Chapter 87 – The Scent of Forget-Me-Nots Scattered From the Edge
I had a dream like that one day because I didn’t have the courage to live for tomorrow.
When I open my eyes in the morning, I wish this world would perish.
My childish wish, which should have been passed on to anyone who heard it, unfortunately went to the cruel god of this world. And that wish appeared in front of my eyes in its worst form after being matured and forged for 100 days in his ear.
Thanks to that, I came to wish for such a paradoxical wish that I would like to live without dying.
If you say that you regret your wish now and that you want to live even now, how will God react?
Perhaps the world’s work doesn’t go like that, and it’s a law.
I am well aware of that fact.
So instead of making a worthless wish, he raised his sword. And he took his last breath to secure his own future.
Even so, the god was still angry, and through the mouth of the dragon, he shouted harshly at me again.
“Gaaaaa!!!”‘
“Ha…”
I’m already tired of his nagging. I didn’t know if I should listen now, but I wasn’t such a good student in the first place. That’s why I took out a drug called stimulant from my bosom and inserted it into my thigh without hesitation.
Then, his eyesight squirmed and his senses all over his body began to radiate.
“Gagging…!”
No, not to the extent of luminescence. As if the heart had been pulled out of the body, all the skin pulsed, the sight and hearing doubled, and I began to feel things that could not be felt. Could this be the world Saya sees? It’s off topic, but I’ve heard that too.
Of course, there will obviously be limits. I’m not sure how much that would be. Maybe going beyond that limit is the final step in this damn class.
But before I even got used to the sensation, the closing prelude started playing. When he came to his senses, the dragon’s paws had already risen high into the sky.
“…!”
I beheld its massive claws with my pulsating vision. And the moment it was thrust down like a mace, Saya’s scream rang out sharply.
“Lope, avoid!”
“…!”
“Gooooo!!!”
The dragon’s huge roar awakened all the senses that had been asleep. And with him, a huge shadow fell over his head.
It was more like another piece of land than a paw. The rushing attack like a tidal wave was massive and even fast. I couldn’t avoid the whole palm of my hand, so I managed to roll myself between his claws.
But at that moment, a huge shockwave shattered the ground and forced my body into the air.
“This crazy…!”
“Ooooo!!!”
Just when I thought I was caught off guard, another front paw approached and crushed the entire space next to my head. It was so crazy that a haze could be seen rising from frictional heat in the air. It was clear that if Saya’s backpack hadn’t pushed my body away, it would have turned into a bloody dough.
“Ugh…!”
“Hiding, Lope!”
While I hit the ground and rolled wildly, Saya jumped on the dragon’s back with Haru on her back. Then, he found the deepest part of his wound and stabbed it with his sword.
“Please stop you scum!”
“Goooh…!”
Saya’s attack stopped him for a moment and straightened his body. He thought for a moment that attacking the wound might have worked.
But that was an illusion. The reason it stopped was to find my figure hidden among the debris. As soon as he found me with his only eye, he went crazy and rushed toward me.
“Gaaaaa!!!”
“No…!”
In the frenzied charge, Saya lost speed and fell, and I hurriedly got up and crawled under the collapsed building. However, he tenaciously followed, destroying everything that got in his way with his body.
Only then did I realize that the dragon’s attention was focused only on me. The anger of a mother who lost her child was so desperate and persistent.
The anger concentrated in one place began to smash everything on the ground with a roar.
“Aaaaa!!!”
“Ugh…!”
It had reached the point where its cries could now be heard like human screams. I tried my best to jump over the debris and twist my body to escape, but it came close, crushing everything in its way with its wings and body. At this rate, it was clear that the ground would all collapse and there would be no escape holes.
I guess I really hate it. It was a fearful obsession, and now even the breathing that was raised with medicine was starting to run short.
But at the same time, it was the same as not being able to see anything but me. Sayaya too. Not even a day. He won’t even care where this place is.
I had to gamble to turn things around. If he just ran away like this, there was a high risk of dying from being crushed by the collapsing debris.
So I had to go to a place where he couldn’t break anything.
…
I thought it was crazy. However, I drew in the remaining breath and filled my body with oxygen.
Then, without hesitation, he threw himself into the sea.
“As…!”
“…!”
