Chapter 117

The battle between the Demon King and the Hero is about to begin, and Veris, who left with the dragon, is naturally going to fulfill his promise.

He mentioned Sylvain, the progenitor of demons, to Vesper, but he didn't say that it was Sylvain who actually carried out the attack.

Looking down over the entire Demon King's Forest, Veris's eyes were icy cold.

While waiting for the battle to end, the dragon asked him what he wanted to do.

Veris pointed to the dark sky above. Their position was high enough that even dragons could see the eerie demonic aura that enveloped the real sky and the Demon King's Forest. That demonic aura covered the entire Demon King's Forest, but it was clearly distinct when it separated from human territory.

A hint of doubt flashed in the dragon's eyes. It remembered that when it entered the Demon King's Forest, the sky was not so clearly defined from above, but rather a mixture of clarity and turbidity, gradually darkening.

"Those demonic energies have been growing stronger over the years..." the dragon murmured to himself.

Veris sat cross-legged on the dragon's back. They made no attempt to conceal their presence, and almost every race on the surface of the Demon King's Forest could see the enormous dragon's shadow with a simple glance. However, due to the great distance, they could not see Veris on the dragon's back.

Hearing the dragon's murmur, Veris took out a lute and said casually, "This is the sin of the demon race."

His fingertips traced the gleaming strings. The lute has many strings, but only a few are actually playable. The body of this lute was visibly old, making one wonder if it had been corroded by rats several times over.

But when the fingertips press down, roll over, and then pluck, a light and cheerful piano melody pours out.

The dragon was horrified. Given the consequences of Veris's previous use of musical instruments, it wished it could plug its ears.

But if you press down on its own claws with their sharp nails, wouldn't it pierce its brain?

Fortunately, Veris didn't seem to do anything with the instruments this time. He just silently played a piece that church choirs often play from beginning to end. The notes were very light and cheerful, seemingly full of youthful vigor. It's not hard to imagine how heartwarming it would be if a group of children sang together to such music.

Long had been a bard for a time... The bard Long quickly recognized the uplifting and vibrant spirit in the melody and was stunned. It took him a while to come to his senses.

They were now in the sky, looking up at the clear and bright sky of Icarus, looking to the left and right at the demonic energy that enveloped the entire Demon King's Forest, and looking down at the clearly defined areas of the Demon King's Forest.

The mountains and rivers, deserts and wilderness inside the Demon King's Forest are actually no simpler than those of Icarus.

When the lute music stopped, the dragon couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Veris's amused voice came from behind him: "Do you believe that music can change a race?"

Long paused for a moment before saying, "I believe it, but this is something that only exists in this day and age."

His words carried a rare hint of caution.

Veris's smile deepened: "Who's talking to you about that? I mean, do you believe in the power of music, just as much as magic?"

Magical elements have always existed, but no one can say for sure how the first human to become a magician became a magic apprentice. Since the time of Old Icarus, various legends have emerged.

Some say that the gods from heaven came to earth and, unable to bear seeing humans being bullied by wild beasts, taught them how to cultivate magic and become magicians.

Some say that the deity who originally possessed magic in the heavens accidentally dropped magical elements onto the land of Icarus while drunk. There were born magicians who, upon coming into contact with those magical elements, naturally became magicians.

Others say that the gods in heaven committed sins and came to earth to atone for them, becoming human beings and, relying on their memories from their divine days, becoming the first magicians in human history.

These are three relatively convincing explanations, but they all have one thing in common: humans cannot learn magic without the mercy and grace of the gods.

Veris lowered his eyes, his fingers resting on the strings but not pressing them, and said softly, "I have an idea."

The dragon flicked its tail, and then Veris said, "As long as magic endures, the gods will live on forever."

What?

The dragon was startled: "What are you saying, Veris? Don't do anything foolish."

Veris snapped out of his reverie, raised his hand and stroked the strings. The music became much softer, probably because he hadn't used much force, but the sound was much clearer: "It's just a hypothesis. After all, the origins of those legends aren't credible."

The dragon earnestly advised, "Do you want to exterminate all mages, or completely reclaim the magical elements so that there will be no more mages in the future? But think about it, mages are a profession that can rival warriors, and warriors are so numerous now. Mages are few in number, but they can still fight on equal footing with them. If magic dies, what will happen to the other professions? Warriors, beast tamers, astrologers, apothecaries, alchemists, and astrologers (not counting astrologers) – only when the five major professions coexist can Icarus be guaranteed to be safe."

After listening, Veris remained silent for a long time.

The dragon's argument wasn't without merit, but Veris had even deeper concerns.

After a long while, he sighed: "But what I want is not just stability, nor can it be stability."

The dragon exclaimed in astonishment, "What have you discovered?"

It knew that Veris saw far more than it, and they did.

Veris closed his eyes and whispered, "It is the unification of the world, Icarus is no longer an isolated island, the universe is open, and the only cosmic deity lost in Icarus is Sylvain."

The dragon was so shocked that it could not speak; it could hardly process what it had just said.

Veris let out a long breath and opened his eyes: "It's not about killing magic, but about suppressing all power systems... and then focusing all our efforts on alchemy."

