C213 - The Lone Flame in the Ice (1~)
Apitoyu.
Prepared for everything, he came into the world with unwavering determination. He would not be swayed by anything. In the face of Cale's resolve, an elder appeared, uttering incomprehensible words about dukes, territories, descendants, and more, accompanied by several people.
"...Uh, uh, uh-"
One of those following the elder couldn't continue speaking, wearing a bewildered expression. His fingers pointed to the sky, while the other hand gripped the elder's shoulder.
"Hey, old man, look there-"
"Leave that! Now, right before my eyes, the descendant of the Great Duke's family has come to save this land-"
"No, no, old man, look there first-"
"Why?"
The elder, who had shouted, looked to where the man was pointing...
"Huff!"
And was surprised.
"Elder----!"
"Grandpa!"
"Oh, this old man!"
And he fainted.
'Hmm.'
Observing all of this, Cale turned slightly to look behind him. A Dragon made of black bones was atop the Black Castle. The elder was shocked to see the Bone Dragon and fainted. The people accompanying him, holding him, were scared, not knowing what to do. Cale and the Dragon's eyes met strongly.
'Hmm?'
And Cale realized that the Bone Dragon and the Half-Blood Dragon were also watching his closely. Originally, upon arriving here, the magical invisibility formation should have been activated to conceal the Half-Blood Dragon, as the landing location of the Black Castle was unknown. But the magical formation didn't activate.
"...."
The Half-Blood Dragon shrunk slightly. Though he was large, Cale felt the Half-Blood Dragon's hunched behavior was strange.
"Hu."
He calmed down. As the snowstorm subsided, the surrounding landscape became visible. Cale was in a quite elevated place. Behind him were rugged mountains. And below...
'It's a village.'
It was a reasonably sized village. Though it had the size and shape of a city, it looked quite old and worn.
"First..."
When Cale opened his mouth, all eyes turned to him. He spoke firmly.
"It's cold, so let's go inside."
He looked at the middle-aged man who seemed to be the oldest among those accompanying the elder.
"Follow me."
Snap. The door of the Black Castle opened, and Cale entered.
"Brother-"
"...Let's follow him."
And then, the middle-aged man, hesitating at first, followed Cale. Four outsiders from Apitoyu, including Cale, entered the Black Castle.
----------------------
Before meeting the residents of Apitoyu, Cale met with some of his companions. He stared at Eruhaben with a serious expression.
"...Is this real?"
Really.
"You can't use mana?"
Before meeting these people who seemed to be residents of the village below, Eruhaben had told him.
'...I can't use mana here.'
Eruhaben nodded at Cale's gaze.
"Yes. Mana doesn't move here."
Then, another dragon, Mila, continued.
"It's completely sealed. I've never experienced anything like this before."
Not that there was no mana, but it was sealed? Cale's gaze now turned to someone who wasn't a Dragon.
Uuu-
With small vibrations, the one concentrating opened their eyes. Cale brought this person from the 99. Someone Cale could boast as the best in magic among humans.
"Exactly as the Dragons said."
Rosalyn.
"Mana doesn't move."
To her, who was busy building the Magic Tower, Cale had asked to accompany him this time. Cale couldn't afford to leave her out, as she was one of the strongest forces he had.
"So, it's not a problem of the race?"
Eruhaben sighed.
'Of course.'
Cale's expression stiffened. The current situation was quite clear.
"If mana didn't exist in this world, I'd rather not have thoughts about it."
He could be honest with his companions here.
"But since mana exists, and neither Rosalyn nor the Dragons can use it..."
Mana was sealed.
Cale spoke the most terrifying hypothesis contained in that statement.
"Could it mean that someone is controlling mana in this world?"
A silence fell.
Apitoyu.
In this world, everything, including the current world and the World Tree, was under the control of the Purple Blood Family.
Mana was a unique law in this world.
If the Dragons were suppressing this world itself, they could control that law.
"Cale-nim."
At that moment, Choi Han's low voice was heard.
Cale felt a sudden chill. Unease stimulated him.
"...My Aura has also weakened. Now, I can only use 20% of the original amount."
Aura.
If mages had Mana, warriors had Aura.
