Chapter 214: The Dragon King
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 214: The Dragon King
Lorian was dead, and Gis was left in a state worse than death.
The tangled threads of ill fate connected to this body had all been unraveled.
But no sense of liberation came.
Because it wasn't all over yet.
Now, it was time to sever the ill fate tied not to Cloud, but to me, Han Jisu.
“What's that ring? Seeing as you came all the way to this backwater place to get it, it must be something special.”
Katarina asked, looking at the black ring in my hand.
The name of this pitch-black, crude ring was the ‘Nameless Knight's Black Ring’.
It was a ring obtainable in the early to mid-game that increased the Magic Power stat by 10%—an item that seemed unremarkable at first glance.
In truth, it was unremarkable.
A 10% increase to Magic Power.
That might be something in the early game, but in the late game, where item performance inflation kicks in, it was a trivial bonus.
The Nameless Knight's Ring series was always like this.
Low-spec bonuses in exchange for being obtainable early on.
It was what you’d call an early-game item.
But if you gathered all the rings—red, blue, black, and white—and placed them on a certain altar, the story changed.
The rings, which were nothing more than useless trinkets, would combine to become a ring with outstanding performance.
Even if it was a one-time use item.
Do I really need to make it?
Then again, it wouldn't hurt to have it.
As I closed my palm to put the ring in my pocket, I heard Katarina let out a disappointed sigh. “Ah…”
Wondering what was wrong, I looked over and saw her gaze fixed firmly on my hand clutching the ring.
Could it be…?
I opened my palm. The disappointment vanished from her expression, replaced by a deep sense of anticipation. She even started fidgeting with the fingers on her left hand. I had a pretty good idea of what she wanted.
I closed my palm again and put the ring in my pocket. Katarina was visibly crestfallen, but what couldn't be, couldn't be.
If I just gave it to her, what would become of all the time I’d spent looking for it?
I decided I would just have to buy Katarina something nice later.
With that settled, I called over the rest of the party, who were in the middle of finishing off the monsters. Now that I had the ring, there was no longer any reason to stay in this dungeon.
“Is the next thing you’re looking for also a ring?” Leslie asked casually as we were leaving the dungeon. I nodded.
“The next one is the last. Once I get it, we'll head to the hidden altar in the Prona Kingdom—”
“Hero.”
Leslie stopped walking, her expression hardening. It wasn't just her. Katarina, Shedia, Eri, Ophelia, and even Hailey, who was temporarily accompanying us for surveillance—all of them were frozen like statues, staring straight ahead.
Following their gaze, I saw a hooded figure standing at the end of the long corridor.
“I ask you. Are you the Hero, Cloud?”
The vertically slit pupils were barely visible under the hood, and the voice radiated a menacing aura.
That thing is not human.
“I am. And who might you be?”
Instead of answering, the figure unleashed an immense amount of mana. A mana so dense it would startle even an archmage enveloped our surroundings.
Fwoosh.
A massive, circular magic circle was carved onto the floor at high speed.
Eri and Leslie’s eyes widened, stunned by the speed of the spell's manifestation and its flawless precision.
I wished they'd do more than just stand there gawking and actually counterattack.
Well, I guess that’s a normal reaction for seeing magic of this level for the first time.
Just as I decided to be understanding of their sensibilities as mages and was about to slam the tip of my sword into the ground, the figure spoke.
“The sinner will not resist and come with me.”
The word ‘sinner’ was not one I could easily ignore, and I stopped my sword mid-swing.
Immediately after, a brilliant light erupted from the magic circle and engulfed us.
When the light faded and we could see again, we were no longer in a dark cave but standing in a barren wasteland.
“The trial of the sinner will now commence.”
We were surrounded by a dozen dragons.
*
Dragons.
Beings said to have been the first created by the Goddess Iries when she shaped the continent in the distant past.
As Iries's first children, they had not reached the realm of transcendents, but they had far surpassed the realm of mortals.
