Translator: Wuxia Dog Editor: Wuxia Dog
“How do you feel?” Han Jin asked softly.
“Your magic is so strange!” Guevara smiled and looked at his right hand. No matter how he looked at it, he was a cripple now. There were holes in both his palms, from which one could see through to the other side. He didn’t just lose muscle, but he had also lost his bones. Even more startling was the black-red muscles warping around the wounds, making his hands look all the more hideous.
Though among the thousands of Daoist charms, there were said to be healing charms potent enough to bring a dead man to life and grow flesh on bones, it was beyond Han Jin’s competence at present. Even if he could use them, he would not do it without considering the pros and cons. It is good to help others, but one must consider whether the price is worth it.
“Give me your left hand,” Han Jin said.
Guevara reached out his left hand to Han Jin and glanced around. “Why are you all standing around me? I am just a useless old man now.”
“Sir, can you… still hold a war pike?” Reg said in a regretful tone. Even when Guevara had been teaching Reg’s father, neither the father nor the son knew where he had come from. Seeing that the once invincible Dragon Knight had been reduced to such a wretched state, he felt a great sorrow in his heart.
“What? Don’t tell me you want an old man to charge in the front lines?” Guevara laughed.
“No. I am just…” Reg seemed anxious. He used to be calm, but in front of Guevara, he was like a child.
“Where is your dragon?” Moxinke suddenly asked.
The atmosphere tensed all of a sudden as if the air was frozen. An unspeakable feeling sunk into everyone’s skin. It was not ice, but it was colder than ice. It was invisible, but they felt as if their hearts were being pressed on by a boulder, nearly choking the breath out of them.
But soon, Guevara laughed, and everything returned to normal. He took a look at Moxinke. “Big guy, why do you ask this?”
Moxinke was also a little bit scared. But since the old man had asked back, he had to reply with respect. “Why is your dragon not by your side? Was it killed in the battle?”
“No.” Guevara narrowed his eyes. “It… must be living a good and free life now. The day I was defeated, it left me. It has been twenty years.”
“How could that be?” Moxinke exclaimed.
“Why couldn’t it be?”
“Shouldn’t a Dragon Knight and his dragon… be bound for life?”
“Who told you this?” Guevara laughed.
“Everyone said so!” Cessacioun interrupted. He was also very curious about it.
“You kids…” Guevara couldn’t help but sigh. “Tell me, what do you think dragons are like?”
“Magnificent, grand, noble. Their long life favors them with infinite wisdom and unimaginable power. It is even said that dragons are a symbol of strength which cannot tolerate evilness…” Cessacioun replied with excessive enthusiasm.
“Stop. I want to know your honest opinion, not a poetry recital,” Guevara interrupted.
“These are our honest opinions!” Moxinke said.
“Well, tell me what you think of him?” Guevara pointed to Cessacioun.
“He’s a despicable traitor!” Moxinke replied resentfully. He had not forgotten what had happened last night.
“Is he?” Guevara seemed embarrassed, and then pointed to Han Jin. “What about him?”
“He attaches importance to his lover but neglects his friend! Not a good man either.”
“What about him?” Guevara pointed to Reg.
“Good for nothing that sneaks around all day long!”
Guevara was speechless. He had to admit that he had made a big mistake, because he hadn’t spent enough time with these young men yet.
He didn’t want to waste words on Moxinke, but turned to Reg. “Tell me, Reg, what is Raphael like in your eyes?”
“He’s smart and independent. He is not the best at fighting among us, but the most difficult one to deal with,” Reg slowly said. “And he is a responsible man who will consider others before himself when there is an emergency. He is a well-qualified leader.”
“Hey! I never said I would obey his commands!” Moxinke yelled.
“Be quiet, big guy.” Guevara frowned.
Moxinke grumbled and finally shut up.
