Chapter 427 – Trap (1)

"…What do I?"

Clopeh's voice was slightly shaking.

"What do I need to do?"

The Wyvern Knights Brigade.

That name was one that shook his heart every time he heard it.
The Wyvern Knights Brigade of the Northern legends was the greatest force ever. If he could control that legend once again, the North, well, at least the Paerun Kingdom, would develop with him at the center.

Smirk.

Clopeh could see the corners of Cale's lips rising. Cale lowered his head a bit more and stealthily whispered in Clopeh's ears.

"It'll be temporary, but I'll make it so that your arms and legs work properly as well. Of course, the restrictions will remain the same."

Boom. Boom.

Clopeh's heart was beating wildly.

'Really.'

He started to think.
He was thinking that this person in front of him knew how to make him do whatever he wanted to do.

He didn't even pay attention to the fact that the restrictions would stay the same.
The restriction Cale was talking about was exploding to death if he betrayed Cale. As long as he doesn't betray him…

He would have the chance to recreate the legend once again.

"You must have been bored sitting back and only watching this whole time, right?"

He had been bored.
How could he not be bored?

He was someone who had not missed a single day of training to become a legend ever since he confirmed his natural talent with the sword.
Even if he chose this current path for survival, it did not mean that he had adjusted to his life that had changed drastically in a single moment.

Clopeh could see Cale pointing at two people.
They were the necromancer and the youngest sword master. Cale pointed to the two of them as he continued to speak.

"It is those two people, Sir Clopeh."

The revival of the Guardian Knight was right in front of his nose.

"The two of us only make deals with each other."

That was why the Guardian Knight happily smiled back at the person who was smiling like the devil.

"I will accept it no matter what the deal is."

A noble smile instead of a greedy smile was visible in front of Cale.
Cale thoroughly observed Clopeh who instantly started to act like the Guardian Knight again before he started to speak.
His voice was gentle.

"Spread rumors that there is someone named the White Star who has invaded and is trying to invade the Empire, the North, and the entire Western continent."

The Bear King had said the following.

'There are people who are chosen and there are people who are not.
The people who are not chosen would face disasters and barren lands.'

It was some not even funny nonsense.

'Who says I'll let them do that?'

"Spread the rumors that the White Star is a disaster."

He could create the opposite situation than what had happened during ancient times.
Cale moved his gaze away from Clopeh and toward Cage and Taylor. He looked at Witira as well.
They realized that he was saying that to all of them and not just Clopeh.

"Also, say that there are people who are standing up and fighting against the White Star."

Cale thought about Mercenary King Bud Illis.
Cale had contacted the bastard who had temporarily returned to the Eastern continent for a favor.

'Spread the rumors!'

A different picture than what happened during ancient times would be created if the rumors were spread.
Unlike the ancient White Star, this White Star would not have the qualifications to choose anyone or any land.

"No matter how strong the White Star, the Bear King, and the Lion King are…"

No matter how strong they were individually…

"They can't defeat rumors."

The White Star who wanted to become nature, to become a god.
Unlike during ancient times, there would be almost nobody who followed him this time.

Cale could see Clopeh look at him and start to open his mouth.

"Cale-nim, our Wyvern Knights Brigade will be the ones to fight against that disaster this time I presume."
"Yes. Doesn't that sound great?"
"It sounds wonderful."

Cale heard Raon's voice in his mind at that moment.

– Human, Clopeh's eyes look even crazier than normal!

'Of course.'

He earned a chance that may never come around again and he would look cool fighting against the White Star, someone who has done all sorts of terrible deeds until now.
How would he able to handle it without going even crazier?

– … Human, won't the crazier Clopeh say something like, 'I'm a legend!' as he fights?

He was someone who would totally do something like that.
The corners of Cale's lips were twitching in joy.

'White Star, you are a crazy bastard too, but enjoy fighting against such an oddly crazy bastard.'

Cale was starting to get excited that a very interesting picture was about to be created.

***

"We will end our strategy meeting here."

Everybody got up from their seats at Cale's comment.
None of them had time to linger and chat because they each had a lot to do.

"Young master Cale."
"Young master-nim! Let's go together!"

Taylor and Cage approached Cale while the Whales and Clopeh bid farewell and quickly left the room.

"Young master Cale, I'm relieved to see that you woke up safely."

Taylor smiled and gave the late greeting and Cale responded with a smile. He then calmly asked Cage a question.

"Did you do what I asked for, Miss Cage?"
"Excuse me?"

Cage looked confused as she looked into Cale's serious eyes.
He continued in a serious tone.

"I'm talking about cursing at the God of Death."
"Ah!"
"Did you forget?"
"…Yes, things were too hectic since we got to the Empire."

Cale scratched her head as she asked back.

