Chapter 286: The Messenger, Falm (Revised)

The red magical beast, a meter long with wings spanning three meters, flew through the night sky at full speed, streaking across the darkness like a meteor.

Tears glistened in Falm's eyes as he clutched a small parcel in his claws. Channeling all his grief and indignation into speed, he raced toward Snowvo Castle.

Damn it!

The mighty mount of the Fire God had been reduced to a mere messenger, flying through the night to deliver a parcel to a human!

Falm was unwilling in every possible sense of the word. But the Elven King had suggested it, and the Little Fairy had asked him to do it. Could he possibly refuse?

No!

And so the poor little magical beast could only puff up his cheeks in resentment, pick up the parcel, and reluctantly play messenger for a night.

Back at the campsite, Hector took a sip of hot water and asked anxiously, "Do you think he'll manage to deliver it?"

He had explained the route to Snowvo Castle as thoroughly as possible and described his third uncle's appearance. Hopefully, Falm would complete the delivery without any problems.

Shu Li added a few logs to the campfire and smiled. "Don't worry! Falm might love pretending he's young and adorable, but he's actually an ancient magical beast who's lived for tens of thousands of years."

As the Fire God's mount, Falm had frequently carried his master to every corner of the Austin Continent. He was practically a living map.

Snowvo Castle was only fifty kilometers away. That was nothing to him.

"That's a relief." Hector sighed. Gazing into the brightly burning fire, he turned to the others apologetically. "I'm sorry. You were all dragged into this because of me."

If they hadn't been so strong, and if Falm hadn't been there to help, they might well have fallen victim to the ambush.

"How is any of this your fault?" Siti protested. "The one to blame is that disgusting Barat!"

Nasha nodded in agreement. "You're a victim too."

Hector sighed again. "As much as I hate to admit it, my surname is still Snowvo. When someone from my family turns out to be such a monster, I can't pretend I bear no responsibility."

Puwa Town had once been under his father's jurisdiction. After his father's death, Hector had lost his inheritance rights within the family, but he should still have been entitled to a share of his father's estate.

If he hadn't made such a scene back then, if he hadn't given the others something to use against him, his grandfather wouldn't have abandoned him and stripped him of most of his father's inheritance.

By rights, Hector should have been the one governing Puwa Town.

Instead, his own foolishness and ignorance had led the family to brand him a worthless failure. He had nearly been sent away to languish in the impoverished, backward Kashalo region.

Fortunately, the appearance of the Mage Sovereign had saved him from that fate, giving him the opportunity to study at the magic academy in the Central Court and meet so many wonderful, dependable friends he could truly trust.

"If you feel that strongly about it, why not fight for what's yours?"

Ace held a warm cup with effortless elegance, his deep green eyes resting on Hector.

"Fight for it?" Hector stared at him blankly, not immediately understanding what he meant.

"Some things will never be yours unless you fight for them," Ace said. "If you want to change your circumstances, you must first change yourself. Only when you possess the power to take control of your own fate can you set things right."

Listening to the man's deep voice, Shu Li found himself unconsciously staring at his flawless profile.

For some reason, although Ace wore a faint smile, Shu Li couldn't sense any happiness behind it.

Instead, there was something else.

Something he couldn't quite put into words.

...Sadness?

Why sadness?

How strange!

Seriu instinctively glanced toward the blond man sitting opposite him.

Of everyone present, he alone knew that Ace was the Elven King. Even though he was close to Halis, he had never revealed that secret.

During their usual conversations, the Elven King rarely spoke. Most of the time, he simply listened to the others with a gentle smile.

But whenever he did speak, his words invariably struck at the heart of the matter, illuminating things the others had failed to understand.

For him to suddenly offer Hector such advice, there had to be a deeper meaning behind it.

Sure enough, Hector fell into deep thought.

