TDAA Ch 69
by soapaAfterward, a splendid banquet followed. The wolves’ banquet didn’t require tables and chairs. When the servants laid thick carpets all over the spacious plaza, the wolves found their own spots, transformed into their true forms, and lay down to chat and playfully wrestle. The children ran around playing tag.
And soon, simple cooking facilities were set up throughout the plaza filled with rolling wolves. Cooks skewered water buffalo, deer, birds, and more, grilled them, then cut them into suitable pieces and tossed them to the waving wolves. The wolves skillfully snatched them and chewed. Occasionally, a wolf who hadn’t ordered would intercept the meat, leading to a fight. Fortunately, since they were all relatives, no major brawls broke out. In the first place, the act of snatching meat itself seemed to be a game among them.
“Here you go, Siol.”
“Thank you.”
Siol licked his lips at the small rabbit steak Eorzen served onto his plate.
Fortunately, Siol didn’t have to join in on that boisterous scene.
This was because food was already piled up like a mountain next to Siol, the star of today’s festival. As soon as the meat was cooked, the chefs would serve a portion onto a plate and bring it to Siol first. It was to make a good impression and get a closer look at the young master they had only heard about in rumors.
Of course, they couldn’t stay for long. After presenting their dishes, the chefs had to scurry back to their posts under the sharp, menacing glare of the blue dragon.
Siol, simply thinking the quickly departing chefs were busy, didn’t pay it much mind. Just looking at Ryufen was enough to know about a wolf’s appetite, so it was only natural that the chefs were busy.
“Here, it will be more delicious if you dip it in this sauce.”
With that, Eorzen spooned a little cream sauce onto Siol’s plate.
It was service full of devotion. Ever since they had confirmed their feelings for each other, Eorzen had been like this. He stayed by Siol’s side and personally took care of everything related to him. At first, Siol found it a bit burdensome. But if Siol tried to avoid it or declined, saying he was fine, Eorzen would become visibly dejected, so he couldn’t bring himself to be firm.
“Commander, give me a bite too. Rabbit meat with cream sauce.”
Ryufen slithered over on his back, rested the back of his head on Siol’s lap, and opened his mouth wide.
He had been lying next to Siol from the start, mooching off the perks of being the guest of honor at the welcome ceremony. But for today, no one could say anything to him. Even Ladie seemed to understand Ryufen’s indulgent attitude.
And even Eorzen. Wordlessly, Eorzen shoved a large chunk of meat into Ryufen’s throat.
“Ugh… Gack…!”
Ryufen rolled over, coughing and spluttering. Yet, true to his character, he didn’t spit out the meat. He chewed and swallowed the meat that Eorzen had personally put in his mouth.
“Shall I kick him out.”
Siol had rejected Eorzen’s whispered suggestions countless times until now, but this time, he just couldn’t resist the temptation. After a moment of serious internal conflict, the instant Siol finally nodded, Ryufen was sent flying somewhere on the wind.
Seeing Ryufen flailing and resisting, the other wolves whistled and cheered. Shouts of glee filled the plaza. The wolves guffawed as if it were some delightful show.
Finally, when Ryufen disappeared beyond a distant building and was no longer visible, Siol confessed his inner thoughts without realizing it.
“…That was refreshing.”
“Right? Feel free to ask me to do it from time to time.”
“Ahaha! Just occasionally.”
Siol giggled, leaning his back fully against Eorzen’s chest.
It was then.
Eorzen’s eyes widened as he reached a hand toward Siol’s chest. Siol, surprised and thinking, What is he doing in a public place?, tried to block his hand but then saw his own chest swelling up. The inside of his coat was filling up, and his chest felt tight. When Siol hastily unbuttoned it, scraps of paper burst out from inside.
“Aack…!”
Small pieces of paper scattered in every direction, landing on the food. Utterly bewildered, Siol reached inside his chest and pulled out the pouch. That was it. The paper scraps were continuously flowing out of the pouch connected to Ladie. What on earth? Did something happen to Ladie?
In the meantime, Eorzen, who had picked up a piece of paper and checked its contents, said to Siol.
“The king, he has made his move.”
⋆୨🔮୧⋆
The welcome party was still in progress, but it was no time to sit back and enjoy it. Siol threw himself into Eorzen’s arms, and Eorzen unfurled his wings and soared into the sky. The surrounding wolves grew clamorous, wondering what was happening, but there was no time to explain. Leaving Ladie and Asios, who had jumped to their feet and were shouting something, behind them, the two flew toward the king’s location.
Since so many of Ladie’s notes had fallen, anyone could read one and figure out what was going on.
“What’s the location?”
