And I Became a Dragonkin - 06

06. Partner

Deep within the cave, near the Sacred Spring of Krem, there was an altar for worship.

Every day, a high-ranking priestess appeared there to pray, taking turns daily. 

During these worship sessions, the priestesses also purified the miasma within the cave using their magic.

However, they couldn’t completely eliminate the miasma emanating from the spring, which was sealed with a protective spell. 

The goal was to keep the miasma’s concentration below a certain level.

The worship time lasted about 30 minutes. 

Including cleaning around the altar, it took about an hour before they returned. 

Additionally, once a month, an elderly man, presumably a priest, along with three high-ranking priestesses, appeared for a ritual prayer.

The elderly priest, Istor, was the highest-ranking priest among the guardians. 

He was 723 years old. Usually, he rarely left the temple, and he only appeared at the Krem Spring once a month.

On this day, in addition to Istor, three high-ranking priestesses named Elil, Lilo, and Amil accompanied him. 

The three priestesses were also guardians.

After the worship, they collected spring water in glass bottles from the edge of the spring.

The guardians, also known as Miral in mountainous regions, were protectors of the mountains, seas, water, and soil. 

They used guardian magic. 

The guardians were descendants of the ancient holy guardians. 

Guardian magic was an advanced electromagnetic technique inherited genetically from holy guardian arts.

Elil activated the guardian magic towards the glass bottle.

The four of them closely watched the changes in the water quality inside the bottle.

While observing the magical reaction in the bottle, Amil spoke softly.

“They holy energy concentration has increased even more than last week.”

“Indeed… The time is finally approaching. It’s unfortunate, but it seems our duties are coming to an end.”

“We couldn’t break this cursed sealing spell until the very end. Dear Father, it’s truly regrettable…”

The priestesses bowed their heads, and Istor looked down as well. 

With expressions of regret, the four talked for another 20 minutes before leaving.

　　　　　　　　＊

Someone was carefully eavesdropping on their conversation and observing them closely.

—It was Ace.

While preparing for his escape, he constantly monitored the situation around the cave. 

He paid special attention to the worshipers appearing at the altar.

“Hey, Ars… I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve been watching the outside since last week… Sometimes, things don’t match up with what you told me.”

“Huh?! Like what?”

Ars responded, clearly taken aback by Ace’s question, given that Ace didn’t know the outside world.

“You said this area was under the control of the Camiloalban Empire, right?”

“Yes, this is imperial territory. What’s the matter?”

“Well, it doesn’t seem to be. I think this place is under the Mikrium Holy Nation.”

“What?! That can’t be possible. Why do you think that?”

There was never a time when the area around Confiol belonged to the Mikrium Holy Nation. 

Also, the Mikrium Holy Nation, one of the oldest countries on the continent, has never invaded other countries.

“There are buildings, including a structure that looks like a cathedral, directly in front of the cave. The words and sentences written there are in Guardian language, and the language used here is also Guardian language.”

The languages commonly used on this planet are not regional but based on the races.

The Dragonkin use Dragonkin language and Guardian language. 

Beastmen use Beastmen language, but many of them can also speak Guardian language out of necessity. 

Humans use three regional languages, with the majority in the eastern part of the continent also speaking Guardian language. 

However, the Keiron use Keiron language.

In the eastern part of the continent, Guardian language is the de facto official language.

Ace had learned three languages: Dragonkin language, Guardian language, and Beastmen language. 

He could also speak some human languages. 

He didn’t learn this from Ars directly but from his memories.

His knowledge didn’t come from Ars’s language skills but from learning from his brain (memory).

Ars thought for a while.

Ars, now focused on a single thought, was no different from a human.

“If this is imperial territory, Guardian language wouldn’t be used here. Something must have happened. The Mikrium Holy Nation is a neighboring country and a neutral one. Hmm… I can’t imagine them invading another country… Do you have any other information?”

“My clairvoyance has its limits, but the priestesses and the old man who come here daily for worship also speak Guardian language.”

