Chapter 230 – Althea’s Life

 

 

I got on Olivia’s back and flew to the sky.

I only brought Eleanor and Hikari and headed towards the north.

 

『Are you sure it’s over here?』

「Eleanor asked」

「I would not forget a human’s smell once I have met them. As long as they are still alive, I can track them. That human especially possesses a strong smell, so there is no way I can be wrong」

 

Olivia in her dragon form said with a heavy tone.

Because her body became bigger, not only her tone was heavy, but her voice was loud as well.

She would release a pressure that ordinary humans would feel frightened just by talking to her.

 

Despite that, more than half of that pressure is neutralized.

It’s because Hikari is hanging by her neck.

Olivia, O-chan.

 

Although they’re essentially different dragons, Hikari treats Olivia just like how she does with Chibi Dragon.

And Olivia accepts that. Because of how heartwarming they look, the pressure she releases decreased even more.

 

And I don’t really mind it like that, so I ignored it, and continued to talk with Olivia.

 

「What kind of place is in this direction? Althea seems to be worried about Rodotos so, is it a city?」

 

That’s right, it’s Althea.

To establish Mercouri as a kingdom, a proper internal affair is essential after defeating the Empire.

The other four kingdoms might be able to do something about it, but Mercouri only has Rex and Soora who I support.

One of them is a man from a country village and the other is a woman from a village who chose to cease connection with the world.

There was no way they could govern.

 

And so, there comes Althea.

The Great Sage Althea, the woman who was Rodotos’s right arm.

In the era I’m in, I have witnessed her political ability a bit, so I believe she could do it.

 

「If it’s the Imperial City Irion, it’s over there」

 

Olivia slowly raised her clawed hand and pointed diagonally.

 

「That’s an unfamiliar name. I see, it’s not the city huh」

『I turned into something like “that”, so there is no way she would stay in the city』

「I guess so……」

 

☆

 

We flew for about an hour and landed in a deep forest.

I got off in front of a mountain cabin that looks like a secret hideout inside the forest.

 

Olivia returned to her dragonkin form and Hikari was still hanging from her neck.

 

「It’s here?」

「Un, she’s inside」

 

Olivia completely changed her tone after turning to her dragonkin form. She seems like a friendly neighborhood childhood friend in this form.

Her tone just fits how she looks with Hikari hanging from her head.

 

「Ororo〜」

「What’s the matter?」

「I didn’t notice from far away, but this human, she’s dying?」

「What did you say?!」

『Umu. The life force of the human inside seems very weak』

 

Hearing what Olivia and Eleanor said, I opened the door almost destroying it, and rushed inside.

 

Inside the dark cabin was a bad smell and stagnated air.

A silhouette that faintly appears.

 

She is sitting on the ground, facing towards the wall.

Her long hair and familiar clothes, it’s Althea.

 

「Althea!」

 

I ran up to her while calling out her nameーーI was stunned seeing her face when she reacted and looked up to me.

 

It was an old woman.

 

The last time we’ve met was only a few days ago, but the youthful Althea turned into a wrinkly old woman.

 

「You came……I thought you’d come」

 

Although the tone of her voice sounded very youthful, the voice itself was completely that of an old woman.

 

「Rather than that, what happened, Althea? What happened to you?!」

「It is the, compensation」

「Compensation?」

「Ahh, it came again」

「What?」

 

I looked towards the opposite direction from Althea.

I looked over there and saw something dark and transparent passing through the wall.

 

「Hikari!」

「Un!」

 

I called Hikari and she turned into a Demon Sword. I raised the mother and daughter Demon Swords and faced towards that thing.

 

「A ghost huh, I’ll end you quickly」

「Wait」

「Eh?」

 

Althea grabbed me with her wrinkled hand.

 

「Why should I wait?」

「That is……he is……」

『Rodotos, huh』

「What?」

 

Althea and Eleanor said together.

I turned around in surprise. This ghost that doesn’t even have a shape, this is Rodotos?

 

『There’s no doubt, it’s him』

「……eii! If so, then let’s leave this place first!」

 

I couldn’t kill it at once, so I carried Althea and rushed out of the room.

 

☆

 

I gained quite a distance from the cabin. Although we’re still inside the forest, the silent air made me feel that we had ventured deeper.

Hikari remained in her Demon Sword form and Olivia and I faced with Althea.

 

And there, I had Althea explain what’s happening.

To save Rodotos whose soul is being sullied by Eleanor, Althea used an elixir to let Eleanor gain a physical body in exchange for releasing Rodotos.

Rodotos was released immediately but still passed away. His soul was released as well.

 

「ーーor, that was how it should have been」

「He wasn’t released?」

「He was, once. However, his soul did not return to the heaven completely. As you can see, he started to attack me」

「And because of that, you became like this?」

「It would seem that he has an attachment to life. He might be trying to revive himself by absorbing my life force」

「Is that so?」

 

I asked Eleanor.

 

『Although I don’t know whether it’s on purpose or just left like that, my powers might have remained in his soul. There are such times, when someone dies possessing my powers, they would turn into evil ghosts that are attached to life』

「You yourself were obsessed with having a physical body after all」

『That is true during this era. I do not anymore』

「Is that thanks to me?」

『Umu』

 

I spoke in the middle and let Althea and Eleanor speak to each other.

 

「I want to release him. What should I do?」

『It’s simple. Just ask this man』

「Me?」

『You only need to cut him. Not his soul, but my powers that is possessing his soul』

「I see」

「Can you do that?」

「Leave it to me. I’ll make him ascend to heaven the next time he comes」

 

What Eleanor is saying is not something that difficult. Rather, for me who was able to bring our powers that Eleanor didn’t have, the level of difficulty is just like riding a bike with one hand.

 

It’s Althea’s request. I’ll quickly end him.

 

「Rather than that, it’s you. That appearance, aren’t you in a really bad situation?」

「Let me see, it feels like he took fifty years of my life. I won’t live for long」

「Can’t you do something about it?」

「Well, when it comes to a person’s longevity……」

 

Althea made wry smile.

The Great Sage Althea, the woman who knows everything in this world.

She is saying that because she knows everything, she cannot do anything against a person’s longevity.

 

『……I see, it was like that huh』

「What do you mean by that, Eleanor?」

『I understood right now. I understood the reason why how she, an ordinary human, could meet you』

「What do I need to do?」

『You’re too quick to be convinced』

 

Eleanor laughed.

Althea, just Althea.

When we first met, she was an old woman who would suck up life force from humans, so I thought that she is from a long-lived race. But Althea who I met in this era said that she was an ordinary human.

 

I secretly had my doubts on why she was able to continue to live and meet me in the future.

 

『Do you remember? What I said to you after you slept with those Mercouri women?』

「Are you talking about Cima and the other girls? …………the way you sleep with a woman?」

「Don’t tell me……is it like this?」

 

Althea said and grabbed my hand.

Its the usual thing that Althea in the future does. That ability that absorbs life force.

She held my hand just like that.

 

「It’s that thing Rodotos was doing huh」

 

It looks like what I heard from Eleanor, was something Althea actually saw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 229 – Kujibiki Tokushou – Chapter 231