Chapter 274: The Right Path (1)

Asana was being held in a corner of the supply base that the Anti-Imperial Alliance had set up near the Empire’s border.

It wasn’t a pleasant situation, but thanks to the privileges Yuri had granted her, she could pass the time without too much discomfort.

‘Asana. Escape.’

While she sat in her cell, staring idly through the bars, the voice of the God of Assassination echoed in her mind.

‘You must not stay here.’

This being, which resided within her and granted her a strange power, rarely spoke in a weak tone. However, whenever the topic was related to black magic, it insisted she should run away.

Asana confronted it.

“You’re starting again. What is it that you know?”

‘You have to escape.’

“I’m asking you what you know.”

‘That’s not what’s important!’

“Yes, it is.”

Hearing her voice, the guard outside peeked through the door’s gap.

Seeing her talking to herself with the God of Assassination, the man showed an expression of pity.

“Tch, tch…”

He clicked his tongue and shut the door again. Asana felt unfairly judged.

“Because of you, they think I’m crazy.”

‘Does that matter? You really are carefree.’

The God of Assassination sounded annoyed.

‘Asana.’

“Mm?”

‘I’m serious—you need to leave.’

“Where to?”

‘Anywhere.’

It stayed silent for a moment before continuing.

‘Yes… as far away as possible. Better yet, go East. And if you can, even farther than the East.’

“Why?”

‘The door is opening.’

“Door?”

‘Yes.’

“What door?”

‘Damn it…’

Since Yuri had discovered her betrayal, Asana had become strangely calm, as if she had given up on everything.

‘If you stay here, your life will be in danger.’

“Then there’s nothing to do.”

‘Asana!’

The God of Assassination was speaking seriously, but she only leaned back against the wall, swinging her feet.

‘The door to outer space is opening.’

“And what’s that?”

‘It means that a being humans cannot handle will come.’

“Oh, really?”

Asana tapped her chest with her fingers.

“And how do you know that?”

‘I can feel it.’

“And how can you feel it?”

‘I…’

The God of Assassination sighed. As a being that parasitized a human, it was trying to convince its host by any means.

Finally, it revealed a truth it had kept hidden.

‘Because I myself am a being from outer space.’

At its words, Asana tilted her head.

“You never told me that.”

‘Because I had forgotten. But that lunatic who uses black magic has caused the door to open, and that woke up my memories. I was forcibly summoned from outer space by an ancient being. But when I crossed that door, I lost my memories and powers.’

“And back there, you were strong?”

‘Stronger than now, yes, but even there I was an insignificant being.’

“Is that place so terrible?”

‘It’s something humans cannot understand.’

“Try.”

‘It’s impossible to explain. It’s a place where indescribable things wander eternally in the void. That’s all I can say.’

“I see.”

Asana nodded.

“So, a being from outer space is coming, and that’s why you want me to run away.”

‘Exactly.’

“I don’t want to.”

‘Haa…’

The God of Assassination sighed again.

Like an older brother scolding a stubborn little sister, it began speaking non-stop.

‘I understand you’re not in your right mind now because of that heartbreak, but it’s something everyone goes through. That Yuri fellow gives me a bad feeling; he’s a man with hidden plans. Change your perspective—it’s not the end, it’s a new beginning. Fall in love with someone else, it’ll be better. And besides…’

Asana laughed.

“Are you stupid?”

‘What?’

“That’s not why.”

‘Then you don’t believe what I say?’

“I do believe it.”

‘Then why are you still here? These chains aren’t…’

“Because I also believe in His Highness Yuri.”

‘What?’

“No matter if that outer space door opens—he’ll solve it. There’s no need to run away.”

‘Tssk!’

The God of Assassination stirred inside her, forcing her to put a hand over her chest.

Though it couldn’t harm her directly, it could cause an annoying pain in her heart.

Asana tapped her chest.

“Stop.”

‘It’s out of frustration, you fool. Which part of ‘a being from outer space can’t be handled by humans’ did you not understand?’

“Well, I handle you.”

‘I’m a nobody!’

“Oh, really?”

‘The one waiting on the other side of the door is a colossal being, incomparable to me. That black mage is completely insane for trying to touch it!’

“Calm down, you’re giving me a headache.”

‘This is no time to be calm!’

The God of Assassination kept shouting, and Asana held her head. Its voice echoed inside her mind.

She tapped her temple.

“I get it already, shut up, shut up…”

“Do you hear voices?”

“Shut u—”

At that moment, Asana looked up in surprise. Only then did she realize someone had spoken to her naturally.

In front of her, outside her field of view, was a beautiful woman with loose red hair.

Asana pointed at her.

“You are…?”

“I’ll give you silence.”

“Huh?”

The woman’s full lips moved.

Power of the Voice of Authority — Silence.

Then, all sound vanished.

The shouts of the God of Assassination, the noise of the camp outside, even the rustle of her own clothes as she moved—everything was gone.

It was as if the entire world had gone mute.

In that absolute silence, only the stranger’s voice seeped through softly.

“My name is Cruar. If you don’t remember it, I’ll be hurt.”

Asana tilted her head. She had heard it before. It was one of the Ten Greats and the last dragon who had ties with His Highness Yuri.

She didn’t know she could transform into human form.

Asana asked.

“Have you come for me?”

“That’s right. To be exact, I’d say it’s for that noisy one you have inside…”

Cruar leaned in. Her sculpted face bore no trace of humanity.

