Chapter 7 - The Burden
How much time had passed?
Drip, drop.
In the wasteland, where it had started raining again, Lilien suddenly opened her eyes.
'Am I... alive?'
Her head ached as she tried to recall her memories, causing Lilien to frown for a moment.
'What happened...'
Looking around, Lilien saw the knights who had fallen in battle, still standing.
They had all turned to ash.
Lilien swallowed dryly and finally remembered the last scene.
Beatrice, who had burned everyone with a curtain of fire, turned back and spared her, telling her to deliver this message:
"We found nothing."
When she, flustered, asked how she was supposed to explain the dead knights, Beatrice gave her a cold stare and told her to figure it out herself.
She also warned her that if they met again, she too would meet her death. It didn't feel like a mere threat but genuine intent, so Lilien could only sigh, belatedly.
'It was an immense difference.'
The progenitor of the Dragonkin was not just a title.
Beatrice was a disaster.
It was not something ordinary humans could overcome.
'What happened to the Hero?'
After the battle, Beatrice had taken Clay and left the flames.
'Was he really a corpse?'
Clay's appearance was too clean to suggest he had been resurrected as an undead from a corpse.
Furthermore, Beatrice treated Clay with considerable care.
It was possible she cherished him even if she had made him undead, but it felt different.
It was as if she was treating a living person.
Whoosh.
She saw embers, not yet extinguished, fluttering in the wind. Lilien slowly stood up.
"Gah, gasp..."
She hadn't burned to death, but Lilien, whose muscles had ruptured from being continuously attacked by Beatrice, could only moan just by trying to walk.
"Damn it."
She managed to move her feet, starting to walk little by little.
Not knowing how much time had passed made her even more anxious.
'Her Majesty must be waiting.'
Because she hadn't returned, Tia might be suffering from intense neuroticism.
Although the outcome wasn't good, at least she had to return to Tia.
'Can I... make it?'
She had regained consciousness, but her body was very weak. She couldn't guarantee how far she could go like this.
'My strength...'
Thud.
She eventually collapsed again. A sandstorm was approaching.
'I have to tell Her Majesty the truth.'
She absolutely had to inform her that Beatrice had taken Clay's corpse. Otherwise, they would spend a lot of time just searching for it.
"...Lilien?"
It was then.
A familiar voice struck Lilien's ears.
"Why are you here?"
Lilien turned her gaze, and her eyes fell upon Nael, the Beastkin warrior.
Her full, drooping tail was slick and shiny from the rain falling from the sky.
"Uh, that is..."
Lilien didn't know whether to tell the truth.
If she said that Beatrice had taken Clay's corpse, how would Nael, a member of the Hero's party, react to this news?
Whether good or bad, Nael's emotions would clearly upset Tia.
"I encountered a powerful magical beast, and this is the result."
If she didn't tell the truth, she couldn't explain her current situation.
Saying she got lost in the wasteland wouldn't fool Nael.
"Magical beast?"
"Yes."
"A magical beast wouldn't be in a place like this."
Nael looked around with a questioning expression.
"Yes, it was a rare magical beast. A giant fire worm that burrowed through the ground."
"Fire worm?"
"Yes. If you walk a little further, you'll see where the fire was. All the knights I brought burned to death."
"Such..."
Nael sighed.
"I wish I had come sooner; I could have helped. I'm sorry."
"No, it's alright. There's no need for you to suffer, Lady Nael."
"Still. But why are the Imperial Knights out here?"
She knew that question would come.
Lilien gave a bitter smile and replied, "We had a report. That a rare magical beast was appearing here."
"What? Something like that happened?"
"It seems magical beasts are still running rampant even after the Demon King's death. Our Imperial Knights are also patrolling to combine our strength."
At those words, Nael clenched her fists.
"The war ended, but the sacrifices haven't?"
"Lady Nael?"
"I don't know what's going on."
Lilien watched Nael quietly and then asked, "But why were you passing through a place like this, Lady Nael?"
"Me?"
