Chapter 50: The Hero, the Dragon, and Peach
A Difficult Choice
There seemed to be no solution. Yet the answer to the question was clear. Wenger had no reason…
“It’s not about dying,” Aranold interrupted her thoughts. “It’s just that it’ll consume massive amounts of mana constantly. I’d need to craft a tool to aid your mana recovery, or eventually, you’d die from mana sickness too.”
This wasn’t the outcome she’d hoped for. Before the ritual, all decisions could still be undone. Fortunately, with the scale, she could still tap into some lost authority after all this time. “So, you mean I’d supply my mana to Vick, but is that possible?” Could one’s mana truly be used by another? Wenger sought confirmation for her lingering doubt.
Aranold explained it was part of the ritual. She’d ask for Wenger’s consent again before ensuring its feasibility. It wasn’t impossible, but to Wenger, such a decision shouldn’t be made alone. Silence fell between them. The girl stared blankly, the fire in her vision flickering hazily.
Outside, a strong wind blew, making sunflowers sway wildly. The room was tranquil, with only the crackling of the hearth. Wenger’s gaze drifted to Aranold’s head. Those horns were quite noticeable. Before she could ask, Edward pushed open the door, a gust of snow sweeping in, his hair dusted with unmelted flakes. Aranold brushed them off, wiping with a towel.
The two whispered forehead-to-forehead, even in front of her. Wenger hadn’t imagined what a shared life looked like—hers was always a solitary monotony. Edward went to prepare a potion. Aranold said it would ease Vick’s condition, and he might wake soon. Wenger felt some relief but still worried about Viyi. The higher she climbed, the more helpless the hardships felt. Sometimes, she wondered why life was so hard.
But it was fine. At least no irreparable disasters had struck yet. Out of courtesy, hosts should chat with guests. Unable to resist, Wenger asked about her horns. Since the dragon didn’t fully hide them, curiosity was inevitable. Aranold’s eyes gleamed with reminiscence.
“Long ago, a so-called hero tried to kill me without mercy, just for crossing into human lands! Even after dying, he watched me, saying I shouldn’t cause trouble outside, afraid I’d spit fire if upset.” Aranold spoke with a spark of anger, almost grinding her teeth, but her expression softened toward Wenger. “You’re not scared, are you? Though people didn’t seem to like me wandering in cities back then…”
She was killed? Wenger stared, puzzled. “So, you’re a dragon?” “Yup~” Aranold turned proudly, a chubby dragon tail appearing from nowhere. Wenger kind of wanted to touch it but knew it’d be rude. Could a destroyed body still be physical? “Edward disciplined me for centuries. When that didn’t work, we just lived together…”
The dragon spoke with pride, genuinely happy. Wenger: (ʘ╻ʘ) What was this dragon talking about, living with her mortal enemy? “Wasn’t there some happy time that led to that decision?” she asked hesitantly. Aranold bit her lip, shaking her head. “Nope. Edward wouldn’t let me go out, so in exchange, he couldn’t leave either.”
“Agamemnon said it—equivalent exchange or something. That scale in your hand is her divine artifact. In theory, it can exchange anything with the right price.” Taking my time, so repay with your life. An ideology fair to the extreme. On the table sat a battered, rusted scale. A divine artifact… Exchanging everything.
Wenger blinked, her gaze passing through the scale to the window. If possible, she wanted to bring everyone home safely. But calling it a divine artifact felt absurd. Edward emerged, forcing the potion down Vick’s throat, making him choke instinctively. Now, they just needed to wait for results. Aranold ground other herbs into powder, pouring them into a dish, asking Wenger to channel mana into it.
The moment her invisible mana touched the powder, it ignited. She quickly cut off the flow. Aranold looked enlightened. Everyone’s mana was unique. She’d noticed Wenger’s mana volume was abnormal, likely due to its nature. This simple test confirmed her mana was gentle, possibly due to her physique. Gentler mana faced less rejection in another’s body.
This let her focus more on protecting Wenger. The ritual would link them, letting them sense each other no matter the distance, as the mana came from one source. From any angle, it was a one-sided bond. Only Edward could jest that at least the other wouldn’t dare kill her now. Thankfully, Aranold had the foresight to lull him to sleep before he spoke. Hard to imagine the former hero was so sharp-tongued.
Honestly, both seemed a bit odd to Wenger, but their willingness to perform such a complex ritual for her was more than words could repay. Per Aranold, Wenger needed to gather a herb herself—a plain white flower growing on cliff walls. She said the area was perpetually snowy, easy to get lost in, so it was best to wait for Edward to go together. Though the ritual offered her no benefits, it could make Vick grateful, laying groundwork for an alliance. But with their vast power gap, it couldn’t be seen as equal.
To the girl, this was an overflow of saintly compassion. Fortunately, she hadn’t decided yet—she’d fetch the flower first. Ten minutes later, she and Edward set off for the World Tree’s base, leaving Aranold to care for the patient.
Tens of Thousands of Meters Above. Viyi nearly fainted, but an involuntary holy light enveloped her, dispelling the encroaching deathly aura. It wasn’t enough—she couldn’t fly. But Peach, sleeping soundly, suddenly burst from her satchel. Its stretching body thinned, barely lifting her to prevent a rapid fall.
After the brief dizziness, the silver flash that whisked Teacher and Uncle Vick away was gone. The light above faded into star-like specks, leaving only endless night. “Pop pop.” Ugh, she couldn’t understand Peach. Viyi’s stomach growled—she hadn’t eaten in ages. No other sounds came. The pink “parachute” clung tightly to her arms and shoulders, gliding toward a bottomless abyss.
“So cold, Peach.” “Where did Teacher and them go…” “Can we find them, Peach?” “It’s so quiet, Peach.”