༺ Locrion (2) ༻
A stillness fell as if a storm had just passed.
Only when Locrion concealed himself in the surging waves did the group finally regain their senses.
Meanwhile, Vera recalled Locrion’s words.
‘…Not yet.’
He clearly said not yet.
Moreover, he already knew that we were going to come here.
There was one thing that came to his mind.
A dragon’s power allowed them to glimpse fate.
Considering the records related to dragons that had been passed down, Locrion’s words might not be empty.
“You…”
[Do not be impatient.]
Just as Vera was about to say something, Locrion spoke.
[Everything is returning according to natural order, so remember the purpose of your visit.]
Vera’s gaze pierced through the waves, which was Locrion.
“…The Crown of Rebirth.”
[The legacy of Ardain. The power to weave souls. The symbol of an eternal oath that will never fade away.]
Vera’s expression wrinkled.
“I don’t understand.”
[In time, you will know everything.]
The waves surged.
A large hole opened in the middle of the wave, and a small bracelet with a pure white glow emerged.
[I bestow this upon you.]
The bracelet floated in the air and landed in front of Vera.
As Vera looked at it with questions in his eyes, Locrion spoke again.
[There are four now.]
Four.
‘What does that mean?’
What did he mean by four?
What is Locrion trying to say?
While he contemplated this for a moment, Vera felt a change.
Oooong—
Vera’s gaze shifted to his own waist.
There was a dagger and a shortsword sheathed there.
The Devourer of Life, and the shortsword he acquired from the auction were humming.
For a moment, Vera realized.
‘Don’t tell me, these two…?’
They were also Ardain’s relics?
It wasn’t just speculation.
The Devourer of Life was an item used to create the Commander of the Demon King’s army, and the shortsword from the auction was also an item related to the Ancient Species.
One puzzling point was that this shortsword must be related to Gorgan…
[Ardain left behind eight legacies, and we have each been guarding them, waiting for the right time.]
Locrion’s explanation made Vera’s body tremble.
Vera felt like Locrion knew what he was thinking about and answered him.
After a moment of silence, Vera asked.
“What are these for? No, what are you trying to say? I came here for answers, not more questions.”
[Hmm….]
“If you know something and if you have any knowledge about what will happen, please tell me.”
This won’t do.
He didn’t come here to add more questions.
Wasn’t he here to prevent the impending catastrophe and to protect Renee from being sacrificed in it?
Vera stepped forward, showing that he wouldn’t back down.
Locrion, with his body still surging, stilled and looked at him, then finally answered.
[The bracelet is a veil.]
“…What?”
[The dagger is life, and the shortsword is eyes.]
He spoke words that Vera still couldn’t understand.
Rather than complaining, he started to speculate on what these words might mean.
‘… Power, veil, life, eyes.’
The relics mentioned by Locrion.
As Vera delved deeper into those four…
[The day you truly realize this, you will be able to hold onto life, shield yourself from wrongful and immoral deeds, and gaze upon the true essence.]
Locrion explained further.
“Are you saying it’s like an artifact?”
[It is not entirely different.]
Locrion was silent after saying so.
Vera sensed that Locrion didn’t want to elaborate further on the topic and decided to ask about something else.
On their way here, he thought of another question that had to be answered.
“…Do you know about my encounter with Orgus?”
[That, too, is guided by fate.]
“I asked if you knew and understood. I’ve seen the future where you will be in an all-out war with Nartania. Do you know about that?”
[It is something that will eventually happen.]
“…It’s your own will. Can I put it that way?”
[You have found your answer.]
It was a frustrating way of speaking.
A riddle-like manner of speech that could be found in any ancient scripture.
Feeling his teeth clench in response, Vera thought of the next question.
‘What I need to know right now is Alaysia’s actions and ways to prevent them.’
Alaysia, who was attempting to resurrect Ardain’s body.
Stopping Alaysia, who was attempting to resurrect Ardain’s body, was the natural course of action to calm the situation.
‘I must first ask about Alaysia.’”
What she truly desires, what are the issues surrounding the Ancient Species, and how to prevent it.
Just as Vera was about to speak, Hegrion stepped forward.
“Locrion.”
[Speak, Child of the Snow Garden.]
“Is that truly your will?”
Hegrion’s face displayed intense anger as he questioned Locrion.
“Is it truly your will that a war between you and Nartania should happen? Is it your will that we suffer from that? Do you have no remorse about it?”
[Such questions are not worth answering. Thus, I will ask instead.]
Flinch—
The waves roared.
[Is what you ask for, my protection?]
“…”
Hegrion clenched his fist.
He clamped his jaw tight.
He wanted to say, ‘We don’t need your protection,’ but with the impending war between them, there was no way to protect Oben, so he was caught in a dilemma.
