Chapter 126: Chapter 125: End Of A Promise

“Hyo-sung, it’s about time to leave!”

“Yes, I’ll just say my goodbyes and leave!”

It had been two weeks since the battle at the Dragon’s Tomb ended.

Since then, I had been tasked with defending this place until the arrival of the newly dispatched forces from the empire. After completing my duties, I was finally preparing to board the carriage for my journey home.

Fortunately, there were no further issues after the fight had concluded.

Two of the Undead Legion’s top officers disappeared, and considering it was the site where a real dragon had rampaged, monsters and ferocious creatures wouldn’t dare approach.

Yes, that’s how this matter ended.

Although we didn’t fully secure the dragon’s bones, it ended with humanity handling a threat to itself.

“So, it’s farewell for now, huh?”

As I was ready to leave with a light heart, I was seen off by a knight, symbolized by the shovel on his shoulder.

And by his side, a girl with pink hair followed.

“I get why Ja-seong is staying, but Garam, you’re staying here too?”

“Yes, well… Unlike my brother, I came here on the recommendation of a noble who sponsors me. I was told to achieve as much as I could before returning.”

Indeed, Garam and I teamed up, but unlike me, she was sponsored by a noble.

Despite being labeled as a failed hero, the noble continued the support, so Garam had no choice but to prioritize the noble’s directives.

“I heard they’re planning to create a collection site here for even the scattered bone dust. My abilities are quite efficient for building defenses, you know?”

“Right, with this little kid and me teaming up, there’s nothing we can’t build.”

“Stop calling me a little kid, mister!”

“Hey, why am I the ‘mister’ when Hyo-sung is ‘brother’?!”

Ja-seong and Garam started bickering again.

But despite their squabbling, they didn’t seem to be on bad terms.

Given their excellent teamwork during the war, it seemed they’d gotten along well in my absence… Well, that was good.

“Garam having other acquaintances besides me is good, and Ja-seong tends to take good care of younger children.”

“And yet, as Hyo-sung is leaving, that guy isn’t here to see you off.”

Feeling relieved, Ja-seong glanced sideways.

There stood a man, gazing at the sun in the sky, at the center of the construction site being prepared for a mining operation.

Wearing only a paper bag over his head on his bare body.

The man, who would catch anyone’s attention, was Im Taeyang, a hero whom I once served.

“…….”

As soon as the sunlight fully revealed itself over the mountains, he spread his arms and began to embrace the sunlight.

Just like when I followed him as a porter.

“He does that every day.”

“Ahaha, well… we should understand him.”

He was always quiet, so it was hard to know what he was thinking, but that didn’t mean he was indifferent to the world.

His sense of justice and mission as a hero could be felt just from how he silently made way in the previous battle.

“Then, I should be going now.”

Turning to leave with a mindset not to worry, Ja-seong, who came to see me off, casually threw a comment.

“Take care. Don’t pretend you haven’t succeeded when we see each other next time.”

“…What? Succeeded?”

“What do you mean? Aren’t you the top contributor in this battle? It’s a rule that the one who strikes the last blow gets the most, so they’ll probably give you lots of things when you return to the empire.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to forget us when you become successful?”

Ah, right. I had forgotten about that while defending the post and scouting afterwards.

Certainly, the fact that I killed the enemy knight was something all the soldiers present at the scene could testify.

Although it wasn’t a feat I achieved alone, objectively, no one could deny that I was a key factor in winning the war.

So, it would make sense to consider receiving a medal on behalf of the group…

“…Haha, yes. Well, I’ll buy you a meal when we meet again.”

Still not quite feeling it, I quietly prepared to head home without showing much reaction.

Whatever happens next, I decided to accept it as part of the path I would take.

“Hyo-sung, over here, here!”

Heading towards the people who came to see me off, preparing for my return.

Among them, Merilyn, sitting in an empty seat in the carriage, began tapping the space beside her with a bright smile.

