The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

Episode 465:

Ka-bu, the chieftain of Baldu.

He seemed to have inherited the personality of his father, Kazan, and entered into a conversation with Kang Seol in an awkward manner.

“Keshii and Deki troops were attacked? Hmm… Baldu is probably suspected. But not us.”

“… I thought so.”

“ha ha ha! Baldu doesn’t do such trivial things. If we fight, it is a head-to-head battle. Yes… the people who would do something like this… must be related to what happened recently in the tribe.”

“What happened recently? “Has something happened to Baldu too?”

“Oh, it looks like it. “That is also very difficult.”

I suddenly remembered what I had heard from the scout that the tribe was in disarray.

“Just take a quick look around the village and you’ll know. “We suffered tremendous damage in a short period of time.”

“What on earth…”

“We could lose the Wing Canyon that my father trusted and entrusted to us.”

The Baldu were the rightful rulers of Wing Canyon. Monsters swimming freely in the wind with strange magical powers.

‘Those people… will lose Wing Canyon?’

Kang Seol couldn’t help but be shocked by Ka-Boo’s next words.

“The drakes are gone.”

“… yes?”

“More than half of the drakes that have been with me since I hatched disappeared overnight. “It’s hard for the Baldu tribe to even reach half of their original strength right now.”

“…Who did that?”

Ka-Boo spoke as if recalling the events of that day.

“The breeding grounds where the drakes stay are monitored by carefully selected elite warriors in shifts at regular intervals.”

Strict surveillance.

But why did we lose the flying dragons?

“Were you attacked?”

“I’m not sure. “I haven’t heard anything.”

“I can’t believe I heard anything… the security forces…”

“Because all the warriors who were on shift that day are dead.”

“… yes?”

Did he die while fighting to defend against an attack?

“Everyone committed suicide.”

“….”

“When we detected the abnormality and arrived… more than half of the drakes had left.”

Ka-Boo smiled bitterly.

“You seemed free. Did they want that too? “Maybe being with us felt like bondage?”

“… I guess not.”

“… Anyway, the warrior who was watching the flying dragons fly away immediately threw himself from the cliff. Thanks to you, I can no longer know anything. “Do you have any guesses?”

Kang Seol rested his chin and was lost in thought.

‘The method is cunning. Fascination… or fascination. Either that or… Corruption?’

Snowfall shaking his head.

There was too little information to confirm anything.

“It looks like the peace lasted a long time. Seeing as the Federation collapsed overnight, they should have realized that Baldu could be targeted next. Do you know? “What’s going on in the North?”

“That’s…”

Kangseol spoke about the existence of the Council, their members, and their plans.

Ka-Boo listened with a serious expression and then answered:

“The three giants… I’ve never heard of them. Maybe it’s an old legend. “However, we need to be careful about these guys called the Congress.”

“That’s right.”

“Even Azanik… do you know our relationship with Azanik?”

“… I know very well.”

“Baldu and Azanik are like enemies who can never live under the same sky. If what you say is true, proud Baldu will do his best to help you.”

I was waiting for these words.

Ur left a message telling us to gather strength, so we had to make as many allies as possible.

But there was no way things would work out that easily.

“Of course, it’s impossible right now.”

“….”

“Recovering the dragons is the most important thing for us.”

“I understand.”

“Finding out the whereabouts of the flying dragons is a priority… This is why I have rushed to meet you.”

The interests of Ka-Boo and Kang Seol were quite aligned. Although there was the inconvenience of having to solve one side’s problem in order to solve the other side’s problem.

As the conversation continued, Ka-Boo became interested in Tansia.

“It’s for this kid.”

The words came so suddenly that everyone flinched.

“You can tell just by looking at their eyes. “A dragon that turns into a human… Must have great blood flowing through it.”

“… That’s accurate.”

“Can I take a look?”

“Ah…”

This probably means taking care of Tansia’s condition. And it wasn’t such a bad proposition. Ka-bu, who has seen flying dragons all his life, would be able to find out Tansia’s condition in quite detail.

Tansia nodded to Kang Seol.

It means she’s okay.

Ka-boo told her.

“Try becoming a dragon.”

Sigh…

The child became a baby dragon in the blink of an eye.

“There are no scales and the wings are… small.”

“Ugh….”

“More than anything else, there is a possibility that the wings will degenerate if things continue like this.”

