DSMBL Chapter 97

Chapter 97 

Meanwhile, in the forest, Giverny, the Yeti knights, and other knights began to move the moment the tremors stopped. The forest had suffered less damage than outside—it was almost as if it had tried to protect itself.
‘It started from the forest,’ Giverny thought, his face tense.

Even within the forest, there were areas with more damage and areas with less. The closer they moved east from where Giverny stood, the weaker the tremors were. The further west they went, the stronger the tremors had been. Something was definitely in the west.

So, they began searching for the source. The unusual tremors were just like those that came when a massive gate opened and a war broke out. It matched the descriptions in the old records.

The Yetis remembered it too.
“Grrrrr!”
The Yetis’ roars echoed through the silent forest, where even the animals had run away. The search for a dark and ominous trace intensified.

The more west they went, the colder it became, and the more ominous it felt. The fog grew thicker.

“…There’s something ahead, Sir Giverny,” a knight said.

Giverny raised his hand, and everyone—humans and Yetis alike—stopped moving in perfect unison. Their training showed.
Giverny whispered, “…A red light.”

A red light was shining through the thick fog. It was so bright it almost hurt his eyes.
“It’s opening. Soon.”

Giverny turned to the Yeti, who could speak their language.
“They’re coming. Soon. The monsters.”

Giverny’s shoulder trembled. The air was filled with thick, dark energy. The red light was surrounded by evil magic.
“…Can we close it?”
“No. It has reached its end. The gate will close only after it finishes.”

Giverny’s face turned pale. If the gate closes only after it’s finished, then all the monsters will already be here. A disaster was on the verge of flooding the world.

He tightly grabbed his sword sheath. His eyes followed the red light—and he saw a huge magical circle.
He had never seen or heard of a gate this large.
‘The trees around it are withered. There’s no sign of animals either.’

He motioned backward, telling everyone not to come closer. He then ordered another knight,
“Leave marks on the way back. We need to be able to find this place again.”
“Yes, sir.”

They had to inform Cassius as soon as possible. Giverny’s tense eyes returned to the red light.
It felt like the monsters inside were watching him. His fingers trembled.

***

Cassius rushed toward the bakery where Charlotte had gone with the children. The city was in chaos. If hell existed, it might look like this. Cassius clenched his teeth. His whole body felt like it was straining.

He couldn’t believe Charlotte and the children were in this nightmare.
It looked like a war had torn through the city.
‘All of this from just one tremor?’

Some people were kneeling in the streets, praying. They cried out for gods that had long since left them.

It matched the records—ground-shaking tremors. But none of the records ever described a scene like this.

There were only two explanations: either the records had been lost, or… something even larger than anything in history had arrived.

Even as his body threatened to break under the stress, Cassius couldn’t stop.
He stared in shock at a collapsed three-story building. It had been completely destroyed.

Cries and the smell of blood filled the air. Everyday life had collapsed.

“…Charlotte.”

Cassius’s world also collapsed. He rushed forward, pushing aside the rubble with his bare hands. He didn’t even feel the cuts on his fingers and palms.

“Duke Cassius!”
The knights who had followed behind him jumped off their horses and ran to help.
“We’ll do it!”
“Charlotte is in there.”

Cassius had always appeared strong and unshakable. Even when Theo was dying, he never broke down in front of others.
“…Your Grace…”
“Inside… Theo and Stephanie are in there…”

They were the ones who had brought color and meaning to his life. They were the reason he kept living and fighting.
‘If I collapse, Charlotte, Theo, and Stephanie will collapse too.’

That single thought had kept him going.
But now, that reason was gone. It felt like he had been left behind in a dark, empty world. 

He collapsed on his knees.

He heard whispers from around him.
“Could anyone survive in there?”
“…Who knows. Probably many died.”

Beeeeep—
A ringing noise echoed in his ears. He forced his legs to hold him up. Even if it was her body, he had to find Charlotte. He couldn’t leave her buried in the rubble.

As he stepped forward—

Boom!
A massive sound echoed, and something huge rose into the sky. It cast a shadow over the ground.

“What is that…”
“My god!!”

Flying near the sun, it was a dragon.

A dragon, thought to be extinct. A protector of this world. A guardian of the North and a savior of humanity had returned.

Cassius wiped his face.
“Stephanie…”

He had thought she was just a baby dragon, but… had she been hiding her power all along?

The dragon began to fly slowly, likely toward a safe place. Cassius didn’t even need to look—he knew who that dragon was carrying.

The knights were pulling survivors from a hole in the debris.

Cassius got on his horse.
“I’ll go ahead. Can I leave the rest to you?”
“Yes, sir! Leave it to us!”

Cassius pulled his horse toward the castle. His heart, which had felt stopped, now beat with force again.

The world that had once collapsed was now being restored. Strength returned to his body. He rode even faster.

***

“Huff… huff…”
Charlotte gasped for breath and rolled on the ground, her face pale.
“Are you okay, sister-in-law?”
“I… I thought I was going to die…”

Tears streamed down her face. She hadn’t realized it before, but… she had a fear of heights. She gagged, holding her mouth.

The moment Stephanie cleared the debris and flew into the sky—it had been nothing short of a miracle.

Stephanie walked around Charlotte. Boom, boom, boom.
“Are you hurt? Humans are weak!”

Her loud voice echoed.
“It’s not pain… it’s fear! Stephanie, you can really turn into that?”

“I told you many times! I’m not weak! I’m a great and mighty dragon! You humans just didn’t believe me!”

Stephanie laughed loudly.
“Can you turn back into a human?”

Charlotte, still lying on the ground, asked. Stephanie tilted her head.
“Stephanie, you’re so cool!”
Theo ran up and hugged her leg.

“I’m always cool!”

“But can you please turn back into a human? You stand out too much…”

“Human?”
Stephanie tilted her head again, then lowered her body.
A bright light covered the ground—a soft, white glow.