Siol asked Eorzen as they cut through the sky.
“Not far. We should be there in about ten minutes.”
“…Can we catch him?”
“We will catch him.”
Reassuring. Hearing the dragon’s confident declaration put his mind at ease a little.
Siol shoved the pouch he was holding back into his coat. The explosive torrent of paper scraps had now stopped. It seemed Ladie, who had said she would likely be able to pinpoint the king’s location in two days, had grown anxious at the king’s sudden appearance and resorted to this method, fearing Siol wouldn’t check the pouch in time.
“But it’s strange that it’s two days earlier than expected.”
“I have a guess about that.”
“A guess?”
“There is no city at the location the princess informed us of.”
“…What? What does that… Ah.”
“Yes. What is there is only a sleeping tower that has not appointed a master.”
Siol furrowed his brow.
“It seems a tower without a master can be taken over more easily.”
“Yes. That is my thought as well.”
KABOOM!!
Siol flinched at the sound coming from the distance. It was soon followed by a rumbling sound, as if something was crumbling down. A cloud of dust rose in the distance.
Coincidentally, the commotion was happening in the direction the two were heading. A battle was taking place at the tower. One side was the king, but who on earth was the other?
“Faster, go faster.”
“Siol. There is something I must tell you before that.”
“What? But we don’t have time…”
Eorzen placed a hand on the chest of the urgently pressing Siol. Right over where his heart was beating.
“I ask that you never forget the promise you made to me.”
Eorzen bit his lip mid-sentence, barely finishing his words. It was clearly an effort not to give a command. Siol found himself staring blankly at Eorzen’s face and missed the timing to reply.
Eorzen’s face contorted as he asked fiercely. It was the same expression he’d had a few days ago in the ruins, when he was angry and in pain. The same one he’d had when he resented him, asking why he would risk danger all by himself.
“Have you forgotten already? That I asked you to never let this heart stop….”
“Of course not! I remember. I get it, I’ll never let it stop!”
“When there is something you need done, you must command me. Do you understand?”
He knew this wasn’t the time, but for some reason, he felt as if the inside of his chest was filled with something warm and fuzzy. Siol smiled sheepishly at Eorzen, who was still demanding an answer with a sharp expression, and asked.
“Really, anything?”
“Yes. Anything at all.”
“Then there’s something you need to do for me right now.”
“Tell me.”
Siol glanced down slightly, then looked up and whispered his request.
“For a moment, please kiss me.”
“…….”
After a moment of blankness, Eorzen kissed Siol. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t a deep kiss, but after they kissed, the angry, furious Eorzen had vanished.
This time, Siol pecked Eorzen on the lips and whispered.
“Shall we do the rest after this is over?”
“…I will, increase our speed.”
As Siol hugged Eorzen’s neck tighter, Eorzen tucked his wings in slightly and then stretched them straight back. Magical power gathered in the dragon’s wings before being shot out forcefully behind them.
The speed was something Siol had never felt before, and he felt dizzy, but he endured it by simply hugging his dragon’s neck. They had to get there quickly. The king was a chilling psychopath who had steadily achieved his goals by putting forth numerous lies. It was certain that he, who had taken countless lives for his own purposes without a second thought, was trying to murder someone again.
CRASH!! KABOOM!!
As they got closer to the sleeping tower, the sounds of things shattering and breaking also grew closer.
The two saw one side of the tower explode, bricks crumbling mercilessly and falling to the ground below. Eorzen slowed down and approached the breached wall, hiding himself. A cloud of dry dust spread out in all directions before settling.
And then, the two witnessed an unexpected sight.
“Keuk…!!”
A man they had once seen often went flying, slammed into a wall, and then tumbled to the floor.
It was the king. Shockingly, the king was currently losing.
The fallen king coughed up blood amidst the dust cloud, then staggered to his feet. He spat out blood, “Ptooey,” and roughly wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The blood stained his cheek messily.
The king was already a wreck. He was torn up everywhere, dripping blood, and his left leg was broken, making his movements strange. He panted, thoroughly enraged, and glared at the other man across from him.
Siol reflexively identified the man who was cornering the king.
“He is the Demon King, Siol.”
“That man is the Demon King?”
Siol asked back, dumbfounded. The man was completely different from the image he had imagined every time he heard about the Demon King.
The one who tracks down and eradicates falsehoods about dragons. The being who fought against all the Ancients alone and won, forcing them to submit as messengers of the gods. The one who thus came to be called by the fearsome moniker of Demon King. He had thought the man would be burly and terrifying in appearance, but the man before his eyes was a stunningly beautiful and ethereal-looking man.
