Chapter 168: Because of Foolishness

A faint magic circle was drawn around Mazdari’s staff, and Vasen Lak Orazen realized that the magic circle had been inscribed onto the staff.

In a cold tone, Mazdari began to recite words and phrases that Vasen couldn’t understand, and the dead bodies underneath the Dragon’s feet began to change.

The dragon slightly tilted its head at the end of its long neck.

-What is this...?

Mazdari struck his staff on the ground again, and at the next moment, the dead bodies all exploded at once.

Boom!

The flesh, blood, fat, and bones of each body turned into bullets and poured down toward the Dragon.

‘They’re like thorns.’

The bodies froze in their exploded state, resembling blades shooting out from the ground. However, these blades were red, yellow, or white, and much of them were a grayish brown color, which was the color of Rakshasa skin. Vasen could even identify the skin torn off of a Rakshasa’s face.

‘But what about the Dragon?’

Vasen hadn’t seen the Dragon move, so he assumed that the Dragon had been entangled in the blades that formed from the dead bodies. And with the twenty blades rising at the same time and obscuring Vasen’s sight, he couldn’t confirm if he was right at that moment.

‘...What if I look through the other window?’

As Vasen thought that and attempted to run to the opposite window, Mazdari pushed Vasen to the wall with his staff. Vasen was about to ask what Mazdari was doing, but at the window he was about to run to, a bright yellow eye appeared, filling the opening.

-A Wizard?

When the Great Ashurada moved toward the other window, Vasen and Mazdari quickly moved to a spot where the Dragon couldn’t see them.

The Dragon showed no sign of pain. Despite its massive body, it had somehow avoided the magic.

-Poor skills, but…why would a Wizard…act as gods wish?

Vasen understood what Ashurada meant. Wizards were originally those with powers rivaling gods, just like dragons, so it made sense that the dragon would find that hard to comprehend.

-Are you getting played by their tricks?

Vasen and Mazdari exchanged a brief glance. They couldn't just sit still and do nothing. Judging by Ashurada's size, the tower could collapse with just one kick. Vasen wondered if, even with the help of the gods, the expedition team could defeat it.

Mazdari pointed at his chest, and then repeatedly gathered and spread his four fingers and thumb next to his beak. Vasen understood what this meant. It meant he would buy some time.

It seemed that the Dragon wasn't tearing the tower down this second due to its curiosity about Mazdari, so it was a valid strategy. Vasen nodded in response.

‘However…buying time won’t be enough.’

With more time, the expedition team members might ride the Helix Wings and come save them, but with a small force, they could actually be at a disadvantage. Later on, the main forces of the expedition team would climb up the now halted Moving Castle, but there was no guarantee that the Dragon would be patient until then.

‘I should think of a plan for if Mazdari fails to buy time. We can’t leave everything to luck.’

This time, Vasen lightly tapped his chest and pointed up. Mazdari couldn’t exactly understand what Vasen was up to, but he knew Vasen had something in mind.

‘Alright, try whatever you can.’

Mazdari nodded.

Vasen began to crawl beneath the window, going toward the stairs that led up to the tower.

To divert Ashurada’s attention, Mazdari said, “I don’t know what you’re saying, Ashurada.”

Ashurada laughed in a low tone.

-I guess you are a Wizard, seeing that you’re arrogant… What did the gods promise you? Authority? Wealth? Or did they take something precious from you as leverage?

Mazdari replied, “Authority and wealth are things I could obtain on my own, and there is nothing that the gods have taken from me.”

-Then why do you serve the gods?

Mazdari felt the need to make the conversation last longer.

“I’m actually curious about something. Why have you settled for this trivial civilization? I thought that a Dragon would have possessed greater intelligence and knowledge beyond ours. But It seems that you are just satisfied with the Rakshasas serving you.”

Ashurada moved.

Mazdari worried if Vasen had been caught, but that wasn’t the case. Ashurada had simply wanted to look through a different window.

-Because this is how it should be.

That was an unexpected answer.

Mazdari asked with simple curiosity, “How it should be?”

-The law of the jungle. The strong ruling over the weak. This is the principle of nature. Not the trivial and false values that you people created after being deceived by the gods, such as ethics, justice, and laws…but the only pre-existing order that existed before even me and the gods existed. I respect this unchanging beauty.

Then Mazdari refuted, "I see it as nothing more than pitiful and primitive. You may be the master of the Rakshasas, but you're not even handling them properly. You receive living sacrifices and exploit them, but you don’t act as their protector. With your ancient knowledge, you could provide the Rakshasas with a more comfortable and easy life, yet you seem to have nothing but a cruel hobby of inflicting pain on the weak as a strong being. The only order and the unchanging beauty? But isn’t it that you haven’t been able to develop from a primitive lizard?”

Mazdari was concerned that he might have spoken too harshly, but fortunately, Ashurada didn’t get angry.

-No, I am indeed properly protecting not only the Rakshasas, but also many other creatures within my reach.

“By just…leaving them be?”

-Yes.

Ashurada affirmed.

-You mortals…believe that you know something. Especially you Wizards. However, you know nothing.

“But the gods…”

-Yes. Those gods.

