Chapter 110
Chapter 110: Dragon Slayer and True Love
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: StarveCleric
“‘Dragon Slayer’ Bastlar. Is the Goddess of the Moon crazy? Why would she send this mad dog out?”
The arrival of the Heroic Spirit under the Goddess of the Moon is not a secret. After all, the difference between a Heroic Spirit and a human being is obvious at sight. Not to mention, that person didn’t even intend to conceal his own identity, living in the city as though it is normal. His rate of appearance in the city is surprisingly high.
In the legends of the Order Gods, Heroic Spirits are mighty heroes in history. When their lifespan nears its end and their feats are recognized by the Gods, they could sign a soul contract with a God, becoming the God’s glorious and eternal warrior.
Of course, this is from an optimistic point of view. From what I see, Heroic Spirits are magnificent only in appearance. If one were to throw away all the meaningless praises and poetry, they are actually just a different kind of Undead in the Order Faction, not to mention Undead who signed a contract of eternal slavery. They are unlucky fellows who don’t even have a private life or holidays.
Their most obvious trait of that is that despite possessing a physical body and lust, they are unable to bear offspring. This was decided by the nature of their soul of the dead who has entered the process of reincarnation. This is true no matter how their physical body is changed. Furthermore, if one is just talking about restoring one’s physical body and lust, my Undead Creation techniques are also able to achieve that feat.
On the other hand, reincarnated God Envoys and Angels are able to leave bear offspring because they have been through the complete cycle of reincarnation, thus becoming a living being once more. Un, the truth is that Angels actually originates from humans, similar to how Demons of the Lower Realm are made.
Furthermore, they are beings of fixation just like the Undead. In fact, even the Heroic Spirits, despite possessing a much better name, are beings of fixation. There is no doubt that they were once great heroes of history, but being a great hero doesn’t mean that they are saints devoid of desires. After becoming Heroic Spirits, they still retain a high level of fixation towards the interests of their previous life and their past.
Bastlar’s past can be summarized through his title, ‘Dragon Slayer’.
He is born a noble of the Wood Elves. Back then, the Elf Kingdom was prosperous and he should have had a blissful childhood. However, his happy days didn’t last.
During the era which he lived in, the Dragon race still weren’t as rare as they were today. Just like many bedtime stories, he once had a happy family. However, one day, a Green Dragon passes by his house and casually breathes a Dragon Breath, similar to how some uncivilized fellows spit would do casually by the roadside, though the worst thing that could occur is them meeting with the fining auntie wearing a red armband. Unlike humans, the result of an uncivilized Dragon is Bastlar’s entire family getting annihilated, leaving him behind.
Alright, the rest of the story is quite cliché. Motivated by his past, the orphan slowly grows up and eventually climbs to the pinnacle of the world. However, even after his name tremors the world, he was still unable to find the Green Dragon who killed his parents.
“Since I am unable to find him, I might as well wipe out all of those vile Dragons. This is vengeance, as well as to prevent tragedies like mine from occurring again.”
Without doubt, these are arrogant words from someone afflicted with paranoia. However, when the one who said such arrogant words is an expert who has the ability to carry it out, tragedy strikes on the giant Dragons.
The Dragon race holds deep hatred towards him. He doesn’t limit his targets to just the Green Dragons. In his eyes, these massive creatures are all threats and only a dead Dragon is a good Dragon. Thus, exploiting all means, not questioning the morality of his actions, he doesn’t even spare fledglings and their eggs. In his opinion, anyone who sides with the Dragons deserve to die.
The vengeance of the Dragon race struck, causing him to lose his wife and his friends, plunging him into loneliness once again. This fueled his motivation further and he eventually became the most renowned professional Dragon Slayer in the world.
As someone who is perfectly afflicted with paranoia and a Dragon Slayer hero, his abilities are catered specially against giant Dragons. Be it Dragon Slaying Javelin or Dragon Slaying Sword, he possesses it all. Also, it is recorded that the number of Dragons that fell under his hands number at least four digits and there isn’t a lack of SemiGod Dragons in the mix. Even after he incited the common wrath of the Dragon race and was lynched to death, he successfully dragged down hundreds of Dragons down with him.
