Extra in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 143
143 – Legend (12)
“……?”
Those who had shut their eyes tight in despair at the approaching death slowly opened them at the end that seemed to never come.
“…Huh?”
And then, they saw.
An unbelievable sight.
A dragon, exhaling with the force to annihilate the world, as if it would swallow the entire realm whole.
—
—
From the head to the end, the sight of it split in two, just like that.
In the face of that unbelievable sight, they momentarily recalled hope, but soon shook their heads.
After all, they had seen Armiannon’s head severed and split in two, only to miraculously come back to life time and again.
In any case, it wouldn’t be long before that monster would fully recover.
With such thoughts, the people quietly suppressed the hope they had briefly lifted.
However.
“……?”
As time passed, the scene they had envisioned in their minds did not become reality.
Armiannon lay split in two, no longer moving.
No, it was beyond that.
“Th-that…!”
The massive form began to sway, still split in two.
“Could it be…!”
Only upon witnessing that sight did the people widen their eyes.
They cast a glance at the hope they had been desperately ignoring.
And finally.
Kuwung─
The dragon, split in two, the legendary monster Armiannon, laid its massive body down upon the ground.
The people, shaken by the tremor, simply stared blankly at the scene.
It was far too surreal.
After a long while of staring vacantly at the black dragon’s corpse, their gazes naturally shifted.
Toward the man standing directly in front of Armiannon.
The figure of a man, standing still with a sword in hand.
They looked at him with trembling eyes.
In the midst of it all.
“…Hero.”
Someone murmured.
It could be deemed an absurd statement, yet none among those present denied it.
No, they could not deny it.
There was no one here who did not know the legend of Hero Ferdion.
And everyone in this place looked at the man and recalled the legend they had heard long ago.
The legend of the hero who defeated the black dragon that plunged the world into crisis.
At the same time, their faces began to brighten.
Because they realized that the hope they had thought was a vain dream had become a reality.
But.
Their expressions had to harden once again.
Kuwung—
The world had suddenly grown heavy.
*
Kuwung—
Feeling the weight pressing down on me, I lifted my head.
And I saw.
The crack floating in the sky.
I felt it.
That the ‘demon’ was once again looking down at us from beyond the crack.
…No, to be precise, it wasn’t ‘again.’
That thing had probably been watching everything happening here from the very beginning.
“…….”
Arminanon was an absurd monster.
So much so that the title of a monster from legend felt insufficient.
If Arminanon were to leave this place unscathed and reveal itself on the continent, it would become one of the greatest disasters in the continent’s history.
The destruction of the continent… might not come to pass, but it would surely inflict damage comparable to that.
In that sense, Arminanon was a monster beyond any standard.
However.
Even Arminanon, when compared to ‘that thing’ looking down at us from beyond the crack, was merely a trivial creature.
It was as if there existed a gap between humans and ants… no, a gap even greater than that.
I could not fathom the extent of the power that ‘that thing’ beyond the crack… the ‘demon’ possessed.
I could only vaguely feel and speculate.
That ‘it’ truly was a being capable of destroying the continent at will.
And so, I could do nothing but swallow hard.
—
Depending on what ‘that’ wills and how it acts, the future of those here will be determined.
‘That’ might wield its power in anger over the death of its creation, Armianon.
And if that happens…
‘…it’s the end.’
It’s the end.
A complete end, with no room for denial.
Without a doubt, those here will likely not survive; they will perish.
““…….””
Everyone held their breath.
In a pressure that felt as if it would crush everything in the world, everyone stood still, breathless.
And then.
In the chilling silence, at last, ‘it’ shifted its gaze.
And the place where that gaze landed… was right on me.
“…….”
The pressure that weighed down on me intensified.
A pressure that felt as if it would crush not just my body, but my very soul.
Yet, there was no trace of the malice or anger I had feared.
‘…Interest?’
What lingered there was something closer to curiosity than hostility.
Even after directly dealing with its cherished creation, Armianon, it sent a gaze that was rather intrigued than angry.
It was hard to comprehend, but I soon shook my head.
From the beginning, ‘that’ is, ‘those’ are beings that humans cannot understand.
So, even attempting to grasp their thoughts would be a futile endeavor.
With that thought, I gave up on reading its intentions.
However.
‘…Come to think of it, it’s absurd.’
As I mentioned earlier, there was not a hint of malice in its gaze.
Yet, the pressure exerted on my body was enough to potentially crush my soul.
This was not a mere metaphor; if an ordinary person had received such a gaze, they would likely have died on the spot.
And their soul would have been torn to shreds.
—
—
No, even if we don’t consider ordinary people, the warriors around here are likely no different.
Right now, I’m enduring only because I’m receiving an indirect sense of presence, and that too from ‘beyond the fracture’; if I were to assume I was under direct scrutiny, most of them would probably breathe their last right there.
Among them, those who could withstand this gaze… would likely be only the top-tier warriors.
…No, could it be that Kahim could manage as well?
As for me, while I do feel a sense of pressure, it’s not to the extent that I can’t endure it.
This must surely be thanks to stepping into a new realm.
While I was lost in such thoughts.
