Advent of the Three Calamities

Chapter 853: Leon’s Despair [3]

It was an unexpected situation, but it was also a very welcome one as I managed to reunite with Pebble.

"How were you able to find me?"

This was something that I was curious about.

"Even if I’m no longer a will, it doesn’t mean that the bone in your body is fake. From the moment you entered the Mirror Dimension, I was able to sense your presence."

That was the explanation that Pebble gave me.

But in that case...

I looked around.

"What about Owl-Mighty?"

I quite missed that tree.

"Why are you asking about that useless tree?"

The black cat’s eyes narrowed as it looked at me. I merely smiled in returned. Seems like their relationship was still the same...

"The Owl also sensed you."

Pebble added, not looking very satisfied. In fact, there also seemed to be something that it didn’t say to me, but very quickly, its chest swelled with pride.

"But unlike that owl, I am much faster! I was able to get to you quickly, while that useless tree will take longer!"

"That makes sense."

Pebble was a dragon, after all. It made sense that Pebble would be faster than a tree. But then again, the last time I traveled with Owl-Mighty, it was pretty fast too.

’In that case, it probably won’t take long for Owl-Mighty to arrive.’

I thought about waiting for the tree, but Pebble leapt off my shoulder and looked back at me.

"Should we get going?"

"Hm? Are we not going to wait for Owl-Mighty? I thought Owl-Mighty was coming here."

"There’s no need to wait for the tree."

Pebble licked its paws. But then, as if realizing the action was unbecoming of a dragon, it stopped and frowned.

"...That stupid tree will arrive soon. Just leave someone here to wait for the tree. We can save more time if we go now."

"Hmm."

In hindsight, this wasn’t a bad idea.

I was already tired of staying in this place. Furthermore, with the addition of Pebble and Owl-Mighty, we’d be able to get to the Land of Fire in no time.

"How long do you think it’ll take for us to reach the Land of Fire?"

"Several hours."

Pebble replied as a strange pressure began to form around its body, spreading toward us while its figure morphed and shifted. Wings burst from its back, and a large shadow fell over all of us.

Leon’s eyes grew especially wide as he nudged my shoulder and pointed.

"A dragon..."

"....?"

I looked at Leon, then at Pebble, as its figure shifted back into that of a dragon. The simple flap of its wings sent a strong gust of wind through the air, making my clothes and hair flutter wildly.

From the moment it revealed its true form, I didn’t wait and hopped onto its back.

"Let’s go. We should be able to reach our destination quickly."

I beckoned everyone else to follow.

Besides Aoife, Kiera, and the rest, An’as and Anne stood rigidly, their eyes fixed on Pebble. They’d been oddly quiet since their arrival. Then again, they probably hadn’t expected me to have a dragon as a companion.

"It’s a long story. I’ll explain to you two later."

Thankfully, even in a daze, they both managed to get onto Pebble’s back.

The last to try and get on Pebble’s back was Leon, still mumbling, "Dragon... finally, I can fly on the dragon again." At this point, I could practically picture what was going through his mind. He was probably imagining himself striking some heroic pose on top of Pebble’s head, arms crossed, looking down on the world like a smug overlord.

I knew this because he had tried it before.

I felt a little bad, but—

"Leon, I need a favor from you."

"Hm?"

Leon froze, his head stiffening as he looked at me from below.

"Owl-Mighty will be coming soon. I need you to wait here for it."

"..."

Leon’s expression drained of color, his eyes wide and trembling as he looked at me. I could practically hear his thoughts: "No, what are you talking about? You... do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?"

"I know."

I nodded.

But...

"Sacrifices must be made."

Thump!

Leon got on his knees.

What a loyal knight.

Thump! Thump Thump!

"Leon!?"

"Why are you banging your head against the floor?!"

He even started to pound his head to show just how much he respected me.

I smiled and tapped on Pebble’s head.

"...I knew I could count on you."

Swoooosh!

Pebble’s wings began to flap, sending a strong gust that made Leon’s clothes flutter wildly and his hair scatter in all directions. But as loyal as ever, Leon didn’t look up, he kept his head lowered, staring at the ground.

I felt touched as his figure became smaller and smaller.

I even waved at him.

"See you later."

Then, the dragon took flight.

Swooooooooooosh—

In just the blink of an eye, Leon’s figure faded from view.

The strong wind from Pebble’s speed startled everyone, but I quickly used my mana to create a small barrier around us, and soon, everything settled.

For the first few minutes, everyone gazed down at the ground in awe, the frozen land beneath us rising in sharp spikes of ice. Their transparent surfaces gleamed under the sunlight, creating a stunning visual.

Even I couldn’t help but feel the same.

Despite having flown on Pebble’s back before, the sight never failed to amaze me. But soon, I began to feel a series of eyes fixed on me.

"You..."

Kiera gave me a strange look, glancing back, presumably toward the spot where we’d left Leon.

