Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: Dragon King (1)
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【Our king wishes to see you.】
"What? The king?"
Ronan raised an eyebrow. What was this all of a sudden? The dragon girl continued.
"Yes. He's been watching this place since the clash with Orse began. And he still is. It wasn't exactly a minor disturbance, after all."
Her intimidating tone had softened considerably. Like Orse, she seemed to change her speech depending on the time and place. Suddenly, Adren's political advice flashed through Ronan's mind.
Ronan spun his sword once and gripped it, asking sarcastically.
"What's the errand that brings such a lofty figure to seek me out?"
"He's impressed by your exploits in the clash with Orse. It seems he intends to commend you for your achievements."
She explained that she'd been communicating with the Dragon King the entire time Ronan was trading blows with Orse. That's why she'd only intervened at the very end.
"I'm equally impressed by your swordsmanship. Even in polymorphed form, for a human to cross blades evenly with a demon dragon... it's no exaggeration to say it defies reason."
"Eh, it was nothing special."
The woman offered sincere praise. Ronan scratched the back of his head sheepishly. This much was fine, but he sensed there was more to it. He asked suspiciously.
"That's all?"
"That's what I heard."
The woman nodded. It was hard to tell if she was deliberately avoiding mention of Navardoje or if she truly hadn't noticed. At the very least, this woman had figured it out. After a moment's thought, Ronan spoke up.
"What if I refuse?"
"It would be recorded as an extremely rude act in Adren's history. But I know you won't do something so unreasonable."
"On what basis?"
"Because your companions are already at the tower."
Ronan's face hardened at the word "companions." The woman regarded him with her usual impassive expression. Her pale blue eyes were as calm as a lake on a windless day.
"What did you say?"
"Exactly what I said. One was in the library, the other near the Sky Tower. We confirmed they were your companions and brought them here."
The locations matched the areas Ronan had assigned them. It didn't seem like a bluff.
Suddenly, Ronan realized this woman knew his name. His grip tightened on the sword hilt.
"If anything happened to those two..."
"We've done nothing but escort them to the reception room. Time is short, so I'd appreciate a quick answer. Will you come with me to the Sky Tower now?"
It was phrased as a question, but it didn't feel like one. It was practically blackmail. Ronan muttered a curse under his breath as he thought it over.
'Fuck it.'
No matter how he pondered, charging straight ahead was his only option. This was what they meant by no choice. Letting out a sigh, Ronan nodded.
"Fine, whatever. Let's go."
****
The woman's name was Naransonia. She introduced herself as one of the five dragons guarding the king and led Ronan to the towering spire at Adren's center.
"I should at least say goodbye."
"Please hurry."
Before following her properly, Ronan exchanged brief greetings with the people on site. Servants dispatched in the meantime were repairing the street destroyed by Orse.
The back alley, now an open lot, was littered with the corpses of soldiers killed during the battle. They were all hacked to pieces or torn apart, barely retaining their original forms.
The most intact was the corpse of the blue dragon Laratasian. It was ironic that even with both arms severed and a hole in its chest big enough for a deer to pass through, it received such treatment.
Laratasian still lay sprawled across the ruined alley. Suddenly, an elderly man caught Ronan's eye. It was the examiner Banartie, polymorphed back into human form.
"Examiner."
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at his comrade's remains. Ronan approached. Without turning, Banartie spoke.
"I tried emergency measures, but it was no use. Orse seems to have created a weapon that shouldn't exist."
Instead of replying, Ronan looked at the blue dragon's corpse. The severed arms and chest wound were charred black. Glancing at Naransonia, Ronan said.
"Yeah. If no one had interfered, I could've taken him down."
"No. I'm actually relieved we didn't pursue too aggressively. As Lady Naransonia said, a cornered beast only grows more ferocious."
He explained that if Orse had dispelled his polymorph and fought seriously, the damage would have been dozens of times worse. Turning to face Ronan, Banartie bowed.
"Thank you. Even as Navardoje's proxy, I never imagined being saved by a human."
"Forget it. No need for that."
Ronan waved it off. Suddenly, Banartie's voice echoed in his mind.
Startled by the sudden telepathy, Ronan quirked an eyebrow. The apologetic tone suggested Banartie felt guilty for Ronan's identity being exposed.
'Polite one, isn't he.'
Not all dragons were bastards like Navardoje or Iril. Ronan winked to signal it was fine. It was clear Banartie hadn't betrayed him.
"You..."
Ronan's eyes widened. This was genuinely valuable information. Naransonia, waiting patiently, called to him.
"Lord Ronan."
"Ah, yeah, coming now."
Forced by her pointed glance, Ronan had to leave quickly. Banartie's voice came from behind.
"Until next time. I will repay this debt. Herald of Fire."
"Debt, my ass. See you later."
Ronan walked away from the ruined street. The thick stench of blood mingled with the cool night breeze. So many dead.
Come to think of it, the old tavern keeper was missing. Had he collapsed from the shock of his tavern being smashed? No one around knew where he'd gone, so Ronan let it slide.
'Too bad.'
The remains of the tavern he ran were still crushed under the blue dragon's head. Ronan clicked his tongue. It had been some damn fine brandy.
