Tamed Catastrophe (4)
Rumble…
The dark crimson sky growled softly.
Beneath the sky, heated by thunder and fireballs, the air of the snow-capped mountains was chillingly cold.
“Hmm.”
Dalen scratched his chin. He stood in the snowy backyard of a cabin. How did I get here? Was I meditating?
As he trudged through the snow that reached his ankles, Dalen slowly pieced together his memories.
It had been nearly two weeks since the battle with Cheongrin.
The day after Dalen returned from the dragon’s lair, Felber regained consciousness.
They couldn’t return to the main base immediately. Felber’s body was too weakened, and it took time for the power of the familiar to fully integrate.
About a week later, Felber stabilized. Dalen returned to the main base with him.
They crossed the Estra River and, after several days of travel, arrived at the main base just yesterday.
He had been planning to rest for a day before heading to the labyrinth city.
Rumble…
The sound of thunder tickled his ears, pulling Dalen from his thoughts.
Come to think of it, it had been a while since he entered the domain in this manner.
Usually, he observed the domain from a vantage point, as if looking down from above.
When was the last time he wandered the domain in physical form like this?
Crunch.
The cold, soft snow crunched underfoot. Dalen looked up at the mountain peak.
‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never gone up there.’
The cabin on the snowy mountain, the starting point of this life and the game.
Despite visiting it hundreds of times, he had never ventured to the peak, only the base.
It made sense, really.
In the game, it was the starting point of the tutorial, and the path upward was restricted.
After waking up in this world, there was no reason to gamble his life on the steep ridges and cliffs, not knowing what lay ahead.
Perhaps that’s why.
The echoing thunder between the peaks seemed to call out to Dalen.
Crunch. Crunch.
Before he knew it, he was climbing the snow-covered ridge.
A treacherous path untouched by human or animal.
Beyond the rocky ridge and sheer cliffs, snow occasionally slid down with the rumble of thunder.
The snow began to cover his knees. The air grew colder yet carried a strange warmth.
As he neared the summit of one of the mountain peaks, a fierce snowstorm severely limited his visibility.
Even with Dalen’s superhuman senses, he could barely see a few meters ahead.
”…”
Perhaps because it was a world beyond the mind, even his sight, which pierced through mysteries, couldn’t penetrate the blizzard.
The snowflakes brushing his cheeks were mixed with sparks.
Not the usual red and yellow sparks, but an alien, dark crimson glow.
Swish.
Dalen drew his sword and swung it. A whirlwind erupted from his shoulder, forcefully dispersing the blizzard that obscured his view.
Revealing the open vista of the mountain peak.
Dalen squinted slightly, spotting a massive dragon curled up with its tail wrapped around itself in the clearing before the cliff.
A dragon with dark crimson scales.
‘The Adversary of the Dragon God.’
Dalen recognized the dragon’s identity immediately, having encountered it once before.
[…]
The dragon opened its eyes.
Multiple eyelids parted, revealing slit pupils, within which dark crimson flames flickered.
Hiss…
Just the gaze of the dragon vaporized the snow on the mountain peak in an instant.
The clearing revealed its bare rocky surface, which soon cracked, emitting a red glow.
Rumble…
The vibrations spreading from where the dragon sat threatened to collapse the mountain peak, shaking the area violently.
[――――!]
The dragon roared. The sky distorted with its cry.
The entire domain slowly warped under its roar, and a sensation like a tightening heart began to throb.
“Dammit.”
As the master of this domain, Dalen instinctively understood.
That roar was not merely a display of power as a tool, but a declaration of its inherent status from birth.
In other words, if he didn’t let it go, it was a declaration of an immortal’s challenge for the position of the world’s master.
Buzz…
At that moment, the holy sword in Dalen’s grip hummed softly.
It was the first time it had resonated since the battle with the witch.
Sensing a will within, Dalen gently released the holy sword.
Whoosh—Thud!
Without the aid of a flying sword, the holy sword flew on its own, embedding itself in a rock at the dragon’s feet.
Whirr—
Simultaneously, a force field extended, enveloping the dragon’s position.
The dragon’s eyes, which had been burning steadily, turned fierce, and as it exhaled towards the sky.
