Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Dragon Lair
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Admiration was short-lived.
Roselia and I quickly snapped out of it and put our heads together again, racking our brains.
The subject was obvious: how to haul away all that treasure—the mountains of gold and silver jewels—and those dragon bones.
"How many subspatial pouches did you bring, Your Highness?"
Roselia, stroking her chin lost in thought, suddenly brightened as if struck by a good idea.
"From what I know, even a single top-grade subspatial pouch could hold the entire imperial palace..."
"...You're right. If it's one made by the mages of the Magic Tower, its capacity is so immense it could swallow the entire imperial palace of the Loen Empire. But..."
The real issue? Even at a glance, the pile of treasures below could fill dozens of imperial palaces.
Roselia realized it too, her eyes clouding with regret as she sank back into contemplation.
"Hmm... There's so much, we'd probably have to leave more behind than we take. Should we just grab what we can today and come back later?"
"That doesn't sound like a bad plan."
Like a bank—we withdraw what we need and save the rest.
Besides, Mirror Lake was Kaltstein territory, and as far as the continent went, only she and I could open the door here.
It was the ultimate secure vault.
Still, there was this nagging unease...
"Something feels off about leaving it like this."
"Yeah... somehow..."
Roselia and I locked eyes, realizing we were thinking the exact same thing, and burst out laughing.
"Ahaha! Great minds think alike, Duke."
"Exactly. Treasures like these? You don't want them too far out of sight, even if no one else can touch them."
Yeah, that had to be it.
People often prefer what's right in front of them over perfectly rational options.
It was only natural to feel anxious, even knowing no one could steal it.
What if the lair collapsed overnight?
"Then we should take everything today... but how?"
Roselia, who'd been laughing uproariously, sobered up and peered down the well again.
Then, as if something occurred to her, she tilted her head and muttered.
"Wait... how did that massive dragon even get down there? The entrance is wide, sure, but for it, it'd be a tight squeeze—just barely room for its head."
"...That's a valid point."
I tore my gaze from the well and scanned the surroundings.
But all I saw were unidentified magic circles, ancient runes, and what looked like the entrance to a mine...
That one?
"That must be the way down underground."
I pointed at the structure resembling a mine entrance, and Roselia turned to look.
She clapped her hands in realization and shot to her feet.
"You're right! It totally looks like a mine entrance leading underground..."
That was the moment.
"!!!"
From behind me came a pressure unlike anything I'd ever felt—a dimensional killing intent that choked the air from my lungs.
It was like an invisible blade grazing my nape, sending chills down my spine.
I whipped my head around on instinct.
And I saw it.
A hulking figure emerging from the darkness, swinging a greatsword as tall as itself down toward Roselia's crown.
"Damn it..."
'Shit!! There was definitely no one there. How did I miss its presence?'
I couldn't comprehend the situation and gave up trying, launching myself forward on pure instinct.
Roselia belatedly noticed the shadow looming over her and gaped in shock.
"Ah..."
Too late to dodge.
No time to cast a defensive spell.
Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, she could do nothing but let out a short scream, squeezing her eyes shut against the terror of death closing in.
Kwajik—!!!
A gruesome bursting sound echoed across the altar.
"Kyaaak!!"
Fortunately, Roselia wasn't struck by the greatsword. Rough hands shoved her rolling across the floor.
The pain of landing on her backside was nothing compared to the horrific noise that had just rung in her ears. Trembling, she opened her eyes.
And there he was.
"Hoo... hoo..."
The duke, holding her tight, panting heavily.
"D-Duke...?"
Roselia's eyes shook as she slowly scanned my body.
Then she spotted it—her eyes widened in horror.
"Duke!! Your arm... your arm!!"
"..."
My left shoulder.
More precisely, the joint connecting it to my arm had been half shredded by the greatsword's aura.
Blood sprayed like a fountain, soaking the floor. The wound was so deep white bone gleamed through.
A little deeper, and the whole arm would've been severed.
"Kuh..."
I gritted my teeth, swallowing a groan.
