Chapter 181
“Arghhh? Grrraaahh!”
Suiroti screamed in pain, clutching her own neck with her forepaws.
Black blood was pouring out from the Evil Dragon’s neck.
And at the same time, around Suiroti… countless threads made of a crimson glow suddenly revealed themselves.
And among those threads, some began to gradually fade…….
“A, no! I said no!”
While screaming in agony, Suiroti quickly activated a spell.
Then the threads that had been fading slowly began to regain their clarity, and every single red thread that had appeared vanished once more.
“Hm… should I take a guess? Those threads just now… that, right? Lady Suiroti’s Mental Manipulation Spell. Each of those threads is a medium used to control someone’s mind, isn’t it?”
“…You don’t need to know.”
With those words, Suiroti began casting magic toward the wound on her own neck.
It was obviously a healing spell.
But perhaps she couldn’t activate the spell quickly—its casting speed was extremely slow.
So this time, I didn’t just sit back and watch.
Whooosh―
“Ghhk?!”
I unleashed a fire spell and sent flames straight toward Suiroti’s wound.
The spell she had been casting was interrupted, and Suiroti showed a look of painful frustration.
“…But why does my magic feel… stronger?”
I slowly glanced around at the flames flickering near me.
I had activated the spell the same as usual, yet the raw power was noticeably stronger than before.
At the same time, I felt it clearly.
‘The mana inside me… something’s changed.’
Its amount was slightly higher, but more importantly… the mana felt—how should I put it—cleaner.
In short, it felt like purer mana was flowing inside my body.
And I immediately understood the reason.
“It seems the curse Lady Suiroti placed on my bloodline… has truly disappeared.”
“You white-haired humans… why are you all…….”
“But anyway, there’s something I’m curious about.”
I shifted the topic, quickly checking Suiroti’s condition.
I had landed a proper hit, but it didn’t seem to be fatal.
To finish her off or inflict a truly critical wound, I would probably need to land at least one more blow of similar power.
‘For now… I’ll have to buy a bit more time.’
My original goal had been to stall for time.
And I also needed a moment to prepare my next attack.
“From the looks of it, Lady Suiroti is pouring a lot of strength into supporting Rage’s plan, right? That’s why you can’t fight properly right now, to the point you’re even getting hit by me.”
“…….”
“Rather than playing a support role, wouldn’t it be better if you, Lady Suiroti, stood at the front lines and fought directly…….”
“You think I never tried what you’re thinking? Unfortunately, I already attempted that in the past.”
With a sigh, Suiroti struggled to lift her body.
Black blood was still flowing from her neck.
Perhaps because of that, she looked far weaker than earlier.
“Back then, the Isrinbloom Family supported me. I planned to lead their forces and devour this Empire as it was at the time.”
“But… you failed.”
“Yes. Your ancestor defeated me perfectly.”
Perhaps remembering the humiliation from that time, Suiroti spoke in a slightly heightened tone.
“He found me while I was preparing my plan slowly and ambushed me, leaving a wound I can never forget. My body, and the plan I had for His Lordship—everything collapsed that day.”
“But in exchange… my ancestors were erased from history.”
“It was Bedir’s command, and it was the only revenge I could enact in that situation. But even so… along with that detestable white hair, you’ve come to hinder me just like your ancestors.”
While listening to Suiroti, I quietly checked my own condition.
Aura was usable, and Blood Energy… although I had used quite a bit of blood, I felt I could activate it one more time.
‘I can’t use the Mistcatcher’s weapon skill for a while, and lightning is out too. Then what’s left…….’
I glanced at the faint flames burning around me.
It seemed I didn’t have many options left.
But regardless, I decided to use every bit of strength I had to keep dragging Suiroti’s time and attention.
“What kind of wound did my ancestor inflict on you that made you hate her so much even now?”
“…Yes, that’s a good question. You asked earlier, didn’t you? Why would a dragon like me support Rage? Partially because of what I mentioned before… but mostly because your ancestor weakened me far more than anyone should.”
Whether she truly hated it, Suiroti shouted in a voice filled with fury.
“Your ancestor severed my mana circuit! Because of that, I suffer immense difficulty in using magic—the very purpose of my existence!”
“…And even with that difficulty, you’re still this strong?”
“Yes! In the old days, I could control the minds of thousands while conquering a small country alone! But because of your damn ancestor… I struggle even to control fewer than a hundred humans, and I’m having trouble taking down one human like you!”
…Well, that certainly was a massive weakening.
But if once that powerful Evil Dragon had been reduced to this… my ancestors must have truly been incredible.
“Even after hundreds of years, the wound that human left still remains. Thanks to that, I’m still in a greatly weakened state. Lord Bedir knew this too—that’s why he gave me this role. Not to fight in the front, but to support from behind.”
“Oh dear. Must’ve felt awful. The once-great Evil Dragon reduced to a human’s support role.”
“Humiliating. And you… are you mocking me right now?”
“Yes, I’m glad you realized quickly.”
I flashed a sly grin at Suiroti.
In response, Suiroti tried to rise with a furious roar.