Boom—
The dark crimson fan-shaped flames collided with the force field from the holy sword, causing a massive explosion, and Dalen’s consciousness drifted away from the domain.
“…len! Dalen!”
Dalen opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the ceiling of the paladin’s quarters.
Next was Lucia’s blonde hair, and at the edge of his vision, crimson flames flickering.
Damn, fire?
Dalen sprang up like a coil. Ashes swirled as he stood.
The room was ablaze, with furniture, walls, floors, and the ceiling all engulfed in flames.
“Damn it, Dalen! The fire! Put it out!”
The dark crimson flames, sprouting everywhere, had nearly consumed all the small items and threatened to swallow the entire room.
Dalen extended his hand.
Mystical power flowed from the dragon’s blood, and all the flames were drawn into his fingertips and extinguished.
”…Phew.”
Lucia finally relaxed her divine tattoos. She wiped the sweat from her brow and spoke.
“God, I thought I was going to burn to death.”
“My apologies.”
“No, it’s my fault for not being more cautious despite the warning.”
Perhaps embarrassed by her earlier outburst, Lucia scratched her nose.
Seeing her slightly flushed face, Dalen couldn’t help but chuckle. He calmly surveyed the room.
Despite quickly extinguishing the fire, the damage was significant.
The wooden furniture was reduced to ashes, and the metal pieces were half-melted and deformed.
The walls and ceiling were left with only soot stains. He shook his head and said,
“It’s a mess. I’ll compensate for the damage.”
“It’s fine. The commander instructed us not to charge you, saying it’s nothing compared to the gift you gave the order.”
A gift? Dalen was momentarily puzzled.
But then he remembered handing over Cheongrin’s corpse to the order and nodded.
Indeed, the corpse of a true dragon would fetch a fortune from the continent’s magic towers.
Under different circumstances, Dalen would have demanded at least a pile of gold as a token of appreciation.
But with the impending doom, the value of the paladin order’s goodwill was immeasurable in gold.
So he had generously handed over the dragon’s corpse to the order.
If it could strengthen the order’s forces, it was a welcome outcome for Dalen.
“The commander was tight-lipped about the power you gained. Now I see why.”
Lucia spoke, nudging the remaining bed leg among the ashes with her foot.
“He said it wasn’t something easily controlled by a human body, but I didn’t expect it to be the power of a dragon.”
“Were you surprised?”
“Not really. After seeing you leash a demon, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were a real dragon.”
Lucia shrugged. Dalen chuckled softly.
Her nonchalant reaction was likely due to the months they had spent together.
What surprised him was how tight-lipped Edgar had been.
He had expected Edgar to at least tell Lucia.
She was a trusted inquisitor of the commander and had spent considerable time with Dalen.
Then, after a few coughs, Lucia spoke.
“Anyway, this isn’t a good place to talk. How about a walk?”
After calling someone to clean the room, Dalen and Lucia strolled along the forest path behind the main base.
The path was quiet and serene. In fact, it was hard to find people anywhere in the main base.
Most of the personnel were engaged in restoring the defense line.
Lucia was only at the main base temporarily, serving as a guide, and would soon return to the rift.
Squeak. Squeak.
Suddenly, the bag wriggled. It was the baby dragon.
He couldn’t leave it alone in the room being cleaned, so he had hidden it in a large backpack.
The young dragon inside the bag squirmed restlessly, clearly uncomfortable in the cramped space. Dalen watched for a moment before giving the bag a gentle pat.
A soft purring sound followed, and the wriggling soon ceased, replaced by a contented rumble.
“What about the key to the rift barrier?” he asked.
“We haven’t found it yet. Despite thoroughly searching the dragon’s lair and the area where you dealt with the dragon, the key’s whereabouts remain a mystery.”
“That’s not good.”
If the dragons didn’t have it, it was likely in the hands of demons or dark gods. And that was a far more troubling prospect than the dragons having it.
But it wasn’t an immediate concern. Dalen scratched his chin thoughtfully. “So, what brings you here?”
His tone was indifferent, and Lucia’s expression briefly betrayed a hint of disappointment before she quickly composed herself.
“I heard you’re leaving soon.”
”…Who told you that?”
His hand paused mid-scratch. He’d only mentioned it to the captain and Felber.
“The captain mentioned it.”
