Chapter 689: …what do you think I should do?

"There is no power stopping the Guardian Beasts from offering their protection to the Twilight."

Ferrakar spoke clearly and Kael’s face turned even more solemn.

A Guardian Beast might be protecting the Twilight...?

Kael couldn’t believe it.

However, the more he thought about that possibility, the more names came to his mind.

The Drakthar Dragon was the first.

If the Drakthar King truly was the one behind the Twilight, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Drakthar Dragon was with him.

Then there was the Xenthalor Phoenix.

Xenthalor definitely had some relationship with the Twilight, that was not a possibility he could rule out either.

And it wasn’t just these two. For all he knew, these two were all a ruse made to confuse him, all while the real enemy was hiding inside one of the other two Kingdoms.

It was...

The same situation as it was in the very beginning.

The enemy was in the shadows.

He was out in the open.

Kael hated every moment of it.

He thought about everything he knew, then he frowned. He turned back to Ferrakar and—

"I thought the Guardian Beasts found the Power of Corruption disgusting."

Igni, when he was only a normal Dragon, possibly similar to the Drakthar Dragon, had mentioned his disgust when he first encountered this Energy.

And—

"We do."

Ferrakar nodded.

"Then why would they protect the Twilight?"

Kael asked the most obvious question and Ferrakar—

"Because the Guardian Beasts also like change."

He gave a very direct and simple answer.

"Guardian Beasts do not choose depending on what they like and do not like, we are connected to this very world.

We perceive its cycle and we make sure that cycle continues without any interruptions.

As I said, our goal is only the protection of Nerathis, not its people.

We abhor the Power of Corruption, yes. However, our hatred will not stop a being of Corruption from getting what he desires, just because the power he uses is something we find distasteful."

"So you will support him instead?"

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"More than our support, this is about fairness.

Imagine a man who works tirelessly towards his goal. A goal the entire world opposes. Everyone tries to stop him, every force moves against him, and yet he continues.

Through his own effort, intelligence, sacrifice, and excellence, he slowly gains the upper hand.

Even when the entire world stands against him, he still wins.

Now tell me, how would you feel if, after sacrificing everything, after using every card he had, after proving himself again and again, he lost in the end simply because some force he was never meant to overpower stepped in and crushed him?

Would that feel fair?"

"..."

Kael remained silent.

Ferrakar let him remain silent for a good few seconds, making sure he understood what he was trying to teach.

Then, when the Dragon was sure his words were understood, he continued.

"We Guardian Beasts do not care about the politics of this world, Kael.

We do not stop what’s supposed to happen simply because we like or dislike it.

If you are supposed to lose and the Twilight is supposed to win because, at the very end, they were stronger, then you will lose and the Guardian Beasts will not stop it.

It is just like how the Velmourns, despite their cruelty, continued to rule Nerathis for centuries and no Guardian Beast stopped them.

And how the Dragonborn Ancestor, who was bestowed with Feraos’s strongest Relics, won against the Velmourns and the Guardian Beasts did not stop it.

What’s supposed to happen—

Will happen."

The Steel Dragon made it very clear.

And Kael—

"Then why even bother appearing?"

He asked another question.

"Why do Guardian Beasts show themselves anyway? Why not remain hidden and only involve yourselves when the world itself is in danger?"

"Because we too are merely an element that can be used by the people of this world."

Ferrakar answered.

"A weak man can claim to have the protection of a Dragon and rule millions who choose to believe it. Strength isn’t the only deciding factor in the world, it never was and it never will be.

Wisdom, grit, daring, and luck, everything comes together in order to birth a legend.

And we simply desire to watch that legend up close."

Kael heard those words and for a long, long time, he remained silent.

He could feel that his understanding of the world had gotten far better than before.

This world no longer felt like a magical world he had been summoned to, it now felt... much more real.

Much more... dangerous.

After a long pause, Kael once again turned back to Ferrakar and—

"...what do you think I should do?"

He asked a seemingly simple question. Ferrakar continued staring at him and—

"You are overwhelmed."

He spoke softly.

"Calm yourself, understand what just happened, recollect everything you know, and then make a decision. That decision will be far more reassuring than simply following what I said."

The Dragon guided him far more gently than Kael imagined he would.

He heard those words very carefully, then he closed his eyes and stayed silent for a long, long while.

What happened?

What did he know so far?

What was going to happen?

The Crown Prince came to their shore with one of the strongest Relics in existence. A weapon the King of Drakthar was very desperate to get back, but probably wouldn’t be able to take since Ferrakar was with him.

That would frustrate him.

Now what else did he know so far?

The question here would be whether he trusted the dead Prince and the answer to that was...

Did he have a choice?

The Prince was no longer alive.

He gave his life to bring the only thing that could help him stop the incoming danger. How could he not trust him, especially when his own Visions aligned with what the Prince had said?

So what did he know?

He knew the King was the enemy.

He might even be behind the Twilight, but for now, since he didn’t know how true that information was, he woul—

"And you do not have to decide alone."

Just as Kael was thinking all this through, the Dragon spoke up again.

Then, he turned in the direction Lavinia was in and—

"She seems ready."

He spoke.

Kael narrowed his eyes, he asked Imperia what Lavinia was doing and the next second, he got the answer.

’She stood up.

And it seems like she is waiting for you.’