Saya urgently called my name, but her ears were already watered and her hearing was eaten by the sea. No matter how much he administered the stimulants, the salty water dug into the wounds all over his body, and a sharp pain pierced his brain. I almost vomited the air I had swallowed in my mouth.
But the problem started now. It would be the worst if the dragon, who was reluctant to the sea, ignored me and headed for Saya. Of course I didn’t think that would be the case. Because the hatred I saw of him couldn’t be erased with just that.
That’s why I clenched my fists without showing any signs of surprise when the heavy body grabbed the seawater and rushed desperately.
“Geuuuuu…!!!”
A roar that could not be suppressed even by the density of the water poured out in an instant and a huge wave rushed in. I felt as if another world was crashing into me on the surface of the water at that overwhelming weight.
“…!”
“Gooooo…!”
Even in the middle of it, he somehow rushed towards me, and I hurriedly twisted my body and pulled myself out between the claws. However, the violent movement in the water brought about an almost gut-wrenching jolt.
“Ugh…!”
“Geuh…!”
And that was the same for him, so a red mist flowed from the scars all over his body. The pressure in the water, the young salt in the sea water, and the low water temperature seemed to have a fatal effect on the dragon.
After all, they were both swimming in the swamp of death. It can’t be said that the situation has turned to my advantage, but the fact that it created an unfavorable environment for the dragon was important.
I swam as hard as I could to nail that fact. Reluctantly, I approached his back and stood on the spot where Saya stabbed her sword earlier.
Then, he stabbed the sword raised there as hard as he could.
“Gooooo…!”
“Sigh…!”
It was a very small wound, but as the pressure and salt water rushed in at the same time, the dragon struggled wildly in pain. However, it wasn’t enough to stick my sword there, I even pushed my forearm into it, somehow fixing my body firmly. Because I was almost at the level of pushing my body into the wound, he couldn’t even get me off and howled incessantly.
The more he did, the more air bubbles leaked out of his mouth. It was to the point where you could see blood vessels forming in the only eyeball due to the lack of oxygen.
“Goohhh!!! Ghhh…!”
“Ugh…!’
But the more he struggled, the more oxygen was drained from my body. In the first place, diving was not my specialty. As the strong waves seeped into my mouth, I felt as if the oxygen was disappearing handful by hand.
So we twisted our guts and struggled to drown each other. He tried to shake me off somehow, and I stuck myself into the wound. The silent fight rose gently as white foam on the surface of the water.
“Guhhhhh…! Ghhhhh…!”
“Huh…”
“Geuuuuu…!”
“Huh…”
“Ugh…”
“…”
My consciousness gradually faded, and the sound of him and mine faded at the same time. I couldn’t tell if my hearing was going away or if it was draining his strength. Even my vision was so deep that I wondered if I was still awake.
However, the sensation at the fingertips was still the same. I could feel the mass of flesh he held in my hand, the blood clots hidden under the hard skin and flesh, so vividly.
Is it because I’m human garbage that I’m particularly sensitive to the sense of hurting others? Even though I was in the water, I could feel the smell of blood vibrating from the tip of my nose. In the hallucinations of the lack of oxygen and narcotic stimulants, I was definitely going crazy.
It seemed that there was only one way for me to check my sense of life. That’s why I impulsively buried my head in his wounds. Then he opened his mouth and bit the flesh inside as hard as he could.
Then, as the sea water pressed down on his body, his body began to soar toward the sky.
“…!!!”
I’m sure my madness didn’t affect it, but it howled in silence as it made its way to the surface. Apparently, there was no oxygen left to survive. In an instant, the time I had endured in the water was colorless, my vision was sucked upwards, and the powerful water pressure pulled my hair.
When the dragon finally soared toward the sky, we opened our mouths and inhaled the cold oxygen at the same time.
“Ha…!”
“Gaaaaa!!!”
However, that joy was short-lived, and he threw his whole body toward the ground with a sad howl. And I was thrown out by the recoil and rolled awkwardly on the ground.
“Ke-heo-eok…! Ug…!”
“Gaaaaa!!!”
“Uuk… Cool…!”
As he inhaled oxygen and exhaled seawater, his lungs, which had been already compressed, tangled, and a painful cough came out. Even so, I crawled to the sword and grabbed the handle. The obsession that I must never stop tugged at my waist.
