Chapter 319 - 319. The Phantom Beast World and the Human World (Part 2)
Tonight, we would be staying in the Village of the Phantom Beasts. Though that had been decided, the sky above still stretched on endlessly, a piercing blue expanse. In this world without a sun, the very concept of time passing was thin, insubstantial. The phrase "spending the night" carried an oddly hollow ring.
Stella and I walked together, strolling around the guesthouse to settle our stomachs after dinner. The scattered cottage-style buildings were immaculately clean, not a speck of dust in sight. Yet there was no presence of people. No one lived behind those windows. Only neatly arranged, silent spaces stretched out around us.
That stillness suddenly brought back memories of the village where Fam once lived. There, the buildings had been destroyed by violence, but the underlying feeling was the same. Daily life had vanished.
Thieves stole everything through brute force, but the gods gently stopped the breath of the world. There was no difference in their injustice.
Did the Fifty Gods intend to turn our original world into a place like this? What was Racshell thinking? My thoughts wouldn't settle. I walked along the path toward a high vantage point with a sweeping view.
"...I simply can't believe it."
Stella muttered resentfully beside me, her footsteps clicking sharply against the ground. Glancing sideways, I saw her elegant brows furrowed upward in clear irritation as she glared at me.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't act like you don't know! Even though you have me as your fiancée, you go and kiss another woman right in front of my eyes! How utterly inconsiderate can you be!"
"Stop with these unreasonable accusations! Your fiancé is the prince of Heilong City. And wasn't it you who dragged me here so forcefully just to perform the 'Covenant Ceremony' in the first place?"
"If only Houan had his true dragon form, it might have been within the realm of visual acceptability...!"
Stella bit her lip, clearly frustrated.
"Besides, I wasn't told the Covenant Ceremony involved kissing! You should've mentioned something that important beforehand!"
Though even if I had known, I would've obviously chosen to kiss Houan in her beautiful girl form over a rough-scaled Ancient Dragon—something I wisely kept to myself.
"And you're acting all high and mighty about 'preserving your purity,' but haven't you been kissing that Wyvern of yours nonstop?"
At my remark, Stella's face instantly turned crimson from her cheeks down to her ears.
"T-t-t-that doesn't count! It's purely a sacred ritual to reaffirm our bond! It's nothing like a romantic kiss between man and woman! I've kept my body and soul pure and chaste, I tell you!"
I glanced toward the guesthouse where we'd be staying. In the open plaza beside it, her beloved dragon lay curled up like a cat, wings folded, fast asleep.
"Then mine doesn't count either. The one I kissed was an Ancient Dragon."
"Mash's is different! Houan had the unmistakable look of a girl in love, and more importantly, Mash, you had that lecherous, drooling grin on your face!"
"It was a surprise attack! There's no way I could've made that face!"
"Yes, you did! You definitely did!"
"And aren't you the one who keeps making excuses like 'it doesn't count' or 'it's just affection,' while kissing that Wyvern over and over again?"
"Grrrnnn...!"
Stella let out an un-ladylike groan, tears welling in her eyes as she glared at me. I sensed it would be dangerous to keep arguing about this. I cleared my throat and decided to change the subject.
"...So, Stella, what do you plan to do after returning to the human world? Are you going back to Leoniass City?"
At that question, she stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at me with disbelief.
"Mash, that's incredibly irresponsible of you! As a daughter of the Leoniass family with duty and honor, I came all the way to Heilong City to form a marriage alliance. Now that the engagement with the prince has fallen through and no friendship has been established, do you expect me to return home empty-handed? That's simply impossible!"
"It's not your fault, though. No one knew the prince had such issues. So what now?"
"Haaaaaaah?"
Stella let out a long, sighing breath and planted her hands on her hips, standing firm like a guardian deity.
"You don't understand? I'm here precisely because my backup plan is to form a marriage alliance with you. You've already accepted my gift, haven't you? From now on, you must take responsibility and decide where I belong—ensuring Leoniass City and Migul City can join hands and protect each other from the poisonous claws of the Demon Kingdom!"