He was tall, similar in height to Eorzen, but his frame was thin and slender, making him look slim. His skin was so white it looked pale, almost giving him a sickly impression. A haughty beauty with a somewhat tired and bothered expression, his dark purple, long hair, which contrasted with his skin tone, was loosely tied once around his waist in a rough arrangement.
From his appearance alone, he looked like he had never been in a fight in his life.
‘Didn’t he say Demon King? Why is the “demon” (魔) part even attached to his name?’
And why was the Demon King fighting the king? In the middle of beastmen territory, no less.
His heart pounded as if he were facing a figure from legend. Siol unconsciously hugged Eorzen tighter, held his breath, and spied on the events unfolding inside the tower.
“Damn it…!”
The king gathered magical power in both hands and merged it into one. Magical powers of different attributes collided, swirling violently. The king threw the bomb, which was in a precarious state on the verge of exploding, toward the Demon King.
But this time, too, the king’s attack was futilely nullified.
When the Demon King extended his hand forward, the magical bomb the king had thrown unraveled like a skein of thread, returning to ordinary magical power and scattering into the air.
Neither physical attacks nor attacks using magic worked on the Demon King.
“Now I see.”
The king turned and a smile touched his lips.
“Demon King, you can hurt me, but you can’t kill me. Can you?”
“…….”
“If you could have, you would have killed me long ago. Wouldn’t you?”
The king said this as he spread his arms wide, as if to show off his tattered state. A broken leg, cuts and scrapes. However, most of the injured areas were his limbs. The Demon King had not attacked any place that might have caused a fatal wound. Although he was covered in scratches and bruises, they were all injuries sustained from the aftermath of attacks, when the king rolled on the floor or hit building debris.
“Does a being as powerful as you have some kind of restriction placed on you? Yes, that makes sense. It wouldn’t look good if a demigod were to carelessly interfere in the world’s affairs.”
The Demon King’s eyebrow twitched. From that expression, the king was convinced his words were correct.
“Then how about you listen for a moment. Why are you hostile toward me? I have never been hostile to dragons, nor have I ever spread falsehoods about them.”
The king asked as he staggered toward the Demon King. He didn’t even assume a defensive posture, as if daring him to try and attack.
“Demon King, weren’t you a being who punishes the enemies of dragons?”
“Wrong.”
“Ha. You finally speak. Only after the talk of dragons comes up.”
The king complained with annoyance, then forced a smile again.
“Fine. My plan might have been a threat to you, Demon King. Perhaps you were worried that when I became a god, I would become a being stronger than you…”
The Demon King glanced coolly at the king and swung his hand. The king was caught in a gust of wind and sent flying into the tower wall. A groan of, “Keuheuk,” was followed by the sound of panting, as if enduring pain. The king glared at the Demon King.
“Then tell me why you’re doing this!! What is the problem, Demon King!”
The Demon King fell silent again, and the king looked like he was dying of frustration.
“Damn it, why are you trying to solve a problem with a fight when it can be solved through dialogue!”
Siol was flabbergasted by the king’s act of pretending to be a rational and dignified person. After all the times he wielded lies as weapons and drove countless people to their deaths, now he was talking about problems that could be solved through dialogue?
It was a vile and despicable attitude. To brandish power when he is the strong one, and to demand dialogue when he is the weak one.
Eorzen rubbed the back of Siol, who was beside himself with anger, to comfort him. Then he whispered in his ear.
‘Shall I kill him.’
Surprisingly, that suggestion calmed Siol’s agitation.
Killing him was possible at any time. Siol had a wonderful blue dragon, so he could kill the king at any time. So for now, he wanted to gather more information.
Eorzen showed a disappointed expression, but he obediently followed Siol’s will.
“You will commit a sin in the future.”
“…What?”
“You will do something irreversible, and you will defile this land.”
“Right now, you’re doing this because of something I haven’t even done yet?”
“Because it will happen soon.”
When the Demon King reached out his hand, the king’s neck moved as if being sucked into that hand.
“Keoheok…!”
The king, with his throat seized, grimaced and struggled, then grabbed the Demon King’s arm and unleashed his magic. A violent storm of magical power raged between them. But still, the king’s attacks were repeatedly foiled, yielding no results.
Then, at some point, the Demon King’s body began to blur. The Demon King immediately threw the king away. His reaction was one of disgust, as if he had touched a filthy insect.
That must have been the Demon King’s restriction just now.
“How long do you intend to just watch?”
At the remark clearly aimed at them, Siol and Eorzen came out from the wall they were hiding behind and revealed themselves.