"Should I do it now?"

Her voice sounded mischievous. However, she had no idea.

"Yes, please do it every single day. I sincerely ask you to do that."
"I hope you can do the same for me as well."
"Me too! Good little Cage! Tell him I'm going to smack him in the back!"

Cale, Choi Han, and Raon all said similar things with serious expressions on their faces. Anybody would be able to tell that they were being serious.
Cage soon responded with a serious expression of her own.

"He seems to have pulled some stupid shit again. I understand. I will cuss at him every night in prayer. Look forward to it."

Cale smiled back at Cage with sincere gratitude.
It was at that moment.

'Cale!'

He could hear the voice of a Wind Elemental as he had picked up the top's whip again.
It was a familiar Wind Elemental.
It was the one among the three that always followed him that shouted, 'destruction, chaos, despair!' all the time.

'Do you remember what I said last time?'

'What he said last time?'

Cale recalled the last thing this punk who always shouted for destruction told him.

'It is impossible for anyone unless they hear the Wind Elementals like you. I have something to say. For destruction!'

This Wind Elemental had said he had something to say to Cale. Furthermore, it was something for destruction.

"… Young master-nim?"

Cale motioned for Cage to pause before temporarily walking away from the group to a corner.
He then quietly started to speak once he got to the corner.

"What is it you wish to say?"
'The World Tree is looking for you.'

'Ah.'

Cale recalled an existence that he had forgotten about.
The existence that had been alive for the longest time in this world. He had many questions to ask the World Tree. He had not been able to visit for a while, but it looked like he needed to make some time to pay it a visit.

The Wind Elemental said something else as Cale thought about where he could fit the trip in.

'Darkness is fire.'

'What?
What is he saying now?'

'You showed it to us. You showed us the fire that could destroy darkness.'

'Huh? Is he talking about the Fire of Destruction cheapskate?'

'I know the identity of Dorph's Elemental. I think you have a pretty good idea as well.'

Dorph, the Lion King.
He and the Bear King were said to control the White Star's darkness and light.

"…Darkness?"
'Correct.'

Then that meant, Dorph was…

"An Elementalist of Darkness?"
'No.'

'No?'

'We had thought Dorph was an Elementalist at the time. However, we did not see an Elemental.'

That had been the case.
The Wind Elementals had said that the Lion King was an Elementalist, however, they had not found an Elemental.

'We were wrong.'

'The Wind Elementals made a mistake?'

Cale subconsciously started to speak.

"You mean Dorph isn't an Elementalist?"

His voice was loud enough that Mary, Choi Han, and Raon all jerked their heads toward him. Cale didn't have time to pay attention to their gazes.
Why?

'That bastard ate an Elemental.'

'Huh? What did he just say?'

'He ate a Darkness Elemental. He then received the Elemental's powers.'

'Is something like that even possible?'

'That is why the World Tree wishes to speak to you.'

'Damn.'

Cale was at a loss for words.

'Eat an Elemental? How?'

'We were unable to see an Elemental because the Darkness Elemental has been absorbed into that bastard's body.'
"Ho."

The Wind Elemental continued to speak to Cale who could only sigh.

'There is a baby Elemental I protected for a year in the past.'

'What is he talking about now?'

Cale started to frown after being unable to understand the flow of this Wind Elemental's statements. The Wind Elemental still continued to say what he wanted to say.

'It is a baby Fire Elemental specialized in destruction. It can destroy darkness as well. It says it wants to help you.'

'…Oh?'

Cale's eyes sparkled at this new information.

'There's a Fire Elemental that has similar powers as the cheapskate?'

Elementals determine their paths once they are born as they choose their disposition, with their appearance changing based on their disposition and creating their own unique character.

Normal Fire Elementals would find it difficult to fight against darkness like the cheapskate. This was the case for the few Fire Elementals that some of the Dark Elf warriors possessed.

But there was a Fire Elemental capable of destroying darkness?

That meant that Cale would have more strategies he could use in battle.

'However, that baby Elemental needs an Elementalist to help it.'

'Ah, right.'

Cale subconsciously nodded his head.
An Elemental needed an Elementalist, Elf, or Dark Elf to use its strength properly. A contract needed to be completed in order to speak to an Elemental.
Someone like Cale who could speak to all Wind Elementals was a special case.

"…Do you want me to introduce an Elf or Dark Elf that Fire Elemental might be interested in contracting?"
'No need.'

The Wind Elemental instantly rejected the offer.

'That baby Fire Elemental has a human he wants to contract. It is a human who has the potential to become an Elementalist.'

'Oh! There's such a person?'

Elementalists were the rarest of professions.

'I brought the baby Fire Elemental with me. Can I tell you what it is saying since you can't hear the voices of Fire Elementals?'
"Of course."

