Chapter 93
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 093
Chapter Title: Dragon's Poison
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I scanned the tributes the nagas had offered. Several decent items caught my eye.
Beast cores, hides, roots of plants used for medicine, weapons and furniture handmade by the nagas... and even a fully grown, tamed drake.
'Who would've thought they'd hand over a drake.'
An unexpected windfall. Woojin was quietly impressed.
To the naga tribe, drakes were incredibly precious beasts. Even across the entire tribe, they only had seven or eight as mounts. Yet the naga king had willingly gifted one to the Norn Queen.
But Knartash seemed more pleased about crushing the arrogant nagas' pride than the valuable gift itself.
"Kekekeke! It's like a hundred-year-old lump in my throat finally going down. Those salamanders' faces were a sight to behold!"
Knartash cackled like that while pulling out one of the beast cores from the tribute pile and popping it into her mouth. She ate it like it was a wrapped chocolate.
Accepting the tribute like this meant she was taking up the nagas' request.
'Hunt the dragon abomination.'
To achieve that goal, the nagas had offered tribute to the Norn Queen and begged for her aid.
It was good news for Woojin. He could now hunt the prey he'd already marked with an easier, simpler method.
But the situation wasn't entirely positive.
'The nagas submitted too easily.'
The naga tribe had come with a massive tribute far sooner than expected. That meant their situation was dire.
It was cause for concern.
Excluding the ancient beings, the naga tribe was the largest force in the Demonic Realm. For them to urgently seek help meant... the dragon's power and forces were that formidable.
'How do I hunt that thing.'
As he mentally crunched the numbers, Cecilia, standing beside him, made a hand gesture with sign language, seemingly thinking the same thing.
—Why not go with the Third Expeditionary Force?
The Church Alliance's Third Expeditionary Force was due to arrive here soon. Why not head to naga territory with them and subjugate the dragon abomination?
It was a reasonable suggestion, but Woojin thought for a moment and shook his head.
"The Church Alliance's army would be unnecessary."
Their forces were already plentiful.
The nagas commanded countless warriors. With numbers like that, there was no need to drag along the Church Alliance's troops.
Of course, more troops were always better, but...
Humans moved in large numbers but advanced slowly. It would take the Third Expeditionary Force considerable time to reach the Demonic Realm. With time being tight, waiting for them would actually be a loss.
'The longer we delay, the more the enemy's forces grow.'
Variant abominations had the power to corrupt beasts and swell their ranks. If the naga tribe took heavy losses while waiting for reinforcements, the enemy's army would only grow stronger.
'And... ordinary soldiers can't even stand against a dragon abomination.'
To hunt a dragon, they needed a small elite force of the strongest. The naga king knew this too, which was why he'd sought help from the Norn tribe.
The Norns were far fewer in number than the nagas, but their warriors' skills were vastly superior. That advantage had allowed the Norn tribe to fend off naga invasions for ages.
In other words, what the nagas wanted were the finest warriors.
'They hope the Norn Queen Knartash herself will come.'
That's what the naga envoy had pleaded.
You couldn't move a tribe's leader with paltry tribute. That's why the naga king had gifted his favorite drake.
Knartash had accepted the plea readily.
"I was planning to go myself even without the drake. I can't just hand over a dragon hunt to some other fool."
As she said that, she kept pulling out cores from the chest and munching on them. The Norn Queen was stockpiling power in preparation for the dragon hunt.
Woojin asked,
"Who are you thinking of bringing as reinforcements?"
"Hmm..."
Knartash pondered for a moment before answering.
"......I think Gar and Uljog should stay here. Taking them along would leave too big a gap in our defenses."
Gar and Uljog were the second- and third-ranked great warriors. If they left too, the Norn tribe's forces would weaken too much. It could even lead to the northern defense line breaking.
The two top great warriors had to stay behind to protect the tribe in the Queen's absence. That left only one option.
"Looks like I'll take Braknak and his elite warriors."
The very force that had crushed humanity's Second Expeditionary Force back in the day. They'd head to naga territory with them.
When he shared this with those around him, Rolang thought for a moment and spoke up.
"......We can't just sit this out. How about dispatching some Holy Knights at least?"
They were allies, after all. It wouldn't do to only provide supplies.
Woojin nodded in agreement.
"We'll send reinforcements too."
"Good. Who do you have in mind?"
He already had someone prepared.
"Could you summon some craftsmen and laborers?"
Ten days later.
The Norn tribe's warriors set off into the Demonic Realm. Two hundred in total. Not a huge force, but high-ranking elites.
"Take the shortest path!"
Knartash shouted from the lead. At her command, the nine combat rhinos lined up single-file charged straight into the forest.
Kwuduk, kwagwak—!
The combat rhinos advanced, crushing the Demonic Realm's forest underfoot. With every toss of their heads, thick trees caught on their massive horns were ripped out effortlessly.
The path blazed by the rhinos. Drakes followed proudly in their wake.