There was no hesitation in her eyes. Her city clearly meant more to her than herself.
"You... don't have even a shred of romantic feelings for me, do you?"
"Emotions like love are unnecessary and even disruptive in noble marriages. But..."
She averted her gaze slightly, her lips pouting.
"I do feel enough jealousy to burn. As we grow closer and walk this path together, love will surely blossom in time."
"...You plan to come with me on the journey?"
She shook her head apologetically.
"I've received basic training as an adventurer. But if I'm being honest, I'm better suited to politics than the sword. From now on, I wish to dedicate myself to the development of Migul City."
"I'm not the one controlling Migul City like you seem to think. You're overestimating me."
"Please don't be modest. We may be a small city-state, but we value information above all else to maintain our independence. According to our intelligence, Mash quelled an internal rebellion, inherited a broken noble bloodline, and formed close ties with the princesses of the Four Regents' House Wanland and House Starunion. What else would you call that if not rulership?"
"I have no intention of getting involved in Migul's politics."
"Not even if the Demon Army attacks, and your beloved Lady Merianne, Lord Mō, and their parents lose their lives?"
...
I fell silent at Stella's words.
"Mash, I know you already have many women close to you. But I won't interfere, and I won't treat them poorly. I swear to serve you faithfully as your 'wife.' Please don't make me return to Leoniass in disgrace."
Stella stared at me intently, and I found myself at a loss for words. Her royal upbringing and eloquence might make her an invaluable ally to Merianne, who had become the de facto ruler of Migul. Merianne, having been isolated from political life for so long, often thought and spoke more like an ordinary person—or even like me. Stella could fill in those gaps. Moreover, as a member of the Dog-Eared Tribe, Merianne inevitably faced friction when negotiating with humans who looked down on other races. If Stella could handle that, it would be an immense relief.
Still, whether her abilities lived up to her words remained uncertain.
"Not just a wife—a good wife!"
Perhaps interpreting my silence as refusal, she doubled down with an oddly earnest appeal.
"Stella... do you dislike other races?"
She tilted her head slightly and nodded.
"Yes, I suppose I have a physiological aversion, like most humans do. Especially as a member of the privileged class. But I've built friendships here through continued exchange with the Phantom Beast World. And if it serves the growth of my city and the interests of my country, shaking hands with a smile would be no trouble at all."
Her blunt, pragmatic answer stirred a faint unease within me—but there was no point in voicing concerns about something that hadn't even begun.
"As you said, I'm being pressured to inherit the Clowvis family. It's originally an elf bloodline. Most of the servants in the estate are elves."
"I understand. Then I shall prove my worth there."
By then, we had reached the top of the hill. The wind blew, and Stella's hair swayed. Below us stretched an endless green sea of trees, a great river shining silver, and the vast blue sky.
Suddenly, Stella grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly.
"Mash. I won't make you regret it. I believe in my own strength. I will surely become your support and lead Migul City to unprecedented prosperity."
Her eyes seemed to shine with a fierce light.
It wasn't hot, nor was it cold. The wind blew steadily, yet the air clung to the skin, offering neither the refreshing sensation nor seasonal feeling of standing atop a hill. Looking down from the height, far in the distance, I saw a massive shadow shaped like a dragon towering into the sky.
"What... is that?"
I strained my eyes to look. It had no sense of life or movement, yet the shimmer of its scales was too vivid to be just a statue. It felt unnaturally frozen, as if the entire world had been cut off and paused at the very moment it was about to roar.
"That's the 'Outer World' dragon."
A voice came from behind. Turning, I saw Houan gazing silently at the motionless dragon. She must have followed us.
"I can see it's a dragon. But it doesn't move at all..."
"The Phantom Beast World is divided into the 'Outer World' and the 'Inner World.' That is the dragon of the Outer World."
"Is it alive?"
Houan's expression darkened slightly as she tilted her head.
"I don't know. Time has been stopped in the Outer World since ancient times. Only this Inner World, protected by the power of the Primordial Dragon Lord, can move."
