Silver Dragon Chronicles, Episode 86
Prologue
Five hundred years ago, the Middle Realm was truly hell.
Science and magic had developed.
Humans had become the rulers of the Middle Realm and achieved tremendous glory, receiving the admiration of many other worlds.
One day, thirty beings appeared before the humans who were growing day by day by learning the magic of the Heavenly Realm.
They possessed power beyond that of humans, but they were few in number and weak.
Humans believed without a doubt that they would pave yet another path of development.
And so, war broke out between humans and the thirty beings—the ones called the Blood Children.
There was a de facto leader leading the Blood Children, and humans were frantic to capture that leader. The longer they fought alongside that leader, the more the Blood Children’s abilities gradually rose.
Then one day, joining forces with the angels of the Heavenly Realm, they stormed the place where the leader was. And so, the humans who managed to slay the leader soon thought the Blood Children would fall into their hands.
But what returned with the leader’s death was not human development and glory, but cruel slaughter.
Along with the leader’s death, Eun Hwihwa, the Silver Dragon King of the Silver Kingdom in the Dragon Realm, was enraged.
The fury of Eun Hwihwa that fell upon the Middle Realm was truly terrifying.
Human culture, which had achieved infinite glory, collapsed overnight, and humans began to decline.
Seventy percent of the human population was annihilated by the Silver Dragon King alone.
And the Heavenly Realm, which had lent its strength from behind, could not remain unscathed either.
Thirty percent of the forces in the Heavenly Realm were disintegrated into thin air by the Silver Dragon King.
The world called this event the Rage of the Silver Dragon King.
To this day, the entire world watches the Dragon Realm’s mood, fearing that the Silver Dragon King might rage once more.
Chapter 1. Return
Many races live in the Middle Realm. Among them, the races representing the Middle Realm are humans, elves, beastmen, and dwarves.
Elves are skilled in magic and spirit arts, while beastmen possess superior physical abilities. Dwarves are good at making things, and humans can do everything.
But no race has reached the pinnacle in any one field.
Even among humans, outstanding individuals are rare, but still, those with the fastest rate of development are undoubtedly the humans.
Learning spirit arts and magic from elves, martial arts from beastmen, and techniques from dwarves, humans developed brilliantly.
Five hundred years ago, a great massacre occurred due to the Rage of the Silver Dragon King, but by now, they had formed a powerful force.
Even so, humans cannot wield power recklessly as before.
It is precisely because of the Dragon Lords who have descended into the Middle Realm.
After the incident five hundred years ago, the rulers of the Middle Realm have become dragons.
Although there are kings of each nation, above them stand the Dragon Lords.
If there is an important matter of state, one always has to receive the Dragon Lord’s permission.
Dragon Lord—a position corresponding to the midpoint between a Dragon Duke and a Dragon King, held by collateral royalty of each Dragon King clan.
If one were to look at the Demon Realm or Heavenly Realm, they hold positions comparable to those of a Demon Archduke or an Angel Lieutenant General.
Even such Dragon Lords do not particularly interfere in human wars. Whether they fight or not, it is none of the dragons’ business.
But they cannot recklessly attack other races.
The only ones who can attack without the Dragon Lords’ permission are, at best, the thirty Blood Children existing in the Middle Realm.
Beings possessing the energy of dragons yet not dragons, possessing the energy of demons yet not demons, possessing the energy of angels yet not angels.
Born through the experiments of each world…….
Children possessing the blood of the races of each world—Blood Children.
But even in each world, these children are targets of execution. Though they have created them, they do not protect them. They are merely troublesome existences of each world.
“Hmmm~”
A small silver-haired girl stepped into the empire’s capital as if in a good mood. Behind her, a black-haired young man followed with a sigh.
The one and only empire on the surface.
An empire created when three kingdoms united three hundred years ago. For generations, the imperial throne was occupied by a single individual from among the three royal families, chosen by a vote of the nobility.
