Chapter 85. Elaha's Garden
Jeonghyeon looked up at the sky in Elaha's Garden and called out to Uldran. In response to his summons, the stars in the sky twinkled and shone brightly.
Rumble—
The stars gathered in the clear sky without a single cloud.
They drew lines like constellations, forming the face of a massive dragon.
Three long, curving horns.
A face utterly unlike the dragons of imagination—more like a gigantic turtle, with teeth hardened like stone in the shape of a turtle's shell.
It was Uldran's form.
"What a flashy entrance."
Nus narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"...I have watched all your exploits. Thank you for aiding my awakener."
"As expected from a dragon—your grand power matches your majestic appearance."
'You're one to talk, you freak.'
Jeonghyeon shifted his gaze from Nus to Uldran.
"You said a war would break out. You want me to stop it."
[In 6 months, a war will erupt in Afraksas once. Stop that war. Using my awakener. I'll support you until then. After that...]
[You'll have to prove your own worth.]
Those were Uldran's words at the moment Jeonghyeon received his blessing.
"Are you here to keep your promise?"
"A promise made is a promise kept."
At Jeonghyeon's words, Uldran's form seemed satisfied, slowly closing and opening its eyes.
"Then, without shame, I ask this of you."
"Anything."
At Jeonghyeon's response, Uldran's form distorted and emitted light once more.
The light enveloped Jeonghyeon in an instant.
When he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
***
"What the hell? This sudden development."
"This is a virtual space maintained by my power."
'An illusion...? From Uldran?'
Even if dragons wielded unimaginable power, creating an illusion like this was impressive.
Was Philip's special ability Dungeon Eye, which mapped dungeon structures, also based on illusion magic?
Jeonghyeon pondered as he entered the massive stone architecture, so detailed it was hard to believe it was an illusion.
Step. Step.
The realistic sound of soles grinding against stone fragments accompanied each step. Jeonghyeon had a guess about this place.
"Tomb of the Strong... Ramagal?"
"Indeed."
"Ah... Gah!!"
Jeonghyeon jumped in surprise at the casual reply.
Uldran stood beside him in human form via polymorph, completely at ease.
With long golden-blond hair tied in a single braid at the end, he was a handsome man whose eyes were covered by a black eyepatch emblazoned with Uldran's emblem in the center.
"Kinda... different from what I imagined."
Including his past life memories and even Philip, Uldran's awakeners were all muscle-bound monsters reeking of sweat.
Kakum, the woman nicknamed Barbarian, had overwhelming strength that even frost dwarves coveted.
Yet Uldran himself looked scrawny, like he couldn't even hold chopsticks properly.
"I can read your thoughts plainly."
"Ah. Sorry."
"Let's walk first."
Uldran moved slowly on his slender, almost fragile legs.
"This is where my awakeners died. The tomb of my limbs."
"...?"
So that's what Tomb of the Strong meant.
Only then did Jeonghyeon notice the decorations around him.
Bone-shaped gold ornaments in relief. Square, coffin-like fixtures densely embedded in walls and pillars.
Like a massive tomb.
"Dwarf royal Imta, frost giant Jauhai. All my loyal servants. But they all met short lives at someone's hands."
"Who?"
"Flame Dragon Ignirn. Flame Dragon Ignirn."
Jeonghyeon's steps halted abruptly.
Flame Dragon Ignirn.
The dragon known as arch-enemy to Mind Dragon Uldran.
Boisterous personality, frequently manifesting to humans, hugely popular.
Eventually lived among humans, spawning factions that followed him even without awakening.
"Ignirn? Then of course Uldran gets wrecked. Wouldn't it be better to just surrender and become his subordinate?"
Jeonghyeon nearly burst out laughing at Nus's heart-stabbing casual remark, while Uldran ground his teeth.
"You... pfft... in Uldran's illusion... kuk... saying that so freely... puh."
"If you're gonna laugh, just laugh, you bastard."
Sorry, but Nus was right.
Uldran ranked at the bottom, Ignirn at the top.
Led by Ignirn and Albatron, the four elemental dragons—fire, wind, water, lightning—operated on a different level from ordinary dragons.
"Sorry, but your awakeners dying to Ignirn's... well..."
"I know. But Ignirn goes too far."
From the stoic, reverent Uldran came a tone like a whining toddler.
"What do you mean...?"
"You'll see."
Too focused on the conversation, they hadn't realized they'd reached the tomb's depths.
At the innermost part stood a bloodied man gasping his last breaths.
"Huff... huff..."
"Who is he?"
