Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1450 Did they finally do it?

Two duels, one three thousand years ago and the other three thousand years later, came to a simultaneous end. In his final moments, would Nidhogg, yearning for love, recall the less-than-pleasant years he spent on Mount Platinum, or regret his misguided pursuit of power, which led to numerous sacrifices and cost him the chance to face his destined rival? Or perhaps none of this mattered to him, his final sigh merely a lament for an inexplicable fate and unfulfilled ideals. After all, he was, in essence, a proud and solitary dragon, harboring a cruel and lonely soul within his body. Beneath his noble blood lay madness, and within his distant ideals brewed despair. In this world, he was unique—a ferocious beast who both scorned and pursued love.

For a long time afterward, no one ever saw such a contradictory life again.

Ling watched the duel begin and end; its beginning was astonishing, yet its end felt somewhat predictable. When the dust settled, pale flames washed away the dragon's remains, burning away all ideals, ambitions, conspiracies, madness, cruelty, and sorrow, scattering them like rain or snow. Only Nibelungen, having shed its aged shell in the flames, healed its old wounds, and regained its imposing and ferocious form, like a silent, black fortress.

When the young man discovered that the dragon's remains had been burned to ashes, and that Nibelungen still floated silently in the sky, he realized something. He turned and returned to the central control room, where he saw Ovira, who should have been asleep, standing in the center, holding the key to the ark. The crystal at the top of her staff emitted a somber light, faintly echoing the pulse and breath of the colossal beast beneath her feet. Beside her, the little bat Leticia and the werewolf girl Selena stared blankly at the scene, unable to react for a moment.

Linge's steps gradually came to a stop.

For a fleeting moment, he felt that everything he saw was an illusion. The girl was clearly standing there, yet she seemed to exist outside the world, a memory that had never existed in his life. He suddenly felt an urge to hold her tightly in his arms, to whisper a plea for her not to leave him, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. The reason this impulse fizzled out was not only because half of his emotions had already been taken away by another girl, but also because he suddenly remembered that every time he had begged someone to stay, he had never succeeded.

Ovira turned around and looked at the young man. At that moment, her aura of detachment from the world dissipated, and she returned to the story. After a slight pause, she gave him a faint smile: "Linger."

“You’re finally awake, Ovira.” The young man calmed down, exhaled silently, and quelled his agitated emotions. “Looks like it worked.”

“Yes.” Princess Beman nodded gently, a look of reminiscence appearing in her eyes: “I saw my teacher in the illusion, and also Nidhogg’s past. It was such a long story.”

She didn't say what she encountered in the illusion, nor did she intend to tell others Nidhogg's story. It was just an insignificant ripple in the long river of time. It was about how the most powerful yet loneliest beast in the world was washed away by the torrent called "love," and how he chose to die by the hero's sword in the end rather than dragging his broken body back to White Gold Mountain. Perhaps it wasn't out of pride or arrogance, or not wanting his old nemesis to see him in such a wretched state, but rather based on a deeper and more complex emotion?
Poor dragon, until the very end, he still feared the power of love, feared the love he felt under the hero's sword, the camaraderie of being trusted by his companions and the great love for all living beings. He knew that it was something he could have had, but was forced to give it up because he lacked the ability to love, so he feared it more than he longed for it. Poor dragon, even now he waits in the snow on the mountaintop for his old friend to return, waiting for him to fulfill the most important promise of his life. From childhood to adulthood to old age, he has never lacked companions, yet he is far more lonely than his nemesis. From the beginning, he was destined not to have that thing, so he longed for it more than he feared it.

History has never recorded such stories, so everything will perish with the shattering of the illusion.

"So, you've already obtained Nibelungen's access?" Ringer asked again.

Ovira nodded again: "I suppose so. The power of the Nibelungen... that is, the Holy Grail, although diminished by the passage of time, is still a powerful relic. However, its power depends on the user's desire. The stronger the desire, the more it can distort illusion and turn it into reality, just like..."

“It’s like the power of faith.” Princess Beman hesitated for a moment, but Linger gave her the answer.

Ovira was surprised by his bluntness. In fact, she had been reluctant to speak out precisely because she was concerned about Ling's feelings. After all, in the Battle of Grayhill, the young man had used his faith to help Saint Charlotte restore her to her complete royal form, which led to the final outcome. For him, that must not be a pleasant memory, right? Or had he already let go of it?
Ovira cautiously observed the young man's expression, but could glean nothing from it. It was as if he were a mirror, reflecting only her own image. There was no way anyone could see through Ling's feelings if he didn't want them to, not even Ovira, the Queen of the Mystic Kingdom.

Just as her teacher said, she thought she knew everything, but there were still many things in the world that she didn't understand, such as love and Lin Ge.

She smiled and said, "Pretty much, so it might not be suitable for you, Linger."

Because young people don't have strong desires, or even strong emotions, for him, the tear shed at the departure of a loved one is perhaps the most intense expression of emotion in his life. He is only suited to be a believer to trust others, but he will never know how to trust himself. It is for this reason that Saint Charlotte chose to become a god herself, rather than Linger.

At this point, Ovira could finally understand that choice.

The more you understand love, the more you understand him.

The young man remained silent, seemingly acquiescing to Ovira's statement.

“I have a feeling,” Selena muttered to herself, “that there’s something strange about the atmosphere between those two.”

"Keep it to yourself." Leticia gave her a warning look. "Don't tell anyone."

Selena understood immediately, and made a zipping motion to her mouth, indicating that she would definitely keep quiet and not disturb them.

