< Chapter 33 - The Phoenix >
Chapter 33 – The Phoenix
Haragen, the superior demon of the Eye of the Devil and the mastermind behind all the plans being made in the Wild Lands, was unable to maintain human form.
With his compound eyes, wings, and horns exposed, the only thing he could bear was to scream loudly.
‘Bilbine is dead?’
Black Knight Billvine.
Among the intermediate-level demon eyes, he is the owner of one of the most powerful fighting skills.
‘What is it? What on earth is there in the East?’
The mines dispatched to pollute the eastern dragon veins disconnected one after another as if they had made a promise.
When Jarakul first died, I thought it could be possible.
When Madga died, he was greatly shocked. So he asked for support from the Argon Empire, where the main headquarters of the Demon’s Eye was located, and summoned Bilbain.
But Bill Bine also met death.
‘East.’
This never happened in the West.
But in the East, strange things continued to happen.
‘The Red Whirlwind guy’s condition isn’t getting any worse either.’
According to the original calculations, he should have died soon or become so ill that he couldn’t move, but according to the spies’ information, that wasn’t the case at all.
Rather, it seemed like the condition had improved compared to before.
‘That’s not the only problem.’
Eastern League.
As the West was about to be unified under the name of the Raging Horn Tribe, intelligence was coming in that the Red Gale was planning to form an Eastern Confederacy centered around the Great Storm Tribe.
‘No, I can’t tolerate it.’
What was the reason for cursing the Red Whirlwind in the first place?
Wasn’t it meant to prevent a situation like this from happening?
But the guy’s condition was gradually improving.
As feared, they were trying to build an Eastern Alliance.
‘In the end, is it something that has to be solved by force?’
They tried to pollute the dragon veins of the east and neutralize not only the wild gods but also their subordinate tribes.
They tried to preserve as much of the power of the Savage Lands as possible and deploy it in the fight against the Kingdom of Cailun, but it seemed impossible.
‘Once this expedition is over, we will gather all the troops from the West and attack the East.’
Haragen, who had made up his mind, calmed himself down with deep breathing.
He returned to his old white beard and looked back at the map showing the locations of all the tribes in the Wild Lands.
‘The great storm, the wild avalanche, the fine snow wind, the holy land of the East.’
Who could it be?
Who on earth is guarding the dragon veins of the East?
Is it one?
Or maybe there are several.
“Who are you, who are you?”
Haragen’s low growl echoed through the barracks.
&
At the same time, a long way from Haragen, located at the western end.
One of the people Haragen hated so much opened his eyes and groaned.
“Ugh······.”
Cordelia opened her eyes with a groan and closed them again.
But instead of falling asleep, he let out his voice again.
“Ugh······.”
A typical sleepy voice.
Usually, someone who let out a sound like that would fall back to sleep, but Cordelia was a little different.
I managed to open my eyelids, which kept trying to close, and stretched.
“Euuuu······.”
There was a groan and a cracking sound from the back.
Cordelia was barely able to open her eyes, feeling a slight pain and relief as her muscles were pulled.
“cadet.”
“Are you awake?”
Cordelia blinked at Uther’s voice, barely able to recognize her own condition.
‘It’s being carried.’
He was carried on Yuder’s back, wrapped in a blanket.
Instead of trying to remember why she was in this situation, Cordelia rested her cheek against Uther’s back.
‘It’s cold.’
Did the leather cool down while I was away from my head for a moment?
It wasn’t exactly cold, though. Cordelia answered, feeling just a pleasant coolness.
“Yeah… I’m awake. I’m awake.”
Although his voice was quite muffled, it was much clearer than before.
But Uther picked Cordelia up again, looked back briefly, and said.
“Why don’t you just sleep a little more?”
“No, it will happen. It will happen.”
Cordelia squirmed again and lifted her head from Uther’s back, feeling like she would fall asleep again if she continued to lean against him.
Uther spoke to Cordelia again.
“Aren’t you tired? You made such a fuss yesterday.”
“Huh? Yesterday? Yesterday I… Ugh.”