Ashurada's pupils dilated. It wasn’t looking for Mazdari, but looking at a far distance.

-Even now, eavesdropping on our conversation from somewhere in the heavens, those gods know nothing either. But they would believe that they do.

***

The players sitting in the conference stayed silent for a moment.

Crampus said, “Is that lizard talking to us right now?”

Sung-Woon replied, “Let’s listen more to what it has to say.”

***

Mazdari asked, “What are you talking about?”

-The gods, and you who follow them, are destined for destruction.

“Destined for destruction?”

Ashurada’s eyes closed for a moment. It was recalling the past.

-Yes. I too once believed in you and your gods. I wasn’t the only one. All the Dragons believed in what could be called civilization.

Ashurada then said in a singsong voice.

-I won’t deny that it was brilliant and beautiful. Can you even imagine it? Spires that soared into the sky, streets that shimmered colorfully even after the sun sets. Rivers that wouldn’t overflow even if it rained heavily, and buildings that wouldn’t collapse after earthquakes. Machines used to cool people down in the heat and heat things in the cold. Mortals could go anywhere despite their limited lifespans and could have anything they wanted.

“But?”

-That was only a part of the curse.

“A curse?”

-Remember this, Wizard. Every curse begins with deception through sweetness.

Ashurada continued to say.

-A simple story. That brilliant civilization heightened everything. Everyone was captivated by its beauty, but the beauty alone wasn't pushed to the extreme. Among things that were, there were weapons. Weapons mortals couldn't bear… Can you even imagine a newborn being able to take hundreds of thousands of lives with just a touch of their finger?

Mazdari was simply puzzled. He couldn't yet picture such events with his Wizard imagination.

Mazdari disagreed, "It doesn't make sense to me. If such a weapon existed, we would eventually destroy it because we don’t need a weapon that kills so many people. Isn’t that all related to the evil god?"

Ashurada replied.

-Civilization is the name of the curse. Just as your mortal lives are predetermined, everything you create is also destined to decay. The weapon I mentioned earlier is just one example.

"An example?"

-Yes. Raising towers, widening rivers, and modern conveniences, these are all values eventually obtained from transforming something else. Believing you can bear change indefinitely…is your foolishness. The existence of the evil god only fanned weaknesses and hastened what was going to happen.

Mazdari thought for a moment.

"So...that’s why?"

-Yes.

Ashurada replied.

-That’s why I decided not to achieve civilization. To prevent your predetermined mortality.

Mazdari knew there was a leap of logic and madness to the Great Ashurada’s story. In Mazdari's opinion, this ancient being seemed to have somewhat lost its mind due to its excessively long life. Nevertheless, there seemed to be a sprinkle of truth.

"...However."

Mazdari thought this Dragon’s words might be true, but at the same time, another thought came to mind. If the Garudas had lost their ability to fly in the skies due to their own foolishness, that could be interpreted and passed down to future generations as a curse, in line with what the Great Ashurada had said.

However, perhaps it was an inherent attribute of his species—no, all mortals—that he mumbled, “Maybe this time it will be different.”

Ashurada said.

-I understand now.

“What?”

-The reason why you follow the will of the gods even though you’re a Wizard.

Ashurada raised its head.

Mazdari sensed its movement and looked out the window.

-It’s because you’re foolish.

Ashurada raised its massive body and lifted its front feet.

At that moment, Mazdari calculated whether he would be able to survive if he jumped off the tower.

Then Vasen shouted from on top of the tower, “Get down, Mazdari!”

Vasen threw his backpack at Ashurada. There was the smell of gunpowder. The bullet shot from Vasen’s matchlock pierced into the backpack full of gunpowder.

After a gunshot was heard, a huge explosion followed.

‘Did it do some damage? Would this give me enough time to escape…?’

Mazdari looked at the Dragon with hope. It looked like the Dragon was holding onto the air with both of its feet. In its feet, Mazdari could see a red light sphere shining brightly. Mazdari realized it was magic.

‘It trapped the explosion with magic!’

-Hmph.

Ashurada clasped its feet together, and as it spread them apart, the explosion vanished into thin air.

-Did you think I wouldn’t be able to smell that scent?

Vasen didn’t panic and immediately reloaded.

‘So it already knew? …That’s a good sign. That means we would be able to hurt it if it didn’t know in advance.’

Ashurada calmly moved as if it had no reason to hurry and raised its foot toward Vasen.

-Didn’t you know?

It wasn’t Ashurada. The voice came from beyond the blades that rose tens of meters high into the air.

Vasen, Mazdari, and even Ashurada looked in the direction the voice came from. The sound of giant footsteps echoed through the top of the Moving Castle.

-That the gods were listening…!

At that moment, the blades that Mazdari had conjured broke, and a pair of giant shiny horns made their appearance.

Ashurada quickly turned around and blocked the horns. The owner of the voice wasn’t even half as big as Ashurada, but it pushed Ashurada with the momentum it had built up while charging toward Ashurada. It had the appearance of a giant beetle.

-I, Hekab, have come to help according to the will of Night Sky!

Hekab used its large horns to hook Ashurada’s waist and flipped it over. Big as a small hill, the Dragon got lifted into the air and slammed onto the ground.