Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 465: Chapter 465 - Tamers War - The Cost of Victory

”I need to appear whole so they don’t come... Lets hope they don’t feel like testing their luck until I really recover... It seems I wasn’t the only one trying to get stronger.”

Arturo immediately understood the implications and decided to take him to the castle where Victor was being attended by the best available healers.

”I don’t need healing,” Dragarion protested while they flew. ”I’m not sick or injured, just fatigue from the ’long journey’. Nothing that some rest, drink, and good food can’t fix.”

The protest was casual but telling, someone accustomed to solving problems through overwhelming force now reduced to hoping rest and nutrition would be sufficient to face the challenges ahead.

But when they arrived in a few minutes and were ready to enter, Victor waited at the castle’s main entrance, clearly having sensed the moment of their arrival in the mana they emanated.

There the eldest son did reproach him for everything Arturo had decided to keep to himself.

Victor was more extroverted by nature, and besides, his ego was quite wounded by things that had happened to him during battle. Having been defeated so soundly by Venmont had been humiliating for someone accustomed to dominating the skies.

”What you don’t understand with that hard head, damn old fool,” Victor continued without holding back anything, ”is that your absence almost cost us the entire kingdom. Why the hell didn’t you return when I asked you directly a year ago? You’ve been playing explorer for years while we...”

Dragarion laughed, interrupting the diatribe with genuine amusement.

”You’re right,” he admitted without defensiveness. ”My departure took much longer than expected because those dragons are incredibly stubborn. I thought it would be a matter of months, not years.”

The casual admission was both refreshing and infuriating... acknowledgment of fault delivered with the same energy most people used to discuss what to eat rather than matters of life and death.

He addressed Victor with an expression that became more serious.

”But we have no choice. If I don’t get all the rings, it won’t be possible to destroy whatever the crystal wants behind those gates, or the crystal itself... Its density is above Diamond. Without the 10 in synergy I don’t think we can stop it... Before leaving I couldn’t even scratch it.”

His sons exchanged glances, not completely understanding what he had just said.

Dragarion noticed their confusion but didn’t seem inclined to elaborate at that moment. Instead, he headed toward the castle’s interior with that characteristic casualness he used to avoid overly serious conversations.

”I’m going to look for some medicines the old woman kept in our vaults,” he announced over his shoulder. ”Those that make you stay standing longer than you should.”

Victor and Arturo followed him, both processing that their father apparently had plans requiring being awake and functional far beyond what his current state allowed.

”Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

But his words didn’t reassure either of his sons, who realized the war that had just ended might have been only the first act of something much larger.

The victory they had celebrated moments before suddenly felt much more fragile than it had seemed.

♢♢♢♢

Ren arrived with others at the castle shortly after the King and his two sons entered through the main gates.

His third son, now missing an arm, had just arrived as well. Julius had carried most of the wounded on his Earth Wolverine’s back, but especially Zhao, whose condition had deteriorated slightly more during the journey.

Ren carried Larissa in his arms, still unconscious from extreme magical exhaustion. Sirius carefully transported Selphira, while Luna and Liora simply ensured everyone stayed well during the journey.

The arrival of the third prince and princess completed the main queen’s family at the castle, a reunion that should have been celebratory but was overshadowed by wounds and general exhaustion.

Ren couldn’t stop thinking about what he had witnessed during battle.

He had seen Ravenspire eliminate the golden spores energy with his shadow wings, transforming purification into corruption. A significant part of Kharzan’s army had been controlled and infected by that abyssal energy.

The King’s arrival and blow to the crow’s face had immediately canceled the masses’ mental control, but hadn’t fixed the fundamental problem of corruption now infecting thousands of soldiers.

The army Julius had formed was still stationed in defensive positions, while Kharzan’s army gradually dispersed. The section that had seen Ren closer and been purified before Ravenspire’s arrival hadn’t been affected by the crow... many of them had changed their mentality and returned peacefully to their homes.

But many other soldiers, about 8,000 total, were still confused about what to do and fearful to move on both sides of the ice wall Selphira had created. They also feared retaliation from the section of soldiers Julius had left in charge of keeping them watched and not allowing their advance toward the castle.

That surveillance force now had slightly superior numbers, reaching almost 10,000 effectives, and was managed by abyssal wall veterans who not only knew how to handle corrupt beasts.

Ren thought intensely about how purification of so many people at once might be possible.

He couldn’t simply launch light rays at everyone. His absorption network had worked well on the battlefield full of spores, but 8,000 corrupted people would require something much more controlled than an extensive and painful new infection.

Luna realized he was worried about something beyond normal battle fatigue and thought about approaching to say something, but Julius spoke first and made her retreat with embarrassment... though the topic had nothing to do with her.

”Invite them in,” he told guards at the entrance. ”Put the wounded in the best prepared rooms, and give them something to recover and rest too.”

Julius made a signal, and several maids immediately approached Ren.

”May we take the princess?” one of them asked politely, extending arms toward Larissa.

Ren knew she only needed rest. Despite having forced her magical connections beyond her limits, Ren had already made a small adjustment to her energy flow while carrying her during the short journey. Her mana channels were gradually stabilizing thanks to that.

”It’s fine,” Ren nodded, carefully transferring Larissa to the maid’s arms. ”She just needs sleep.”

Julius sent Sirius with Selphira to rest rooms as well.

’They also just need rest,’ Ren thought, observing how they took away the ancient warrior. ’Especially Selphira. She should be waking up after recovering from the fusion, just like what happened with Lin.’

Lin should be waking very soon at Liora and Selphira’s home where her parents and neighbors would still be worried.

But when Julius began heading toward where they had put Zhao, Ren worried again about the present.

”What are you going to do with the professor?” he asked.

”Take him to doctors for medicine against mana excess,” Julius responded, as if it were the most obvious solution.

”That will kill him!” Ren scolded harshly, surprising Julius with his reaction’s intensity.

The outburst was sharp and alarming, not just disagreement, but genuine terror at watching someone prescribe poison as medicine.

Julius immediately worried seeing Ren’s expression.

”Why? What’s wrong with standard medicine?” he asked while holding his stump.

”Zhao doesn’t just have normal mana excess,” Ren explained quickly. ”He also has poisoning from excess anti-mana medicine. His body is already too saturated with those substances. Giving him more would be like poisoning someone already dying from poison.”

Julius processed the information and immediately decided to change plans.

”Then I’ll take him to the experts first,” he declared, gesturing for Ren to follow him. ”You come with me. You clearly seem to understand his condition.”

Luna and Liora, moved by natural curiosity and concern for the professor who had taught and protected them, decided to follow them too.

”How did you know that about Zhao?” Liora asked while they walked through castle corridors.

”You can see it in his symptoms,” he responded. ”The way his mana lines are damaged, his skin color, his flow pattern. Everything indicates toxic saturation and prolonged exposure to high mana levels.”

”And do you know how to cure him?” Luna asked hopefully.

”Maybe,” Ren responded, internally already consulting with ”Mooshito” about real possibilities of purifying so much accumulated damage.