TAPGB - Chapter 31
The Abandoned Prince's Ghost Bride
Meanwhile, Lucian's appearance did not appear properly in Caesar's eyes.
Five years later, adulthood may be a hatchling, but a hatchling is a hatchling. This is a baby dragon that needs to be cared for by its parents and elders.
Hatchlings become adults, developing patience and learning to use their powers to avoid being consumed by madness. However, the current Caesar awakened his power too early.
His current immature self was unable to control his power, and he was on the verge of becoming a mad dragon.
In Caesar's field of vision, all the statues appeared as two and were dyed red, making it impossible to identify his friends. In addition, an unidentifiable fantasy that constantly fills his mind.
The golden eyes of the person who had betrayed him horribly in the fantasy overlapped with the golden eyes of little Lucian, who was shaking.
Kill it!
For the first time, fantasy and reality were in line. Caesar immediately rushed at Lucian.
And as raise your claws to grab his neck and take his heart-
"Huh, huh... No, brother..."
A faint voice was heard.
Caesar's body automatically stopped as a voice penetrated his mind. Caesar opened his eyes and glared at Lucian. His field of vision, which only showed the golden eye, gradually widened.
"Brother... Don't do this, I-I'm Lucian..."
Lucian was so scared of Caesar's sudden change that he cried out in tears. The strength from Caesar's hand that was pressing down on his neck gradually loosened.
"Caesar brother!"
Ugh! Argh!
In the end, Lucian burst into tears and repeatedly called out to Caesar. Caesar reacted louder than before and rattled.
The madness slowly subsided. The fantasies that had filled his brain to the point of exploding dissipated like fog, and reality began to come into focus.
"...Lucian?"
"Hi! Brother!"
Caesar was embarrassed. And when he realized what position he was in now, he became contemplative.
"What am I doing now..."
Before he knew it, Polymorph had been released, and a firestorm was swirling around him and Lucian.
If this continues, it is only a matter of time before the basement collapses.
Caesar quickly withdrew his strength and felt his heart pounding with a pale complexion.
A clear handprint remained on Lucian's neck, which he had been holding a moment ago. Lucian's pulse felt through his palm, was still vivid.
Caesar got goosebumps all over his body.
'I'm trying to kill Lucian...! If he died by his own hand like this...
"Ugh!"
Caesar's head hurt again. The fantasy he thought he had finally banished began again.
'I guess the reason is... I think this is the basement.'
Caesar, who was looking around the basement, felt an unidentifiable chill and turned his head forward.
"... I have to get out of here."
Lucian was still crying. Caesar approached him because he couldn't leave him here like this.
"Luci..."
"Hi!"
When he reached out to Lucian, Caesar saw that he was looking at me with fear in his eyes.
Those eyes pierced his heart. His heart throbbed and he felt pain for the first time, but now was not the time for such sentimentality.
Squeak squeak squeak-
His head continued to hurt, and Caesar had an ominous feeling that the same thing as before would happen.
Caesar held Lucian in his arms even though he was scared. He clenched his molars as Lucian trembled and pushed him away with his weak hands.
"Hold on a little."
Caesar spread his wings and quickly climbed up the stairs. At the halfway point of the stairs, Leah stood looking restless.
[...You! What on earth happened inside!]
For a moment, Caesar's throat closed up. He didn't know what to say to her.
"... I'll tell you later. Please look after Lucian for now."
Caesar, who had completely escaped the stairs, placed Lucian in Leah's arms.
Leah was dumbfounded but was shocked to see Lucian trembling in a mess.
[What. Lucian, why are you like this? OMG! Your throat... !]
When Leah turned her head toward him after seeing the clear handprint on her neck, Caesar bit his lip.
"Ugh...."
[What did you do to Lucian?]
Despite Leah's cold voice, Caesar had to fight against the illusion that constantly revealed its presence in his mind.
Leah, who was about to say something to him, stopped when she realized that Caesar's condition was strange.
[Caesar, you....]
"I-I'm out of my mind right now...? I'm going to cool off a bit, Lucian..."
Although Lucian was scared, he was looking at himself with the same warm eyes as always. Caesar was so out of breath that he pursed his lips.
He eventually frowned and ran away from the mansion.
Leah picked up Lucian and hurried after him, but Caesar had already disappeared into the forest.
***
Huh, huh, huh!
Caesar ran so far away from the mansion that he was out of breath.
Betrayer!
You killed it with your own hands.
Kill, kill the boy in front of you!
Why are you hesitating?
That guy was the first to betray us. Be sure to kill him.
"No, it's not me...".
Even after leaving the basement, the afterimage of the fantasy lasted for a long time. This time, it felt like someone's idle thoughts in a fantasy were covering his head. He kept whispering to Caesar to kill Lucian.
'Who? Who are you telling me to kill?'
Once his spirit was broken, it showed no signs of coming back.
Moreover, the shock was even greater because he had already almost killed Lucian with his own hands.
Caesar eventually stopped flying and fell, rolling on the floor.
Thud! Degururu boom!
The bruises alone couldn't erase the fantasy stuck in his mind.
Caesar feels like he's going crazy.
His ego and that of someone in his fantasy kept colliding. If it continues like this, he will end up killing everything in sight.
Caesar pressed down on his pupils, which grew thinner and larger like a lizard, and used the last of his sanity to create a large barrier around him.
