Chapter 778

– Kwad-deuk!

The muddy plain, once filled with ashes and remains, was now covered in pure white snow, concealing its appearance. Even the towering Dragon’s Remains had vanished from the hills of the Sky Mountain Range.

The snowfield lay silent, enveloped in tranquility. From its very center—

– Kwak-deuk!

A low, rumbling noise tore through the ground as a black claw suddenly burst forth.

The claw, sprouting like a seedling, bent downward and hooked into the ground like a grappling hook. Then—

– Kwa-rururur…!

Amid the crumbling pile of dirt, a massive figure emerged, rising to his feet.

Sharp claws, black membranous wings, and scales riddled with wounds.

It was a black Dragonkin who had quickly hidden deep underground after realizing everything had gone wrong.

“It took longer than I thought…”

The Dragonkin, now standing atop the hill, surveyed the silent snowfield and let out a sigh of relief.

After realizing the situation had turned disastrous, he had used the chaos of the battle to hide underground, waiting for his enemies to leave. But…

Enduring for days without using a shred of mana, without eating or drinking, was no easy feat, even for the resilient body of a Dragonkin.

If Ha-shal-leur’s group had descended the mountain just four days later, he would have either died trapped underground or been forced to emerge and be captured.

But Ha-shal-leur had descended the mountain, and he had managed to hold out until then.

And he had achieved something of his own.

“Returning alone would only mean being killed by the enraged Heavenly Demon. So, I have no choice but to claim this for myself.”

The Dragonkin smiled as he looked at the large bone fragment he held in his left arm.

A part of Nidhogg’s skeleton, which he had snatched while hiding.

Thanks to the human clerics who had poured Divine Light all over the hill to remove the Magi scattered by Nidhogg, it was now a perfectly purified, top-quality item.

The Dragonkin glanced around once more, then sat down and began chewing on Nidhogg’s bone with both hands.

The sound of cracking and crunching echoed for a long time.

======[ Pailandria, Several Days Earlier]======

“What do I do now…?”

In a small cave somewhere in the Sky Mountain Range, far from the hill, the deserter Pailandria sighed deeply as she looked out at the snowstorm raging outside the cave.

It had been good to flee quickly after seeing the target—a monster who had killed a Guardian in one strike, unlike the other descendants of the Twelve Knights—and the sight of Insect-Dragons and Dragonkin charging in like madmen. But…

“It seems like the humans didn’t suffer much damage, and our forces were wiped out. If I return to Alvheim alone like this…”

This wasn’t just the death of a single Guardian, as in the previous battle. This was a catastrophe—five Guardians and dozens of Patrol members had been slaughtered.

Even Ereneisia, one of the most senior Guardians, had been captured and dragged away in a pitiful state…

If she returned now, she would undoubtedly be forced to shoulder all the blame and face a fate worse than death.

“…No. I can’t go back.”

Pailandria clenched her teeth.

She couldn’t return to Alvheim. She hadn’t lived for hundreds of years just to become fertilizer for the World Tree or a mutilated slave.

So, what should she do?

If she stayed here, the elders of the council would soon realize that the expeditionary force had been wiped out and that Ereneisia had been dragged off to a torture chamber. What would happen then?

If they found out that the entire expeditionary force had been killed or captured and tortured, while Pailandria alone had returned unscathed…

“…They’ll be convinced I betrayed them.”

The moment the council suspected her betrayal, Pailandria would be stripped of all her powers as a Guardian. Her ability to summon Spirits, the Blessing of the World Tree that strengthened her body—all of it.

Once stripped of those Blessings, all that would remain for Pailandria was a weakened body, too frail to even subdue a single human soldier. And that would be the end.

A fairy woman wandering without any power? There was no need to even think about what her future would hold.

It was as clear as day that she would be captured by vile men and turned into a slave for breeding half-fairies.

“The stripping of the World Tree’s Blessings. Yes, that’s the problem. So then…”

Pailandria’s survival instincts gnawed at her mind, urging her to find a way to survive “safely.”

“…Think. Think about it. How to avoid the punishment of betrayal, the stripping of Blessings… No, how does the council even distinguish between traitors and the dead?”

A bolt of realization struck Pailandria’s mind.

The Blessing of the World Tree, bestowed upon all fairies. It didn’t make sense that the council could track every single flow and branch of it.

