HDOVAML Chapter 111

<Chapter 111> 

 

What weighed so heavily on her mind? 

She lifted her gaze after staring with trembling eyes at the Naiad, who collapsed helplessly into Oried’s arms.

[I’ve come to see Ignis. …Though he’s as stubborn as ever, I haven’t come to demand anything. Surely, he’ll let me in.]

[Dryad! Let me in too. I must meet Ignis, please…!]

The moment Dryad responded, Naiad jerked her head around and shouted as though she’d lost her mind.

She struggled to break free from Oried and run toward Dryad, but Oried held her tightly and said,

[Dryad, go on in. Naiad… isn’t in her right mind right now.]

[No, you can’t! Please, Dryad!]

[…Wait, Oried.]

Naiad’s thrashing grew more violent.

Watching her desperate state with pity, Dryad approached them, whispered something into Naiad’s ear, and stepped back.

[…What…?]

Surprisingly, Naiad suddenly stopped struggling, murmuring blankly as she looked at Dryad with trembling eyes.

[Exactly as I said. The relic of water will be safe, and the Duchy’s lineage will not end.]

Dryad gave Naiad a reassuring smile.

[The time for retribution will surely come. So wait, Naiad.]

For a moment, a golden gleam filled with ferocity flashed in Dryad’s eyes.

[No one has to endure forever.]

With a calm yet chilling tone, Dryad spoke before smiling brightly as if nothing had happened and walked away with light steps.

Naiad and Oried were left staring blankly at Dryad’s retreating figure.

 

***

 

[What brings you here?]

[…Am I not welcome?]

Ignis, the Spirit King of Light, responded to Dryad’s question with the most cheerful smile imaginable.

[Of course not. In fact, I was feeling a bit lonely, so your timing is perfect. Please, have a seat.]

His expression remained remarkably bright, as if his smile would never fade.

Dryad plopped into a seat, gazing at the incomparably beautiful Ignis before speaking casually.

[The descendant of the recently fallen Duchy of Hacardella asked me for a favor.]

[A favor, you say?]

Ignis widened his eyes in curiosity.

Dryad, recalling the remarkably bold girl, smirked slowly.

[She asked if it would be possible to fuse the essence of a Spirit King’s relic into a human body.]

[…What?]

It must have been really shocking.

Ignis, who had been smiling all along, wiped away his expression entirely and looked stunned.

Dryad found his reaction amusing and continued,

[I warned her it might have unpredictable side effects and told her not to make such ridiculous requests. But she was so persistent. So, in the end, I granted her wish.]

[Dryad, what are you saying? Do you realize how dangerous that is…?]

[I know. I do. But how could I refuse when she was so desperate?]

Ignis, with a clear look of disapproval, stared at Dryad, biting his lip as he muttered softly,

[Such a frail mortal body shouldn’t attempt something so perilous…]

[Well, it wasn’t her who took it on but her younger sibling instead. And not out of selfishness to save herself, but because she wanted her sibling to carry the relic while she acted as bait to lure away enemies.]

What a shame… She was such a remarkable human to let go.

Dryad thought bitterly, glancing briefly at Ignis.

[…]

Ignis seemed deep in thought. His unwaveringly upright nature guaranteed that he would seek out the girl she had mentioned and warn her not to do such things again.

Just as planned.

Dryad smiled with satisfaction at the thought.

The girl, Rose Hacardella, bore a foreign power of darkness that polluted her body.

This power disrupted the flow of mana, and if left unchecked, it would consume her life entirely, leading to death.

But Dryad didn’t have the ability to purge that darkness.

So, it was enough to bring her to a being that darkness hated the most—a presence that left no trace of shadow in its domain.

…At least now, that girl will be safe for a while.

May my choice bring blessings to your future.

With that wish, Dryad closed her eyes.

 

***

 

“So, this is… the place.”

I murmured with excitement, looking around.

This was the Roshan Empire.

Until I reached the borders of the Dryas Kingdom, I hadn’t decided on my next destination.

‘Where should I go…?’

Should I first visit the lands of the fallen kingdom?

I thought perhaps the relic’s remnants might still be there, but just as I was about to head in that direction, I hesitated.

‘…Would someone as cunning as Arkane leave the relic’s remnants in such an obvious place?’

