The Black Dragon Russellant had met a futile death in far-off Arcadia. It did not take long for the other dragons
to learn of his death. This was because Russellant’s guardians
had informed the other dragons of their master’s death.
Magic maintains its effect only while the one who cast it is alive. If the caster dies,
the spells he had laid naturally come undone. Except, that is, in the case of spells
cast to be permanent. For that reason, after Russellant died at the hands of Damon and the Death Knight,
many changes occurred within his lair.
The first among them was the disappearance of the Stone Golems. The Stone Golems, who had made up the majority
of his guardians, lost their life force the moment their creator died. They returned
to stone, their original form.
The same was true for the mid-sized monsters that had obeyed Russellant. Because the magic that had bound
their minds was undone, their original ferocity returned. Some of the mid-sized monsters
fled on the spot, while the rest bared their fangs and began attacking the goblins
who had commanded them until then. There was no way the goblins, inferior in strength and stamina,
could fend off the attacks of ogres and trolls.
A horrific slaughter unfolded, and in the process countless goblins died. Aside from
a few who dug holes and hid, most of the goblins could not avoid the fate called death.
The mid-sized monsters, having greedily devoured the corpses of the dead goblins, left the place.
They had utterly forgotten their former duty as guardians. Among them, some of the mid-sized
monsters even savagely destroyed parts of the lair here and there,
as though compensating themselves for all the forced labor they had endured until then.
Thus Russellant’s lair was left brutally devastated. It was something unimaginable
while Russellant had still been alive. Once the mid-sized monsters that had threatened their lives vanished,
the goblins who had dug holes and hidden began to show themselves one by one. The goblins
who had managed to survive after untold hardships had no choice but to scatter. Since Russellant,
who had served as their shield until now, was dead,
they too had to find their own way to live.
The places they headed for were the lairs of other dragons. First, they had the duty
to inform them of their master’s death, and they also had some hope that perhaps
the other dragons might accept them as guardians. For goblins who had long grown accustomed
to the peaceful life of guardians, life in the harsh
wilderness was unthinkable. That was why the goblins had decided, at the risk of their lives,
to embark on a long journey.
Though they were hunted down one by one by mid-sized monsters or by orc hunters, the goblins
tenaciously continued their journey toward the dragons’ lairs, and one among them finally
arrived at the Pelusia Mountains, where Berquis’s
lair was located. The goblin, arriving covered in wounds,
informed Gedenhide, who guarded the lair, of Russellant’s death.
“H-Heavens……”
Upon receiving the astonishing news, Gedenhide could only gape. An Ancient-class dragon
had been done in by a mere mage…… For Gedenhide, who had personally experienced
the terrifying destructive power of an Ancient-class dragon while being captured by Berquis,
it was something he could never believe.
“Is what you say truly the truth?”
“Yes. The Stone Golems all vanished, and the ogres and trolls
who had been under our command suddenly changed and attacked us. In the process, most of my comrades
were killed. Judging by that, it seems certain
that Lord Russellant met with misfortune.”
Looking at the skinny goblin, covered in dust and exhaustion as he continued speaking,
Gedenhide ultimately had no choice but to nod. If one or two Stone Golems had returned
to stone, one might suppose that their magic had been undone by chance. But if all the Stone
Golems in the lair had vanished, and the mid-sized monsters had attacked the goblins
who controlled them, there was only one answer.
“This is madness.”
After agonizing over it, Gedenhide finally decided to wake Berquis. The death of an Ancient-class
dragon was an issue of that magnitude. Moreover, had Russellant not been the dragon
to whom Berquis had given certain instructions? He did not know for what reason
Russellant had been killed, but it was a matter that had to be reported to Berquis first.
“Very well, you’ve done well. I will have quarters prepared, so rest.”
After giving the goblin who had conveyed the astonishing fact a fitting reward, Gedenhide
headed for Berquis’s dwelling without delay. Because of a single human named Damon,
his master would have no choice but to awaken once again in the middle of his sleep,
but it could not be helped.
Upon arriving at the dwelling, Gedenhide followed the prescribed procedure and requested
the Iron Golem guarding the place to wake his master. While Berquis slept,
even Gedenhide, the leader of the guardians, was barred from contact with him.
Due to the nature of dragons, who did not easily wake from sleep, it was a day later
that Berquis’s voice finally rang in Gedenhide’s ears.
“What is it?”
The voice contained a degree of irritation. Having been awakened from a deep sleep,
there was no way he could be in a good mood. Gedenhide lowered his head
as though he had committed a grave sin and cautiously began his report.
