Chapter 226 - Old Revenants (4)
â.......â
âIn truth, I am feeling conflicted. Why...â
Saibein hesitated for a brief moment before he asked his question.
âWhy are you opposing my father?â
âI know your personality too well to question that answer.â
âHowever, my father has the same goal as before. Only his method of achieving his goal has changed.â
Reygus was firm in denying Saibeinâs words.
Reygus was a being that didnât believe in the idea of good and evil. Most in nature lived according to their instinct. The concept of good and evil wasnât something that could be applied to them. For example, carnivores werenât evil for eating herbivores.
However, free will was innate. It was a given right that allowed one to defy fate. It didnât matter what species one was born to.
This was Reygusâ belief. S~á´aÊá´h the NÆvelFɪre.É´et website on Gøøglá´ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.
During the Dragon Demon war, he had served Atein as his king. Reygus had observed the tragedies and turbulence caused by humanity. He had reasonably assumed that this was a byproduct of human nature.
Atein had wanted to break this hellish death spiral caused by humans. He wanted to create a utopia. Reygus willingly gave his life to the cause. He thought it was something worth attempting.
One had to believe in the concept of evil rather than good if one wanted people to be respectful towards each other. Atein thought a system where everyone feared an outsider would make people respect each other. He thought it would make the humans act more virtuous and moral.
Ateinâs answer for the world had a foundation based on this concept.
â.......â
Saibein was at a loss for words for a brief moment. He just stared at Reygus. He was impressed by the content of Reygusâ words, but it wasnât the sole reason for his reaction.
â...somehow, you donât sound like yourself, sir Reygus.â
âNo, I didnât mean it like that.....â
âYou spoke about it with my father?â
Reygus asked a question as he stroked his Soul Hammer.
âI made a compact with Albatan-nim. I cannot interfere. It doesnât matter what happens in the outside world.â
â.......â
Saibeinâs expression crumpled. He looked tormented.
The fact that he was able to reunite with his daughter was a miracle in itself. His heart ached when he found out about the life his daughter had led. He felt guilty for abandoning his daughter, but....
He was just happy that she was alive, and he was able to reunite with her.
Niberis didnât blame him. However, complex emotions had developed between the two. It was creating difficulties between the father and daughter. A good amount of time had passed after she arrived here. However, there was an awkwardness between the two of them every time they crossed path.
Reygus scratched at his cheek.
âNo. It is a problem that I have to own up to.â
Saibien let out a sigh as he looked up at the sky. However, the feeling of gloominess didnât abate at all.
5
Kayalia didnât hide anything when she told her story.
She talked about how she died during the Dragon Demon war. She talked about what kind of existence she was right now....
Her true nature was very surprising. Her true self was placed within the Great Darkness, and she was able to project herself to any point in the world.
-There are a lot of restrictions. This became especially true once I decided to go against Atein....
The Great Darkness was too big of a system for one being to monopolize.
Of course, Atein possessed the highest administrator privilege even if he couldnât do as he wished with the entirety of the Great Darkness.
For example, Atein could only watch as Reygus defected from his side. Atein had given Reygus the Soul hammer, the ability to transform and other powers. He couldnât take those gifts back from Reygus.
It was the same for Kayalia. If Atein wanted to eliminate the two of them, he would have to physically fight them.
-However, he could restrict my actions to a certain degree. Reygus oppa was given his body, so he was unaffected. However, Iâm still within the Great Darkness, and I have to project myself into the world. That is why Iâve run into various problems.
Until Kayalia decided to oppose Atein, she was able to use the magical energy of the Great Darkness. There had been no restriction. Currently, there was a constraint on how much magical energy could be used by Kaylia.
-Also, I was restricted from viewing the information that were being sent into the Great Darkness. The only information Iâm privy to is the one I gather by projecting my image. That is why my movement has been restricted too.
She could immediately project herself to any place on this continent, so spatial restriction had been meaningless to her. She had almost limitless power to do anything she wanted. The where and when hadnât mattered. She had been an absolute being.
This was true until Atein revoked her access to those powers.
Currently, Kayalia needed reference points to project herself. It was akin to humans having to swivel their head to see where they were. Moreover, she had to gather all her magical energy in order to project her image. If she were to be attacked, her image would be destroyed.
âHowever.......â
After hearing her out, Azell queried her.
âWhy are you revealing your weak point to us?â
-I think it is necessary.
âDo you think Iâll accept you, because you told us about your weak point? Everything you told me might be a lie. Even if you did tell me the truth, it isnât grounds for me to accept you.â
-I guess thatâs true.
â.......â
When Kayalia just accepted his words, it somehow drained the energy out of Azell. He had put in great efforts for his arguments, yet she just accepted everything he said. What was she trying to pull?
Kayalia spoke.
-Then I have only one card left. If this doesnât work, Iâll go back to Reygus oppa.
âWhat is it?â
-Azell oppa.
â.......â
Azellâs expression turned cold. Did she think heâll gloss over everything, because she called him oppa? It was a ridiculous notion.
-You told me not to call you by ahjussi.
âWhen did I say that?â
-People treated me with contempt for being cursed, but I was told that I had a unique constitution that would allow me to become a good magician. I was told not to care about the opinions of other people, and that I should live.
âWhat......?â
Kayalia ignored Azellâs reply. His expression was full of surprise.
He had spoken those words to someone before. He had met countless people over the years. He had saved some, and he had watched others die. However, there was one memory that had left a deep impression in him.