The dragons felt a deep pride in this fact and viewed all mortals, save for their mother Iries and their own kind, as beneath them.
Before Iries commanded them to restrain themselves, they had ruled the continent and enslaved the other races, so there was no need to elaborate on their ferocious and authoritarian nature.
The only reason these dragons suppressed their nature was because of their mother Iries's command.
No matter how ferocious and authoritarian they were, they could not dare to defy their creator.
They had no choice but to live in quiet submission, believing that she would one day rescind her order.
But in the midst of this, a problem arose.
A catastrophe occurred: a member of their clan was slain by a human.
Naturally, the dragons were enraged.
How dare a mere mortal threaten their safety?!
The fact that the human who killed the dragon was the Hero was of no importance to them.
This was a matter of pride.
Their honor as dragons was at stake.
However, it was also true that going against their mother Iries's will weighed on their minds.
So, after a long meeting, they decided to hold a trial.
It would look much better than simply slaughtering him outright.
“Wh-what is this…”
“Teleportation?! That spell he cast in an instant was a long-range teleport?!”
“And where are we now…”
Everyone except me was bewildered, unable to keep up with the sudden change in situation.
Hailey, at least, tried her best to remain composed, but…
“Hero Cloud. As a mortal, you dared to slay one of Mother Iries's first children. This fact has been uncovered through a precise and thorough investigation, so you shall not deny your sin.”
The words of the dragon judge made her mind go blank.
She had a rough idea of what was happening.
She turned her stiff neck toward me.
“Is it true…?”
I nodded silently.
“Excuse me, but are you insane?”
My attitude was far too confident for someone who had caused such a massive incident, and Hailey reflexively spat out the harsh words.
Naturally, my brow furrowed, but unlike before, she paid it no mind.
“How could you kill a dragon unless you were crazy…?”
It was an act that defied all common sense.
She turned her gaze to my other companions.
“Why didn't you stop him?”
She could understand me doing something crazy. Even after all the time she’d lived, she found me to be an unpredictable man.
But my companions were different.
They were sane people, weren't they?
Under Hailey's reproachful gaze, Eri fidgeted with her hands and said, “I've only ever read about dragons in legends and old books… I… I was so surprised, I wasn't thinking straight… I didn't even know we weren't supposed to touch them…”
The other women gave similar answers.
In short, they knew nothing about dragons.
Hailey was at a loss for words.
I never thought I'd feel a generation gap like this…
Just as my party was about to get noisy, the dragon who had brought us here spoke.
“Silence.”
Instantly, my companions fell quiet. It wasn't that they had realized the gravity of the situation and composed themselves; their mouths had simply been forced shut.
Dragon Language.
The dragon's power to compel the actions of lesser mortals had been invoked.
The judge, polymorphed into the form of an elf, bowed his head to him.
“Thank you, my Lord.”
Hailey's eyes twitched. I thought he was no ordinary dragon, but to think he was a Lord…
No, that wasn't what was important.
What was important was the fact that a Dragon Lord was participating in the trial.
A trial personally attended by a Lord… It's safe to assume the verdict is already decided.
For a being like a Dragon Lord to personally attend meant their entire clan took this incident seriously, which also meant that not even the Hero chosen by the goddess could get away with it.
And reality unfolded just as she thought it would.
“The sinner slew the dragon, Kraxus. This is a wicked act that tramples upon the honor of dragons, and at the same time, it is a great sin of defying heaven.”
The trial began in earnest, and by this point, the other women besides Hailey were slowly beginning to grasp the severity of the situation.
Until now, they had trusted in me and had not been overcome by fear, but the thought began to creep into their minds that not even I could do anything about this.
It wasn't strange for them to think so.
During the incidents with the Four Heavenly Kings or the vampires, at least their bodies had been free.
Now, because they had to maintain ‘Silence,’ they couldn't even move a single finger as they pleased.
“Therefore, I, the judge, shall deliver the following punishment to the sinner and his accomplices.”