The Demon King is a being who tracks falsehoods about dragons. The Demon King punished the one who belittled the blue dragon while criticizing Ryufen, and even extended the punishment to Ryufen who was with him. He visited Ladie, who was lost in despair after losing Siol, and comforted her, saying her child would surely return. To be honest, he had no idea what the Demon King’s purpose was, or why he acted that way.
But it was a fact that the Demon King was friendly toward dragons, and the dragon’s mate.
“Lord Demon King. I…”
The moment he said that much, Siol’s eyes met the Demon King’s, and he turned pale.
The Demon King was an opponent he could not defeat, no matter what tricks he used. Not only his alchemy, but the dragon’s magic would also be repeatedly nullified, and the Demon King’s attacks would tear them apart. A vision of the dragon, bloody and fallen, flashed before his eyes. No, that could absolutely not happen.
Just as Siol, on the verge of tears, was about to beg Eorzen to run away, Eorzen’s hand covered Siol’s eyes.
“Siol, calm down.”
Panting as if he had run at full speed, Siol grabbed Eorzen with a trembling hand.
“The Demon King has the power to invoke fear by his mere presence. That’s why your thoughts raced to the worst-case scenario, but what you just imagined will not happen.”
“…I-I’m okay now.”
When Eorzen hesitated, Siol said again.
“Really.”
Only then did Eorzen remove his hand from Siol’s face. Siol had indeed calmed down.
He was fine now, but a moment ago, even though he knew the Demon King was friendly to dragons, the moment their eyes met, the fear of being attacked had dominated his mind. Could it be a power similar to the dragon’s ‘power to repel monsters’?
Relieved to see Siol taking a deep breath, Eorzen finally threw a reproachful word at the Demon King.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“My apologies.”
The Demon King immediately apologized, and Siol shook his head in surprise.
Seeing that he was fine now, it seemed the fear-inducing power was something the Demon King could control. A moment ago, in his anger, it must have been leaking out without him realizing it.
“No, it’s fine… no, actually.”
Siol glanced at the king. The king, who had been thrown by the Demon King earlier, had collided with the wall, rolled on the floor groaning, and was just now getting up. He saw Siol, his eyes went wide, and his face contorted.
“It’s not really fine, but if you give me the first right to the king… I think I’ll be fine…”
In his haste, Siol ended up copying Budril’s method of proposing a deal, and his face turned deathly pale. It was too base and childish a method to propose to a being like the Demon King.
“Fine.”
But the Demon King accepted without a second thought and took a few steps back. His attitude was as if he was truly yielding the first right. He didn’t leave, as if to see the outcome, but this much alone was a great favor.
Siol took a slow, deep breath and stood before the king with Eorzen.
“…Is Nanthaniel dead?”
“Yes.”
The king clicked his tongue, “Tsk.”
“A pity. He was a decent horse. Still, it’s a good thing I have plenty of the potions I received.”
“A horse?”
“Ah. Yes, you were a pretty good horse yourself. Let me take this opportunity to tell you, I had no intention of killing you.”
The king shrugged and continued.
“It was Nanthaniel who acted on his own. Since he’s already dead, I had no choice but to cherish the horse I had left. You should have come to me immediately after you were resurrected, Siol. If you had, we wouldn’t have become enemies like this.”
Even in a situation like this, he’s shifting the blame to others.
Siol became the king’s enemy because the king had swindled weapons from him for the past several years, deceiving him by saying they were needed for the fight against monsters. And it was also because, after using those weapons to kill beastmen, he had advertised Siol as a terrible alchemist who hated beastmen and was planning to annihilate them all. Furthermore, it was because he had put Siol forward as a shield for his own schemes.
“But you’re quite something too. To kill your own disciple, you’re pretty cold-hearted.”
Seeing the king criticize him without a thought for how he himself had treated Nanthaniel, Siol felt his head grow cold. Of course, he was angry. He was angry, but at the same time, he felt a sense of reality that the king he once knew truly did not exist.
“…Why did you do that to me?”
He had always wanted to ask.
Countless lies, and even more lies to cover them up. Siol had spent nearly ten years surrounded by lies. To be generous, perhaps he had been lured in with a lie at the beginning. But during the ten years the king was plotting all sorts of things, was there not a single opportunity to tell Siol the truth?
If he had told the truth, of course there would have been a great conflict between them, but the Siol of that time was so weak that he would have had no choice but to follow the king, even knowing it was the wrong path. He would have become a villain just like the king, killing people, destroying this world… he would have continued doing such unrighteous things.
And yet, the king had chosen to use Siol as a tool rather than accept him as a comrade.
He wanted to know the reason. Why, why did you only ever deceive me?