Caught between emotional resistance and rational judgment, Hegrion glared at Locrion for quite a while, then responded.
“…Please ensure Oben’s safety using your power.”
A choice driven by the greater good of his nation rather than personal feelings.
Hegrion managed to suppress his rising anger as he spoke.
Locrion replied to him.
[Seldin.]
“Yes.”
[Do as the child wishes.]
“As you will.”
Seldin smiled.
A play of iridescent light briefly adorned her body before fading away.
Watching the sequence of events, Hegrion slightly bowed his head towards Vera and spoke.
“I apologize for interrupting. Please continue.”
“It’s alright.”
Vera shook his head.
He understood the significance of this moment to him and how he had come to the Cradle of the Dead to protect his people.
Vera responded to Hegrion and looked back at Locrion once again.
Just as he was about to speak…
“Vera, from now on, I will be asking the questions.”
Renee stepped forward.
“…Yes.”
“Thank you.”
As Renee responded to Vera, she turned her head in the direction of the breeze.
“Will you also answer my question?”
[I will.]
“Can you see different timelines?”
It was a different question than what had been asked until now, but that was exactly why it needed to be asked.
There had been parts that she did not understand as she listened.
‘The me from before the regression didn’t talk about Locrion.’
In the Dream Demon’s Grimoire, the last thing her previous self mentioned about Locrion was that he would go to war with Nartania.
There was no mention of seeking his help.
In addition, there was one more thing.
‘…Orgus is the guardian of his parent’s dream. Neither Locrion nor Alaysia understand his will.’
It was a passage from a book found in the Imperial Library.
It bothered her.
Locrion spoke as if he knew everything, but she wasn’t sure how much he actually knew.
She needed to confirm it.
[I do not know.]
Locrion responded.
[I merely comprehend and observe the flow of fate. I am a spectator and an observer. Hence, I do not resist, allowing fate to flow its course.]
His answer remained incomprehensible as ever.
Yet, within that, Renee became certain of one thing.
‘…Merely observes fate.’
He could only observe fate.
He could not change it.
In other words, if she changed and manipulated events that may happen, he wouldn’t comprehend it.
‘That’s why my previous self didn’t consider him.’
Renee came to this realization.
‘I have to change it…’
The fate he mentioned would never be in their favor.
The reason why she didn’t reach out for Locrion in the last lapse was probably because of this.
Moreover…
‘…I need to keep this a secret. Even from Vera.’
She would need to hide the altered fate from Vera as well.
Although she lived a different life in the previous round, she was still the same person, so Renee was well aware that there was something in the dream her previous self was trying to convey only to her.
To truly achieve the future she planned for, and to save what she wanted to save, nobody should know about the changed future.
What she wanted to protect was… quite obvious.
‘…Vera.’
Renee remembered.
Her voice as she spoke to Vera and what the warmth contained within meant.
‘…’
She squeezed her hand tightly.
She did not like that woman and did not want to see her again.
But even so, Renee decided to comply because she couldn’t deny that her previous self was more mature and exceptional than herself.
“…Yes, that’s the answer.”
Ultimately, their goals were the same, so there was no reason to deny her.
[If you have no further questions, I will leave you with my final words.]
The waves surged.
Just as Vera was about to respond, a storm of mana suddenly surged around the group, enveloping them.
[Go to the Citadel of the Dark Night. Receive the legacy from her.]
Hwaaa—!
The storm obscured their vision. And when the group opened their tightly closed eyes…
“…Oben?”
It was the castle gate of Oben.
***
In the conference room of the castle.
The group gathered and was deep in thought.
There was an air of concern stemming from the idea that there might be something more they could glean from Locrion’s words.
An extended silence hung in the air.
Miller was the first one to speak.
“Well, first of all, we should gather those legacies, these so-called artifacts.”
He gestured at the dagger, shortsword, and bracelet Vera had placed on the table.
In response, Vera nodded.
“Yes, that’s the only thing we’re sure of at the moment.”
Since Locrion’s words had been solely about Ardain’s legacies and because their immediate destination remained unclear, there was nothing else they could do right now.
“…The Citadel of the Dark Night.”
Miller’s expression crumpled.
“Wow, never in my life did I think I’d go to a vampire’s lair…”
He uttered a hollow laugh, seemingly disheartened.
Seeing that, Vera turned to Renee and spoke.
“Saint?”
Renee seemed a bit absent-minded for some reason, prompting Vera to initiate the conversation. Renee’s head snapped up, and she answered.
“Oh, what?”
“Would you mind sharing your thoughts, Saint?”
“Let’s go with that. Of course, yes.”
She nodded, her head bobbing up and down somewhat absent-mindedly.
Vera found it quite odd, but he nodded along.
“Yeah, so our next destination will be…”
Queen of the Dark Season, Nartania.
They had to go see her.
