“Altera?! Is the blood… Are you alright?!”
I know well by now that being surprised by a wound like that is much ado about nothing. After all, she’s capable of healing from fairly serious injuries on her own.
Still, it was impossible to stay calm when I saw her bleeding from her eyes, nose, and mouth. The fact that her eyes were bloodshot and swollen as if she were on the verge of death didn’t help either.
“I’m fine, but… water, some water. Is there anything I can use to clean up? I need to wash this off right away… Ah, damn. I can barely see.”
“Well then, you’re not fine! Just wait a moment, I’ll give you a potion, hold on!”
“I’m fine, it’s because of the poison, I’ll be better in a bit. Keuh… phlegm.”
Judging by the blood-tinged phlegm she spat out, she was far from okay. I took out a potion I had kept just in case and handed it to Altera.
Upon receiving it, she muttered that she didn’t need it, yet she bit off the cap and drank the contents, even chewing on the bottle afterward.
For a moment, I wondered how she could eat glass without issue, but recalling a time when I’d seen her devour sand or dirt, I decided not to question it further. Still, if she couldn’t see properly, wasn’t that dangerous?
“What exactly happened to leave you like this…?”
A new weapon developed by the Demon Tribe? Or perhaps while she was away from the battlefield, they devised something specifically targeting Altera?
Though I had many questions, there was no one to answer them.
“Poison… a poison fog. It seems to only affect me. The others inhaled it and were fine. But after I breathed it in, my throat hurt, my eyes burned, my palate stung… I felt dizzy, and my ears are ringing… Now, I just want to clean myself. Please, some water.”
So they’d created a toxic gas too. Was it really right to keep fighting these people? They might unleash gas to wipe out humans if things go wrong.
Whether they haven’t thought of it yet or lack the technical ability, considering everything Altera has told me and what I’ve witnessed firsthand, it seemed they simply chose not to use it.
Taking her hand, I guided her toward the moat. Though she could have easily found her way using vibrations, her specific request for me to lead her there suggested…
“Thanks, Altera.”
…she wanted this, didn’t she? Watching her tail sway gently lent more weight to that suspicion.
“It’s not like I did it to hear compliments.”
Despite her words, the upward curve of her lips made it clear how inept she was at hiding her emotions. Still, the sight of blood streaming from her eyes and mouth was unsettling.
I led her to the moat, where she sat by the water’s edge, removed her armor, twisted the ground to form something like a bathtub, and submerged herself.
Altera, who detested getting wet to the point of avoiding splashes at all costs, willingly immersed herself in water. She was completely submerged, even her crown, yet she playfully splashed with her tail.
Oh. So I thought she merely intended to scoop water with her hands to wash her face or clean the blood off her armor.
I hadn’t expected her to create a makeshift tub and bathe fully. Yuna appeared equally shocked from afar, her eyes wide with surprise.
Only after Akashia commented nearby did Altera avert her gaze from us and retreat into the trench. Judging by Altera’s condition, there might not be much left to salvage among the enemy ranks.
If Altera is this battered, the enemies must have been reduced to red paste.
“Phew, that’s refreshing… Ugh, how long has it been…”
After being fully submerged, Altera emerged briefly, declaring how refreshing it was. Of course, anyone would feel refreshed and invigorated after washing off with cold water post-intense exercise.
Yet, seeing Altera do so was jarringly incongruous. It was akin to seeing a kindergarten teacher smoking or accidentally witnessing your parents in an intimate moment.
“…You said you hate water, didn’t you?”
Attempting to resolve this cognitive dissonance, I cautiously pointed out her supposed aversion to water. She looked at me with less bloodshot eyes than before and smiled as she replied.
“Yeah, I hate it. When I get wet, I lose my abilities and it becomes harder to sense things… Plus, I sink because I’m heavy. That’s why I’ve avoided it until now. If someone were to ambush me while I’m powerless, it would be disastrous. But in front of you… for some reason, I feel like it’s okay to get wet.”
Realizing her statement might sound strange, she hastily corrected herself: “I mean, it feels like it’s okay to get wet!” She added that she didn’t actually hate water itself since she remembered washing with it as a child.
So, it seems she feels comfortable showing vulnerability around me. That made me happy; it meant she trusted me that much.
“Got it. Feel free to get as wet as you want. Clean up now, and I’ll keep watch.”
Watching her handle the trench alone like this makes it hard to believe she single-handedly destroyed it earlier. While Altera splashed me with water, protesting that I shouldn’t tease her, I dodged and got drenched by her tail instead.
“Alright, sorry, sorry. Here, let me clean the armor too.”
Even though she grumbled, she accepted the armor I handed over and meticulously scrubbed it clean. In the process, she scooped water from the moat to drink directly.
Though she seemed fine, it might still be better for her to drink cleaner water. Perhaps I should consider learning water purification magic.
—
“So, basically. Strange creatures with embedded vines blocked your path, then your greatsword suddenly emitted light and tore them apart. While advancing after eliminating them, a mysterious fog toxic only to you appeared, damaging your respiratory system, eyes, and ears. Meanwhile, the demon was connected to some device and managed to escape?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Pfft! You went through dimensional warping and came back empty-handed! It’s funny, but we can’t afford to take it lightly. Anyway, we have good news and bad news. Which do you want first?”
Whichever he says, he’ll likely tell us what he wants to anyway.
Everyone in the room seemed to share this thought, as Myungho, Yuna, and Female Akashi all glared at Akashi with evident dissatisfaction.
“You’re not saying anything. Fine, I’ll decide. Bad news first. If the demon was connected to some kind of device, killing the demon won’t make any difference. If what you said is true, the demon was probably just a fuel tank. Once it runs out, they’ll just swap it out.”
“…Does it really matter? If the demon is just a fuel tank, destroying the device will suffice, right? Altera mentioned it was embedded in his body.”
“That’s the problem. If it’s complex, we might not be able to recreate it easily, but if it’s simple, how will we deal with that?”
“Ahh.”
Hearing Akashi’s words, Myungho’s expression darkened, as did mine. Attempting to lighten the mood, Akashi shrugged and said, “It might not be the case,” but the atmosphere remained grim.
“Why are you taking this so seriously? This isn’t a war where losing means everything falls apart. It’s literally a war to catch fleeing cowards trying to survive. I don’t even know why we’re fighting. Why don’t you just quit here? There’s no reason to destroy your body fighting.”
“We have Mari. We’ll return Mari to Yuna. Also, if they escape, regroup, and invade again later, what will you do?”
“Will you even live that long?”
“Since I’m half-dragon, maybe I’ll live longer.”
“Hmm, that’s true. Well, do as you please. Now, the good news. You said they escaped using some device, right? That device broke after they disappeared, but perhaps we can fix it.”
That was somewhat reassuring to hear amidst everything. Regardless of its destination, it could help us evade bullet storms or other bizarre attacks.
“Are you sure?”
“We’ll find out once we check. Don’t get your hopes up too much. I’m a magician, not an engineer. I only know so much by watching over shoulders… Hmm. To replicate those crows, I’d have to train three of my clones in engineering for a lifetime.”
The mere possibility was enough. Beyond that, discussions about prisoner interrogations and the composition of the gas ensued, but I left since I didn’t think it would help much.
“…I wonder how long I’ll live.”
I’ve never seen half-dragons before. As far as I know, I’m the only one.
Will I live a life with a lifespan similar to ordinary humans?
Or, like dragons, though not eternal, will I live an incredibly long life?
…Either way, I want to be with Myungho.
Is there a way to extend a human’s lifespan?
— …There might be ways.
—