"Ace is absolutely right!" Amanda suddenly declared, unusually moved by the conversation. "Before my brother became the Dragon King, one of our uncles ruled the dragons. But that uncle wasn't a good dragon at all! He was always finding ways to bully my brother, and he seized the inheritance our grandfather and parents had left us. Even worse, he hid me away while I was still an egg!"

"Huh? Why would he do that?" Budno asked in surprise. "Aren't dragon eggs incredibly precious?"

Dixio frowned. "I thought dragons were like Fairies and always stuck together."

Amanda shook his head. "Nope! Among dragons, strength is everything. If my brother and I weren't strong enough, we wouldn't be able to claim the inheritance our grandfather and parents left us. Back then, my brother was still young, and I was only an egg. Our uncle was the strongest, so he became the Dragon King."

"Then how did Harmon become the Dragon King?" Shu Li asked curiously.

The Harmon of today was unimaginably powerful, even somewhat stronger than Zephyr, who was over six thousand years old.

Amanda puffed up with pride. "My brother refused to let our uncle push him around, so he went to the Elven King and asked to become his disciple!"

"Wow!"

The little Fairies exclaimed in surprise.

They already knew that Harmon was one of the Elven King's disciples, but this was the first time they'd heard why the Dragon King had sought him out as a teacher.

Seriu couldn't help glancing at the blond young man, whose lips had curved into a faint smile.

Hector emerged from his thoughts and began listening attentively to Amanda's story.

"...When my brother decided to become the Elven King's disciple, lots of dragons opposed it. They thought that even though the Elven King was incredibly powerful, he couldn't possibly teach a dragon anything useful. But my brother's a stubborn dragon! He ignored all the elders' advice and flew straight to the Elven Kingdom.

"At first, the Elven King refused to accept him. But my brother refused to give up. Every single day, he flew from Dragon Island to the Elven Kingdom, waited there all day, and then flew all the way back to Dragon Island.

"He kept doing that for an entire month! Finally, the Elven King agreed to take him as a disciple. My brother stayed in the Elven Kingdom to study for five hundred years before returning to Dragon Island to challenge our uncle for the throne!"

After hearing about Harmon's efforts to find a teacher, Shu Li asked in confusion, "But I thought receiving the Elven King's blessing automatically made someone his disciple. Why didn't he agree at first?"

Amanda scratched the back of his head. "I dunno! That's just what my brother told me."

"Hmm..." Shu Li pondered. "Maybe there was some special reason."

I'll ask the Elven King when I get back to the Elven Kingdom!

"What happened after he returned to Dragon Island?" Dixio asked eagerly.

"He challenged our uncle, of course!"

Although Amanda wasn't quite as gifted a storyteller as Shu Li, he still knew how to hold an audience's attention.

The little Fairies loved stories more than anything, and every one of them listened with rapt attention. The humans were equally fascinated by the dragons, occasionally interrupting to ask questions.

Amanda vividly described the battle between his brother and their uncle.

Every dragon on Dragon Island had gathered to witness the confrontation. Even those who had left the island to train and gain experience hurried back when they heard the news.

Most of the dragons expected Harmon to lose. Only a small minority supported him.

The battle raged for three days and three nights.

Through sheer strength, Harmon proved to every dragon present that he possessed the power worthy of a king.

"Our uncle lost, and he died. My brother became the new Dragon King." Amanda sighed regretfully. "It's such a shame I was still an egg back then. I never got to see how magnificent my brother looked when he won!"

The others listened with undisguised admiration, imagining the extraordinary battle.

Hector raised a question. "Why did your uncle have to die just because he lost?"

Amanda's expression turned solemn.

"Because it was a fight to the death. One of them had to die. If my brother had lost, our uncle would've bitten through his neck. Since our uncle lost, my brother had to bite through his neck instead, to establish his authority over the entire clan."

Therefore, any dragon who challenged the Dragon King had to be prepared to die.

The Austin Continent was home to countless races, each with its own characteristics and ways of surviving.

There was no denying that battles among dragons were bloody and brutal.

Yet it was precisely this ruthlessness that had allowed the dragons to remain powerful for so long.

