Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Dragon Armament Crafters (2)
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Chapter 14
Azel asked.
“I don’t remember the details from the book I read all that well… but what happened to that person named Lugen?”
“He passed away. Before I was born.”
“…….”
Even for Dragon Demons, 220 years was a long time. They lived far longer than humans—anywhere from 300 to over 500 years—but it wasn’t infinite.
“I see…….”
Azel gave a wry smile at the answer. He felt foolish for getting his hopes up over something so pointless.
That was when Hasban spoke up.
“You’re later than expected, Your Grace. I was worried.”
“There was an incident along the way.”
“You could have at least sent word.”
“I wasn’t in any state for that. And the delay was because this guy turned out weaker than I expected.”
“Making excuses at the expense of a guest is beyond pathetic, Your Grace. It’s rare for you to bring a guest along. I’m Hasban, head butler in charge of the Tarantos household. Welcome to Tarantos Castle.”
“I’m Knight Azel Zestringer. Pleased to meet you.”
Azel’s voice trembled slightly. It was because Hasban’s voice reminded him of Lugen.
Hasban continued.
“You bear the name of a legendary hero. Your parents must have been quite knowledgeable about history to name you Zestringer.”
“You know of that name?”
“Of course. My grandfather fought alongside the hero Azel Karzark.”
Hasban smiled. As Azel gazed at him with complicated feelings, Kairen spoke up.
“Then let’s head inside. Hasban, prepare a room for him. Show him that Tarantos Castle’s hospitality rivals the royal palace.”
“Judging by your words, this guest must have been treated to royal palace hospitality. Understood. And I’ve made all the necessary preparations in the study, anticipating your arrival, Your Grace.”
“Hm. Was there a lot to handle?”
“You can probably look forward to it.”
“My head butler is always so impertinent.”
“That’s thanks to Your Grace’s free-spirited family traditions. Come now, many are waiting for you.”
“That’s unwelcome news.”
Seeing Kairen’s expression, Azel couldn’t help but chuckle. It was the face of a kid dying to avoid homework.
But even that expression changed at Hasban’s next words.
“Count Mirkel has arrived as well.”
“That old coot is already here?”
“He’d be quite hurt to hear you say that about a peer of yours.”
“I’m still young, so it’s fine.”
Kairen snorted.
3
Azel met Kairen again as evening approached. He had received word from a servant to join him for dinner and followed the servant to the dining hall.
Kairen wasn’t alone. Seated with him was the oldest-looking Dragon Demon mage Azel had seen since awakening in this era.
Kairen said.
“Sit. The head chef’s been itching to show off a fortnight’s worth of new dishes, so you can look forward to it.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“This is Count Burein Mirkel. Just know he’s a cranky old man—that’s enough—but he loves being hailed as the guardian deity of Lurein Kingdom’s eastern regions or whatever empty title, so keep that in mind too, or dealing with him will be a pain.”
“I’ll admit to my bad temper, but even I’m not as bad as you, Kairen.”
Burein snorted. Then he turned to Azel.
“Young fellow, first time seeing you, but I have a feeling I’ll like you a lot.”
“I’m Knight Azel Zestringer. It’s an honor to hear that from a great mage. If it’s not rude, may I ask why?”
“You gave a know-it-all old fart a taste of his own medicine? That alone is reason enough for me to like you.”
“Old fart…….”
Azel struggled to hold back a laugh at the term. Kairen shot back.
“Isn’t it better than being old inside and out? At least you don’t have to hear ‘you’ve aged gracefully.’”
“That’s why I can’t help liking the kid who gave you a piece of your own. Plus, as a bonus, he showed that Dragon Demon named Niberis a bitter lesson.”
“You know her?”
“I’m a Guardian Shadow too. No further explanation needed, right?”
Burein Mirkel was a powerful mage listed as a person of interest even in the Dark Snowfields. He was considered the pinnacle of mages in Lurein Kingdom and held the title of grand mage.
Burein said.
“I chased those bastards before they could escape the country. Unfortunately, I lost them. Caught two underlings, but they were dead… Their escape skills were exquisite.”
“Wasn’t it your skills that fell short?”
Kairen sneered. Burein frowned.
“You just have to say it. Didn’t you let them slip away with your eyes wide open?”
