Chapter 90: Have I Been Found Out?

Ascal had a dream.

For some reason, Yulia was crying in front of him.

It was as if she was facing someone who was about to die.

“Don’t go… Don’t leave me behind. Ascal, if you’re not here, what am I supposed to do?”

Tears fell from her beautiful face,

but they landed in an unfortunate spot.

Ascal could taste the slight saltiness on his lips.

“Lia…”

“Are you… are you conscious? Yes, keep talking. Don’t lose consciousness.”

Yulia shook his shoulders.

Ascal felt a little dizzy.

Her face was so serious, and he suddenly felt the urge to tease her.

He poked her cheek with his fingertip.

“You’ve got hair stuck to your cheek.”

“This… This isn’t the time to joke around! No, seriously, where else is my hair stuck?”

She looked like she was about to crumble any second.

Ascal didn’t like seeing her like that.

He sat up.

His body felt strangely uncooperative, but there was one thing he could do.

“Here.”

He felt her warm, soft lips against his.

Yulia, who had been panicking, soon closed her eyes.

For a dream, it felt strangely real.

When Yulia opened her eyes, she spoke.

“At the very end, only at the very end…”

Her face was one of surprise.

And then she smiled, though it looked forced.

Crying one moment and smiling the next—definitely not a good sign.

“Ascal. Just say one thing for me. Tell me you love me.”

Well, why not? There was no reason not to.

“Yeah, Lia. I love you.”

“Lia? Since when did you come up with a nickname? Haha. It’s a cute name.”

Yulia stroked his cheek.

“I’m sorry, Ascal. If I get another chance, I will…”

He didn’t hear the rest.

Because he woke up from the dream.

****

“Mmmpf…!”

Ascal was being tortured.

Let me explain exactly what was happening.

Ascal was being waterboarded.

The sea turtle’s water spouted into his throat, not differentiating between his esophagus and windpipe, forcing both open.

—Sea turtle water is as good as life-giving.

The fallen Ascal caught the attention of the Earth Tribe’s chief, who made his opinion known.

Communication had been conducted through the universal language of body gestures.

After dragging Ascal toward the source of the sacred sea water, they used a grass pipe to continuously spray the water into his mouth.

Of course, this was enough to wake anyone from a dream.

Ascal felt like a living rubber hose.

“S-stop!”

“He’s regained consciousness! It’s working! Pour more sea water on him! No, place him directly on top of it!”

In an instant, the Lion Tribe lifted Ascal’s body and laid him over the stream of sacred sea water spraying at regular intervals.

Ascal screamed.

“Gaaahhh!”

“Good! Pain makes a person stronger! Mazar-nim’s body will grow even more resilient!”

The force of the water was far stronger than any massage stream you’d find in a bathhouse, relentlessly pounding Ascal’s back.

Ascal seriously considered recruiting the Lion Tribe for their next raid against the ancient dragon.

Whoooosh!

With the sacred sea water, Ascal shot up high into the air.

“Mazar-nim is falling! Catch him, everyone!”

The Lion Tribe scrambled to catch the plummeting Ascal, rushing frantically toward him.

But it was too late.

‘Wait, am I really going to die like this?’

Ascal fell.

Thud.

But he didn’t feel any pain.

The Earth Tribe had gathered together and caught him with their bodies.

“Are you alright, Carl?”

In the distance, Ascal saw Eileen running toward him, her face filled with worry.

“You… cough, could’ve stopped the Lion Tribe.”

“I’m sorry… They carried you off so quickly that I couldn’t stop them in time.”

At any rate, Ascal had been saved, thanks to the Earth Tribe.

“Thanks.”

—Helping a benefactor is only natural.

Ascal stood up and stretched.

He felt oddly refreshed.

It was like waking up after a full ten hours of sleep on a holiday.

“Your magic power has doubled. It must be the result of your body absorbing the legendary sacred sea water. What a stroke of fortune.”

It was like barely surviving a fall off a cliff only to discover a hidden cave filled with priceless treasures.

“Congratulations. You could now even be called… a Swordma…ster, of sorts.”

He couldn’t quite be called a true swordmaster.

A swordmaster is someone who dedicates their entire life to the sword and achieves their own enlightenment.

So, Ascal, with his cheat-like experiences from his past life and boosted mana, could only be called a half-baked swordmaster.

“Mazar-nim! I almost caused your death! I will repay this sin with my life, as Chief Warrior Vadim!”

Vadim solemnly drew his hand axe, preparing for a harakiri-like show, something Ascal hadn’t seen in a while.

