fessions of the Historian are non-tinuous pseudo chapters that feature a timeframe far removed from the main story. They will not affect the main story’s update schedule, and will instead be uploaded at random intervals alongside them.

  In short, there were two uploads today! This, and the entry before!

  Ep 81. fessions of the Historian: Vengeance

  Dragonkin. The only surviving demon tribe in our era of man.

  By the sheer virtue of their race, each dragon wields immerength and magic far beyond human prehension. From child to elderly, from the very beginnings of our era, every soul knew not to cross a member of the dragonkin.

  Such is the way we raised our people. He was only natural that they would find the empire’s as absurd.

  That a mere rising empire would decre war against the i of fear,

  That mankind would challenge demons without the aid of divinity.

  ? ? ?

  One hundred years ago, the rising empire of Akeia had domihe northern half of Way. It eriod of time known as the Empire Age.

  However, this ‘age’ barely sted two decades; shorter, in fact. In regards to time, it alling to call the period a separate age in history. Ahose who lived through those times refused to aowledge the timeframe in any other way.

  The Empire Age eriod of ambition led by an archmage that sought to dominate Way. The bloody flicts that filled this period could not be equated to any other periods in history.

  At the same time, the Empire Age eriod of hope: hope that mankind would be able to prevail against their fears. Hope that mankind would be able to quer the only remaining demon tribe, and truly cim themselves as rulers of their world.

  As, the Empire of Akeia failed in their quest. They fell shainst the ti’s united front, and ultimately fell apart.

  Many historians attribute Akeia’s fall to the influence ons – that the empire had suffered irrecoverable damage in their battles against the dragonkin. They cim that Akeia had failed in transding the bounds of man, that mankind still paled in parison to the surviving demon tribe.

  But this wasn’t correct.

  Akeia failed in their quest to domihe ti.

  They did not fail in bringing the dragonkin to their knees.

  ? ? ?

  ‘Akeia is treading towards its own doom.’

  ‘Their leading archmage had gone mad.’

  ‘The empire’s leader is actually a dragon himself.’

  tless unfounded rumors still echoed clearly within the soldiers’ minds. Despite the empire’s might, even they had to admit their doubts about this particur campaign.

  However, the entire army was a mere tool. They were all soulless instruments, and their orchestrator was the only oh the freedom to wield them. Even the empire’s anders possessed no freedom to question or defy their ruler.

  And that ruler had gone mad. Or at least, the soldiers thought he had when they were told to march straight into the dragonkin’s .

  But their doubts were o be found anymore.

  Their emperor was standing at the forefront with the army’s ao his right. The soldiers couldn’t see much aside from their emperor’s bck mage coat ahy, bleak-colored hair wildly fluttering about; their ander didly have a striking appearaher, with his bck, feathered body ed in a tattered bck cloak.

  What instead filled the soldiers’ visiowo enormous grey figures.

  The army’s two leaders were holding their ground against a pair of t dragons before them. Not a hint of fear could be found iher’s eyes.

  The emperor merely gnced over to the a his side.

  A hatg was being held by her throat in the ander’s grasp, gasping for breath. She cwed at the shadowy limbs that held her in pce, but to no avail; the hatg was still just a child.

  Then, Akeia’s ruler respectfully bowed his head before the two grey dragons.

  “Gatekeepers of the valley, I presume. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Amadeus Lavnore – Emperor of Akeia, and the only archmage of this ti.”

  When he looked to the figure on his right, the bck-feathered ander likewise lowered his head.

  “Xar of Akeia. The ander of this campaign.”

  A low, screeg gr throughout the valley’s outskirts in respohe dragons bared their fangs, staring down at the figure with a deathly menace.

  But trary to their wishes, her dragon could crush the two figures underfoot – for the hatg Xar held was their only child.

  Finally, one of them spoke in their rumbling voice towards the emperor. The surrounding mountains seemed to quake in their angered words.

  “…What is it that you desire, human?”

  “A pleasantly receptive answer. Allow us to answer in kind.”

  Uhe army behind them, Amadeus maintained an indifferent attitude. He was trying to fake fidence, yes – but his craving of knowledge was far surpassing the desire to flee.

  “Xar. If you will.”

  At his ruler’s behest, the ander’s free hand became engulfed in e fmes. Then, Xar swiftly plucked at the hatg’s left horn, his fingers melting into its bony structure.

  A ained screech struck at her parent’s ears as the hatg’s horn was torn off.