But she soon clutched her wounded neck and lowered herself again.
“Truly… unbearably humiliating. To be weakened like this, suffering at the hands of a single human.”
“You shouldn’t have underestimated me.”
“…Indeed. I repeated the same mistake. Back then too, I underestimated that white-haired human and suffered.”
With those words, Suiroti showed signs of preparing a spell.
I also began readying myself to move.
“But this time, I won’t fall so easily. Even if you have a barrier protecting your mind, that doesn’t mean I have no way. If I move you into my subspace where that barrier weakens…….”
“I’m not planning to go down easily either.”
Whooosh―
Flames surged strongly around me.
At the same time, I charged toward Suiroti once again.
As I ran, I gathered flames onto my blade.
‘Aura, Blood Energy, and Fire Magic. This is the best I’ve got. I’ll end it with this.’
I dashed toward the wound on Suiroti’s neck.
At my sudden movement, Suiroti seemed startled yet immediately began moving as well.
And at that moment, I instinctively felt it.
‘At this speed… it’ll miss.’
I had to move faster.
And to move even faster here… there was only one suitable method.
The Power of Peregrie.
I immediately summoned the wind through the Power of Peregrie.
And I began gathering that wind’s power inside myself.
Jason’s words came to mind.
The story that Peregrie had originally been one of the spirits.
If that story were true, then I could do it as well—just like the Hawkbat Family.
Using the power held by the Spirit of Wind to lighten my body……
‘…Did it work?’
A strange energy I had never felt before seemed to flow through me.
It felt as if the energy of wind was spreading inside me.
In the game, you circulate the power of wind inside your body to lighten yourself……
‘It worked.’
My body became slightly—no.
It was becoming faster and faster.
Because of that, I was able to reach Suiroti just as she was about to soar into the sky.
“Wha?!”
As I suddenly appeared right before her, Suiroti screamed in surprise.
But whether she was surprised or not, I swung my flaming sword toward Suiroti’s wound……
“Me, Memoriviate!”
Right before my blade struck, Suiroti shouted an unfamiliar spell.
In that instant, a powerful light burst out between us.
And my vision went dark.
“…Huh?”
I opened my eyes.
The first thing that entered my sight… was a forest.
So it felt strange.
I was sure that just moments ago, I had been at Benetic Stadium with Suiroti……
“…Hold on. What is this?”
I had just realized it—my body was translucent.
I had never experienced something like this even in the game, so I was bewildered in many ways……
“There’s no need to panic. You didn’t die.”
A familiar voice came from beside me.
I turned my head and saw a small girl.
A rather familiar-looking small girl, at that.
“…Suiroti?”
“Yes, it is I. For some reason, I’ve ended up in this form.”
“Wait. Where is this?”
“In someone’s memory.”
“In… someone’s memory?”
When I made a face showing I had absolutely no idea what that meant, Suiroti sighed and explained.
“My original plan was to drag you into my subspace. In that subspace, the power protecting your mind would likely weaken. I intended to activate this spell there.”
“That spell… the one you shouted earlier… Memorivite? Was it that?”
“It’s Memoriviate. It is the strongest spell among mental attack magic. That’s why I believed this spell could breach your mind.”
Suiroti sighed again as she said this.
“But because you suddenly appeared right in front of me, I panicked and activated the spell instinctively. And since this spell truly is the strongest among mental attack spells… it clashed with the power protecting you far more violently than I expected.”
“So because of that collision, this happened?”
“Yes, your mind and mine were sucked into this memory. Our physical bodies… are probably lying safely on the stadium floor.”
After hearing Suiroti’s explanation, I asked the first question that came to mind.
“So what exactly is Memoriviate? What kind of spell drags us into a memory like this?”
“It’s a spell that traps the target’s mind inside the world of memory. Originally, only you should’ve been dragged in—but for some reason, I got pulled along as well.”
“Then does that mean this scenery is the world inside my memory?”
“…No, it’s not your memory.”
“What?”
As I tilted my head, Suiroti sighed once more.
“That power that was protecting your mind. The one who left that power behind also left their memory inside your soul. When my spell clashed with that power… it seems we fell into the memory that person left behind.”
“Then… Lady Suiroti, do you know who that person is? It looked like you realized something earlier.”
“I tried to tell you earlier, but you immediately attacked, you little… No, wait, why am I answering you so obediently… Hah. Whatever. Attacking each other here won’t do anything anyway.”
After letting out another sigh, Suiroti gestured for me to look around.
“This forest. Don’t you recognize it?”
I looked around.
It definitely felt familiar… ah.
“This place… is it the Protected Zone for Other Races… the Elves’ Forest?”
“Yes. If the person I’m thinking of is correct, this is the land of the Elves.”
“What does that even…….”
As I was speaking, a sudden unfamiliar voice rang out nearby.
“Veron! I told you not to eat my apples without asking! Get over here! You’re getting scolded today!”
“Would you go to her if you were him?”
Passing right in front of me was Veron, the Fairy King—an appearance I knew very well.
And chasing after him was an elf.
A white-haired female elf… with a face oddly similar to mine.