Vol 6 Chapter 5

Kapros's skill was only at the 6th circle, yet magic he had never seen before burst forth from his fingertips. He instinctively realized that this was higher than all the magic he had learned so far and was mildly shocked. At that moment, Superior's voice, having removed his hand from the man who had become an ice statue, echoed in his mind.

"If you have something to say, I can relay it. What's the point of this?"

[ I need to ask directly! ]

The tremendous force caused another splitting headache.

'Damn it!'

It was incredibly frustrating that Superior suffered no damage, but every time he got worked up, only Kapros was affected.

'Once this is over, I'll definitely break your stick in half.'

"Do as you please."

Whoosh!

As soon as Kapros spat out those words grumpily, he felt some kind of energy expanding from his right arm to his head. There was no visible change like when he first gave permission for his right arm, but after a sensation that he couldn't tell whether it was pain or a tingling feeling swept through, his mouth started moving on its own.

"Kor. I'd like you to come out and talk directly."

The feeling of hearing words spoken in a manner that didn't seem like his own, despite it being his voice, was truly strange.

'Now I'm really experiencing all sorts of things while playing this game.'

How long had it been since that soft yet forceful voice had spoken? The dragon's loud voice that he had heard earlier boomed throughout the entire cave.

『 ...What... is... this... behavior? 』

"It's me. The one who saved you from the Holy Knights' attack and came and went until that last day before the battle. I'm right here."

'If you just say it's me out of the blue, how would he know?' Feeling frustrated, Kapros felt the need to explain the situation better and tried to speak. Surprisingly, he discovered that just because Superior was borrowing his mouth to speak didn't mean he couldn't speak himself.

"Ah. Um... I'm sorry, but there was something I left out when I told you about my journey so far. Actually, among the items I obtained from the place where I went to get the Flower of Rezul, there was also this... stick, which contains an avatar of the mage called Lord Superior, who has his own consciousness and can talk or... pop out like this. I couldn't mention it because of his request, but things have turned out this way. Please understand and let it pass."

It had been a really long time since he had spoken so much. He suddenly wondered why he had to handle the situation, but fortunately, his words seemed to have worked between Lord Superior and the dragon called Kor.

『 An... avatar? 』

"Yes. I am an avatar that was left behind when I first set out on a journey 10 years after sealing the demon god. Therefore, I have no memory of moving you here or leaving all the other traces this person talked about. That's why even the story I'm hearing now is new to me. Kor, is it really true... that you sent that guy there at that time?"

The dragon said nothing for a long time. Its mountain-like body remained motionless, but Kapros somehow felt as if he was being scrutinized, as if his body was being scanned. The uncomfortable feeling lingered for a while, and just when it started to feel a bit better, the dragon's voice was heard again.

『 I... see. Would... it... be... alright... to... understand... it... as... if... there... are... two... of... you? 』

"I suppose you could think of it that way."

『 Surprising. To... think... you... had... reached... the... level... of... extracting... an... avatar... with... a... human... body. You... who... brought... me... here... before... never... mentioned... having... an... avatar. And... I... have... already... finished... telling... him... the... story... I... just... told. 』

"...You've already told him?"

『 Yes. Because... I... thought... that... was... what... I... had... to... tell... you... from... back... then... and... had... been... waiting. 』

Superior was silent for a while. Kapros felt the heat of the Superior stick, which had been so hot it almost burned his waist, gradually subsiding. It seemed that this heat reacted proportionally when Superior's emotions like surprise and anger intensified.

After a long while, Superior spoke through Kapros's mouth, seeming to have calmed down.

"I... want to hear it again. No, I'd like you to show me. I know most of the past, but I know nothing about what happened in places I couldn't see and about myself after I separated."

Hearing these words, Kapros realized many things. First was the fact that this Superior with him might know even less about this quest than he did, and secondly, as a result, this guy wouldn't be of much help in the future.

Whether or not Kapros felt somewhat deceived, Superior and the dragon were focused only on their own conversation.

『 That... is... fine. It's... not... like... I... can't... do... something... I've... done... once... before... a... second... time. Close... your... eyes. 』

"Thank you."

Their attitudes suggested they had completely forgotten about Kapros's presence. Kapros closed his eyes with a bitter smile, wondering how far this would go. A light burst forth, just like the one the dragon's mental manifestation had shown earlier.

When he opened his eyes, he could see the Dark Knight kneeling again, just as he had seen at the end of the last memory. However, this time the Dark Knight was staring into space with a somewhat complicated expression. Looking in the direction he was gazing, Kapros saw something like a red sphere floating in the space between the dragon and the Dark Knight.

'No. More precisely... is it liquid?'

The beautifully rippling mass of red liquid slowly descended and settled into the Dark Knight's arms as if embracing him. The Dark Knight lowered his eyes and slightly furrowed his brows as he put it into what seemed to be a prepared pouch. Surprisingly, the liquid showed the strange behavior of entering the pouch like a ball without breaking or seeping through.

"Thank you for willingly giving me dragon's blood."

[ Do... not... let... it... fall... into... anyone... else's... hands. ]

Nodding at those words, the Dark Knight pulled out the sword stuck in the ground, sheathed it, and bowed deeply in gratitude. As he slung the pouch around his waist and turned to walk out of the cave, the dragon suddenly asked a question.