Chapter 871
Helchin and Fafnir’s Reunion
After satisfying Cardinal Belisarius, Eivass suddenly understood these Cardinals.
—So you all had opinions, but you just kept them to yourselves?
It wasn’t clear if they didn’t want to bring them up, or if they were afraid to.
However, since there were demands, that was a good thing—no matter how difficult the needs were, it was better than not knowing what they were.
Even though Eivass wasn’t in product development in his past life, he knew that constantly changing requirements could lead to people cursing. If a request is constantly changing, the most likely reason is that they don’t know what the request actually is, so they just make a vague suggestion to be changed later. It’s equivalent to asking someone “What do you want to eat?” and them replying “Whatever.”
After all, the dish called “Whatever” is always the hardest to make.
“Oh, right, Cardinal Fafnir.”
Eivass also remembered the pitiable little Rhine—this child had been studying incessantly from the founding of Avalon until today. And it wasn’t rote memorization, but rather being beaten every day.
…It couldn’t be helped. Dragons were a people of adaptation, able to automatically adapt to their surroundings and grow stronger rapidly through life-or-death crises. Now, in peacetime, there were no crises, so Cardinal Fafnir began to create artificial crises to force evolution.
This couldn’t be considered wrong, as the future world was indeed going to change drastically. From this perspective, Cardinal Fafnir could be said to have foresight.
But the problem here was that she wasn’t doing this based on her own judgment.
Instead, it was to carry out Helchin’s “dying wish” to cultivate Rhine into the strongest warrior in the world—yet Helchin himself didn’t even know about this.
He said that at the time simply because he understood Fafnir well enough. He knew Fafnir was a bit of a yandere and a bit crazy.
He knew he likely wouldn’t return alive from his trip, and fearing that Fafnir would commit suicide out of love, he wanted to give her something to do. It was also a reminder that she still had her child.
That was also a beautiful blessing for their child’s future… similar to saying, “I hope our child can become a great scientist in the future” or “It would be great if our child could become a high official later on.”
After Helchin sacrificed himself, Cardinal Fafnir indeed did not commit suicide.
The good news was that at least she didn’t die, she was alive, and she raised her child well; the bad news was that she took the statement literally and was determined to achieve this goal—she was so stubborn that even the Pope couldn’t persuade her.
This matter should be left to Helchin himself.
Coincidentally, after Eivass merged with Alistair, Helchin, whom Alistair had subdued in Avalon, was automatically transferred over.
Seeing Cardinal Fafnir, whose hair covered one eye and exuded a gloomy aura, turn her head, Eivass smiled and said, “I’ve brought you an old friend.”
“…A friend?”
Fafnir let out her deep, hoarse voice.
Her voice was like the hoarse and indifferent first words spoken after staying up all night working without a word, only to open her mouth at dawn. It carried a fatigue as if she had just woken up, even though she hadn’t slept.
In fact, this was true.
It was said that Cardinal Fafnir hadn’t slept in a long time.
After all, as a dragon, dreaming wasn’t the only way for her to replenish her mana. Moreover, she could replenish her mana and heal her wounds through prayer and Fire Worship Magic. As for why she didn’t sleep…
…Perhaps she didn’t want to dream.
For a dragon with a long lifespan, falling in love with someone and then watching them die… every dream in the days that followed would be painful.
After finishing the meeting with the Bishops, Eivass had already removed the Sin Eater Beast transformation. Thus, he had long since recovered his ability to use the powers of the Transcendent Path.
Eivass then directly took out a card and summoned, “Helchin!”
“…What?”
Cardinal Fafnir was startled by the words, and then her eyes suddenly widened: “Helchin…?!”
The next moment, a silver storm surged from behind Eivass.
“—I have been summoned.”
A clear voice rang out.
Within the storm, azure lightning crackled. A semi-transparent figure emerged from it.
At this moment, Helchin was not wearing his helmet, nor had he undergone Twilight Transformation. He was still the pure white, brilliant, sun-like silver-armored hero of the past.
With splendid bright golden short hair and clear turquoise eyes.
As soon as he appeared, after only looking around halfway, his gaze was immediately captivated by Fafnir’s figure.