“… yes?”

Tansia was in tears.

“ha ha ha! I inherited great blood, but I can’t become a lizard that crawls on the ground! “What’s your name?”

“Tansia…”

“I see… He was his descendant. “It was something that needed more attention.”

While Ka-Boo was stroking his chin, his face brightened as if he remembered something.

“It occurred to me. “The appropriate way.”

“Is that true?”

“Tancia, do you want to fly?”

“huh!”

Ka-Boo pointed to the top of the mountain.

“Only chosen warriors can stay at the top of Mount Jorun. It’s a shame, but this ka-boo hasn’t been acknowledged for staying there yet. The statue of my father, Kha-Zan, is also there.”

A stone statue of the great dragon lord Kha-zan.

Even here, his stone statue standing tall at the top was visible.

“There will be someone staying next to the statue. Ask Him how. “You probably know.”

Tansia nodded with bright eyes.

“Then I hope it will be a good meeting. “You can stay in Baldu as long as you want.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Snowfall and the group headed to the top of Mt. Jorun. No matter who it was, if it was someone who could raise Tansia’s power, Kang Seol would have gone to a place no matter how far away.

However, I could easily climb to the top of the mountain right in front of me, which was not far away.

“Whoa… whoa….”

“The road is a bit… rough.”

“It doesn’t seem like a place where people live…”

As we reached the top with difficulty, a dizzying sight unfolded before our eyes. There are cliffs on all sides and the altitude is quite high, so if you have weak nerves, you might lose your mind.

“… That statue is amazing.”

“I can see at a glance what the dragon lord’s power was.”

Dragonlord Kazan held a black spear and looked down upon Wing Canyon with his dragon Makthus.

Even though it was a stone statue, there was something that touched my heart.

“… uh?”

“There’s something behind the statue over there…”

“Dragon! “It’s a dragon!”

Snowfall came to her senses.

‘No way…’

– Maktus Please protect Baldu without me.

– Kiing…

The Dragon Lord did not take his drake with him when he left Wing Canyon. Because there were circumstances.

“Maktus….”

The dragon that turned its back was clearly Maktus, the Drake of Kha-Zan.

The dragon, who was looking down at the Wing Canyon pitifully, turned his head to Kang Seol and the others.

And instead of giving an answer like ki-ing or ki-i-i, he gave a completely unexpected answer.

“Do you know me?”

“… Eh?”

“What are you looking at?”

“Speaking….”

“Does it matter if the dragon speaks? “Would you like to sing a song too?”

Kang Seol was speechless.

Maktus is a primitive drake.

It was a completely different type from Tancred or Azanic.

Maktus, who was obviously mute when he was with Kha-Zan, spoke the language fluently and eccentrically.

“hmm? “Child, why are your wings like that?”

Maktus knew at a glance why Kangseol and his party had come to visit him.

“Oh my… it looks like you want to fly, right?”

The corners of Maktus’ mouth stretched left and right.

“Then… we have to let it fly.”

* * *

Clap… Clap…

Castrang ran down the frozen federal tracks. Not everyone in the Federation met the same end.

Those who were not infected with frost fever each tried to survive. In particular, villages in remote locations were leading daily lives that were not much different from before.

Of course, the despair that felt like the world was destroyed was not resolved.

“You know what? “The Castrang we are riding… is likely to be the last Castrang operating in the Federation.”

“… Right.”

Whiiiiing…

The snowstorm outside the window was getting stronger as the days passed. Snow fell throughout the Commonwealth, so of course the tracks were no exception.

When the snow piled up to a mountain, Castrang could not operate. It was not an icebreaker, so it was natural.

Because of this, Castrang’s tracks were able to be heated by applying magic engineering.

It was not possible to heat the entire track, so the track scheduled to be operated was heated in advance to melt the snow and ice.

The problem is that since resources are not supplied, it has already been decided how long this will be possible.

That’s why Han So-mi said that this operation was the last operation in Castrang’s history.

“You know, Jamard.”

“Say it.”

“Is this the only thing Ur didn’t tell me?”

“this?”

“Why are we heading north instead of towards the non-governance zone? And why is Castrang moving so much?”

“Ah… this will be more of a personal matter. I guess Ur didn’t feel the need to tell you either. Are you keeping it in your heart?”

“Hmph…what happened? “If it’s Ur, it all has meaning.”

