cima and the other girls? …………the way you sleep with a woman?」
「Don’t tell me……is it like this?」
Althea said and grabbed my hand .
Its the usual thing that Althea in the future does . That ability that absorbs life force .
She held my hand just like that .
「It’s that thing Rodotos was doing huh」
It looks like what I heard from Eleanor, was something Althea actually saw .