Having parted ways with Sage Edward, Hero Laguna wove through the crowds of people bewildered by the newly formed Barrier. He moved past the Royal Capital City Walls, heading out into the world beyond the veil.
The Miasma that once choked the Royal Capital was gone; every trace of it had been transferred into Laguna’s own body.
The scattered rain gradually intensified, turning into a torrential downpour.
"—G-guwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Amidst the heavy drops that seemed to wash everything away, Laguna collapsed to the ground and let out a harrowing scream. He writhed in the mud, consumed by a level of agony he had never known.
"Haah... haah! Dammit... dammit!"
He was caked in filth, shouting at the top of his lungs as he endured the pain, yet there was a profound sorrow in his eyes.
"Some hero I am! Some hero!"
His voice cracked with a mixture of deep regret and absolute despair.
After he had suffered for some time and regained a shred of composure, a beautiful, silver-scaled dragon descended from the sky. She landed beside him and spoke.
"...You are in a pitiful state. What on earth happened inside that Barrier?"
"I was too late."
"I see."
The dragon nodded at Laguna’s clipped response, seemingly sensing the gravity of the situation.
"And so, you have chosen the path of hardship once again?"
Laguna remained silent as the dragon continued.
"You didn't have to go out of your way to end up like this. If you had only relied on me or my brother, we might have been able to stabilize the situation somehow... You foolish human."
A dragon's flames could incinerate even Miasma. But Laguna had refused that option.
"I didn't want to... I couldn't bear to be the only one living a life of ease..."
It was a plea for her to let it go.
He had been told in no uncertain terms that the world no longer needed a Hero—that he was merely in the way. To accept that and live as though nothing had happened, existing outside the cycle of the world, might have sounded cruel, but it was a form of kindness Edward had offered.
The choice to shatter that Barrier and kill Edward where he stood had crossed Laguna’s mind. He had felt a dark premonition ever since returning to the Capital. If something was wrong, if Edward had strayed too far, then he would... Laguna had prepared himself for that, yet when he stood before his friend, he found he couldn't do it.
Laguna understood the choice Patricia had made. He understood the sins Edward had committed and the burden of guilt he was prepared to carry.
The only problem was that he had arrived too late. That was the sum of it.
Even if he brought a dragon that devoured evil and illuminated the darkness to this place, the person he had wanted to protect most was already gone.
"Is that so... Do you intend to die?"
"I suppose so."
"How pathetic. If my brother saw you now, he would probably roar with laughter. 'You gorged yourself on so much Miasma that you finally stopped being human,' he'd say."
"Probably. And I’d deserve the mockery."
"...Well, if you're giving up on being human, I wouldn't mind becoming your mate, you know?"
"Menou, that's a tempting offer, but I can't accept."
Swaying unsteadily, Laguna forced himself to his feet.
"I still have work to do. I have to carry the Miasma inside me to a place far away... Gh."
As he tried to walk, his legs buckled. He hadn't recovered nearly enough. The Silver Dragon leaned in close, worriedly supporting his weight with her body.
"Rest for now. You are in no condition to even stand, let alone walk."
"Sorry..."
"Do you really intend to keep serving a country that made the foolish choice to rely on a Demon again? My brother and I could burn a place like this to ash in an instant."
"Don't joke at a time like this."
"I'm serious."
"What would happen to the people living inside? It's fine now. That Barrier will keep the Capital safe. And I'll deal with the Miasma that was spreading through the world."
"By yourself?"
"Yeah. By myself. I won't trouble you with this. I'll be fine alone. I have to be alone."
The dragon fell silent as she listened to Laguna’s mutterings. She knew how much Patricia and Edward meant to him. Now, one was dead, and he had essentially severed his ties with the other. There was nothing she could do but give him space.
"What will you do now? Surely you don't really mean to—"
"I'll be okay. I don't plan on dying yet. It's not over. Not yet."
Laguna turned back, fixing his gaze on the massive Barrier.
"Inside there, that idiot... Edward is going to wait forever. He was talking about some dream of being reborn and meeting her again, and I think the bastard might actually try to make it happen."
Laguna’s voice grew firm.
