VOLUME 9: CHAPTER 8

VOLUME 9: CHAPTER 8

Rugard, the Kingdom of Dwarves.

The only nation in the continent that the Great Empire refused to antagonize. A nation so strong that it had never lost a single battle since its founding. The Kingdom protected by the mythical Dragon.

Just recently, the entire Dwarven Kingdom was in an uproar. The Ancient Fire Dragon, who, under normal circumstances, refused to speak even to the Dwarven King, suddenly issued out an order. An order to investigate the new human king ruling over their adjacent nation.

Several days had passed since then. After mobilizing all of his men, and after exhausting all means possible, the current Dwarven King – King Lerenon ‘Blood Mithril’ Rugard – finally decided to give his report to the Ancient Fire Dragon.

Bringing the four princes with him, King Lerenon climbed the highest mountain within the Dwarven Kingdom. After passing by the dragonewt village, they finally arrived at the mountain peak. The place where the Lair was located.

They stopped in front of the Lair’s entrance. The ninety-meters large entrance, which resembled a temple, was made entirely of gold. Numerous runes and magic formations, meant to immediately kill unwanted visitors, were engraved on the golden pillars.

Before entering, King Lerenon sternly said to his sons, “Do all of you remember the rules?”

He decided to ask them again, just in case.

The four princes nodded their heads resolutely. They said in unison, “Yes, father.”

Unless permitted, never make eye contact with the Dragon.

Never touch any of the treasures and artifacts inside the Lair.

The words of the Dragon were absolute. Never question the Dragon’s orders, no matter what.

These were the rules everyone should abide by inside the Lair. The number of foolish dwarves who’d met their demise after not following these rules – most of them from the royal family – numbered in the dozens.

For mere mortals like them, the words of the Dragon were tantamount to law.

“There should still be a couple of months left before the Dragon chooses a successor among the four of you,” said King Lerenon. “Use this chance to leave behind an impression. Use this opportunity to gain the Dragon’s favor.”

The eyes of the princes glimmered with dangerous light. The successor to the throne was not yet set in stone. At the end of the day, the Dragon would have the final say regarding the future successor.

“Remember, never question the words of the Dragon,” said King Lerenon.

After uttering his final reminder, King Lerenon placed a hand on one of the golden pillars, activating the runes engraved on it.

King Lerenon said, “We’ve come to pay our respects to The Great Guardian Deity.”

As much as it loved treasures and beautiful things, the Dragon loved flattery. King Lerenon, who’d met the Dragon several times before, knew this more than anyone.

Several seconds passed and a voice spoken in human tongue was heard. “I’ve been waiting for you, Lerenon. Come inside.”

“Thank you, Great Guardian Deity,” said King Lerenon.

The sinister spell guarding the entrance of the Lair was deactivated and King Lerenon’s group was granted entry into the colossal cavern. They traversed the ninety-meters tall path leading to the heart of the cavern. Unlike dungeons, there was only a single, straight path leading to the Lair. The walls and the ceiling were made entirely of gold, and numerous luminous devices, crafted only by the best craftsmen, were embedded in them. Every now and then, they passed by murals drawn on the walls depicting the greatness of the Dragon Race. There were murals showing the Dragons standing at the peak of the highest mountains, murals depicting a dragon flying in the heavens, and murals showing humans worshipping a newly-born hatchling.

After walking for over half an hour, they finally arrived at the heart of the Lair – a kilometer-large clearing where the Dragon slept. Numerous gigantic crystals, which resembled kalrane stones, were seen here and there. At the opposite end of the path, they saw the Dragon’s hoard – a mountain of gold, artifacts, and treasures. These were the treasures that had been accumulating in the Lair for centuries. Treasures offered to the Dragon by the dwarven race over several generations.

Upon seeing the Dragon, who was lying on top of the mountain of gold, King Lerenon and the four princes immediately lowered their heads, their eyes staring at the ground. Slowly, they knelt.

“King Lerenon and his sons humbly pay their respect to The Great Guardian Deity!” said King Lerenon.

The four princes behind him immediately followed suit, “We humbly pay our respect to The Great Guardian Deity!”

Despite his nickname – ‘Blood Mithril’ – King Lerenon sounded very submissive, as though he would immediately lick the floor if the Dragon ordered him to. Even his sons, each of them notorious in their own right, acted like shivering mutts before the Dragon.

The Ancient Fire Dragon was satisfied with this.

Indeed, this was how things were supposed to be like. That damn human who contacted them via the communication crystal was the abnormal one.

“It’s been four days, Dwarven King,” said the Dragon, it’s voice deep and domineering. It exuded some of its dragon fear, effectively making the four princes tremble while kneeling. King Lerenon, on the other hand, lived up to his reputation as the strongest Dwarf. He remained unperturbed even after being exposed to the dragon fear. “I expect that you’ve accomplished the tasks I’ve entrusted you.”

