Dromos 24 – Dromos 25, Imperial Year 1644
Ashford Village – The Healer's Cottage
The village of Ashford was a scatter of stone cottages at the edge of the Cinder Peaks. A single dirt road ran through it, ending at a small shrine to Eirene, goddess of peace. The healer's cottage was the last building before the shrine, its chimney smoking, its windows shuttered against the cold.
The class arrived at dusk, the dragon's heart still warm in its stretcher. Kaito and Daiki carried it, their arms trembling from the weight. Elara pushed open the cottage door.
Inside, Vesper Nightshade lay on a cot, her skin grey, her breathing shallow. A young woman – the village healer – knelt beside her, applying a poultice that did nothing.
"We have the heart," Elara said.
The healer looked up, eyes wide. "A lesser earth dragon's heart? You killed one?"
"We had help."
Hikari stepped forward. "I know the ritual. I need a clean blade, a stone mortar, and a fire hot enough to boil water."
The healer scrambled to obey.
Hikari worked quickly. She cut a slice from the heart – still pulsing faintly – and ground it with herbs she had gathered in the mountains. The mixture turned from red to grey to a pale, shimmering gold. She added water from the healer's kettle, stirred, and poured the liquid into a clay cup.
"Drink this," Hikari said, lifting Vesper's head.
Vesper's eyes fluttered open. They were dark, ringed with exhaustion. "Did we win?"
"Yes. Now drink."
Vesper drank. The liquid was bitter, thick, but she swallowed. For a moment, nothing happened. Then her back arched. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. The grey of her skin began to recede, replaced by a flush of pink. The black veins that had crawled up her neck faded, then vanished.
She collapsed back onto the cot, breathing heavily but alive.
"The curse is broken," Hikari said. "She needs rest. And food. But she will live."
Elara let out a breath she did not know she had been holding.
Dromos 25, Imperial Year 1644
Ashford Village – The Shrine
The class gathered at the shrine, leaving Vesper to sleep. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.
"We did it," Rosalind said. "We actually did it."
"We didn't," Roderick said. "Zero did. He fired the shot."
"He also threatened us," Gregor said. "Don't forget that."
Elara sat on the shrine's steps, staring at the Cinder Peaks. "He's dangerous. But he's not our enemy."
"How do you know?" Reinhard asked.
"Because he could have let us die. He could have taken the heart for himself. He didn't." Elara looked at the others. "He has a code. We don't know what it is, but he has one."
Kaito nodded slowly. "And that rifle. I've never seen anything like it. The engineering, the materials – he's not from this world. He's a reincarnator."
"Or he found a reincarnator's notes," Daiki said. "Someone who came before."
"Does it matter?" Miku asked. "He helped us. That's what counts."
The group fell silent. The wind carried the smell of ash and pine.
Reinhard stood. "We should leave at dawn. Vesper needs to recover, but we can't stay here. The Black Knights know where we are."
"They knew anyway," Roderick said. "They always knew."
Dromos 25, Imperial Year 1644
The Cinder Peaks – The Dragon's Body
The Black Knights worked through the night.
Titan and Hound rolled the dragon onto its back. Sparrow and Lynx cut along the belly, peeling back the plated hide. Rook cataloged each organ, each bone, each scale. Eagle stood watch on a nearby ridge, his spyglass sweeping the darkness.
Phantom moved through the shadows, ensuring no scavengers approached.
"The heart is gone," Rook said, making a note. "But the liver is intact. The lungs. The stomach. All valuable."
Titan lifted a rib with one hand. "These bones could make a dozen shields."
"Or sword hilts," Hound said. "The marrow can be used in alchemy."
Sparrow wiped her knife on the grass. "I still can't believe Zero killed it with one shot."
"He doesn't miss," Lynx said.
"No. He doesn't."
They worked in silence after that, focused on the task. By dawn, the dragon was a skeleton. The scales were stacked in bundles, the bones wrapped in hide, the organs stored in waxed bags.
Vlad appeared at the edge of the clearing. He was not wearing the Zero armor – just a plain cloak and a hood. His face was hidden.
"Load everything," he said. "We return to Velathri."
"And the class?" Hound asked.
"They have what they need. We have what we need." Vlad turned to walk. "The alliance is over."
"For now," Sparrow said.
Vlad paused. "For now."
Dromos 26, Imperial Year 1644
The Road South – Morning
The class left Ashford at dawn. Vesper rode in a cart, still weak but alive. Hikari sat beside her, monitoring her pulse.
Elara walked at the front, her eyes on the horizon.
"What's next?" Rosalind asked.
"We find the others," Elara said. "One at a time."
"And the Black Knights?"
Elara was quiet for a moment. "We stay out of their way. Unless they need us."
"Or unless we need them," Roderick said.
"Yes."
The road stretched south, toward the Free Cities, toward the unknown.
Behind them, the Cinder Peaks faded into the mist.
End of Chapter Thirty‑Nine