Chapter 218 - Renegades (1)
1
Azell’s party did not remain in one place. They kept moving.
Yuren had disconnected the function that allowed their enemies to track down the Vitan’s Chalice. However, Atein had revived, and anything was possible with him. Normally, Azell was always vigilant in protecting his back from long ranged attacks. However, he had never expected Atein to be revived at that point in time.
From now on he couldn’t afford to be careless.
“However, it is strange.
Kairen revealed his misgivings.
Yuren had bought them 100 hours, then four days had passed.
The party was traveling at a frightening pace, and they were carrying out their plan. Azell had performed the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual. Leticia was preparing herself to go through the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual in several days. Afterwards, it would be Arrieta’s turn.
There was a reason why the two women hadn’t attempted the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual as soon as possible.
Leticia had been severely injured in her fight against Reygus. Black magic and the healing arts were used simultaneously to heal her, but she wasn’t at peak condition.
Arrieta had received the Dragon weapon Crying Phoenix not too long ago. Even if she possessed excellent talent, she would need some time to properly use the Dragon weapon.
This was why Azell’s party avoided fights as they assessed the overall situation.
Kairen became flustered as information kept streaming into him.
“What are the Plain of Darkness up to right now? They are a mess right now.”
The Plain of Darkness was fighting a fight on two fronts.
They were fighting to protect the waypoints to the Road of Emptiness.
They were also trying to deplete the strength of the humans, so they were carrying out plans to destabilize the entire continent.
In the first case, the Guardian Shadows were slowly making progress. The Guardian Shadows were destroying the waypoints of the Road of Emptiness.
In the latter case, the Plain of Darkness had been carrying out their plan for a very long time. The Guardian Shadows were trying hard to mitigate the damage, but they hadn’t been seeing much success.
However, the actions of the Dragon Demon king worshippers started becoming disorganized after Atein’s rebirth.
Even if one gained new information about one’s opponents, it was hard to make alterations once the plan was enacted. It was hard to guide the events to one’s desired result. One had to continuously work at it to keep the momentum and direction of the plan.
The Plain of Darkness understood this, so they had made contingencies that would keep their plan on schedule. However, the members that were supposed to carry out this plan were no longer carrying out their duties. This allowed the nations, who had fallen into chaos, to slowly regain their footing.
“It seems the scale of the mess is so large that it’ll take a long time for everything to be fixed up.… Still, It is a very good development for us.”
The Plain of Darkness had created confusion in each nation. Each nation was in the midst of a war with each other or they were in a civil war. Even if optimal conditions were provided to each nation, the state of chaos wouldn’t be ended in a short amount of time.
Still, it was true that the fortunes of this continent had taken a favorable turn. In some cases, it had been possible to capture Dragon Demon king worshippers alive. The existence of the Dragon Demon king worshippers became publicized, and it was crucial in bringing stability back to the nations.
When Azell read all the informations, he spoke.
“It seems Atein’s revival wasn’t entirely beneficial to the Plain of Darkness. It seems their leadership group is in a state of confusion.”
“That is the only logical conclusion that can be derived. However, why? Atein is like a god-like figure to them.”
“I’m not surprised by it.”
“Mmm?”
When Kairen became puzzled, Azell explained it to him.
“It was like that during the Dragon Demon war. Atein was a detached idealist. Those that gathered beneath him should have share his ideals, but that wasn’t the case.”
“Hmm…….”
“It is as the Simpletion Prince had said before. Currently, many exists within the Plain of Darkness that Atein wouldn’t approve of. Wouldn’t there be friction between Atein and those that possess power within the Plain of Darkness? Wouldn’t it be inevitable?”
“You bring up a valid point, but I’m wondering if it is even possible for a conflict to arise between them.”
“What?”
“Even if they possess rebellious thoughts towards Atein, will it actually lead to overt friction? Atein knows what they are thinking. If Atein decides to push his ideas onto them, they have no choice but to comply. It isn’t about power….”
“I see.”
Azell immediately understood what Kairen was trying to say.
Atein was powerful, but in the end, he was one person. Those within Plain of Darkness spread madness for a very long time, and they had amassed power. If they decided to rebel, it wouldn’t be a small matter.
However, there was a problem. They would be tightening the noose around their own necks if they rebelled. They had acquired power by deifying Atein. Basically, their base of power considered Atein to be a god.
“On top of that, the entire society within the Plain of Darkness relies on the Great Darkness for survival…. If one takes those factors into account, one shouldn’t expect a conflict to occur.”
Two hundred twenty years had passed for the survivors of the Dragon Demon war. Basically, it wasn’t strange that those that held power in the Plain of Darkness had developed their own agenda.
However, Atein had always possessed the lifeline to the Plain of Darkness. This had been true even before the survivors of the Dragon Demon war changed the Plain of Darkness for their own gains. If one compared it to human nation, Atein was like a king that had absolute support of his people. Moreover, he had the control over the supply of food and water.
‘Even if Atein is a single being, his power is unconventional. He can’t be overcome with power.’
Atein had support of the members making up the society, and Atein had absolute control over the system that allowed life within the Plain of Darkness. It was impossible to go against him. If this was true, why was there confusion within the ranks of the Dragon Demon king worshippers?
Kairen furrowed his brows.
“It isn’t an answer that we can find out by hypothesizing about it, but…. I can’t help but worrying about it.”
“However, let’s worry about that at a later time. There are things we have to take care in the near future.”
Azell spoke those words as he looked downwards. He looked past the wings that were made out of white flame. The ground was very far away.
Azell and Kairen was flying on the Dragon weapon White Flame Phoenix. Arrieta was flying a bit behind on her Dragon weapon Crying Phoenix.
Kairen looked behind as he asked a question.
