Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Dragon Sword Duke (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Azel asked.
“Have you not already heard about me from the princess?”
“I have. It was the first time I’ve seen that child become so talkative. It must mean you left quite an impression on her.”
The Arietta that Kairen remembered was a girl of few words. Aside from her family, she rarely showed much interest in any particular person.
Yet that Arietta had displayed a surprising level of interest in Azel. Hearing her excitedly talk about him like any girl her age left Kairen with a truly peculiar feeling.
Kairen said.
“Arietta is a child who knows how to judge others fairly. I taught her to evaluate what she sees without letting emotions cloud her judgment. But when it came to you, the more she spoke, the harder it was to believe her stories.”
“In what sense?”
“For example… the part about you having partial amnesia?”
Suddenly, a powerful pressure emanated from Kairen. It was an intimidating aura that could stop a normal person’s breath or even make them faint.
What was frightening was that this pressure was focused solely on Azel. It didn’t affect the surroundings in the slightest, and Azel marveled at this.
‘Impressive.’
Since awakening in this era, Azel had been greatly disappointed. Proper masters were absent due to the loss of ancient techniques.
The exceptions were his enemy Nibelis and Durang. Nibelis was a high-ranking mage worthy of the title, and Durang was a true practitioner of advanced Spirit Order.
Kairen was providing Azel with a stimulus comparable to theirs. Not only did he possess immense dragon demon power, but he displayed advanced techniques effortlessly.
Kairen was even more astonished than Azel.
‘Just what kind of monster is this guy?’
He was unleashing an aura strong enough to crush a human with sheer pressure, yet Azel showed no reaction.
It wasn’t that he was resisting and overcoming it. He was letting it flow past as if the pressure didn’t exist.
Kairen, who had lived over a hundred years, had never encountered anyone who responded to his aura in this way. This alone proved Azel was a master worthy of his attention.
Azel replied.
“Didn’t you hear a sufficient explanation about that part as well?”
“I did.”
“Then why doubt it?”
“Because no matter how I look at it, you’re hiding far too much.”
Kairen hadn’t only heard from Arietta. He had also spoken with Zail, Boer, and Enora about Azel—from the moment he was found in the Vellan Forest up to now.
The more he heard, the less he understood about him.
It wasn’t suspicion of him being an enemy. Azel’s actions so far had been clear on that front. It was simply the inability to grasp his true nature that bred unease.
Azel asked.
“What do you think I’m hiding?”
“A lot. Starting with your dragon demon power.”
When Arietta first saw Azel, she had been puzzled by the faint scent of dragon demon power on a human. Compared to then, the aura emanating from Azel now was much stronger, and Kairen had keenly sensed it.
“And… I heard you spoke of the Dragon Slaying Ritual.”
“Yes.”
“Let me ask directly. Did you slay a dragon?”
“…….”
Azel fell silent, not answering the question immediately.
4
Kairen continued after glaring at Azel for a moment.
“I’ve fought and killed dragons before. Three times so far.”
Dragons rarely appeared in human realms. And when they did, it almost always led to disaster.
Battles between humans and dragons always ended in human victory. But it came at the cost of massive forces and tremendous sacrifices—a pyrrhic victory marred by wounds.
Kairen was one who could minimize such calamities. Whenever a dragon appeared as a harbinger of ruin, he stepped forward willingly to reduce the damage.
“From my experience… I find it hard to believe you slew a dragon.”
Azel admitted Azel possessed exceptional skill as a Spirit Order practitioner.
But skill alone couldn’t slay a dragon. Even if a powerless elder could fell a sturdy youth with masterful technique, he couldn’t demolish a castle wall, could he?
Azel asked.
“Didn’t you hear my explanation on that matter?”
“Another dragon appeared and killed it. That’s what you said, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“With the dragon dead, it’s the most convincing answer. It’s absurd to think you slew it. You drew its attention and desperately fled, encroaching on another dragon’s territory, sparking a fight between them…”
That was exactly what Azel had thought, so he used that excuse. One might question how it happened, but with the result already in place, what could those absent say? If Azel had fabricated the battle, it would be different, but a dragon killing another dragon?
Kairen said.
“I’ve heard of the Dragon Slaying Ritual before.”
“Is that so?”