Of course, Aura wasn't the same as Mana.
While a mage used Mana around him to cast spells, Aura started from within the warrior.
But it was also a form of energy.
Normally, it was considered sensible to view Aura similarly to mana.
"It seems like something is really controlling not only mana but all energies in this world."
"It's in a state of oppression. I don't know how it was possible, but..."
At Eruhaben and Dragon Mila's words, Cale sighed.
"Still, it's fortunate that Aura isn't completely sealed."
Cale looked towards the Ancient Dragon.
"And even though there's no complete lack of mana in this world, if it's under control, couldn't we use it freely if we find a way to release that control?"
"Yes. Let's look for a way to release the control."
Neither Eruhaben nor anyone else was frustrated by the current situation. This was also the case for Cale.
"Although Mana and Aura are a bit unsatisfactory."
Dragons could exert tremendous force even without mana. Unless facing another Dragon of the same kind, Cale had no fear.
Cale brought seven Dragons this time, including the Half-Blood Dragon.
"But I can't help but say it's a bit bothersome."
Cale bit his lips.
Although no one was discouraged, it was a fact that everyone was worried.
"Hmm."
At that moment, someone let out a sigh.
A clear and cute sound.
"Hmm."
All eyes turned in that direction.
"What's happening?"
Cale's question was answered by the sigh of the owner, Raon, who was pouting.
"Human."
"What's up?"
"I can do it."
For a moment, Cale couldn't understand what he said.
"Eh?"
"I can do it."
Raon spoke confidently. Then, he extended his chubby paws. Although he was still round and chubby...
Pfft.
"Oh?"
Cale's eyes widened.
Fwip~
Small flames rose above Raon's front paws.
"For now, this is my limit! But I can use magic! If I spend more time, I'll get better at it!"
In an instant, Cale's eyes moved from the small flames to Raon's face. Raon stretched out his belly as if asking for praise and flapped his wings.
At that moment, Cale's eyes met those of Eruhaben, Sheritt, and the Dragons.
'Attributes.'
Raon's attribute was 'Present.'
A blurry and unexplained attribute.
Perhaps, Raon's ability to use mana in that way could be related to his attribute.
"Raon, how did you do that?"
Eruhaben asked, and Raon cheerfully responded.
"I can just do it!"
Cale's expression turned somber. Whatever it was, Raon was confident.
"The Mana came when I told it to come in my mind!"
"You told it to come?"
"Yes, Goldie Gramps! Like I used to do-"
Raon stopped mid-sentence. And then frowned.
"Eh?"
A crackling sound was heard as Cale stood up from the chair.
"You!"
Cale, approaching with firm steps, wiped and dried Raon's nose.
"M-My nose is bleeding-!"
Raon was surprised to see his nose bleeding. And Cale, seeing this, said firmly.
"It's a magic seal."
"Eh?"
"Don't use magic."
"Eh?"
"If you do, there will be problems."
Raon, surprised, uttered a word.
"This, this can't be!"
Whatever it was, Cale gestured to the others. The voice of the Ancient Dragon resonated in his mind.
-Surely the phenomenon happening to Raon is related to his 'Attribute.'
-However, I have never seen a case where a person suffered a nosebleed due to the physical strain of using the Attribute.
-... For now, let's observe the situation. Let Sheritt, Mila, and me examine it."
And he added.
-I thought Raon's Attribute was related to time, but it seems to be something different.
Present.
Although Raon's Attribute was expected to be related to time, it didn't seem to be simply an Attribute used in the literal sense of the word. Cale slightly tilted his head towards Eruhaben as a request.
-Don't worry.
Cale, relieved, told Raon.
"Eruhaben or Sheritt will allow you to use magic. But don't do it for now."
"Understood!"
Raon said bravely.
"I have permission. And I won't let blood spill again! I'm not as weak as the Human!"
Although Cale felt a bit uncomfortable, he nodded.
"Yes, you're not as weak as me."
"Right! I'm strong! I'm the strongest among the 7-year-old Dragons!"
The sturdy appearance of Raon's limbs couldn't be denied in Cale's eyes.
"Uh, yes. You're right."
Cale, reluctantly accepting, confirmed that the blood had stopped dripping from Raon's nose, and just at that moment, he heard a knock on the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Young Master."
