Past Arc ⑲
Dragons are the supreme race.
Whether this is true or not is irrelevant. Dragons believe it to be true.
And given that such a supreme race as dragons is hesitating before Salier, discontent is inevitable.
Just as it was with Guriel in times past.
At the same time, dragons are not here out of charity. They have a purpose. They occupy this world with intent.
They could not allow humans to act in ways inconsistent with that purpose.
Even if it meant opposing Salier.
"So, you are the one holding us back."
"That is correct."
Salier meets Guriel’s gaze directly. Guriel looks away, uneasy.
Location: The orphanage’s reception room.
Guriel has visited the orphanage many times before. Normally, he would enter without using the reception room.
But Salier, sensing an unsettling presence, guided Guriel to the reception room instead.
Even without being Salier, it was obvious something was amiss with Gurye.
Even the slow-witted Sariel could sense something amiss if treated with such suspicion.
And, as if interrogating, he extracted information about the dragon’s movements from Guriel.
"What are you planning to do about it?"
Of course I will go to stop it. That is my duty.
Sariel answered Gurye’s question without hesitation.
As usual.
"Is that truly your duty?"
Yet, to Gurye’s persistent questioning, Sarriel could not respond immediately.
You must understand what humans are doing now. If protecting primitive life is your duty, then stopping the humans who seek to destroy this planet entirely—would that not be your proper course of action?
Gyulie speaks, lifting her face, as if steeling herself.
"Of course, I agree that completely eradicating humanity would be excessive. But some action must be taken. If that is truly your purpose."
Gyulie’s gaze, testing.
Sariel does not look away.
Nor does she speak.
Sariel understood her own actions were not optimal.
Yet she had never questioned that.
Sariel was a fallen angel.
A mindless device, obedient only to its assigned task.
More precisely, an entity incapable of independent judgment—believing itself to be fulfilling its purpose, yet following pre-set directives without deviation.
A machine, acting as a machine should—strictly executing only the programmed instructions.
Even if those instructions were flawed.
The machine itself would not question them.
Syrilis too understood that his actions were not the optimal choice, yet he did not question them.
Yet now, questioned by Guriel, Sariel thought.
Is this truly acceptable?
For Sariel, this was the first question she had ever held.
Sariel had continuously thought, tested, and persisted throughout.
How to carry out the mission more efficiently.
Yet from an outside perspective, it was nothing but deviation from the original purpose.
Sariel's original purpose was to protect the lifeforms dwelling on this planet from the hands of the gods.
Nothing more, nothing less—ensuring the hand of the divine does not intervene.
Yet Syrius intervenes in humanity's affairs first.
The god Salier.
It was as if they had abandoned their duty of their own volition at that point.
Yet Syrius himself never wavered in his belief that he was fulfilling his duty correctly.
There, Gurye’s question was thrown in.
Thought as he might, Salier had never questioned his actions—until this moment. For the first time, he questioned his own deeds.
“Salier. Isn’t it time you stopped binding yourself to your mission? You can live as you wish. Forget the mission. Live as you see fit.”
Gurye’s words were incomprehensible to Salier.
He understood the meaning of the words, but not the concept of living freely.
To Salier, living meant fulfilling his duty. There was no preference, no aversion.
No—there was aversion, but he could not comprehend it.
He did not lack feeling.
He simply did not understand that he felt.
Thus, those feelings were continually disregarded.
“I do not understand.”
“Of course.”
Gurye did not believe words alone could loosen Salier’s rigid heart at this moment.
Yet, from Syrilis's demeanor, it appeared to be yielding results better than anticipated.
But my actions remain unchanged.
The miscalculation, if any, was that Sariel's deepest desire aligned with the act of stopping the dragon.
Guriel's words—wishing for her to live as she pleased—resonated within Sariel's mind.
The sound erased even the faintest doubt that had arisen.
Sariel's desire to protect people was the very reason she wished to do so.
The question of whether this was truly the optimal path to fulfill the mission—vanished without a trace.
"Wait!"
Guriel. I consider you a friend, despite my own will. Therefore, do not allow me to kill you with my own hands.
Gyulie was startled by those words.
The intent shown in calling Guriel a friend, and yet still killing if obstructed.
Leaving Gurye frozen in place, Salier departed the reception room.
While I am away, please look after the children at the orphanage.
As she left, uttering such selfish wishes.
Gyurie stared at the closing door in silence.
A look of utter helplessness on their face.
As a dragon, as a friend to Sariel, as a man drawn to Sariel.
Guriel had no choice in how to act.
If acting as a dragon, the correct course is to risk one's life to hold back Sariel.
A significant disparity exists between Sariel and Gurye, yet sufficient time can be gained.
For instance, taking a child hostage.
The promise could not be kept the moment he silently watched Salier leave.
Will you side with Sariel?
It will be betrayal of the dragon.
The choice was impossible for Gulye, who had lived his life with pride in being a dragon.
Ultimately, Gulye could do nothing—only make the harshly inconsistent, passive choice of refusing to choose at all.
A large-scale dragon assault erupted simultaneously across the world.
It was meant to inflict severe damage on humanity in an instant.
Yet, Sariel’s swift intervention.
And above all, humanity’s desperate resistance, fueled by the weapons designed by Potimas, utilizing M.A. energy, turned the battle into a protracted stalemate.
Dragons fled from Sariel while attacking humanity, and humanity endured until Sariel’s arrival.
This structure emerged.