If it’s not there, then it’ll be a complete waste of time and energy…

‘Ugh, seriously! I don’t even have a single clue, so how am I supposed to find them?!’

I shouted toward the winding mountain range, suppressing the urge to collapse and cry on the spot.

‘Hah… Fine. The chances of failure are the same no matter where I go.’

Maybe it’d be better to visit a country I’m familiar with first.

And so, I decided to head to the Roshan Empire. It was the only nation in my timeline where the relic of fire still existed.

Though it had disappeared, it had also once been the capital of the ancient Epis Empire, the Wind City.

It also housed the Kandel Ducal House, blessed by Astraphe, and the Hailien Grand Ducal House, descendants of the ancient Lumen Empire.

Truly, it wasn’t an exaggeration to call it a land where all the mysteries of the continent converged.¹Please tell me if I got any name wrong.

I was confident in my decision as I set out… but then—

“Kyahhh!”

Rumble!

Was this karma for choosing an unorthodox path instead of a proper one while searching for a shortcut to the Fire Temple?

A villager had warned me to avoid the mountain path after last night’s heavy rain as it could be dangerous, but I didn’t listen…

Watching the enormous landslide cascade in front of me, uprooting trees that tumbled helplessly to the ground, I screamed and ran for my life.

However I thought that instead of getting swept away in the open, it might be better to take shelter in an enclosed space.

Crash!

“Gasp… Huff… Huff…”

Just in time, I dove into a cave and collapsed, trembling as I stared at the torrential mudslide pouring down where I’d been standing moments ago.

Though I narrowly escaped, I was now faced with another problem.

“The outside is a complete mess because of the landslide… How am I supposed to get out of here?”

With no idea how long I’d be stuck in the cave, I said bitterly,

“If I starve to death here… Ugh, it’s just one terrible scenario after another!”

Why am I being put through these trials?! I clutched my head in despair.

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I noticed the cave floor was made of smooth stone, slippery enough to cause a fall if I wasn’t careful.

Massive stalactites hung from the ceiling, with water droplets clinging to their tips.

Drip, drip.

Hearing the faint sound of water deeper inside the cave, I felt a moment of relief, realizing I could at least secure drinking water.

But then—

“…Huh?”

At the cave entrance, now completely sealed by mud, I noticed something faintly white peeking through the debris.

‘What is that?’

I squinted and cautiously approached. As I got closer, I realized what it was.

“A person?!”

I hadn’t noticed when I rushed into the cave, but someone else had apparently tried to seek refuge here. However, it seemed they hadn’t made it fully inside before the mudslide hit.

“…Could they still be alive?”

Murmuring nervously, I quickly crouched and shook the person’s limp body.

“Hey! Wake up! Can you hear me?!”

Looking closer, I saw it was a young boy, his youth unmistakable even in this state.

“What do I do…”

Thankfully, he was still breathing faintly, but his lower body was completely stuck in the mud. No matter how hard I pulled, I couldn’t free him.

I bit my lip anxiously.

“…Maybe if I find a sharp rock and dig out the dirt…”

It seemed hopeless, but I decided to try anything. Just as I turned around to search for a tool—

“Ahhh!”

I screamed as a massive figure loomed over me, its piercing eyes glowing.

What is that?! A monster? A bear, perhaps?

But do bears have blue eyes?

I had no time to figure it out, frozen in terror, when suddenly—

[…Isn’t that reaction a bit much?]

“…Huh?”

The giant figure spoke in a low voice, and I snapped back to my senses.

The voice was familiar, and those piercing blue eyes…

‘Could it be?’

“The Spirit King of Death?!”

‘Why are you here?!’

Even after realizing his identity, I couldn’t hide my confusion.

[…You.]

The Spirit King of Death stared silently at me and spoke again.

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind.

Recalling the time I first awakened in Rose Hacardella’s body, I remembered that the Spirit King of Death seemed to appear to claim the souls of the dead.

If that’s the case, then his presence here must mean…

“No, no way!”

Could it be that the boy had died after all?!

I quickly knelt beside the unconscious boy, inspecting him, my lips trembling.

I hadn’t even had a chance to try saving him. To lose him so suddenly, so meaninglessly…

[…He’s not dead.]

“…What?”

At the Spirit King’s words, my mind froze for a moment before I turned to him, bewildered.

I was supposed to update two days prior, but something came up. This chapter is free to thank you for your patience 🤍