“My cute baby, listen obediently to your mummy. If you were to cause a ruckus, ‘Dragon Slayer’ Bastlar will come.”
These words have become the trump card of the Dragon mothers to scare their children. Through their Bloodline Inheritance which passes knowledge down one generation to the other, the fledglings are well-aware of that title and the countless Dragon lives who have fallen under him. Thus, from young, they hold fear to this name.
Even if it is the fearless Little Red, she also had a period when she is lulled to sleep by bedtime stories. Back then, when Bastlar is mentioned, unease and hesitation would appear on her face.
It is to the extent that when the Goddess of Moon Patricia accepted Bastlar as her Heroic Spirit due to her side Concept as a Goddess of Hunters, she is viewed with hostility by the Dragon Tribe. Two wars of Gods even broke out due to their soured relationship.
Judging from solely his strength, there is no problem whatsoever sending Bastlar down into the mortal world. Even if he could only forcibly exert the prowess of a SemiGod through his body as a Heroic Spirit, he still possesses fighting power capable of rivaling with the Nine-headed Dragon Emperor. At the very least, this Heroic Spirit has descended to the mortal world for three times in the past and during which, he was able to kill three powerful giant Dragons while clearing away a few hundred of grown Dragons along the way. In the view of most people, there isn’t a single Dragon he is unable to defeat.
“As an outstanding Hunter, the first thing one has to do when hunting down a massive target is to study its habits, weakness and personality. These few days, Bastlar may seem to be strolling around leisurely but in fact, he is observing the weakness of his opponent. He is just choosing not to make a move now. When he makes a move, it will definitely result in a merciless and deadly slaughter.”
This is an evaluation from the veteran Hunter Lowens. Indubitably, Bastlar who views hunting Dragons as his raison d’être is an idol-like figure among Hunters like Lowens. These few days, this fugitive (escapee) had been willing to go through the trouble of putting on a mantle and avoiding the sentries and guards in the cities just to look at the hero in his heart from afar.
Of course, his actions of peeping are unable to escape Bastlar’s acute senses. However, what was surprising is that this Dragon Slayer who is reputed to be bloodthirsty is actually quite easy to get along with. He even took the initiative to call Lowens over to chat with him.
When Lowens requested his idol to impart some hunting techniques to him, he even provided him some pointers. When Lowens asked him for the reason, this was how he replied:
“Heh, I can feel the screams of agony of wild beasts on the verge of death from your hands. We both walk the same path, so how could I be stingy with you? It is really a pity that you aren’t an Elf Ranger and you don’t use a bow, otherwise I would be able to impart you some little tricks on Dragon slaying. The current generation is too weak and there are too few people who actively seek strong preys like you. It is about time for the periodical extermination of those cockroach-like lizards who lay eggs everywhere.”
To speak of slaying Dragons like a periodical clearing of cockroaches, his plain tone made Lowens sense the formidable strength of this Heroic Spirit and his bone-piercing resentment against the Dragon Tribe.
This isn’t the only time the Gentlemen has met with Bastlar.
“It is a pity, lacking just another half more…”
The Dragon Slayer who seems to just be passing by suddenly appears, glances at him plainly and sighs. His actions almost scared Beifeng to death.
The pitiful Dracon Hunter was only strolling around the alleys when he is obstructed by the Heroic Spirit who had caught onto the scent of a Dragon. If it wasn’t for the fact that a large portion of Gods and mortals view Dracons as a DemiHumans rather than the descendants of Dragons, Beifeng would probably have been destroyed at that moment.
“It is such a pity.” This is the evaluation I casually made after I was aware of the incident. The moment I spoke those words, I noticed a wave of head nods in my surroundings…
“However, the Nine-headed Dragon Emperor Hydra is a God Beast. For Patricia to send down the Dragon Slayer who would never show mercy to him, does she intend to start a war with the Queen of Storms?”