"So I'll wait, too—until that time comes."
"The Human Cycle of Reincarnation is a mere blink of an eye to my kind, but to you, it is an eternity. If you're saying you'll join us on our side of time, I would welcome it."
"No, that won't work. He'd be on guard. Edward is a coward and a worrywart; he'd definitely put me under surveillance. If I kept all this power, I'd end up disturbing the peace he wants."
"So you'll leave it to your descendants? I don't understand."
"Yeah, it's a gamble. But with my limited intellect, it's the only thing I can come up with. Besides, what he really wants is for me to just crawl off and die quietly somewhere."
Laguna gave a self-deprecating smile, and the dragon whispered a single phrase: "You are too kind."
"It is what it is. For a normal person, the life he offered me is probably more than enough of a reprieve."
"In the first place, once you're infested with that much Miasma, no normal living creature—let alone a human—will be able to stand being near you. It's effectively a curse. You'll have no allies, and you won't know when the end will come."
"Hahaha. Sounds like my journey to find a wife is off to a rocky start."
"Then I'll say it again: I could fall to humanity and become your mate. Then you wouldn't have to worry about the future of your bloodline."
"You don't have to sacrifice yourself for someone like me."
"I'm serious."
"I appreciate the sentiment, truly. But he wants me to become 'normal.' He wants to strip away everything that makes me a Hero. If I ended up with a beautiful Silver Dragon, I'd stand out far too much."
"...Hmph."
"I'm happy you care, but I have to say no."
Laguna stroked the head of the disgruntled dragon.
"But... if I happen to pass away without leaving anything behind, and a similar existence is born in the distant future, I want you to lend them your strength unconditionally."
"No."
"You're a tough sell. Fine, I'll make sure to leave something behind. So if the time ever comes, will you guide them? If that day ever comes... that is."
"If the Hero of the Era leaves such a request, then I suppose they will likely follow a similar fate. I will tell my brother."
"Thanks. I'll be fine now... if I stay here, the people leaving the city might spot me and start a panic."
"Where are you going? I'll carry you."
"Eudyna. But I have to look for a wife along the way, so I can't really have you tag along for that."
"...Hmph. I doubt you'll find a woman better than me."
With those final words, the Silver Dragon took to the skies. Watching her disappear into the clouds, Laguna muttered to himself.
"Well, you're not wrong, but... you're a dragon, you know?"
The visions playing out in my mind came to a halt.
"And that, Master Ragna, is the conclusion of how the Barrier came to exist in this kingdom."
"The sequel is actually kind of interesting..."
I had been watching the root of the Barrier's creation—the tragic romance between Edward and Patricia—but somewhere along the line, it had turned into The Love Story of the Hero and the Dragon.
"Why didn't the First Head just say yes?"
She was a dragon! It could have been a chance to gain the magic power of a dragon, right?
Wait, and Onyx?
Could that guy have known who I was from the very beginning? I was hit with a sudden, staggering realization: in that first life-or-death struggle where I fought until my last breath, it might not have been my own strength that earned his respect.
In the end, it really did come down to the bloodline, didn't it?
"Lord Edward wished for the First Head to have a normal death. Perhaps it was the last shred of kindness he could offer. However, for the First Head—for a Hero—that was nothing but torture."
It was the pain of wanting to reach out but being pushed away. To want to help someone, but never be asked for help. To want someone to rely on you, but never be trusted. That must have been agonizing.
"From this point on, the First Head’s Exciting Journey to Find a Wife begins. It was a grueling marriage hunt, conducted while he suffered the constant pain of the Miasma in his body and the curse of being loathed by every human he encountered."
"I... I see. He really managed to keep the line going until it reached me, huh?"
"That was also around the time he met my humble self. Though, a part of me had already been residing within the First Head's soul for quite some time. I decided to lend him my strength simply because his desperate struggling was so entertaining to watch."
"Of course it was."
"Would you like to see it? He was a genius on the battlefield, but when it came to women, he was utterly helpless. It is the record of the First Head’s journey to find a bride."
"No... I'll pass."
I really don't want to see my ancestor fail that hard at romance.