The Dragon Lords overseeing those kings were the Red Dragon, the Blue Dragon, and the Black Dragon, respectively. One might say they had bundled the most ferocious dragons into a set?
Those three dragon clans lived smugly, indulging in their own superiority.
Of course, these days Silver Dragons are the trend because of the Silver Dragon King, but it seems even dragon clans follow trends. Ah, or is that just nonsense?
Anyway, the empire forming the most powerful force among the ten nations existing in the Middle Realm.
Near the imperial capital of that empire, the black-haired young man sighed and spoke.
“Dangerous, dangerous, dangerous.”
“What is?”
“I’m saying it’s dangerous, Seiran! No matter how much I think about it, this is just wrong!”
“Will you shut your mouth, Reben?”
The little girl called Seiran pouted her lips at the young man.
“What do you mean it’s dangerous?”
Reben spoke to Seiran, who let out a deep sigh.
“Surveillance is especially strict these days…….”
Looking at Reben speaking in a small voice, Seiran smiled brightly.
“Then go back, you coward!”
“Tch! It’s because if you get into danger, it’ll be a big problem!”
“Someone like Reben!”
When Seiran grumbled, Reben let out a long sigh.
“Yeah, someone like me!”
Seiran, a Blood Child possessing the blood of the Silver Dragon.
Skilled in magic and science, she was the oldest among the thirty Blood Children, yet because her human appearance was that of an early-to-mid teenager, she looked the youngest.
On the other hand, Reben was an outstanding swordsman. Inheriting the blood of demons, he could not use magic, but he was a master of dual blades.
Especially when active at night, he truly transformed into a terrifying reaper.
Besides them, they had various comrades, but it was dangerous wherever they went.
Since pursuers were everywhere, there were almost no places where they could live safely.
But the pursuers were not only humans.
There were also pursuers sent from each world—powerhouses who clearly surpassed human standards—who threatened their lives.
They used all kinds of traps to shake off their pursuers one by one. It was truly fortunate that their pursuers included no beings at the level of Dragon Count, Demon Count, or Angel Major or higher.
“It’s been five hundred years since he passed away.”
“Yeah, he taught us how to fight.”
Eun Jehwa, the Silver Dragon Prince, the only existence in the entire world who had sheltered them.
His combat ability truly lagged behind. At the time, he possessed power weaker than that of five Blood Children, after all.
But he possessed knowledge. He taught the Blood Children how to use their power.
They had been far too inexperienced in handling their respective powers, but Eun Jehwa trained them and taught magic to those who were bright.
He could not use magic directly himself, but he knew all the theories inside out, so he taught magic to those with aptitude for it and trained those children with aptitude for martial arts.
And so, those who had only been chased by humans gradually began to fight back against humans.
Bit by bit, they grew stronger, and Eun Jehwa became the hope of the Blood Children.
But five hundred years ago, he died. He died while shielding several Blood Children, including Seiran, who is here now.
“How mean, he said he’d definitely show me the Silver King’s Palace.”
“Seiran…….”
Reben made a pitiful expression as he looked at Seiran mumbling sadly.
“I was going to marry him, and he just went and died like that! How mean! Waaaah! Prince Jehwa was mine!”
“Hey!”
“Huh! Why?”
“Stop your fake crying.”
“Tch!”
Shortly after, Reben opened his mouth in an even more dejected manner.
“Look.”
“Hmm?”
“Pursuers.”
“Argh, seriously! How annoying!”
As she said that, Seiran scrunched up her face fiercely.
***
“Yahoo! I’m back! It’s the Demon Realm!”
Hong Yuhwa—no, Diadelin—shouted with a bright expression from atop the magic circle of the Flame Demon Palace.
“We’ve finally returned.”
Heukhwa, Kabarukereun let out a deep sigh.
“I came because I felt an unusual demonic energy, and it turns out my cute granddaughter has returned!”
“Ah, it’s Grandma!”
Diadelin laughed brightly at the voice from beside her and clung to her grandmother, Deli.
Deli was a beauty with striking gray hair and black eyes.