But then someone’s foot trampled the blade. Then, with a graceful gesture, he tried to snatch the sword from my hand. I instinctively tried to resist, but the scent of forget-me-not that permeated my nose stopped me.
“Get down. Lope.”
“Buy it…!”
Only then did I raise my head and look at Saya’s back. Before she knew it, she was facing the dragon with her sword clutched in both hands. Just like the elf swordsman of the past, Haru and my name were engraved on the tip of her sword that appeared in front of the dragon.
“Geuuuuu…!”
The dragon roared softly as he witnessed the repeated history. However, before he could capture the sight, Saya’s figure disappeared from sight. The guy looked around for a while, then tilted his head toward the sky, unable to hold back the water in his ears.
Saya did not miss the moment and appeared in the air. Then she dug furiously into the still dripping ear canal.
“Gaaaaa!!!”
“Die!!!”
The roar of the enraged elf terribly tore through the dragon’s delicate ears. Although he couldn’t be seen, it was easy to see what was going on inside as the dark red blood swirled and splattered in all directions.
“Gaaaaa!!! Gooooo!!!”
“Die! Die!”
“Gaaaaa!!!”
“Aaaaa!!!”
No matter how much the dragon struggles and shakes her head, Saya burrows back into it, completely shattering her bastard’s hearing. Even I felt her body tremble at that fierce force.
But she couldn’t stay still like this. He couldn’t even take down a Hetzling with just an attack on his ear. So I desperately crawled across the floor looking for a weapon.
Then, one of the magical cannons used by the Anbert family stood out. I’m sure some of the mana returned last night, but it was still a question whether I could really use it.
However, my hand was already holding the magic cannon and inserting the connected wire into my thigh. Then, the blood, not the mana, must have been pulled out, and the knee was broken due to anemia. Even so, I aimed my muzzle at the guy until the end.
“Haha…”
“Gooooo!!!”
“Haa… Ugh…!”
The place he was aiming for was the same as that time. You can only shoot one shot, so you have to aim carefully. When I barely hit the crosshair, his eyes suddenly turned this way.
“Gee!”
“Damn it…!”
He noticed the gaze from this side and lifted his shoulder to cover the limbs of his wings. But at that moment, Saya’s cry broke out and blood spurted from his ear hole.
“Die!!!”
“Gooooo!!!”
“…!”
The boy twisted his head, unable to overcome the pain. I didn’t miss my chance and put my finger on his trigger.
Then, in an instant, he changed his target and fired a bombardment at his ear hole.
“Ugh…!”
“Gaaaaa!!!”
The bombardment that flew fiercely penetrated precisely into the ear canal, completely destroying the inner structure. And at the same time, Saya pierced the other ear hole and soared into the air with yellowish flesh.
“Aaaaa!!!”
“Gaah…!!!”
As if time had stopped, the dragon’s head and Saya’s body floated in the air at the same time. However, that was for a while, and at the same time as Saya landed on the floor, he fell to the floor without even being able to scream. The recoil slowly raised a thick cloud of dust.
…
“Ugh…”
“…”
“Haha…”
Saya let out a rough breath, his entire body soaked in blood. She wanted to run straight to her, but I couldn’t hold her back either. In the end, Saya came to her senses first and then ran towards me.
“Rope…!”
“Buy it…”
In her heart, she wanted to hug her tightly, but her situation was still not over. He was still breathing and we were the ones taking the bigger damage. I asked urgently without taking time to examine the situation.
“How about a day?”
“It’s over there. I put it down…For a while. So…”
Perhaps because of the aftermath of the attack, Saya could not speak properly. When I turned my head, Haru was lying on one side of the floor with the luggage we had brought. I looked over there and struggled to get up.
“Let’s go over there for now. We have to hide before he comes to his senses.”
“Okay…Could it happen, Lope?”
“Yeah… Somehow…”
I did my best to get up from my seat. And slowly approaching the day. In the meantime, a soft cry could be heard from behind.
“Ugh…”
“Shit…”
How much time did it really take? Since the concept of time was broken in the first place, it was impossible to accurately calculate it. That’s why I just looked beyond the horizon with a desperate heart.
But the ship was still nowhere to be seen. No, in fact, the effect of the stimulant was exhausted, so my vision was not perfect.
If it was Saya, would she be able to see the shape of the ship? I turned my head, just in case. Just then, Saya’s voice was heard.