At the end, Cordelia’s face turned red and she buried her head on Uther’s back. She felt like she wanted to hide in a hole.
Yesterday’s chaos.
Last night’s atrocities.
“I’ll understand, it’s because of Beast Mode.”
Uther spoke in a voice full of acceptance, and Cordelia groaned again, then spoke cheerfully.
“I tried to get off, but he wouldn’t get off. I’m just going to keep riding. I’m going to keep having fun. I’m going to suck your spine out.”
“If you want. This one is also nice because it feels like walking with a warm back and a heater around it.”
Cordelia was even more annoyed by Yuder’s sly answer, but she felt like she would only get involved if she continued here.
That’s why Cordelia changed the subject altogether.
“But Yuder.”
“uh.”
“How long have we been here?”
“If my calculations are correct… it should be starting to show now?”
“huh?”
“Over there. Over there. See?”
Cordelia, who had been quietly staring in the direction that Uther had pointed with his chin, narrowed her eyes and soon cried out in surprise.
“Wow! The Basin of the Beautiful Snow Wind?!”
It was clear that the basin of the beautiful snow wind was located on a snow field comparable to the vast ocean.
Cordelia, who had been blankly staring at the mountainside surrounding her like a folding screen, suddenly gasped and looked back at Yuder.
“Oh my god. Hey, how long have you been carrying me? What time is it now?”
“About half a day? Around 3 or 4 in the afternoon?”
“Half a day?!”
Converted to time, it’s about 6 hours.
Cordelia, startled, struggled while being carried on the sling and asked.
“Aren’t you tired? Don’t your legs hurt? And your back?”
It was a full six hours.
It was a time when it was difficult to just walk, but Cordelia carried herself on her back and walked?
In addition, Yuder had one more load to carry. He was pulling a small but heavily loaded sled with a rope tied to his waist.
As Cordelia frowned and worried, Uther pretended to wipe away tears and said,
“Our princess is all grown up now. She even knows how to worry. I think Daddy is going to cry.”
“Wow, you really seem to have a lot of free time, judging from the way you talk nonsense. Our Yuder really got stronger, huh?
“It’s all thanks to you, madam.”
There was a real sense of leisure in Yuder’s voice, whether it was acting or not.
Cordelia touched Uther’s back and shoulders again, and smiled brightly at Uther’s body, which was strong and sturdy, reminiscent of a wild beast – no, a beast.
“Yes, Dad. That’s the kind of attitude I have. Please continue to be grateful. Ahem ahem, God.”
Uder smiled at Cordelia, who was coughing in vain as if to ask for more praise, then looked straight ahead again and spoke.
“Anyway, you’ll get there in just a little while, so just stay on it.”
It’s visible, but it’s quite far, so it might take about 30 minutes to walk.
But Cordelia shook her head and patted Uther on the back as she spoke.
“Yuder, Yuuder. Why don’t you just fly away? While creating a gust of wind.”
“No, over there. Can’t you see the sled? I don’t know how to walk, but I can’t run.”
If you do that, all the luggage will flip over.
But Cordelia spoke with a bright face as if there was no problem.
“Why don’t you unpack the sled and take it to me? Then you can come back and pack it yourself.”
“What?”
“He said that after unpacking the sled, he would take me and fly away, and then my dad would come back alone to pack the bags.”
Although he rephrased it in an innocent tone, the content itself was extremely vicious.
“Is this really Satan?”
“Quickly, quickly. Cordelia wants to go to the village, sit down, and have some hot tea.”
“Are you feeling guilty?”
“So I always have a warm conscience.”
Cordelia, who had been responding to the random words without saying anything, smiled brightly, and Uther made a blank expression and then smiled.
“Okay, fine. Should I just go for it?”
“Huh? Really?”
Cordelia asked, blinking in confusion.
I was just kidding, but you’re saying you’re really going to do it?
“Our princess wants it, so we have to give it to her.”
“No, wait. Wait. I really feel like I’m becoming trash······.”
That was it. Yuder untied the ropes that connected the sled and took off the blanket. He grabbed Cordelia who was about to slip, spun her around, threw her into the air, and then caught her again with a thud.
