A Dimensional Journey Begins with the Dragon Clan

In the cold darkness of the insect warehouse, Sakura stared at the body of the man who fell in front of her. The man was mumbling to himself until the end, and there was a satisfied smile on his face when he died.

It was inexplicable. Why did this man come back here? Why did he still live when he was in such a miserable state?

Although Sakura couldn't figure it out, she knew exactly why he was in pain and why he died.

——You can’t disobey grandpa.

Everyone in the Matou family knew this, but why was this person the only one who was unwilling to obey it? He was an adult, but he was hopelessly stupid.

Why, why would this person choose such a meaningless death.

After thinking for a moment——Ah, that's how it is. Sakura suddenly realized.

This must be the lesson for tonight.

What will happen to someone who goes against Grandpa's wishes? In order for Sakura to see an example with her own eyes, this person will die here.

Yes, I understand, Grandpa.

The girl nodded obediently, staring motionlessly at the corpse that was getting smaller and smaller as it was surrounded by insects, and imprinted this scene deeply in her mind.

  ···········

——When I came to my senses, I found that everything in front of me was charred black.

A big fire started.

The familiar town was reduced to ruins and looked like a battlefield in a movie.

At dawn, the fire gradually died down.

The originally crazy flames gradually became smaller, and the buildings basically collapsed.

...It is incredible that I could remain unscathed in the midst of this.

I was the only survivor in the vicinity.

Is it because I am too lucky, or is it because my house is built in a perfect location?

Although I don’t understand why, I am sure that I am the only one who survived.

Now that I have survived, I must continue to live, I thought.

It's too dangerous to stay here any longer, so let's go.

In fact, I am not unwilling to turn into a pile of charcoal like those people on the ground.

…But I don’t think deep down I wanted to be burned to death like that.

The desire to survive is even stronger.

But even so, I still have no hope.

It was incredible that I was still alive, and I didn't think I could be saved.

There is no possibility of salvation.

No matter what you do, you can't escape from this red world.

Based on a child's understanding, this place is absolute hell.

So I fell down.

I don’t know if it’s because of a lack of oxygen or because the organs that take in oxygen are no longer functioning.

Anyway I fell down, staring at the sky which was beginning to darken.

There were charred bodies everywhere, curled up in a ball after being burned.

The sky was covered with dark clouds and I knew it was going to rain soon.

...That's good, the fire will be put out when it rains.

I took one last deep breath and looked at the dark clouds.

I can't breathe, it's so uncomfortable.

I speak these words honestly on behalf of those who can no longer say them.

Living is painful and tormenting, so it would be better to just die.

In a daze, I reached out my hand meaninglessly.

It's not that I want to ask for help.

I just think the sky is so high.

This was the only thought that came to my mind at last.

As consciousness was about to fade, his raised arm fell to the ground with a thud.

……No.

It should have fallen to the ground.

But a big hand held it.

…I still remember his face.

The man with tears in his eyes, happy from the bottom of his heart because he found a survivor.

—He looked so cheerful.

It seemed as if it was not me who was saved, but himself.

then.

What touched me, even though I almost lost my life, was that the man seemed to be grateful for something and said "thank you" to me.

He said, it’s great to find you.

He said, "I'm very happy even if I can only save one person." Then, he smiled happily as if he was thanking someone.

All TV channels were reporting on the news of the massive fire in Fuyuki Shinto last night.

Today, the MacKenzie family's breakfast table was also shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

The table looked a little empty without one person. The male guest who had been staying at home for the past few days returned home yesterday for urgent matters. He asked Weber to thank them for their care during these days and apologized for not being able to say goodbye to them in such a hurry.

"Alex should have returned to England safely..."

Madam Martha murmured with a worried look on her face, and Webber nodded as if to comfort her.

"He called me from the airport early this morning. Really, he didn't even consider the time difference."

Weber lied without batting an eyelid, but in fact, even he was shocked by his own shamelessness.

"Did he call? I didn't notice it at all. Haha, but that's more like him."

With a gentle smile and a nod, the lady turned her gaze back to the TV screen, and her expression darkened again.

"…It's a bit regrettable, but there has been a lot of commotion recently. But maybe this is not entirely a bad thing, at least those insincere tourists may change their ways." "…"

Looking at the miserable, burnt-out wilderness on the TV screen, Weber couldn't help but feel ashamed.

The fire that occurred near the Fuyuki Municipal Hall was undoubtedly caused by the Victory Cup War. Although it is still unclear who among the three groups of Masters and Servants left behind caused this tragedy, if he and Rider had stayed at the scene, it might have been possible to prevent the incident. So he could hardly suppress his regret.

But there will never be a tragedy like this again. Although it ended in the worst possible way, from now on, strange events that threaten Fuyuki will never happen again. The Fourth Victory Cup War, which sacrificed countless innocent people, ended completely last night.

Recalling the tragic situation at that time, he even felt that it was a miracle that he was still alive.

"Um, Grandpa, Grandma, I have something I want to discuss with you, okay?"

Hearing Waver's voice, which was slightly different from usual, the old couple put down the coffee they were drinking.

"what happened?"

"Well, actually... I want to take a break from school for a while. This is a decision I made after discussing it with my father in Toronto. I would rather do something else than schoolwork."

"oh oh."

"Ouch."

