It should be noted that it should be said that I realized on the way to Cardi.
As Aslan and his traveling party buried I’taar’s remains and ensured that they could not be dug up, the sky had gradually turned black.
The rain had stopped, and gray clouds were gliding across the now darkened sky; however, due to the brightness of the moon, the forest, stripped of trees, was imbued with a mystical light.
It would have been better if the moon were obscured or if there weren’t any traces to follow, but since the moon hanging in the sky was full and spilling its light onto the ground, he chose to rest in the cabin even if there were holes in the wall.
It was uncertain.
The Executioner could have acted more cautiously and called for reinforcements, or perhaps, in his dying moments, he had conveyed everything to the Supreme Divinity.
Richard might have been tempted by the skills he possessed and could have sent troops at any moment.
Thus, instead of resting, Aslan chose to move.
Even if Richard was still no different from a casualty, and Ereta, Lumel, and Tiamat were greatly fatigued.
There was a city called Erastid not far from the forest, and it would be better to reach there quickly and take a rest, he thought.
So what happened next was inevitable.
An inevitability with its own preparation.
“Aslan.”
A voice filled with tenderness. When Aslan turned his head toward that voice, the woman walking behind him, carrying an axe, smiled wearily.
“Isn’t this far enough? If we rest a bit and then go….”
Instead of responding to that, Aslan looked up at the sky and surveyed his surroundings.
The moonlight now hardly penetrated the edge of the forest. A wide field was nearby, where the wind mixed with grass’s scent was blowing into the forest. The traveling party was standing there.
It certainly seemed safe enough at this point. The group, not well aware of the pursuit capabilities of the Martial Masters, might think so.
However, considering that the opponent Aslan had fought most frequently over the past twelve years had been a Martial Master, his response was by no means excessive.
The fact that his most frequent opponent over the past twelve years was a Martial Master implied that, despite Aslan’s camouflage and stealth abilities, he had been found numerous times.
From that perspective, leaving this place was no different from falling behind in terms of necessary precautions.
Thinking that I’taar’s corpse was here and that the entire group, aside from the expert in magic, was present.
At the very least, they had to ensure that no one could guess where I’taar’s remains were.
Aslan pondered over how to explain all of this as he looked at the fatigued faces of his traveling companions and fell silent.
“Aslan, really, it would be better to rest a little….”
“This elder is still fine, but the kids seem tired, so wouldn’t it be better for them to rest?”
Both Lumel and Tiamat spoke up. Aslan sighed after checking on Richard, who was collapsed and being carried on Tiamat’s back.
Of course, getting to the city and resting sounded nice in theory, but in reality, it was quite difficult.
The city wasn’t that close, and since they had to cross a field in between, it would be impossible to travel hidden.
In this situation, hurrying was one solution, while taking a bit of a break without rushing was also valid. Aslan was in deep thought.
“I’m fine. But I feel a bit lethargic. Do the others look tired?”
Suddenly, Ereta, who was sweating, glanced at Angie with a frown.
Just as Angie said, it had been over 24 hours since the last time the group had taken a proper break.
It was due to the lengthy battle against the Executioner. Starting in the morning, they fought all day and had just now reached dawn.
Except for Aslan, who had a fighting spirit that wouldn’t tire, Angie, who nearly felt no fatigue due to her high health, and Phey, who didn’t need rest as a fairy, the rest of the companions appeared exhausted.
‘In this state, if we push on, we might get discovered by a Martial Master and wouldn’t be able to fight to our full potential.’
Although the moon was high and scattering light, if used well with dark mists-like magic, they could sufficiently deceive attention and buy themselves some time to rest.
“Alright, then let’s take a short break. No fire, just a few hours of rest, and then we move out immediately.”
“…Then how about food….”
“We’ll have to manage with what we have.”
“That’s just….”
With a sigh from Lumel and Aslan opening a bag containing rations to share with the group.
Although Lumel found Aslan’s slight smile somewhat enchanting, his expression was one of deep dismay.
At that moment, as Lumel approached, using his spear as a staff, intending to take the dried fruit and meat rations, he suddenly said, “Huh?”
With the astonished voice of a woman, the sensation of danger struck.
A chill running down the spine. No rushing sound, no shadow, no light. Yet Aslan instinctively understood.
Whether it was a fluke of fate or due to experience was hard to pinpoint.