“Huh?”
I was clearly carrying her, so why did I end up hugging her?
And why is Yuder’s face right in front of my eyes?
“let’s go.”
Uther spoke with a grin, and Cordelia couldn’t answer right away.
I nodded my head with a blush on my face without realizing it.
And Uther was satisfied with Cordelia’s reaction. He held Cordelia firmly in his arms and kicked off the ground.
“The black wind has arrived.”
Black gales and golden whirlwinds enveloped Uther and Cordelia.
&
In front of the gentle snowstorm they encountered for the first time in several days, Uther and Cordelia raised their voices at the same time.
“Huh?! My sister?!”
“Huh?! Hyung?!”
“Yes, two people who are the older sister and older brother of the two came to see me. They smelled and felt like real blood relatives in many ways, so I told them that the two of them went to the Blade Beak Valley… But judging from their reactions, it seems like their paths diverged.”
At Kounnunbaram’s words, Yuder clapped his hands without even drawing a map in his head.
Because I came down diagonally without going through the Blade Beak Canyon.
By now, Gale and Adelia will probably be at the entrance to Bladebeak Canyon.
‘If we had gone through Endymion, we might have actually met?’
That’s when Yuder thought so.
“Oh, what should I do? My sister is here? She must have chased me, right? Huh? She must have come to catch us, right?”
Cordelia floundered with a panicked look on her face.
Adelia’s face turned pale, indicating that she was not usually scared.
“Calm down, Cordelia. Those two came to find us, the runaways, not to hunt.”
“Oh, no? You’re saying that because you don’t know my sister? Maybe she really came to hunt? Yes, she definitely did.”
“Whoa, whoa, calm down. Calm down. If Hyung and Adelia have come this far, they probably have a general idea of what we’re up against. So let’s look at it positively. Hyung and Adelia are strong. They’ll be a great help in the fight against the West.”
I don’t have any direct experience with Hero Chronicles 2, so I’m not sure, but based on the information in the setting, it’s clear that both Gale and Adelia are strong enough to take on mid-level mines on their own.
‘That’s the minimum, after all.’
He was a magical genius who rose to the position of Earl Gale, one of the Ten Swordsmen, and the youngest commander of the Royal Magic Corps.
The minimum is an intermediate mine, but it could easily be much stronger.
But despite Uther’s words, Cordelia still couldn’t shake off her anxiety.
“No, you don’t know. And you are more dangerous than me. My sister might try to kill you.”
“Hey, no way. And you see, I’m pretty strong now, right?”
That was right. Cordelia seemed to calm down for a moment, but then shook her head again and said.
“No, since you’re a magician, you might be able to cast a curse. Yes, a curse. I need to prepare a countermeasure against a curse. I’ll learn magic that increases magical power and magic that heals the sea.”
The number of spells recorded in the witch’s spellbook was in the dozens, if not hundreds.
There were quite a few spells that I had neglected to learn because I had been focusing on what I needed, but I thought I should learn them this time.
“Uhhh… It seems a bit over the top, but it won’t hurt if you get used to it.”
“Ugh… Is there any way to stop my sister?”
“There is one.”
“What is it?”
“Um… It’s been a while since I’ve done that.”
“It’s been a while since that?”
“loving······.”
It’s something we haven’t said much since leaving Count Hresvelg’s house.
“Dear Prince Yude······.”
“Okay, okay. That’s it. I know what it is, so that’s it.”
Cordelia, panting with a red face, fanned herself with her hand, then quickly put on a pained expression again.
“Euuuuu··· Okay, I’ll do something. I’ll do something. It’s not my first time, so I can do it.”
“Yeah, you get used to it.”
“Yeah, you get used to it.”
Cordelia unconsciously followed along with what Uther had added, nodded her head several times, and then clenched her fists.
“You can do it. I will protect you. I will protect you, Yuder.”
“Thank you, Cordelia. You are the only one.”
“Huh? Uh······ Ahem.”
Cordelia suddenly felt embarrassed, blushed, coughed, and turned away, making eye contact with Kounnunbaram, who had been staring at her intently.
