Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 566
Chapter 566
“Phew!”
Zeon let out a sigh.
Even after searching the entire area, he had ultimately failed to find Behemoth.
Tesserina felt no less hollow.
She had even used flight magic to scour the surroundings, yet she had not found even the tip of Behemoth’s tail.
“This is driving me crazy. Where on earth did it hide? It might be better to just go to Neo Seoul and wait.”
“If we search until tomorrow and still don’t find it, we’ll have to.”
Zeon looked around.
As expected, Behemoth was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, something unexpected caught his eye.
A group was moving, kicking up clouds of sand.
“What is that?”
“A caravan?”
It could have been.
Very rarely, one would encounter caravans crossing the desert.
But those within his sight now seemed far removed from a caravan.
There were hundreds wearing loose robes that covered them from head to toe.
They did not have the large wagons that caravans typically dragged along.
Those crossing the desert with only essential luggage loaded onto the backs of double-humped camels could not be a caravan.
‘The atmosphere feels familiar.’
Each person carried a unique aura.
The same applied to each race.
No matter how much one covered their entire body with a loose robe, that aura could not be concealed.
Tesserina asked,
“What, do you know them?”
“They feel familiar… Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The two immediately approached the group crossing the desert.
As the strangers drew near, the group grew wary.
Then the one at the front recognized Zeon.
“Are you Zeon?”
It was a woman’s voice.
But there was confusion mixed within it.
Zeon recognized the owner of the voice at once.
“Lady… Hera.”
“Hu! I did not expect to meet you in the middle of the desert.”
With a sigh, the woman pushed back the hood of her robe.
She was an Elf.
Hera, the leader who guided the Elves of El Harun, had appeared in the middle of the desert.
Complex emotions were plainly revealed on her face as she looked at Zeon.
Though she had joined forces with Liala and fought him, she had been defeated.
Above all, El Harun had committed an unforgivable sin against Zeon.
Though it had not been Hera’s direct order, that did not serve as absolution.
Without beating around the bush, Zeon asked,
“Have you also come out to search for the World Tree?”
“How do you know that?”
“I met Lady Liala.”
“Liala? Did she speak of it?”
“I also met a Giant named Lamor.”
“Mm!”
A low sound escaped Hera.
She knew well how aggressive Lamor was.
He was second only to Krudu, the leader of the Giants, and possessed tremendous belligerence.
Born with immense strength, he regarded comparatively weak humans as less than dirt beneath his claws.
There was no way Lamor would have remained still after meeting Zeon.
They must have clashed.
Yet if Zeon stood here unharmed, there was only one answer.
‘Lamor was defeated.’
Hera’s eyelids trembled.
To her, Zeon was an incomprehensible being.
Power far surpassing human limits, and an outstanding intellect.
She still could not understand how a human could perfectly embody both martial and intellectual prowess.
“L-Lamor. What became of him? Did you kill him?”
“Not yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not yet, but he will die soon.”
Because Zeon’s words sounded like a prophecy, Hera’s expression darkened further.
“I would appreciate it if you did not speak in circles. Why will he die?”
“If we meet again, I will kill him.”
“Why?”
In the end, she could not hold back and raised her voice.
At Hera’s shout, those behind her removed their hoods and drew their weapons.
Seeing them, Tesserina muttered coldly,
“As expected, they are all Elves.”
Elves had a distinct aura.
No matter how deeply they pulled down their hoods or covered their bodies in loose robes, their unique aura and scent could never be hidden.
Originally, Elves carried a faint scent of the forest.
But the Elves here smelled only of dry earth.
Even though they had lived in El Harun, where the World Tree stood—albeit a degraded one.
It was proof of how parched their hearts had become.
Hera was no different.
Not a trace of forest energy could be felt from her face as she glared at Zeon.
“Tch!”
Tesserina clicked her tongue and shook her head at the sight.
Hera asked once more,
“Why do you say you will kill Lamor?”
“Are you pretending not to know? Or do you truly not know?”
“Stop speaking in circles and answer.”
“He tried to lure Behemoth to destroy Neo Seoul.”
“What, Be…hemoth? You mean the Beast of Calamity?”
“Yes. The Giants and the Dwarves led the beast, newly awakened from its slumber, toward Neo Seoul.”
“Madness! They did such a thing? That cannot be.”
Hera denied Zeon’s words.
The other Elves also wore expressions of disbelief.
No matter how strained their relationship with humans, never once had they considered exterminating them.
Neo Seoul, the great city built by humans, was certainly an object of envy.
They had felt fear at the potential of humans who had achieved a civilization more advanced than theirs.
Yet they had never dared to think of killing all the humans within it.
Moreover, Neo Seoul was inhabited not only by humans but also by many other races, including Elves.
If Neo Seoul fell, they too would lose their lives.
It was natural they could not believe Lamor would attempt such a thing.
“Do… do not lie.”