“I mean… well. He also acts without a plan sometimes. “It’s the same with this case.”

“yes?”

“This guy acts strictly within calculations. He was a guy who didn’t trust others. Even my colleagues.”

“…there was that aspect to it.”

Jamard said while looking at Han So-mi.

“But he seems to have changed a bit.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means that you are sharing your faith with others little by little. “Whether this is a good change or a bad change… I honestly don’t know.”

“Of course it’s a good change! “Why do you think that?”

He replied harshly.

“That’s because it’s a plan that even I don’t have faith in.”

“… to?”

“To be honest, it’s a crappy plan. It’s a terrible idea that has holes in it. Haha… If I put it nicely, it will work out somehow.”

“….”

Jamard looked out the window and was lost in thought. As I got closer to my destination, these thoughts became more frequent.

Clang…

Clang…

Castrang stopped.

You have reached your destination.

The driver approached and said.

“It’s two days. The maximum time you can stay here is. “If we spend more time, we won’t be able to thaw the tracks until we reach our destination, and we’ll be stranded.”

“… i get it. “We don’t plan on waiting any longer.”

Han So-mi did not know who Jamard was waiting for or where this place was.

Kwiik…

As soon as I opened Castrang’s door, a cold wind blew in. I pushed out the stuffy air and the sharp air of the field entered my lungs.

“Ha… It’s a snowy field. “An endless snow field.”

“….”

“What are we waiting for here?”

“Ur was talking arbitrarily.”

“what is that?”

“… hope?”

“Ahahaha! “You said Ur is hope?”

“Damn you bastard….”

I knew to some extent that this was how the crying would turn out. There was something I delivered separately before the last meeting.

– Jamard. Believe in the past things you and I did as soon as possible.

– …I can’t believe it blindly.

– The road you took was messier than I thought, so I’ll put my hope in that too. Well, there’s no need to get frustrated just because things don’t go as planned. The situation is the worst anyway.

Ur said to Jamad with a smile.

– So… isn’t this a place you can walk on at least once?

“… Look, Ur. “As expected.”

An endless snowy field.

There are no footprints of anyone.

Han So-mi, Jamard, and more than ten Castrangs stopped here for a day, hit by a snowstorm.

The next day, Han So-mi said.

“Don’t you think we’re at the end?”

“The atmosphere is depressing.”

“There was snow on my head. “I’ll tell you.”

“done. “If he comes, it’s proof that I’ve waited this long.”

“… Are you secretly looking forward to it too, Jamard?”

“….”

Whiiiiiiiing…

The snowstorm began to intensify.

Visibility was extremely limited.

“… Let’s go in. “You can’t even see it from here.”

“yes.”

Just as they were about to enter Castrang.

A small sound came from the snowy field where silence reigned.

Sabak…

Sabak…

It’s the sound of stepping on snow.

Someone was approaching Castrang, stepping on the snow.

Swish-!

Swish-!

Jamard and Han So-mi’s heads turned at the same time.

“… You really showed up.”

A person walking in the snow field smiled and spoke to me.

“Looking at the snow piled up on my head, it looks like I’ve been waiting quite a while.”

“Did you notice?”

“I got a little lost on the road. Because I’m not familiar with the geography here. Look around, it’s all snow, right? “How are we supposed to find the damn track?”

“… I didn’t think of that.”

The person I was talking to was not human.

“So is this the train to death? “It looks bizarre.”

“Well, it’s an intersection. “I don’t know yet whether the destination is death or the next era.”

“Hahaha! “I wouldn’t hesitate to do anything.”

“… But are you alone?”

Whiiiiiiiing…

Blue eyes appeared in the snowstorm.

The eyes shining on the snowy field brought fear and trepidation at the same time.

It was now an army that occupied more space than the eye could see.

Huuuuk… Huuuuk…

“That can’t be possible.”

“… If you get on this train, you either all die or only half die. Do you still want to ride?”

Why Castrang didn’t head straight west to the non-administrative zone. The reason why I ran north and stopped near Hugeltongue.

And why so many trains were needed.

Bron and the Glacier Maw of the Great Sun took a step forward.

“That’s right…”

The empty train was filling up.

“If this train is heading to the end of an era, I’m willing.”

Snowfall and Jamard’s absolute blood pact.

The glacier maws of Hygeltongue moved.

“…Forever a valued guest.”