Ep 196. Warmonger. (3)


    Never in his wildest dreams did Patrick imagine he’d one day be flying on his sibling’s back.


    And yet, here he was, flying on their back.


    Patrick huddled his cloak as skyward winds rushed against his face. Being in a cold environment wasn’t a first for the former enforcer, but zipping across the sky on a dragon’s back sure was.


    Still, most of his mind was at ease – he’d long known how capable his sibling had become. And now also having seen Serenis in her proper form, the last of his worries had diminished fairly quickly. Iris’ continued insistence on the dragonlord’s capabilities had helped as well.


    ‘Though, speaking of which…’


    As Patrick felt a pair of arms constricting his abdomen harder and harder, he angrily turned his head to the person responsible.


    “Hey, loosen up, will you?!”


    “…I can’t…”


    With both arms securely wrapped around her friend, Iris had quite literally attached to herself to Patrick’s back. Both her eyes were shut firm in a rather vain attempt to stop thinking of their current altitude.


    “Pft, some ‘Great Magician’ you are. Who knew a deity would be scared of heights.”


    “…I’m not a deity anymore! And I’ll have you know, humans aren’t supposed to fly in the first place!”


    “You do realize you didn’t even have to come, right?”


    “Oh, sure. And you can tell your sibling where Letherien is.”


    “Hey, it’s not like you know exactly where they are, either! You only said you know their residence coordinates!”


    “That’s a lot more than what you know: nothing.”


    “…”


    Meanwhile, instead of joining the two bickering mages, Serenis quietly looked down to observe the changing landscape: from the bustling towns to open plains, from forests to grey mountain ranges.


    And, finally, the vastness of the desert stretching into the horizon.


    Massive was an understatement. Serenis couldn’t remember such a large desert being present, even during the demon era – and, as expected, signs of civilization on the sands were scarce. If it hadn’t been for the directions Iris had instructed prior to their departure, she might’ve even thought that they were flying in the wrong direction.


    ‘If I recall correctly, the Twelve had reformed the star during the dawn of their era…why would they require such desolate lands in their world?’


    Finally, the dragonlord’s voice broke the fighting that was going on above her back.


    “Iris.”


    “Huh?...Yes, Serenis?”


    “Was this land also of the Twelve’s making?”


    “…”


    As much as Iris would’ve liked to answer the question, that warranted her looking down to see what land Serenis was talking about.


    She would sooner faint than that.


    But just as she really was about to attempt the impossible, Patrick covered his friend’s eyes, answering the question in her stead.


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    “Probably not. This desert’s only been around for the last hundred years. Caldon used to be a flourishing kingdom before…according to the books, anyways.”


    “This land was a nation? What happened to it?”


    “Well…as far as I know, they just fell apart due to Akeia’s assault during the Empire Age. And the whole place became a desert after.”


    After his brief answer, Patrick tugged on Iris’ sleeves fastened around himself, urging her to chime in.


    “Hey, Magician. Got anything to add?”


    “…Is she asking about Caldon?”


    “Yep.”


    “…Well…”


    Iris hesitantly opened her eyes to see both Patrick and Serenis’ gaze upon her – which actually did help her keep away from looking down.


    With a deep breath, the former deity mustered the courage to deliver an answer with as steady a tone as she could manage.


    “…To answer your question first…the Twelve didn’t ‘make’ Caldon’s lands a desert from the beginning. What you’re seeing is the result of mana poisoning that occurred during the Empire Age. But to add to what Patrick said, it wasn’t Akeia’s influence alone that turned Caldon into what it is today; Letherien and her elves played a bigger role in making this desert.”


    “Eh? Elves were involved in this?”


    As Patrick almost reflexively questioned his friend’s words, Iris nodded her head slowly, giving a more detailed explanation for the dragonlord as well.


    “…Mhm. If elves hadn’t been involved, Caldon might still be standing today, and the Empire Age may never have occurred. You see, as powerful as Caldon was, the nation traditionally relied on their kings to function; during its waking years, the first king received Aldrid’s blessing and passed it down to his heirs. The people revered Caldon’s monarchy for their blessed nature, and subjects pretty much relied on their ruler for everything.”


    A quiet sigh broke the story midway. Iris’ eyes betrayed a hint of disdain, her tone whittling down in volume.


    “…It was great for a while. Caldon’s kings loved their country, loved their people – I’d even say that Caldon’s royalty was the closest we ever had to perfection. Aldrid was right on all accounts to bless that bloodline. But when Letherien found out what Aldrid had done, she started using it as an excuse to influence Karia’s royalty, and…not too long after that, Karia’s elves carried out an assassination mission against Caldon’s royalty. And without their rulers, Caldon couldn’t handle the Akeian invasion that followed.”


    A long silence followed when Iris finished her story.


    To Serenis, it was just another peculiar tale – unpleasant perhaps, but nothing she was shocked by, given that divinities were involved.


    To Patrick however, the story was an upset to his entire perception of history – as well as the nature of the deity of creation that was known to preside over Karia’s elves.


    Then again, the deity of mana turned out to be nothing like what he’d imagined, so what did he know.


    “…I just have one question.”


    “Yeah? What?”


    “If what you’re saying is true, how is Letherien a deity in the first place?...She sounds like a horrible person.”


    “…You’ll have to ask my dead brother. Who knows what he was thinking when he elected her to be a deity.”


    “Blegh…”


    As Patrick continued to grumble, Serenis quietly processed everything Iris had said about the deity of creation.


    She could understand a divinity wanting to exude influence over their people: the First had been much worse regarding this particular point. She could understand Letherien wanting to take a more direct role in presiding over Karia, or wanting to assert dominance over neighboring factions through force.


    Alas, things usually didn’t end well for mankind (or demonkind) when a divinity involved themselves in their conflicts. That much seemed to be a timeless truth.


    ‘…And I’d imagine it’s no different now. It-‘


    Midway through her thoughts, the dragonlord’s expression visibly twisted as she picked up a rather disturbing scent. A burning smell wafted about the air, but mixed with something else that clearly denoted its unnatural nature.


    And before long, both mages on her back picked up the putrid stench as well, twisting their expressions in apprehension.


    “Ugh, what is that? Is something burning down below?”


    “…This is…”


    Grimacing, Serenis quietly lowered her gaze.


    Far beneath, she could finally see the town of Kavir – or at least, what remained of it. The charred patch of black clearly set it apart from the rest of the desert sands surrounding it, making it extremely easy to spot from above.


    “…Seems we’ve arrived at our destination.”


    Although no divine presence could be felt nearby, the dragonlord nonetheless began her descent towards the burnt city.


    With any luck, they’d hopefully find survivors in the wreckage to hear of what had happened – and possibly, of Letherien’s exact whereabouts.


    But throughout their descent, Iris seemed to grow more and more apprehensive of the stench that was pricking at her senses, growing stronger by the second as they drew closer to the razed town below.


    - ‘See, Felicis? It’s highly reactive to fire. Even the smallest ember could become a raging firestorm.’


    “…”


    There had been a time when Iris hadn’t known the vicious nature that lied under the creation deity’s grinning face; a time when she’d na?vely thought of Letherien as a mere peculiar individual.


    Once, it’d fascinated the deity of mana to learn of materials that could rival magic. Under the guise of supporting this who couldn’t wield magic, Letherien had brought numerous creations into the world that could serve as a replacement.


    …What she hadn’t known was that Letherien’s creations would one day raze an entire town to cinders.