"I will die!!! I don't know if I will return again, so don't kill me now! I might really die!"
Ernesto was unsure about the principle of regression. He doesn't know how many times he was allowed to regress. He doesn't know what will happen to his soul once he finally dies.
But his resolve will never change. He needs to make this life better for Ndulou.
The dragon closed her hand and showed a vicious smile.
"You're a pretty unique kid. Okay, I'll watch over you."
Ernesto titled his head in confusion while the dragon nodded in satisfaction.
"Watch over me?"
"Yes, yes. Don't worry, I won't butt in even if you're on the verge of death. I'll just tag along."
Ernesto dropped his jaw.
"How will that benefit me?"
"Information. I can give you that in exchange for giving me the front seat."
Ernesto was stunned. Internally, he grumbled, "front seat? Was this dragon under the impression that my life was a fucking movie? But she's giving me information? I can ask about the duke's blessings now?" He had so much to say but all he asked first was, "If you're tagging along, who will protect the mountain?"
"What? protect what?" The young lady really seemed clueless.
"Didn't Duke Cornelio ask you to protect it?"
"Hahahahahaha!"
The young lady laughed ungracefully.
Ernesto waited for the dragon to stop laughing since he didn't get which part of his statement was funny.
"Oh! I'm sorry. It's the opposite, kid! This fucking volcano is so destructive that it will engulf the entire towns surrounding it. That bastard of a duke asked me to occasionally absorb the magma that was about to overflow. I have already absorbed a huge amount of magma, so it won't erupt for about 50 years. I am just here because I have nothing else better to do. Oh, oh! But I love killing insects that play as so-called dragon slayers."
The dragon doesn't have any problem saying such crude words.
"Um, excuse me, madam"
"Call me Fe. My name is Fetahaya."
"Yes, Ms. Fe, but why does Duke Cornelio keep the fact that this was a volcano? He can just tell the royal family that this volcano was so destructive that mining is impossible. And gold wouldn't do much for an active volcano, right? He can clear up the rumor that this mountain is not abundant with gold."
"Oh, now you're interested in other things? I thought you were in a rush?"
Ernesto flinched from a sudden realization.
"Ah! I was so curious that I forgot!" Ernesto shakes and holds his head, "wwwwaiiit, I don't have any progress at all!"
Fetahaya chuckled.
"I was kidding. While we're going to my lair, you can listen to my story. You might find a clue to your blessings." Fetahaya motioned to Ernesto to follow. She used flight magic and flew out of the sky.
Ernesto has no idea why they need to go to Fetahaya's lair and continue to follow the dragon.
"You already know his legend. He fought the so-called evil creatures who owned this mountain first. Those creatures are from the Tamahaling tribe, a race of red-skinned earth spirits that may turn maleficent and live in huge trees; all of them are female. They are the keepers of the animals and this 8000-foot tall mountain. But the human race misunderstood them as being shellfish tribes who didn't want to share the mountain's resources. Tamahaling's other job is to control the magma. It was two centuries ago that the lava successfully eroded from the volcano to the base. That activity developed into the gold depot at the mountain, but that deposit is very limited. Rafael fell into despair when he realized that he had misunderstood and exterminated the tribe."
Fetahaya's voice was so loud that Ernesto had no problem hearing the story even if he was flying behind the dragon.
"Rafael reported this to the king but was immediately silenced for telling the truth. The king at that time didn't want to tarnish his own reputation or that of the hero he supported after mistakenly killing a protector of the earth tribe. Instead, the king ordered him to find a solution to control the volcano."
The two landed in front of a cliff covered in vines. Fetahaya motioned her hand sideways, and the cliff wall and vines moved aside. The two enter the cave while chatting.
"If I were him, I'd just flip the throne upside down." Ernesto commented while showing off his fist. He was acting like a real 13-year old kid despite having a 90+ year old mentality. He wondered if having a 13-year-old body affected his mentality.
Fetahaya chuckled at Ernesto's adorable actions and guided Ernesto inside her lair. They were walking into an endless, dark tunnel within the cave.
Ernesto couldn't see Fetahaya's expression, but he could feel the sadness in her voice. "He cannot do that. I was the daughter of that idiotic king and I was his lover."
"You were a human?"
