Volume 9, Chapter 9 – Dragonfall

Located to the south, Dragonfall is a small landmass independent of the World Tree Continent, roughly half the size of the Alfrieg Kingdom. Due to a scarcity of mana in its leylines, the environment of Dragonfall is notoriously harsh—a fact hinted at by its very name.

Of course, the name “Dragonfall” does not mean “dragons weep upon seeing it.” Rather, it refers to the fact that every dragon, when nearing death, returns from the vast World Tree Continent to this birthplace to face their final moments. No one knows why the dragons do this; people simply accept it as a long-standing tradition. Consequently, Dragonfall has become a forbidden zone in the eyes of the World Tree Continent’s inhabitants, earning a notoriety second only to the Abyss.

Notably, due to the desolation of the southern World Tree Continent and the isolation of Dragonfall, virtually no one travels between the two. From a god’s eye view, it would be remarkable if more than a triple-digit number of people attempted to cross the abyss between the two landmasses in a year. Thus, what the inhabitants of the World Tree Continent know of Dragonfall comes primarily from the accounts of adult dragons.

Recorded major conflicts include the Struggle of the Five Dragons, the Goddess War, and the Trino War. While theories regarding the causes of these wars vary, everyone agrees on one conclusion: Dragonfall is a place of frequent large-scale conflict. Its interior is much like the chaotic regions in the south of the World Tree Continent—virtually devoid of order and utterly chaotic, where might makes right. Aside from the dragons who treat it as a breeding ground and a graveyard, only madmen would venture to Dragonfall.

At this moment, two such madmen were streaking through the sky above the southernmost tip of the World Tree Continent, nearing Dragonfall.

As Claire cleared a mountain range, her speed slowed abruptly. Fia, following close behind, lowered her speed accordingly. She tilted her head slightly, her delicate and lovely face filled with confusion.

「What is it?」

Because their speeds far exceeded the speed of sound, verbal communication was impossible, leaving them to rely on [Telepathy]. It should be noted that for most of the journey, Fia had been carrying Claire using [High-Speed Flight] combined with [Flowing Wind’s Blessing]. The reason they were flying separately now was that Claire needed to lead the way through the vast sky ahead; otherwise, Fia’s extreme speed might cause Claire to lose her bearings, leading them both to get lost.

「The border of the World Tree Continent is just ahead. Keep close to me, Little Fia.」

「I will. But that wasn’t what you wanted to say, was it, Claire? You’ve looked like you’ve had something on your mind since we set out this morning.」

「That…」

Claire’s voice was hesitant. She wavered for a long time before finally answering.

「I was wondering… what we should do if I really am the culprit behind the continent’s Falls.」

「Find the source and solve it. Simple as that.」

「Anyone can say that—」

Rеαⅾ оո ΚаtRеαⅾіnɡCаfе

「Do you still not trust me, Claire? I’m the one who nearly saved the world once.」

As she spoke, Fia puffed out her chest with pride. In front of her, Claire looked back, a flash of surprise in her clear emerald eyes.

「Saved the world? How come I’ve never heard of this?」

「Heh heh. Well, that starts with explaining what an AI is. I told you, didn’t I? I’m a soul from another world.」

Following Claire as she sped forward at the speed of sound, Fia began a leisurely and lengthy explanation. It had actually only taken them two days to travel from Blossom to the Alfrieg capital; the reason they only reached this point on the fourteenth day was that Fia had set out late. She hadn’t left Blossom on the third day after the envoys departed as planned, but on the tenth.

There were two reasons for this. First, she realized that the matters she needed to settle were far more numerous than imagined. Coordination between the undead and the elves required a more detailed plan, and she had to act as the mediator. The contact between the two lacked a buffer or a period of adjustment, and most elf nobles remained wary of the undead. Fia needed to guide them toward mutual trust, and the centerpiece of this effort was the construction of the wind towers.

The “wind towers” referred to the passages Fia planned to build at the edge of the Second Abyss to connect the World Tree Continent and the Origin Continent. Fia had completed the primary ten-thousand-meter section herself—essentially boring a two-kilometer-wide diagonal tunnel.

