Chapter 158
I knew Kyle would say this soon. He was a righteous hero who would absolutely never lie, so it must be uncomfortable for him that we were deceiving the party.
“Since they’ll find out the truth someday anyway, it would be better for them to hear it directly from you than from someone else.”
I had been trying hard not to think about it, but now that I heard Kyle say something like that with his own mouth, I couldn’t help being bothered.
Someday, they would also find out the truth I hadn’t told them. And in the end, they would come to know that I was the Black Flame Dragon too.
That was why I had to uncover the secret about the mana crystals even sooner. Only then would there be even a slight chance that the hero’s party could forgive me.
“That… I know it, too. Still, thank you for understanding my situation.”
“Don’t thank me, it’s fine.”
Kyle waved his hand as if saying it was fine, then opened his mouth with a serious face.
“No matter what happens, I’ll protect you, but if it looks dangerous, run away. Drink the medicine you received from Caesar and flee as far as you can.”
As if he couldn’t quite stop worrying about me, sincerity was thickly buried in his faintly trembling voice. And at Kyle’s heavy voice that followed, I instantly drew in a sharp breath.
“If something happens to you… I don’t think I’ll be able to bear it.”
Kyle cherished his other companions too, but he had never worried to this extent. Was it because I was that weak, so he was worried?
As of now, even I couldn’t be certain. What kind of feelings made him care for me and cherish me like this. I thought there might be something else beyond the feelings between companions.
I did want to find the answer to that, but more than that, there was the problem right before my eyes.
So it wouldn’t be too late to find out after resolving the matter of the Blood Demon and the ruins of the fallen kingdom.
* * *
Before evening came, the party left the wild dogs’ village behind and headed for the Land of the Dead.
“I’ll guide the way from now on. I know the path well. I’m also the one who cast the barrier magic around the Land of the Dead.”
Perhaps Sal wanted to show that he was capable, because he bragged about something he didn’t have to mention.
“That’s amazing. Did you cast the barrier magic for the villagers?”
Elonen spoke in a friendly way even with Sal, whom he had only just come to know.
“That’s right. Originally, when there was no barrier, many people would go in and meet with disaster.”
“Then do you perhaps know well about the curse that remains in the Land of the Dead?”
In truth, Elonen probably knew the most about curses among us, but he didn’t seem to know much about the curse remaining in that Land of the Dead.
“I don’t know it well, and I only heard it from others. They say that long ago, when this place was the ancient Kingdom of Adrianna, they summoned a guardian spirit in order to protect the sacred relic they had received from the Supreme God.”
This much was a story I had already heard from Sal.
“That guardian spirit began protecting the sacred relic with a good will, but when the ancient kingdom fell, it became corrupted. That’s why it became an evil spirit, and its will became a curse.”
“A good will became a curse?”
Perhaps it was a story he was hearing for the first time, because Elonen looked quite interested. He seemed about ready to write a thesis on guardian spirits and evil spirits soon.
“That’s right. To put it simply, you can think of it as the resolve to protect the sacred relic turning into obsession.”
“So that’s how it is. That’s why it attacks those who trespass into its territory.”
“That’s right. As expected of a priest, your understanding of curses is quick.”
“No, it’s thanks to you explaining it well, Sal.”
Watching the two exchange compliments back and forth, Gerard made a fed-up face from behind. For him, this kind of lip service was no different from poison.
“Then, if we defeat that guardian spirit, will the curse on this land be purified?”
Kyle, who had been listening to the two of them speak, cut in.
“I don’t know that either. That place has been contaminated by evil energy for a very long time, so it may also need to be purified for a very long time. No one knows that.”
Perhaps disappointed by Sal’s uncertain answer, Kyle pouted.
When they first met, Kyle had greeted him warmly, but as soon as he learned that Sal had met me before, he changed his attitude.
He didn’t openly reveal hostility, but it was obvious he was wary of Sal, just like he had been with Derek and Caesar.
However, Sal didn’t care about Kyle and devoted himself to guiding the way.
“The boundary is up ahead. You should start preparing the blessing soon.”