When they first met in the forest, the king wasn’t this kind of person. He would have nothing to say if told he was just deceived, but it was true. Even though he was a listless person who found everything in the world to be futile, he wasn’t someone who would treat another person’s life like dust. At least, not someone who would treat people like objects like this….
“Because you were useful.”
The king spat out the words as if they were nothing, and hearing that answer, Siol thought it was a good thing he had asked.
If he hadn’t asked, he might have had lingering feelings.
Instead of taking out his alchemical tools, Siol called Eorzen’s name.
“Lord Eorzen.”
“Shall I kill him.”
“Yes. Please, I ask you.”
Siol asked, steadying his voice that threatened to tremble, and Eorzen immediately charged at the king.
KABOOM!!
A sound like thunder roared as Eorzen’s fist, enhanced with magic, clashed with the defensive barrier the king hastily created. Following that, Eorzen’s ice lances tore the barrier to shreds.
With a contorted face, the king blocked all of the attacks, then generated an explosive gust of wind to push Eorzen back.
“The Blue Dragon, they say your very existence repels monsters? Let’s see you repel this, then.”
The king took out something like a test tube from his coat and dropped it to the floor. From within the shattered test tube, a colorless, odorless liquid spilled onto the floor, then quickly evaporated and disappeared.
Then, a strange ripple spread throughout the area. What on earth was that?
There was no need to ponder it deeply. He could immediately tell what power the liquid held.
Kiaaak—!!
*Grrr… Kwaaargh…. *
Along with the eerie cries of monsters, thumping footsteps rushed in. The sound of flapping wings also grew louder and louder. It wasn’t the sound of just one or two. The wingbeats of tens, hundreds of monsters formed a swarm, sounding like the buzzing of bees as they flew in.
Flying monsters instantly surrounded the tower as if to encircle it.
“Lord Eorzen, it must be the potions Nanthaniel made!”
Eorzen nodded and glanced around. The monsters that had rushed over, drawn by the scent from the test tube, were different from ordinary monsters. They didn’t attack their surroundings indiscriminately but seemed to possess reason as they observed the situation inside.
Thump!!
One of the largest flying monsters clung to the tower wall. The bizarrely shaped monster, looking like a mix between a chicken and a monkey, thrust its long neck inside. Its chicken-like eyes glinted as it surveyed the situation.
The king took another test tube from his coat and uncorked it.
Kiiiik—!
The monster, agitated, approached the king. It rubbed its face against the king as if begging him to give it the contents. The king clicked his tongue and poured the contents of one test tube into the monster’s mouth.
“Here, eat.”
The monster writhed and groaned as if in pain, then was soon enveloped in a dark red light. The light flickered in a strange form, making it impossible to tell if it was flowing from the monster or devouring it, before disappearing.
“I’ll give you one more if you stop that one.”
The monster let out a tearing, screeching sound and swelled its body. Its ferocious gaze was fixed on the dragon.
Eorzen furrowed his brow and released his draconic aura, but there was no reaction. The monsters, unfazed by the dragon’s aura, targeted Eorzen. For the sake of the unknown potion the king held, they had cast aside their fear.
Eorzen summoned a rotating mass of ice with sharp blades and sent it flying toward the monster. The monster’s blood and flesh splattered.
He wasn’t afraid of the fight, but he was worried about Siol. When he glanced back, the Demon King had moved closer to Siol’s side.
Kaang!!
A small monster had approached while he was distracted for a moment, trying to bite his head off. Eorzen shoved an ice spear down its throat. The monster, unaware, closed its mouth, biting down on the ice and rolling its eyes. When he gave its jaw an uppercut to help it close its mouth properly, the monster screamed and was thrown back.
“How do you like that? Without the power to repel monsters, a dragon is just a lizard beastman who can use a little magic.”
“You, how dare you call my dragon a lizard beastman!!”
Siol shouted in a fit of anger, leaving Eorzen unable to even get angry himself. The joy of Siol flying into a rage for him was greater than his displeasure.
Eorzen let out a small laugh and gathered the surrounding magic to make it rain ice spears.
Kwagwagwagwak!!
The downpour of ice spears pierced through the monsters. The only one that remained unharmed was the one the king had given the potion to earlier. It had shielded the king with its body, blocking the ice spears, and now bared its teeth at Eorzen in a threatening gesture.
Kiyaaak—!!
It was a truly strange sensation. In his entire life, he had never seen a monster act so threateningly.
Ever since he was young, any monster would flee in terror the moment he appeared. If he hid his draconic aura, there were times they didn’t realize he was a dragon, but even then, they wouldn’t flee but would remain conscious of him, ready to run at any moment.
“This is not a pleasant feeling.”