I have a feeling that this guy has subtly misunderstood something, but I'm too lazy to explain. After all, how could someone who isn't from Cloud Whale Sky Island possibly understand the strange and complicated relationship between Ling and the young girl Wang Quan?
"Cough cough!"

A deliberately coughed sound interrupted the atmosphere in the control room. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw the Countess standing in the doorway, one hand on the door frame and the other covering her wounded abdomen. Her face held an indescribable expression. "I say... you haven't forgotten about me, have you?" Navel thought about how she had been fighting Nidhogg outside (or rather, being unilaterally suppressed), while everyone else was enjoying the fruits of their labor in Nibelungen, without even offering her, the greatest contributor, a few words of comfort. Even though she was indifferent to fame and fortune, she couldn't help but feel a little unbalanced. She scanned everyone present with a suspicious gaze, while those she was looking at subconsciously lowered their heads, avoiding the Countess's gaze, whether out of guilt or for some other reason, it was unclear.

Only Leticia showed no embarrassment. She ran to the Countess's side in a few steps and asked with concern, "Grandma, you're back. Are you alright?"

Do I look like I'm not injured?

The countess's lips twitched, but since she was her beloved granddaughter and the first one to rush up to care about her, she didn't take her little scheme to heart and pretended to be calm, saying, "It's alright, it's just that her magic power was too depleted and her injuries are a bit serious. She may have to stay in bed for three months."

Is this considered good? Everyone was speechless, and Selena was especially startled, stammering, "Is Nidhogg really that strong?"

You might not believe it, but the werewolf girl was indeed the one among them who most blindly believed in Countess Neville's strength, even more so than the little bat Leticia. This was likely because, in her mind, demigods were already the strongest beings standing at the pinnacle, truly transcendent, able to look down upon mortals as if they were another weak species. It was precisely because the Empire had so many demigods and even true gods in its ranks that it had been able to maintain its position as the strongest nation in the Eastern Continent, remaining unshaken despite years of internal and external troubles. And within the Holy War Army, only Cheryl, wielding the fairy sword Hydras, could unleash demigod-level power within the boundaries of the Feather Mine.

“Nidhogg was certainly strong, even beyond what was expected. If I hadn’t gone all out, I wouldn’t have just been injured; I might have died.” Navra’s tone became more serious and puzzled as she mentioned the now-vanished evil dragon. “But what I find strange is that he could have been even stronger. He had countless opportunities to kill me during the battle, yet he always gave me the initiative. It felt like… he wasn’t fighting for victory. It’s really strange.”

If it weren't for winning or losing, why would he be so obsessed with fighting even after becoming a ghost? The Countess couldn't understand it.

“That’s because,” Ovira explained softly, “in Nidhogg’s eyes, this is not just a battle, but a sacred duel. Since it’s a duel, one must defeat the strongest opponent in the most honorable way to prove oneself, right?”

"So, he's a wicked dragon with a chivalrous spirit after all?" Navril teased. "It seems Hino is a better match for him than I am."

No, it's not suitable.

Ovira thought silently, because Hino wouldn't lose, and if she won, Nidhogg's resentment would only grow heavier, a soul forever trapped in the memories of the past, unable to let go. From this perspective, the Countess was indeed the most suitable opponent, because she was strong enough to make Nidhogg mistakenly believe he was reliving a past duel, but not strong enough to replicate history and win the duel.

Of course, she didn't say that aloud, but simply said, "Because this duel is special for Nidhogg, isn't it?"

To be precise, it was the "opponent" represented by the Countess who was special in Nidhogg's eyes; all ten thousand victories in this world could not compare to a single duel with him.

“Perhaps.” Neville knew that Ovira had seen Nidhogg’s past in the illusion and was fully aware of the inside story of this duel, but since Princess Beman had not explained in detail, she would not ask further. She casually remarked, “If all the dragons were as persistent and powerful as Nidhogg, how could the dragon race still be hiding in the Platinum Mountain, isolated from the world?”

Fortunately, only Nidhogg was special; otherwise, the entire continent of East Emperor Vant would have been shrouded in the shadow of dragon wings, just like the dark dragon tide that was stirred up by the dragon race tens of thousands of years ago.

"In short, I won't be able to fight until my injuries heal, including in the wars between the Holy War Army and the Imperial Army, as well as the Axis powers." Neville's gaze fell on the Ark Key in Ovira's hand. "However, with the Nibelungen, I suppose you won't need my power anymore?"

“That’s right!” Serena suddenly remembered the important matter and quickly turned her head, staring intently at Princess Beman: “Miss Ovira, now that we have gained control of Nibelungen, can we return to the Fesser Mine now?”

“Hmm.” Ovira nodded gently, then comforted Serena, “Don’t worry, there’s still time.”

The werewolf girl didn't know why her tone was so confident. It was more of a statement of facts than a comfort, but in any case, it did make her feel a little at ease, and her originally anxious mood gradually calmed down.

I wonder what changes have occurred in the situation since I left the Feather Mine. It must be very difficult, after all, facing attacks from two directions simultaneously, from the Imperial Army and the Axis powers, is a severe test for the still-developing Holy War Army.

However, it doesn't matter. With the Nibelungen here, the next battle will surely turn around!
Even the slightest, smallest change can be the key to turning the tide, as long as you believe in it!

The werewolf girl was so convinced of this because she was always so optimistic, as if any difficulty in life could be solved with a little effort. But this is not the case for some people, especially since the more they know, the harder it is to maintain their faith.

Princess Beman gazed at the dawn outside the porthole, her eyes deep and profound.

Give me some cats