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The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom

The Royal Capital

Translated by: S3

Treat me to a Ko-Fi to give me more motivation!!!

*****

When Elna reached the city, it felt like an entirely foreign land. The beautiful rows of buildings were engulfed in flames, and the people were terrified, clutching their children as they fled down the main thoroughfares. Guided by soldiers, Elna eventually managed to find Feliol, but the scene was a vision of hell. Feliol was shouting orders at the top of his lungs, his small frame straining as he directed the men.

「Feliol! What’s the situation?」

「Elna! You came!」

Feliol’s golden hair and cheeks were smeared with soot, and a flash of joy crossed his face at the sight of her. However, his expression immediately hardened again.

「It’s bad. Fires are breaking out everywhere, but we can't find the specific sources.」

「How can that be...?」

「Forget not knowing where they start—places that shouldn't even be able to burn are going up in flames. All the mages are out trying to suppress the fires, but something is wrong. Usually, magic would extinguish them, but it’s having no effect at all.」

「...That’s because these aren't normal flames.」

「What? What do you mean by that...?」

The city roared with the sound of the inferno. As they spoke, the roof of a nearby house, already reduced to charcoal, slowly gave way and shattered against the ground. Elna and Feliol shielded their faces with their arms against the flying sparks and the onslaught of the heat.

「Lord Feliol, please get back!」

「Ah, right...」

Sheltered by the soldiers, Feliol stumbled away from the collapsed roof. Another scream echoed from somewhere in the distance. The devastation was so great she wanted to cover her eyes and ears. Smoke was being sucked into the sky, beginning to choke the blue with a thick layer of grey.

「...There’s no chance of rain, is there?」

Feliol muttered as he looked up, but he seemed to realize the impossibility of it himself, shaking his head slightly with a self-mocking air. The Kingdom of Wizrain was a land with an extreme lack of rainfall. They barely survived day to day by borrowing the power of spirits.

「Wait, then what about the spirit-users? Spirit magic should be able to extinguish these strange fires.」

「There are a few, but most of the spirit-users usually stationed at the castle haven't returned from Mount Vidrast yet...」

That had been the very reason Kyle had come to Wizrain in the first place. Mount Vidrast was home to many spirits, and thus often led humans astray. They had no choice but to dispatch their precious spirit-users for the investigation.

「The best we in the Order can do right now is guide the citizens to the plaza... There’s a fountain there created with spirit magic. But we lack the time and the manpower to evacuate everyone... Damn it! Even though Brother warned me the Empire’s movements were suspicious!」

Feliol struck his thigh repeatedly with a clenched fist.

「In the end, I’ve done nothing...」

He closed his eyes, his voice strained with pain. Elna couldn't find any words of comfort; "it can't be helped" felt too hollow. No matter how much they had guarded against the Albalulu Empire, who could have predicted they would resort to the extreme measure of burning the city? Saying such things would only deepen the boy’s sense of futility.

To cast the capital into chaos while simultaneously beginning an invasion—the sheer cowardice of the act made her sick. At the same time, Elna cast her eyes down in sorrow. From far away, the sound of battle cries echoed, and she snapped her head up. Cross must have just departed with his army.

(So Cross knew after all...)

If he had given Feliol advice, he must have grasped some kind of information beforehand. Otherwise, he couldn't have prepared for a counter-offensive so quickly.

(I don't mean to blame him.)

After all, Elna had no right to know. Unlike Feliol, she held no royal responsibility; she had no standing at all. Elna clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms, drawing blood. In that moment, she reached a decision.

「Lord Feliol!」

「What is it?」

A soldier, who had shed his cumbersome armor and had singed hair from the sparks, rushed up to Feliol clutching something in his hands.

「We found a strange object during the firefighting efforts! I thought it might be a clue...」

It was a cube the size of a palm. It looked like a box, but it was made of several smaller squares intricately combined. There were seams, yet it was impossible to tell how it had been manufactured.

「I’ve never seen anything like this...」

「An Artifact...」

「Eh?」

「Forgive me, let me see that for a moment.」

Without waiting for a response, Elna snatched the cube from the soldier’s hand and inspected it from every angle. Her blue eyes deepened in color for just a split second—she was detecting the traces of mana.

