< Legacy (1) >
That day was just like any other day.
An ordinary moment, with a cool breeze blowing under a clear, sunny sky without a single cloud, and the sound of waves crashing on the beach can be heard gently.
however-.
[Horus.]
The change began with one word calling him.
“Yes?”
[Come here.]
Horus, who was usually locked in the magic lab and working on his training, tilted his head as he heard the serious voice of his protector, the Elder Dragon Schrihartgen, echoing in his head.
‘What’s going on?’
Lately, he hasn’t said much and just quietly watches me.
But that feeling of doubt was short-lived. Horus blinked several times, then immediately stopped what he was doing and turned around.
‘You’ll know when you go.’
Immediately afterwards, a small blast of magic occurred and the body of a short, blond kid was lifted into the air.
Phew—
And in an instant, the body was shot into the lair, cutting through the wind.
Horus crossed the abode in the blink of an eye and arrived at the place where the one who had called him was.
What appeared before his eyes was, without any exaggeration, a golden creature the size of a mountain.
‘···That’s amazing no matter when I see it.’
A gigantic body that has a sense of oppression that makes you bow your head and a beauty that makes you lose your soul.
The golden scales that covered its body, which was dozens of meters long, scattered the surrounding light, spreading its overwhelming presence in all directions.
If there is one flaw in the jade, it is that the luster of its scales, which once shone brilliantly, is now somewhat dull.
Horus glanced at the sight, then walked quickly to where Schrihartgen’s head was and opened his mouth.
“I’m here. What brings you here?”
Maybe it’s because my tongue is short, but I couldn’t help but let out a sound at the end of my words whenever I wasn’t conscious of it.
I’ve tried to fix it several times, but I still see this, so I guess I’ll just have to think of it as Horus’s personality until his body grows…
[I’m going to die soon.]
“Huh?”
But as if to dispel those good thoughts, the giant dragon in front of me carelessly blurted out a bombshell.
Horus’ eyes, which had paused for a moment at the content that did not match the calm tone, gradually began to widen.
“uh···.”
No kidding… right?
Of course, I always guessed that such a day would come someday.
Didn’t he say it himself when he first came to see you?
That his life is almost over.
‘No, no matter what, it’s like that.’
But I never expected that day to be treated so casually and that the announcement would be made so suddenly.
We’ve been together for quite some time, but since he didn’t show any special behavior, I thought it was because he was a long-lived dragon and had a different sense of time.
“···When does “soon” mean, exactly when?”
So Horus had no choice but to open his mouth, even though he knew it was a pathetic question.
Don’t you know?
I wonder if that ‘soon’ refers to years.
[Right now. Right here.]
But his cautious doubts were immediately swept away by Schrihartgen’s firm words.
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more to the cool answer that made me doubt whether it was right to talk about my own death.
[To be more precise, I should say that I am finally ready to die. If I could just hold on for a long time, I could probably survive for a few more years, but trying to prolong my life like that would be pointless.]
By then, I could understand how he could have predicted his own death so confidently.
That is, he declared that he had given up on holding on to life any longer and that he would end his life here and now.
Should we really say that this is befitting of an old dragon that has lived for thousands of years?
“No, but even so, we have to try to survive as much as possible!”
Horus frowned and protested in response, an instinctive rejection that had come up without him knowing.
No matter how much you desire the legacy of the clan that you will inherit after his death, how can you just leave someone you have been with for over a year to choose death of their own accord?
[Horus, it would have been like that without you.]
“···Yes?”
But despite that reaction, Schrihartgen looked down at him calmly, as if he was proud of him, and began to speak calmly.
[Forcing myself to hold on here is tantamount to twisting the power of causality to carve out and burn everything I have, using it as fuel. Everything from the magic and life force within my body, to the ranks and karma I have accumulated, and even the fate that has been given to me.]
A soft explanation, as if a grandfather were telling a story to his grandson.
He continued to speak calmly so that Horus could understand why he had made such a choice.
[However, even if you gain lifespan in such a forced manner, there will be nothing left. It will literally become nothing. Of course, if the destruction of the clan was certain, I would not have cared about such things and would have held out as long as possible···.]
Then he stopped talking and lowered his huge golden pupils to look at the little boy standing right in front of him.
[Now that we have another way, we should choose the one that is most efficient for the current situation.]
Since we’re going to end it, shouldn’t we at least leave behind a proper gift?
His eyes, which had been looking down at Horus like that for a moment, gently curved and a smile appeared in their pupils.
“······.”
Horus was unable to say anything in response to this one-sided favor.
What more could he say here?
Are you saying that you are not a ‘real’ dragon who deserves such expectations from you?
Even if I entrust something to you like this, am I just a stranger who can leave this world at any time?
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…No, that wasn’t something to say to the old dragon who had made up his mind and was preparing for the end.
I knew full well that this was also a deception, but it only seems new to me now.
‘To begin with, my very existence is no different from a fraud···.’
When I first heard about the legacy, I was really excited and happy, but it seems like I’ve been with it for longer than I expected and have become attached to it.
If I think about it, it’s not like I had a deep enough bond to fall into such feelings, but it’s so disheartening to see something like this.
Finally, Horus, unable to find the words, sighed deeply and muttered softly as if complaining.
“···Then, what should I do from now on? To be honest, I don’t even know what to do.”
