Chapter 155
Chapter Title: The Dragon Lord's Insight
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The place Riven led him to was the top of the clock tower in the center of Lumeria City.
‘I never knew the clock tower had something like this inside.’
He climbed the stairs, an expression of surprise on his face.
‘Is it some kind of watchtower?’
The countless spells covering the clock tower dazzled Leo’s eyes.
‘It’s all constructed with draconic magic. Mages would lose their minds if they saw this.’
Leo examined the magical formulas that made up the clock tower with interest.
Although he had encountered and grown accustomed to the various magical formulas of the current era, there was still a system of magic he had yet to encounter.
That was draconic magic.
Draconic magic could only be used by dragons.
In its exclusivity to a single race, it was similar to star magic.
However, there was a fundamental difference between the two.
Star magic was a system optimized for elves.
As long as one possessed the magical sense to convert the formulas tailored for elves into a human format, it could be used regardless of race. But draconic magic was different.
‘Formulas written in the draconic tongue are difficult to properly interpret. And even if you do, there’s a bigger problem.’
That problem was mana.
To activate draconic magic, one needed the mana emitted by a Dragon Heart.
Only the unique mana characteristic possessed by dragons could activate the formulas written in the draconic tongue.
Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that draconic magic was the exclusive domain of dragons.
Since it was something they would normally never encounter, every mage yearned to study draconic magic.
*Step— Step—*
Riven, who had been leading the way up the stairs, came to a halt.
Before them was a small door.
*Creeak—*
Riven opened the door and stepped inside.
“Come in.”
At Riven’s words, Leo entered the room.
Inside the room, a different space unfolded.
‘A spatial teleportation spell.’
Leo surveyed the room’s interior.
The scene that spread before his eyes was a bleak and desolate chamber.
A flawless crystal floor and walls caught his eye.
Other elements one would expect in a room, such as furniture or decorations, were nowhere to be found.
Leo looked up at the ceiling, and his eyes widened.
A mural of a dragon covered the entire ceiling.
“Lisinas.”
“The true form of the King of Wisdom is not well-known among the other races. You recognized him at once?”
Leo turned his head.
There stood a throne.
A single, massive throne in the vast space.
And sitting upon it was a girl who looked to be no older than ten.
The girl’s appearance was bizarre.
Her long hair, which cascaded down to the floor, was in disarray, and strands of black hair were noticeably mixed in with her silver locks.
She had a delicate face, but her closed left eye and the bulging veins around it created a strange atmosphere.
Leo could easily tell that the girl before him was a dragon.
‘Not just any dragon. A dragon of an incredibly high rank.’
As Leo stood in awe, sensing the mana emanating from her, Riven bowed respectfully to the girl and spoke to him.
“The Lord.”
At those words, a look of surprise crossed Leo’s face.
He knew Riven was a dragon, but he never imagined he would be guided to the Dragon Lord.
But his surprise was fleeting.
Leo tapped his right chest three times toward the Dragon Lord, then respectfully bowed his head and bent his knee.
It was the draconic way of salutation.
The reason Leo was so well-versed in draconic etiquette was simple.
There was someone who had drilled it into him until his ears bled.
‘Why do I have to hit my right chest three times?’
‘Because a Dragon Heart is located in the right chest. It signifies that you're letting them hear the beat of your Dragon Heart.’
‘Oh, really? But why do I have to learn something like dragon etiquette?’
‘Because you’ll have plenty of use for it after we subjugate Erebos.’
‘I really doubt that. And even if I did, why should I follow dragon etiquette? Besides, if that’s the case, shouldn’t those lazy bums sleeping over there be learning it too?’
Kyle, who had been forced to learn draconic etiquette in the middle of the night instead of sleeping, grumbled in annoyance.
At Leo’s reaction, Lisinas’s expression soured.
‘You’re second only to me in the subjugation party, aren’t you? Isn’t it natural for you to place more importance on etiquette? You’ll be seeing plenty of dragons with me later on!’
‘Why are you getting so worked up?’
‘Shut it. Just stop talking and learn properly! Bend your knee more! The angle is wrong!’
‘Please! Just let me sleep! Let me sleep!’
He remembered Lisinas, who had tormented him, forcibly holding him down to teach him etiquette despite his protests.
Of course, he never had to use it in his entire life.
‘To think I’d be using it in my next life.’
Thanks to Lisinas’s nagging, Leo’s posture was perfect.
And seeing it, the Lord and Riven’s eyes went wide.
At their reaction, Leo wore an awkward expression.
‘What? Did the etiquette change over 5000 years?’
If so, what had all those sleepless nights of being tormented by Lisinas been for?
“Pfft!”
Just then, the Lord covered her mouth with both hands and burst into laughter.
“Pffft! Puh! Keke—!”
“Leo Flove, where did you learn that greeting?”
“I learned it from a book. Was it incorrect?”
“No, it wasn't. In fact, it was perfect. But…”
“Pfft! You look like one of the old geezers! Ahahahaha!”
Unable to hold it in any longer, the Lord clutched her stomach and broke into fits of laughter.
“It's an ancient form of etiquette. A greeting often used by the previous generations who have long since passed away. It’s rarely used these days, so it’s fascinating to see you use it.”
Leo relaxed his posture as he looked at Riven, who wore a curious expression.