As the king of the dwarves, King Lerenon was privy of several things. He knew that there were several Dragons living in this Lair. This was all the more reason for the Dwarven King to fear them. Just a single Dragon would be enough to lay waste to the Dwarven capital. Several more would be more than enough to destroy the entire kingdom in just a single day. King Lerenon believed that they should never offend these mythical creatures, no matter what.

“This humble servant worked himself to the bones to fulfill the tasks you’ve entrusted, Great Guardian Deity.” King Lerenon made sure to always add that title at the end of his words.

The Dragon’s gaze shifted from King Lerenon to the four princes. It said, “I’m aware that the time has come for me to choose the next successor to the throne. But this matter is of graver importance, Lerenon.”

The four princes flinched upon hearing this.

A matter of greater importance than choosing the next successor?

“Of course, Great Guardian Deity,” said King Lerenon. “We’ve gathered everything we could regarding the new king of Lukas, Lark Marcus.”

“Very well,” said the Dragon. “Tell me everything, Lerenon.”

King Lerenon started reporting everything they’d learned regarding the new king of Lukas. His age, his features and appearance, his origins, the people close to him, his military might, territories, even down to the food he enjoyed eating. King Lerenon made sure not to miss anything. Fortunately, although the Dwarven Kingdom had closed off their borders to the world centuries ago, they still made sure to maintain a strong information network. They planted spies and informants in various kingdoms, all for the sake of maintaining their status as the continent’s most powerful nation.

“He defeated a monster horde – tens of thousands of them – on his own,” said the Dragon after hearing King Lerenon’s report. “And he erected a large wall and a barrier to protect a town under his jurisdiction.”

The Dragon sounded really interested upon hearing this.

“The barrier protecting that town is similar to the one currently enclosing their capital, you say?” said the Dragon.

“I believe so, Great Guardian Deity,” said King Lerenon.

The Dragon laughed, its voice reverberating through the entire Lair. After some time, it paused. Its eyes widened and it roared, “Are you taking me for a fool, Lerenon!”

A shockwave swept past the Dwarven King and the four princes. The third prince, who was known to have the weakest constitution and fighting strength among them, immediately lost consciousness. With his eyes rolled up, he fell limp on the ground. King Lerenon and the other princes, fearing the Dragon’s wrath, did nothing to help the prince who’d fallen to the ground.

“Even I, an Ancient Fire Dragon, needed to constantly supply the barrier enclosing this Kingdom with mana!” said the Dragon. He sounded really angry for some reason. “Heavens Dominion! The strongest barrier spell available only to Dragons! Are you telling me that not only did that human king manage to erect such a barrier to their capital, he also cast the same spell to protect a small human town?!”

The Dragon felt insulted upon hearing this part of the report. The spell their race was so proud of was cast by a mere human? Impossible. The knowledge of the spell aside, they needed astronomical amounts of mana and a strong medium to cast a pinnacle-grade spell. There mere thought of a human casting such a spell was preposterous. Moreover, he cast it to protect a small town in the middle of the wilderness.

“B-But based on the information from my me—”

The Dragon slammed its front paw, sending a shockwave upon impact. The fourth prince almost vomited blood, but managed to regain himself at the last moment. Dragons were truly terrifying creatures. Just the shockwave alone was enough to render seasoned warriors like them immobile.

“Lerenon, I’ve already told you,” growled the Dragon. “We do not tolerate liars.”

King Lerenon didn’t utter a reply. He knew that if he continued insisting that he was telling the truth, this Dragon wouldn’t hesitate to slaughter all of them here. In the Dragon’s eyes, it did not matter even if he was the Dwarven King. This was the difference between them and this mythical creature.

After calming down for a bit, the Dragon said, “Leave.” It gazed at the princes. “It seems that your descendants didn’t inherit even half your courage and strength, Lerenon. How disappointing.”

The princes, who initially came here to gain the Dragon’s favor, trembled. This was their first time meeting the Ancient Fire Dragon. Who would have known that it would be this terrifying? The princes started realizing how great their father, King Lerenon, truly was. He was the only one in this place who remained unperturbed even after being subjected to the dragon fear.

“As you will, Great Guardian Deity,” said King Lerenon. The Dragon’s words were tantamount to law. He did not dare refute its words.

“Margaro,” said King Lerenon.

“Father,” said the First Prince.

“Carry that pathetic brother of yours,” King Lerenon referred to the prince who’d lost consciousness. “We’re leaving.”

“Yes, father!”

Without looking at the Dragon, and without turning their backs, the dwarves left the heart of the Lair.

After confirming that the dwarves were gone, the Ancient Fire Dragon said, “What do you think?”

A voice from above replied, “I do not think that the Dwarven King would dare lie to us, dear.”

“And you, Shahaneth?”

“I’m… not sure. The vision of the future has become muddled lately, father.”