「There's no mistake. It’s a type of ancient artifact. An incendiary device. The mana path wasn't connected properly, so a faulty one must have gotten mixed in.」

「Wait, if this is a failure, then what about the fires burning now? And you said earlier that these flames aren't magic...」

「Artifacts are activated by mana, so they aren't entirely separate from magic. But while they’re similar, their internal mechanisms are completely different. That’s why magic can't counter flames created by an Artifact. They don't fit into the usual elemental compatibility of fire and water. Natural water, like that from spirit magic, could put it out, but...」

If it were an ordinary magical fire, Elna, as the reincarnation of a Fire Dragon, could have forced it into submission. That was why she had realized immediately at the castle gate that the flames weren't magical when she couldn't fully extinguish them.

—Lately, I've been seeing faces I don't recognize in town, so I've been getting even more carried away with my patrols.

That was what Kakami had said before.

「There isn't just one Artifact. These things are buried beneath every single one of those fires.」

Elna’s words left a strange, heavy silence. Feliol and the soldier stared at her with wide, horrified eyes before looking back at the devastation in the city. On and on, the flames were beginning to blanket the town.

「...The total mana in one of these isn't that great. That’s why a massive number of them must have been placed throughout the city.」

And those who placed them had likely already fled. Even if they were found, there were likely so many that the culprits themselves wouldn't remember where they had all been put. Honestly, it would have been better if Artifacts were completely separate from magic. But because the burning flames bled a small amount of mana, even Elna couldn't pinpoint their locations unless she was close.

「...What should we do?」

Feliol’s whispered question wasn't directed at anyone for an answer. Faced with a situation beyond his understanding, he simply couldn't do anything else but speak. However, those words swelled within Elna. Despite the sweat on her brow from the scorching wind, her body felt strangely cold, and her fingertips were frozen.

(What do I do? What should I do? Even if it’s inefficient, should I check every Artifact one by one?)

Even if she couldn't erase all the flames, she could do it bit by bit. A great gust of wind howled. Elna’s apricot hair and clothes billowed in the heat. The fire spiraled further into the city, like a long tongue slowly licking and devouring the town. A drop of blood fell from her overly tightened fist. She didn't know.

(I don't know what to do...)

The back of Cross, the man who had believed in her, felt terribly far away.

「Ah... our city...!」

「Why... why is this happening...?」

They were in a whirlpool of despair. The people had already lost the strength to flee, collapsing in tears and mourning the end of their city.

「Lady Elnalfia...」

In that moment, someone’s voice drifted out.

「If Lady Elnalfia were here...」

His face pale, Feliol shot a quick glance at Elna but said nothing more.

「They said her reincarnation was here. Was it all just a rumor after all...?」

「That can't be! Where are you, Lady Elnalfia!」

She heard the people’s cries for help. Elna felt every one of them strike her. ...A quiet tear escaped. No matter how much she was wished for, there was nothing she could do. Elna, who inherited the power of the Fire Dragon, could subdue any amount of magical fire, but she did not possess the power of water.

If—just if. If Elna were still a dragon, she could have used her massive body to carry the people to safety in the sky. But right now, Elna was just a girl. She had wished for a human life, found joy in it, and was now tasting despair again.

Why—why was it so irrational? Something she found dear, something she wanted to protect. She could grasp nothing with these tiny palms.

「E-Elna...」

Feliol spoke in a concerned voice as he watched Elna, who continued to shed tears without a word or a sob while staring straight ahead, but Elna didn't even know how to respond. She simply wiped her tears. There would be time for mourning later.

「Feliol, it will only be a little at a time, but I’m going to start putting out the fires—」

「Someone, save my daughter!」

A woman’s agonizing scream rang out. Covered in soot, she looked at the soldier standing next to Feliol, sobbing as she clung to him. Her legs had finally given out, so she poured everything into her voice instead.

「Sir soldier, please! Please, my daughter! We were together just a moment ago! She was gone from my arms before I knew it...!」

「What...! Where? We’ll start the rescue immediately...」

Everyone’s gaze dropped in resignation when they saw where her trembling finger was pointing. The house was already entirely engulfed in flames; it was a miracle it hadn't collapsed yet. When the soldier shook his head slightly, signaling it was impossible, the woman collapsed in a heap. By then, Elna’s body was already moving.