He was referring to the priestesses and the priest who always came to the cave for worship.

“Guardians come here every day?”

“Yes, and since last week, a priest named Istor has also been coming.”

“Istor…? Hey… can you show me an image of Istor’s face?”

“My clairvoyance isn’t perfect yet, so it might be blurry.”

Ace conveyed this and then sent an image of Istor he obtained through clairvoyance. 

Ars’s thoughts suddenly became excited upon seeing it.

“This is… an unexpected development. Hey, Ace! I know this guy!”

“You know him?”

“Yes, I helped him a long time ago. He’s a high-ranking priest of the Mikrium Holy Nation.”

“So, this place is definitely the Mikrium Holy Nation, right?”

“Yes, that seems almost certain. If that’s the case, the chance of being attacked immediately after leaving here is almost nil.”

After that, Ars kept repeating “Hmm?” and “I see” to himself.

After a while, he said, “I’ve got a great idea,” and started discussing it with Ace.

When their discussion ended, Ars fell silent for a bit. 

Then, suddenly, he made an unexpected proposal to Ace.

“My work here is done. Ace, I think it’s time for me to disappear from this place. You have been the best friend I’ve ever had in my entire life. In the end, I had a lot of fun. Thank you! From now on, live well and enjoy your life! That’s my wish.”

Hearing this, Ace was at a loss for words.

“Ars…”

“You don’t need to say anything. Now you should be able to let me go easily. I only have about 5% of my strength left, but you can use that too!”

Ars had grown weaker from his final task with Ace, with more than 95% of his power already transferred to Ace’s soul. 

As his power weakened, the sealing spell’s effect intensified, eroding Ars’s spirit. 

Once Ars’s remaining power vanished, the seal would be completely broken.

“Send me off now!”

Ars’s voice echoed within Ace. But then─

“Hey, Ars.”

“What is it? You’re so insensitive! Just send me off quickly. I’ve made up my mind.”

Ars felt like his determination had been dampened.

“Less than 5% of your mental presence remains in my brain… How long can you maintain your thinking ability in this state?”

“Why are you asking that now? If I stay here, I have about a year left.”

“What if you went outside?”

“What!? What are you talking about? The seal won’t break unless I disappear. Even if I go outside, I’d naturally fade away in about twenty years.”

Ace fell silent, and there was no response for a few minutes.

“Hey… Ace!?”

“Sorry… I was just thinking about a lot of things.”

Ace, with his multiple thought processes, had been deep in thought for a while.

“Send me off quickly!”

“No, Ars, if you can still think, why not stay with me for a while longer?”

“What are you talking about!? If I stay, you can’t leave. Waiting for me to naturally disappear is just a waste of time.”

“Well, actually, I think I might be able to break the seal on my own…”

Hearing this, Ars’s presence briefly faded.

After about five seconds, Ars’s voice finally returned.

“What?! You can break this seal on your own?”

“Yeah, I analyzed the nature of the sealing spell and figured out how to break it.”

“Analyzed…? You… This is the highest-level sealing spell, supposedly unbreakable. You can really break it?”

“I told you, it’s no problem. So, why don’t you stay with me until you naturally fade away?”

“Really…? But wouldn’t I be a bother?”

“No, not at all… It’d be nice to have you around. You’d like to see the outside world again, right?”

Ars, now thinking about the possibility of going outside, felt confused. 

He hadn’t considered this possibility and was now overwhelmed by the idea of seeing the outside world again.

“But I don’t have any power left to help you.”

“Even so, you still know more about the outside world than I do. It’s been two centuries since you’ve seen it; wouldn’t it be nice to see it again, even from inside my mind?”

Ars had been sealed here for two centuries. 

He certainly wanted to see the outside world again.

With that, Ace and Ars concluded their discussion. 

Ars agreed to the proposal, and they decided to go outside together. 

They began preparing for their departure.

Finally, the time had come for Ace to leave the depths of the spring.