.
.
.
Following Naransonia, Ronan soon arrived before the Sky Tower, where the Dragon King resided. No matter how much he craned his neck, he couldn't see the top.
"...Fucking tall."
Ronan muttered in faint admiration. The massive pillar connecting sky and city had stood since Adren was founded. Its long, thick shadow stretched beyond the city's borders, over the surrounding clouds.
The tower's entrance was spectacular too. The absurdly huge doors seemed designed for dragons in their true forms. Stopping before them, Ronan sighed.
"Damn it, how long will it take to climb this...?"
"No need to worry about that. First, greet your companions."
"Huh?"
Ronan tilted his head. At the same moment, Naransonia opened the door. A closer look revealed a smaller door for humans embedded in the massive gate.
The instant they crossed the threshold, a space of dazzling opulence unfolded—one that would make an imperial palace lobby look like a shack. Naransonia said.
"We're here. The reception room."
"...This is why I hate magic."
Ronan let out a hollow laugh. It felt like a ghost had yanked out his leg hair. Some kind of spatial magic? As he slowly surveyed the reception room, two young men came into view.
"You guys."
Asel was buried in a stack of books, reading intently, while Schlieffen sat cross-legged in meditation. Spotting Ronan, they both stood.
"R-Ronan! You're safe!"
"...So it was a lie after all."
They looked unharmed. But their reactions were odd. Safe? Why say it like that?
Ronan faced them. Clap clap. Naransonia clapped twice from behind.
"Then, we'll move to the audience chamber in 10 minutes. Just open that door in the corner."
She pointed to a door in one corner of the reception room, then exited through the entrance. Confirming no presences around, Ronan spoke.
"You idiots, what the hell happened? Safe from what?"
"W-Well... Dragons suddenly swarmed in and said you'd be in danger if we didn't come quick. So..."
"Same here."
Hearing Asel and Schlieffen's replies, Ronan rubbed his forehead. He'd been had.
The Dragon King's minions had lured them using Ronan as bait. Reading Ronan's expression, Asel gasped.
"W-Wait, did they trick us? We shouldn't have come?"
"Forget it. What's done is done."
Ronan shook his head. Thinking about it, fighting Orse had been dangerous, so it wasn't entirely wrong. They probably would've dragged them if refused. Sly reptiles.
"So, find anything useful?"
"S-Sorry... Nothing much in the library."
Asel hung his head. He'd scoured the library but found no info on Nebula Klage. Still, it wasn't a total loss.
"I-It might not count as compensation, but I learned a few spells that could help with the investigation."
"Good work. Well done."
Asel said he'd picked up spells like invisibility from books. Ronan knew better than to question how a genius acquired magic. Invisibility would likely prove useful. Patting Asel's shoulder encouragingly, he turned to Schlieffen.
"You? Anything?"
"One thing. Merchants near the Sky Tower mentioned humans in white robes lurking around starting two weeks ago."
"As expected... What?"
Ronan and Asel's eyes bulged. His calm tone had made it sound like nothing.
"Sure? Who told you?"
"A merchant running a shop nearby. He thanked me for chasing off some drunks causing trouble and mentioned it. Didn't seem like a lie."
"...Hah."
Ronan clenched his fist unconsciously. It felt like grasping the tail of an elusive incident.
As he opened his mouth to speak, creeeak... The door in the corner slid open on its own. Asel yelped and stumbled back.
"Eek! W-What?!"
"Impatient bunch."
Ronan furrowed his brow. Glancing at the clock, exactly 10 minutes had passed. Brushing back his bangs, he told the two.
"Let's go. Stay calm."
"O-Okay. Hope nothing bad happens..."
"And listen up. If things go south..."
No escaping now. Ronan whispered contingency plans to Asel and Schlieffen, then led the way.
Golden radiance poured from the open door. The aura felt ominous.
The moment they stepped inside, metallic clanking echoed from below. Their eyes widened in shock.
"Fuck. What is all this?"
"W-Woah..."
"Impressive."
No one could hold back awe. An endless expanse of treasures glittered—gold and jewels beyond imagination. Massive gold coins people would risk life for were mere paving stones here.
One wondered if looting every imperial bank could yield this much. As they advanced over the golden desert, rumble...! A quake shook the ground, followed by a man's and woman's voices booming.
It was a majestic voice like a pulsing volcano. Whoosh! The golden hill before them collapsed. Atop the rubble, two enormous dragon heads emerged.
"H-Hiiiik...!"
Both were gold dragons covered in gleaming scales. Their endlessly rising necks only curved after touching the ceiling.
Asel clamped his hands over his mouth upon eye contact. Even ever-composed Schlieffen shrugged his shoulders.
It wasn't hard to guess one was the Dragon King. Forgetting this was the audience chamber, Ronan muttered a curse.
"What the actual fu..."
Since Navardoje, this was the largest creature he'd seen. The body buried in treasure was immeasurable. Neck and head alone rivaled a normal dragon's full length.
As Ronan pondered which was the Dragon King, the four eyes rolled, and both heads spoke simultaneously.