There is no doubt about his strength whatsoever. However, I made the same judgement as Darsos and the rest. There is no way Bastlar would show mercy. That is the crux of the problem.
“The moment he strikes, regardless of whether he wins the battle or not, the war would escalate immediately. We must quicken our pace.”
———
To me, every battle and the time after each battle is precious. A real-life battle is the most direct and reliable experimental lab to test out one’s abilities. Even the most powerful and striking Race Talent or battle technique cannot be considered reliable if it has yet to be tested in a practical battle.
Personally, I am used to tallying the gains and loss at the end of a battle and I would write down my acquisitions and reflections on my diary. Of course, of what is written, the most important matter is the most important matter of all is excavating my weaknesses and making up for them.
Although this battle isn’t a long one, our opponents weren’t weak. After all, he is a Saint-rank Necromancer and a moment of carelessness could potentially lead to our deaths… Alright, I admit that my words weren’t really true. The more I find out about that Lich junior of mine, the more I feel that I wouldn’t lose to the other party. Even if I didn’t successfully dismantle him back then, most probably we would have only ended up in a prolonged battle. In the end, the ones who would emerge victorious would still be us, the team who are weaker in terms of absolute strength.
It seems contradictory for the ones with weaker absolute strength to emerge victorious? Actually, this isn’t contradictory at all. Carlohin’s lack of battle experience only plays a small part in it. His soul which is corrupted and twisted right down to the core is the main culprit for the reason why he is unable to emerge victorious.
“Soul World? This Soul World you speak of sounds incredible. What does it do?”
As a Necromancer who specialises in Death-related offensive Magic, Carlohin’s Soul Imprint augments the effects of the Death Magic. There is nothing really unique about it. On the other hand, I heard that his Soul World is the rare type which doesn’t just boost one’s stats. Hearing that news, I was astonished.
Most of the Soul World of Saint-rank Mages consists just of a simple modification of their surroundings to create an environment suitable for them to exert their full strength. For example, a Fire Mage would be able to warp his surroundings into the Fire Elemental Dimension. Although it boosts the might of Fire Magic significantly, controlling it burns a lot of energy, making it highly inefficient.
A normal Soul World is often used in battles involving large armies or to assist a few Mages of the same attribute in a fight. By stacking the bonus attributes on top of one another, if they are able to turn a land of ice into a blizzard, that would be extremely scary.
On the other hand, unorthodox Soul Worlds tend to be based on a person’s experiences and is a protrusion of their soul. Although there may be a great disparity in terms of their might, given that the person is able to change the world solely on their soul alone, this would prove that the person’s will and fixation far surpasses the norm. Not to mention, this kind of Soul World is hard to guard against and hard to deal with. Possessing a unique Soul World tend to be the exclusive right of powerful experts and serves as a symbol of their status.
Hearing that Carlohin actually has a Soul World known as ‘Real World’, my curiosity was piqued. I raised my personal evaluation of my junior in my mind, which has reached rock bottom.
“I didn’t expect that you would still have some aces on you. What is the effect of your Soul World? Why didn’t you use it back then?”
“Hehe, it actually isn’t that good. It is just a little obsession of mine. It works like this…”
After hearing Carlohin’s explanations, my evaluation of him lowers once more. This time, it isn’t just rock bottom anymore, but underground level. Harloys, after listening to his words beside me, emphasizes once again for him to not claim that she is his mentor.
The reason? His Soul World really makes one at a loss of words.
“An AOE gender change? What meaning is there to it! Can you be more normal? For example, plotting a coup d’état or starting an Undead Calamity. If you were slightly more normal, you would have long overthrown your elder brother!”
“But this is the deepest desire in my heart, and Soul Worlds are the physical manifestation of one’s hopes and desires, right?”
Alright, although Carlohin’s said this with a tearful face and the tone of his voice lacks of confidence, his interpretation of a Soul World isn’t wrong. The next moment, as though recalling something, a gleeful tone appears in Carlohin’s voice.