"Why?!" the dragon exclaimed in surprise.

Veris gave a wry smile.

He raised his eyes, flicked his wrist, and a vast star map appeared before him, then flew out a little so that the dragon could also see it.

"When Arnold lived in the village at the foot of the Amberley Mountains a few years ago, the villagers were self-sufficient and rarely left the village except for the occasional visit of the priest."

"Shepherding, raising livestock, growing crops, planting in spring and harvesting in autumn—this has been the way of life for hundreds of years. Even when I met Astor, District 11 of the Kingdom of Lortheran maintained this way of life." Veris's voice calmed down.

The dragon was somewhat puzzled: "Is there a problem with this?"

A fiery glint flashed in Veris's eyes as he said, "Compared to the arrogant elves, the dwarves have maintained close relations with humans for many years, supplying them with numerous weapons and other tools. Since I ordered Fekris to modify paper and pens in 287, the entire dwarf race has shifted its focus from crafting advanced weapons to researching everyday utensils."

It must be said that the dwarves are simply born inventors. Unlike the elves who stay cooped up in the elven forests and only fight amongst themselves, many dwarves have left their homeland and scattered across the continent of Icarus, traveling thousands of miles to find suitable items for forging, to admire the works of more powerful weapon masters, and to gain extensive knowledge and insights.

It's no wonder that Lortheran would suspect that Veris was planning to take advantage of Arnold's battle with the Demon King to launch an attack on the Elven race and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

After all, the elves... were practically all alone.

Even with a visionary elder like Finney in this generation, it's difficult to change the habits of the elves that have been ingrained for hundreds of years. They've lost countless hairs because of it. Elves are supposed to be young and good-looking, and Finney looks about the same age as him.

Veris's gaze pierced through the dense demonic energy, as if he could see that magnificent continent. He sighed, "Perhaps I'm worrying too much. After all, it's only been three hundred years. For so many years, I've always doubted whether I've been too hasty, but I'm also worried... that when the moment of change occurs, everyone will lose their lives in the transition of time."

Three hundred years is quite a long time; Veris has lived through three hundred years of days and nights.

Three hundred years is too short, really. The old era had a history of almost several thousand years, and Lortheran's history is not much shorter than that.

He lowered his eyes and slowly began to play another piece. This time, the music was much sadder, as if he were mourning for someone.

It is probably for the innocent lives buried in the Demon King's Forest for the past three hundred years.

But where in this world are there truly innocent beings?

The dragon listened, unsure of what to say. As a fellow long-lived species, it vaguely grasped Veris's thoughts, but what could it say? It could only offer Veris a few words of comfort.

It didn't quite understand Veris, but it knew that time and fate, even as gods, were twin gods, sharing life and death—that was the truth, though it wasn't clear whether the other half was truly willing.

Logically speaking, Veris has transcended the realm of humanity, yet for three hundred years, there has been almost no day when he has not been deeply concerned with the future of his race and plotted against it.

The major events of recent decades have likely marked the most radical period in Veris's career.

The resurrection of the Seven Gods led to Sylvain's reincarnation, the resurrection of Lor'theran, the opening of the Seven Gods' mystical realm, and the second god-slaying. Lor'theran once again ascended the throne amidst the chaos, implementing sweeping reforms. The Church, led by Veris, retreated from its current position. It is also worth mentioning the enlightenment of literature.

Based on Long's understanding of history, of all the above, the most noteworthy event three hundred years later would probably be the enlightenment of literature.

Before the piece was finished, Veris stopped playing, and the dragon, as if sensing something, looked towards the direction of the Demon King's Abyss.

...The outcome is already decided.

“Peace, prosperity, literature, what’s next?” Veris stood up and looked at Demon King Lin.

In a flash, the dragon understood something. Several answers popped into its mind, and it couldn't tell which one was correct, but its intuition told it that each one was right.

Before it could come up with a solution, Veris turned around, no longer looking in the direction of the Demon King's Abyss, but instead staring fixedly in the direction of Icarus.

The dragon sensed something, and its pupils focused before suddenly contracting.

The demonic energy that had permeated the entire Demon King Forest vanished without a trace.

What?

ah?

Didn't it just drift off into a daze?

A smile appeared in Veris's eyes, and he said in a good mood, "I'll treat you to dinner when we get back. You've been a great help to me."

Now, recalling that fleeting, extreme thought, Veris couldn't help but be startled. Destroying magic? Had he gone mad?

Why does he have to kill those gods every time they resurrect?

Perhaps in the future, magic will burst forth with new vitality.

Before the surrounding stars had even faded, Veris noticed that the constellations had changed again after his conversation with the dragon ended.

Meanwhile, the Papacy and the Royal Palace Astrological Observatory were located far away in the capital.

Sylvain stared intently at the changing stars, his eyes slightly darkened.

Looking at the suddenly changing constellations, Lortheran was so frightened that he wished he could jump into the sky and get close to the stars to take a closer look.

...The Brave Star is destroyed.

Arnold failed to kill the Demon King?

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Author's Note: Lortheran: Hey