Chapter 225: Arpentia (3)
Urkubar sat alone in his seat, quietly tilting his glass.
Ever since that day, he had shut himself inside this shabby inn room, doing nothing but drinking.
In truth, as long as he possessed the body of a Dragon, no matter how much he drank, it was impossible for him to truly become drunk…
Yet he and many of his kin had enjoyed alcohol since ancient times.
From the distant past until now, Urkubar himself had been that way, and so had his daughter—who had long since left this world—who was also called the Summer Essence.
And the one he had handed over to that man without a head…
Airos as well—the kin whose chest had been pierced through and who met his death—had also enjoyed drinking.
“Hmm.”
A small chuckle escaped Urkubar’s lips.
“You are… truly a child with very distinct strengths and weaknesses.”
He suddenly muttered in a low voice.
His gaze, beyond the rim of his glass, was directed at Junongren, who was shoved into the corner of the room, letting out faint groans.
“Since it’s come up, shall I start with your weaknesses?”
He continued speaking as he refilled his empty glass.
The harsh liquid flowing from the mouth of the bottle sloshed as it filled the glass, the sound echoing unusually loudly in the quiet room.
“Ugh….”
Between the sound of pouring liquor, Junongren’s faint groans—like someone suppressing pain—occasionally slipped out.
“You are terribly impatient, unable to properly weigh front and rear before acting, and you have a tendency to run wild. You are also more belligerent than necessary.”
“One day, if you encounter a truly worthy opponent, you will likely suffer greatly. Everyone thought so—everyone but me. You may even end up with a lifelong disability in some part of your body. Or worse… you may lose your life.”
“That is why the first thing you must correct is that temper of yours, burning like fire. If you can fix just that, the power you were born with is by no means lacking. You would surely achieve great things.”
He lifted his glass again and drained it in one gulp.
The sound of his Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed cut through the silence of the room.
“Ah… ngh….”
Junongren, reduced to a battered state, let out a short groan.
Her entire body was drenched in blood, and her clothes were torn in several places, exposing her skin.
Her wrists and ankles were tightly bound by rings emitting a strange light, leaving her helplessly pinned against one corner of the wall.
“Eld… er….”
She forced out the word as if squeezing it from her very lungs.
Gasping heavily, as though struggling to endure the pain, she continued.
“Why… are you… doing… this…?”
“Since I have spoken enough about your weaknesses, shall I now speak of your strengths?”
Ignoring her question as though it did not matter at all, Urkubar continued in the same calm tone.
“Your strength is that, despite your fiery temperament, your powers of observation and judgment are remarkably outstanding.”
He murmured quietly.
“You possessed an ability to grasp situations and pierce through to their essence that surpassed even the other children who had lived far longer. You showed that ability from a young age, so I watched you closely.”
“Even when you recklessly rushed forward without thinking, you would somehow reach the most critical core faster than anyone else.”
“That was also why I appointed you as my subordinate.”
He gave a small nod.
Then he met Junongren’s blood-soaked gaze as she looked up at him.
“If I were to drag things out and scheme… you are the only one in our lineage who would notice it immediately.”
It was exactly as he said.
Over the past few days, Junongren had vaguely sensed that the situation was unfolding strangely.
She had instinctively felt that the original purpose of their mission and the direction Urkubar was leading things were subtly misaligned.
So, in order to gain a clearer understanding, she had tried to communicate with members of their lineage who would have been lurking nearby, approaching them in secret without Urkubar’s knowledge.
And just as she finished all preparations and was about to make contact—
As though he had known everything from the very beginning and had been waiting, Urkubar had appeared before her.
What followed was precisely the scene now before her eyes.
Junongren had not even managed to properly resist before she was unilaterally attacked, beaten to the brink of losing consciousness.
To make matters worse, she had been subjected to a strange magic she had never experienced before, fixed into a human form, and even her mana had been sealed—an utter humiliation.
“Ugh…!”
She tried to move her body somehow, but the solid rings of light did not budge in the slightest.
Nor could she squeeze out even a single drop of mana.
“No matter what you try, you will not break free, so do not waste your strength and simply give up.”
Watching her, Urkubar spoke indifferently.
“It leaves a foul taste in my mouth to make use of a technique forged by that mutt, but at least its effectiveness is certain. Once properly caught in it, even I cannot resist easily.”
“…Ugh.”
Despite his words, Junongren continued to struggle as if trying to escape the restraints.
Watching her, Urkubar added in a low, almost gentle voice.
“Do not worry, child.”