─────.
A voice reached me.
No, to be precise, it should be described as a voice of intent.
From noble mtl dot com
‘It’ from beyond the fracture spoke to me.
‘Fascinating.’
…It said.
“…….”
In that moment, I recalled a memory from the past.
The summer vacation of my first year, when I first encountered one of ‘them’ by the lake near Lakewood.
That creature had also shown interest in me.
As I recalled that memory, a question naturally arose.
Why do they show such interest in me?
Is it simply because I defeated one of their creations, one of their subordinates?
Of course, I had no way of knowing the answer.
But a vague thought crossed my mind that it might not be such a simple reason.
───────.
Once again, the creature’s voice continued.
“…….”
Understanding its meaning, my eyebrows instinctively furrowed.
A question lingered in my gaze as I looked at the fracture.
However, ‘it’ did not provide an answer to that question.
Immediately, its gaze shifted away from me.
Suuuh─
—
The crack in the sky began to shrink gradually.
And at the same time.
Swoosh—
The massive form of Armianon, which had boasted a chaotic size, and the slimy monsters that had swarmed around it, vanished without a trace, as if erased by an eraser.
I realized.
That all of this was the work of a being beyond the crack.
The questions in my eyes deepened, but, naturally, no answers returned.
Swoosh—
The crack completely disappeared.
Immediately after.
“…Huh.”
“…W-what on earth was that…?”
Those who could barely catch their breath gasped for air.
Perhaps it was because the pressure that had been weighing down on them had lifted, but their faces were filled with a profound sense of relief.
However, I.
Could only look up at the sky where the crack had vanished, my expression unchanging.
In my mind, the words it had left behind replayed.
‘I will be watching.’
It said that.
*
Once the situation had concluded, the people finally let out sighs of relief and collapsed onto the ground.
I had faced Armianon, but there was no denying that they had also endured considerable hardship.
After all, they had to fight against an endless swarm of slimy monsters without a moment’s rest.
Most were in such a fatigued state that even moving their bodies was a struggle, and they bore injuries, whether large or small.
Yet.
Despite that, their expressions were bright.
They had escaped the crisis and finally realized they had survived.
However, amidst it all, there was one person whose expression remained dark.
That was me.
The reason was not because of the words ‘that thing’ had left behind.
All eyes on me, the gaze of everyone here was undeniable.
“Are you in big trouble now?”
Ethan’s words, spoken with a smiling face, were something I couldn’t deny.
Considering my situation, this kind of attention was anything but welcome.
…No, if it had just been the gazes, it might have been better.
The real issue was the owners of those intensely felt stares.
The Silver Knight, Blood Flame, the Ten Swords, and Pana and Johanna.
And…….
“Hey! Andel…! What on earth……!”
Even Max, approaching me with a face full of indescribable emotions.
It was easy to predict that they would surround me and bombard me with questions without pause, even without having to stretch my imagination.
However, should I say it was fortunate?
That prediction did not become reality.
Just before it could.
Crash!
The tomb had collapsed.
“What, what’s happening!”
“W-why is this happening all of a sudden…?”
It was a sudden phenomenon, but I wasn’t overly surprised.
Rather, it felt like the most natural thing.
This space had been created for a specific purpose from the start.
Now that that purpose had been fulfilled, there was no longer any reason for it to remain.
Moreover, the appearance of Arminanon and the ‘Demon’ must have had a significant impact as well.
They were far too great a presence for an artificially created space to contain.
Thus, amidst the flustered crowd, I alone maintained my composure.
And, seizing the opportunity, I slipped away.
With the chaotic situation compounded by the crowd, none of those approaching me could chase after me.
Thanks to that, I was able to successfully escape the crisis.
As I distanced myself from the people in that manner.
‘What now….’
I was contemplating the events to come.
Now that I had gained attention under the identity of Andel, there was no turning back to Darbilo.
The regret over that itself wasn’t particularly great, but there was something weighing on my mind.
The fact that I had to leave without saying goodbye to those who had helped me, including Anton and Nina.
But it was something I couldn’t change.
‘I’ll have to visit those two again later.’
Once everything was resolved.
If I could clear my name, I thought I would return to Darbilo to express my gratitude, shaking off my lingering feelings.
In any case, I had thwarted one of the church’s plans.
However, it was, of course, not the end.
While blocking their scheme was certainly a significant achievement, I had yet to reach a fundamental resolution.
Now, I would have to seek out the shadows of the church again and pursue their trail.
Thinking this way, a fleeting thought crossed my mind: perhaps the situation wasn’t so different from before I came to Darbilo.
But that was, quite literally, just a momentary thought.
Because there was one major difference between then and now.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
A familiar voice called out from behind me.
I turned my head immediately to see a face just as familiar as the voice.
“You promised to explain later, didn’t you?”
Unlike before, there was now a companion with no need to hide their identity.
Thus, I stepped out of the forest with a much lighter stride than before.
…However, it didn’t take long for that stride to grow heavy.
Not long after leaving the forest, I heard a rumor in the city that made my steps—and my heart—heavier than ever before.
It was none other than the rumor that war was imminent.