“Rope…”
“Huh.”
“…Look.”
“…What?”
When I asked stupidly, Saya looked at me with tired eyes. And then he repeated that one word again.
“Look behind you… Lope.”
“Geuuuuu…!!!”
At that moment, a man’s howl was heard from behind. When he turned his head, the dragon’s scales were erected in his eyes.
It was as if thousands of spears were pointed into the air. It looked like a life-threatening creature, but it wandered in the air with blurry eyes, probably losing its sense of direction. For a moment, I had hope that he wouldn’t find us.
But his hatred towards me was beyond my imagination. Very slowly, the scales on his body began to vibrate violently.
And, at the same time, it erupted into the air and began to shoot out in all directions.
“…!”
As always, Saya instinctively tried to cover my body. Fortunately, I was faster this time. Thanks to that, Saya’s body headed downward even as they tangled up and fell.
And at that moment, sharp scales pierced my stomach and stabbed Saya in the shoulder.
“Ah…!”
Regardless of his will, his body stiffened and bent. The chest, which had been soaked in pain for a long time, finally burst. At the same time, Saya’s desperate screams broke out.
“No!!!”
“…”
I didn’t even feel the pain this time. I was lying on the floor and looking up at Saya. But even she was moaning in pain as her shoulder was half off.
“Aww…Ah…No…Lope…Lope!!!”
“Ah…”
“Lope please…No…This is…”
“…”
Following Saya’s gaze, she lowered her head to see bright red flesh pouring out from her open wound. I grabbed the wound with my hand before I could figure out what it was. Saya also eagerly pressed down on the area and bit her lip to draw her blood out.
“Ah… Uhh… Lope… No…”
“Buy it…”
“Please…Please no…I’m almost there…”
“I am…”
“Ugh…”
I opened my mouth in pain, trying to say something. But the dragon came to us first.
He somehow managed to come this way even as he stumbled and lost his balance. My hatred and obsession with the individual was finally about to bloom. Saya held on to my scars and just desperately hoped he wouldn’t find us.
But hope wasn’t always on our side. The eyes, which had lost their direction and swung around, eventually turned this way.
“Geuuuuu…!”
“Ah…”
Saya’s desperate voice flowed into my ears. I closed my eyes as I watched the huge teeth slowly approaching.
In the end, the death I had denied until the end was approaching me. Like a loan shark trying to collect an old debt, the shape of the god that finally approached tilted its head at me. It seemed like he was trying to say something.
What are you talking about? Even knowing that I would surely be buried in the dragon’s roar, I moved my ears towards it. Then God also put his lips on my cheek.
These are the words God whispered to me:
…
“Don’t touch your senior, son of a bitch.”
“Uh…?”
And at the same time, deep blue magic exploded and hit the snout.
“Gaaaaa!!!”
“Day!”
“Ha…Damn…I guess I got it right…”
“Huh…!”
As if waking up from a long dream, I took a deep breath and raised my head. Then Haru appeared and was panting wildly with the gauntlet on. The boy smiled triumphantly, then collapsed to the floor.
“Oh my God…A day…!”
“Haa… Mr…”
Saya looked at Haru with an expression that she didn’t know whether to be happy or not. And it was the same for me. How the hell did this guy pick it up? While I was questioning, Saya came to her senses and hurriedly continued her words.
“Are you alright? First of all… Put it down. It’s a dangerous thing for you.”
“This? It doesn’t seem particularly dangerous.”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you see what Lope wrote? Put it down for now…”
“This is not what you used to write.”
“What?”
At that point, Saya and I both expressed doubts at the same time. Then he tilted his head and asked.
“What? Then what the hell…”
“I thought the bird bit me?”
“A bird?”
Only then did Saya slowly raise her head. Then, for the first time since the destruction, the appearance of a flying beast caught my eye. The appearance of a bird flying in the blue sky above the clear sky was something I had never seen before.
However, Saya knew the identity of the bird. So he carefully let the name slip out of his mouth.
“Twilight…”
…
Twilight.
The name I didn’t know until I heard it from Saya. It was the last gift Saya’s father gave for his wife.
The mysterious magical bird said to have come from the land of the elves.
And the existence of that bird meant only one thing to us.
The moment he realized that, a white flash of light flew and hit the dragon’s head.
