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The Tale of the Wizrain Kingdom

Crossing the Dragon's Bones

Translated by: S3

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

*****

---

「...Are you awake?」

In the dim light, Rigoberto’s eyelids fluttered slowly. He could hear the crackling of sparks.

(Is it already night?) he wondered. His body, weakened by the water and exhaustion, had recovered only slightly during his shallow slumber. As the woman leaned over him, her apricot hair fell in soft strands. Seeing her sky-blue eyes, he felt a sudden urge to yank on a lock of that hair, but unfortunately, his fingers wouldn't move properly.

「...Where is this?」

「A little ways from the stream. I moved you. There was a rocky overhang that folds back nicely; it works as a roof, and since there aren't any trees right next to it, it’s safer to build a fire. A spirit recommended it to me.」

(Spirits again?) Rigoberto didn't let the thought reach his voice, offering only a faint, cynical smirk.

The woman spoke of these non-existent beings as if they were the most natural thing in the world. Yet, he felt strangely drowsy—so much so that he couldn't bring himself to care.

「The blade that cut you must have been poisoned. You said you were used to toxins, but that worked against you. You moved around far too much. No matter how much of a tolerance you’ve built, everyone has a limit.」

「Don't lecture me... It’s disrespectful.」

「You're really going to start worrying about that now?」

The woman let out a soft laugh. His eyelids were heavy, making it impossible to see her clearly. Occasionally, he felt something warm touch his fingertips. Every time a fluffy texture brushed against him, the woman would speak as if addressing a person: 「You guys stay over there.」

He finally realized her voice was unusually close. The back of his head felt slightly soft.

「Don't look so annoyed. I’m only doing this because I have to. It’s quite a chore trying to lay you down without touching your injuries.」

He felt the heat of small palms against his body and the side of his face. The strange warmth didn't seem to be coming solely from the bonfire.

「When morning comes, I’ll carry you on my back and head for the mine. You don't have the strength to move anymore, do you? You certainly are stoic. I wish you’d told me before it came to this. ...Don't worry, I’m actually surprisingly strong. Rest easy.」

It was truly bizarre. If this woman felt like it, she could end his life at any moment.

Ah, how—utterly chilling.

「...Why go to such lengths? Leaving an enemy King behind would be far more convenient for your people.」

「True. It probably would be convenient. But I don't want the death of even a single human on my hands.」

「You are a creepy woman.」

「Say whatever you like. Just go to sleep. It’ll be a little easier if you rest.」

「I was sleeping until just a moment ago. I cannot be as thick-skinned as you lot.」

「Th-Thick-skinned...?」

(Wait, by "you lot," does he mean me and Cross...?) A flash of irritation flared in her chest at the mention of the man’s name coming from her, but she immediately ignored it.

「Whatever. Speak as you please.」

「You say that, but...」

「Oh, right,」 Elna spoke up, asking in a casual tone, 「That sword you’re holding. Can I move it?」

「I know I’m the one who protected it, but honestly, it’s a bit heavy. From here on, I’d like to leave any unnecessary weight behind. I’ll definitely come back for it, so if we could just leave it here for a bit—」

「Don't be absurd.」

Elna fell silent. Her own voice had resonated deeper than she’d imagined.

「...That sword originally belonged to my brother.」

「............」

Actually, tracing it back further, it had belonged to his father, but since he had inherited it after his brother’s death, he viewed it more as a memento of his sibling.

「For generations, the one who inherits the Imperial throne becomes its owner. Possessing that sword is the proof of one's qualification as successor. ...By rights, I should pass it to Lancielo, but he does not have the caliber for it.」

Elna said nothing.

Even though he was the one who had told her to talk, his own words were somehow leaking out of his mouth.

「The qualification of a successor... such things are meaningless. To decide an Emperor based solely on the possession of a sword is the height of folly. A man and a sword are separate entities. It should be obvious.」

Yet, there were those who didn't understand that.

「It happened when my father was still alive. The carriage carrying my brother, the next Emperor, was attacked. My father was weak-willed, both in diplomacy and internal affairs. He was constantly pressured by a segment of the nobility who wanted to secure their interests. Since he was sickly and no one knew when he might die, they targeted my brother instead. My brother inherited my father’s temperament. ...He was a gentle man.」

As a result, his brother died.

「The attackers intended to steal the sword my brother carried. As ill luck would have it, my mother was in the same carriage. It happened while they were heading to a villa. There was a path that ran near a cliff. I do not know what was said then. But my mother jumped from the cliff. She clutched this sword to her chest to protect it, just as you did. A foolish woman.」

What kind of proof did she think a single sword could be? Knowing she couldn't return alive, was it meant as a final act of spite? The laments of the dead were of no concern to Rigoberto.