“What do you think about Arrieta?”
“In the past…….”
At his words, Azell thought about his first meeting with Kairen.
“You asked me a similar question before. I think she is a reliable comrade now.”
“It means your opinion of her had been elevated compared to before. What if she had been in the era of the Dragon Demon war?”
“She would have considered to be excellent even during that era. Duke, you are a good teacher. You were able to cultivate the fertile soil.”
Arrieta was like a fertile soil. Just the act of spreading seed called secret techniques allowed her to bloom beautiful flowers. She was able to survive the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual without possessing a Dragon weapon.
Since she had acquired a Dragon weapon, Arrieta’s battle capability was on par with Kairen and Leticia. If one thought about the abilities of Crying Phoenix, she would fare worse in a one on one battle. She would perform better in a large battle.
“Since a legendary hero is giving me a compliment, I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“…please don’t speak in that fashion.”
“Ha ha ha. I am truly happy. You have many different perspectives, since you’ve been taught by many teachers. I’m sure your standard for grading a teacher is pretty strict.”
“I won’t deny that fact. However, I cannot do a fair comparison between Duke’s ability to teach with my teachers.”
“Why not?”
“During the Dragon Demon war, it was impossible to teach students at a leisurely fashion. Since the war had been going on too long, it was a luxury if one was able to learn the basics. One would learn a little, and if one was able to survive the battle, one was able to learn a little bit more. If you lived, you learned. If you died, you didn’t.”
Azell didn’t have a period in life where he had been able to distance himself from battles. He didn’t have the time to learn his techniques in leisure. By the end of the war, he had spent more time in the Dragon Demon war than he had spent out of it. He had live a harrowing life.
“It was the main reason why everyone didn’t hesitate to share each other’s technique. There was a common enemy called the Dragon Demon king’s army, and your comrades changed each day. In the current era, the noble families and the military forces view secret techniques as privately-owned property. If one thought like that during the Dragon Demon war, one’s death could mean that techniques could be lost forever. This was why the ability to learn was valued more than how the abilities were fostered.”
If one had the time, it was preferable to teach in a calm environment. The accumulation of expertise occurred, and an education system shined in such an environment. However, what would happen if one had no knowledge yet one had to fight in the morning and afternoon on the same day?
One had to teach techniques that can be used even if one didn’t have a full grasp on the concept. One had no choice, but to wait and see if the person one taught had survived. In the end, luck and talent decided the outcome.
Kairen shrugged his shoulders.
“Jeez. Are you boasting right now? Are you calling yourself a genius? I can’t deny your claim, but it somehow twists my insides.”
“There were many talented beings in the Dragon Demon war. I wasn’t more talented than them. I was luckier.”
Azell didn’t deny the fact that his great luck had allowed him to become a hero. It was true that he had talent, but it was as Atein had said. He was the chosen one of his era, and this was why he was able to reach such heights.
Kairen spoke.
“I now understand the fundamental principles behind your actions.”
“You failed to realize it until now?”
“Mmm. There were parts that I couldn’t understand. For example, I thought you were overdoing it in this venture. Atein could attack at any time, yet you decided to go through with the Dragon Slayer’s ritual. Moreover, the reason you did it was to finish a technique….”
“That is exactly why I went through with the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual. I don’t have the time to leisurely learn my technique.”
Azell let out a bitter laugh. Kairen asked him a question.
“I’ll ask again. What do you think about Arrieta?”
“Didn’t I answer that question earlier?”
“Not in the way I wanted.”
“What answer do you want from me? Do you want me to say that she is a very beautiful and charismatic woman?”
“I just want to know what you think about her.”
“It seems you’ve branded me as being an irresponsible playboy. I’m not sure what your intention is in asking such a question to me.”
When Azell looked at him sideways, Kairen smirked as he spoke.
“Of course, my opinion on that subject about you hasn’t changed.”
“…….”
“Unfortunately, Arrieta said you seem like a decent man even with your past. She has such thought about you, so I wanted to hear what you think about her.”
“If the princess learns about what you said, she’ll consider it as you being meddlesome. Moreover, I don’t have time to be attracted to a female.”
“How can you not have the time? Wasn’t it worse during the Dragon Demon war? At that time, didn’t you bloom many flower of love?”
“…I was a bit young during that time. I didn’t think beyond what was in front of my eyes as I lived my life”
“Hmm. You speak as if you aren’t young anymore. I had been on the fence, but I’m sure of it now.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing happened between you and Laura?”
“Cough!”
In a flash, air went down the wrong pipe, so Azell coughed. It was too powerful of an ambush from Kairen.
“…w...why are you bringing that up right now?”
“It made me wonder if anything happened when the two of you traveled together. I bet something had occurred, and Leticia bet that nothing had occurred. I lost. Shit.”
“Duke!”
“Can you not get it up… I mean I never expected you to act like a gentleman.”
Somehow, Azell wanted to cry. He never expected a day to come when he would be made fun of in such a way.
Kairen cackled as he spoke.
“Well, it isn’t as if I don’t understand your actions. You saw the consequences of acting irresponsibly in the past. That is why you are refraining.”
“Hah. This is quite annoying. Why are you trying to mess with the concentration of a comrade, who has a fight ahead of him?”
“Oh-ho. Are you saying my words are wrong?”
“Of course. Shit. So please shut about that problem now.”
Azell growled. It was a uncommon to see Azell annoyed, so Kairen was enjoying it. However, Azell spoke before Kairen could say anything more.
“Please get ready. I’m heading down.”
Afterwards, it was as if the flames had been extinguished. The White Flame Phoenix disappeared. Azell had unsummoned his Dragon weapon. Kairen grumbled as he gave up on making fun of Azell.