Chapter 10 : The Hero Valentin

  A man facing a mythical creature—a dragon.

  For the first time, a fear so deep runs through me that the instinct to flee nearly overwhelms me. But Elvaria is hurt; she needs healing. In other words, I must face this dragon alone... and save her.

  The dragon attacks without warning, hurling its massive claws in my direction. I dive to the side, barely dodging. The force of the swing blasts the air so violently that it sends me flying several meters back. Its claws crash into the wall of the circular room, made of pure white marble. The impact sends shards scattering in all directions. This room has no ceiling, just an infinite sky above. Of course—if a dragon lived here, it would explain the limitless space.

  Another attack! Its claws slash toward me again.

  "Gah!" This time, I don’t evade in time. Its claws strike me squarely, flinging me violently to the ground. The impact cracks the entire room, and blood trickles from my lips.

  “Damn, another attack!” It tries to crush me with its tail, and I roll out of the way just in time.

  -SPLAT

  Its tail slams into the marble floor with a titanic crash, shattering the stone. Another last-second dodge, but pain surges through my body.

  "Aleystria Reinforcement, Quick Step!" I propel myself forward at breakneck speed, trying to get close to the dragon. But suddenly, it breathes fire! A wave of scorching red flames rains down toward me. It sees me—anticipating every move with ease. I’m forced to halt my charge and back away. I need to think of a plan.

  Suddenly, a sharp pain pierces through my head.

  “...ystria…” What is this? “Aleystria… Remember,” whispers a voice in my mind.

  No time to figure it out. The dragon strikes again with its claws. I leap into the air, barely dodging—but it was a trap. It swiftly spins around, whipping its tail in a massive arc to send me flying.

  “Aleystria… Remember!” The voice in my head grows louder, more insistent.

  The tail strikes me head-on. I’m hurled at breakneck speed, almost supersonic, into the chamber wall. My body crashes against the stone, pain exploding throughout me as I cough up blood. My clothes are torn, my body bleeding… yet somehow, I rise again. My sword firmly gripped in my hand.

  "No more playing around…" I mutter through gritted teeth. The dragon, confident in its victory, watches me carefully. But suddenly, I vanish.

  "How about this?!" I soar through the air, racing toward the dragon’s head in a blur. With all the strength I can muster, I swing my sword. The impact is devastating. The entire body of the dragon is thrown across the room, crashing into the wall with incredible force.

  “I remember now… I’ve lived in this world before. I don’t know everything yet, but at least one thing is clear: I know how to wield a sword!” I shout, a grin spreading across my face. Are these memories truly mine? Or those of this body? It doesn’t matter. Flashes of grueling sword training return, days spent mastering the blade until exhaustion.

  The dragon rises, furious, its red eyes blazing with rage. It opens its gaping maw, ready to unleash another torrent of flames.

  “Calm down first,” I say with what I think is cool arrogance, then I dash straight toward it. I leap into the air, sword raised high above my head. With deadly precision, I bring it down on its skull, splitting its head in two. The dragon crashes to the ground, lifeless in an instant.

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  “Huff, f-finally, I d-did it,” I gasp, exhausted but victorious. I immediately turn toward Elvaria, anxious to check on her.

  But instead, a man stands there.

  "Good evening, young man. Don’t be offended," he says calmly. Where I expected to find Elvaria, a man with blond hair and brown eyes stands before me, dressed in gleaming silver armor fit for a storybook hero. His face is finely sculpted, strikingly handsome. He wears no helmet, but two swords hang from his belt, each humming with energy.

  “Where is Elvaria?!” I shout, my voice full of urgency. I just risked my life for her. I’m injured, and we need to get back to heal.

  “Fear not, she’s here.” After these words, he shifts slightly, revealing Elvaria still unconscious but safe. He had moved her out of the boss arena to keep her from further harm. Maybe he’s a good person after all…

  "Now, I’m going to ask you to follow me... or die." His final words fall like a guillotine's blade.

  Somewhere in the world:

  A man with white hair and blood-red eyes grinned menacingly, gazing into a crystal ball connected to Valentin’s vision, allowing him to see everything Valentin was seeing.

  “Hehe, haha, you’re trapped like rats, Novus Obris. You’ve ruined my plan to kidnap Princess Iveralmn. I had intended to take her because—” But suddenly, his servant interrupted.

  “Master Macrinis, who exactly are you talking to?” he asked innocently, his tone puzzled.

  “Ah, well, that’s none of your business,” Macrinis replied, seated on the throne of his castle, his legs still majestically crossed. He reveled in the thought of despair on Aley’s face.

  “Let Elvaria go, we have no reason to follow you!” I shouted, raising my voice in an attempt to intimidate him.

  “You’re in no position to say that,” he replied neutrally. He didn’t seem malicious, but it was clear that if he had to kill us, he wouldn’t hesitate. I needed to talk my way out of this.

  “What’s your name?” I asked.

  “My name is Valentin Delacour.” Strange, that name sounds French. And Valentin—where have I heard that before? Oh yes!

  “Are you the hero, Valentin? The one from another world?” I asked, sheathing my sword, signaling that I didn’t intend to fight.

  “That’s correct.” What should I do? Should I reveal that I’m from the same world? I could try, but he might think I’m lying to manipulate him.

  “You don’t seem like a bad person,” he said, sheathing his sword. “You tried to defend the red-haired girl, after all.”

  “And you don’t seem like a bad person either, Valentin. So why are you threatening us?” The hostile atmosphere suddenly shifted, becoming much more peaceful.

  “I don’t have a choice. I want to go home. I never asked to be summoned to this wretched world,” he said, disgust clear on his face. That tone, that expression—he’s definitely from our world. And for him to complain like that, he must be from the land of gastronomy…

  “How are we connected to you going home?” At my words, he paused for a moment, thinking, then looked straight into my eyes.

  “When I first arrived in this world, I did everything I could to gain power, thinking it would help me return home. It was a vain quest, a terrible mistake. I thought it was impossible to go back—until I met a man named Macrinis. He promised that if I obeyed him, he would send me home.” As he finished speaking, he raised his hands behind his head, using some sort of magic on himself, before continuing:

  “But I knew he was lying. Then, I found another way to return home—to complete the God’s Prism. That’s your goal too, isn’t it, Aley?” Oh, he had done his research on me. But even so, I still didn’t understand why he was attacking us.

  “Why did you come here then?” I asked.

  “The real reason I came here was to meet you. We’ll surely meet again later—probably in Versdesable. When we do, it’d be great if we could tackle a dungeon together!” he exclaimed.

  “So, you came all this way, pretended to threaten us, just to meet us?” I asked, suspicious of what he had just told me.

  “Haha, no, there’s another reason. Macrinis was watching us through my eyes. He’s trying to eliminate you. So, to protect you, I came here and told him I was going to take you out. While we were talking, I cut off his vision with my magic. I’ll reactivate it when I leave and report to him: ‘I tried to eliminate you, but you were too strong, and it’s better to give up.’” Ah, I see. He’s actually a good guy.

  “Got it. Thanks, Valentin. I’m going to grab Elvie, and we’ll head back to turn in our quest.” At my words, he looked at me, gave a small smile, and approached Elvaria, raising his hand above her unconscious body.

  “Hey! Valentin, what are you doing? Hands off—” But his hand emitted a green light, and Elvaria’s wounds began to heal, until she was fully restored. She now slept peacefully on the dungeon floor.

  He turned to me and said, “You’re welcome,” with a wink, before disappearing in an instant.

  Well, it’s time to take Elvaria back and validate our Rank A. Soon, we’ll head to Aqualida, the continent with the underwater dungeon.