“That is what I call distasteful. Beauty should be preserved forever. It’s a
natural emotion. Vandal.”
Valacirca looked displeased. I couldn’t blame him; Stagnate had spoiled his battle.
“And aren’t you a charmer, Paladin? To have not just one goddess but two come running to your aid! That was virtually unheard of even in the age of the gods.”
Valacirca sent me a sarcastic glare. But more importantly, I got the feeling that some kind of shocking truth had just been revealed to me. Two? Goddesses?
“Does it matter whether I present myself as a god or a goddess? To gods,
gender is mere outward decoration. Right?”
The raven seemed to shrug. Then, stopping on my shoulder, it tried to rub its head against my cheek. God’s flame rushed in to obstruct him. A silent face-off was underway near my shoulder.
“Hahaha. No need to get so angry, Gracefeel. I am offering to lend you a
hand. Surely I can be allowed one or two perks. Hm? Judging by your reaction, you want to know ‘why now.’ You know, I had planned to stay out
of this. But after seeing such a rousing battle, I feel I will regret not offering any support.”
“You would stick your beak into my battle for that? You hero-crazy hedonist.”
Valacirca spat the words at him.
“Precisely! This hero, this meddlesome paladin, is worth going crazy for!”
Stagnate answered loud and bold.
“Now! The battle is far from over! Do you have the will to continue fighting, William G. Maryblood?! Paladin of the flame, my wise and foolish
foe! You once said you would keep to your oath, keep faith in your heart, and keep on fighting until the very instant you fell over dead. Do not tell me those words were false!”
I snorted. I was a total wreck. My arms and legs had been torn off and healed with benediction more times than I could count. My stamina and concentration were both exhausted, and my spear was broken, too. The only reason I was standing was because I had my sword to lean on. Honestly, I was at my limit. I wanted to let my consciousness go, drop everything, and sleep. But even so…
Even so, if Stagnate was going to say that to me, if Gracefeel was going to stay by my side—
“I guess I have no choice.” On wobbly legs, I stood ready for battle and fixed my gaze on the dragon. “Valacirca.”
“What?”
I smiled at him. “Didn’t I tell you I’d be stubborn?”
“Hahahah. Yes, you did. Horribly stubborn. Your stubbornness has even
driven the gods to action. How heroic.”
The dragon grinned.
“Very well. A human is only a dragon’s equal with the full protection and
blessing of a god. And dragons exist to reduce those god-praised heroes to ashes!”
Valacirca spread his wings. He was as healthy as ever. I had dealt him several wounds and ripped off several of his scales, but nothing more than that.
“Compassionate goddesses who rule over souls! Graceful maidens
without battle blessings! Tell me! What protection will you provide this hero, and how will you kill me?!”
Defiantly, Valacirca stood tall, as if daring them to try him.
The fact was that neither the god of the flame nor the god of undeath was a god of war. The god of the flame clearly didn’t have that kind of nature, and having actually fought once against the god of undeath, I knew that he — or she
— had essentially no knowledge of the martial arts. Valacirca was right. Both of them were fundamentally merciful gods. Even if the god of undeath gave me her protection as well, I had my doubts whether my blade would ever—
“Hm? I won’t provide him anything.”
The god of undeath said flatly.
“This man is my adversary. He has declared that he will remain as such.
I certainly have no reason to give him a blessing.”
“Oh?”
“However, Valacirca, I suspect you are forgetting… where we are.”
When he heard those words, the dragon’s eyes widened. Of course. How could I forget?! This place was—
“This is the Iron Country! The mountain where brave warriors of fire linger in regret of falling to an army of demons and a foul-dragon!”
An enormous burst of power exploded from the god of undeath’s Herald- raven. The power spread outward like an invisible wave, reaching all parts of the mountain.
“Now return! Your allies and descendants have come back to you, and with them stands an unmistakable hero! They have returned to defeat the demons, take on the dragon, and reclaim the mountains that are your home!”
I could hear the sound of boots, countless boots.
“Slumbering lost, he is no warrior who would stand by now! I call upon
you to take up the sword of revenge and bury your regrets! Feed the fire of
courage once again!”
I could hear the sound of armor, of axes drumming against shields, of booming voices that shook the ground.
“Warriors of the dwarves!!”
An army of pale blue specters poured out of a great many entrances into the
Great Cavern. The dead dwarven warriors roared, to take back their homeland and take on the dragon once again.
The god of undeath’s Herald-raven flew through the Great Cavern like a guide. War horns blew loudly, signaling the march to the field of battle. I could feel the regular pounding of their war drums in my stomach like a heartbeat. The flames of pale blue souls danced. I could hear hundreds or thousands of people marching in step. The dragon watched this quietly with scrunched-up eyes, perhaps intrigued, or perhaps nostalgic.
As I watched all this, I heard footsteps behind me. There were four sets. “You guys… aren’t undead, are you?” I turned around as I said it. I knew from their aura that they weren’t, but I couldn’t help myself.
“Chill. We’re alive.”
“Yes. See?”
“Close shave, though.”
Menel and Al were there, and so were Reystov and Ghelreis.
“Your solo heroics pulled the dragon’s attention off us.”
“Then, with the blessing of our divine creator — although, the young master was unfamiliar with it, so it took time for us to be healed, of course.”
Now I understood why Al’s blade had become enshrouded in divine fire when he fought that demon. He had gained the protection of Blaze. That meant that just like me — well, perhaps not quite like me, but given time, at least, he could heal his own wounds and stand back up. Me not giving up had meant something. The god of undeath had taken action for me. My allies had once again stood up for me. Knowing that, I could keep on fighting.
“William… Sir William. This is, this is…”
Ghelreis stared at the army before him with a stunned expression. It looked like he couldn’t decide whether to believe what he was seeing.
“They’re going to fight with us for now. They’ll be valuable reinforcements.”
“Ohhh…” Tears rolled down his cheeks.
He had once dreamed of this field of battle and never been able to obtain it, and now he had finally arrived. Just then, I heard more footsteps. These were heavy. Clad in brilliant mithril armor, but with a slim, gentle appearance, the ghost of a single dwarf walked towards us. In his hand, he held a gleaming, golden sword. Ghelreis gasped and dropped to one knee as if on reflex. That gesture told me everything.