Cale happily nodded his head.
It was a chance where he might be able to gain another useful ally.

'It is talking.'

The Wind Elemental started to repeat the baby Fire Elemental's words.

'Fiery thunderbolt, sea of fire, admiration.'

'Hmm?'

'Proficiency in sea of fire completed. Create a sea of fire for darkness and chaos. I am a great and mighty Fire capable of destruction. Respect Raon Miru, extremely respect the Fire of Destruction, my role model.'

Cale subconsciously started to speak.

"…What the hell? You brought a weird-"

'It brought a weird one with it?'

He heard a satisfied voice as he started to frown.

'A great Elemental like me, agree with chaos, despair, destruction.'

It was the Wind Elemental.

'It brought something similar to it!'

Cale was starting to get a headache because of this Wind Elemental that brought a baby Fire Elemental that was shouting for destruction, chaos, and despair just like it.
The Wind Elemental didn't care and continued to repeat the baby Fire Elemental's words.

'We met before. I walked you out. The red furball. That is me.'
"Hmm?"

Cale recalled when he went to visit the World Tree in the past.
He had visited an inn at that time. It was a small inn run by a grandma and her grandson.
Cale recalled the grandson's words when he stopped there for meal and drinks on their way out.

"Excuse me, guest-nim."

Sully, the innkeeper's grandson, had been looking not at Cale but the empty air around him.

'I'm sorry, I'm not sure if something is wrong with my eyes. Ah, this is really weird.'

That innocent young man had mumbled for a bit before pointing to a spot in the air.

'There seems to be a small and round red ball that looks like a ball of red fur? Am, am I hallucinating? Ah, what is wrong with me?'

That red furball was the baby Fire Elemental that had said that it respected Cale and wanted to walk him out when Cale was leaving the Elf Village where the World Tree resided.
Adite, the Elf priestess who served the World Tree, had said the following.

'If it is okay with you, one of our, mm, this baby fire Elemental-nim that was born less than a year ago would like to escort you to the entrance of the village outside the lake. Would that be okay?'

She had also explained why the Fire Elemental wanted to do that.

'The Elemental-nim said that it respects Cale-nim and really wants to escort you to the point that it whine-, no, sincerely asked.'
'…It respects me?'
'Yes sir. It said that it had never seen such a destructive and crazy fire before! It wants to be like it!'

The thing that the one-year-old Elemental had said was that it wanted to be like the crazy Fire of Destruction.
The Fire Elemental that had chosen its path had grown in that direction.

"…Crazy."

Cale could not help but be shocked.
The Wind Elemental didn't care and continued to repeat the Fire Elemental's words.

'The human I want to contract with keeps ignoring me. Treats me like a furball. I am a great and mighty fire! Help me contract with him. I want to create seas of fire everywhere! Chaos, despair, destruction of darkness! We must destroy it at all costs!'

Cale oddly started to feel iffy.
He chose to step back for now.

"Let's save the rest of this for later when I go see the World Tree."

The Wind Elemental immediately shared the Fire Elemental's response.

'The World Tree-nim said I have a high chance of burning the lake and to return when I became an adult. I cannot go. I have a house I stay in. It is the contractor's house. The contractor keeps having nightmares.'
"Haaaa."

Cale let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?"

The Wind Elemental started to speak as Cage approached Cale with concern.

'By the way, I saw how you used your wind together with the fire. Our baby Fire Elemental and I decided to combine our powers. We will create a fiery whirlwind! A great and mighty fiery whirlwind!'

Cale hesitated for a moment before looking toward Cage and the others and starting to speak.

"It looks like something good has happened."

It seemed like a good thing, so why did he feel so iffy?
Cale sighed while looking at the solemn seas of the North.
The others looked toward him with odd expressions, but Cale weakly continued to speak.

"Let's go take care of things."

There was a lot they needed to do.

***

Hair as red as blood was shaking in the wind.

"It looks like summer is slowly leaving us."

The northern winds were brushing past the person's cheeks.
The person who was staring at the cold ocean with a glacier visible in the far distance started to speak.

"What is it?"

A gentle voice reached him at that moment.

"Cale Barrow, what are you thinking about?"

The red-haired man started to frown as he turned around.
A fatigued but handsome face and cold eyes looked toward the person who came to see him.

Barrow.

All Dragon Slayers dropped their own last names and took the last name of Barrow when they became Dragon Slayers. Their first name was the only thing tying the Dragon Slayers to their lives prior to taking on the role.

The red-haired man covered his face with a white mask in his hand.
He started to speak again once his handsome face was covered.

"…Sayeru, you will die the moment you say that damn old name one more time."

The White Star had a cold smile on his face.
He didn't need a name he had for a short duration during his 1,000 years of life.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]