"Formerly child, I was a human 200 years ago. Well, he ended up following the orders of that idiotic king. He spends his lifetime searching for a substitute for the Tamahaling. until he forgets the blessings he received."
"Blessings can be forgotten?"
"Blessings can vary from god to god or to whom they are bestowed. In the Duke's case, his blessing is love."
Ernesto stopped walking.
"What nonsense!" His voice echoed loudly inside the tunnel-like a cave.
"Oh child, like I said, it varies from god to god or person to person. The pinning goddess blessed the duke with the encryption of love."
"encryp—what?"
Fetahaya doesn't mind when Ernesto becomes more disrespectful toward her and continues to share her knowledge with Ernesto.
"You will see letters describing your blessing once you're ready to use it. 'Love will never fade' is his encryption. Every time he uses it, his strength increases. It's a fantastic buff! He can only use it if he has someone he really loves. At the same time, his blessings will be forgotten if he forgets his love at the same time."
"Did he forget about you?"
A bitter smile appeared on Fetahaya's face while Ernesto was following her back.
"Yes, he became busy making up for his mistake. In my late human life, I was called the Pinning Duchess. Ironically, I became the same as the goddess whom he served."
"Did you reincarnate as a dragon?"
"No. Rafael accidentally transferred my soul to the dragon. That shithead died in despair! He solved his problem on this fucking mountain and accidentally transported me into a male dragon instead! He said he was fucking sorry, but what else could he do!? He left me in solitude!"
The dragon finished his grumbling while exiting the dark cave. Both of their eyes subconsciously closed and blinked multiple times to adjust to the bright light.
"Sun?"
Ernesto saw a bright light ball on the high ceiling of the cave. It resembles the sun.
"Child, I can teach you how to avoid the goddess. I somewhat want to mess with her since she messed with us centuries ago."
Fetahaya smiled cunningly in front of him while under the bright light ball.
"Avoid her? H-how about my friend?"
Ernesto doesn't know how long he was on the mountain. He doesn't feel like he was progressing, and all he obtained from coming here was useless chatting. He also gathered information that was useless for his current situation.
The dragon who chatted aimlessly with him was now offering him a way to avoid the goddess. But if he avoids the goddess, how will he enter the underground?
Fetahaya winked her eyes at him and has a mischievous smile. "The original dragon who owns this body loves to travel. He travels with an ancestral spirit. This ancestral spirit left that dragon this one-time-use glass ball. I can give you this in exchange for the front seat."
Here we go again with the 'front seat' thing.
haaaaaaaaaa
Ernesto sighed. He doesn't have the energy to deal with the dragon and becomes impatient.
He asked, "What will I do with that?" lifting one of his eyebrows.
"Those two marked the area they went to. It is possible that the place where your friend was marked too. If that was the case, you could instantly teleport to him."
Ernesto's eyes grow wider. He got close to the dragon and clasped both hands around it while the glass ball was in between.
He happily commented, "As expected of a dragon!"
"What do you mean by that?" the dragon frowned.
"Oh! How will I use this?" Ernesto immediately diverted the conversation.
"Hold the ball like this," Fetahaya said, handing over the ball to Ernesto. Her hands landed in his arms instead. "Close your eyes and think of the entrance or nearby area of the place you desire to infiltrate. The glass ball will do its job only if that place is marked."
Ernesto did what Fetahaya instructed. He closed his eyes and the garden at the Marquis' castle vividly appeared. He looked into the golden statue.
"Please, please, please."
Ernesto wishes for the glass wall to really teleport him to Ndulou.
Fetahaya removed her hands from Ernesto's arms.
"Looked for me once you saved your friend."
Ernesto opened his eyes once he heard those comments, but he was in front of the statue once he fully regained his sight.
"What the!? I need to be underground!!" he shouted, and the glass ball instantly shot beams of light, but Ernesto never let go of it. He just lifted it up so the lights wouldn't shoot at him.
The glass ball started to crack. It was indeed a one-time-use power.
"Wait! Wait! I need to enter here!!! Please!!" The glass ball shattered into pieces and light burst out of it.
Ernesto let go of the glass ball and covered his face with his arms.
Ernesto experienced a total blackout. He thought he was blinded by the lights.
But...
Hahahahahah
Ernesto burst out laughing after he realized his location.
The glass ball heard his outcry.