The old couple couldn't help but widen their eyes when they suddenly heard their grandson's unexpected remarks.

"But why so suddenly... Could it be that you hate going to school?"

"No. It's just... I haven't had any interest in anything other than studying, so I feel a little regretful. So... well, I want to travel. I want to see the outside world. This way I can learn more about various things before deciding on my own life."

"Really? Really."

The lady seemed very happy as she clasped her hands together and smiled slightly.

"Did you hear that, Gulan? Weber actually said something similar to Alex."

After hearing such an evaluation, Waver smiled bitterly with a hint of happiness and a little loneliness.

"Anyway, we have to make various preparations first. It is essential to do our homework in advance. How about starting a part-time job first? ...But here's a problem. If you don't speak Japanese in Fuyuki, you can't work, right?"

Hmm... Gulan also crossed his arms and looked thoughtful.

"There are quite a few non-Japanese residents in this town. If I ask my colleagues, I might be able to find a solution for you."

"So Webber - are you going to stay in Japan for a while?"

Looking at Masa's happy face, Waver nodded.

"Well, if it's okay...but won't it cause trouble for you?"

"Of course not."

Mrs. Masa, who was almost jumping for joy, couldn't help but clap her hands. Gulan, who was sitting next to his wife, looked at Waver with a serious face and expected eyes, and the boy also straightened his back slightly and looked back at him seriously.

Waver returned to his room alone and re-examined his room bathed in the morning sun.

Eleven days - in such a short time, this room has already been stained with the color of someone who once lived here.

Magazines that had been read, pancake bags that had been thrown away after eating, and an empty whiskey bottle that had rolled in the corner.

These were all traces left by another person who had eaten, drank, and rested in this room. This was a color that did not belong to Weber.

A ghost? Or a familiar? Thinking about these absurd things, Waver fell into a trance. This was no joke. If it was just a soul, how could it leave such a vivid "color"?

But, this room will never be stained with this "color" again.

From now on, only Weber will live here, and it will only be stained with Weber's personality. The previous colors will be gradually erased. This is inevitable.

Although I feel pity and loneliness, one thing I cannot refute is that the color I want to reapply must be very bright. Only in this way can I cover up the color of the person who is stronger than anyone else.

Weber sat down on the bed and took out the hardcover copy of "Iliad" from his backpack.

It has only been eleven days, but the pages have turned black from reading over and over again. Looking at this book that I still find difficult to understand no matter how many times I read it, the face of the man who always smiles appears before my eyes again. The man who inspired himself with the adventures of the hero Achilles, challenged himself with them, and finally made his life a legend.

And such a man once was by his side, and had lived and fought with him.

The dreamlike scenes he had described to himself were almost like lies. However, in the end, he was still attracted by his happiness.

I couldn't deny my envy of him and even thought about going with him.

But in the end, he kept Waver. He made such a decision the moment he invited Waver to become his vassal and heard Waver's answer. At that time, was it because of Waver's wrong answer that the man made the wrong decision?

"What nonsense are you talking about, my lord? Aren't we friends? If you want to go to the battle, I can accompany you."

If Waver could have said these words in the wind as an equal at that time—

The man would surely smile knowingly, and perhaps he would let Waver ride on his warhorse in the end.

"…But the point is, I didn't express my unwillingness in the end."

Waver couldn't help but sigh. In the end, he was still far from being able to compete with that man. In the end, his weakness was exposed. He regretted and felt sorry. Perhaps he just had too much self-esteem.

But he was not really anxious. After all, Weber was not as old as the man was when he started traveling. And the traces of his amazing and exciting adventures still remained in every corner of the world. Weber was going to look for them. Maybe one day, he could find his footprints somewhere on the other side of the distant sea.

——Suddenly, Weber's eyes stopped on the paper bag next to the TV.

Actually, this was something that the guy bought with great joy, but he left without even opening it.

Weber opened the package and took out the game console and cartridges. He also bought a controller. Suddenly, he felt his eyes getting hot, but he suppressed it.

"…I won't play such boring things."

But he had just made up his mind to try something new, and since he happened to have something like this in his hands, he might as well give it a try even if it was boring.

But is this kind of thing really fun?

Weber frowned as he looked at the package and began to connect the game console to the TV according to the instructions.

half year later

"——I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand up on the earth."

The funeral procession marched forward lonely in the cold and snowy world.

The funeral was presided over by a young girl.

There was no sadness or anxiety on her face, she just followed the funeral procedures woodenly. This expression made people who came to pay their respects feel that she was strong, but no one had any sympathy for her.

This was originally a family funeral. To the elders, a child who had grown up under a strict education should be able to endure anything. The mourners present all had the same idea.

"And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me...Amen."

Afterwards, the coffin was buried in the ground, and after saying their prayers, the mourners left one by one. In the rain, the silence returned, leaving only the young girl who presided over the funeral and the priest who performed the ceremony.

"You've worked hard. Your debut as the new generation of clan leader was outstanding. I'm sure your father would be proud too."

In response to the other party's compliments, Rin just nodded in silence. On her left wrist, a magic seal passed down by the Tosaka family has been engraved. Her body has not yet gotten used to this recently implanted seal, and the pain is still continuing. But the girl's face did not show a trace of pain, and she persisted until the last moment of the ceremony. This willpower is indeed very inconsistent with her age. (End of this chapter)