“Also, I have used this Soul World twice and successfully defeated a few extremely troublesome opponents. Of them, one of them is a Myth-rank expert!”
Hearing this, I am a little speechless. Indeed, not every man is able to remain calm when they find two additional lumps of meat on their chests and the disappearance of their vitals. Having one’s thoughts wander in the middle of a tense battle is suicidal. However, for an expert to die due to their attention being focused on their nether regions is also a little too embarrassing.
I shiver at the thought of what would have happened if he had suddenly activated this Soul World of his in the midst of the battle then,
“Definitely by no means should you use this Soul World! Right, do not tell anyone about this Soul World as well, especially Krose.”
I can’t imagine what would happen if Krose were to know about his Soul World.
“You mean that female Elf Druid? Is she my comrade? That’s great, I’ve been wanting to find someone to exchange thoughts with. I… Alright, Lord, stop staring at me like this. I will do as you say.”
However, there are some things that cannot be avoided. What that would come would eventually come. The day which Carlohin would meet the Gentlemen eventually came. Furthermore, sparks flew about the moment they met.
“The reason why you still like grown men is because you have yet to meet a shota which you truly love. Age? That is never a problem!” A certain Gray Elf said.
“The reason why you still like females is because you have yet to meet a male you truly love. Gender? That is never a problem!” A certain Lich said.
“The reason why you still like humans is because you have yet to meet a life form which you truly love. Species? That is never a problem!” A certain… certain person who everyone knows said.
Three hands grasp each other and a bizarre resonance occur between the three. A friendship exclusive to Gentlemen is being built swiftly, a relationship of transparency and mutual understanding. Friendships between Gentlemen are always forged that quickly.
“Comrades.”
“Brothers!”
“Sisters!”
The Gray Elf and Lich stare at each other in mutual understanding before eventually bowing in submission to the third person.
“Big Brother Beifeng!”, “Boss Dracon!”
Yes, if there is a unit of measurement for Gentlemanliness, then the unit would surely be Beifeng units. This clearly displays the noble and esteemed position Beifeng possesses in the road of the Gentlemen.
“All of us are comrades who see past facades and dedicate our soul into pursuing ‘true love’. There is no need for formalities. My path isn’t a lonesome one! From now on, let’s address each other as siblings. Even if the world is unable to comprehend our pursuit for true love, as least we still have one another. My little brother and sisters, don’t you all think so as well?”
“Great! I am 67 this year, so I’ll be the 2nd Sister.”
“Although I am 235, I am content with being the 3rd Sister.”
Alright, I won’t retort on why there are two younger sisters here and how the oldest Momo would turn out to be the 3rd Sister. Apparently, the way they determine their seniority of their sworn siblinghood isn’t by age but by the level of their Gentlemanliness.
When three pairs of hands grasp each other, when a certain Dracon became the elder sibling of the three and their relationship were being established swiftly, when the True Love Three Siblings were born, the other people in the room found themselves blinded by the sight.
“I can’t take it anymore! My eyes!”
Someone rolls on the floor, clutching onto their eyes.
“Don’t stop me, let me destroy her! The glory of Sulfur Mountain City’s Town Security cannot be ruined in her hands. For someone who catches pervert to turn into a pervert, for someone hunting mummies to turn into a mummy, this is too shameful.”
Someone draws their sword in rage.
“Big Brother, I will try my best. Someday, I will also find my true love!”
Someone feels moved and impassioned by their sworn siblinghood.
“If my true love lies with the dead, can I…”
Someone, even though she didn’t join in due to her pride, upon watching such a sight, she feels a surge of momentum…
“Stop it right there. I have had enough of all these damn Gentlemen. If you dare to join their gang, causing the proliferation of the ‘True Love Siblings’, I will really make a move.”
Someone intends to use force to stop the Beifeng virus from spreading.