-Even if it wasnât me, Iâm sure there were others willing to wipe your face when it became dirty, right? Azell oppa has always been popular.
â...are you playing with me?â
He had been looking at her with a stupefied expression on his face. In a flash, Azell revealed his anger. It felt as if she had dirtied a precious memory of his. How did she know about that incident? How can she speak as if it was a firsthand experience?
Kayalia had a sad smile on her face as she spoke.
-It happened a very long time ago. There was a tribe of Dragon Demon that had been revered as gods by the humans.
6
It was a story of a magician that wanted to exist forever.
She hadnât been satisfied with her long life. She had been afraid of her life coming to an end. It was a story about her trying to transcend life and death.
At the same time, it was a story about a girl.
It was about a girl that believed in hope when she was saved by one person. However, she had died in the end as she felt despair towards humanity.
Kayalia spoke about the story she had told Reygus. She told Azell about her life. In the distant past, she had created a reincarnation technique. She also told him about how a first generation Dragon Demon became the Dragon Demon Kingâs third wife. She told him about the very long process in between.
She told him about the last link leading up to everything...
âThen.......â
Azell asked his question as if he was in disbelief.
â...you were that child?â
Kayalia nodded her head.
-A knight named Azell saved me, and that is why I was able to live on.
She was the girl that had been save by Azell. She was able to enter into an institution that trained magicians for the human alliance. It was done through Azellâs backing.
In that place, she was no longer persecuted. She was no longer called the cursed child. It was as Azell had said. Everything had occurred, because she had the potential to become a magician.
She had worked hard. She was an orphan, so there was no one she could lean on. Each day was arduous, yet she worked to become an excellent magician.
âI want to help him someday.â
If it was Azell, he would be able to survive the brutal battlefields. It was a baseless belief, yet she had armored herself with it. She wanted to become a respectable magician. It would allow her to help Azell. It was a simple dream.
However, her dream was broken into pieces by her cruel fate.
When surrounded by the Dragon Demon Kingâs army, the despairing humans had turned on each other. They showed their ugly nature, and the girl had been pushed towards her death.
â.......â
Azell was at a loss for words. The girl he had saved suffered such a horrible death?
Azell became aghast, but Kayalia spoke to him.
-Donât be sad.
âHow? Why....â
-My story was all too common during that era. The world was overflowing with tragedies, and mine was just one of many.
It was an era overflowing with tragedy. At times, humans were pushed into an extreme situation, and their mettle was tested. Most of these tests ended in tragedies. This was the norm.
-The fact that I suffered such a death, and the fact that I became the enemy of humanity as the third queen of the Dragon Demon King.... It isnât your fault.
Azell swayed in place.
He felt faint. After awaking in this era, this was the first time he felt such a powerful wave of doubt.
He knew it. It was as she said. It wasnât his fault.
Azell wasnât a god. The only thing he could do was give hope to a despairing girl.
Her life had ended with a tragedy, but that was the territory of fate. It couldnât be helped.
Despite knowing this, he felt part of his heart break. He had treasured this memory, and it felt as if his belief towards the world was trampled. The proof was standing in front of him.
-At such times as this, I really hate that I am dead.
Kayalia extended her hand towards Azellâs face. However, he couldnât feel her touch. Her hand would pass through him even if she tried.
-At the very least, I wanted to hug you.
âKayalia, you....â
-I know nothing has changed.
Kayalia let out a shy laughter. Then she spoke with a bright voice.
-It doesnât matter what past we shared. I was the third queen to the Dragon Demon King. I killed countless people with my hands. I am Kayalia of the Dragon Demon Kingâs army, who fought against you.
â.......â
-Iâm not asking for forgiveness, and I wonât say Iâll atone for my actions. I wonât purposefully say something that I do not believe in to make myself feel better. I wonât do something so revolting.
At the end of her life, she felt doubt. However, she didnât feel doubt, because she felt the ideals of the Dragon Demon Kingâs army was wrong.
She had become tired of the continuous war and slaughter. Above all else, she hated the fact that she had to fight Azell, who had saved her before. At the time, she had been tormented. She couldnât stand that they had to try to hurt and kill each other.
-You can hate me. You can denounce and insult me. I donât mind.
Kayalia spoke the exact opposite of what she was feeling. She spoke as if it didnât bother her, but the girl from the distant past was part of her. The girl, who was saved by Azell, was crying within her.
âPlease donât hate me. I donât want to be hated by you. I can no longer stand being hated by you.â
- I just wanted to talk to you about the situation we find ourselves in.
She had a lot she wanted to talk with him. She wanted to talk about her life after she parted ways with Azell. They could stay up all night, and it wouldnât be enough.
-I oppose what Atein is trying to achieve in this era. Please believe me when I say I want to fight on your side.
She had a dream. She had a dream of walking by his side.
If she worked hard, would she be able to change her fate? What would have happened if she had been able to become a respectable mage? Would that have prevented her from dying by his hands?
She knew it was fruitless to have these idle thoughts.
Despite her knowing this, she kept imagining it. What if that incident never happened? Would it have prevented her from developing hatred for humans?
She was constantly having these thought. She couldnât stand humans, but at times, she wondered if she could see aspects of herself with the humans. Whenever she had this thought, his face came into mind.
She really hated them, but in the end, she couldnât hate them. She couldnât stand this contradiction.
-Will you accept me?
Kayalia buried her true feeling as she asked the question. Azell looked tormented. He answered her with a hoarse voice.
âI.......â