“I am deeply sorry. However, as the matter is what it is, I was forced to commit this offense.
In truth, something astonishing has happened. This is information conveyed by
one of Lord Russellant’s guardians, who arrived yesterday.”
When Gedenhide informed him that Russellant had died, Berquis seemed greatly shocked.
“Is that true?”
“It appears to be. If all the Stone Golems have returned to stone, and the mid-sized monsters
have regained their ferocity, there is only one reason. And that is……”
Gedenhide carefully laid out his conjecture.
“A-Astonishing.”
Though he was still half-asleep and his mind hazy, Berquis felt a chill run down his spine.
An Ancient-class dragon had been killed by a mere mage…… Perhaps because he had heard
an unbelievable fact, a stammering voice slipped from his mouth.
“I-I thought Russellant would be more than capable of completing the mission……”
“I-I am astonished as well.”
Beyond the wall, Berquis fell silent for a moment. A short while later,
a voice that sounded like a lament came through.
“It was a mistake. I should have sent you along with Russellant.”
“……”
“Since your Life Force Vessel is with me, by the nature of a lich, even if you were destroyed,
I could revive you. Had I done that, even if you had been defeated,
we could have learned what happened, could we not? How he killed Russellant, I mean.”
“Th-That is true.”
Gedenhide nodded. Even five hundred years ago, when he had invaded Feldrian,
Gedenhide’s main body had met the fate of destruction. Back then too,
it had been at the hands of that detestable being, Damon. However, because his Life Force Vessel
was in Berquis’s grasp, Gedenhide had been able to revive before long.
Of course, as the price, hundreds of human slaves had their life force drained away
and met miserable deaths.
If Gedenhide had accompanied Russellant, the situation up to that point would have been
conveyed to Berquis in full. But everything was already spilled water. The death
of Russellant, who had pursued Damon, had become reality, and the circumstances
of how he had been defeated were buried completely in darkness. Whether he had fallen to Damon’s hand,
or lost his life to the combined assault of human knights, there was, for now,
no way to know at all. Berquis sank into deep thought.
‘Russellant is a fairly experienced dragon. Therefore, the possibility that he was done in
by Dragon Slayers is extremely slim. If so, the culprit can only be that fellow Damon.
The problem is how he killed Russellant……’
Yet no matter how much he thought about it, no answer came. Given the nature of magic,
it simply did not make sense, by common sense, for a human remaining at the Ninth Circle
to kill a Tenth Circle dragon, and an Ancient-class dragon at that.
There was only one way to explain it. The fellow had joined forces with a Sword Master
of considerable ability to face Russellant. But that too was a difficult
assumption to entertain……
‘He is a black mage. In other words, he is an existence extremely shunned by humans.
The possibility of such a man drawing in a skilled Sword Master is almost impossible.
Most fellows with that level of ability would belong to the knightly orders of great kingdoms……’
Only then did Berquis begin to feel caution toward Damon. When Damon had killed Zicrate,
Berquis had dismissed it merely as the result of carelessness and luck. But after losing
even Russellant, an Ancient-class dragon, he had no choice but to reevaluate Damon.
He still did not know by what method Russellant had been killed, but the important fact
was that Damon could no longer be underestimated.
“I must not act hastily. First, after all the dragons awaken from sleep,
we will have to establish a thorough plan and recover Increcia.”
Until he had learned everything about the fellow, he could not act rashly. Unfortunately,
however, he had not the slightest idea that Damon had become a necromancer. Because humans and undead
were so thoroughly opposed to one another, his thoughts had not reached that far.
In the end, Berquis settled his mind.
“It cannot be helped. For now, you are to focus solely on guarding the lair.
I will postpone dealing with him until five years from now.”
“Understood.”
Gedenhide answered respectfully, then turned around. Glancing at the massive bodies
of the Iron Golems, Gedenhide moved down the stairs like flowing water. Beyond the wall,
Berquis was absorbed in thought. It would take at least two days before he fell asleep again.
When Gedenhide returned up to the lair, a truly bizarre situation had unfolded before him.
A human, who to them could only be prey, had come seeking to meet Berquis.
The liches under his command were waiting for Gedenhide while keeping the human tightly surrounded.
Normally, they would have killed him without question, but because Gedenhide had been absent,
the liches had postponed his execution for the moment. One lich reported to Gedenhide
in a gloomy voice.
“This one came here saying he wished to see Lord Berquis. What shall we do?”
