The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 42

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 42

< Baron's Family Second Son – Episode 42 – >

Wizards each possessed a unique, personal magic. Seasoned wizards sometimes had several. Ironically, these magics were often stumbled upon during research rather than intentionally created. Naturally, Yild, with decades of experience, had his own unique magic.

“I never thought I’d use this.”

The magic that subdued Renil was a simple suppression spell, incredibly inefficient. However, while inefficient, it was effective.

It immobilized the target, body and magic, as long as his own magic persisted, plunging them into a state of suspended animation.

Of course, the process wasn’t easy. It was useless against someone stronger and difficult even against the weak, requiring the target to be exhausted and mentally unguarded. Moreover, the circumstances of the Terra Barrier, with no prisoners, meant he never had the opportunity to use it, only remembering it.

“This should keep that thing from finding him. I can only hope.”

He couldn’t know how it had tracked them. Whether by scent or magical signature, it had found a way. So, with his remaining magic, he cleansed Renil’s body, sealed his magic, and buried him deep in the ground, leaving enough space for him to survive in suspended animation until everything was over.

“You must survive.”

Renil was incredibly precious to Yild. He had no family or disciples, and Renil was the closest thing he had to a first apprentice, cherished almost like a son.

For Renil, Yild was the most trustworthy and reliable person within the Terra Barrier. Unlike Yild, whose growth had stagnated and who had lived a long life, Renil was a promising talent with a long road ahead. Yild wanted to ensure Renil’s survival.

He wanted to teach him more, could have taught him so much. But it seemed his connection with Renil ended here.

The creature, driven mad by unexpected pain, was preparing to fly towards them, intent on destroying the source of its suffering.

Yild drew its attention, moving as far away from Renil as possible, hoping to prevent it from accidentally discovering Renil while scouring the ground. He had buried him deep, but one could never be too sure.

“Over here! Lizard!”

#

When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by absolute darkness. Where was I? As I blinked, trying to understand, the events before I lost consciousness flooded back.

[Take a nap. When you wake up, it will all be over.]

I illuminated the area with magic, revealing the soil surrounding me. Thankfully, my magic had recovered enough during my unconsciousness to use magic without difficulty. I quickly escaped from underground, greeted by the blue sky.

“The Dragon… seems to be gone.”

I cautiously peeked out, but the Dragon was nowhere to be seen. Nor were there any people. Considering the situation, I couldn’t have been far from the site of the battle. The lingering signs of combat proved it. But there was no trace of my companions.

“…Let’s go to the Terra Barrier. If anyone survived, they would have headed there.”

Unos had shouted at the end to survive and report what happened today. If anyone else was lucky enough to survive like me, they would have headed to the Terra Barrier. If everyone else had died, then I had to reach the Terra Barrier. That was my duty as the last survivor.

#

I relied on the map and continued south, intending to keep the mountains on my right and head east.

It was a much safer route to the Terra Barrier than crossing the monster-infested lands. Of course, even that wasn’t easy.

I had used all the magic bullets prepared for investigating the Dragon, and all I had left were iron bullets for small monsters. Even if the map showed enemy locations, I couldn’t keep it on all the time.

I inevitably had to face some, but with my current abilities, I couldn’t kill them. I did gain something from the process, but reaching the Terra Barrier was the top priority, so I decided to postpone further consideration of that matter.

“Mountains.”

The weather was getting colder. It wasn’t snowing yet, but at this rate, winter would arrive soon, which would be a real problem.

My only food was monster meat, and I had been using magic to create water for a long time. Moreover, I had lost all my gear in the battle with the Dragon, so I had no equipment to protect against the cold.

I could maintain my body temperature with magic, but magic wasn’t infinite, and the amount of magic needed varied greatly depending on whether I had cold-weather gear. If I didn’t reach the Terra Barrier quickly, I would face a major crisis.

Fortunately, on the day the first snow began to fall, I managed to spot the massive wall of the Terra Barrier. I couldn’t even afford to use magic for cleaning, so I looked like a complete beggar, but I didn’t look like a monster. The faces I had seen before leaving this place welcomed me safely inside the Terra Barrier.

“What happened to the others? What happened to the other members of the expedition?”