Using the polymorph spell, the Ancient Fire Dragon – the leader of the tribe – slowly turned into a human. A middle-aged man with long crimson hair reminiscent of the sun. His scales turned into red armor, and his claws turned into a claymore. His slit-like pupils were like blazing fire.

“Whether the words uttered by Lerenon are the truth or not,” said the Ancient Fire Dragon. “I will see for myself.”

The other Dragons did not object to it. They knew that once their leader made up his mind, there was no turning back. Moreover, they were curious too. They wanted to know if that human king had indeed erected two pinnacle-grade spells on his own. It should have been impossible, unless one was a Dragon.

“Can I come with you, father?” said Shahaneth.

The leader of the Dragons pondered for a moment. “Very well. Come, Shahaneth.”

The Fire Dragon called Shahaneth activated polymorph and slowly turned into a female human. She appeared to be around twenty-years-old, with the same crimson hair as her father. Her dress, reminiscent of flames, flowed past her ankles. If not for her slit-like pupils, she would easily pass as an aristocrat’s daughter.

The father-daughter duo left the Lair. They flew past the barrier protecting the Dwarven Kingdom and headed straight toward the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas. As a creature with near perfect memory, just the reports they’d garnered from the Dwarves were enough for them to pinpoint the exact location of the human cities.

Without bothering to conserve their mana, they flew at top speed. And soon, they arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas.

“It’s real,” muttered the leader of the Fire Dragons upon seeing the massive barrier enclosing the entire capital. “Heaven’s Dominion. A pinnacle-grade spell is protecting the human city.”

The leader and his daughter were struck speechless upon realizing that the words uttered by the Dwarven King were real.

So, this was the reason why that human king dared to be so haughty despite being in the presence of Dragons like them.

But how did the human erect such a barrier?

As far as they knew, this was a spell exclusive to their Dragon Race.

“Lerenon,” said the leader of the Fire Dragons. “He said that there were two pinnacle-grade barriers.”

“The human town, father,” said Shahaneth.

The two Dragons looked at each other. Both of them wished to see the town too, especially the barrier and the colossal wall enclosing it.

Decisively, the two flew southeast, toward the direction of Blackstone Town. They flew at top speed, and after several hours, they finally arrived at their destination. The two couldn’t help but be in awe upon seeing Heaven’s Dominion enclosing a mere human town. Even the sixty-meters large wall was fortified with solid clumps of mana. Unlike the stonewalls protecting most human cities, this one was more durable – it was capable of taking even a blow from a dragon’s magic.

This was no mere town. It was a fortress.

“I see,” said the leader of the Fire Dragons. “This must be the reason for that vision of your Shahaneth. If it’s that human, then it’s possible. Such a human should be capable of leading and protecting us Dragons.”

Although Dragons were prideful creatures, they were capable of recognizing the strong. And upon seeing the barrier spells and the walls, the two Dragons started recognizing King Lark’s true worth.

“We’ve seen enough,” said the leader of the Fire Dragons. “Shahaneth, we’re heading back.”

“Yes, father.”

The leader of the Fire Dragons planned on going back to the Lair upon witnessing these things. The moment he arrived at the Dwarven Kingdom, he planned on summoning the Dwarven King once more and ask him to send over a hundred delegates to the capital of the Kingdom of Lukas. They needed to become allies with the Kingdom of Lukas – particularly with the human King – no matter what.

The vision of Shahaneth had never been wrong before. A war so great that it would rip apart the continent would surely come. They needed to do at least this much to survive.

“The human king asked us to show sincerity,” said Shahaneth. “Are you planning on making an oath using our dragon blood, father?”

The leader of the Fire Dragons didn’t utter a reply. Although he wished to become allies with the human king, he was still unsure if he was willing to go as far as swearing an oath using their blood.

He decided to ponder over it carefully. After all, this concerned the survival of their tribe.

Just when they were about to go back to the Dwarven Kingdom, the two Dragons felt tremendous pressure coming their way. A massive clump of mana was headed toward their direction.

“What’s that?” said Shahaneth.

The ominous mana was definitely hostile.

The creature, who looked like nothing but a dot from afar, slowly became bigger as it closed the distance. Eventually, the two Dragons came face-to-face with the creature. A seven-headed monster with black iridescent scales and two pairs of bat-like wings.

The seven-headed monster haughtily spoke in draconian, “A fellow lizard. It’s been quite a while since I’ve met one.”

The two Dragons were still assuming the form of humans using polymorph. They appeared tiny before the seven-headed monster.

“As for the reason why you’ve been observing the territory of my God—” Massive amounts of mana started gathering inside two of its mouths. “—We’ll talk later, after we’ve crippled the two of you. While he is gone, my God entrusted this territory’s protection to me, but you dare lay your eyes on it? Consider this as divine punishment, fools.”