Gedenhide stared at the human with a bewildered expression. The man was calmly looking around
at the liches surrounding him without a trace of fear. At the sight, Gedenhide
could only click his tongue.
‘What sort of situation is this?’
This was his first time experiencing anything like it. A human had come alone, asking to meet
a dragon……
Beside Gedenhide, a dozen or so liches were staring straight at the human,
their eyes blazing like the flames of hell. An ordinary human’s liver would have shriveled up
in fear, yet surprisingly, he showed not the slightest sign of intimidation.
He merely looked around at his surroundings at ease, his face expressionless.
The human who had come to the dragon’s lair was a man of ordinary appearance.
With a hard face that looked to be just past forty, fierce eyes, and temples that protruded sharply,
he seemed to be a knight of considerable skill. Yet he carried no weapon,
nor even armor upon his body. Seeing how he had come entirely alone without even a squire
and still showed no fear despite being surrounded by liches,
one could tell that he was a man of considerable courage.
Gedenhide, whose strange gaze swept the man from head to toe, finally opened his mouth.
“So, you are the one who said you came to see Lord Berquis, whom we serve?”
“That is so. If this is the lair of Berquis, the Ancient-class Red Dragon,
then I have come to the right place. Provided our intelligence department’s judgment was accurate.”
“……”
“My name is Morris, and I have come from Arcadia across the sea. I have traveled this far
to carry out the command of the lord I serve.”
Gedenhide’s gaze was thick with perplexity. He had never dreamed an envoy would come
from Arcadia. Because of that, he had no idea how he ought to respond.
In the end, Gedenhide decided to treat him as he always had.
“How short-sighted of you. Did you know what sort of place this is? If you thought
we would let you leave alive simply because you came as an envoy, you were mistaken.
Not a single human who has set foot here has ever returned alive.”
But even at Gedenhyde’s threat, the man who had identified himself as Morris showed no fear.
“I care not if I die. My mission is but one: to deliver my lord’s secret command to the master of this place, and that is all.”
From Morris’s entire being radiated a spirit suggesting he could cast aside his very life with a smile for the sake of his mission. It was a telling glimpse of the depth of his loyalty to his lord.
At that sight, Gedenhyde was forced to nurse yet another headache.
‘These are precisely the kinds of humans who are the biggest headache of all.’
Had the fellow named Morris arrived but a few days earlier, this would have been a matter requiring no thought at all. He would simply have been killed without mercy, as had always been done. Whatever business the wretch had was none of his concern. It would have been the same even if he had brought an enticing proposal. Gedenhyde had not the audacity to rouse Berkis from his slumber in the first place.
But now, the circumstances were somewhat different. Was Berkis not already awake? The one called Morris had arrived at an uncannily fortuitous moment. Though it was likely mere coincidence.
Because dragons could not immediately return to slumber, Berkis was still awake, and thanks to that, Morris had escaped immediate death. It was a stroke of luck for Morris, but Gedenhyde was left to agonize considerably over the matter.
‘What should I do? Without a doubt, it would be proper to kill him on the spot, but I do not know Lord Berkis’s wishes…’
Now that Berkis was awake, the authority to decide matters within the lair no longer rested in Gedenhyde’s hands. Thus, it seemed proper to report to Berkis after all.
Gedenhyde briefly swept his gaze over Morris’s face, a dark gleam flashing in his eyes.
‘But that may prove even more unfortunate for you. Death at my hands ends in an instant, but Lord Berkis is different. He possesses a hobby of torturing humans to their very limits.’
Looking at Morris’s expressionless face, Gedenhyde finally steeled his resolve.
“Very well. I shall inquire with Lord Berkis. Wait here for a moment.”
After ordering the liches to keep watch over the man, Gedenhyde once again descended to Berkis’s quarters. This time, the procedure was relatively simple. Since Berkis was already awake, there was no need to trouble the Iron Golem with a request to rouse him.
“What is it now?”
“I apologize, but a human has found his way here. A human from Arcadia across the sea who insists he must see Lord Berkis.”
“A human, to see me?”
“Yes. He claims to bring a command from the lord he serves.”
Berkis on the other side of the stone wall fell silent for a moment. Seeing this, Gedenhyde grew needlessly anxious.
‘Should I have simply disposed of him? Could I have invited Lord Berkis’s displeasure?’
However, the voice that followed from beyond the stone wall bore no trace of anger.
“This should be interesting. Bring the wretch here.”
“Understood.”
Relieved, Gedenhyde quickly turned to leave.