The sight of a being he considered less than an ant crawling at his feet suddenly baring its fangs was more unpleasant than it was novel.
If they were going to display aggression without knowing their place like this, there was only one answer. He had to properly teach the monster that he was a being it should submit to.
Eorzen transformed into a dragon.
Blue scales shimmered, reflecting the moonlight. As the colossal dragon took a step toward the king, the monster flinched and took a step back. The draconic aura he exuded in human form was inevitably of a different quality than when he was a true dragon. The aura of Eorzen in his dragon form carried an oppressive weight that was incomparable to before.
“Yes, a moment ago… did you call me a lizard beastman who can use a little magic?”
As the blue dragon languidly tilted its head and asked, the monster began to tremble. Eorzen slowly approached the monster and the king. The king seemed to be grinding his teeth, searching for a countermeasure, while the monster, paralyzed with fear, stepped back one step at a time until it reached the edge and finally stopped.
“If you still see me that way, I’ll have to gouge out those useless eyes.”
Eorzen roared fiercely and shoved the monster with his tail, sending it falling from the tower. The monster flailed its front paws and scratched the dragon’s tail, but it only managed to knock off a few scales; its claws couldn’t even reach the flesh beneath. The king barely escaped being caught up in the commotion.
Even if he had escaped, there was no time to relax. Eorzen spread his wings, scattering magical power as he unleashed a high-level spell.
“I will make you feel with your own body that a dragon’s magic is on a different level from a human’s.”
Streaks of light began to pour down from high in the sky. It was a beautiful sight, as if starlight were falling, but in reality, it was a fierce attack of light-attribute arrows raining down with the force of gravity.
BOOM!! KABOOM!! KABANG!!
The arrows rained down with enough force to demolish the tower. The king, pale-faced, ran toward the mana stone. The mana from the stone poured out like a wave, raging like a storm. The wind blew some of the arrows away, causing them to fall outside the tower.
KWAAANG!! The shattered tower wall tumbled down below, raising a rough cloud of dust.
“Damn it…”
As if suppressing his anger, the king swallowed a curse, thrust his hand deep into the mana stone, spread it wide, then slowly clenched his fist. Simultaneously, the surrounding mana pulsed.
He was trying to use the power of the mana stone and the tower to steal the magic of everyone present.
But there was no way such a trick would work on those present. The reason people living in cities and territories had their magic stolen by towers was because they lacked control over the magic in their own bodies. There was no way a dragon and the Demon King would fall for such a trick. Siol was on the edge, but he managed to hold on.
“Siol. Remember this. My plan will not collapse over something like this. Yes, go ahead and come. In the capital, neither the dragon nor the Demon King will dare to oppose me.”
Claiming that this defeat was not a matter of skill but of location, the king walked straight into the mana stone.
Siol’s eyes widened at the unexpected escape method. Before he could express his surprise, the mana stone began to flash faster, and mana started to swirl ominously.
“Siol, over here!”
Eorzen pulled Siol into his arms and turned his back to the mana stone.
Then, the mana stone gathered all the surrounding magic and caused a massive explosion. In the midst of the searing heat and blinding light, Siol hugged Eorzen’s back with all his might.
How long did the explosion last?
He felt as if he were trapped in some infinite space without light, darkness, sound, or temperature. Siol clung to the only sensation he could feel, enduring the time, and as soon as the explosion subsided, he opened his eyes… or so he thought.
But it seemed that wasn’t the case. When Siol opened his eyes, Eorzen was lifting him into an embrace, brushing away the hair that was poking his eyes. Behind Eorzen, the sun was rising.
It was definitely night just a moment ago.
“Siol, are you alright?”
“Yes…. Um, how long was I like this?”
“It hasn’t been that long.”
Eorzen said this, then lowered his head with a somber expression.
“I’m sorry, Siol.”
“What? Why are you apologizing?”
“I let the king get away.”
“No, it’s not your fault. I was short-sighted. I had no idea he could escape like that. The sorcery of the Ancients always surpasses my imagination, I really couldn’t have imagined it.”
It was such an ingenious escape method that it was hard to even say they had been complacent.
“We can’t give the king any more time. But we can’t go without any preparation either. Let’s go back to Atum for now, Lord Eorzen.”
“There is someone we need to talk to about that matter for a moment, Siol.”
“Someone to talk to?”
Siol followed Eorzen’s gaze and turned his head, then was startled and sat up when he saw a pristine-looking man leaning against the rubble of a wall, looking their way. This was not an opponent to be faced in such a lax posture.
The Demon King was watching him. With his characteristic cold expression.
“Lord Demon King!”
“I must confirm your intentions. Mate of the dragon.”