"I fail to believe that you couldn’t have let Leon come here. I also doubt that the tree you were talking about would need to wait for Leon. Why did you not let him come? He seemed to really be looking forward to it."

Kiera’s words seemed to echo the sentiment of everyone present.

However, I had a very good reason for this.

"He’s already been on Pebble’s back before."

"And...?"

"The last time he was here, he started posing while looking at the ground beneath like he was some sort of king."

"....."

"....."

"On second thought, maybe you were right."

"Mhm."

Aoife nodded next to her.

"...That tree must need Leon’s help. I’m sure that’s what it is."

"Yes."

Even Evelyn found herself agreeing.

As my gaze swept over Evelyn’s body, a thought surfaced in my mind as I shifted my attention between Kiera and Aoife.

’Hm, it’s worth a shot.’

"The two of you, turn around for a moment. I want to try and see if I can do something. I’ll explain later. For now, just turn your backs against me."

Aoife and Kiera paused, turning to face each other. But as they noticed the sudden shift in my demeanor, neither of them asked anything; they just turned back around.

Evelyn gave us a brief glance before closing her eyes, as if she understood what I was trying to do.

’I was able to do it to Evelyn, but I wasn’t able to do much. That’s why I need more practice, but for now, I need to start doing something for the two of them, or a similar situation will happen to them.’

By "a similar situation," I meant the time when the Outer Beings took over Evelyn’s body. If that were to happen again, I wouldn’t know how to stop it, especially now that they were aware of my existence.

’...Yeah, I need to take care of this issue now before it’s too late.’

Thankfully, I wasn’t as helpless as I was in the past.

I knew what I had to do.

’Outer Rune of Containment.’

Taking a deep breath, two magic circles appeared in my hands. As my palms pressed against her back, the circles began to rotate slowly. I focused on keeping my mind calm, breathing steadily, while memories of the past with Evelyn replayed in my mind.

Unlike the past, this process was much easier.

With the spell already created, [Outer Hand], everything became easy. This was the medium I had crafted to channel the Source power, and as the two magic circles in my hands fully formed, Aoife and Kiera’s bodies stiffened.

"You...!"

"W-what are you...!"

Black veins spread across their faces as their bodies began to twitch and squirm.

I took another deep breath, feeling the drain on my mana, and forced the words out, "T-try to resist."

But that was easier said than done. Their bodies trembled more intensely, and the black veins on their faces became even more pronounced. With each passing second, the mana inside me drained further.

If not for the fact that I had already recovered, this would’ve really been extremely dangerous for me.

Especially since I could feel the darkness inside their bodies trying to reach me. Almost as if it was trying to consume me.

But I didn’t let it as I clenched my teeth and kept my hands firm.

"K-kh!"

"Ukhg...!"

Kiera and Aoife both groaned in pain from the strain of my actions, but all I could tell them was to resist as I poured even more effort into maintaining the spell.

The result appeared almost immediately.

[-1]

[-1]

[-1]

[-1]

[-1]

The calamity meter, which had been nearing its breaking point, began to retreat for the two of them. The decrease wasn’t rapid, but it was noticeable. I could see the black lines around their bodies starting to fade, slowly growing fainter with each passing moment.

"Ahhhh!"

"Akhhhh!! J-Julien!"

But the physical toll my actions were taking on them was becoming more apparent as their screams grew louder. An’as and Anne both stood, looking our way with worry, but Evelyn raised her hand to stop them, her expression steady.

I also knew why they were acting like this.

Aoife and Kiera weren’t just screaming, but their bodies were physically breaking down as blood began to seep out from their orifices. If I carried on further, then I’d create irreversible damage to them.

That was why I had no choice but to stop here.

"Haaa! Haaa...!"

"Haaa!

The two of them slumped onto Pebble’s back, their faces ghostly pale, and the black lines that had marked their skin finally began to fade. I was no different from them, exhausted and drained, and I had to prop my body up with both hands.

"Haa."

Slumping back, I took several deep and uneven breaths as I tried my best to stabilize the mana inside of my body.

’...I... think this is my limit.’

I was able to reduce their meter by about 5% each. Although this wasn’t much, it was just the start.

’If I continue... like this, I should be able to get rid of it completely, hopefully.’

Ideally, that was the goal. However, I knew that ideals were just ideals. There was no way things would be this easy.

But there was no time to spare.

"Hooo."

Taking another deep breath, I looked at the gray sky above. As my mana started to accumulate again, I closed my eyes.

A certain rune appeared in my mind.

’I think there are a few hours until we reach the destination. I might as well try and see if I can upgrade my spells.’

Opening my eyes again after my mana recovered a decent amount, I sat back up and extended my hand, forming a new magic circle.

Without second thought, I began to fiddle with the spells.

By the time I reached the ’Land of Fire’, I wanted to see if I could evolve all of my spells.

It had been a very long time since I had evolved my spells.