Chapter 325
Chapter 325
I looked down at the map of the Empire that occupied half of the desk.
With a red pen, I circled Acrab, Hoiore, and Turbeau. I tried connecting them one by one with lines. A perfect equilateral triangle emerged.
I blinked my eyes slowly and set the pen down.
“Is it a coincidence?”
I bit my lip as Exchetra’s twisted smile came to mind. That woman, leaving things to chance? Not a chance.
It couldn’t be a coincidence that ‘Heulin’ was written in the center of the equilateral triangle, alongside the towering castle.
She surely had another plan besides fulfilling the three conditions. Exchetra, having read the entire book, couldn’t have overlooked the flow of the story.
Once Blue Dragon was summoned, Julius would hear the dragon’s voice. Exchetra wouldn’t be able to defeat him while under the protection of the Blue Dragon.
From that point on, it wouldn’t be a power struggle.
Exchetra had constantly used time magic and experimented with poison.
The first, the experiment might be the poison on me. In the North, it seemed like an experiment related to a magic circle that could restrain Kaichen. In the West, it had something to do with the medium.
I wondered what purpose she had in mind while experimenting with time magic.
What did she want?
Even after hearing the myth, I instinctively felt that summoning the Blue Dragon might not be the answer.
Our encounters were few, and the time we spent conversing was short, but her empty eyes and the cruel smile were vivid.
Thud! I collapsed to the floor. My hand gripping the desk fell weakly. My legs lost strength, and I couldn’t get up.
“I knew you were foolish, but you’re truly… your thoughts are unbelievably simple,” I chided myself.
Despite countless efforts and attempts to stand up and run forward, Exchetra was always far ahead of me.
The sight of Kaichen facing numerous deaths in front of me flashed through my mind. There was nothing more horrific than that reality.
Exchetra never intended to summon the Blue Dragon from the beginning.
Instead of sacrificing Kaichen, she sought a way to restrain him, to prevent him from being completely sacrificed. To prevent the Blue Dragon from bestowing protection upon Julius.
The Blue Dragon longed for friends who sacrificed themselves for him. The conditions pointed to how his friends sacrificed themselves to call him.
The Blue Dragon was lonely.
Even though many knew of its existence, they couldn’t hear his voice. Only then did it long for friends who sacrificed themselves for him.
“Ah…”
Anyone would do, please. Please, if only you listen to me.
The Blue Dragon and I were the same. We both longed for the centuries and thousands of years that passed in solitude.
When the wish is finally fulfilled, and the Blue Dragon summoned, what choice would the Blue Dragon make upon seeing Kaichen?
My eyes hurt. I thought I had overcome the pain, but why did the pain persist?
I became scared. A feeling of horror engulfed me.
Could I really protect Kaichen? Could I defeat Exchetra? Could I turn away the earnest wish of the Blue Dragon?
Me, who shared the same feelings.
“Uh… Ugh…”
I groaned in pain, and tears streamed down my face. It was hard to breathe. Bent over in agony, I put a hand on my chest.
“Dalia!”
I heard the door open with a thud, and there was Kaichen rushing to me. As always, he was there when I needed him the most.
He gently wrapped his arms around my shoulders and comforted me without asking anything.
How could I…
How could I protect him?
How could I turn away that miserable loneliness and beg him to stay by my side?
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he said.
Why are you saying that? There’s nothing to be sorry about. You didn’t do anything wrong.