“Hehe, I’ve saved this seat for you! Come on, this way!”

“You never tire, do you?”

Airi was looking at her with an unpleased expression, as if she didn’t quite approve.

But as always, Merilyn continued to provoke with her characteristic playful smile.

“This time, I definitely won’t give up~ First come, first served!”

“Sure, whatever. Anyway, there are plenty of seats this time, not like when we came here. Let’s leave Merilyn alone, Hyo-sung, and sit over there.”

“Ah~ Airi, are you running away because you think you’ll lose to me?”

“R-running away? What do you mean by that?”

As always, the two of them started bickering again.

But their squabbling didn’t seem merely troublesome as it did at first.

I knew that such friction was because they both considered me someone important to them.

“Both of you, I understand how you feel, but please calm down. There are plenty of seats available this time, so there’s no need to fight over it…”

“May I interrupt for a moment?”

“Is it okay for a moment?”

Just as I was about to intervene to prevent things from escalating.

Suddenly, a familiar face draped in a cloak approached, making me aware of her presence.

No, familiar was just her outward appearance.

Unlike before, her demeanor had softened, and she seemed almost powerless.

Yet, there was a noticeable sense of relief in her face, different from usual.

“Unfortunately, I only looked for a one-way carriage, so I’m in a situation where I can’t find a suitable seat. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to borrow the seat next to you…”

As this woman spoke, I took a moment to gauge the reactions of the two who had recognized her.

Tacchia Pheloi.

Knowing the two people who knew her identity as she introduced herself, I was worried about how they would react to her now weakened state.

“…Merilyn. This way.”

In the midst of such tension, the first to react was none other than Airi.

After she had gathered her thoughts, she suggested vacating the seat by pulling on her clothes, and Merilyn began to gauge her reaction, even suppressing her characteristic laugh.

“Airi, you know the identity of that woman, too. But to approach Hyo-sung now…”

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems.”

Airi spoke quietly in response to Merilyn’s urgency.

There was a coldness in her words, but a faint sympathy for Tacchia could be seen in her gaze.

“Rather, it’s an issue that shouldn’t be dragged on any longer.”

“……”

Merilyn silently watched Airi, assessing her.

After a moment of thought, she quietly followed Iry, making room for her.

The previous commotion seemed trivial now, as only Tacchia and I remained inside the carriage.

I boarded the carriage first and reached out to help her up.

“Tacchia. This way…”

As I mentioned her name that I knew.

“Tashian.”

However, the answer that came back taught me that the relationship between her and me could not return to how it was before.

“Call me that now. It’s a name that’s no longer needed.”

Tashian Pheloi…

Her real name, which I knew even before she told me.

“…Yes, Tashian.”

But it wasn’t just her name that I knew.

I knew what kind of being she was and the deeds she had committed.

All of that was conveyed to me through the memories of ‘that child’ who had become one with me.

Tacchia Philoi.

Currently, my mind was in a state mixed with the memories and personality of a woman bearing that name.

To gain power quickly, I needed to follow her path closely.

But even if I succeeded in taking control of the personality with my abilities, it didn’t mean her personality had completely vanished.

Sometimes, when I slept, I would dream of the battlefields she had endured, feeling the heartache she experienced and the sentiments towards those who caused it.

“Please take this.”

Just as I was pondering how to handle these feelings, the person responsible for the carriage stop approached us, holding a jar.

He had previously served as an adjutant to Commander Marcus of the Legion.

And what he offered was something we had not expected at all…

“This jar contains the remains of the Red Knight.”

“…What?”

As I stared at him, frozen and wide-eyed.

However, his gaze was already fixed on Tashian, who had received the jar.

“You’re Tacchia Pheloi, the craftsman who participated in this expedition, right?”

Yes, that’s how she was known publicly.

Her appearance during the battle that day remained that of a dragon, and now she had changed into a human form, albeit with feeble power.

