Chapter 92: Gehinnom is a Real Dragon!
In a brief, yet comforting dream...
"80.1—80m"
"Ah, damn it all!"
A string of mysterious numbers jolted Aeron awake from his dream, followed by an inexplicable surge in blood pressure and a sense of emptiness.
"...Where's my wire?"
"Why is that the first thing you say after waking up?"
Brant looked at the now-awake Aeron, never expecting those to be the first words out of his mouth.
"Good morning, Mr. Aeron."
Roccia's words were as gentle as ever, her posture unchanged as she gazed at Aeron with a tender expression.
"Ugh... Sorry to trouble you, Roccia... Holy crap, how long did I sleep?!"
"Don't worry, if it's for Mr. Aeron, Roccia doesn't mind. Besides, it hasn't been long—we just arrived at our destination."
"Wah—Roccia, you're truly good to me!"
Hearing Roccia's words, Aeron's mind finally cleared up a bit, and he rose from her soft yet supportive lap.
Roccia simply sat quietly, waiting until he had fully gotten up before standing herself.
"Already touched? Given how well our troupe's first mate treats you, why not consider joining us?"
"No."
"Your 'Masked Heroes' script series was a huge hit with us before!"
"..."
It wasn't that Aeron didn't want to be a plagiarist... but he had already copied the entire book. After that, there was only one more series left to copy, and he had no desire to be sent flying by that old man.
"It's alright."
At that moment, Roccia simply walked over to Aeron, gently tugging at his sleeve as she spoke:
"Mr. Aeron, just go wherever you wish to go."
Aeron was so moved he nearly burst into tears.
He had almost forgotten the last time he received such well-deserved respect in Ragunna (sigh).
"Ah, Roccia really cares about me."
"Don't let anyone else hear you say that."
Though the journey had its twists and turns, Aeron ultimately reached his destination regardless.
Penitent's End—a desolate island shrouded in sea fog within the outer waters of Rinascita, the final stop for all Pilgrimage Ships, and the starting point of the Fool's Troupe.
Simultaneously, it was the prison and dwelling place of the Dragon of Dirge.
The Dragon of Dirge—Gehinnom, manipulated by the Order of the Deep in collusion with the Fractsidus, slaughtered pilgrims sent here batch after batch by the Pilgrimage Ships.
Moreover, having indiscriminately consumed vast frequencies of decay and death, its form had warped into a skeletal, terrifying appearance.
Only after being defeated by the Rover did it finally return to normal.
Thus, with a mindset of making the most of resources, Aeron decided to kindly offer it a chance at redemption, which brought him to Penitent's End to recruit it.
Before the meeting, Aeron had anticipated that, given his past record as a former priest, he might need to do some extra persuading.
But he never expected to encounter such a scene.
Pero: ○_0
The trio and one box stared at the slumbering ancient dragon before them, momentarily unsure how to proceed.
"I mean, this guy has absolutely no sense of vigilance, does it?"
"Probably because it hasn't recovered from the beating the Rover gave it, and it hasn't detected any hostility either."
"Um... could I tell me what the situation was back then?"
"Sister Rover subdued it all by herself."
"And she even cleared out all the remnants on the island while she was at it, saying she had to find someone sent here since she was entrusted with the task..."
As he spoke, Brant glanced at Aeron.
"...Not my business."
And leaving aside Rover's reasons for coming here, hasn't her track record become even more impressive than before?
Well, now isn't the time to think about those things.
Aeron shifted his gaze back to the slumbering Dragon of Dirge before him.
Even though they were chatting right in front of it, the creature showed not the slightest sign of waking up.
Although Aeron wasn't particularly keen on disturbing it, if it didn't wake up, things might get difficult later.
Well then, reluctantly, he'd provide a wake-up service!
Thinking this, Aeron strode forward and approached the slumbering ancient dragon.
"...Huh? Bro, what are you doing—"
"Peronsa!"
...
...
[Cause of Death: ...Crushed by an ancient dragon]
[Rating: C, Play stupid games, win stupid prizes]
[Reward: One-time Ability Enhancement—Can strengthen one of your current abilities (single use)]
"Uh... how is this any different from me dying a few more times? Are you out of ideas or something?"
[Not at all. Under certain conditions, it might produce unexpected effects?]
[Status Refreshing]
Then why the hell don't you tell me what those conditions are!"
Before Aeron could finish cursing, he was instantly resurrected on the spot.