I had left when the snow stopped and returned when the first snow fell. It had been a journey of six months, and if anyone had survived, they would have arrived at the Terra Barrier before me. But no one readily answered my question. The ominous feeling I had been trying to ignore began to creep up.

“What happened to the others!”

“You are the only member of the expedition who has returned so far. What exactly happened?”

I had expected it to some extent – that I might be the only survivor. The Dragon was furious because of my attack, and since I, the culprit, was alive, it was obvious who it had vented its anger on.

Still, I had held onto a sliver of hope because I hadn’t seen any bodies. There was a high probability they had ended up in its stomach, but I hadn’t seen them die with my own eyes.

Yild had said this: [Take a nap. When you wake up, it will all be over.] But it wasn’t. It was far from over; a new beginning awaited me. It might be the end for him, but for me, there were only two possible endings: either I succeeded in taking revenge on it, or I died trying. It was just the beginning.

#

“What exactly happened?”

I had been unconscious for three full days before waking up. I had been forcibly suppressing my fatigue, injuries, and hunger with magic, but the relief of arriving in a safe place and the shock of no longer being able to deny the reality I had been trying to ignore…

The shock was more than my exhausted body could handle. In the end, despite being a defeated soldier, I had the honor of Duke Zieg visiting me personally, with the instruction of absolute rest.

“…What Laurent said was true. After a journey of nearly three months, we were able to find the Dragon in a mountain in the northwest.”

Duke Zieg looked surprised at my words. Considering his level, it was only enough to create a small ripple in his teacup, but even that was a big deal. Perhaps Duke Zieg didn’t truly believe what Laurent said, or even if what Laurent said was true, he didn’t know if we would really find it.

I calmly explained what had happened. We discovered a magical reaction presumed to be from a Dragon – it was weaker than when Laurent discovered it, probably because it was sleeping – and found the Dragon sleeping in a huge cave. We retreated as carefully as possible, but the Dragon somehow noticed us and attacked. Half of us died in the process, and while I sniped its left eye, everyone scattered and decided to head to the Terra Barrier, but it seems I’m the only one who survived.

“I was buried underground in suspended animation for a while. Thanks to that, I was able to survive, but my return was delayed. So, I thought that if anyone had survived, they would have arrived before me…”

I lost someone who was like a teacher, said goodbye to a comrade, and couldn’t repay the favor to my savior. I was no different from a sinner. And I had to pay a heavy price from now on. Duke Zieg was lost in thought, and I was discouraged. Silence filled the room for a while.

“First of all, don’t tell anyone about this. If someone asks, say there was a monster attack and you scattered, agreeing to meet at the Terra Barrier.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

“Rest and recover until the next order. I sent a rescue team while you were asleep… It will be difficult to expect results as winter approaches. But don’t give up hope.”

#

From the next day, I suffered from severe headaches and nightmares. The dead surrounded me, asking why I didn’t die and why I didn’t take revenge. Even though I knew they would never do such a thing, the nightmares didn’t stop. Even with the engraving.

Now I knew why the owner of the diary had written that it wasn’t his fault to his dead comrades when I arrived at the Terra Barrier in the past, and why Laurent had glared with bloodshot eyes and muttered revenge after facing the Dragon.

“Revenge, I must.”

But there was too great a gap between me and the Dragon. Even if I ran at full speed from now on, I wondered if I could catch up before I died. I don’t know if it didn’t use magic or couldn’t, but it was so strong with just its body that I didn’t think I could reach it if it used magic.

Fortunately, there was some hope. Now that I think about it again, I didn’t feel it when I came out of suspended animation, but there was definitely a change in my body. I felt it several times while running through the monster lands. I couldn’t delve into it deeply at the time because I didn’t have time or circumstances, but now I could know its identity.

“Is it because of the blood?”

The amount of magic I could handle at once, the total amount of magic I possessed, and even my control had improved so much that it was incomparable to what I was before I met the Dragon. It was as if my talent for magic itself had increased. There was only one possible reason: the Dragon’s blood. If the blood, which is called the progenitor of magic and has a source of magic called the Dragon Heart, has excellent efficacy…

“A blessing in disguise. A silver lining. A stroke of good luck in misfortune.”

That thing should have killed me, even if it meant turning the surrounding land upside down. I will make it pay the price for letting me live. I will.

< Baron's Family Second Son – Episode 42 – > End