“Lady Liala is a witness.”
“Liala?”
“Yes. She was right beside them when the Giants and the Giant Dwarves were luring Behemoth.”
“That is impos…sible!”
Hera’s voice trembled.
She wanted to deny Zeon’s words to the end, yet in her heart she believed them.
She knew the dispositions of Lamor and Kelota, who led the Giant Dwarves.
They possessed unmatched extremism, and when their eyes turned red, there was no telling what they might do.
Their excessive brutality was the reason Hera herself had kept some distance from them.
“They tried to lure Behemoth to Neo Seoul? No matter what, to go that far…”
“It is true.”
Tesserina, who had been silent until now, intervened. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
“Who are you…”
Hera’s words cut off abruptly.
It was because of the overwhelming presence and pressure emanating from Tesserina.
Tremble!
Hera’s body began to shake.
Her body reacted to Tesserina’s aura before her mind could comprehend it.
Only belatedly did Hera realize the identity of the energy she felt.
There was no way she could fail to recognize it.
The being Elves feared most was a Dragon.
Though the presence was smaller than the Dragons she knew, the aura and sensation were the same.
“C-could it be a Gr-Great Being?”
“I am Tesserina Castelow of the Silver clan.”
“We greet the Great Being.”
At once, one of Hera’s knees bent.
The Elves behind her, who had been radiating killing intent, hurriedly knelt on one knee as well.
No matter how proud the Elves were, they could not stiffen their necks before a Dragon.
Tesserina accepted their courtesy as though it were natural.
In Kurayan, Dragons stood in an absolute superior relationship over Elves and Dwarves.
Naturally, Dragons were the masters, and Elves and Dwarves were the subordinates.
More precisely, it was a structure in which Dragons forcibly exploited them.
For thousands, tens of thousands of years, they had maintained such a relationship, and that hierarchy was engraved deep within their DNA.
Though Tesserina was now a chimera rather than her original body, her presence was identical to that of a true Dragon.
It was natural Hera and the Elves reacted this way.
Originally, Tesserina had intended to conceal her presence to the end out of annoyance.
But to make the Elves believe them, this method was best.
The obedience and trust engraved deep within Elven DNA would never change.
Even if Zeon spoke a hundred words, they would believe a single word from her more.
Long ago, when the other races of El Harun had attacked Dyoden and Zeon at Hyltun’s command, it had been for that very reason.
That was the stature of a Dragon.
The Dragon’s authority naturally reached Hera as well.
“Is… is Zeon’s statement true?”
“His words are true.”
“That cannot…”
“I was there when they lured Behemoth. They clearly intended to use Behemoth to destroy Neo Seoul.”
“Madness!”
Hera nearly cursed, forgetting her counterpart was a Dragon.
“I stake the honor of a Dragon upon it. There is not a single falsehood in my words.”
At Tesserina’s affirmation, Hera’s face turned deathly pale.
If she had staked a Dragon’s honor, then it was unquestionably true.
Dragons never staked their honor upon lies.
Having said all she needed, Tesserina quietly stepped back behind Zeon.
Hera could not speak.
The wrongdoing committed by the Giants and Giant Dwarves—who stood on her side—was too great.
She did not know which other races might have been involved.
‘Near the Giants, the Beastfolk and the Zela are searching for the World Tree. Surely they did not all join in this? They did not. They must not have!’
Her mind tangled, her thoughts spinning.
With effort, Hera grasped her fraying consciousness and regained her composure.
Her gaze turned to Zeon.
“Where is Lady Liala now?”
“She is at the Steel Fortress.”
“The Steel Fortress?”
“A human city. She is staying there.”
“Tell me the location of the Steel Fortress. I swear I will not harm even a single hair of the humans there. If I break this oath, I will not resist even if I am struck by Lady Tesserina’s breath.”
At Hera’s oath, Tesserina let out a faint laugh.
‘I cannot even use breath now…’
Breath was a Dragon’s ultimate technique, usable only in its original body.
It was a power Tesserina in her current state absolutely could not wield, but there was no need to inform Hera of that fact.
“The Steel Fortress is…”
Zeon readily told Hera and the Elves its location.
Until now it had been kept secret, but the Steel Fortress was destined to be revealed someday.
“Phew! Understood. I will confirm the rest by meeting Lady Liala in person.”
“In person?”
“I will leave open every possibility.”
“Every possibility…”
“On behalf of El Harun, I apologize to humanity. This manner of handling matters was never what we desired.”
Hera bowed her head to Zeon in apology.
The leader of the proud Elves bowed to the very human she had once looked down upon.
Even seeing this, the Elves said nothing.
They too felt ashamed enough to wish for a hole to crawl into.
What Lamor and the others had done was an act that had dragged the honor of the proud Elves into the dirt.
That was why, though hundreds stood gathered, not one voiced objection.
A heavy silence weighed upon the Elves’ shoulders.