If they had that ability, half-fairies, who were considered impure, wouldn’t have been able to maintain even a fraction of the World Tree’s Blessing.

Though it was nothing compared to the fairies, and they couldn’t even summon Spirits, half-fairies undoubtedly used the World Tree’s Blessing to enhance their physical abilities.

The fact that the council, who had the power to strip Blessings, didn’t cut off the Blessings of half-fairies was proof that they couldn’t distinguish between the Blessings given to fairies and those given to half-fairies.

“But the elders know the status of every Guardian and Patrol member. Whether they’re alive or dead, suffering or fine. Even though they can’t distinguish the targets of Blessings, how is that possible…?”

There was only one answer.

“…It’s the Spirits.”

The contracted Spirits given to Patrol members and Guardians. There was no other explanation.

It was as if they were using the Spirits as labels to distinguish the flows of Blessings that they couldn’t otherwise identify. Pailandria reasoned.

“Then, if I release all the Spirits connected to me…”

The council’s fairies wouldn’t be able to distinguish which Blessing was connected to Pailandria among the countless branches. They might even assume she was dead, like the others.

Of course, all of this was just Pailandria’s speculation. There was no guarantee or confirmation that it would actually work.

But…

“…It’s not like there’s any other way.”

Even if there was no confirmation, the worst future was still approaching. So, Pailandria closed her eyes tightly and released all the Spirits connected to her.

—

Five days later.

Pailandria, with her hood pulled low to cover her ears, hummed a tune as she descended the Sky Mountain Range.

Even though the situation of the expeditionary force must have been reported to the council long ago, her body showed no signs of weakening. She was filled with joy.

Her prediction had been correct. By releasing all the Spirits connected to her, the council couldn’t identify which Blessing was hers, and thus couldn’t strip her of it!

“If I just hide for a few decades, I’ll be fine.”

By then, neither the Empire nor Alvheim would care about her.

Alvheim, having failed in its attempt to assassinate a key figure of the Empire, would be too busy dealing with the aftermath to bother with someone like her. And most of the Empire’s people who knew her face were either dead or had forgotten it by now.

As long as the World Tree’s Blessing remained, she could easily handle any thugs who might be drawn to her appearance, even without Spirits. So, Pailandria decided to blend in among humans, hiding her ears and living a modest life.

For the first time in hundreds of years, she was free from the leash of the Blessing’s stripping, free from living in obedience to the council’s will.

With a smile of sweet liberation, Pailandria cast off her duties as a Guardian and took her first step into a new life.

======[Ha-shal-leur]======

Three days after being introduced to the mansion, we spent our time resting inside.

We washed the clothes that had been soaked with the stench of long camping, filled our stomachs with proper meals instead of dried meat or hastily boiled stew, and slept in soft beds instead of sleeping bags.

Thankfully, I only had nightmares on the first night.

The horrifying memory of Queen Ryu-rik, which had made me tremble like I had a fever the next morning, disappeared after I moved her taxidermied body to the reception room.

Freide was a bit displeased, but since removing Ryu-rik’s taxidermy allowed me to sleep peacefully that night and the next, it was a relief for me.

“Uuuh… Sister…”

On the fourth morning, I woke up earlier than the rising sun. Seeing Rana, who was tightly hugging me and sleeping with a peaceful smile, I chuckled and used the Life Force Technique’s tentacles to remove the handcuffs and shackles.

Yes. Whether it was surprising or fortunate, Freide’s restraints had worked.

Perhaps it was because I was bound by chains, or maybe my sleep-talking had disappeared on its own. Either way, the fur leather sleeping bag I had shared showed no signs of damage, and after confirming this, Rana had crawled into my bed that night and slept while hugging me like a pillow.

Of course, just because the sleeping bag was fine didn’t guarantee Rana would be, so that night I had no choice but to ask Freide to stay up and watch over us while we slept.

If it seemed like I might hurt Rana in my sleep, she was to quickly pull Rana away.

“Sure. Watching you sleep like that might be fun in its own way.”

Freide nodded readily and took the night watch.

And nothing happened.

The next morning, Rana and I woke up completely unharmed.

According to Freide, who had watched over us all night, I had slept as quietly as a corpse, while Rana had sleep-talked and snuggled up to me like a cat.

It was truly a relief.

Thanks to that, on the third night, I could sleep soundly with Rana without any worries.