Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Rise in Status (1)
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1
He had a dream.
A dream from long ago.
But one so vivid to him that it felt like only a few days prior.
‘This is a dream.’
For some reason, Azel thought so blankly within it.
Lucid dreams were familiar to him. A regular person might question how that could be possible. But Spirit Order practitioners experienced them to the point of exhaustion while learning to control their minds. They could even induce one before sleep if they wished.
But this dream had nothing to do with his intentions.
In the dream, Azel was walking through the ruins of a castle alongside someone else. It was the castle that had once boasted the grandest presence in the world—the dwelling of Dragon Demon King Atein.
“Nothing usable left here either.”
An apologetic voice came from beside him. He looked over to see Kallos there.
It was a familiar sight to Azel. The young mage with neatly combed brown hair and cold gray eyes.
‘This head goes bald and shiny decades from now.’
The thought hit him out of nowhere. But the image of aged Kallos had been so shocking that he couldn’t help it.
Oblivious to Azel’s thoughts, Kallos sighed.
“That damned Atein. A mage who leaves nothing behind in his own study.”
Kallos had tried every means possible to break the curse Atein had placed on Azel. He had scoured this castle dozens of times over, searching even the smallest details for any clues.
But there were no results. Neither Atein’s vast library of magic tomes nor his study overflowing with astonishing magical artifacts held any leads on lifting Azel’s curse.
Azel comforted his friend.
“Atein might’ve been the first mage ever, so it’s only natural he’d be different from the rest.”
Magic was a technique born from the Dragon Demon tribe.
And Atein, who had reigned as their king, was the very first Dragon Demon in the world. That was why some mages speculated he might be the progenitor of magic itself.
Kallos snapped in anger.
“Don’t talk like it’s someone else’s problem! Your life’s on the line!”
“I know that.”
“Then how can you be so nonchalant about it?”
“I can’t very well yell at the guy running around harder than anyone to solve it.”
“Urk…”
Kallos’s face flushed red. It must have been embarrassing. Azel, the one facing death, remained composed, while he himself was rattled.
‘I was scared too, Kallos.’
Azel in the present smiled wryly as he watched the scene.
Yes. Azel had been terrified too. He had saved the world, yet his own future remained unsaved, and the thought of succumbing to encroaching death moment by moment made him want to cry.
If he had simply died on the battlefield after defeat, he could have faced that final instant with detachment. But the terror of death slowly constricting his heart like a vice was unbearable.
Yet each time, a fiery defiance blazed in a corner of his chest.
‘Atein, all you can take from me is my life.’
He resolved not to let anything else go as the bastard wished.
Above all, he didn’t want to disappoint the friend striving desperately for his sake. Even if those efforts failed and he died, he wouldn’t show any weakness. He would remain proud and dignified to the end.
It was childish bravado, really. But what was left of a man who had gripped his sword and stormed battlefields if you stripped that away?
And who could scorn bravado staked on one’s life?
Looking back, that bravado had surely helped Kallos.
“Azel, I really feel like… our positions have swapped.”
“Same here. Never imagined a day like this would come.”
During the Dragon Emperor War, they had been opposites. Back when Azel was still immature, charging into the jaws of death on impulse, Kallos had doused him with cold reason.
For a group to endure hardship and despair, at least one person had to remain unshakable. Even when all crumbled, that one had to stand firm as steel, a pillar of support.
Kallos had played that role. But with Azel’s curse, their roles reversed. Azel, who should have suffered most, squeezed out desperate bravado to feign unshakability, becoming the pillar for Kallos, who teetered on the edge of despair.
The two wandering the ruins suddenly arrived at Atein’s office. On a half-collapsed wall, words engraved by magic were visible.
‘Those who face the world with hatred must be prepared to receive the world’s hatred in return.’
The moment Azel saw them, he instinctively knew who had written it.
Dragon Demon King Atein.
Had the man who sought to conquer the world truly understood the meaning of his actions?
Kallos asked,
“What do you think drove that Dragon Demon King to try conquering the world?”
The birth of the Dragon Demon tribe was in ancient times. Atein, the first, had lived far longer than the average Dragon Demon—over a thousand years, at least.
As the origin of their kind and possibly the founder of magic, why had he now sought world conquest alongside his kin? Countless had battled him to the death, yet none knew his true intentions.
No one but Azel.