「...The Empire needs strength. It has no use for a timid King. If my father had been someone everyone feared, neither my brother nor my mother would have had to die. Though their deaths were also because they themselves were weak.」

That was why he needed a dragon.

He didn't actually believe the folklore that dragons truly existed. But if such rumors persisted, there had to be some kind of power behind them.

「I must obtain all power. Only then can I liberate the world from all its miseries.」

「...So to summarize, you want to obtain overwhelming power, unify the entire world, and your goal is to achieve peace?」

「Peace...? What nonsense are you spouting...」

「It's not nonsense, but I see. Even if I don't get the logic, I get the gist. Yeah, I understand.」

「I see, so that’s how it is,」 Elna whispered repeatedly.

He wanted to argue back, but his body was growing increasingly lethargic. Even speaking had become a chore. It wasn't that he had run out of things to say. His exhaled breath felt hot. His eyelids were heavy with sleep.

「...Woman. No, Elna, was it? I ask you. What is the dragon of Wizrain? Where does it exist?」

「Haha. Didn't you say you could tell just by looking into someone’s eyes? That’s what you told Cross, wasn't it?」

「As if I could know such a thing. It was obviously a bluff.」

「Eh? Really? ...Ahaha! Now I finally know why Cross was laughing.」

He felt as though he was being mocked, but the woman’s laughter wasn't unpleasant.

「...One of my subordinates babbled that there was a dragon in Wizrain. So I summoned you here to find the truth of it. That is all.」

「I see. Fine. Go to sleep. When dawn breaks, I’ll carry you as far as I have to. I’ll bring the sword, too. ...Rest easy.」

Slender fingers brushed away the hair matted with sweat. His eyelids felt as if they were glued shut.

In the dim darkness, his consciousness slipped away.

---

Elna trudged forward, with Rigoberto on her back. *Crunch, crunch.*

The breath leaving her mouth was white. Though autumn had only just begun, the cold was enough to make one forget the season. The two spirits clung to Elna, shivering in tiny, rapid tremors.

At some point, snow had begun to accumulate on the ground. The weight on her back was the only thing keeping Elna’s legs moving. Her mana was sealed by the ring, and she pushed forward, carrying a grown man.

「Are you... still conscious?」

If she didn't speak, she felt like she might stop. There was no response from Rigoberto. However, she could feel a faint presence on her back.

「Mount Vidrast... I only know the stories, too. They say a dragon used to live on this mountain long ago. That’s why they gave the mountain a dragon’s name.」

Snow fell in soft, fluttering flakes. The cotton-like snow landed on the leaves of the trees and scattered.

Long-lived dragons rarely cross paths. Though they might have lived as friends who understood one another as beings with the same lifespan, they would never even approach each other’s territories. When Elna was a dragon, that was simply the way of things; she never even questioned why.

That was just how they lived. That was simply the kind of creature a dragon was.

Now, she understood. Dragons—live far too long.

To avert their eyes from the fact that they alone remain unchanged while continuing to exist, they avoid even their own kind and wait for the final day. Elnalfia meeting Vaid was a singular miracle. Holding onto that miracle, Elnalfia lived only to find Vaid’s reincarnation.

Praying to the gods to please kill her, wishing every day that she would die tomorrow.

「They say that when a dragon dies, it eventually becomes bone, and from those bones, greenery is born, and it becomes a mountain...」

Had the dragon that lived on this mountain been the same? Had it died all alone, just like Elnalfia?

*Shan, shara, shan.* A mysterious sound echoed from somewhere. The sound of bells. The sound of glass shattering and sparkling. The sound of stars scattering. Snow fell. It fell from the sky. From a sky filled only with pure white clouds, snow spirits danced and sang, falling down with a *shan, shara, shan*.

(Ah, they look like they’re having fun,) she thought, sniffing her nose which was red from the cold, and Elna smiled as she looked up at the sky.

「...!」

Suddenly, a ferocious wind began to howl. In an instant, the surroundings were buried in snow; she couldn't tell right from left. The cold was enough to make her teeth chatter. For a fire dragon like Elna, she would normally have laughed off the cold, but the vast majority of her sealed mana had yet to return. Nevertheless, she had to move forward.

—How long had she been walking like this?

Eventually, the snow reached Elna’s waist; she could barely push through it, let alone move her legs. Every time she let out a ragged breath, the cold and the heat raging inside her felt like they were going to drive her mad.

「...Leave me.」

「I’m glad you still have the strength to talk. But keep your mouth shut for now.」

Now, even the guiding spirits were nowhere to be found. Mount Vidrast itself was rejecting Elna and the other. Perhaps it was rejecting Rigoberto’s very existence.

「...It really is unpleasant to be treated as if you don't exist, isn't it?」

Because words are power. How much pain must it cause to be told you don't exist? There are probably spirits who act as if they don't care, but everyone is different.