  A horrifying bellow shook the valley. The parent dragons howled in anger, but her of them could do much other than listen to their daughter g out in pain.

  The ander’s eyes weren’t fixed on the victim he held; instead, Xar’s eyes were fixed o parents. The moment the twons made any a to free their daughter, she’d die in his grip first.

  Amadeus burst into ughter at the dragons’ reas – or, ck thereof.

  “A wise choice, and a pleasant finding. So the dragonkin do harbor affe for their children like any other…while also possessing suffit regution to trol rash behavior. That’s quite the intriguing find already.”

  “…Let go of her. And I will grant you a painless death.”

  The father’s oppressive voice was enough to make the soldiers shudder in fear. However, Amadeus himself snorted in amusement.

  “Not suffit intelligence, might I add. It would’ve helped if you could dis the party that has the upper hand in a iation. Allow me to present to you a sed remihen – Xar?”

  Xar’s fingers once again lit afme. He repeated the exact same as as before, tearing off the hatg’s right horn as well.

  A, her parent could still so much as lift a fihis time, the mother’s cry was louder than her child’s.

  “Stop! STOP! Why are you doing this? We have caused no harm to your kind!”

  Amadeus nodded his head. A bemused grin curved his lips.

  “No, that you haven’t. But I would like to find out how far a dragon would go for their children.”

  Then, the emperor poi the hatg’s wings.

  “ will be her wings. If you’d like to see them remain attached, I suggest you both morph into your human forms.”

  “…”

  “…”

  The mother was the first to ply. Her grey, draic figure silently shrank before Akeia’s ruler, redug her into a sobbing silver-haired woman.

  The emperaze then drifted over to the father.

  “I believe I said both.”

  “Human, you would dare…!”

  “Very well. Xar?”

  Aerrible screech echoed throughout the viity, this time sharper thawo previous. The scream was apanied by a violent tearing noise as the ander gripped the hatg’s ti wing, tearing it off of her back.

  After another series of furious growling, the father’s figure was likewise reduced. The silver-haired couple stood side by side, their figures reduced to the size of mere humans.

  “…I’ve done as you said. Let her go.”

  “Please let her go…please…”

  “Hmm.”

  Once again, Amadeus spared a moment to look at the hatg in his grasp. Thick tears were rolling down from her eyes as she whimpered in pain.

  He then shifted his gaze to the army behind him.

  “Dragons aren’t so terrifying like this, are they?”

  “…”

  “Answer.”

  “NO, SIR!”

  When the army answered in unison, Amadeus approvingly nodded his head. He finally turned his attention back to the couple before him.

  “Still, we have only just reached equality. You two yet stand tall before a king. As…”

  Before, the twons had stared down at his army i gaze.

  ‘But just hoill they stoop down to?’

  Amadeus then pointed down at the ground, still speaking in an indifferent voice towards the dragons before him.

  “Kneel.”

  “…”

  “…”

  The mother failed to hide her teary expression as she lowered herself to her knees. And u time, the father immediately followed suit.

  “…Are you satisfied now?”

  The father’s furious gre locked with the emperor’s desding gaze. The dragoire body was shaking in anger all over.

  ‘Hmm…surprisingly docile. I wasn’t expeg the male parent to go this far.’

  Then, Amadeus poiowards the shaking male dragon.

  “I would like you to now kill yourself.”

  “What?”

  “I will only repeat myself once. I would like you to now kill yourself. Rest assured, I will not ask the same of your wife.”

  “…You…!”

  “Hesitant, are we? Very well. Xar?”

  “NO!!!”

  Wheher realized what the ander was about to do, she pleadingly reached towards her daughter, shouting at the top of her lungs – but Xar didn’t even so much as flinch at the dragon’s pleas. His hand gripped at the hatg’s remaining wing, twisting it off of her back.

  The hatg in his grip only let out weak whimpers at this point. She was barely holding herself scious.

  Amadeus beamed a bright smile towards the father. The emperor slowly cpped his hands, coating every word with spite and sarcasm.

  “Are you satisfied, dragon? You just robbed your daughter of her ability to fly.”

  “…”

  “ will be her arms.”

  The father’s seething eyes finally lost their light of anger. He gave into the creeping despair, and turned apologetically to his wife.

  “…I’m sorry, Ludin. Take care.”

  After his short-lived apology, the dragon hovered his hand in front of his opened mouth. A sharp metal pilr burst forth from his palm, skewering him through the back of his throat.

