According to Heng's explanation, he had found this place by following that "Azure Star." Lancer's confirmation that it was a dragon only solidified his belief.
In fact, there was something Lancer hadn't noticed at first. In his mind, a "God"—no matter how powerful—usually had a humanoid form. But in this world, a "God" sometimes referred to an Elder Dragon. After Heng's explanation, Lancer was even more confused.
"Fine. Even if that thing up there really is the 'Azure Star' you're looking for, to be honest, I don't think it can fulfill your wish. If I recall correctly, you said your goal was to 'save your people,' right? Are you sure this dragon will help you? For that matter, can it even understand what you're saying?"
If Lancer had only calmed him down before, he had now completely extinguished the man's drive with a bucket of ice water.
While various ruins and ancient books mentioned how great the "Azure Star" was, those were just records. For example, the "Kirin" they met today was vastly different from what was written in the books.
For a moment, Heng's expression flickered with hesitation, but it quickly vanished, replaced by an unbreakable resolve.
"Mr. Lancer, I am deeply grateful for you saving my life and for your advice. However — I do not intend to give up. Even if my physical constitution isn't good enough to protect my home alongside my kin, there are still things in this world that only I can accomplish!"
After saying this, he bowed to Lancer, grabbed his backpack, and ran off in the direction the "Azure Star" had gone.
The forest was dense, and since the man was sprinting quite fast, he soon vanished from Lancer's sight.
Watching his departing back, Lancer stomped out the campfire.
"Let's go too."
"You're going to help him?"
At Olga Marie's question, Lancer shook his head.
"I don't mind helping him if it's convenient, but that doesn't mean I'll waste too much time on someone I barely know. My goal is to hunt stronger monsters..."
Even though Lancer's explanation sounded very serious, Olga Marie's mouth twitched as she watched the direction he was walking.
"Then why are you walking in the same direction that 'Wyverian' went?"
"It's just a coincidence that we're headed the same way. I'm simply curious to see what kind of existence this 'Azure Star' he's so hopeful for actually is..."
As his voice trailed off, Lancer disappeared into the bushes. Olga Marie let out a soft laugh.
"A tsundere man... is not cute at all."
Though she was teasing him, the smile on her face was undisguised.
Since she had nothing to carry, Olga Marie trotted after him.
On the other side, while Heng's departure speech had been quite cool, it couldn't hide the fact that he was a weakling. Lancer had only walked a few steps before he saw a nervous Heng warily eyeing a group of Wingdrakes in the distance.
Lancer's mouth twitched.
His arrival caused the bushes to rustle. Not only did the Wingdrakes notice, but Heng also sensed the movement behind him. When he saw Lancer, he let out a huge sigh of relief. Facing a pack of Wingdrakes was dangerous enough; if a new enemy appeared behind him, he could basically just give up.
Lancer ignored him and walked straight toward the Wingdrakes with an ice spear in hand. The creatures seemed to realize that this newcomer was far more dangerous than the weakling they were eyeing. They spread their wings and whipped their tails, letting out piercing screeches.
As a small species, Wingdrakes often use this method to intimidate enemies they can't defeat. Clearly, they realized how terrifying Lancer was.
Yet, for some reason, they still resolutely launched an attack at him.
"Seeking death."
Lancer hadn't intended to kill excessively; for him, killing weak enemies was meaningless. If they had been smart enough to leave, he wouldn't have minded letting them go. But since they were actively seeking death, he didn't intend to hold back.
Whoosh!
With the sound of breaking air, the spear Lancer was holding was hurled out. The largest Wingdrake was "lucky" enough to be chosen as the first target; it didn't even have time to resist before the spear struck it squarely in the chest.
Accompanied by a spray of blood, the Wingdrake, unable to control its wings, spiraled down from the air.
This abrupt scene left the other Wingdrakes stunned, but then a figure stepped off the falling carcass and leapt into mid-air.
Unsurprisingly, once Lancer stepped in, the battle was decided.
What was a life-and-death struggle for "Heng" was merely a small problem Lancer could solve in passing. By the time the Wingdrakes realized something was wrong and tried to flee, it was too late. Before they could even clear the treetops, every creature in the area had been slaughtered by Lancer.
Looking at the blood-stained ground and the expressionless Lancer, Heng's feelings became extremely complicated.
"Thank you..."
Before he could finish, Lancer cut him off.
"No need for thanks. I'm just curious about the 'Azure Star,' that's all."
With that, Lancer flicked his ice spear to clear the blood and began swinging it to clear a path. Heng nodded with a complex expression and hurriedly followed.
He knew how difficult the journey to find the "Azure Star" would be; he had realized that much during his voyage across the sea to get here. He had only made it this far because he hadn't been attacked by monsters along the way. That was why he had chosen to leave immediately once he realized Lancer's goals were different from his.
After all, as Lancer said, even if they actually reached the "Azure Star," the outcome was unknown. If it possessed wisdom like the legends said, things might be okay, but if it was just an ordinary "monster," he was as good as dead.
But given his strength, rather than worrying about the destination, he was more worried about whether he'd even survive the journey.
Having someone as strong as Lancer traveling with him was undoubtedly a cause for joy, yet he didn't want Lancer to get into trouble because of him.
He wanted to refuse, yet he wanted to stay together. This conflict of emotions left him at a loss. But just then, the voice of the other man came from deep within the dark woods.
"Olga, pick up the pace!"