Chapter 560

Whoooooosh!

A desolate wind blew.

Lissinas silently clenched his fists as he gazed upon the ruins before him.

Aron closed her eyes tightly and turned her head away from the tragic scene.

Dragonia.

Since time immemorial, this place had been the domain and sanctuary of the Dragons.

When the Era of Catastrophe began, the invasion of Erebus and Tartarus forced the Dragons out of their homeland.

And after some time, once they drove Tartarus away, they were able to return to Dragonia.

However, the Dragonia they had struggled so hard to reclaim had been thoroughly destroyed by the Demons.

On the land where possibly thousands, if not tens of thousands of years of Dragon history lay dormant, nothing remained but ashes.

Even in the Era of Gods, Dragons were the most powerful of all races.

In particular, Dragons served as the agents of the gods and were also guardians of the earth.

Erebus despises the world and naturally stands in opposition to the gods who manage it.

The Demons born from Erebus cursed the Dragons, the divine agents of the earth, more than any other terrestrial race.

Thus, after the Demons of Tartarus occupied Dragonia, they not only completely destroyed it but also captured the Dragons, torturing and killing them cruelly.

The brutally slain corpses of Dragons were scattered everywhere at the entrance.

bl**d trickled from Lissinas’ lips where he had bitten them hard, and his clenched fist shook.

Dwenno spoke to Lissinas.

“Lissinas, I understand your feelings, but… we should first gather the bodies of our fallen brethren.”

“Right.”

With great difficulty, Lissinas nodded and began collecting the bodies of his kin.

Luna knelt in front of the gathered Dragon corpses with her hands clasped in prayer.

“Great servants of the divine, may you return to nature and rest in peace.”

Whoosh!

The Dragon funeral ceremony involves burning the bodies completely to return them to nature.

Though this task should have been Lissinas’, the immense mental strength required to gather the countless bodies of his kin had already drained him, so Luna took on the role of officiant in his place.

As a candidate for the Elven King, Luna had received the high-level elf education and was well-versed in the funeral rituals of Dragons, who serve as divine agents.

Though usually unconcerned with formalities, Luna now mourned the Dragons with solemn dignity.

Kyle, Dwenno, and Aron stood behind Luna, silently paying their respects towards the burning flames.

Lissinas sat there blankly watching.

After the sun had set and everyone had fallen asleep that night, Lissinas silently sat in the middle of the ruins.

In his hand, he held a small box.

“What’s that?”

“Ahhh…”

Startled by the voice from behind, Lissinas turned around.

“Kyle? Aren’t you sleeping? What are you doing?”

“You’re one to talk. What are you doing here, away from the camp?”

Kyle’s fingers were interspersed with several flasks of liquor, retrieved from the ruins.

“What’s that?”

“It’s alcohol, found in the ruins.”

Kyle pulled the cork from one of the bottles with his teeth.

Pop!

The smell of alcohol spread around.

Kyle took a long drink directly from the bottle, then wiped his mouth and handed it to Lissinas.

“…”

Lissinas, who normally abstained from alcohol on expeditions, took the bottle today.

Glug glug…

“Hm.”

Kyle chuckled at the sight.

“What?”

Kyle wiped the corner of his mouth with his shoulder and said:

“You’re drinking like Luna. I didn’t know you drank like that.”

“Just wanted to drink without thinking. Too bad it’s such expensive alcohol.”

Lissinas handed the bottle back to Kyle.

“Indeed, Dragon-made alcohol is always good.”

Kyle poured the rest of the alcohol down his throat.

As he opened another bottle, he asked:

“So what’s this place?”

“The house I lived in when I was young.”

“I see.”

Kyle picked up a piece of charred leather that had been lying on the ground.

The current state was so chaotic that it was barely recognizable as a homestead, with furniture completely unrecognizable.

But the layout somehow seemed familiar.

“Was this the study?”

“More accurately, my room.”

Though no longer recognizable, this place evoked memories of Lissinas’ study.

Kyle silently took a drink.

Lissinas had a strong attachment to Dragonia, his hometown.

Not just Lissinas – it was a trait of all Dragons.

That was why Lissinas had designed his study to resemble the house in his hometown.

To alleviate the nostalgia even a little.

Most people born before the Age of Catastrophe had lost their hometowns.

But Kyle and Luna were orphans, feeling nothing beyond where they were born.

Dwenno always wanted to see a broader world.

Though he found the extinction of his hometown regrettable and sorrowful, there was no deeper emotion involved.

Even if the world was saved, he had no intention of returning.

But Lissinas was different.

He always talked about how he would certainly return and rebuild his hometown.

He looked truly happy when talking about Dragonia.

That’s why the impact of this devastation must have been tremendous.

Lissinas pulled his knees to his chest.

“I knew it would be like this.”

He buried his face in his knees.

“But seeing it in reality made my emotions uncontrollable.”

Dragonia had been a beautiful place.

The sight of such a beautiful hometown being completely obliterated was enough to shake Lissinas, who had always exaggerated his fortitude as the leader of the extermination team.

“How much longer must we lose before it ends?”

“…”

“Is there really an end?”

Lissinas’ voice trembled.

“If… if we fail, what will we do?”

Kyle responded coldly to the voice tinged with anxiety:

“Don’t show weakness.”