"Whoa!! This is— awesome—!"
Rolang, riding atop a drake, cheered nonstop. His racket had Cecilia, riding beside him, plugging her ears with both hands.
The Church Alliance sent a total of thirty reinforcements.
Woojin, Rolang, twenty high knights, and eight priests brimming with potent divinity. They rode rhinos, drakes, and wolves.
As always, Woojin was on his red wolf, Rex, looking up at Rolang and Cecilia.
'I didn't plan on bringing Cecilia.'
If Cecilia died by some mishap, the Church Alliance's morale would plummet. Woojin had intended to leave the Saintess behind, but...
'......She's surprisingly stubborn.'
Separate from her kind heart, the Saintess's resolve was tough as whale tendon. Woojin had no choice but to bring her along.
An unexpected companion, but it shouldn't be a problem. High knights and Rolang were personally guarding her, and her own combat prowess was exceptional.
And so, the Norn tribe and Church Alliance reinforcements raced northwest.
They wouldn't encounter enemies en route. Few beasts had the guts to block combat rhinos and drakes.
'Boring.'
He'd hoped for some hunting after so long... but nearby beasts had all fled, leaving no chance. Only the persistent variant abominations lunged occasionally.
Hunting those pests brought no thrill. Woojin yawned repeatedly, eager to reach their destination quickly.
......A few days later.
Woojin suddenly sniffed the air. A salty tang stung his nose.
'The sea's close.'
A sign that naga territory was near.
Soon, a massive barrier of stacked boulders came into view. Woojin asked Knartash about it.
"Since when do nagas use barricades?"
"Beats me... This is my first time seeing one in person."
Pursue efficiency, and methods converge. The nagas were now fortifying like the Norns, hunkering down against abominations.
As they approached the barrier, the naga envoy stepped forward and shouted something. Soon, the gate lifted upward.
Woojin eyed the gate. It was carved from a massive boulder.
'This barrier's their handiwork.'
The Norns had settled an old human fortress, but the nagas had built anew on their native soil.
Commendable effort, but... the walls were low and crudely made.
The city inside was decent, though. Uniform buildings stood in neat rows. Far tidier than the haphazard Norn settlements.
In the city center loomed a grand structure. A temple of stacked white bricks. Rolang whistled in admiration.
"That's pretty impressive. Almost palace-level compared to the Norn Queen's chambers."
"Definitely nicer."
Made by grinding dead coral and molding it into bricks—pure white. It evoked fine marble. Fossilized shells dotted the bricks.
The naga king's palace. The humans' gasps of awe made Knartash scowl, pride wounded.
"......After this is over, I should build one myself."
Muttering to herself, Knartash strode toward the palace. Naga envoys led the way. Keeping up with the Norn Queen's wide strides, they soon reached the naga king.
A gigantic clamshell dominated the space, jaw-dropping in size. Inside the gaping maw, a naga cloaked in dark blue scales coiled.
Like all nagas he'd seen. Snake-like lower body, human-like upper.
But its size was freakish. The serpentine half thicker than a log, the human torso massively muscled with broad shoulders. Like a cobra puffed to its limit.
'Naga King, Beskan.'
The nagas called him the king of the scaled ones. His gaze fixed on Knartash.
"......You're stronger than last time. Starting to wonder if inviting you into my home was wise."
Hisssing words. A nearby attendant signed the translation.
Knartash shot back,
"You look weaker than before. Something wrong?"
The naga king's power had waned. Beskan replied readily.
"I inhaled poison from the fallen dragon. Quite agonizing... You should experience it beforehand."
Beskan nodded to the attendant. It slithered off, soon returning with green venom in a large shell.
Beskan offered the poison to the Norn Queen.
"Drink."
The naga king suggesting poison. Knartash looked dubious.
"......This is a far cry from the hospitality I expected. Why should I?"
"Build tolerance now, or you can't fight the fallen dragon."
Weaklings exposed to dragon poison get poisoned to death or turn into abominations.
Survive once, and resistance forms—easier to shake off aftereffects. Essential for battling the fallen dragon.
"The weak would die, but... surely you can handle it?"
"......"
Beskan taunted. But Knartash didn't bite. She'd suffered too much from nagas before.
The Norn Queen casually passed the poison Woojin's way.
"Guardian. Give it a try."
"What am I, your poison taster?"
Woojin replied incredulously. But he took the shell without hesitation.
Rolang nearby shot a worried glance.
"......You're not actually going to drink that...?"
Rolang muttered. But Woojin's action was faster than his words.
Gulp.
Woojin took a casual swig, then smacked his lips like tasting wine.
"Pretty potent... but manageable."
He handed it back, saying that. Knartash laughed in relief.
"Guess it's weaker than it looks. That sly bastard isn't trying to poison us."
As Knartash chuckled, she caught the naga king's expression. Beskan stared at Woojin in utter shock.
The Norn Queen tilted her head.
"......It's not poison, right?"