「A girl just dove into the fire...!」

Voices shouting for her to stop and screams followed one after another. Elna leaped past them all, running through a door scorched by flames. This was a single person's life. There was no way she could turn a blind eye. The mother who had been screaming for her daughter said they were together just a moment ago—she had acted as if she were holding a young child until right before. In 그 case, she should be near the entrance.

I’ll make it, Elna told herself. She had to. A young life shouldn't be lost like this. It must not happen.

***

「Is anyone there?! If you are, answer me!」

She knew she was shouting something reckless. The inside of the building was being roasted by the fire; just breathing felt like her throat was being seared. Under such conditions, it would be impossible for a young girl to speak. Yet, she couldn't help but shout desperately.

「Anyone... *cough*!」

The pain was so intense she coughed repeatedly, pressing a handkerchief to her mouth. She advanced while extinguishing the flames with her other hand, but she grew frustrated at her own slow progress. As she stepped carefully through the dancing, flickering flames, a strange feeling suddenly washed over her.

To Elna—no, to Elnalfia the Fire Dragon—flames should have been something familiar. Even if she had been reborn, that much shouldn't change. Yet, in this moment, the fire felt terrifying. It was as if she were in water; her body wouldn't move as she intended. The flames swayed with a *plip-plop* sound. No, it was Elna’s vision that was swaying. *Plip, plop.*

Elna was walking through water. Slowly, slowly, she moved through a heavy resistance as if embracing herself with both arms. It was a sensation she remembered from somewhere. No matter how much she tried to think about what it was, her heavy, hollow thoughts just went in circles. She knew it. She should know it, and yet, she didn't. ...She didn't?

—Stars were twinkling. Were they falling, or was I rising? One could no longer tell up from down; through the broken roof, a field of stars peered in. A hand gripped tight. A broad back. A youth with golden hair and eyes was clutching an old sword embedded with a red jewel.

(That time, at the church. I saw memories of the past in the water...)

She realized it was the same. The hideous being disguised as a priest had shown Elna one hopeless past after another. Every one of the people had been crying, screaming that they wanted to go home, their mana being drained just to create a fake dragon.

Among them had been the figure of Elna’s mother. Her beloved mother, who was already nothing but bones. She wanted to save her. Even though she wished it, no matter how much she grieved or suffered, Elna’s hand could never reach the past. In the memory, a young child was crying for her mother. *Let me go home.*

「...Why!」

Why did such things happen? Was it allowed? The membrane of water from the memory burst, and Elna’s vision was filled with fire again. Tears flowed one after another, drying as they were scorched. 「Why!」 she screamed, her voice hoarse from the smoke. Why couldn't she save them? Why couldn't she protect those she loved?

Startled, Elna looked around. In the midst of the roaring flames, she saw a faint shimmer. She immediately pushed through the fire. A little girl was lying on the charred floor, which looked ready to collapse at any moment. She felt like screaming, but she moved her body instead. However, within the swaying flames, she couldn't move as she wished.

「I’m... I’m here to save you!」

Was she alive? She had to be alive. She squeezed every bit of strength from her parched throat. She didn't expect an answer. Because she wished for the girl’s life, she couldn't help but shout.

「Your mother is looking for you!」

The girl’s eyelids twitched. She was alive! Overwhelmed with a joy that made her want to leap, Elna’s face, still stained with dried tears, broke into a mess of an expression. She slowly reached out a hand. It was okay; she would reach. The flames were already engulfing Elna’s body, and breathing was difficult. But she would reach. The little girl’s eyelids trembled once more, and she slowly turned her face toward Elna. A hand, small and lovely like a leaf yet blackened by soot, moved toward Elna. Bit by bit. Bit... by bit.

When their fingertips finally brushed, Elna quietly shed another tear. *I reached her*, she mouthed silently, gripping the girl’s palm. Even if Elna saved her here and now, it wouldn't save the child who had been crying in the past. She knew that. And yet, feeling as though she herself had been saved, a weak smile formed on her messy face. Her voice was faint, little more than a breath.

「Let’s go. It’s okay. I promise I’ll take you back to your mother.」

However, just as Elna gave the girl a firm smile...

Elna’s body was crushed by a falling, scorched pillar.