Lissinas’ shoulders trembled.

“You were the one who brought so many people here by proclaiming an unseen hope.”

“…”

“If you show weakness, who will these people rely on?”

“…”

Lissinas bit his lips tightly.

It wasn’t wrong.

‘Kyle is right. I can’t weaken just because of this.’

Many people had lost their hometowns.

They had become accustomed to despair.

If he showed his wavering while claiming to offer hope…

There could be no more irresponsible act.

Raising his head, Lissinas stood up.

“Sorry for showing weakness…”

“Therefore…”

“?”

“I didn’t see any weakness from you today.”

Kyle said while raising the bottle to his lips:

“I won’t tell Aron, Luna, or Dwenno about this.”

Glug glug…

The alcohol flowed endlessly down Kyle’s throat.

“Both Luna and Aron unconsciously rely on you a lot. Seeing this side of you might make them feel they can’t offload their inner burdens anymore.”

Kyle wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Dwenno, that old guy, though different from those two, would try to carry your burden.”

Lissinas stared blankly at Kyle.

“If that happens, the party will falter. Inevitably, for our party to survive, you have to carry the most.”

Kyle stared straight at Lissinas.

“So just show a weak side for one day. I’ll forget everything after getting drunk.”

“… Kyle.”

Lissinas looked at Kyle with shaking eyes.

He then firmly grasped the box he hugged.

“Come here for a moment?”

Lissinas patted the spot next to him.

Sitting next to him, Lissinas leaned on Kyle’s shoulder and said:

“Would you mind one small favor while I’m leaning on you?”

“If it’s something I can do.”

“You can. Remember that promise? About living together in Dragonia after everything ends?”

“Could I forget after learning Dragon etiquette until it became second nature?”

Kyle complained with a grimace while Lissinas laughed.

“Will you help rebuild Dragonia after everything ends?”

“Rebuilding this great city might take a lifetime, even more?”

“This is ‘leaning’ day, remember? And didn’t you say there’d be nothing to do after world peace?”

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

Watching Kyle’s resigned expression, Lissinas laughed and opened the box he had been carrying.

Click!

Inside the box was a fragment about the size of a palm.

Kyle tilted his head as he looked at the fragment that resembled obsidian.

“What’s this?”

“The shell from which I hatched.”

“Ah.”

Kyle looked curious.

Seeing that, Lissinas narrowed his eyes.

“Weren’t you just thinking something rude?”

“So you’re a lizard, huh?”

Kyle’s comment earned him an elbow to the temple from Lissinas.

Rubbing his temple with a grimace, Kyle received the shell fragment from Lissinas.

“Write your name.”

“Why my name?”

“It’s Dragon culture. A kind of contract we make during important promises.”

Lissinas gave a slightly evil smile.

“You said you’d help rebuild Dragonia, right?”

“So now we’re signing a contract?”

“Tsk. Isn’t it your fault for giving a swindler a chance?”

“Hmph.”

Kyle clicked his tongue at Lissinas’ words and engraved his name.

As Lissinas placed the fragment back into the box, he said:

“Now you’re mine.”

“A real labor force treatment.”

“Hmm.”

Lissinas looked around with a somewhat playful smile licking his lips.

“Having you by my side, Dragonia will surely return to its former glory.”

“Right.”

Lissinas beamed at Kyle’s response.

*

“…”

Leo silently gazed at the entrance to Dragonia before him.

Chelsea looked curiously at Leo’s side.

“What’s got you so fixated?”

“A sudden wave of nostalgia.”

Shaking his head with a subtle smile, Leo thought:

This wasn’t the first time he had been to Dragonia in this life.

However, seeing Dragonia’s scenery clearly was a first.

During the first visit, he had met Melina through the Forbidden Treasury and hadn’t seen the exterior at all.

The second visit revealed the entire view from Rodia’s world.

Beyond that, he had only seen the descriptions in documents.

Thus, visiting Dragonia again provided a renewed sense of sentiment.

After that, neither Lissinas nor himself could return to Dragonia.

‘Seems the Dragons of later generations diligently reconstructed Dragonia according to Lissinas’ wishes.’

The appearance of Dragonia’s entrance was largely as Lissinas had described.

‘And speaking of which, is the box where I inscribed my name still buried here somewhere?’

As Leo thought about the fragment of Lissinas’ birthshell where he had written his name, a familiar voice called out from behind.

“You were here first, Black Rabbit!”

Turning around, there stood Arga, her tail wagging with her arms crossed.

By her side stood a bulky Azonian student.

“It’s been a while, Leo.”

“It’s been a while. Dorveman Kalyan.”

The Student Council President of Azonia extended his hand to Leo.

Leo took his hand and said:

“I hear you have an interesting story to tell. About this School Competition.”

Dorveman smirked.

“What does Azonia plan to do?”

“Students of Azonia revere strength. We don’t shy from opportunities to prove our strength. Of course…”

Dorveman’s eyes sparkled.

“…this is under the premise that it’s suitable for showcasing our arrival.”

“That’s nothing to worry about.”

Leo grinned.

“We will prepare a stage worthy of heroes.”

Leo’s crimson eyes glinted eerily.

At the sight, Arga and Chelsea involuntarily shivered.

‘What is this guy scheming again!’