“My goal was rescuing Arietta, not catching them.”
“Sure it was.”
Burein clicked his tongue.
Kairen said.
“Save the appetite-spoiling talk for after dinner. Speaking of, how was the guest treatment?”
“It was beyond reproach, not even falling short of the palace.”
Azel’s praise was sincere. Tarantos Castle’s hospitality was exceptional. The guest room was splendid, and the staff’s attentiveness was impeccable.
Kairen looked pleased.
“You’ll see our head chef’s skills are the same.”
And that was true as well. Tasting the course including the chef’s secret new dishes made Azel very happy.
4
After dinner, the three moved to Kairen’s study.
Burein asked.
“But are you really going to make a Dragon Armament for this young man?”
“I’m serious.”
“Well, with the materials ready, it’s possible… but I’ve never seen you favor someone like this.”
“It’s not favoritism. He’s not even my man. I lost a bet, so I had no choice.”
“Making a Dragon Armament because you lost a spar? If word gets out, every swordsman in the country will come knocking with lanterns.”
The Dragon Armament Burein referred to was the Dragon Sword Kairen wielded.
He was one of the creators who had forged the Dragon Sword alongside Kairen. And he wielded a Dragon Armament himself.
What Azel had demanded as the price for defeating Kairen in their spar was exactly that.
Make me a Dragon Sword.
His request to Arietta was tied to this as well. Azel had asked her to procure materials from the dragon corpse he felled in Ballan Forest for crafting a Dragon Sword. She gladly agreed, and the materials matching Kairen’s list had arrived at Tarantos Castle.
Kairen said.
“But it’s worth the investment. If we can confirm it’s real.”
“You mean the Dragon Slaying Ritual?”
“Yeah.”
“Hm…….”
“Well, if you don’t like it, you could test it yourself. It’s said even Dragon Demons can benefit from the ritual. For you, beating a dragon one-on-one isn’t impossible, right? If it works, you gain a dragon’s power—worth the gamble.”
“I’ll pass. Recommending such madness—you must be dying to shove me into a grave.”
Even Burein, called the kingdom’s strongest mage, had no intention of playing hero against a dragon on shaky info. He grumbled.
“You like this kid, yet you’re pushing him into insanity? Well, a Spirit Order practitioner would have better odds than a mage. Assuming equal footing.”
Dragons had terrible matchup against mages. A dragon’s Dragon power exerted direct dominance over nature incomparable to a Dragon Demon’s, granting immense resistance to magic. Even Burein struggled against dragons using direct flames, ice, or lightning. And moreover….
Azel said.
“Mages can have their spells stolen and turned against them.”
“Hm. You really know your dragons?”
Burein was surprised.
Dragons became eerily intelligent against humans. They understood human speech and seemed to comprehend and counter their tactics.
This was especially pronounced against mages. When using magic of an element the dragon controlled, it would copy and hurl it back. Thus, the hypothesis that dragons could read opposing humans’ mental images held strong support among mages.
Azel said.
“Spirit Order practitioners aren’t much different. Use a technique worth copying, and you’ll suffer the same fate. So you must prepare from the start.”
“Prepare how?”
“Assume that hypothesis is true and defend so it can’t read your mental images.”
Azel had strictly followed that guideline against the Earth Dragon. Even in the Dragon Demon War, much about dragons remained mysterious. The mental image-reading hypothesis existed then too.
But Kallos was certain of it. Thus, during his own Dragon Slaying Ritual, he prepared various defenses and fought accordingly.
Burein asked.
“Does that let you win one-on-one against a dragon?”
“Can’t guarantee it. It’s just one minimum condition for beating a dragon.”
“Hm. Bad question. What I meant was… if you had a Dragon Armament, could you win?”
“No.”
Azel stated firmly. Burein looked flustered and glanced at Kairen.
“Isn’t that different from what you said?”
“He’s not done talking yet. Why not hear him out? Old folks are always so impatient.”
Kairen teased, crumpling Burein’s face.
Azel gave a wry smile and asked.
“Did you hear about what happened on the way here with His Grace?”
“Undying things calling themselves Prophecy Guardians challenged you to a ‘test’… That’s what I heard.”
“You know of them?”