"After my brother became the Dragon King, he not only reclaimed our inheritance but also took possession of everything our uncle owned. And I finally got to return to his side," Amanda said, resting his chin in his hands.

"Was your brother the one who hatched you?" Shu Li asked.

"Yep!" Amanda nodded. "It took him forever! Everyone almost decided I was a dead egg. Luckily, my brother never gave up on me. He endured all the pressure and insisted on hatching me himself!"

To bring Amanda into the world, his brother had shouldered the responsibilities of both father and mother, despite being a single male dragon.

He had even rejected the advances of numerous female dragons.

Finally, one night twenty-four years ago, Amanda had broken out of his shell, causing a sensation throughout the entire dragon clan.

Budno threw an arm around Amanda's neck and rubbed his cheek against him affectionately.

"If you hadn't hatched, I'd have one less good friend to share delicious food with!"

Amanda's cheeks turned faintly pink from all the rubbing.

Everything about the little Fairies was wonderful, except for their habit of constantly rubbing themselves against other people.

"That's right! That's right!"

Angel and Dixio promptly pounced on him too, hugging him tightly and rubbing their cheeks against him.

Watching the four handsome young men tangled together in a heap, Shu Li's mouth twitched.

Hector looked on with undisguised envy.

These friends, who shared no blood ties whatsoever, were as close as brothers.

Meanwhile, his own cousins treated him like an enemy, guarding against him as though he were a thief who might steal their precious property.

After his father's death, the heartlessness of his relatives had left him utterly disillusioned. He had distanced himself from the family and resolved to live his own life.

Yet returning to a familiar place and witnessing the things his father had valued being trampled underfoot had filled him with sorrow.

And when he discovered that Barat had hired assassins to murder him and his friends, he had been furious beyond measure.

His long-dormant heart had begun pounding fiercely, and a stubborn, unyielding determination had surged through him.

Just as Ace had said, why should he give up?

Why shouldn't he fight for what was rightfully his?

Some things would never be yours unless you fought for them.

Without the power to control his own fate, he couldn't change anything.

After hearing Amanda's story about the dragons, Hector clenched his fists and made a decision.

"Once this adventure is over, I'm going home."

He didn't raise his voice, but he spoke clearly enough for everyone to hear.

Seeing the determination on Hector's face, Shu Li could roughly guess what he was thinking.

"You have my support."

Budno gave Hector a hearty slap on the back. "Mine too!"

Dixio declared, "You should absolutely go back and take back what's yours!"

"If you need our help, just say the word," Nasha said earnestly.

Although she wasn't a true princess of the Dalia Empire, she could occasionally use the title to intimidate people.

"Count me in!" Siti raised her hand.

She was a genuine princess of a powerful kingdom. All Hector needed to do was reveal that they were friends, and if the elders of the Snowvo family had any sense, they would know exactly how to behave.

Soon, everyone else had voiced their support as well.

Looking at the sincere faces of his companions, Hector felt tears welling in his eyes.

When he had first learned that Siti and Nasha were princesses, he had admittedly entertained certain thoughts about befriending them for personal gain.

But later, when Lu Weixi had come looking for trouble, his companions had stood up for him. Sperien had even stepped forward to challenge Lu Weixi himself.

Hector had been deeply moved by their actions.

At the same time, he had felt utterly ashamed of himself.

He had abandoned those petty, calculating intentions once and for all.

True friendship required sincerity on both sides. Only by treating one another with genuine openness could a friendship endure.

He had already lost so much.

Now that he had finally found a group of friends, he would never allow anyone to hurt them.

Of all the people Barat could have targeted, he should never have gone after Hector's friends.

That incident had forced Hector to recognize a painful truth.

Without sufficient strength, he couldn't even protect the people he cared about.

And so he resolved that once their adventure in the Snow Kingdom ended, he would return to the Snowvo family and reclaim everything that rightfully belonged to him.