“We pay our respects to the former Devil Queen.”
“You’ve worked hard.”
Deli said, stroking Diadelin’s head.
Though she looked so pretty, in the past she had been the successor and rising star of another devil king clan, the Baal clan. The energy felt from her body was by no means ordinary.
“You’ve returned.”
“Grandfather, hello.”
Debireuan appeared with a dignified face.
For all his dignity, in his youth he had been nothing but a crybaby and a wimp, with terribly strong pride and not a shred of strength to back it up. On top of that, he’d proposed to the girl he liked and gotten thoroughly trampled on by her.
Stop making that dignified face—your past doesn’t just disappear.
Diadelin also looked at Debireuan with a strange face, as if that very thought had occurred to her.
“Why do you look at me like that? Anyway, which world did you go to? Won’t you tell me?”
Could this Great Demon, who was truly an object of fear even in the Heavenly Realm, really have been such a being?
“Hmm…… Grandfather was supposedly a crybaby and a wimp when he was young, with terribly strong pride and not a shred of strength, and he got beaten up after proposing to the girl he liked.”
“…….”
“…….”
At Diadelin’s sudden words, everyone fell silent.
The Great Demon Debireuan’s face had completely stiffened, and his fellow Great Demon, Deli, had her eyes opened wide.
Those who had gathered nearby sensing Diadelin’s energy were likewise shocked.
“It’s been a while, daughter……. But what was that sound just now?”
“Everyone fall back!”
The moment Delian’s words ended, Debireuan also roared in a dignified voice.
Surprised demons retreated in an instant.
Now only the Flame Devil royalty remained.
“Diadelin, I don’t know where you heard such nonsense, but…….”
“Lord Yeom Hwihyeon told me everything.”
“My? Did you perhaps go to the Central Plains?”
At Diadelin’s words, Deli asked with wide eyes.
“Yes! I met Lord Yeom Hwihyeon and Lord Seosi!”
“Hwihyeon and Seosi?”
Deli made a delighted expression. Because they were truly names she missed.
“Aah, brings back old memories…….”
Though Deli had a face immersed in reminiscence, Debireuan’s face turned pale.
“And there, Lord Yeom Hwihyeon…….”
“Stop, I don’t want to hear it! It’s a terrible past.”
Moreover, Debireuan even staggered. Perhaps because that appearance of her father was quite shocking, Delian made a blank expression.
“But Debireuan never proposed to me? We just dated, and in the spur of the moment slept together, so we ended up getting married.”
How bold, to say such a thing so nonchalantly. As expected, a devil is a devil.
“But I heard he didn’t propose to you, Grandma, but to Lord Yeom Hwihyeon?”
“Debireuan!”
Kugugugugugugugu!
The moment Diadelin’s words ended, the surrounding ground began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred.
No, an earthquake was truly happening.
“What’s wrong, it’s an old story.”
“I knew it from when you hung out with that blue snake.”
“Why bring Seosi into this?”
“Anyway! It means I wasn’t your first love!”
“Kack! Listen to me! I only proposed back then and got beaten up for it! It was just first love! An utterly terrible one!”
“Shut up!”
Everyone lower your heads and tremble in fear! The former Flame Devil King and former Flame Devil Queen are fighting! The reason is none other than a marital quarrel!
The two demons began to growl at each other and release their energy.
Deli had been born as the successor to a devil king. Because she was one who would have become the Earth Devil King had she not married Debireuan, her power was truly terrifying.
The two colossal demonic forces contested for dominance as they tried to push each other away.
“Grandfather and Grandmother are having a marital quarrel, quite unwillingly.”
Normally, a Devil Queen couldn’t charge at the Devil King like that. Because she is a symbolic existence.
Perhaps Deli would be the first Devil Queen in demon history to have a marital quarrel with the Devil King.
“A shocking past indeed.”
As Delian sighed and spoke, Diadelin thought of something.
“Ahcha! Speaking of which, I found the man I want to marry!”