“The big guy said he only attaches importance to his lover but neglects his friend, while you said he is a responsible man. You are all friends and know each other well, but you still have different opinions about the same person. Not to mention…” Guevara sneered. “Have you seen a dragon? As far as I know, there are a total of four habitats and two cities for dragons. With so many dragons, how can you expect every single one of them to have the same personality? Noble, can’t tolerate the evil… Take your elf friend Sunier as an example. She obviously doesn’t like dragons, but do you think she is evil?”
They all stood still and looked at each other. This time, they remembered how Sunier had described the Red Dragons.
“Have you ever been to a city? Any city,” Guevara continued.
“Of course. Nuremberg, isn’t it a city?”
“What makes up a city?”
“All kinds of lives, of course.”
“Well, from the point of view of human beings, a man and a woman get married and form a family, and countless families form a city. Do you think the relationship between all couples is the same?” Guevara mocked. “Some couples do love and respect each other and work hard for their family, but some are like enemies; they quarrel and fight all the time, and have secret affairs. Am I wrong?”
“Why talk about this?” Moxinke asked confusedly.
“It is the same for the relationship between a Dragon Knight and a dragon.” Guevara slightly sighed. “The dragons you have heard of are simply the ones with inflated reputations. You four have different personalities, and hence are good at different things. The soldiers around you are different from each other. Even the leaves from the same tree are different. Why then, would you think that all dragons are the same?”
“How many Dragon Knights do you think have existed since the birth of civilization? Would all of their personalities, their dragons, their experiences, and their stories, be exactly the same? Of course not! Some were loyal, and some were treacherous. Some cooperated well together, and others had disputes. Do you know the biggest flaw for young men like you? You are all too used to squeezing similar things into the same mold!” Guevara laughed. “At the very least, I could serve as an example of betrayal…”
“How is that possible?” Cessacioun exclaimed with his eyes wide open.
“Why should it be impossible? Think about it: is there really no dragon who has betrayed its Dragon Knight?”
“The Frost Dragon…”
“It is good enough that you know that incident. I’m not interested in the story,” Guevara interrupted him.
“But Boerluonika, the Frost Dragon, betrayed its Dragon Knight Saxon because it was cursed by the Lord of Darkness!” Cessacioun said hastily.
Guevara paused and helplessly let out a sigh. “Lad, you read too much.”
Cessacioun blushed, but he was not convinced. “Was it not true? Boerluonika had always kept to its promises until it lost its consciousness.”
“Promise?” Guevara said scornfully. “Promise my ass! Promise has no strength in itself. If promises could solve all problems, why is there still so much bloodshed? Why are there still wars?”
Cessacioun was stunned and speechless.
“Even seeing is not believing all the time, let alone rumors.” Guevara lowered his voice.
Cessacioun showed a wry smile. A lie, if repeated often enough, would be accepted as a truth. In the depths of Cessacioun’s heart, a tower of faith had been established, but Guevara had ignored Cessacioun’s will and feelings, and had poured dirty water on his tower of faith. Cessacioun wanted to retort, but didn’t know how. He knew he was far inferior to Guevara in terms of knowledge and experience.
“Do you want to be mounted by others?” Guevara asked. “For example, by him.” He pointed at Moxinke.
Cessacioun quickly shook his head.
“Well, neither do the dragons.” Guevara smiled. “Humans may be proud of becoming Dragon Knights, but dragons will never be proud of becoming someone’s mounts.”
“You mean… the sacred oath between a Dragon Knight and a dragon is not like that of the legend?” Cessacioun exclaimed.
“The legend…” Guevara sneered. “In the legends of human beings, humans are the masters of the continent, while in the legends of elves, elves are the pillars of the world. Dragons have their own legends, the same as other races. Everyone brags that they are the saviour of the universe. However, we only have one continent in this world. If all the legends are true, then we must be living in a dangerous world…”
“Then what are we supposed to believe?” Cessacioun was at loss.
“That’s a question you should ask yourself.” Guevara’s eyes fell upon Han Jin. “Mr. Raphael, your little elf is coming for you.”
Before his voice had died away, Sunier’s figure appeared at the corner of the corridor. At the same time, Moxinke jumped to his feet and rushed backward.