Two years ago, his grandfather had declared that unless Hector became an Intermediate Mage within five years, he would be stripped of the Snowvo surname and sent to the Kashalo region to fend for himself.

Now, Hector could proudly tell every member of the family who had laughed at him that he wouldn't need five years.

In just one more year, he would become an Intermediate Mage.

And his achievements wouldn't end there.

In the future, he would become a Magic Instructor, a Grand Mage, perhaps even a Saint Mage.

He would fight alongside his companions, and together they would become heroes who saved the world.

That night, with Falm away, the Light Squad took turns keeping watch.

Hector was so energized by his newfound determination that he insisted on taking the first half of the night.

Meanwhile, far away at Snowvo Castle, Kadimer Snowvo was in for quite a fright.

Having just attended a banquet, he returned home thoroughly drunk, supported by a servant.

As he stumbled through his front door, he sang an outrageously off-key tune and reminisced about the beautiful noblewoman he'd met at the banquet.

Perhaps he ought to pursue that acquaintance a little further?

An illicit affair might be rather entertaining...

Suddenly, a red ball appeared directly in front of him.

"Hey! Are you Kadimer Snowvo?"

The red ball spoke in a childish voice.

Kadimer and his servant both jumped in fright.

What the hell?

Since when could balls talk?

"M-master! It's a magical beast! A magical beast!" the servant stammered.

Unlike his master, the servant was sober enough to recognize what the red ball actually was. He trembled uncontrollably.

The moment Kadimer heard the words "magical beast," most of his drunkenness vanished.

He instinctively began gathering the magic within his body.

"Hey, I'm asking you! Is your name Kadimer Snowvo?" the little beast repeated.

"...Yes, it is."

Kadimer steadied himself before answering.

Although the magical beast was tiny, the pressure radiating from it was astonishingly powerful. It was clearly not something to underestimate.

"Oh, finally! I've found you!" the little beast exclaimed. "Hector was right! You really are brave. Everyone else started screaming the moment they saw me, but you're perfectly calm!"

Flapping his wings, Falm moved closer and scrutinized Kadimer's face.

"Hmm... A mole beside the corner of your left eye. Yep, that's definitely you!"

Kadimer stood perfectly still, not daring to move.

Beside him, the servant's eyes had rolled back so far that he looked ready to faint.

The truth was, Kadimer wasn't particularly calm.

The alcohol had simply dulled his nerves and slowed his reactions. By the time his mind caught up with what was happening, the little beast was already right in front of him.

But when he heard the creature mention Hector, Kadimer forced himself to remain composed.

Falm had no idea what was going through the man's mind.

Having confirmed the recipient's identity, he promptly shoved the parcel he'd been carrying into Kadimer's arms.

"This is from Hector. There's a letter inside. Make sure you read it carefully."

"...Thank you."

Kadimer instinctively hugged the parcel to his chest.

Falm flapped his wings and rose into the air.

"Well, I've delivered it, so I'm leaving! Oh, right. I ate the fruit growing on that tree in your courtyard. Pretty tasty stuff!"

Before Kadimer could respond, Falm transformed into a streak of red light and shot into the distance with a sharp whoosh.

Kadimer tilted his head back and stared in the direction the red light had disappeared.

For a long time, he said nothing.

His servant had only just recovered his composure when the realization that the magical beast had eaten the fruit in the courtyard nearly made him faint again.

"Master! That magical beast stole our Golden Pine Dragon Fruit!" he cried.

"I know," Kadimer replied expressionlessly. "There's no need to shout."

The Golden Pine Dragon Tree had been growing for ten years.

After all that time, it had finally produced a single fruit.

And now it was gone.

Gone!

Kadimer ground his teeth.

"That damned Hector! This had better be important, or else—"

Back in the sitting room, he opened the parcel and discovered a precious crystal ore and two letters.

One was labeled Commission Contract.

The other bore his name.

Kadimer opened the second letter and read it carefully.

At first, his expression was indifferent. Then surprise crept across his face.