Atein’s words flashed through Azel’s mind.
‘Regrettably, this experiment was a failure. I was still ignorant. I have no choice but to admit it.’
Those words sent chills down Azel’s spine.
He could have sneered if Atein had justified it as his ambition.
If the mage had ranted with mad ideals, he could have laughed it off.
But with death before him, Atein calmly admitted failure. He called this world-shaking chaos a mere experiment.
‘Azel, if you are the blade the world aimed at me, I’ll break you at the cost of my life. You’ll die with me.’
…And those words became the curse that struck Azel.
After briefly reminiscing, Azel spoke.
“Kallos.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re gonna go bald.”
“…What?”
It was a conversation that hadn’t happened in the already-passed past. The discrepancy shattered the dream world.
As the dream collapsed, Azel said,
“But Kallos, you’re amazing. Deserved to be called a grand mage.”
It was praise Azel truly wanted to give his friend after he was gone.
2
While Dragon Princess Arieta stayed at the Western Border Fortress, Azel trained his body and Spirit Order, read the sparse books in the library, and passed the time leisurely. He also sparred with Zail.
Zail said,
“Your mana force has grown a lot in just a few days.”
“It’s not building from scratch by tempering spirit veins—it’s recovery, so it feels quicker.”
Azel’s words were only half-true.
In just four days of training, he had absorbed much of the power from the Dragon Slaying Ritual, completing his second Life Ring. His mana force was several times greater than before leaving the ruins excavation site.
Greater mana force meant it was easier to wield his techniques. Both the power he could unleash in a single burst and his reserves had grown tremendously, letting him overwhelm Zail in pure technique.
But Azel held back, not revealing his full skill, yielding a move or two. He had decided to avoid anything too outlandish.
After those four days, Arieta departed the Western Border Fortress for the capital.
On the morning of departure, Azel woke early, meditated once, stretched lightly, then donned the equipment provided the day before. He had said one sword was enough, but the princess’s escorts wouldn’t hear it and gave him leather armor.
“Hmm. Been a while since I wore something like this.”
Before sleep, as a famed knight, Azel had worn enchanted full plate.
But before knighthood and nobility, he had lived like any sellsword in poor gear. This military-issue leather armor was quality and new, yet it evoked those days.
After arming himself, Azel stopped by the infirmary before heading to the rendezvous.
“Hey.”
Rick, up early preparing for the day, greeted him.
“Heading out today?”
“Yeah. Thanks for everything, Rick.”
“If you owe me, I think you’ve paid it back plenty.”
Azel gripped Rick’s outstretched hand and shook firmly.
Rick said,
“If you snag a spot escorting the princess, don’t forget me.”
“Then I’d never come back to a place like this.”
“Fair enough.”
Rick chuckled.
“I hope you recover your memories. You’re no ordinary stock, Azel.”
“Thanks.”
After bidding Rick farewell, Azel went to the rendezvous. No one was there yet, but waiting briefly, Zail arrived with another man—a young knight around Azel’s age.
Azel greeted them.
“Good morning, Sir Zail.”
“You’re early.”
Azel had arrived about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. No point showing up late. But he hadn’t expected to be first, with Zail second.
Zail introduced the young knight with him.
“This is Sir Boer, a member of the princess’s escort who came here with her. Sir Boer, this is…”
“I’ve heard. The lucky one who survived thanks to the princess.”
“…Pardon?”
Zail looked at him in disbelief.
The young knight called Boer had neatly combed brown hair, blue eyes, and the haughty air of an arrogant noble scion. Matching that impression, he sneered.
“The princess, really. Passing over capable knights to bring some nobody of unclear origins as an escort. I can’t fathom her intentions. Just stay quiet and out of the way from now on.”
“…”
Azel was momentarily dumbfounded. Staring blankly, a sudden thought struck him.
‘Should I just punch this guy?’
Before sleep, few dared act so rudely before Marquess Karzark Azel. There had been some before the Dragon Emperor War ended, but none met good ends.
As Azel suppressed his surging violent urge, Boer added as if it just occurred to him,
“Well, with such a ridiculously small group, you do need someone for errands.”
“Sir Boer, that’s too much.”
“Hm? What is?”
Zail interjected, but Boer looked puzzled, as if he truly couldn’t see the problem with his words.
Zail was momentarily speechless at the attitude. But he soon composed himself and said,