“……”
“Do you truly think I would sincerely try to harm a child of our Lineage? Is it that you cannot trust me so much?”
He nodded as though to reassure her not to worry.
“Once you recover a little of your strength, that damned restraint will soon be undone. And when that happens, you will be able to cast off that weak human form you were forcibly fixed into and return to your original form as you please.”
“……”
Junongren said nothing.
She merely glared at Urkubar while breathing roughly.
Urkubar did not avoid her gaze and continued calmly.
“I will say it once more: I have not the slightest intention of killing or harming you. I merely… wish for you to remain still like this for a short while. Until everything is finished.”
“What… exactly… are you… plotting…?”
At Junongren’s barely forced question, he muttered quietly.
“You already know everything, so why ask anew? Are you perhaps trying to buy time?”
With those words, he slowly rose from his seat.
He carelessly flung aside the liquor bottle and glass, and without the slightest hesitation, his steps turned toward the door.
“First of all….”
He murmured softly.
“I should go meet my foolish granddaughter who ruined a great matter, bewitched by fleeting emotions.”
Behad stood alone before the Library.
“……”
After silently surveying the area around the Library for a moment, he carefully stepped inside.
Ordinarily, the Library would have been as tranquil as ever, but he easily sensed a peculiar tension lingering in the air.
“……You do know that bringing food into the Library is prohibited, don’t you?”
As soon as he entered, an indifferent voice came from inside.
Amaruah, having caught the sharp and stimulating scent of food the moment the door opened, quietly muttered as she lifted her head slightly.
She had been frowning, but the moment she confirmed who had entered, she sprang to her feet.
“Ah, it was you.”
At her unexpectedly enthusiastic welcome, Behad politely bowed his head.
“My apologies. If it is not too much trouble, might you please call Miss Menoruka for a moment?”
Holding several wrapped bundles of food in one hand, he asked carefully.
At the same time, he once more offered Amaruah his apology.
“I am well aware that this is improper, but due to certain circumstances, I have committed this discourtesy.”
At his words, Amaruah answered without the slightest hesitation.
“Of course you may. Certainly. Just wait a moment.”
“Ah, um… if it is all right, would you care for some of this?”
As he offered the food bundle in his hand, Amaruah shook her head.
“It does not look like there is even enough for the two of you. Besides, I have already finished my meal.”
With that, she turned toward the inner corridor, her steps slightly quicker than usual, as though faintly excited.
Tap tap tap tap tap.
Before long, hurried footsteps echoed from beyond the corridor.
But as they drew nearer, they abruptly stopped.
For a moment, the faint sound of hurried breathing—shh, shh—could be heard.
Soon after, with quiet and careful steps, a girl appeared from beyond.
“Um, ah… for what reason have you… summoned this humble one…?”
It was Menoruka.
Seemingly flustered by Behad’s sudden visit, she stammered, trying to hide her flushed cheeks and quickened breath.
At her question, Behad smiled gently and replied.
“The weather is pleasant, so I came to ask whether you might like to step outside and enjoy a cool breeze.”
He added immediately,
“When I feel unwell or downhearted, I often do the same.”
“Ah.”
“……Was it perhaps an unwelcome suggestion?”
“Ah, no…! Yes, of course! Ah, no! What this humble one means is…! I gratefully accept your kindness!”
At Behad’s words, Menoruka smiled brightly like a child and nodded her head up and down so vigorously it almost seemed to make a sound.
“Um, Lady Amaruah….”
“Yes, go on.”
Amaruah nodded.
Still enduring the sharp, pungent scent, she gave a faint smile.
“Th-Thank you very much!”
Menoruka immediately offered her polite farewell and followed behind Behad, unable to hide her excitement as she stepped outside with light, hurried steps.
“……Ah, to be young.”
Watching their retreating figures with a pleased smile for a moment, Amaruah returned to her seat and turned her gaze back to the book she had been reading.
The story had just begun to grow truly interesting.
And shortly after.
Creak—
Once again, the Library door opened.
“……”
This time, there was no smell of food.
Thus, Amaruah paid it little mind and tried to focus on her book.
Yet an inexplicable chill crept down her spine, and she slowly lifted her head.
“……!”
In that instant, Amaruah could not help but doubt her own eyes.
For Behad—who had clearly just left the Library with Menoruka—was standing there again, having opened the door and stepped inside.
But he was alone.
“Excuse me….”
Whether he knew she was startled or not, Behad gave a brief, slightly awkward greeting.
Then, as though speaking to someone he had just met for the first time, he asked in the exact same voice as before,
“If it is not too much trouble, might I meet Miss Menoruka?”