“That, can true love be with one’s blood kin as well? That’s not right, I remember that two people can only be considered as blood kin if they are within three generations of one another. We are one generation, two generation, three generation… Our clan’s genealogy book has been lost. Anyway, it has been many generations between us so there are no obstacles at all. Heehee.”
Someone is chuckling in happiness secretly.
“To be laughing so foolishly over nothing and even starting to count with her fingers. It looks like under the influence of Roland, Reyne’s etiquette has crumbled completely. She is also becoming more and more insane. This is unbefitting for a princess of a country. Looks like I will have to conduct remedial lessons for her after we return.”
Someone is worried for the princess whose behavior is growing stranger by the day.
As for me, I am deeply regretting my action of realizing my promise so quickly. My creation of Carlohin’s body resulted in the formation of the True Love Siblings. Un, perhaps should I call him Rosemary (The name he came up with) now.
When I received Darsos’s invitation letter for the enthronement ceremony, which he sent with malicious intent, I immediately started working on the creation of Rosemary’s physical body without second thoughts. In this beautiful female body, it contains the overwhelming vile intentions of mine.
Her face is modelled after the Queen Victoria, who has tested and verified in ‘history’. Also, I added in a few aspects of Krose and many other people’s androgynous beauty. On top of that, the body had the sexiness of a mature woman to the point that the seductive curvature seems slightly unnatural. Rosemary is also well-versed and educated in the mannerisms of females. Without doubt, this is a masterpiece. Furthermore, it is catered specially towards a certain person’s interests.
At the very least, when Rosemary made an appearance, the fellows from the East Mist Royal Knight Order were enchanted. The young Knights of the Auland’s White Wolf Guards almost threw aside their treasured swords. Judging from how men were staring fixedly at Rosemary with an impassioned gaze, it seems that my workmanship is still up to standard.
What about me? Just like how you make a puppet using mud bit by bit, how can I be attracted to a human-shaped puppet that I made by patching flesh together?
At this moment, I am in a carriage, sitting on the opposite end of the supreme beauty as I spitefully thought of the shocked expression that would appear on Darsos’s face to vent the frustration I accumulated from having to put on a skirt once more.
“Wait, stop for a moment.”
Looking at the time, we were still early. I am a bit curious about the sight around us so under my request, the Auland Empire’s reception carriage slows down its speed.
By the side, I see a group of paupers along the street begging for alms. They are staring intently at our carriage, which carries the insignia of the Auland Royalty. I can feel a bone-piercing resentment under their expressionless look of calmness.
“Those? They are only some peasants from the Pier District. Princess, there’s nothing much to see here. During the enthronement ceremony, the world’s top-class musical team and circus…”
I nod my head subconsciously. I pull down the blinds of the carriage and allow the carriage to proceed on with its previous pace.
Along the road, we have met four to five gatherings of such refugees who were affected by the disaster. As the stalemate with the Seafolk drags on, more and more refugees will appear. Most probably, the Auland nobles who are busy with the enthronement ceremony are just like the uncaring White Wolf Knight, choosing to disregard these unlucky fellows completely.
The carriages who were moving in the opposite direction as us caused a jam. As more and more civilians realize that there is something amiss with the present situation, more and more of them are choosing to escape from the city.
Civilians won’t care about the balance of war or whatsoever. They only know that both their country and their lives are in danger and yet, the nobles and Knights are busy playing around, busying themselves with the enthronement ceremony, neglecting the calls of help from the bottom tier.
This may seem like a small matter at hand, but this clearly shows how tense the current situation is and that internal problems are occurring in Kagersi City. At the very least, the high prestige that the newly-appointed Emperor possesses among his civilians has been mostly lost and this has shaken his foundation as the monarch.
“It is impossible for Darsos not to see it, but he still chooses to not make any actions. It seems like he intends to make use of this enthronement ceremony to throw in all of his stake and gamble a big one. Making such a risky gamble when he doesn’t even have sufficient knowledge of the Seafolk? I don’t hold much confidence in his decision. It looks like we should retreat as soon as possible.”