Nael, who looked surprised for a moment at Lilien's question, quickly fell silent.
Then she scratched her head and gave an awkward laugh.
"I just had something to retrace."
"Retrace?"
"Just some places I went to in the past came to mind. I wanted to visit them again to see if there were any signs of trouble."
It was a perfectly normal reason.
So much so that it felt like she had prepared it to counter someone.
"Can I help you for now?"
Nael extended her hand to Lilien.
"I'd be grateful if you did."
There was no reason to refuse kindness in this situation.
Following Nael's lead, Lilien leaned onto her back.
"I will definitely repay this favor later."
"It's fine. But if you really want to repay me,"
Crash!
"Would you help me find Clay's corpse?"
In the momentary flash of lightning that illuminated the sky, Nael's face held something Lilien had never seen before.
***
Whoosh.
Above the wasteland.
More precisely, the mid-valley region leaving the wasteland.
A colossal red dragon with outstretched wings soared across the sky.
『It's been a long time since I took this form.』
Beatrice, the progenitor of the Dragonkin.
She was born in human form but her soul was the reincarnation of a dragon, and by realizing this, she finally achieved the fusion of their powers.
『I didn't even do this often when I was in the Demon King's army.』
Hearing her gentle voice, clinging to her back was none other than Clay.
"...Beatrice."
Feeling the fierce winds of the sky, he asked, "Will I be alright?"
Many things were contained in that question.
So much so that even a supreme being like Beatrice couldn't fathom it all.
『You will be.』
That was all she could say.
After that, there was no conversation for a long time.
Beatrice didn't bother to speak to Clay further.
She knew very well that he had slumped, unable to endure his fatigue.
'Where should I go?'
Beatrice recalled several places she knew.
'If it's there...'
A place came to mind where Clay could stay without much trouble and avoid public attention.
'I wonder if you'll like it.'
Beatrice gave a bitter smile and changed direction, flying off.
At that movement, Clay, who had his eyes closed, opened them and asked, "Beatrice."
『Speak.』
"You've decided to help me, haven't you?"
『Becoming this form means I'm willing to be conspicuous while carrying you.』
That meant she would embark on a journey with Clay.
『Clay, what kind of help do you want?』
"I..."
『You said it's a life worth regretting, right? Then how far can you go?』
Clay couldn't easily answer Beatrice's question.
He wanted to do something, anything, recklessly, but he had never lived that way. So he couldn't be sure how far would suit him best.
『You don't need to overthink it. I just want to know the extent of your will. Deciding a destination is important.』
Her wing beats powerfully deflected the wind.
『Wherever your will lies, I will be your two wings. I can promise you that.』
"Okay."
Clay didn't immediately say what he wanted to be or what he wanted to do.
Beatrice didn't ask further about it either.
'I know very well that it's already decided.'
Beatrice recalled the Demon King she had been with in the past.
'When people are betrayed too strongly, they tend to stand on the opposite side.'
She knew that fact better than anyone.
However, the reason she wasn't telling Clay the reality now was because he was experiencing this for the first time.
While his own confusion was escalating, there was nothing good to be gained from further complicated conversations with her.
She had to wait until he came to a clearer conclusion.
Clay was worth it.
'I wonder who will regret it the most.'
There was no such thing as 'absolute' in life.
In that sense, one person killing another inevitably had a corresponding reaction.
And given that the Imperial Knights had been dispatched, Tia, the Empress of Iser, was already starting to waver.
It might have been an act committed under the pretext of the greater good, but she was just a person wearing a crown.
If she couldn't bear the burden, she shouldn't have taken on the greater good.
Even more so when she wasn't sure if it even was the greater good.
『Don't try to bear the responsibility, Clay.』
Beatrice murmured as if singing a lullaby.
『Humans are those who would add their own burden to someone who already carries one.』
Beatrice shifted her gaze forward.
Their destination was already close.
It was time to announce their arrival to Clay.
『Welcome, to the Demon King's Castle.』
Her Dragon Speech opened the tightly shut castle gates.