A barrier that won't break easily no matter how hard you run, and that no one can enter.
The moment the barrier was completed, Caesar let go of reason.
Kuaaaang! Kuang!
Caesar returned to his original form and unleashed his breath indiscriminately.
Red dragons are a race of dragons that specialize in fire. Even though it was only a hatchling, all the animals and plants around it melted due to the immense heat.
Krrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Caesar was constantly fighting with himself.
He must suppress the illusions that try to devour his ego.
Did he wrestle like that for about an hour?
The barrier that Caesar had struck was in a dangerous state. Inside the place where he had set up the barrier, everything turned to pitch-black ash and scattered like hell.
Caesar himself wasn't all that fine either. Burned by his own breath, his scales were peeling off in places, and claw marks from his self-torture were clearly visible all over his body.
He finally succeeded in separating his fantasy from his ego.
Beyond the vision he had shared with someone in his fantasy, Caesar was able to see the shape of the fantasy that had brought him to this point.
But even though he was in shape, he didn't look right, as if he had been painted with black paint.
It only flashed the unique green eyes of a dragon just like itself.
Caesar instinctively realized this. That someone is the thought of a ghost.
"Fuck, if you're a ghost, you'll ascend to heaven gracefully. How dare you take over someone's body..."
His entire body was so exhausted that his eyes were on the verge of closing, but the look inside his sunken eyelids was extremely ferocious.
Caesar stumbled and polymorphed into human form.
Then, the black figure and he were roughly at eye level.
"If you take my body again, I will tear your soul to pieces. You think I can't do it?"
... I am you.
"Fuck you."
Caesar showed off his slender middle finger, but the black figure opened his mouth again.
I am you.
"This guy is still talking bullshit."
As Caesar bared his teeth and tried to fire his breath again, the black seal moved. And pointed to Caesar.
This is a fragment of a memory that must not be forgotten.
Caesar was about to swear for a moment when he felt something strange and stopped.
All conditions have been met. You must not repeat the same thing again. I haven't been able to kill him yet. That guy never gives up.
"What? What are you aiming for?"
He didn't hear anything important.
But he said no more. No, it would be more accurate to say that he can't say it.
This time... Break off the bad relationship. Another me...
The shape of the black figure slowly collapsed. His voice was muffled and couldn't be heard properly.
He... I will not... Finally... Responsibility...
Only after he was completely gone did the headache go away. His nerves were relieved by the fact that his ego had been safely preserved without being taken away.
Caesar's legs trembled and he fell down on the spot.
As it collapsed, ashes flew into the sky. The sky had already become dark.
"I'm exhausted."
Caesar closed his eyes and pressed his head, still feeling the stinging sensation.
"Brother..."
Then, suddenly, I heard Lucian's painful auditory hallucination. Caesar remembered everything he had done to Lucian.
Just a human. Although he was a weak human being who would not be surprised if he died at any time, he entered Caesar's heart and became a precious relationship. Even if he pretends not to, he cannot deny that he cares for and like Lucian a lot. Caesar cried and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Mom... What should I do..."
The watery voice trembled a lot.
Caesar didn't know what face to look at Lucian.
***
Despite the uproar, I devoted myself to treating Lucian. Thanks to the barrier that I had placed around him in advance, he was gradually turning blue.
I am upset when she sees this, but says that Caesar is not the type of person to do that... Conflicting emotions flooded my mind.
"Leah... Brother Caesar...?"
Lucian asked with a somber expression.
[...He went to the forest.]
"Is Caesar's brother never coming again?"
Lucian cried and lowered his head. It looked like he was trying hard to hold back his tears.
I hugged him and patted his back.
[I don't know about that, I'm sorry.]
"Brother, my brother was in pain. It was written on something and attacked me. There's nothing wrong with him."
[Yes, yes.]
"Leah shouldn't hate Caesar. Promise me."
[... Don't you hate Caesar?]
"Well, it's scary, but.. Because my brother is my brother..."
Lucian urgently told me not to keep hating on Caesar and that I had to make a pinky promise to him.
It seems that he is afraid that I will hate Caesar.
I've seen Caesar more than Lucian, so why hate him for no reason?
It's not something that happens without a reason, and anyone who sees it can tell that something is wrong.
However, we need to listen closely to the context.
Rattling-
There was a feeling of popularity on the first floor. I looked at the door with wide eyes.
"Leah?"
[... I guess Caesar has arrived.]
At my words, Lucian quickly escaped my embrace and came down to the foot of the bed. Then he ran to the door and tried to open it, but he hesitated.
His body was shaking. Even though he knows in his head that it is not Caesar's fault, his body seems to automatically react to the fear once it has been imprinted on him.
I grabbed Lucian's shoulder.
Lucian pursed his lips and tried to shake off his fear.
'Lucian is trying so hard, I can't not step up.'
I matched Lucian's pace and went down to the first floor.
At the main entrance on the first floor, Caesar was standing polymorphed into an adult male.
I was shocked to see him, and Lucian's eyes widened.
"Brother..."
[What happened in the forest...?]
Me and Lucian could not bear to speak. Caesar was the most messed up person I had ever seen.
There were ugly claw marks on his neck and limbs, dripping blood, his clothes were burnt here and there, and his red, burnt skin was visible through the holes in his clothes.
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