Tired Tiamat was unable to sense it, and even Phey, who usually displayed constant detection abilities, couldn’t feel such an expert.
Only after Lumel visually picked it up did they recognize the presence of the assassin.
His body moved faster than expected. Aslan released his grip on the rations, tilted his body slightly, and pulled his arms clear from his side.
Clang!
At that moment, a dagger brushed against Aslan’s side with a delayed reaction. The dagger that glided against the Dragon King’s scales was made of white steel.
A white steel that had been blackened.
The moment the rest of the party, who hadn’t been able to react, drew their weapons, the wrist holding the dagger flipped over.
The shape of the dagger resembling a beast’s fang felt oddly familiar. Before the arm holding that dagger was withdrawn, Aslan tightened the space between his side and forearm faster than it could be retrieved.
He was caught. The arm grasping him felt devoid of any muscle. However, the sensation of strength felt otherwise. Aslan’s feet lifted from the ground; it was meant to throw him.
Thus, Aslan, sensing that overwhelming strength, narrowed his eyes and pressed his body down.
He moved his hips, slightly twisted his waist, wrenched his knees, hunched his shoulders, and finally forced his wrist down.
It was the overwhelming weight that naturally exceeded the transferred body weight. To someone who perfectly understood the structure of the human body, such restriction unfolded. As they pressed down, the other hand wielding the dagger lunged out.
This time, it aimed for the eye. The unseen blind spot, the left eye. Instinctively knowing that it was an aimed attack, Aslan pulled the arm he had been pressing close to his body and turned.
He intentionally lifted his feet off the ground, exerting force as he spun.
The two figures tumbled together, and moments later, someone lay sprawled on the ground.
One arm was trapped against the side, while the other was pinned against a knee.
The power unleashed was extraordinary; every time it quaked, Aslan’s entire body trembled, yet the grip remained firm.
“Ugh…!”
With a thud, the noise echoed as the assailant was subdued, and it hadn’t even been a full breath.
An assailant subdued within a single breath.
As he stifled his frustration in a low voice, Aslan finally got the opportunity to observe the assailant’s appearance slowly.
Wearing a black hood and covered in black leather armor, the being had muscles that were hard to discern—a matured woman was dwelling within.
“…So it was someone.”
Aslan quickly recognized this individual. As he removed the hood that she had donned with bare hands, black animal-like ears appeared.
Ears resembling those of a canine type, on the spot where human ears should be. Due to this, her black hair looked somewhat like a pelt.
As Tiamat, who had been drawing back her hand axe, uttered these words with the bow not drawn.
“A hybrid.”
Hybrid. A being born from the union of the Evil Deity’s priest and a human, or perhaps forced into such a union—neither entirely human nor a proper priest.
Not entirely human, they bore characteristics not belonging to humanity and possessed stronger physical capabilities.
They were pitiable beings always tormented by the Evil Deity’s temptation but ultimately most of them fall into corruption.
Ereta gasped in surprise as she caught sight of those ears.
“That’s a hybrid born from a mother that gave birth to itself. Typically, they get eaten by their mother or father priest, so they’re hardly seen, but it’s remarkable to still be alive.”
Ereta, terrifyingly casually recounting the harsh truth, now pulled out a large axe and glanced around. She was on guard, fearing that someone else might be nearby.
That suspicion was indeed correct. Aslan knew who this was and that this woman was not working alone.
Usually, they wouldn’t reveal themselves either.
Looking down at the panting woman, Aslan spoke.
“It’s been a long time. Catherine.”
The woman’s name was Catherine. She had no surname.
She was a guard for the Vida Kingdom’s royalty and served personally as a maid.
Considering that this royalty was not someone to take lightly, this encounter was not one to take joy in.
Nevertheless, she was someone he knew. The reason for the ambush was all too apparent.
The issue was the reason she was here. As Aslan was about to ask this.
“…Catherine?”
There was an unexpected voice.
It came from the man who had been unconscious and was carried on Tiamat’s back.
As Aslan turned his head slightly to see the source of the voice, the man spoke.
“Why are you here….”
His words trailed off as he tried to analyze the situation in a sleepy voice. From those words, Aslan noticed that Richard had recognized Catherine.
In that moment, he wondered how he knew, and he recalled Richard’s noble status.
If noble, then perhaps he might know who guards the royal family. Just as he intended to brush it off as no big deal.
“Why do you think? Because I’m here.”
The woman’s voice was heard.