Once Fia finished the main engineering, elven guidance and undead labor were required to install magic barriers, build warehouses, and construct large garrisons for the soldiers. Since this would be the primary route for dealing with Chaos in the future, both Fia and Lucitine agreed to build the wind towers to the highest defensive specifications, requiring an immense investment of manpower and wealth. Furthermore, to prevent Chaos from using the tunnel to counter-attack the World Tree Continent, the towers were equipped with self-destruct barriers; if things went south, the towers could be completely collapsed.

Aside from the wind towers, at Claire’s suggestion, Fia had procured a massive amount of food, clothing, and other daily necessities that were unavailable in Dragonfall. The volume was enough to supply a city of fifty thousand for a month. These supplies could not be gathered overnight, and Fia used the intervening time to deepen her bonds with everyone in the Twilight Palace.

The second factor delaying Fia’s departure was the need to allow the Alfrieg Kingdom and the Northern Nations’ nomadic alliance enough time to prepare. While Fia could reach Alfrieg in two days, the envoys needed over ten. To avoid the awkwardness of arriving before King Barzel had even heard the envoys’ report, Fia deliberately delayed her departure.

As for the Northern Nations, Fia traveled there on the same day she supervised the coronation in Alfrieg to perform a similar task. As it turned out, the leader of the Northern Nations was even more pathetic than Barzel. The moment Fia cut down the frost bone dragon they relied on, their leader began to shake like a leaf, falling from his chair to beg for mercy. He even proactively dragged out the envoy who had arrogantly asked “Why don’t you call yourself a god?” and had him beheaded. Seeing how “flexible” the man was, Fia didn’t see a need to turn him into a second Barzel.

Compared to Alfrieg, the Northern Nations offered little help to the alliance. They had few magic craftsmen, and the furs and livestock they could provide were of limited use due to transportation distances. Bringing them into the alliance was primarily to stop them from making trouble for the southern human nations that could contribute.

Thanks to all this, the two were only now reaching the southernmost tip of the World Tree Continent.

Just as Fia was describing what kind of existence she had been in the past, the clouds ahead thinned abruptly, and their vision cleared. Both Fia and Claire subconsciously slowed their flight.

Reαd οn КαtReaⅾiոɡCаfе

Before them was a sight that could only be described as a sea of clouds, so vast it made one feel insignificant.

Both the World Tree Continent and Dragonfall are high-altitude landmasses protruding far above the Origin Continent. Consequently, between the two lies an ocean filled with thick layers of clouds.

From Fia’s perspective, at a depth of about a thousand meters below the edge of the World Tree Continent, dense, dark-yellow clouds were flowing at extreme speeds. They surged into high ridges before crashing heavily against the cliffs. Though there was no sound of wind in her ears, Fia felt as if she could hear the roar of the clouds themselves. An ancient, mysterious sense of history washed over her, inspiring a feeling of awe.

“This is the ‘Sea of Clouds of Tigris.’ Though there is a sea of clouds on the other side of the Holy Tree as well, it lacks this sense of age and mystery. I wonder if you feel it, Little Fia—this sea of clouds is filled with elements and mana. Even a lower-level dragon can cross this sea.”

Claire explained quietly as she flew directly over the clouds. Fia felt it might be an illusion, but Claire seemed even more beautiful than she had a moment ago.

“Claire, you’re even more beautiful than before.”

“Beautiful? I only feel that since leaving the World Tree Continent, my connection to the elements has become more intimate.”

“It must be because you’re glowing.”

Ever since she first met Claire, Fia felt the girl was shrouded in a faint silver light. Now, that silver glow was even more pronounced. Activating [Mana Vision], Fia saw the surrounding elements turn into more active silver clusters of light after passing through Claire. This was the reason for the “intimate connection” Claire mentioned.

Claire checked her arms in surprise.

“Glowing? I don’t see it.”

“You’ve never noticed, Claire. It’s very obvious, even in dark places. More importantly, which direction should we go? No monsters are going to jump out of the clouds, right?”

“Is that so? Glowing in the dark… We just need to head a bit to the left. While the Sea of Clouds of Tigris has elements and mana, it’s overall quite thin. No one below the Fifth Rank could fly across it alone. Speaking of which, the dragons in Dragonfall use the ability to fly across this sea as the standard for adulthood. Those who fail fall to their deaths; those who succeed go to live on the World Tree Continent.”

“How cruel…”

“Dragonfall is a place where might makes right, after all. While beastmen also respect the strong, it’s a simple admiration for power rather than a total lack of order. By the way, if you go there, Little Fia, you could definitely become the sole god of Dragonfall. Commanding the dragons and the undead to fight Chaos together would be very effective.”