It was Ron.
"Has he awakened?"
"Yes."
The elder, who saw Cale and said things he didn't want to imagine, like being a descendant of the Great Duke or a territory, had awakened.
"Should we prepare a place?"
"Yes."
Cale had to talk to them. To learn about this world. Apitoyu.
----------------------
"Is this the northern territory of Har Kingdom?"
In response to Cale's question, the elder nodded, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Yes, that's correct. Please speak comfortably."
"No. I'm not even a noble."
"Mmm."
The elder acted as if he hadn't heard Cale's words. But he understood that Cale was not a descendant of the Great Duchy. After all, he had seen Cale's complete lack of knowledge about this world.
Cale looked at the elder and the three people behind him before continuing to speak.
"So, Har Kingdom used to be an empire originally, right? It became a kingdom after the death of the last Emperor, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"At that time, this territory was ruled by the late Duke who perished protecting the Emperor. And the village chief thought I was a descendant of that Duke, right?"
"That's correct."
Cale suddenly remembered the red crown in the pocket of his clothes. One of the three relics left by Maxiliann with the 'Future' attribute. Now, Cale's crown had merged with the Imoogi's spirit, forming the Red Crown.
"And it's been over two hundred years since the fall of the Great Duchy, right?"
"Yes."
The village chief, after calmly answering, hesitated for a moment before looking at Cale again.
"Seriously, aren't you the descendant of the Great Duchy?"
"Yes. I am not."
Cale's firm answer led to a noticeably disappointed expression on the chief's face. At this point, Cale was also perplexed.
"But why did you think I was the descendant of the Great Duchy?"
Was it because of the Black Castle? Although he might have thought that upon seeing the sudden appearance of a Black Castle on the mountain behind the village, the elder's actions were too exaggerated.
"...Well..."
The elder hesitated before opening his mouth. He spoke with a serious expression.
"The Lone Flame In The Ice."
"What?"
Cale stopped at the surprising solemnity of the response.
"The red hair like blood was the symbol of the Great Duchy."
Unconsciously, Cale ran his hand through his own hair. He hadn't changed physically coming to this world.
"And now, with the current era, I thought it was likely that the descendant of the Great Duchy would appear. Also, last night, I dreamed that a man with red hair entered the village, so I thought this was the right time."
"You dreamed that?"
The elder closed his eyes tightly in response to Cale's question.
'Really, this man doesn't seem to be a descendant of the Great Duchy.'
At the same time, a doubt arose in the elder's mind. This man who suddenly appeared.
'He knows nothing.'
He didn't know much about this land. Therefore, this man was strange. But at least, they didn't seem hostile based on their attitude. The village chief opened his eyes and spoke.
"It is said that the Holy Empire will send an expedition to the Erghe Mountain Range."
"The Erghe Mountain Range refers to the mountains behind these? And, Holy Empire?"
He really didn't know anything. A slight uneasiness assaulted Cale.
"Of course, they worship the living Gods, the Dragons."
Ah, yes. The moment he heard the chief's answer, Cale suppressed the sigh that was about to escape.
Apitoyu. In this place, Dragons are considered Gods. Cale asked a bit more.
"Why are they sending an expedition here?"
First, he needed to get answers to this question. Dragons. The fact that people who worshipped the enemy Cale had to fight in this world as Gods were coming here was the most pressing issue to be resolved.
"You really don't know anything. Well, first of all, it's more like an annual event than an expedition."
The chief sighed.
"In the Erghe Mountain Range, there are hidden Beast People, and the Holy Empire comes here under the pretext of cleansing that impure blood."
Beast People...?
When he heard that word suddenly, Cale's expression stiffened.
"And the owner of the Snow Family, the Great Duke, has been protecting this land generation after generation, along with the Beast People, especially the Wolf Warriors, who are the best among them."
The chief's face showed pride and nostalgia for the forgotten history.
"With red manes standing out among the blue wolf warriors. So the only flame that sprouted in the ice became the name symbolizing the Snow Family."
Ah, Cale remembered someone.
The Blue Wolf Tribe. Lock.
He thought of the wolf expected to become the future Wolf King.
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