Chapter 147
"Welcome, True Person. Your name is Eisa-kun, if I recall correctly. I am Ryusui Teikun. I welcome your visit."
At a castle in the center of Yellow Ancient Province, I was greeted by an ordinary-looking young human man.
There was no spark of brilliance in his face, no force of personality, his movements were full of openings, and the aura he gave off was that of an ordinary person.
He gave me the exact opposite impression from Wanggui Xuannu, the immortal I had met in Black Snow Province.
Yet that only made him all the more suspicious and impossible to pin down.
Surely he couldn't be a fake... could he?
The reason was that an incredibly powerful force was swirling through this castle.
In the forest, the trees had absorbed that power, so I hadn't felt it very strongly, but there was nothing in this castle to block it.
Anyone without the strength to resist would have their mind and body broken if they continued to bathe in this power.
The elves who had guided me had not followed me inside the castle, and they had even taken care of Sire for me.
They, too, clearly understood how dangerous the power filling this castle was.
Therefore, no matter how ordinary he looked, the young man standing before me was undoubtedly Ryusui Teikun.
It was easy to understand, without even having to think about it, how difficult it would be to remain in this power without wavering.
Presumably, he had drawn into himself the power emitted by the True Dragon, refined it, and lived as an immortal.
If we're talking about a True Dragon, then... yeah, it must be a mighty existence no different from nature itself.
Indeed, he truly was an immortal.
"Looking at your face, I see you've already figured out quite a lot. What a shame. I had kept various things hidden from you because I wanted to see your surprised expression."
Ryusui Teikun said that with a smile on his face.
I kind of wanted to punch him.
So this was why Wanggui Xuannu had hinted that I might get angry.
Even knowing he was doing it deliberately, he looked so defenseless that I felt like I could punch him.
So, in other words, maybe it would be okay to punch him.
All right, I'll punch him.
But the instant I made up my mind and clenched my fist,
"But thanks to that, we can get right to the point."
As if to derail my resolve, he took half a step back and continued speaking.
How naïve.
An ordinary opponent would have lost their nerve and given up, or at least become wary.
Besides, perhaps a High Elf would not have paid any attention to the other person's attitude in the first place.
But I was the sort of fairly shitty elf who went out of his way to travel this far, so once I had decided to punch someone, having my initiative checked was not enough to stop me.
So instead of merely taking half a step, I lunged forward with all my strength and swung my fist at his chin.
My fist caught Ryusui Teikun squarely on the chin, and his body went flying through the air.
Yet my fist felt no weight or impact at all.
Even punching a sheet of paper floating in midair would have given me a little more sensation than that.
In short, he had escaped the force by flying in exactly the same direction as my punch at the very moment I struck him.
He twisted his body in midair and landed on his feet.
Despite his appearance, he was clearly a man of extraordinary ability.
"I hate having my circumstances dictated by someone else's will. If, knowing that, you still intend to keep playing coy or toy with me, then no matter how strong you are, I'm prepared to face you with everything I've got."
If you need a favor, bow your head and ask for it.
If you want to force me, then come and do it by force.
If you want my trust, then treat me with sincerity.
Those are my only demands.
Ryusui Teikun looked dumbfounded for a moment.
But that expression was soon replaced by a clearly delighted smile, quite unlike the one he had worn before.
"...Heh, I wasn't trying to provoke you, but now I see why Xuannu likes you. You're quite different from the True Person I had imagined, but you're refreshingly straightforward."
The atmosphere surrounding him changed completely.
It became vast, sharp, yet supple and worldly-wise—a presence worthy of being called an immortal.
Until just now, he had concealed it completely, so I couldn't tell how deep his power ran.
But now his power was simply too immense, and I still couldn't see its depths.
"Then I will make my request directly. Since you, an ancient being, set foot in the Yellow Ancient Empire, the True Dragon sleeping in this land has sensed your presence, and its sleep has grown shallow. Therefore, I want you to meet the True Dragon and urge it to return to a peaceful sleep."
If the True Dragon were to awaken fully, who knew what might happen.
They say the True Dragon will sleep until the end of the world.
In other words, if it ever awakens fully, it's not impossible that the world itself could end.
Well, even if things didn't become that disastrous, the Yellow Ancient Empire would probably be blown to bits.
Wait, did that mean the Yellow Ancient Empire was in trouble because I came here?
If so, perhaps Ryusui Teikun's suspicious attitude had been his way of moving the conversation forward while avoiding blaming me directly.
And I'd gone and punched someone like that with all my might, even though he'd merely let it slide...
Am I actually kind of the worst?
"Of course, I understand that your arrival in the Yellow Ancient Empire was merely a coincidence and that you're traveling. The reason the True Dragon's sleep has grown shallow surely isn't you alone, either. But we have no other way to soothe the True Dragon and let it rest peacefully except to rely on you, an ancient being."
Ryusui Teikun's words sounded oddly considerate toward me.
Y-yes.
I feel kind of bad.
For now, let's talk this over.
I'll apologize for punching him, then we'll speak frankly.
I was completely lacking in information, and given the circumstances, I had reason to distrust him.
Ryusui Teikun felt a strange deference toward the ancient races, and as a result, we'd been talking past each other.
Until we cleared that up, it would be difficult to decide what was right or wrong.
Even so, as far as the True Dragon was concerned, I intended to do everything I could to help.
Because even if I hadn't intended for this to happen, I'd feel unbearably guilty otherwise.