“Vadim, who am I?”

“You are our god of fortune, Mazar-nim.”

“That’s right. I am fortune itself. Fortune is me. Do you think I would die in a place like this? You didn’t trust me.”

“That can’t be…!”

Vadim, convinced, nodded deeply.

Ascal had figured out how to deal with the Lion Tribe.

However, he would never forget the near waterboarding and death by fall…

Ascal grabbed Lightbane and activated the voice amplification mode.

“I have a request for you, Lion Tribe.”

“Just give us the command, Mazar-nim.”

​

Vadim kneeled before Ascal.

“There is an evil dragon in this land. An ancient, terrifying dragon. One day, that dragon will awaken and turn this land to ashes.”

“What?! How could that be?!”

“Will you help me defeat it? Will you drench your bodies in the blood that flows from its heart?”

Warriors never question.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The Lion Tribe warriors stood up, pounding their chests with fierce determination.

“We exist for that very purpose!”

“Thank you, warriors.”

And with that, the dragon raid gained powerful tanks and bruisers.

So far, the party was assembled as follows:

- Ascal – Raid Leader

- Lia – Main DPS #1

- Sirius – Main DPS #2

- Lightbane – Ultimate Attack

- Lion Tribe Warriors – Tanks, Bruisers

- Bernstein – Will do… something.

‘It’s still not enough.’

If they could only barely fight the dragon, that wouldn’t do. Ascal needed absolute confidence that they would win. He began to brood over the situation.

“Of course, you’ll let me join too, right, Carl?”

Eileen’s voice broke through his thoughts.

As a saintess, Eileen’s powers would be invaluable. But was it right to drag her away from the peaceful life she could have had with the children?

Then again, it was too late for such hesitations.

He would take full responsibility for whatever happened.

“You’ll be a great help. Thank you, Eileen.”

“Haha, leave it to me anytime.”

And then—

「Is the discussion… over?」

A deep voice echoed in Ascal’s mind, coming from the lion tooth necklace he wore—the voice of the sacred sea turtle.

「I owe you a debt… Tell me… what you want.」

“Can you release more of the sacred sea water? That would be a huge help.”

「It will take… a hundred years… before I can summon it again.」

“That’s a shame. In that case, can you help us return to the Empire?”

「Tell me… the direction.」

Ascal was stumped.

He had been running aimlessly, so he had completely lost his sense of direction.

Lightbane spoke up.

「Leave it to me, master! I specialize in navigation!」

What a surprise. Not only did Lightbane have a built-in encyclopedia function, it had GPS too.

Ascal’s opinion of Lightbane rose ever so slightly.

「However, I need to see from a higher vantage point to guide us.」

“That’s no problem. Fer!”

“Hihihing!”

Fer, whose golden mane now flowed majestically, calmly approached Ascal.

There was something Ascal had been itching to try.

“Isn’t it true that a legendary sword should always be wielded by a hero?”

With that, Ascal placed Lightbane in Fer’s mouth. Fer caught on and clenched it between his teeth.

Fer has equipped Lightbane. (Attack Power +50)

「Wait! The only one I’ve acknowledged is you, master! But… oddly enough, this place feels warm and cozy… This is strange.」

Mounted on Fer, Ascal soared into the sky.

With Lightbane’s guidance, they directed the sea turtle in real-time.

The massive turtle began swimming, its enormous flippers churning the ocean and causing huge waves.

Their return journey was anything but quiet.

****

The sacred sea turtle was colossal.

Even from a distance, its approach was visible.

Naturally, this news was delivered immediately to the Crown Prince.

“A Golden Pegasus… and now a turtle the size of an island? What’s going on—are they writing a myth over there?”

The Crown Prince quickly gathered his elite guard and made his way to the coast, where the sea turtle was expected to arrive.

Immediate action was needed.

He also activated the modified signal stone, ready to summon the capital’s army at a moment’s notice.

If that massive turtle carried an enemy force, and it was crossing the ocean to invade, they had been thoroughly outmaneuvered.

His head throbbed with tension.

“Ascal… Now, more than ever, I need you.”

The Crown Prince missed Ascal.

He remembered that Ascal’s signal had been picked up near this very coastline not long ago. Could it be?

A massive unknown turtle… and Ascal nearby?

The Crown Prince realized.

“Has Ascal been captured?!”

There had been reports that tracking Ascal had become particularly difficult this time.

Sweat formed in the Crown Prince’s palms.