Not from behind Aslan, but from in front of him.
Aslan raised his head, and a voice came from behind.
“Maria….”
Maria.
Upon hearing the familiar voice following that familiar name, Aslan raised his head to look at someone.
That woman was truly an aristocratic lady.
Her fair face, adorned with gently slanted eyes resembling a cat, and the teardrop-shaped mark at the corner of her eye lent an exotic charm to her otherwise gentle countenance.
Her hair tapered off to a lighter shade toward the ends, and she had striking green eyes reminiscent of a deep forest.
She was a delicate-looking lady wearing properly elegant and demure attire fitting for a noblewoman, but.
Aslan knew that the woman in front of him was not such a person.
“Maria Aureus Meland.”
“It’s been a long time.”
Her tone seemed somewhat emotionless. Hearing that tone, Aslan glanced back and forth between Maria and Richard. At the same time, he released Catherine, who was being constrained.
Quickly slipping from Aslan’s reach, the hybrid stood protectively in front of her master. Aslan looked at the two of them, expressing his regret as he glanced back at Richard.
Richard, upon seeing the gaze of Aslan filled with understanding and sympathy, managed to smile through his perplexed expression.
‘That his fiancée could possibly be Maria.’
Only then did Aslan realize the reason Richard had turned pale upon hearing about the engagement.
Maria Aureus Meland—she was not just a princess of the Vida Kingdom but also the head of a trading company that extended its reach across the Northern Continent.
Had she simply been a typical princess running a trading company, perhaps he wouldn’t have thought too much of it; however, she was a remarkably memorable character in the game.
In Eternal Dominion, most of the rare assassination requests were often given by her.
From a value perspective, she was neutral—neither good nor evil, providing assassination requests and amply rewarding them.
Yet at times, she could strike hard from behind, being a character with darker undertones.
By the game’s end, she had not dwindled in power, seeming unaffected by the collapse of the Vida Kingdom.
This was Maria Aureus Meland.
‘Hence, because of the shared middle name, I figured there might be a connection…’
But he never anticipated they would have gotten engaged.
Of course, considering Maria’s darker side, the very engagement likely had something significant tied to it.
‘It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious.’
Aslan felt wary of Maria. He had no idea what her intentions were, so he thought he should not approach her recklessly.
At the moment, those who could fight were Aslan, Phey, and Angie.
The others were too exhausted to engage in an effective battle, so Aslan gripped the hilt of the great sword he had taken from the Executioner, considering the possibility of reinforcements approaching.
“What brings you here?”
She would not come all this way just to see her fiancé. She might have come to do something regarding Richard or I’taar.
She might have been hired by the Supreme Divinity to do harm or perhaps been employed by the Supreme Divinity to pursue Aslan’s group.
Regardless of the scenario, it was wise to be wary. As Aslan focused on the surrounding dangers, the woman spoke.
“Richard, darling, I came to see you.”
It was a lie. Aslan subtly shifted the hilt of his sword. A low growl echoed, like an animal’s roar.
“Liar. Your real purpose must be something else. For you to be moving like this….”
As he spoke, Aslan readied himself. Maria observed him quietly and then smiled.
Faced with being caught in the act, she responded softly yet emotionlessly.
“Of course, there’s an excuse.”
“An excuse?”
It was not that saying she came to see Richard was an excuse, but she had an excuse to offer?
Aslan frowned, and Maria responded slyly.
“Would an attack on Cardi be sufficient pretext?”
“…What?”
The question escaped Lumel’s lips.
She was a noblewoman who understood well how solid a fortress Cardi was, raised in a territory not far from Cardi.
As Maria’s gaze briefly scanned Lumel, he appeared distinctly flustered as he replied.
“What do you mean Cardi is under attack? Who’s…?”
Maria maintained her indifferent expression at Lumel’s question, casually placing a finger to her lips and smiling brightly.
That sunny smile and her subtly exuded aura left Lumel tongue-tied, and the woman slowly let her smile fade.
“One of the inevitabilities of the universe, the Poison-Spitting Dragon.”
The Poison-Spitting Dragon. A facet of the Three Evil Deities. The moment Aslan caught onto the fact that she had something unsaid, Tiamat drew in a large breath anxiously.
As if sensing the impending doom.
“To be precise, it would be a Poison-Spitting Dragon that devours the inevitability from another universe.”
Indeed, her premonition was correct.
