Chapter 13: Hopes and Dreams
Riding on the back of the dragon, we were arranged in the following order: the Dragon Rider, Orphelia, me, and Angelica. Perhaps it was due to our earlier exchange, or maybe it was because I, the mysterious and nameless one recommended by Anon, was sandwiched between them, but neither Orphelia nor Angelica initiated any conversation.
The silence was painfully heavy. Well, to be fair, it was hard to imagine Orphelia and Angelica talking with me in the middle. I wanted to believe there was no ill intent between the two… but I couldn’t stand the silence any longer. Letting out a sigh, I turned to Angelica.
“Hey, you haven’t contacted Pulmy since we cleared the Light Labyrinth, have you? Didn’t you think about reaching out to her at least once?”
Angelica maintained her silence in response to my question. I realized that my tone had become somewhat sharper.
“I’m not blaming you or anything… I’m just asking how it went. Don’t overthink it.”
It took her a while to respond. Eventually, she said, “I… haven’t contacted Pul.”
Her answer was as I expected, but what followed was unexpected.
“Why did I forget something so important… No, at that time, I thought it wasn’t necessary—”
She buried her head in her hands and began to mumble.
“Hey, what’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Angelica didn’t respond to my question and continued to murmur to herself.
“Are you okay?”
“…I don’t know if I’m okay anymore.”
After saying that, she fell silent. Perhaps waiting for the right moment, Orphelia finally spoke up.
“We should be arriving soon. I don’t know what you two are discussing, but let’s talk a bit about what happens after we arrive. It’s nothing major, really. You can move however you like. After all, any cooperation we attempt will only yield superficial results.”
She continued to gaze ahead as she spoke to us.
“Hey, I get your point, but if we don’t work together, we won’t win against anything.”
“I’m not saying I don’t intend to cooperate.”
“Then—”
What do you mean by that? I was about to ask when she lifted her chin, arching her back and casting a somewhat provocative glance our way. It was a display of confidence I had never seen before.
“I’ll adapt to you all.”
How could she say such a thing without even knowing our skills?
“I’m saying I can do it.”
As if it were a fundamental truth of the universe, she added, “—Who do you think I am?”
She—Orphelia Verite—declared that with conviction.
Just then, the Dragon Rider called out to us.
“Over there. It’s coming into view.”
Though still distant, I could indeed see the massive Three-Headed Dragon in the direction he pointed. That monster was so enormous that those opposing it looked like mere specks. The size difference was so vast that the scale seemed utterly absurd.
And most importantly, standing defiantly before the dragon was none other than Pulmy, said to be the keystone of the Virtuous Front.
The three heads of the dragon moved slowly, each jaw gleaming with a radiant light. There was an immense power concentrated there, even from a distance.
Then, in an instant, the power from each of the dragon’s heads was unleashed.
One broke through the sky, another pierced the mountain behind Pulmy and her companions, and the last one was aimed directly at them.
“—Hellgate!”
At her call, a majestic gate enveloped in flames was summoned with overwhelming presence, and I witnessed that moment unfold before my eyes.