”…”
Dalen reconsidered his opinion of the captain. Not just tight-lipped, but selectively so.
“Why are you leaving already?” Lucia asked, her voice tinged with emotion.
Because it was only a few drops, it felt all the more genuine. Such feelings tend to seep out from where they’re tightly hidden.
“There can’t be two tigers in one forest,” Dalen replied.
Unless, of course, a monstrous bear invades that forest. He added the thought silently.
Lucia frowned slightly at the sudden metaphor. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke again.
“Is it because you’re conscious of being called a dragonslayer?”
“Yes.”
Dalen nodded.
“Having killed the dragon, people will constantly compare me to the captain. Most will side with him, but some might harbor different thoughts.”
Captain Edgar had dealt a critical blow to the dragon, but at the cost of a permanent injury. Meanwhile, Dalen, a mercenary, not only repelled the dragon’s invasion but also took down the traitors and the dragon itself.
In truth, Dalen’s victory was only possible because Edgar had already weakened the dragon. This meant that Edgar, who faced the dragon unscathed, was still stronger than Dalen, even with his awakened dragon blood.
‘But most people won’t think that deeply.’
The public is often fixated on the visible outcome. The captain fought the dragon, and the mercenary beheaded it. A simple, narrow view, but one that sticks in people’s minds.
Especially now, when the Holy Knights are rebuilding and expanding their influence after the rebellion and invasion. In such times, Dalen’s presence was more of a poison than a boon.
”…I understand.”
Lucia seemed to grasp the situation, her eyes reflecting resignation.
“I came to see you today because I have something to give you. Would you like to sit for a moment?”
There was a large rock by the path. Dalen and Lucia sat down, leaving a small space between them.
Lucia opened her backpack and began taking out various items.
“The captain is busy with the fortress restoration, so he asked me to deliver your promised reward.”
The first thing she handed over was a small metal box.
“This is the Silver Ember you requested before the mission. A skilled blacksmith can forge silversteel from a furnace kindled with this ember.”
“Thank you. That completes my payment for this job.”
Dalen stored the metal box in his spatial pocket. The Silver Ember was the last of the three rewards he had requested before entering the rift: a holy tattoo, an axe, and the Silver Ember.
The holy tattoo and hand axe had already proven their worth in the rift. He planned to give the Silver Ember to Lveron Ahakim, a craftsman in the labyrinth city who would one day be known as the Mithril Forger.
“And this is a token of gratitude from the Order for handing over the dragon’s remains.”
Lucia presented a necklace. It was a delicate piece, with a finely crafted sword emblem on a thin silver chain.
“It’s a relic signifying a benefactor of the Order. It also serves as a promise that the Order will grant one request from the bearer, no questions asked.”
“That could be useful.”
“And this is for your travel expenses.”
She handed over a small chest filled with jewels, then closed her bag.
Dalen carefully stored the items in his spatial pocket, wary of the young dragon playing with them and causing trouble.
As he listened to the dragon’s grumbling about losing space, Lucia suddenly stood up from the rock.
“There’s one more thing.”
“What is it?”
Her answer wasn’t in words. Her face moved swiftly toward his, and her lips brushed against his left cheek.
The contact was brief but not fleeting, leaving a soft sound as they parted.
”…”
Dalen looked at her with a calm expression.
Perhaps she hadn’t expected his reaction. Lucia’s face turned a deep shade of red, and she stammered, her head bowed.
“Uh, this is, well… It’s a custom from my hometown. A way to thank a benefactor. You’ve saved my life multiple times, so I wanted to say goodbye in my own way…”
He leaned in and pressed his lips gently against her white forehead. Lucia froze like a statue.
Dalen chuckled softly and stood up.
“Oh…?”
“This is a custom from my hometown. It’s for those embarking on a long journey. It means we’ll meet again.”
Take care. He patted the frozen knight’s shoulder and walked past her.
Crunch. Crunch.
His footsteps faded into the distance, neither hurried nor slow, along the path.
The knight stood there for a long time, then slowly turned her head to follow the sound with her eyes.
She watched the warrior’s retreating figure, alone on the path. His long hair, the holy sword and hand axe at his waist, and the strong back that showed the contours of muscle even through his armor.
Even after that seemingly lonely back disappeared from view, she remained standing in the same spot for a while.