It was a completely one-sided trial that offered no chance for a defense.
In fact, it was embarrassing to even call it a trial, but this was how dragons typically dealt with mortals.
If anything, this was them being rather polite.
Of course, the ones on trial didn't think so at all.
“First, for the crime of murdering the famously benevolent Kraxus and defiling his honor, I sentence you to twenty years of servitude in the Scorching Palace and twenty years in the Frigid Palace.”
The Scorching Palace and the Frigid Palace.
In the past, when dragons ruled the continent, they were places where mortals who had sinned were imprisoned. They inflicted a scorching heat as if one had fallen into hellfire, and a cold so bitter it could freeze tears.
Hailey, who knew of the two palaces, bit her lip, while the women who didn't felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
But compared to the punishment that followed, this was mere child's play.
“The sin of defying heaven is a great treason whose gravity cannot be measured. Naturally, I shall demand the highest penalty and sentence the sinner and all his accomplices to hard labor. This is a punishment engraved upon the soul, so it shall naturally continue even after the sinner's death.”
Eternally, until that wretched soul wears down to nothing and is extinguished.
Thud!
The sound of the verdict being closed snapped my companions back to their senses.
They had been dazed for a moment.
The sentence the judge had just delivered was that shocking to them.
Hard labor that continues even after death?
What kind of insane punishment was that?!
Being dragged here was bewildering enough, but now they were being sentenced to a lifetime of labor!
They wanted to protest, but the Dragon Language of ‘Silence’ did not permit them to speak.
In truth, even if they had the chance to speak, nothing would have changed.
A Dragon Lord and ancient dragons had gathered to deliver a punishment; what could mere mortals like them do?
Besides, they were outnumbered.
Resistance was not even a dream.
“Any objections?”
Thus, as a final act of mercy, the judge permitted them to speak. I responded by raising my hand.
“I'm not raising an objection, I'm just asking out of curiosity. A moment ago, you said that you dragons are Iries's first children, correct?”
A vein throbbed on the judge's temple at my strangely condescending tone, but he decided to forgive it, thinking of it as a final, final mercy.
“…That is correct. Our clan is indeed the true first children of Mother Iries.”
“I see…”
I nodded as if I understood.
“So that's it. Like mother, like son.”
I muttered it as if to myself, but I didn't lower my voice at all.
Naturally, the dragons realized I was being sarcastic.
The quickest to react was the judge.
[You bastard!!!]
A more devout follower of Iries than anyone, he was engulfed in rage and released his polymorph.
His true form was large enough to dwarf a small hill.
Following his lead, all the dragons except the Lord released their polymorphs, and the sky above the barren wasteland was instantly filled with colossal ancient dragons.
Storm clouds gathered in the once-clear sky, and heavy raindrops began to fall, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
[How dare a thing like you insult the honor of Mother Iries and our clan?!]
The voice of the enraged ancient dragon could not be drowned out even by thunder. The judge's furious voice boomed.
Just as the judge was about to inflict a terrible pain befitting the crime upon the sinner who dared to defile the honor of his clan and Iries, a voice stopped him.
“Enough.”
A single word from the Lord brought him to a halt.
“My Lord, please do not stop me! This bastard shows no remorse for his sins to the very end. The punishment must be carried out this instant—”
“Enough.”
He spoke in a near-pleading tone, but the Lord was firm.
“…I understand. As you wish, my Lord.”
The judge had no choice but to obey the Lord's command. But the Lord's command could not control his emotions. The judge was still enraged, as were the other dragons.
Grrrr…
Amid the sound of teeth grinding menacingly from all directions, my eyes met the Dragon Lord's.
I crossed my arms and furrowed my brow as if to say, ‘What are you looking at?’ The Lord's brow furrowed in response.
“I have not lifted the Dragon Language.”
A sudden silence fell over the assembly.
The mouths that had been grinding their teeth hung open stupidly, and the murderous glares were tinged with bewilderment.
The Lord continued.
“And yet, why are you moving?”