When they were close enough to feel each other’s breath, Asana could see in her pupils the reptilian texture they held.

She was a being in human shape, but not human. Cruar’s eyes seemed to completely probe her inside.

“That… is a being from outside?”

Asana answered blankly.

“I don’t really know either, but he said he came from outer space.”

“I’d like to give that fellow the honor of meeting the great dragon Cruar in person. If he refuses, I might get annoyed…”

“It’s impossible.”

Asana shook her head.

“All he can do is parasitize inside someone else.”

“Hmm… perhaps this Cruar has made the trip in vain…”

Cruar sighed and asked Asana:

“Human, do you belong to Briol?”

“Yes. Seeing it that way…”

Even as a prisoner, she was in a Briol cell, so she could put it like that.

Cruar spoke.

“If you tell me where Yuri Briol is, I might reward you…”

“Yuri Briol?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“Why are you asking?”

“I want to let him know something, but I can’t go.”

“Why can’t you go?”

“Do humans not know of the pact between the great dragon Cruar and the Emperor…?”

“I know you made a promise, but not its content.”

“As a dragon, which is a sacred race that keeps its promises, I cannot enter imperial territory with intent to cause harm. There should still be about a hundred years before it ends…”

“Huh?”

Asana tilted her head.

In the current situation, with the continent in crisis, she thought a pact like that could be ignored. But Cruar seemed genuinely bound by it.

Cruar crossed her arms and let out a deep sigh.

“Sometimes my noble lineage ties my hands…”

“Is it something urgent?”

“Yes. Perhaps the fate of the continent is at stake…”

“…”

“If this were a play, the appearance of the great dragon Cruar would be the most important climax scene. But what can I do…? If someone could convey it for me, that would be good. Honestly, it’s a dilemma…”

With the God of Assassination silent, Asana was clearer-headed than ever. That’s why she could decide without difficulty.

“Then I’ll tell him.”

Cruar raised an eyebrow.

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

Asana stood naturally. The restraints holding her came loose completely. None of that could hold someone who was the host of the God of Assassination.

Yuri must have known it too. Even so, he had not taken stricter measures against Asana.

Though he had spoken coldly to her, she had felt the warmth hidden in his words.

“I think the time has come to repay His Highness Yuri. Lady Cruar.”

“Are you close to him?”

“Yes. We were very close.”

“Perhaps your coming here, following the one inside you, was a connection arranged for this great dragon Cruar…”

Cruar smiled.

“Good, Asana. Remember well what I’m about to tell you.”

“Yes.”

“What I’m about to tell you is written in an ancient book kept in my treasure. The demonic grimoire has disturbed the world for a long time.”

Cruar’s eyes locked on her.

When their gazes met, Asana felt as if a needle pierced through her brain, unable to follow her own thoughts. Her entire mind was focused solely on remembering the words flowing from Cruar.

In a concentration like she had never experienced before, Asana engraved her words into her memory.

“The demonic grimoire does not disappear no matter how much you cut or kill it. To truly stop its curse, one must not use the sword…”

***

Having revealed what concerned the Celestial Mandate, Hernando kept insisting on going to Zveta.

It was the first time Yuri had seen him cling to something so desperately.

“You must have seen something important.”

Finally, Yuri decided.

“Fine. We’ll go to Zveta.”

He thought the Holy Kingdom, Brusen, and Liberta might oppose it.

But all of them followed Yuri’s decision.

“They don’t say anything?”

“No.”

The messengers Yuri had sent returned with the same answer.

“They say they trust Your Highness.”

“Well…”

It was an answer that even put some pressure on him.

But Yuri had never feared the burden placed on his shoulders. He calmly accepted that the fate of the Anti-Imperial Alliance, and even of the entire continent, depended on him.

It was his duty.

“Good, in that case, there’s no reason to hesitate. Let’s go immediately.”

Thus, Briol’s army decided to march to Zveta, and the other countries followed without objection. The Anti-Imperial Alliance, which had originally been heading for the imperial capital, changed course toward Zveta.

As the march continued, Yuri began to believe what Hernando had told him about the Mandate.

Because at a certain moment, within the mental domain, he began to see the distant aura of Zveta.

At his words, Hernando nodded.

“Yes. But it’s not a good sign. It means the presence of something in Zveta is becoming clearer.”

“I see.”

“We must hurry.”

But soon, Briol’s army had to stop. Something was blocking their way.

“What does this mean?”

“Meaning? None, don’t you think?”

Jared, humming beside Yuri, spoke.

“They’re blocking the way, so we just have to go and smash everything.”

On the route to Zveta, the imperial army had set up a defensive line. Its structure was extremely solid.

Yuri had the feeling that the Empire valued Zveta more than the imperial capital.

After all, the one controlling the Empire now was Cedric. For him, the symbolism of the capital meant nothing.

Cedric was only doing all this to build the world of his dreams, without caring about the values the Empire might hold dear.

Yuri thought he had made the right choice in choosing Zveta. Then why had Cedric mentioned Zveta on purpose to draw his attention?

While unsheathing Guilty, Yuri murmured.

“I don’t need to know what goes through that lunatic’s mind. Lord Inariel!”

Yuri immediately looked for the mage. He appeared as if he had been waiting.

“What do you need me to do?”

“The usual.”

Yuri smiled broadly.