“What… intentions are you talking about?”
“Do you still wish for the first right to the human king?”
The Demon King was a being friendly to dragons and their mates, but not so to the Ancients. And it would likely be the same for humans.
“The reason I eradicated the Ancients was because they exploited this land.”
It was a declaration that if the king committed the same acts as the Ancients, humanity would also follow in the Ancients’ footsteps.
The Demon King was under a restriction that prevented him from easily wielding his power in this land. However, considering the war with the Ancients and the stories related to dragons, there were clearly a few conditions that could break that restriction.
There was no way he could let the people living in this land walk the path of destruction.
Siol said firmly.
“The king is my responsibility.”
“Will you swear it?”
“I swear.”
“The dragon will guarantee your oath.”
Hearing those words, Siol froze.
If asked to wager his own life, he could do so without hesitation. But to wager the dragon on that promise was another matter entirely. Of course, he intended to find and kill the king, but…
“Th-that’s…”
“It’s fine, Siol.”
Eorzen suggested it casually. As if his own life weren’t on the line, without a hint of hesitation.
“We are going to kill him, are we not? Together.”
After a moment of hesitation while meeting eyes filled with trust, Siol finally answered.
“I will, without fail.”
“In that case, I will watch.”
The Demon King nodded.
“…Excuse me?”
“I will confirm it with my own eyes.”
“While… traveling with us?”
“Yes.”
It was incredibly burdensome. But if he refused, the Demon King might decide to eradicate humanity without watching. Siol reluctantly agreed. Ladie had been constantly worried that the king would follow in the footsteps of the Ancients, and that because of it, the Demon King would set out to annihilate humanity. He couldn’t let that happen.
As if sensing his dejection, the Demon King reached out and patted Siol’s head.
“Eh…?”
Surprised by the firm touch, Eorzen swatted the Demon King’s hand away. The Demon King then withdrew his hand nonchalantly. Without even getting angry.
Siol pulled on Eorzen’s arm and glanced between the two of them.
He couldn’t understand the relationship between the Blue Dragon and the Demon King, nor why the Demon King remained calm even after having his hand slapped away.
They didn’t seem particularly close, yet they didn’t seem to be on bad terms either. He was so curious, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the right atmosphere to ask what their relationship was.
“Um… first, I want to let Ladie know the situation. Could you… wait for just a moment?”
“You may do as you wish, Siol. Don’t mind the Demon King.”
“How can I not?”
“It’s fine.”
At Eorzen’s response, Siol glanced at the Demon King, who gave a slight nod. As if telling him to do as he pleased.
Feeling too pressured to communicate with Ladie between these two high-presence individuals, Siol quietly got up and went to a corner. He sat on the rubble of a small wall, took the pouch from his coat, and suddenly noticed sparkling fragments scattered at his feet. Among the dust of the shattered mana stone, which no longer held any magic, were deep blue fragments.
He absentmindedly picked one up and saw it was a piece of Eorzen’s scale, its tip glowing translucently. It seemed a few had fallen off when he had struck the monster with his tail.
‘That must have hurt…’
Siol, on the verge of tears, was picking up the scale fragments one by one when he suddenly fell into thought, stroking one of the scales.
He had heard that dragon scales had the power to repel monsters. If that was the case…
Siol quickly used the pouch to send a note to Ladie.
[Ladie. I’m sorry. I let him get away. The king escaped through a mana stone. It might be hard to understand what I mean, but it’s true.]
The reply that came back a moment later was a question.
[Was there an explosion there, by any chance?]
[How did you know? After the king went into the mana stone, the mana stone exploded.]
[Are you unhurt? Actually, there was an explosion here too. A city right near the capital was completely wiped out. I was looking into what happened, but it seems the two explosions are connected.]
[I’m fine, Lord Eorzen protected me. Could the king have passed from the mana stone here to the one over there? And the explosion was the aftermath?]
[Yes. We can only think of it that way.]
Siol pressed his lips together for a moment. If it was a city near the capital, a great many people must have lived there…
He didn’t think the king would have intentionally blown up such a place. To the king, the people living near the towers were resources from which to draw magic. Then, could it be that the explosion in this land was also not the king’s intention? He had thought the king had blown up the mana stone to attack them as well, but perhaps the mana stone simply couldn’t withstand the king’s passage.
[Then, things are about to move quickly. If that man has returned to the capital, everyone will know by now. An all-out war will unfold. Fortunately, I’ve gathered quite a bit of strength during this time. Master Siol, can you come now?]
[Of course, I’m coming. But before that, there’s one more thing to tell you. Right now, the Demon King is with me.]