  The body then fell forward onto the ground. The dragon had killed himself in mere seds.

  And even then, Amadeus merely watched in amusement, nodding his head at the newfound knowledge.

  “So that’s how a steel dragon circumvents their affinity…I suppose your innards aren’t as tough as your skin. And your bodies don’t morph back after death, do they? Iing.”

  And soon after, the ander noticed the mother dragon l her head even further. She ractically prostrating before the emperor.

  “…Please. Please let her go…”

  “Hmm…”

  The emperor then turo the army behind him. He gestured for them to e forward, pointing at the dragon before them.

  “Kill her.”

  “…But sir, our bdes don’t wainst her. Magics scarce leave a scratch.”

  “It won’t be easy. But it’s a precious opportunity to find any weakhe dragonkin may have.”

  “…”

  “Avoid the insides of her mouth – that we already know. Do everything you otherwise. You have until su.”

  “Y…yes, sir!”

  When the emperor turned back towards the female dragon, he lowered his head once more, this time speaking in an apologetie.

  “This will be the st ordeal. As long as you don’t resist, your daughter will be freed at su.”

  “…”

  “I do hope you mao live.”

  Following suit, the soldiers rushed forth of their emperor, each smashing their ons and firing their spells at the helpless dragon.

  The mother merely remained iaking the attacks without resisting; even when a few mao pierce her skin and break her bones, she could scarce feel any pain in the presence of her overwhelming grief.

  In her hazy, tear-filled eyes, she could see her daughter pleadingly looking back at her.

  “…I’m sorry, Raizel. I’m so sorry…”

  Be strong. Live on.

  Don’t ever be like us.

  “…Don’t let anyone ever tell you what to do.”

  The mother never did make it unto su. She’d hung unto dear life even when she’d bled enough to die at least a dozen times over – but when one of the soldiers drove their spear into her eye, her body finally gave away.

  After the soldiers marched forth with their emperor, Xar remained behind. He quietly set down the g hatg unto her mother’s motionless corpse.

  “Raizel, was it?”

  The hatg didn’t answer back. She held unto her mother’s cold body, whimpering in pain and grief.

  Xar sighed at the sight. He briskly exited the se, following after the rest of the army.

  “…I will remember your name.”

  ? ? ?

  Oury.

  Was it a long time? For some, it was enough to be born, age, and die. For others, it was barely enough to reach adulthood siheir helpless hatg days.

  A dozen trees colpsed around the camp, bsting away the surrounding mist and effectively trapping the two within. And emerging from the broken trees was a giant steel dragon, her eyes flooded with a deathly menace.

  “If you wao live, you should’ve ran away further.”

  Dowh, a shivering half girl was holding a crossbow in hand, aimed at the t dragon’s head. But her entire body was shaking in fear and shock from the dragon’s sudden intrusion.

  And beside her was the bck-feathered figure that Raizel had e to find.

  Xar stared back at the dragon. A brief sigh escaped the figure as he arose to his feet.

  “Stand back, Rien. Do not attack her.”

  “What are you saying?! That’s a dragon! Even you ’t hope to win!”

  “Exactly. her should you.”

  The feathered figure briskly walked past his pany to stand alone before the steel dragon. He raised his gaze upwards, remaining still in pce as he spoke.

  She was nothing like the st time they’d met, but Xar had no trouble reizing who this hornless, wingless grey dragon was.

  “It’s been a while, Raizel.”

  “…You fug scum.”

  In the instahat followed, Raizel reduced herself into her human form, lunging forward to grip at Xar’s throat. She knocked him down onto the ground and held him in pce, usiher hand to grip at his arm.

  “It wouldn’t be fair if I killed you easily, would it? I’ll return the favor to you. Limb by limb.”

  The feathered figure remained motionless on the ground. He her fought baged for his life; only a solemn stare was being offered to the dragon before him.

  Instead, it was the half girl that did the begging in his pce. After abandoning her crossbow, Rien hugged the dragon’s metal arm that held Xar in pce.

  “Wait, please! We’re sorry if we intruded your home! We’ll leave right now, so please! Have mercy!”

  “Mercy?”

  Raizel creaked her head to face the half girl. The overflowing mena her eyes were now seeping into the half’s gaze as well.

  “To a scum like this? What are you, his wife?”

  At first, it was Xar who tried to ahe question.

  “No, she’s just-“

  “Yes!!

