Chapter 953: Pride of a Princess, Another Path?
"The Cursed Grounds—one of the great mysteries of the Malentansium kingdom," Ranazera commented with furrowed brows as she took a step forward and stood next to Izroth.
She then continued, "While its exact origin is unknown, it is believed to have been caused by the decaying body of an evil true dragon thought to be located at its center. But, even after centuries of attempts by countless individuals, no one has been able to successfully reach the middle of the Cursed Grounds and return to speak of it."
'An evil true dragon?'
So far, all the books Izroth read in RML depicted the true dragons as a powerful race of beings that were infinitely close to an infallible existence. While true dragons could not be considered necessarily good by nature, neither were they evil. In fact, they were perhaps one of the most neutral races in RML, or at the very least, the Mortal Realm.
Add that to their natural monstrous talent and prideful mindset; it was difficult to believe that one of the true dragons would turn evil. This was even more so, considering the Dragon King and the Dragon King's Palace would not allow such a true dragon to tarnish their venerated status.
Though Izroth knew that there were clear exceptions to the rules.
One such example was Kayn, the third young master of the Dragon Clan.
His personality was rather outgoing for a true dragon. And, despite his overwhelming talent that was enough to make most others feel inferior in comparison, he exuded absolute confidence in his own abilities rather than sheer arrogance.
That was not to say that the young dragon prince lacked any arrogance. After all, it was natural for the strong to have some arrogance. However, Kayn displayed it in a rather tasteful manner and did not simply throw his weight around without purpose.
'An evil true dragon... There's a good chance that it could just be an amusing tale made up to discourage others from being too reckless. But, nonetheless, it's a bit interesting. Perhaps one day, I will have the chance to seek the answer myself. Unfortunately, that day is not today.'
"It seems you were telling the truth, after all. Just as you've said, without making a brief detour through the Endless Mountain Range, it is impossible to journey into Malentansium territory. That is unless we decide to go back through the Gates of Aegis and proceed another way." Izroth stated as he finished examining the miasma.
After departing from the Gates of Aegis, Izroth and Ranazera made their way toward the foot of the Endless Mountain Range.
They were still nearly half an hour from the foot of the mountains; however, Izroth was close enough to clearly see that the miasma did indeed stretch to the base of the Endless Mountain Range.
As for flying over it—Izroth had already considered that option. But he quickly found out that it was not feasible.
The miasma released a strong fume that drifted into the air. And, even though Izroth could get high enough with his Sky Steps to avoid it, the distance to the other side was too far for him to make it in one go.
'Even for me, with my current physical body, it is impossible to guarantee that I won't succumb to the effects of the Cursed Grounds, let alone someone like her.'
Izroth glanced over at Ranazera, who had a troubled expression on her face.
It was not hard to tell what she was thinking. Right now, she was completely powerless and could only leave her fate in the hands of a stranger from an enemy kingdom.
Whether he decided to go through the Endless Mountain Range or try their luck in crossing through the Cursed Grounds on foot, Ranazera knew that she had no choice in the matter. She could only hope that her captor was not so foolish as to lead them to their deaths.
"It appears our options are rather limited, princess," Izroth said with a carefree expression.
Ranazera released a helpless sigh as she shook her head and replied, "I am not oblivious to my present circumstances; however..."
Suddenly, without warning, Ranazera threw her body forward toward the miasma of the Cursed Grounds!
Woosh!
Just as the sixth princess was about to fall forward into the miasma, a flashing silhouette sped out and grabbed ahold of her shoulder. Then, in one swift motion, Ranazera momentarily lost control of her own body movements as she grew further and further away from the miasma.
The sixth princess stumbled backward several meters before ultimately falling onto the ground with a fierce look in her eyes.
"For someone who said they highly value their life and is unwilling to gamble it away, you certainly seem to have a death wish. What happened to fully cooperating on the promise of your life? Can it be that your life is worth so little in your eyes? Or does the promise of a Tempest princess only amount to this much?" Izroth stated as his gaze landed on the sixth princess.
Just now, Izroth managed to react in time to stop Ranazera from falling into the Cursed Grounds.
Even though a brief exposure would not likely be lethal, it would still cause a great deal of harm, given Ranazera's currently powerless state.
Without a doubt, it would greatly slow the pace of their journey. Not to mention, in order to avoid any long-term effects, Izroth would have no choice but to find someone who could handle curses as fast as possible. After all, if the sixth princess died under his protection, things would turn into a headache if it was not handled properly.
"Hmph, you might as well just kill me now! No matter what happens to me, I will not set foot into the Endless Mountain Range!" Ranazera scowled.
Ranazera knew that there were only two options—turn back to the Gates of Aegis or bypass the Cursed Grounds by taking a detour through the Endless Mountain Range.
Of course, Ranazera understood the risk of turning back to go through the Gates of Aegis. Because of this, she was certain that Izroth would go with the only other option available, which was taking a path that involved the Endless Mountain Range.
However, Ranazera refused to go against the words of her ancestors and ignore their warnings.
"Think of me what you will, but I still have my pride as a princess of the Tempest kingdom! Even if it costs my life, it will be a small price to pay to ensure that the people of Tempest can live on!" Ranazera stated firmly.
"Here I thought that the princess of a major kingdom would have a more level head on their shoulders. I must admit that it's somewhat disappointing." Izroth said as he inwardly shook his head.
"You think I don't know what you're planning after seeing this? Our options are limited? It's obvious that you want to go through the Endless Mountain Range!"
"You should wait until others are finished speaking before you go and come to your own conclusion. Otherwise, no matter how well-placed your intentions are, it will all be for naught if you're not alive to see whether your efforts bore fruit or not."
"You—what are you-"
"While it's true that I said our options were limited, not once did I mention that there was no other path to take. Do you think I've been simply standing here to enjoy the scenery this entire time?"
Ranazera furrowed her brows as a slight frown appeared on her face.
"What are you getting at? There is no other path besides returning through the Gates of Aegis. Are you telling me that's a risk you're willing to take?" Ranazera inquired.
"No, I have no intention of returning to the Gates of Aegis," Izroth replied casually.
"Then-!"
"However, if there exists no path before us, the solution is fairly simple. We must create a path of our own." Izroth stated as he looked downward.
In his hands was a book with a dark brown exterior and bright golden text on its cover.
The book emitted a faint and familiar aura that was commonly found on a certain item type within RML—it was a skill book.
'I planned on eventually awarding this to a member of the 9th Division that showed some promise; however, it seems I'll have to find another suitable prize.'
This skill book was one Izroth acquired after defeating the Ferae Adamantine Insolum Beetle back during his time in the Ferae Jungle.
〈System Alert: Do you want to learn the skill «Molding Earth»? Warning! Once you learn this skill, the skill book will be destroyed!〉
'Yes.'
The next moment, the skill book in Izroth's hands shattered into countless particles before dispersing in every direction.
〈System Alert: Congratulations, you have learned the skill «Molding Earth»!〉
'If we can't go through it, over it, nor around it, then... We'll just have to go right under it.'