By the time he reached the end, his brows were tightly drawn together, and fury blazed in his eyes.

"Barat! How dare you!"

He immediately opened the commission contract.

The more he read, the angrier he became, until the servant was too frightened to make a sound.

After a while, Kadimer picked up the expensive-looking crystal and channeled magic into it according to the instructions Hector had written in his letter.

The crystal lit up instantly.

Several intricate, complex magical formations emerged from its surface. When the formations faded, an image appeared in midair.

So this is the Recording Stone my nephew mentioned?

It really was remarkable!

If someone developed the technology further and began producing these things in large quantities, there was a fortune to be made.

Kadimer focused on the image, listening intently as Hector questioned the mercenary and the man answered.

His silver-gray eyes grew increasingly dark.

Eventually, the recording ended, and the image vanished.

Silence returned to the sitting room.

The servant barely dared to breathe as he secretly observed his master.

Kadimer was completely sober now.

Gone was his usual lazy, carefree demeanor.

At that moment, he resembled a snow wolf consumed by fury.

It seemed his claws had gone too long without tasting blood.

One by one, these fools had started mistaking him for a harmless rabbit.

As for Hector...

They hadn't seen each other in two years, and the boy had changed considerably.

It seemed that a wolf cub driven away from the pack would eventually grow into a fierce lone wolf.

By early morning, Falm had successfully returned to the campsite.

He demanded a pile of fruit from Shu Li as his reward and proceeded to munch away while boasting about his exploits.

But when everyone learned that he'd eaten the fruit growing in Hector's third uncle's courtyard, they were dumbfounded.

"Wait a minute! You were supposed to deliver a parcel! Why did you go around stealing fruit from someone else's tree?"

Shu Li grabbed Falm by the wing and shook him vigorously.

How embarrassing was that?! Seriously!

Falm grew dizzy from all the shaking, but his short, chubby forelegs remained wrapped tightly around a piece of fruit.

"I got bored waiting! The fruit smelled so good that I couldn't resist taking a bite! Besides, I left a piece of Sunstone under the tree to make up for it!"

Sunstone was an extremely expensive material used in crafting magical defensive equipment.

Even a tiny piece was worth a fortune.

But as a fire dragon lizard who lived in the desert, Falm had plenty of the stuff. Giving away a piece meant nothing to him.

Shu Li released him helplessly and turned an apologetic look toward Hector.

Hector cleared his throat.

"I don't think my third uncle will mind."

After all, Sunstone was worth far more than Golden Pine Dragon Fruit.

Shu Li jabbed an accusing finger at the little beast's forehead and ordered him to return to the Fire God's Mark.

Falm was more than happy to go back and enjoy a long nap.

He stuck out his forked tongue, opened his mouth, and swallowed the fruit into the storage pouch inside his stomach.

Then he transformed into a streak of red light and disappeared into the back of Shu Li's right hand.

The Light Squad packed up their campsite and resumed their journey toward the Snow Kingdom.

The farther north they traveled, the more desolate the landscape became.

A day later, they entered the Kashalo region, which bordered the Snow Kingdom.

Just as Hector had described, Kashalo was barren and bitterly cold. They could travel for half a day without seeing a single village, and magical beasts frequently roamed the wilderness.

Although the region belonged to Snowvo territory, it seemed almost entirely devoid of life.

It was difficult to imagine how Hector could possibly have survived if his family had actually sent him here.

Hector had never visited Kashalo before.

As he gazed at the bleak landscape, his heart tightened, and his hatred deepened for the malicious relatives who had taken advantage of his misfortune.

When his father was alive, he had never mistreated any of them. Some had even received his father's help.

Yet after his death, those same people had wasted no time persecuting his only son.

Noticing Hector's gloomy expression, Shu Li placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You still have us," he said softly.

Hector's furrowed brow relaxed.

"Yes," he replied sincerely. "I have all of you."

He had no time to waste wallowing in self-pity.

He needed to become stronger and reclaim everything through his own efforts.