At that instant, the surroundings fell into silence.
Both Eivass and the other Cardinals watched this scene in silence.
Fafnir, on the other hand, raised a hand to cover her mouth, gazing at Helchin without a word. However, with every blink of her eyes, they were momentarily shrouded in transparent mist.
Helchin’s expression became exceptionally complex.
He scratched his forehead, then shrugged on the spot as if it were itchy, adjusting his armor—even though he was a spirit and couldn’t feel anything.
Seeing his reaction, Fafnir realized something, and tears finally flowed.
She realized—this was the genuine Helchin she knew.
His Majesty the Pope had saved her husband, who had been dead for hundreds of years!
Those who had died and whose bodies remained would have their fourfold domain stripped away; those who had died and whose souls remained would have their sixfold domain stripped away. Helchin’s corpse had been cooked and eaten by giants, so it was only possible for his soul to remain. Such a remnant soul couldn’t even maintain self-awareness, let alone clear emotions.
But looking at Helchin before her, even in his undead state…
He appeared lucid and his spirit was clear. How could he be an ordinary undead?
Even the King of the Wild Hunt wasn’t this lucid!
He was as complete as a spirit of a living person entering a dream!
“Is this also… a miracle?”
Fafnir’s cold and gloomy voice suddenly softened, becoming vague and murmuring.
The feelings between them were not merely those of a couple married for hundreds of years. The time they spent together was many times longer than that of anyone else—even their parents, mentors, and other relatives and friends.
When they were both young and weak, they faced powerful enemies together as close brothers. They were childhood sweethearts, comrades-in-arms, brothers, lovers, partners, teacher and student… and also trusted close friends.
They had gone through many life-and-death crises together. The precious memories they had forged were like pearls, and their friendship was as strong as diamonds.
Back then, if Fafnir hadn’t been pregnant, they likely would have unhesitatingly met death together—Fafnir sometimes wondered if Helchin wouldn’t have died if she had gone with him back then.
Even the Giant King, without using any schemes or tricks, could at best only contend with one Helchin. If Helchin had Fafnir, who could provide high-speed mobility, possessed sufficient combat power, and offered healing and buffs, their combined strength would have exploded to far exceed 3.
Perhaps… that would have been a qualitative leap.
Or perhaps… they would have been killed by the Supreme Heaven themselves.
But no matter what, it would have been better than being alone.
“I’m sorry, Fafnir…”
Helchin’s somewhat ethereal voice rang out.
He, who had been feeling uncomfortable in his spot, saw Fafnir crying and no longer hesitated. He strode forward with three quick steps.
He placed his hand on Fafnir’s back, wanting to grip it but then letting go. Finally, he embraced her.
Fafnir’s body convulsed as if she had been struck by an electric shock, feeling his cold yet solid touch.
For a moment, she dared not embrace Helchin. She feared that Helchin was just an intangible phantom. If she tried to embrace him and her hands passed through the phantom and into empty air… Fafnir couldn’t imagine how she would break down then.
And now, the moment she realized she could actually touch Helchin, Fafnir could no longer contain her surging joy and sorrow.
She reciprocated, hugging the spirit Helchin, burying her head in his embrace. Her sturdy dragon horns struck his chestplate repeatedly like a battering ram, producing crisp and solid metal clangs.
Fafnir cried out her heart, as if she had returned to her maiden days.
Seeing this scene, Eivass finally breathed a sigh of relief.
There was some regret, but ultimately, satisfaction.
—I brought Helchin back for you.
It was thanks to the Lord of Scales and Feathers… and the “warrior’s” inheritance brought back by Eivass, that Helchin transformed from an earth-element undead into a wind-element warrior spirit, regaining his intelligence and consciousness.
Otherwise, if Fafnir had hugged Helchin, who only had simple consciousness and partial memories, and still harbored resentment… Eivass didn’t know if he could have endured such sorrowful cries.
“That’s really good.”
Eivass whispered softly as he watched the scene.
He once again realized what his altered future had brought.
He had changed the future, seen more people smiling, and seen more tragedies disappear before their birth…
—He knew he was walking on the right path.
(End of Chapter)