[Nothing. The current situation is not something that can be resolved by leaving it to a hatchling. Until the time comes, you should just live however you want. Even if Horus is the last of our clan to be wiped out, it cannot be helped.]
It was an extremely irresponsible statement compared to the expectations he had placed on himself up until now.
Sure, that would be realistic, though.
[Now that you have succeeded in buying time for the next generation, the rest will be up to Drakkarion. You are a smart kid, so it won’t be hard for you to seize the opportunity when the time comes.]
After saying those peaceful words, Shurihartgen closed his eyes tightly.
That seems to be all there is to say.
“I···!”
The moment Horus, who had been hesitating, was about to open his mouth again.
As if they couldn’t wait any longer, the change began with all determination.
Hwaaaaak—
A massive magic circle appears, filling every inch of the vast space, and a dazzling golden light reacts to it, illuminating the interior.
At its center was an old dragon lying on the ground in its enormous bulk.
Each of the cloudy golden scales covering his large body began to glow, and soon his entire body was engulfed in light, emitting a massive amount of energy.
[It’s been a pleasure, Horus. I’ll give you a parting gift. I think you’ll like it. It will help you more than anything else right now.]
At that exact moment, Shurihartgen’s voice rang in my head again.
And the moment he heard those words, Horus could intuitively feel that the biggest reason he had made that decision was because of that ‘gift’.
‘What on earth is going on like this!’
He shouted inwardly, trying to keep his body still in the midst of the swirling storm of energy, but the situation was already spiraling out of control.
It didn’t take long for Shurihartgen’s body, which had resonated with Rare’s magic circle, to transcend the frame of a living being and transform into a lump of mana in the shape of light.
[Ah—Dracharion.]
A mass of energy the size of a mountain that is slowly disintegrating.
As it oxidized into the atmosphere with a brilliant light, some of it began to compress and coalesce into one point.
The mass of light that had once filled the space had shrunk to the size of a small hill, and then to the size of a large rock, and finally—.
[Horus, then this···.]
“Your Majesty Shurihat!”
And so, ending with the scattered voices that could not finish.
A golden crystal the size of a child’s head appeared in the middle of the empty space.
A crystal several times larger and more beautifully shining than the hatchling’s dragon heart that served as his medium, still revealing its presence against the backdrop of the faintly glowing magic circle of the community.
…No, it was not just a simple dragon’s heart, but rather a concentrated form of power created by an elder dragon that had lived for many years, processing its own body and soul.
Although there were significant losses in the process.
‘That’s···.’
Horus, who was blankly staring at the light streaming down his face as if trying to seduce her, swallowed without realizing it.
I shouldn’t have, but for some reason I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Boom!
Meanwhile, that thing that had been quietly floating in the air soon began to pulsate violently with an enormous flow of energy.
And then—.
“Huh? Hey, wait a minute···!”
The decision that flew towards Horus in an instant dug into his chest and was absorbed as if it was permeating him.
Still pulsating with enormous energy.
‘Ugh! This is···!’
Horus staggered and fell to the ground, clutching his chest.
Although a crystal as big as his head had dug into his body, there was no sign of it on the outside, but he didn’t care about such physical phenomena at the moment.
He clutched his chest and could instinctively realize.
He said he was still far from ready to fully harness its power.
His body, which had been covered in all sorts of corrections, had already far surpassed the limits of a hatchling, but even in that state, it took considerable mental effort to draw out even a small portion of the power contained within it.
‘···It’s absolutely impossible to absorb everything right away. First, we have to somehow put this to sleep···.’
Was this a reaction to Horus’s confusion?
Even after entering the body, it showed off its fierce presence by emitting energy in all directions, but it gradually became quiet and began to collect the energy that was flowing out and quietly follow the control.
As expected, it was a gift that was prepared with great care, so it seems like this level of consideration was already thought out.
‘Whew, that’s surprising. But if you were going to give me a gift like this, you could have at least told me in advance.’
Although he grumbled for a moment, it was only a brief complaint.
Maybe Shurihartgen was also in a hurry to avoid getting too attached.
Horus recalled the way he had always treated him so harshly, and he felt a vague sense of nostalgia as he gently stroked his chest a few times, feeling a heavy force.
‘I didn’t know things would turn out this way so suddenly.’
Is this what it means to live forever in my heart?
Although his soul left as soon as the consciousness ended and there was no such thing as a separate self, he felt somehow secure, and he stood up from where he had fallen, pounding his chest and smiling brightly.
And at that moment.
《The potential of the individual is forcibly blossomed. Limits are expanded and growth is accelerated.》
《The entity grows by achieving the conditions. It acquires the special skill “Elder Dragon’s Heart.”》
《Become the last gold dragon and be granted authority. You will obtain the special skill “Golden Treasure”.》
Messages began to appear before his eyes.
The change brought about by the last gift left by Shurihartgen and the power to advance to the clan’s legacy that was planned in advance.
Still, I kind of expected this to happen…
《Achievement achieved! You have become the last remaining ‘Last Gold Dragon’ in this world.》
《You have become the one and only gold dragon in the Auterica dimension. As a reward, you will be granted the special privilege “Dragon Rare.”》
《You have achieved an achievement and made a great impact on the world. Karma increases additionally.》
The content of the next message was something he had not even thought of.