  Until his words were abruptly cut off by the half girl shouting her answer.

  The feathered figure stared at her with a bewildered gaze, but she didn’t eveo notice. She only tinued her speech.

  “I’m his wife. He’s important to me. Please have mercy…”

  “That’s not true! We’ve barely met. She’s not reted!”

  “…”

  Raizel stared down at Xar. For the first time, the feathered figure’s emotions were visibly showing.

  It was fear. And it anic.

  Raizel loosened her grip on the feathered figure below her. An evil grin curved her lips.

  “I ged my mind.”

  For a moment, Rien actually believed that Raizel had decided to let them go – until the dragon’s iron grip fixed itself arouhroat instead. The half girl choked on her breath as Raizel rose back to her feet, lifting Rien off the ground to hold her in the air by her neck.

  “There. This is fairer, isn’t it?”

  Xar raised himself off the ground, only to see the one sight he hadn’t hoped to see. Rien was squirming in Raizel’s grip, gasping for breath in the iron grip that held her.

  “…Raizel, she has nothing to do with this.”

  “I don’t care.”

  Following suit, Raizel used her free arm to grab at the half girl’s upper left arm. The evident despair in Xar’s eyes made this all the more pleasurable for the dragon.

  Before the feathered figure could say anything at all, the dragon tightened her grip with a crushing force, tearing off the arm from Rien’s body in one swift motion.

  But even when a sharp shriek of pain filled the surrounding forest, Raizel only smiled down at the groveling bck figure before her. This was so much better than the emotionless eyes she’d seehreatening his life directly.

  “Raizel…she’s i. She has nothing to do with us.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t kill her.”

  Then, Raizel proceeded to tear off the half girl’s remaining arm.

  “But it wouldn’t be fair if I e at that, would it? After all, you did it four whole times to me before killing my parents.”

  “…”

  In the creeping despair, Xar couldn’t even bring himself to formute an answer.

  The dragon was right. Given what he’d doo Raizel, Xar had absolutely nothing to say.

  But once again, it was Rien that turo address the steel dragon. The half girl pressed down her urge to cry, pressed down her urge to scream, and instead mustered the st bit of her strength to speak as politely as possible.

  “…If…you kill me…will you let him live?”

  “…Hah. What??”

  “I’ll…die in his stead…so, please…”

  Raizel’s joyous expression turo a scowl at the half girl’s ued intervention.

  “No. He dies today.”

  Rien bit her lips at the dragon’s adamant answer.

  But still, she hadn’t fully given up.

  “…If…if you let him live, you’ll hurt him more.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “…To him, living will be punishment. He’ll spend the rest of his life agonizing about how I died because of him.”

  “…”

  “Letting him live…will be yreatest revenge, dragon.”

  The half girl meekly turned her head towards the feathered figure staring at her.

  “Isn’t that right?...Xar?”

  “…No. No, that’s not true.”

  Xar turo Raizel in a panicked voice.

  “She’s lying, she has nothing to do with me!”

  “Hmph.”

  An amused snort escaped the metal dragon as she exged gnces between Xar and Rien. The feathered figure’s panic didn’t go unnoticed – as well as the desperation in his lying eyes.

  Raizel once again fixed her gaze on Rien.

  “What do you know? Seems like you’re right.”

  “RAIZEL!”

  Raizel let go of the half girl in her grip, letting her fall bato the ground. The dragon then kicked Rien towards Xar, making the her stumble forth.

  And moments before the feathered figure could catch his stumbling lover, iron cws pierced through the half girl’s abdomen, stopping inches before reag Xar as well.

  Raizel’s menag gre stared from behind the figure she’d just killed.

  “gratutions, scum. You get to live.”

  When the dragon’s hand slid out of Rien’s body, the half girl finally fell forward into Xar’s embrace. He helplessly held his dying lover.

  “Rien…why…”

  “…Ehehe.”

  She was beyond saving. After watg tless deaths otlefield, Xar khis better than anyone else.

  The half girl merely ughed back at the figure holding her. A few words were all she could whisper in her dying breath.

  “…Live…”

  “…Rien.”

  “You’re not…a monster…”

  “…”

  It didn’t take long for the light to fade from the half girl’s eyes. But Xar remained motionless, holding her corpse as if she would wake up again any moment.

  “…Tch.”

  Raizel scowled at the sight, kig her tongue in annoyance.

  She’d been overjoyed when she saw Xar’s eyes filling with despair, but that joy was all but gone now. Something about this oute didn’t sit right with her.