The man, unable to remove his dented helmet, spewed ragged breaths as death approached.
"My awakener."
At Uldran's words, Nus buzzed over and perched on his armor.
"Whoa... yeah, he got fucked up bad."
"Ignirn uses his awakeners to kill mine, trying to erase me."
"Why?"
"For fun. Just for fun."
"..."
"He has territories where his awakeners thrive. Excellent standing with humans. Leads the charge against Demon Kings. He lacks for nothing. But the rage and burning slaughter-lust inside him—he can't control it."
True to his name, Ignirn's unquenchable flame turned even himself into a fiery temperament.
"So he kills my awakeners to vent it."
"Why you, specifically?"
"...Not just me, if you must know. I'll explain details later."
Uldran knelt on one knee to see off his awakener.
The nameless awakener breathed his last in the Tomb of the Strong.
Uldran touched his helmet, shed tears, then stood and faced Jeonghyeon.
"Anyway, my request is simple."
He bowed his head to Jeonghyeon.
"Soon, Ignirn will attack my servants. Save them from him. I beg you."
Horakti's image overlapped.
A weak Demon King, now a weak dragon?
'Damn... ended up as an unwanted foreign legion.'
Jeonghyeon was a cold realist, but not heartless enough to refuse sincere pleas.
Just extremely pragmatic.
"Fighting Ignirn ain't gonna be easy."
Uldran flinched.
'Just words?'
The unspoken thought rang clear to Uldran.
"Not just a request. What do you want?"
"A talisman."
"...A talisman?"
A talisman was a dragon's powerful gift to favored awakeners.
Giving one equated to favor—like with Philip.
"You're already giving more favor to Afraksas residents than humans anyway. They can't even use talismans."
"...How do you know that?"
"I've got experience."
Jeonghyeon smirked.
"You're squeezing every last drop. Fine. But I can't give you one."
"Why?"
He hadn't expected one anyway, but now it felt disappointing.
"I only have one talisman left."
"Talismans are limited?"
"Yes."
"Okay, cool. Then give the talisman to Philip, and keep giving your awakener skills ongoing."
"...Robbery?"
"Without my help, your forces dwindle. Might end up with just Philip. Good deal, right?"
Jeonghyeon rattled it off like reading insurance terms, then extended his hand casually.
Watching, Nus shook his head.
"That bastard definitely became Demon King through sweet talk and threats. No doubt."
"Agreed."
Uldran glanced at Nus and nodded.
"Very well. I'll grant Philip my favor."
"Perfect."
Favor went beyond mere fondness or goodwill.
It made one practically a direct heir.
Why Solgaleh's awakeners were so strong: she only nurtured her favored ones.
Whatever Uldran's favor did, combined with Jeonghyeon's mana and Uldran's power, Philip wouldn't be just another awakener.
'Plus, at this point...'
He could leverage Philip for more.
"Good. Promise made. Let's go there."
Uldran took Jeonghyeon's hand.
A status window appeared—Jeonghyeon's first quest in ages.
Sub Quest: Ally with Uldran's forces to repel Ignirn's invasion
Reward: Uldran's Favor (Philip), Uldran's Talisman (Philip)
Penalty: Ignirn's Hostility
A quest with Ignirn's hostility attached.
'No big deal.'
His ties to Ignirn and his awakeners weren't bad before, but that didn't matter.
'Somehow... keeps going opposite my past life.'
High elves he lived with became enemies; beastkin foes turned allies.
Barely interacted with Uldran, now communicating; friendly Ignirn turns foe.
Subtly, as if Jeonghyeon really were the Demon King, his path inverted humanity's.
"The place is Dragon Falls Gorge."
"Huh? Wait, Dragon Falls Gorge?"
Uldran vanished with the fading illusion, leaving those words.
"..."
Jeonghyeon blinked back to dawn breaking in Elaha's Garden.
Of all places, Dragon Falls Gorge.
It held bitterly bad memories for him.
"Why'd you look so shocked at the end?"
Nus asked from Jeonghyeon's shoulder.
"...You'll see when we get there."
No easy paths, he knew—but Dragon Falls Gorge?
Jeonghyeon sighed—now practically his signature—and returned to the garden.
"Back? What happened?"
Horakti, assigning beastkin to the village, greeted him.
"Hey, Horakti."
"Yeah?"
"Gotta head to Dragon Falls Gorge."
"...There? Why? Commit a crime? Incur a dragon's wrath?"
Horakti looked shocked too.
"What's that? Where is it??"
Nus asked impatiently; Horakti replied with worry.
"It's..."