This year was one of the Snow Kingdom's opening years, and adventuring parties from all across the continent had flocked toward it.

As their carriage approached the kingdom, they encountered more and more adventurers along the road.

By evening, they arrived at Snow Village, the only village near the Snow Kingdom.

Snow Village was fairly large, with more than a dozen inns. Travelers, adventurers, and mercenaries constantly came and went.

There were also four or five taverns, restaurants, weapons shops, armor shops, potion shops, and stores specializing in fur-lined winter clothing for protection against the cold.

Shu Li and his companions checked six different inns before finally finding one with four vacant rooms.

After making arrangements for their carriage, they stepped through the inn's entrance.

Immediately, numerous pairs of eyes turned toward them.

The main hall was packed with adventurers.

Humans, dwarves, gnomes, Dark Elves, beastfolk, and half-beastfolk mingled together in a thoroughly unruly crowd.

Although Shu Li and his companions wore dusty hooded cloaks, their clean, unworldly air was impossible to conceal.

The veteran adventurers had sharp eyes.

One glance was enough to tell them that the newcomers were a bunch of inexperienced rookies.

All manner of ill-intentioned gazes roamed freely over Shu Li and his companions.

Siti and Nasha both broke out in goosebumps.

The boys instinctively moved to shield them.

At that moment, Seriu unleashed a sharp, overwhelming burst of sword energy, instantly intimidating everyone in the hall.

A Senior Great Swordsman!

Every adventurer who had been sizing them up immediately withdrew their attention, no longer daring to stare.

No wonder this bunch of rookies had the nerve to venture out on their own!

They had a terrifying Senior Great Swordsman in their party!

With the oppressive attention gone, Siti and Nasha finally breathed sighs of relief.

Unfortunately, dividing twelve people among four rooms wasn't particularly convenient.

Luckily, the little Fairies could shrink themselves, so fitting five of them into a single room would be easy.

Shu Li therefore proposed that Siti and Nasha share one room, Seriu, Halis, and Hector another, Ace and Amanda a third, and the five little Fairies the fourth.

Ace glanced at Amanda, then silently entered their room.

Amanda suddenly shivered for no apparent reason.

Looking thoroughly bewildered, he followed Ace inside.

With such a rough crowd gathered downstairs, Shu Li had no desire to attract unnecessary trouble. He therefore asked the innkeeper to bring their dinner up to their rooms.

After eating, everyone gathered in one room for a brief meeting.

"More than two hundred adventuring parties are entering the Snow Kingdom this time," Shu Li said seriously. "There are people from all kinds of races. We need to be careful on the road."

"We need to be careful tonight as well," Ace added gravely. "Lock your doors and stay alert. Someone might try to attack us in the middle of the night."

Budno clicked his tongue. "What? We can't even get a decent night's sleep?"

Halis frowned. "There's no proper law enforcement here. Adventurers dying inside inns is hardly unusual."

Shu Li looked toward Siti and Nasha, hesitating.

"How about... I share a room with you two?"

He couldn't help worrying about leaving the two girls alone.

He could simply shrink himself and sleep beside one of their pillows. He wouldn't take up any space on the bed.

Siti and Nasha exchanged glances, then nodded enthusiastically.

"Sure! That sounds great!"

Neither of them had ever seen a Fairy in his miniature form before!

Meeting their sparkling eyes, Shu Li felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

For some reason, he had the distinct feeling he'd just dug himself into a hole.

Ace lowered his brows slightly.

"That wouldn't be wise. If someone suddenly broke into the room and discovered a miniature Fairy, it could cause even greater trouble."

"Huh?" Shu Li blinked. "Then what should we do?"

"Have Amanda sleep on the floor in their room," Ace replied. "You, Budno, and I will share a room. Budno can shrink himself and sleep beside a pillow, while you remain at your normal size. As for Kumandi, Angel, and Dixio, they can share the remaining room, but at least one of them must stay full-sized as well. That should ensure everyone's safety."