“Uh… is it all over now?”
“Okay, it’s over.”
As Cordelia’s face turned even redder, Gounnunbaram chuckled and then turned to Uther, who was making a sly expression, and said.
“Uder, actually, there’s something more urgent than that.”
“Could it be that the attack was launched from the west?”
Yuder asked in surprise. He didn’t feel any sense of war from the Gounnunbaram tribe he had seen on his way here.
“No, it’s not an attack. There’s just one problem with building the Eastern Alliance.”
“What’s the problem?”
When Cordelia asked again, Gounnunbaram paused for a moment as if organizing his thoughts before beginning to explain.
“The formation of the Eastern Alliance was going smoothly. Not only me and my brother, the Rough Snow Avalanche, but also my brother, the Great Storm… Thanks to the participation of three Wild Gods, the other tribes and Wild Gods in the vicinity also cooperated. However, the problem was the Bladesong tribe located in the north.”
“Song of the Blade.”
One of the strongest among the wild gods of the East.
The Bladesong tribe he looked after was a warrior race with both toughness and belligerence that rivaled the Raging Horn tribe.
‘If the Great Storm Tribe are elves, the Bladesong Tribe are orcs.’
In fact, he also inherited the blood of ancient orcs.
‘In battles against the Kingdom of Seilun, the ones who always took the lead were the Angry Horn Tribe and the Bladesong Tribe.’
If such a lack of Blade Song was causing a stir in the formation of the Eastern Alliance, there was only one reason.
“It’s a fight for dominance.”
“Yes, the Bladesong tribe agrees with the formation of the Eastern Alliance, but they insist that they should take the position of the Alliance Leader.”
“This is the Great Storm Tribe?”
“Not necessarily. However, I am against the Bladesong tribe becoming the leader of the alliance. If the Bladesong tribe becomes the leader of the alliance, the fight against the West will cause much greater damage. Furthermore, with the power of the Wild Lands united as one, they will try to wage war against the Kingdom of Cailun again.”
It was a convincing story.
Cordelia, who had been listening quietly, raised her hand and asked.
“What does the Wild God of the Bladesong Tribe say?”
“The tribes of the Wild Lands tend to resemble the wild gods who watch over them. The Blade Songs are ignorant war mongers, past and present, and they do not understand each other.”
Since Gounnunbaram, who always uses kind words as her name suggests, spoke like that, it seemed like it would be impossible to resolve the issue through conversation in the first place.
“Isn’t there any way?”
“Yes, and that’s where the problem lies.”
“Uh… there is a way, but that caused the problem?”
When Cordelia asked again, Gounnunbaram nodded and said.
“Yes, the Bladesong tribe has applied for Karaval from the Great Storm tribe.”
Caraval.
Cordelia blinked as if to ask what that was, but Uther frowned.
Because memories that were buried in a corner of the palace of memory came to mind.
“It’s a one-on-one duel ritual. The idea is to resolve disputes through duels.”
Because it was such an ignorant method, it was rarely practiced by tribes that revered battle itself, such as the Bladesong Tribe or the Raging Horn Tribe, but there was no tribe in the Wild Lands that denied the authority of the Caraval itself.
“If it were normal, a great storm would have come out······.”
Thanks to Uther, he was able to stop the curse from progressing, but he was still a sick person.
“The Bladesong tribe also took this into consideration and sent their chieftain’s son, Sunsong, as a representative of Caraval.”
“Uh… Then, should we send out the strongest warrior after the Great Storm?”
“No, that’s not true. Since the Bladesong tribe sent out the Sunsong, we too must send our chieftain’s son as the representative of Caraval.”
As the story progressed to this point, both Uther and Cordelia could see what the problem was.
“Red Wind.”
A representative of Caraval who must be sent out from this side.
Gounnunbaram nodded at the name Cordelia reflexively brought out.
He gave a single sentence that summarized everything he had said so far.
“The red wind must overcome the sun song.”
The only way to build the Eastern Alliance normally.
Uther and Cordelia looked at each other.
&
< Chapter 33 - Phoenix > End