“But I don’t know what it entails. As far as I know, no one understands its true meaning, and no proper records remain. The most I’ve seen are entries like ‘So-and-so performed the Dragon Slaying Ritual.’ That’s how we infer it’s a ritual for slaying dragons.”
Azel listened closely to Kairen’s words. It was valuable information.
‘He’s slain dragons but knows nothing of the Dragon Slaying Ritual? Even a dragonkin who’s lived over a hundred years… Hmm. At what point did the knowledge get severed?’
Azel now suspected the knowledge gap wasn’t merely due to historical events. His conversation with Nibelis alone was enough to suspect deliberate manipulation by the Dragon Demon Worshippers.
Kairen continued.
“But you knew.”
“Yes.”
“And… the dragonkin mage of the Dragon Shadow, Nibelis, meaningfully mentioned that you knew of it.”
“She did.”
“That led me to suspect one possibility.”
“What possibility?”
“That you have a hidden ally.”
“An ally?”
This was a point Azel hadn’t considered, leaving him slightly flustered.
Kairen said.
“What if you have a hidden ally powerful enough to slay a dragon? And what if that ally orchestrated all this and sent you to Arietta?”
“…Do you enjoy conspiracy theories?”
“I don’t. But I know there are things lurking in the shadows, wielding influence slyly without revealing themselves—just like the Dragon Demon Worshippers.”
Kairen didn’t suspect Azel was a Dragon Shadow lackey. He had guessed why they tried to abduct Arietta.
If his guess was correct, Azel had no reason to protect her. He should have struck her from behind long ago.
“That doesn’t guarantee you lack dangerous ulterior motives. You could belong to a rival Dragon Demon Worshipper faction opposing the Dragon Shadow.”
“Hmm. Well…”
Azel scratched his head.
“If you go down that road, you’d have to suspect everyone in the world.”
“Do you think I can lump you in with everyone else?”
“If you apply that ‘invisible hands moving the world’ conspiracy theory, then yes, I’d be even more suspicious. And no matter how hard I try, I couldn’t clear my name. Even if I protected the princess and died for it, I might be seen as a schemer who botched his plot and got himself killed.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone bold enough to mock me to my face.”
“You must prefer empty-headed fools who clear their minds and praise your every word—even if you said the sun rises in the west.”
Both laughed, but the atmosphere grew tense. Kairen’s pressure intensified, and Azel met it calmly, radiating a provocative aura daring him to strike if angered.
Kairen backed off first. He withdrew the pressure and relaxed his expression.
“…Alright. I went too far. I admit it.”
“That’s unexpected.”
“Hm?”
“I figured you’d at least test me with a strike.”
“And you’d counter with ‘Gotcha, you bastard!’? Laying your guard wide open and saying that—you’ve got a twisted personality.”
“That’s not something I wanted to hear from you, Duke. From what the princess said, you’re the poster child for twisted personalities.”
“Insolent pup. You don’t know the fear of the world.”
Kairen snorted. Though he appeared youthful, his aged demeanor felt natural—owing to his over-a-century lifespan and the reverence he commanded.
Suddenly, Kairen grew serious and said.
“But know this. I’m in a position where I must consider even the absurd conspiracy you mocked as a real possibility. The Dragon Demon Worshippers’ actions stem from madness beyond common sense.”
Azel now understood why Kairen wanted to speak away from Arietta’s eyes. He didn’t want her to see such thoughts.
After a moment of silence, Kairen said.
“I’d like you to tell me one thing. About the Dragon Slaying Ritual.”
“Haven’t you already heard from the princess?”
“A human and a dragon engage in one-on-one combat. The victor takes what the loser possesses—the human takes the dragon’s power, the dragon the human’s wisdom.”
“That’s right.”
“Does that even make sense?”
Kairen couldn’t accept it.
Every region has rituals with spiritual significance, born from its environment and history—cultural products.
But culture holds meaning only among the intelligent beings forming society. Does it make sense for such a ritual to exist between humans and dragons? At best, a mage contracting a specific dragon for a ritual—but an unconditional pact shared by unspecified humans and dragons?
Azel stroked his chin.
“Hmm. If I explain it to you, what will you offer in return?”
“You dare demand payment for answering my question?”
“I believe the princess’s teacher, the duke, is a fair man. Knowledge has value, doesn’t it?”
Kairen grimaced with a groan.