“Not much, but I’ve seen one called Delta who fought Kairen.”
“An Undying Dragon Demon?”
“Yeah. Hm…….”
Burein searched his memory.
“About 20 years ago. I was pursuing a Dragon Demon from the Dark Snowfields, but the bastard was insanely strong. Honestly, beyond what I could handle.”
“You’re saying that?”
Kairen asked, surprised. Burein nodded.
“Want me to start with the woman called Niberis? Even with the advantage of pursuit, one-on-one, I couldn’t guarantee victory. Her Dragon power rivaled yours. And only high-class spells. Still green in handling, but…….”
“Hm. I heard that already. What’s that got to do with 20 years ago?”
“Easier to understand with a comparison. The Dragon Demon I was chasing then made Niberis look like nothing. In raw Dragon power, at least dragon-level output—believe that?”
“What? That’s exaggerated.”
“No exaggeration. It was real. He faced me, my disciples, and over 30 Guardian Shadows alone—and had the upper hand. That’s when Delta appeared. Actually, a human calling himself a Prophecy Guardian contacted from afar, then three Undyings—Beta, Gamma, Delta—joined.”
Each Undying was stronger than Burein. But even they struggled against the Dragon Demon wreathed in ominous Dragon power.
“In that battle, Beta and Gamma were destroyed. Delta alone escaped without perishing. That’s everything I know about these Prophecy Guardians.”
“So I smashed your benefactor’s thick skull.”
“But Your Grace lost an eye in return…….”
“Stop there. Shut your mouth.”
“Hoo, looks like there’s something intriguing you haven’t told me…….”
“Don’t even think about it. Azel, if you spill, that thing when you’re sleeping… you know?”
“Tch.”
Threatened, Azel clicked his tongue like he truly regretted it.
Burein chuckled.
“Don’t know the details, but this guy clearly got hilariously owned. Fine. Anyway, I get that these Prophecy Guardians are oddballs even among Guardian Shadows. And you’re a candidate for someone important to them.”
“No idea why. They mentioned some prophecy figure, but I don’t even know what the prophecy is.”
“No clue here either. That’s the problem.”
“I’d love to grab one by the throat and shake the truth out next time they show.”
“Agreed. Their secrecy is too weird. Decades of this crap.”
Burein grumbled. Like Kairen, he seemed dissatisfied with the Guardian Shadows.
Azel said.
“We got sidetracked. Hm. The reason I bring it up is… the reason I got into that mess is the same as why I can’t beat a dragon. Fighting dragons isn’t just about technique. You need power.”
To truly transcend limits, a Spirit Order practitioner must undergo the Dragon Slaying Ritual.
But to do that, they needed power to beat a dragon one-on-one without it. And that level would beat Dragon Demons too.
That was the dilemma high-level Spirit Order practitioners faced in Azel’s era. To gain absolute power, they needed power already deemed absolute by others.
“With my current power, I couldn’t perform the Dragon Slaying Ritual. I’d die for sure.”
“Hm. And a Dragon Armament alone won’t solve it?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I’ll focus on training for a while. Until I reach a feasible level.”
“…That’ll do it? Power shortages aren’t filled that easily.”
Burein was skeptical. As a mage, he knew much about Spirit Order. He knew mana didn’t surge dramatically for practitioners.
But Azel was confident.
“I’ll prove it with results. That’s all I can say for now.”
For reference, though much had happened since Azel awoke, only two months had passed.
In that short time, Azel had formed three Life Rings. Including his unique secret art, Dual Banding.
Of course, it was possible because he underwent the Dragon Slaying Ritual midway and absorbed some of Kallos’s Dragon Armament power. But considering the scant relaxed training time and the relentless battles taxing his body, it was miraculous progress.
It had to be. Everyone who fought Azel wondered at his low mana. Spirit Order mana rose proportionally with mana to a point.
Advancing in Spirit Order meant better mana control. Handling more mana in intricate ways was needed to strengthen Spirit Veins, expand the mana vessel, and add Life Rings.
Azel was once an Octuple Master with eight Life Rings. Given time and leisure, he was confident he could vastly increase his mana without the ritual.
Burein said.
“Hm. Fine. I’ll trust you for now.”
Thus, the forging of Azel’s Dragon Sword was decided.