[More details.]
The urgent reply showed just how surprised Ladie was. Siol concisely and in detail explained the current situation. That the Demon King was pursuing the king, and that the king had committed sins similar, though to a different degree, to those committed by the Ancients. And that he had decided to kill the king so that the Demon King would not make enemies of all humanity.
[The king is a son of a bitch.]
The blunt curse that came from beyond the pouch made Siol burst out laughing despite himself. Though it was a short phrase, he could fully feel Ladie’s raging anger. Fortunately, Siol had an idea to reassure Ladie.
Siol fiddled with the dragon scale in his hand and wrote a reply.
[Ladie, I have a good idea, listen to this.]
⋆୨🔮୧⋆
“…I’ve been thinking about this, what do you think?”
After finishing his conversation with Ladie, Siol ran to Eorzen and told him about the discussion he just had with Ladie. It was a sudden idea, so he was worried Eorzen might find flaws in it, but after a moment of thought, Eorzen replied in a confident tone.
“It will work.”
“Really? That’s a relief. Then we need to move quickly. There’s a lot to prepare.”
Eorzen caught Siol as he hastily stood up and made him sit down again.
“Ladie will help gather the city lords. I will send birds to the cities where Ladie has no connections.”
“But the city lords don’t leave their cities easily. Will they come? It will take a long time if we have to visit each of them…”
“We can make them come.”
“How?”
Siol felt anxious. Now that he had even wagered the dragon on killing the king, he didn’t feel like delaying even for a moment. No matter how friendly the Demon King was to dragons, one never knew. Unaware of his anxiety, Eorzen smiled ever so beautifully.
“We can send them an engagement party invitation.”
“…What?”
As Siol asked back with a reddened face, Eorzen calmly continued his explanation.
“If we say we are getting engaged, no one will dare to be absent.”
Dragons were beings madly in love with their mates. If the Blue Dragon, who had suffered for so long from not being able to find a mate, were to send out invitations for an engagement party, it was certain that no one would be able to refuse. Because they wouldn’t know what would happen to them if they refused.
But was it really okay? It was a lie. Siol glanced at the Demon King, but the Demon King just had his eyes closed.
As if sensing Siol’s confusion, Eorzen whispered suggestively.
“Shall we make it real while we’re at it?”
“…Don’t joke around.”
Siol continued grumpily.
“Right now, I’m busy enough just with killing the king. I have to hurry to get Lord Eorzen back.”
“I am right here, what are you talking about?”
“You’re being held as collateral by the Demon King!”
“Collateral…”
“I’ll get you back quickly, so just be patient for a little while. Just a little.”
“Yes. I will wait, Siol.”
As Siol declared this in a dependable manner, Eorzen smiled as if pleased.
⋆୨🔮୧⋆
Afterward, Siol and Eorzen, having no choice, returned to Atum accompanied by the Demon King. Even though the sun had risen and it was now morning, the wolves were still eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves. How could they have so much stamina even for playing?
Siol awkwardly waved to the drunken wolves who were greeting him with ‘Wow, it’s the young master!’ and dancing, and returned to the mansion.
“Siol! Are you alright?”
Ladie, who had heard the news of Siol’s return, came running in a hurry and asked. She checked Siol’s body for any injuries, and once she saw he was unharmed, she pulled him into a tight hug.
“I knew where you went from the note, but I was so worried…. The Demon King?”
Ladie’s complexion turned deathly white upon spotting the Demon King. After a moment of silence while looking at the Demon King, Ladie soon stepped forward with a resolute expression. Hiding Siol behind her back.
“Yes. Demon King, I had been expecting your visit soon. It’s earlier than I thought… but I accept.”
The Demon King looked back at her with his characteristic cold expression.
“What are you talking about?”
“…Aren’t you… here to capture me?”
“For what reason?”
“Because I told Siol that he wasn’t the Blue Dragon’s mate…?”
You did? The Blue Dragon’s face hardened, but Siol quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. He had heard such words, but wasn’t that from a time when various misunderstandings were rampant? Siol had no intention of reprimanding Ladie over that matter.
“Why did you do that?”
“I thought the child would awaken in his original body. I believed that since the witch had driven out the soul, the soul would return and awaken him.”
The Demon King nodded and asked.
“And now?”
“Now?”
“How is it now? With the child.”
“Now I know that Siol is my child.”
“Are you treating him well? Not hitting him?”
“What are you talking about! Why would I hit my child?”
After observing Ladie, who was agitatedly arguing back, the Demon King nodded once more.
“Then that’s fine.”
“…Fine?”
“Yes. It’s fine if you’ve reconciled. Families fight sometimes.”