“Geeeee!!!”
“Ah…!”
A clear exclamation escaped Saya’s mouth along with the dragon’s painful scream. However, the flash didn’t end once and hit the guy’s body again and again. In the endless violence of light, the guy eventually couldn’t stand it and ran towards his back.
“Geeeee!!!”
“Oh my god… Finally…”
“Buy it…”
“Lope. Look over there! Look over there!”
Only then did I helplessly turn my head to see where the flashes were pouring out. At first, I couldn’t see it well because the sunlight was blinding me, but gradually it revealed its shape in my field of vision.
It was a boat
A ship was approaching this way, breaking through the distant horizon.
Slowly but surely, it was coming towards us.
…
The moment I confirmed that fact, I almost lost my mind.
But I couldn’t let go of my consciousness until everything was confirmed. I managed to stay conscious even while vomiting blood. I’ve been running for countless hours so far, but this moment felt like the longest time.
“Lope… It’s a ship. It’s finally here. Lope!”
“…”
“Are you okay Lope? Come to your senses!”
“…”
“Rope…!”
…
I couldn’t even hear it anymore. As I literally wandered between death and death, I turned my gaze toward the moment someone grabbed my head.
A man with pointy ears was standing in the sight he looked at. His face was unrecognizable, but it seemed certain that he was an elf. He hurriedly looked behind him and shouted at someone.
“There’s no time! Move quickly!”
“But yet…”
“You never know when the dragons will come. Come on!”
At that moment, someone flashed my body and listened. I wanted to say that all my intestines would spill out, but my lips didn’t move.
And above all, my mind was clouded. So, for the first time, I was immersed in light, not darkness, and fell into unconsciousness.
“Gooooo…!”
“…”
“Gaaaaa!!!”
“Ah…”
The time spent unconscious was not very long. I slowly opened my eyes at the sound of shouts coming from far away. Then, at the edge of the continent, a dragon howling madly came into sight.
He was still staring at me with bloodshot eyes. His whole body was stained red with blood, and even in the midst of bursting wounds here and there, his anger was clearly conveyed. However, the torn wings could not fly any longer and only vomited regret. The distance was too wide to run now.
Then I raised my hand and touched the floor. Then, the smooth surface of the stomach was transmitted to the fingertips. I barely opened my mouth in the unbelievable reality.
“Should I buy it…?”
“Rope…”
Soon, a faint voice sounded from the side. When I turned around, Saya was looking at me with an expression that looked like she was about to cry. I looked at her eyes and asked helplessly.
“How about a day?”
“I passed out right away and am being treated over there.
“Okay…”
I took a deep breath, not even having time to check the other side. The most important question still remained. I couldn’t get it out, so I held my breath for a long time before opening my mouth again very carefully.
“So we… Are you here?”
“…”
Saya couldn’t answer right away either. However, she soon raised her head and replied with a bright smile.
“Huh.”
“…”
“Come. Lope.”
“…”
I couldn’t open my mouth to the unbelievable reality. Then, as if trying to engrave reality on me, another step began to approach me.
When I glanced around, the man from earlier was walking this way. This time I could see his face clearly, but I kept staring at his pointed ears. He felt my gaze, so he touched his ear once and leaned towards me.
“Welcome aboard Mr. Lope. I’m not familiar with human names yet, so I’ll ask again, but your name is Lope. Is that correct?”
“…Yes.”
“Thank you. I know you’re not busy, but there are a few things I need to check. Could you show me the emblem first?”
“…”
I raised my hand slightly without answering. Then he grabbed my arm and looked at the back of his hand for a long time before giving him a light nod.
“It has been confirmed. Now, I will confirm the most important fact. From now on, this ship will be heading to the land of the elves. At the time you received the emblem, it is assumed that you have already agreed to go there, but we are receiving final confirmation nonetheless. Some people will come and change their minds.”
“…”
“So I’ll ask you again, Mr. Lope. Would you agree to go to the land of the elves?”
“Ha…”
I sighed without answer. Hearing his question, I suddenly felt like I was losing my energy. But he didn’t notice that sign and asked the question again.
“Mr. Lope, do you agree?”
“Under…”
“Mr. Lope?”
“…”
At the persistent question, I turned my head. Then he slowly opened his mouth and let out a word.
“You…”
…
“Why are you guys here so late…?”