"Is that... because the human world and the Phantom Beast World were linked by the Fifty Gods?"
"Probably."
She answered calmly, as if it were nothing. But a chill ran down my spine, and I felt as if my entire body had turned to ice.
Perhaps, just like the Phantom Beast World, time had also stopped in our original world.
The world where I and Mizuki had lived so casually. Ever since that moment on the train when Mizuki mistakenly accused me of groping her—could it be that time in our original world had stopped too? Were the Fifty Gods selecting a hundred transmigrants every hundred years from that frozen time and sending them into the human world?
There was no magic in our original world. No transcendent being like the Primordial Dragon to uphold it. If so, unlike the Phantom Beast World where part of it still moves, could our world be completely, utterly still?
Mizuki wanted to return to our original world. But if she did return, what would be waiting there? If her family, her friends—everything—were frozen like stone statues, trapped in eternal silence?
I swallowed hard. The sound seemed unnaturally loud and vivid in the stillness.
"Mash...?"
I realized Stella and Houan were both looking at me with concern.
"N-nothing..."
Instinctively, I stepped back to hide my agitation. But Houan stepped forward, reaching out her small hand. She touched my forehead gently. A cool, chilling sensation spread through me.
"You're sweating so much..."
"I-I was just standing at a high place. Got a little nervous, that's all."
I roughly wiped my forehead with my sleeve, avoiding her touch.
"More important than me—Houan, do you think it'd be good if the Outer World returned to normal?"
Houan tilted her head slightly, thinking for a moment.
"I don't know. This is the world I was born into. But... I do think it'd be nice if the sun rose over the Phantom Beast World."
She smiled, a meltingly soft expression. I placed my hand on her head and gently stroked her white hair. I expected her to flinch, but she didn't.
"Mash."
Stella followed, fixing me with a serious gaze. She didn't seem to know about this conversation—her eyes didn't waver.
"What is it?"
"Please promise me you won't speak of the Phantom Beast World or anything you've seen here to anyone. And don't bring anyone here."
"The information I have now is crucial to the core of this journey. Not even my party members? My closest allies?"
"That's..."
Stella hesitated, her eyes darting away.
"If they're Mash's allies, then it's fine. But don't forget—we are 'weak beings.'"
Houan answered instead.
"Dragons are weak? Compared to humans?"
Houan nodded quietly, but firmly.
"Humans have the power of 'numbers.' Even if most can't defeat a dragon, if just one among thousands or tens of thousands finds a breakthrough, the rest will imitate it. And no matter how strong we are as individuals, eventually, our small numbers will leave us powerless."
"...I see. Understood."
It sounded like the resigned acceptance of a dying race. When I nodded, Stella let out a breath, visibly relieved.
"Please, be extremely careful about who you choose to tell. And... about the 'Covenant'..."
Stella paused, then continued in a formal, almost instructional tone.
"It can only be performed with the mediation of someone of the main Leoniass bloodline. Of course, Mash has no right to that. And the power—or rather, the right—I possess will be lost if I spend a night with Mash."
"Huh?"
Her suddenly suggestive words left me only with confusion.
"This power must be lost quickly—for the balance between Leoniass City and Migul City."
"So it's not about maintaining it, but losing it that matters?"
The moment I asked, I realized her intent. She always spoke from a political standpoint. A Wyvern, powerful and capable of flight, could become a pillar in battle. Though advantageous against the Demon Kingdom, the Leoniass family would naturally want to monopolize that power permanently. In that case, having many 'dragon tamers' in Migul would become a source of friction. She wanted to eliminate that spark before it could divide the city-states.
"Therefore... tonight..."
She blushed, pressing the tips of her index fingers together over her chest in a shy gesture. As I watched, the hem of my shirt was tugged.
"That's not allowed. Tonight, I'll spend time with Mash. Stella, you stay with your Wyvern."
Houan said.
"Why not?! I worked the hardest!"
"I was the one who worked the hardest!"
I shot back at Stella.