Rigoberto spoke of his sword as if it were meaningless, but it was a sword that could also become a story. The Holy Sword Chiarore held by the Hero Vaid gained the power to slay demons by being spoken of by the people.

It was the same. It was surely a sword that had been loved by many and passed down through blood.

(But with a master like this... Haha, spirits are just a fairy tale, huh?)

Rigoberto seemed to have lost consciousness again. Now, what to do? No, there was nothing to do but go forward. She grit her teeth. Putting so much strength into her arms that they felt like they might tear off, she hoisted the man on her back who was about to slip. Every time she exhaled, she felt like she might freeze solid. Her legs, her fingers—she already had no sensation in them. Even so.

Blood spilled in drops. The blood that dripped from Elna’s nose stained the snow red.

White. Inside the white, there was red. Ah, I see.

「—MOVE!」

A dragon’s roar echoed. It vibrated through the earth enough to blow away even the snowstorm. The snow had already stopped. In the middle of an endless white snowfield, Elna stood, with Rigoberto on her back. Elna was a red dragon. A fire dragon. She would not stop being human, and she could not give up on being a dragon.

「Spirits, let us through! Hear my voice! A human life is at stake! ...If you intend to stay in my way, I will burn every last one of you to ash!」

It was a contradiction. Using the same mouth that prayed for human life to threaten violence. (That's not right. You're different now,) someone whispered. Cross’s hand was pulling Elna’s arm.

(That's not right.)

Without even a response, she squinted at the magnificent snowfield, where even the sound of breathing seemed to be swallowed up, and then hung her head.

「...Please, help us. I’m sorry if I startled you.」

She didn't use force. She searched for words. If words have the power to weave stories, then surely, a human voice has power in the same way.

「I apologize for the rudeness of entering your place without permission. I heard that this mountain was made from the bones of a dragon. It must have been a magnificent dragon. It must be unbearable pain to have thoughtless humans treading upon you.」

It lived alone and died alone. And now it had become a mountain, looking down upon the people. And now, spirits were guarding the bones of that dragon. That was very—

「A lovely story.」

Wait, what was she trying to say?

She swayed. Her heart swayed. A dragon loves its home. A dragon without a home loves humans instead, and when it dies, it clutches their bones and sleeps. And then, spirits watch over the bones of the dead dragon. Ah, I see—joy welled up inside her. Her vision blurred slightly, and in an instant, it distorted. A single, large tear spilled over.

(I wonder if, after I die, the spirits will mourn my death like that.)

She had never thought of such a thing. A story for after she was dead.

Somehow changing her posture to support the Rigoberto on her back with one hand, she wiped her tears while sniffing her nose, and hoisted him up again. Even so, more tears spilled out. She looked down, further down, and then suddenly looked straight up.

「Tell me, if you would! What kind of dragon was it? Was it big after all? Did it have glass-colored scales? ...When it died, was it in pain? Was it lonely?」

There was still no response to her plea. At some point, the white sky had turned blue, and a refreshing breeze blew pleasantly. Only the path Elna had taken continued far behind her.

「...Hah. It’s truly beautiful.」

Blue and white. A blindingly bright scene that stretched on forever.

The moment she inhaled that clear air and blinked—laughter echoed from somewhere. The voices of men and women laughing happily. The voices of children and old people. Elna’s clothes had changed back into her red dress. She was standing alone in a white, empty space. (What is this?) she thought, looking around. She felt as though her surroundings were spinning.

She realized with a start that this wasn't reality. The moment she realized everything was a memory of the past, the voices vanished as if on cue.

「...Is this a memory the spirits are showing me?」

She whispered with strange composure. In front of her was a dragon as large as a mountain. A black dragon with magnificent black scales. Golden eyes, larger than Elna’s face and shining bright, looked down at her.

「I see. You loved humans, too.」

The many laughing voices were likely the memories of the black dragon and the spirits. With a mischievous look on her face, Elna smiled.

「...I wish we could have talked a little while we were both still alive.」

There was no answer. However, the black dragon narrowed its eyes with a slight hint of kindness.

---

When she next blinked, Elna was standing with Rigoberto on her back, just as before. The snowfield had vanished. There was no longer a biting cold; instead, her body was heavy with lethargy. Elna stood at the entrance to the mine.

「...Haa.」

Only a faint breath escaped her lips. The gatekeepers were startled by Elna’s sudden appearance and called out a challenge, but she didn't even have the energy to respond. In her tattered state, her knees slowly buckled, and she collapsed forward. It was her limit, no matter how you looked at it. But for some reason, she still had the energy to smile.

(I did it,) Elna laughed. An *ahahaha* came from the bottom of her heart. This only made them even more suspicious of her, but for a while, Elna couldn't stop laughing.