đźź Chapter 81:
🟧 Narrator's POV:
After the battle between the royal palace and the Numbers Gang came to an end, casualties were recorded on both sides. All of the gang's main members were defeated, while among the lesser followers some were injured and others lost their lives.
The same was true on the palace's side—several soldiers were wounded, some were killed, and the palace itself was completely destroyed. Had it not been for the dragons that arrived to assist, the chaos in the capital would never have ended.
Amid the massive crater left by the explosion, Takeru heard Haizen's voice, with Mirai by his side. They quickly descended to inspect what had happened. As they approached, Haizen noticed Elithius standing before Ryo's body.
He did not immediately recognize the corpse, but suspicion crept into his mind. He asked Takeru to confirm it:
"Whose enormous body is this?"
Takeru replied with half-closed eyes,
"It's Ryo's."
Haizen realized his suspicions had been correct, yet he found no words other than disbelief:
"Wait… are you serious?"
"Yes. Before the explosion, he shielded Elithius, Elnar, and me with his body and wings. His form was different—he had become stronger. He was truly a dragon."
"So it seems he managed to protect the two princes until his final breath."
"That's right."
Haizen examined Takeru's condition.
"And you…? Your arm is torn off, and you're covered in bruises. Was Number One really that powerful?"
"Yes. He was incredibly strong. We were no match for him at all, but somehow things still ended in our favor."
Haizen surveyed the area and spotted Khefi's body holding onto Rey's corpse. He asked Takeru,
"Is this Number One?"
"Yes. The one beside him is the traitorous minister. It turns out they were brothers."
"Really?"
"Yes. It's a long story—I'll tell you later."
Mirai moved to treat Elnar's injuries. Once she finished, she turned to Takeru and his severed arm, asking him about the reason the explosion was this limited in scale:
"Number Four told me about the explosion, that it was supposed to engulf the entire capital. But it only destroyed the palace. Was there something that caused that?"
"Yes. I absorbed a large portion of a stone called the Red Ruby. It was the core resource behind the explosion."
"You absorbed it… how?"
"Through my ability. I absorb things to create something else with them. I relied on that absorption."
"Then why didn't the explosion disappear entirely?"
"There wasn't enough space."
"Space? Where do the things you absorb even go?"
"Honestly… even I don't know."
"Alright, let me treat these injuries of yours."
Everyone in the crater then noticed a group of dragons approaching, led by one far larger than the rest. When they arrived, they stood silently before Ryo's body, gazing at it in silence.
Elithius was astonished by the dragons, as he had not known they were coming. The leader of the flock stepped forward—his name was Targoth. He was massive, dark gray in color, with a broad head and short horns curved backward. His yellow eyes were steady, his wings large and heavy like solid plates, and his tail ended in a bony mass used for striking.
His entire appearance suggested a creature designed solely for combat, unlike Ryo's original form. Targoth looked at Elithius and Elnar with eyes that seemed to know much about their kind and said:
"There is nothing to grieve over, boy. Ryo could never endure that form from the beginning. He would have died regardless. Instead, you should take pride in his sacrifice."
Elithius asked who he was and what his connection to Ryo was:
"And who are you? Even if you're a dragon, tell me—what is your relation to Ryo?"
Targoth closed his eyes and introduced himself:
"Well, I suppose I was rude not to do so earlier. My name is Targoth… Ryo's uncle."
Everyone was stunned. Elnar exclaimed aloud,
"You… Ryo's uncle?"
"Yes. Your father and I knew each other more than twenty-five years ago. Ryo's mother left our tribe because of a rapidly spreading disease among us—she didn't want any of us to be infected. At the same time, she was carrying a young dragon. She settled on a small mountain and lived out the rest of her life there, leaving that dragon behind.
"Because she was my sister, I went to check on her—but I was too late. The only ones I found there were a wandering man and a very small dragon."
Elnar finished Targoth's words:
"That small dragon was Ryo… and the wanderer was my father, right?"
"Yes. And imagine this—it was the same place where your father discovered what you call the Vitalis Crystal.
"Ryo was weak as a dragon because the disease had passed on to him as well. I wanted to take him and care for him myself, away from the tribe. But his eyes saw only your father. The first being a dragon sees becomes its parent—so I decided to leave him with him."
At that moment, soldiers arrived led by the First Commander. As soon as the explosion occurred, they had rushed to the scene and finally arrived. The commander descended and ordered his troops to secure the area.
When he reached Targoth, Elithius, and Elnar, he immediately recognized Targoth—unlike Elithius and Elnar:
"Lord Targoth, you truly came to our aid. Thank you."
"We merely fulfilled Ryo's final wish."
The commander did not understand what that meant, but when he saw Ryo's body, he immediately realized it:
"This body… is it Ryo's?"
Elnar answered,
"Yes. He saved us from the explosion with his own body."
The commander felt sorrow at what had happened, yet honored Ryo's sacrifice:
"He gave his life for the kingdom… but his sacrifice was not in vain."
Among everyone present, Targoth waited for King Orik to appear, but he did not. He asked,
"Where is your father? Is he alive after all this?"
No one knew the answer, until Mirai stepped in:
"The king is above. I escorted him out of the palace. He's safe, but unconscious."
Elnar, who had completely forgotten about it, thanked Mirai for saving the king and the retinue:
"Thank you, Miss Mirai. You've done us a great service."
Mirai told them she would lead them to where the king was. The army commander and Elnar went with her.
The dragons carried Ryo's body away with them. Elithius asked where they were taking him, and Targoth replied that they would care for him until conditions in the capital stabilized.
Amid all this, Takeru gazed up at the sky, trying to recall how everything had begun. Haizen looked at him, trying to guess his thoughts:
"Is something on your mind?"
"No… I just didn't expect things to go this far."
"When we first met Ryo, I made it clear that we would withdraw if our lives were in danger. Yet you stayed with him until the very end."
Takeru smiled faintly as he recalled that condition:
"Well… it's not like I really had a chance to withdraw."
"Fair enough. Let's get out of this crater. Everyone else has already gone up."
The two of them left the crater.
The agreement they once shared with Ryo had finally come to an end.