‘So what was all my effort for, in the end?’
As Leo let out a deep sigh, the Lord cleared her throat with an ‘Ahem!’
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leo Flove. My name is Melina.”
“Why did the Dragon Lord wish to see me?”
“I wanted to meet you.”
Her playful demeanor from moments ago was gone.
Though her appearance was that of a small girl, the being before him was the pinnacle of dragons, the Lord.
Melina looked at Leo.
“Indeed… just as Sir Riven said.”
Melina nodded and glanced at Riven.
“You are different from the other heroes.”
After saying so, Melina gestured to Riven with her eyes.
At that, Riven excused himself from the room.
*Creeak—! Thud—!*
Only Leo and Melina remained in the room.
“Leo Flove.”
“Yes.”
“Who are you?”
“I am Leo Flove, a hero candidate of Lumerne.”
“Hee hee— I suppose I asked the wrong question.”
Melina covered her mouth and giggled.
“I was quite surprised when I first heard your story.”
“Because I’m an All-Class?”
“Yes. Unprecedented. An ability like that of the legendary Hero of the Beginning, Sir Kyle.”
Melina stared intently at Leo.
“You seem to have a great interest in the Hero of the Beginning.”
“I have no choice but to.”
Until now, Kyle had been treated as a fictional character.
As such, while other Great Heroes were revered, it was rare to see anyone use an honorific for Kyle.
Melina rose from her throne.
*Pat— Pat—*
Walking barefoot until she stood before Leo, Melina looked up at the ceiling.
“I am the Dragon Lord. The one who carries on the will of the great King of Wisdom, Lisinas. As such, I am a being who craves the world’s knowledge and wisdom.”
Lisinas, who once sought all the wisdom and knowledge of the world.
Leo knew why Lisinas had been so obsessed with seeking knowledge and wisdom.
‘It was a desperate struggle.’
To find a way to subjugate Erebos, no matter what.
Ancient knowledge.
Divine knowledge.
He explored everything without discrimination.
But the answer he found was despair.
Yet, he did not give up.
‘And what he found was you guys.’
As Leo recalled Lisinas, Melina spoke.
“As a result of my thirst for knowledge and wisdom, I became convinced that the Hero of the Beginning was real. However, I could find no physical evidence. The stories remained, but the proof of Sir Kyle’s existence had vanished from this world.”
Melina, who had been gazing at the ceiling, lowered her eyes slightly.
Her wise, silver eyes met Leo’s red ones.
A smile formed on Melina’s lips.
“Then, Leo Flove, you appeared. And you presented to this world the proof that Sir Kyle was not a fictional character.”
“It was a coincidence.”
“That’s right. Everything can be explained as a coincidence. Being born with the All-Class ability is a coincidence. Achieving deeds worthy of praise is a coincidence. Being constantly involved with the World of Great Heroes is a coincidence. And finding proof of the Hero of the Beginning’s existence can all be explained away by the word ‘coincidence’.”
Melina spread her arms wide and smiled brightly.
Her tone suggested that such a coincidence was not strange at all.
“But how do you explain this?”
Melina lowered her hands and took a step back.
Then she carefully opened her closed left eye.
Leo’s expression changed as he met that gaze.
As if unable to control its power, that eye, unlike her right eye which was that of a normal human, had the vertically slit pupil characteristic of a dragon.
But that wasn’t what surprised Leo.
The moment the eye opened, the mana Melina held also changed.
It was as if opening her eye was a signal, and her mana transformed.
‘Lisinas’s mana?’
“A long time ago, I succeeded in conquering Sir Lisinas’s world and retrieving the page. As a reward for that conquest, I was able to inherit a portion of Sir Lisinas’s mana.”
Melina’s voice had become respectful.
“I have had the great honor of wielding Sir Lisinas’s mana for a long time. But now, that power does not listen to me. It is as if it has met its true master.”
As the last survivor of the subjugation party, Kyle had shouldered everything his comrades left behind.
Among those things was the Dragon Heart left by Lisinas.
For dragons, inheriting a Dragon Heart also meant becoming a ‘successor’.
Melina smiled faintly and took something out from a subspace.
It was a very old storybook.
“This is a storybook of ‘The Heroes of the Beginning’ from thousands of years ago. It is likely the last one from that era left in this world.”
*Flutter—*
Melina flipped through the book and showed him a page near the end.
The content was different from the current storybooks.
The current ones end with the five Great Heroes joining forces to defeat Erebos.
The storybook from thousands of years ago was identical to actual history.
That was only natural.
As a book from a time when the Hero Record was still intact, it would contain the actual history.
What Melina showed him was none other than the moment just before Lisinas closed his eyes.
“According to this book, Sir Kyle inherited Sir Lisinas’s Dragon Heart.”
Melina carefully closed the book and looked up at Leo.
“I will ask you once more.”
Melina’s solemn eyes were filled with anticipation, admiration, and respect.
“Who are you?”
Leo looked down at the Dragon Lord who had inherited Lisinas’s power.
Her eyes, sparkling with wisdom, somehow reminded him of his old friend.
Gazing at her in silence, Leo scratched his head.
“Well now, you’re a perceptive kid.”
At Leo’s words, Melina’s eyes widened.
“You guessed right.”
Leo let out a smirk.