The excruciating pain I'd never felt before dominated my body, but now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
"I'm... fine. Traded one arm for our lives—cheap deal."
"What are you talking about? You're bleeding so much...!"
"I'm okay. Fall back first."
I drew Winter Fang with my bloodied hand and stood.
Cold sweat poured like a waterfall from the agony, but my right hand gripping the sword didn't waver.
My eyes locked on one thing: the unidentified assailant.
Jet-black plate armor encasing its entire body.
Crimson glow seeping from the helmet slits.
And the grotesque being wielding that massive greatsword dripping with my blood.
'What the hell... why is a monster like that here?'
Ever since entering the dragon lair, I hadn't let my guard down for a second.
Even when I extended my senses to headache-inducing levels, nothing registered... and it was the same now.
No matter how hard I focused, I detected no life signs from the figure.
No breathing, no heartbeat—not even a whisper of mana flow. Was it even alive?
Yet the pressure it exuded defied imagination.
'Quasi-Special grade at minimum.'
I knew instinctively, without deep analysis.
Stronger than the Kraken—the one even my father, Kailus von Kaltstein, struggled against. The strongest foe I'd ever faced.
No... it might even surpass quasi-Special. Maybe a true Special-grade monster, known only from records.
Could I handle such a beast, wounded and far from full strength?
"..."
As I gauged the distance, swallowing dryly in tension,
Roselia, watching from behind, cried out as recognition dawned.
"Black armor, pristine white greatsword... Th-that's... a Dragon Fang Soldier!!"
"Dragon Fang Soldier?"
"Yes! The ultimate guardian forged from a dragon's tooth! An ancient weapon with immense resistance to both physical and magical attacks!"
Her lips quivered in disbelief as she continued.
"B-but this is weird... Ancient texts say Dragon Fang Soldiers stop functioning the instant their master's mana supply cuts off upon death... Why is it moving?!"
"...Hah."
The dragon was already bones.
I'd confirmed it with my own eyes. Dead for sure.
Yet centuries later, its guardian operated perfectly.
This defied magical scholarship outright.
'Dragon Fang Soldier, huh...'
I glared at the red glow in its helm, dredging up a buried memory.
Once, in a dusty dragon tome shoved in the corner of the ducal library,
[Immortal soldiers born by infusing a dragon's tooth with draconic mana.]
[Devoid of ego, they know no fear; lacking pain receptors, they never tire. Mere killing machines executing a single command: eliminate intruders.]
If that was true, it explained why I hadn't sensed it.
It wasn't alive—a golem animated by magic.
'But no fear or pain doesn't mean no weaknesses.'
Even the "unkillable" Kraken that shook the North Sea had one.
This thing was just a golem crafted by a dragon.
And every magical weapon has a power source—a core.
Neutralize that core, and it's scrap.
The catch? For a Dragon Fang Soldier, that core was likely the tooth itself.
So, I'd have to find and destroy the hidden original tooth inside the helm or deep in the armor. Then this brute becomes junk.
Finishing my analysis, I stanched the gushing blood from my arm and shouted to Roselia trembling behind me.
"Your Highness, fall back!"
"B-but your arm...!"
"Worry about my arm, and we'll both lose our heads. Focus!"
At my sharp command, Roselia snapped to and gripped her staff tighter.
"O-okay! I'll unleash every spell I can for now."
"Good. Stay sharp—we'll get through this."
I wrapped Winter Fang's blade in aura, shoving down the pain in my mangled left shoulder with sheer willpower, and aimed the tip at the enemy.
It was an ancient weapon.
I was a one-armed Sword Master.
'This'll be fun.'
A feral smile tugged at my lips as I settled into stance.
Ever since surpassing my father, no worthy opponents remained. Boredom had set in.
Swordsmen grow by clashing against superiors—fighting, losing, surpassing. But I had no one left for that.
Now, fulfilling that craving was a being before me—not just a wall, but one strong enough for a true life-or-death duel. How could I not be thrilled?
"I hope you're as formidable as the tomes claim."
I kicked off the ground and charged into its embrace.