Even when she arrived here, utilizing her status as a craftsman made it not difficult to hide now that the situation had been settled.

“…I’ve heard the legion commander mention that name a few times. Perhaps it refers to someone other than you.”

But the one before me must surely have a guess.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to hand over the urn containing the ashes of the Red Knight to someone bearing her name.

Yet still…

“And since that person has passed away, no one will know who the person with that name really is.”

Despite this, he seemed to have given up on delving further into the identity associated with that name.

“Digging deeper into that matter might actually hinder humanity’s future.”

Even if he knew his master was obsessed with that name, clinging to it would be unnecessary for humanity since the one who bore it had become a bygone disaster.

Even if someone with the same name once posed a threat to humanity, by now, they’ve ended up saving humanity at least once.

“…Is that really okay?”

The officer grimaced at my question.

Afterward, he glanced at Tashian, then quietly turned his back.

“With the scattering of the ashes on this return journey, the funerals for the victims will come to an end.”

Given the sheer number of deceased, it wasn’t feasible to take even the cremated remains, let alone the bodies.

So, the plan was to complete the funeral by scattering the bone ashes at a suitable riverbank or cliff found along the way home.

It was a way to console their deaths, despite the unfortunate circumstances.

“So, please accept this. You are the only ones who can comfort her, someone we cannot regard as a ‘victim’.”

And this final funeral, even for an entity that was an enemy of humanity, had a right to be modestly honored.

After quietly conveying just that intention to us, he saluted lightly and left to rejoin the main group.

Preparing to honor his comrades and those he respected, whose ashes were carried in urns lined up in the procession of carriages ahead.

“…The funeral.”

Tashian, looking at this scene with bitterness, quietly offered the urn to me, saying,

“Could you take care of this child’s funeral?”

“……”

Without a word, I took the urn from her and started looking for a suitable cliff nearby.

The direction I chose was the complete opposite of where the soldiers’ funerals were taking place.

Even if it wasn’t my own will, it would surely be remembered that way by them.

“Life is so fleeting.”

Tashian said in a lonely voice, as I was about to scatter the ashes from the cliff, with her watching the scene beside me.

“No matter how hard one lives or what deeds one commits, in the end, being burned to ashes makes it all seem like dust.”

She clutched her cloak tightly with her slender fingers.

Was it an illusion that she seemed to be wrapping herself up as if to keep from scattering right then and there?

“Perhaps this is better than clinging to an unfulfilled mission, being bound to gather even ashes.”

No, it wasn’t an illusion.

She was already like smoke formed from the ashes, having burned all the firewood left in her body.

Without chains to gather such smoke, it wouldn’t be strange for her to scatter at any time.

“Tashian. I…”

“There was enough time to realize.”

As I opened my mouth, having realized what those chains were, her gaze still remained fixed below the cliff.

Even though no trace remained, it was as if she could still clearly see it.

“I just didn’t want to accept it, so I dragged it out this far. The past doesn’t return. If I were to accept it, I’d have to accept what I’ve done.”

Finally pulling her gaze from that illusion, she slowly looked towards where I was.

To the projection of a being she had believed would surely come to challenge her if she were alive.

“Tacchia.”

I know.

She saw in me the image of her daughter.

Believing that if her daughter were alive, she would come to challenge her again, and overcome even the last embers she had set.

“Now, you can fulfill the conditions of the contract.”

That belief had borne fruit, so it was only natural that things turned out this way.

“…Tashian.”

“Kill me.”

In a pitiful state, having lost even the stature of a dragon.

To meet death at the hands of the projection of the one she loved, was perhaps the ideal way to pay for her sins.

“Don’t forgive me for tarnishing your life.”

Yes, she was in love.

Unable to shake off her feelings towards herself at this moment, I ended up drawing my spear.

“For my foolishness… do not forgive me for even dishonoring your death.”

By being pierced in the heart by the spear of such a disgraceful person.

She was hoping that her love would finally be fulfilled.