Grit. For a moment, I gritted my teeth. Right, I thought something was strange about him from the beginning! Then why did he so obediently bring me Cyphelion’s compass? I could have used it to my advantage.
No, more importantly, why would Sir Aragorn have such a grudge against me as to put an evil spirit inside me? There must be a reason, but I couldn’t understand it because I didn’t know it.
<My involvement with Kanut was also related to demons.>
Dragonas continued speaking calmly.
<When a painting wizard has about two-thirds of their lifespan left, demons hover around them. And if it falls below 1/3, the devil can manifest itself.>
“So what’s bad about that?”
<The devil is good at temptation. Even if you try not to fall, you will. It doesn’t matter how vigilant you are; it’s no use.>
“What kind of temptation? Is it sexual?”
<No. Demons will squeeze desperate people to achieve what they want… which will most likely be a bad one. Something that will bring chaos to the world, so we must stop it.>
“… … So, in conclusion, Aragorn, the demon of scales, is hovering around next to me, watching and waiting for my life span to decrease in order to achieve what he wants?”
<Yes. That’s right.>
Ha. This is really making me angry.
I narrowed my eyes and stared into space. Dragonas opened his mouth softly, as if he were confessing a sin to me.
<You may not believe it, but Fata-Morgana initially played a role in hiding the painting wizards, whose lifespan were already short, from the eyes of the demon.>
Well, twenty years is enough time for an organization that started with good intentions to become corrupt. At least the souls who suffered are now in a better place, eating well and living well. It seemed that Dragonas was not a completely conscienceless dragon.
‘Anyway, the important thing here is that my lifespan should not be shortened further and go below 100 years, right?’
That was all I needed to know. As if I’d let them get what they wanted. I had already suspected something was suspicious with Aragorn, and now I was able to confirm it through the dragon, which was actually a relief.
Dragonas waited for me to gather my thoughts. After that.
<The second gift is a prophecy from me, Dragonas.>
“Is that really a gift? It sounds ominous.”
<Often times, it’s better to live without knowing what the future holds. Even if you die tomorrow, you can still be happy until today.>
Then why tell me?
<But you are different. You are special.>
“… I want to be normal.”
<I’m afraid you have a long road ahead of you.>
Oh, come on. I just want to live happily for a long time with Lacius.
<If you seek normality, happiness will slip away from you. But if you seek the wildflowers that bloom in adversity, you can find happiness.>
Wow. Flowers made of sand bloomed and scattered in Dragonas’ palm.
<You are destined to die. However, defying your fate, someone else will die instead.>
What?
<The time when you were supposed to die was twisted and turned toward life, that means your life will increase the amount of death around you.>
… … ?
<Unfortunately… this is called balance.>
Excuse me?
I hadn’t been particularly shocked or flustered by anything up to this point, but this was different. It’s true that the original story changed because I’m still alive. But the idea that more people will die because of it… What kind of curse is this?
<But do not feel guilty, little one. The desire to live is a natural instinct for any being with life.>
Dragonas said something that was almost like sophistry. I listened quietly, but my fists kept clenching tighter.
<Balance will eventually try to kill you, but you must never give up, or you’ll be flung into a dimension and become neither here nor there.>
Are you saying I’ll become cosmic dust, sir?
Well, whatever. I won’t die, no matter who tries. I have invested too much to give up now.
I couldn’t dismiss the dragon’s words as nonsense, but there was no need to get unnecessarily anxious. If anything, my will to live just became stronger.
“By the way, you know what this is, right?”
Even in the realm of consciousness, there was a bell in my possession. I took out the bell and waved it in front of Dragonas.
“What is this?”
Dragonas has bells on its tail. I recalled something I once read in a book and urged the dragon to answer.
<That child… At some point, he must have come to believe that he could play god even without that bell. And perhaps he tried to prove it on this occasion.>
“That’s foolish and stupid.”
I shot back mercilessly and crossed my arms. Then Dragonas’ expression became clouded.
<Indeed. A dragon should not make foolish choices… I have lived too long.>
“Confess your sins elsewhere. Just tell me what the bell’s power is.”
This can really make people frustrated. Dragonas just stared at the bell for a long time and didn’t seem to have any intention of speaking. Finally, after a long time, he spoke, but the words he said made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
<I will give this to you. From now on, the rights to this bell will be yours. This is my third gift to you.>
“… … No, tell me the powers and use of it first before passing it to me. This bell can control the physical body of the person you chose, right?”
<That’s right. It can’t control the mind. It can only control the body.>
“It’s a very dangerous item… Why should I accept this?”
Honestly, the bell itself is a step away from the ordinary life I was trying to have. I didn’t care if it was a treasure or not. But the dragon didn’t care if I wanted it or not.
“Ahh!”
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