  A, she couldn’t figure out what it was exactly. The steel dragon merely turned away to leave – the se was no longer as eaining as before.

  “Fuck off. Don’t ever e he valley.”

  “…”

  “And if I ever see you again, you better be living a miserable life. Else I’ll ruin it all over for you.”

  ? ? ?

  pared to the tury their initial reunion took, only a handful of years had passed until their sed. Raizel was the st person he’d expected to see when their group had arrived at the forest .

  But for some reason, the steel dragon had refused to aowledge his presence. She’d reized Ilias right away, and she’d even reized Serenis. But she paid no attention to him whatsoever.

  At first, he’d thought that Raizel was failing tnize who he was – but that couldn’t possibly have been the reason. After all, she’d reized him right away during their st reunion. A mere ge of attire couldn’t have been it.

  Thehought that Raizel had fotten who he was – that their st reunion had exhausted the dragon of her spite, and allowed her tet his existence. But that couldn’t possibly have been it either. After all, her ck of horns and wings should’ve served as stant reminders of his existence.

  And when he couldn’t e up with any other hypotheses, he’d elected to front the dragon directly. With Raizel spending plenty of time by herself, it wasn’t difficult to pick a time when he’d find her outside the lodge while everyone else was asleep.

  Karas cautiously approached the steel dragon who was lying ft on the grass by the riverbed. She didn’t seem to be doing anything special – even when she should’ve noticed him approag long ago.

  “…Raizel.”

  “What?”

  “Raizel…surely ynize me.”

  The dragon shifted from her position, looking at her visitor from the ers of her eyes. She then groaned out a tired sigh to stand upright, fag the professor eye to eye.

  “Of course I do, you scum.”

  “…I must admit, I’m not leading a miserable life.”

  “So what? Did you e here to ask your life to be ruined?”

  “Well, I’d…prefer if you didn’t, but…I felt obligated to tell you all the same.”

  “Fine. Here.”

  The dragon indifferently swung her leg forward, pnting her foot into the professor’s stomach. The kick lifted Karas off his feet and flung him towards a nearby tree, making him crash into the bark with a giant thud before flopping down onto the dirt beh.

  “Kh!...Uugh…”

  “There, happy? Need another?”

  “…No, but…is this really enough?”

  “Sure. I quite like it this way, anyways.”

  “…What do you mean?”

  “You being our lord’s pdog. Isn’t that basically what you are now?”

  “I…am her teacher…”

  “Never said you weren’t.”

  “…”

  Raziel let out a tired yawn, almost as if their versatiht now barely mattered to her at all. She then threw her gaze towards the lodge where others were sound asleep.

  “Oh, since you’re here. That half girl, is that who I think it is?”

  Karas’ eyes shook momentarily. His entire body visibly tensed and hurriedly rose to its feet – a sight which Raizel only ughed at.

  “Oh, rex, I won’t hurt her. I’m just curious.”

  “…”

  Karas ched his eyes. There was no point in lying – nor did he have a right to. Not to her.

  “…It is.”

  “Hah! That’s pretty funny.”

  The dragon then casually lied down on her bace more. A gentle breeze brushed past the forest as Raizel stared at the glittering night sky.

  “Well, if you’re done here, get out of my sight.”

  “…R…right.”

  She didn’t bother watg Karas leave. She merely tiaring into the sky, swallowing the disfort welling up within her.

  She couldn’t tell if it was Light’s voice or Rien’s voice that she was hearing eg inside her head. After all, they sounded pretty simir. And looked pretty simir. Identical, even.

  And it didn’t sit too nicely for Raizel, especially after Karas’ verbal firmation.

  “…Tsk.”

  Raizel kicked her tongue. She wao close her eyes and sleep, but she felt that old memories would return to haunt her dreams tonight.

  And in those dreams, someone was always dying. Usually, she’d be the og them die.

  But on rare occasions, she would be the one killing them.

  “…”

  ‘…Wouldn’t hurt to be a little o her.’

  ? ? ?

  In this world, there are no heroes; there are no vilins.

  Every individual possesses their hteousness at heart. And thus, the cycle of hatred tinues.

  Hate breeds hate.

  Vengeance births vengeance.

  Once, we killed the star to break this cycle. The hatred that filled this world were to die with all life that harbored it. Such is how the Twelve came to be.

  But I wonder, in your short life…

  Have you found a different solution?

  Praybird