A leader must always prepare for the worst.

If this was a carefully laid enemy plot—

Kidnap their key figure, Ascal, and use a giant turtle as a secret weapon to sail across the sea and launch a direct invasion of the capital.

“If I were them, I’d plan it exactly this way.”

​

But…

Was there really anyone in the enemy nation capable of such a scheme?

And was there a place with the resources to mobilize on this scale?

‘The Allied Nations… and tactician Reinhardt.’

The Crown Prince knew.

He knew that the Allied Nations harbored a deep hatred for the Empire.

And that they had been sharpening their blades for a long time.

‘I must rescue Ascal at all costs.’

The Crown Prince tightened his grip on the reins.

‘He is more essential to this Empire than I am.’

He spurred his horse onward, prepared to sacrifice even his own life.

A short while later, the Crown Prince spotted a man on horseback riding toward him. The attire and insignia were familiar.

“Halt! Are you with the Special Forces?”

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince!”

It was a messenger from the unit dispatched with Arthur.

“I bring urgent news!”

“Speak! Is that impossibly large turtle the work of the Allied Nations?”

The messenger shook his head.

“No, Your Highness.”

“Then who? Don’t tell me it’s the demon tribe! What on earth is the meaning of that giant turtle?!”

“It’s not certain, but…”

The messenger hesitated before speaking.

“We believe that Count Erindale is the one leading the giant turtle.”

The Crown Prince’s hands, which had been gripping the reins tightly, suddenly relaxed.

“He wasn’t kidnapped?”

“No, sir. According to our leader, Count Erindale is riding a golden horse that flies through the sky and is commanding the giant turtle.”

“A golden horse… Could it be… the Golden Pegasus?”

He had seen a horse flying through the sky.

A Pegasus.

And the Crown Prince was familiar with every horse breed in the world, including the legendary Golden Pegasus.

It felt as though the fog in his mind had lifted.

The Crown Prince finally understood the truth.

“Carl… Ascal… Pegasus… and that time when he vanished from the mansion, it was all…”

For the record, the painting of ‘the man riding the Pegasus’ from that time was now part of the royal collection.

The Crown Prince would often look at it with a smile on his face.

-What a lucky man. He’s much happier than I’ll ever be.

-Oh, if only I could be that man.

-I want to ride a Pegasus.

And considering the timeline, the horse Ascal was riding could only have been the one the Crown Prince had given him. There were no records of Ascal purchasing another horse.

So, this was the conclusion:

That skinny, scrappy foal he had willingly given away from the royal stables…

Its true identity was a Pegasus.

Not just any Pegasus, but a Golden Pegasus.

And the hero who drew his sword and rode that Pegasus was, of course, Ascal.

“I’ve been completely outplayed.”

A Pegasus. No, not just any Pegasus, but a Golden Pegasus, and to top it all off, he was also riding a giant turtle?!

“Hahaha… Hahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Y-Your Highness?”

The messenger wiped the sweat from his brow nervously. The Crown Prince had seemingly lost his mind.

****

‘I’m getting chills… Something feels off.’

Ascal thought this as he watched the giant turtle draw closer to the Empire.

It seemed they would set foot on imperial soil any moment now.

And then—

‘I can see something. Is that the imperial army? Are they firing arrows? Why?’

Swoosh, swoosh—

From the hill by the shore, the soldiers unleashed a barrage of arrows toward the giant turtle.

Most of the arrows missed, but a few managed to hit Ascal.

He caught one in his hand.

The tip was blunt.

It would hurt if it hit, but it wasn’t lethal.

Ever since being blasted by the sacred sea water, Ascal’s vision had become absurdly sharp. Thanks to that, he could now make out the figures shooting arrows from the hill.

‘...What are you doing up there, Crown Prince?’

The Crown Prince, with a solemn expression, was among those shooting arrows.

“Ouch!”

This time, an arrow hit him square in the chest.

Thankfully, it didn’t hurt too much.

‘A heart-shaped tip?’

This arrow’s tip was shaped like a heart.

Ascal looked dumbfoundedly at the source of the arrows.

There, he spotted a head of beautiful platinum blonde hair.

The culprit was Lia.

No wonder her aim was so good.

Arthur stood beside her.

‘I see.’

Ascal realized it.

Everything had been completely exposed.

“Retreat! I’m defecting to the Allied Nations!”

But Ascal had overlooked one critical thing—the sacred sea turtle’s turning speed was painfully slow.

In the end, Ascal was dragged back in disgrace an hour later.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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