And now, right before him, was the Dragon of Dirge, who had just retracted its claw and seemed somewhat bewildered.
The massive dragon head hung low, the eerie light in its eye sockets flickering, as if it had just woken up and hadn't quite grasped the situation, or as if it was puzzled by how this tiny human could still be alive and kicking after taking a hit.
But just as Aeron had expected, it didn't immediately attack him. The reason was simple: after his resurrection, Brant and Roccia immediately moved to shield him.
This was one of the reasons Aeron had brought the two of them along. With acquaintances present, it wouldn't be hard to discuss matters.
"...? (A low, confused growl)"
Pero!
"Pero says it seems a bit unhappy about being woken up by Mr. Aeron."
And the second reason was this real-time translation between Roccia and Pero.
"Well... I suppose I should apologize? But seeing the other two here, you probably already know we mean no harm. We just have some matters to discuss with you."
The ancient dragon let out a low, rumbling growl, tinged with confusion and a hint of displeasure. It wasn't a terrifying roar but sounded more like... a large cat.
"..."
"It says, 'So sleepy, so tired, don't want to move, last time hurt so much, don't want to work."
Wait, why are you acting all wronged now? Is this your dragon persona?
"Roar? (Translation: You... carry a familiar scent... Are you from the Order?)"
"It's just my old trade from before. Right now I'm just unemployed. Anyway, for Cartethyia's sake, could you lend a hand?"
"...?"
Hearing Aeron directly drop Cartethyia's name made the ancient dragon pause briefly—exactly the reaction Aeron had hoped for.
Heh heh, connections indeed.
Seizing the opportunity, Aeron briefly explained the situation to the ancient dragon—from Cartethyia seeking his help to Avinoleum's current state of falling.
Ultimately, the one who caused all this was Leviathan. Fenrico was just kept in the dark and made the wrong choices.
As for the ancient dragon itself... if you said it was involved, it was being controlled the entire time; but if you called it innocent... that wouldn't be accurate either.
That's why Aeron came to give it a chance.
"Being used as someone else's weapon doesn't feel good, right? If you're willing to help, I can figure out a way to deal Leviathan a serious blow. How about it?"
"...Grr? (Translation: ...Just you?)"
"Of course, Cartethyia's involved too. If she were here, she'd definitely want you to lend a hand. Besides, we can't let her shoulder this burden alone, right?"
Gesinom the ancient dragon lifted its massive head slightly, its previous drowsiness fading considerably. Its enormous body shifted slightly, causing the ground to tremble.
"Roooar. (Translation: Interesting. Let's go, human.)"
"That's my dragon bro!"
Despite its fearsome appearance, it was surprisingly easy to communicate with.
"So, we have a deal? It seems the Blessed Maiden's reputation carries significant weight indeed."
"Did you really think I've been bluffing all this time? Anyway, the matter is settled."
Now, it was about Brant and Roccia.
"Thank you for bringing me this far. I can handle things alone from here."
Hearing Aeron's words, Brant raised an eyebrow: "Going solo?"
"We should always prepare for the worst. Ragunna must be in complete chaos right now. While I don't doubt the Second Young Lady and the others' capabilities, more help is always better."
The joking expression faded from Brant's face. From Aeron's tone, he knew he wouldn't be able to persuade him.
As for Roccia beside him...
"Yes, leave that side to us. Mr. Aeron, do your best."
She had already agreed on Brant's behalf without consulting him. Why did his crewmate always take Aeron's side, dammit.
"I believe I'm the captain here...?"
Brant finally sighed, spread his hands, and agreed to Aeron's plan.
"Very well, we'll entrust Rinascita to you."
Aeron nodded. He understood Brant's character—he would never drop the ball on matters like this.
Then he turned to Roccia, meeting her heterochromatic eyes. "Roccia, I'm counting on you too."
"Please rest assured, Mr. Aeron." Roccia spoke softly, but still gently tugged at Aeron's clothes.
"If... if things go wrong, please prioritize coming back."
Aeron smiled at Roccia. With Rover as backup, he could afford to be reckless.
He turned to face Gesinom, who was already growing impatient and lightly scraping the ground with its claws.
"...Aren't you going to let me sit on it?"
"Huff... (Translation: You're too weak, you'll fall off.)"
"Then give me some advice?"
Before Aeron could finish speaking, the ancient dragon's claws seized him.
"....!"
"Roar. (Translation: Next, prepare for takeoff)"
"Wait, I'm fucking afraid of heights—Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
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