Rеad οn KαtRеαdiոɡСαfе

Claire finished with an amused look, half-covering her lips as her beautiful face filled with teasing.

Something bad is definitely waiting for me.

“Becoming that ‘sole god’ comes with a price, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not really a ‘price.’ Aside from the Moon Dragons who value wisdom, most dragons are simple-minded types who worship strength. If you beat them all into submission, they’ll see you as the boss and follow your orders. That’s the general case, but since you can even eliminate an elf god, having them call you a Dragon God would be no problem at all.”

Speaking of terrifying topics in a lighthearted tone, Claire flew in one direction. Since the sea of clouds was beneath the World Tree Continent, the view above was wide and clear. Fia could already see a dark landmass dozens of kilometers away. That had to be Dragonfall. It looked more like a large island than a continent.

Having the dragons join the alliance would certainly be a good thing, and beating them into submission wouldn’t be hard, but it wasn’t necessary. She had forced the human nations to join because they were weak and had few soldiers to send to the front; they were unlikely to suffer massive casualties.

Dragons were different. They were destined to fight Chaos alongside the undead. Even if they only assisted the undead in holding the lands they had taken, it would inevitably be a grueling battle. It was no different from forcing the dragons to go to their deaths. Furthermore, this was a war for the World Tree Continent; it had nothing to do with Dragonfall. To force the dragons to join a war with a high mortality rate that offered them no benefit upon victory… The intense guilt made it hard to breathe.

She was just accompanying Claire to visit her old home and confirm that she didn’t have a curse that caused the land to fall; it was best not to involve innocent outsiders—which was likely why Claire had said it in a joking manner rather than as a serious proposal.

Fia caught up with Claire.

“What about the Dragon Princess from before? Do I have to beat her too?”

“Are you very interested in her, Little Fia?”

“Of course,” Fia admitted without hesitation. “After what happened with Nola, how could I not care about this Dragon Princess? If she looks at you as a sweetheart just like Nola did, I’ll have another rival in love.”

“Even if she is a rival, you are the winner now, Little Fia.”

Seeing Fia’s dead-serious expression, Claire found it amusing and patted Fia’s head. The delicate texture of the smooth black hair was hard to let go of; for some reason, even just patting Fia’s head made a surge of sweetness and satisfaction well up in Claire’s heart.

Reаd oո KаtReaԁіnɡCαfe

“That child helped me back when I didn’t yet understand this world. She and I were close friends. That said, she doesn’t remember that I’m ‘me’ anymore. When I went to get my weapon back, she said it was a weapon lent to her by her best friend and she couldn’t give it to me. But she couldn’t beat me, so I just took it.”

Claire’s tone was light, as if she were brushing off the fact that her friend had forgotten her as a joke.

“…Did you not try to explain why you were there first?”

“She would have forgotten me anyway, eventually even putting the fact that her weapon was taken out of her mind. Rather than explaining and getting a disappointing result, it was better to just take it from the start. That was better for both of us.”

After a pensive sigh, Claire’s slender right hand slid down from the top of Fia’s head. Like a lover offering comfort, she gently pinched Fia’s perfectly elastic elven ear, her face filling with a genuine smile.

“But now I have the amulet you gave me, Little Fia. I think when I see her again, she should be able to remember me. I just hope she doesn’t blame herself for forgetting. She appears clumsy, but she’s actually someone who cares deeply about how others perceive her—hm?”

Claire’s tone rose abruptly. She seemed confused, her brow furrowing slightly.

“Is that… the Holy Tree?”

Following Claire’s gaze, Fia saw a towering tree situated on a landmass about one-sixth the size of Silvar. Unlike the Holy Tree, this ancient, sprawling, and lush tree was not golden; it appeared as a tree in its natural form. Even though Fia was still over ten kilometers from Dragonfall, she could smell the natural fragrance it emitted—a sweet, refreshing aroma. But what felt strange to Fia was a hint of something uncomfortable within that scent, as if the great tree was resisting her approach.

“Was that tree not originally there?”

“No. It wasn’t there when I left. Something has definitely changed in Dragonfall. Let’s head over.”

“Yes.”

Without another word, Fia matched Claire’s speed, and the two descended upon Dragonfall together.