I Am Not Sulking!
Lucius was still learning how to draw out the power of his Dragon Heart from Uba Kaliarun. ...Though calling it "instruction" was a bit of a stretch; it was closer to one-sided violence. Still, the training was yielding rapid results for Lucius.
He could now partially transform desired parts of his body into dragon form. He could even fly. He had been clumsy at first, but with steady practice, he had finally mastered taking to the skies. That, too, was driven by a desperate urge to survive.
"Eek!"
"Move faster, boy!"
Thud! Crash!
Uba ran as lightly as if he were out for a casual jog. Yet with every step he took, the ground rippled with shockwaves, sending the local demons screaming in terror. Lucius had to fly as fast as he could, if only to avoid being caught—and to stay alive.
Surrendering his body to the wind, he leveled his flight. A pair of crimson wings unfurled, covered in an ash-gray membrane that matched his hair.
"Screeeech!"
The avian beasts of Pandemonium shrieked in response to the young dragon's wingbeats. Even the spawn of evil could not help but cower before a creature at the absolute apex of the food chain. It was just a bit tragicomic that this apex predator was currently flapping its wings in sheer terror of a single human.
Muscles swelled. Uba's arm blurred as it bent and snapped forward. An axe flew through the air at blinding speed.
Thwack!
It nearly pierced his wing. Lucius barely managed to dodge, grabbing a low-ranking demon flying nearby by the neck and using it as a meat shield.
"Cowardly, boy!"
"If I get caught, I'll die!"
"If you want to fight a Demon King, you must at least be on par with me!"
"My goal is to bring Kain back to his senses, not kill the Demon King!"
"Kain will soon become the Demon King. It is already a foregone conclusion! So dodge this too! Bwahahaha!"
"...Aren't you just enjoying this?!"
"Oh? Are you a genius? How did you know... Can you read minds?"
"You crazy bastard!"
The landscape blurred past. A crimson sky and withered mountain ridges swept beneath Lucius. The low-ranking demons wandering the skies paid no heed to what Lucius and Uba were doing. They simply knew the vast gulf in power between them and chose to stay far away.
This place was far removed from the capital of Pandemonium—a desolate wilderness inhabited by beasts but devoid of sentient life. Consequently, there were no grand cities or traces of Magic Engineering here.
Lucius sharply veered off course, looping around to get behind Uba.
Whoosh!
Like a dragon locking onto its prey, his golden eyes flashed with a fierce, predatory light. Folding his wings and ducking his head, he channeled holy power into Rosmerta and drew the blade in a swift strike.
Clang!
"Tsk..."
"You've improved. Quite a lot in just a single day."
"And yet I still can't land a single clean hit..."
"Bwahahaha! You'll get better the more you get beaten!"
"Damn it!"
Planting both hands on the ground, Lucius flipped backward to put some distance between them. After a few rotations, he managed to create a decent gap. He swallowed hard. His Dragon Heart throbbed violently.
Thump, thump!
He bared his reverse scale toward the 'enemy' before him.
"Phew..."
He exhaled, steadying his breath. Uba was still smiling, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever. This was the man who had been the strongest warrior and hero in history—the great warrior, Uba Kaliarun!
Lucius felt a mix of awe, respect, and deep frustration. He had sacrificed his original human heart to awaken the Dragon Heart. Yet, he still couldn't land a single effective blow.
Pathetic, Lucius!
At this rate, let alone saving Kain, he wouldn't even be able to chase after Lucrezia. Lucrezia's physical strength, which surpassed even Sira Yunseul's, was undoubtedly the greatest among all the magi-corrupted. This training was meant to put him a step ahead of them. With a legendary warrior personally mentoring him, failing to grow would be an utterly disgraceful embarrassment!
Then he thought of Rowen. That boy possessed true, unadulterated 'talent.' Though they hadn't known each other long, Lucius had witnessed him in battle and fought alongside him twice. He knew all too well that his own talent fell far short of Rowen's.
That was why he worked so hard. If talent was lacking, one simply had to make up for it with effort. Uba had told him that even if effort couldn't always defeat talent, no talent had the right to mock effort. Holding those words close to his heart, Lucius focused his mind on Rosmerta.
"I'm not waiting!"
"Rosmerta."
Dragon scales of blood dyed the pure white sword crimson. Like a dragon driven to madness after its reverse scale was touched, a vicious energy began to envelop Rosmerta. The pure white blade transformed into a sword of fresh blood, naturally absorbing the dragon's blood.
He thrust Rosmerta in a straight line toward Uba, who had already closed the distance. Unless he attacked with the intent to kill, he would never land a blow on the man. In the first place, it was absurd to hold back against such an opponent. He couldn't even reach Uba's shadow, so what right did he have to go easy?
Get a grip, Lucius!
Uba's double-headed axe clashed with Rosmerta. Sparks of pure white holy lightning crackled violently. The holy power was so dense that anyone stepping too close would be swept up in the electrical current. Uba's massive muscles twitched and pumped. Surprisingly, Lucius was holding his ground remarkably well.
"Let's see if you can handle this then."
"Ah..."
Smack!
Uba lightly slapped Lucius with his left hand.
It was a bewildering blow. Uba had assumed Lucius would block it, but the boy had been entirely focused on parrying the axe. He hadn't expected Lucius's neck to snap back so easily.
"Boy?"
And just like that, Lucius blacked out once again.
Uba was still whistling as he swung his fists today. The sight of him cheerfully beating Lucius black and blue made him look far more like a demon than a hero. It was truly tragicomic that such a man was the contractor of Kaliarun.
"Bwahahaha! Come on, boy, push harder!"
"Pant... pant..."
"Take it easy, you idiot. The kid is exhausted."
"I can... pant... still keep going... pant..."
"Keep going, my foot. Look at how out of breath you are. Be careful, or the magi will seep in."
It hadn't been difficult for Mio to find the two. From the moment she locked onto their coordinates and opened the gate to Pandemonium, the ground had been rumbled with heavy thuds. Flying over the altered terrain, she had spotted Lucius with his neck bent at a sickening angle. At that moment, she had felt a genuine urge to beat Uba to a pulp.
What kind of training drove a person to the brink of death? It had only been a day since she found out the reason was the Dragon Heart. Normally, she should have taken Lucius back to the North. However, Lucius had stubbornly insisted on staying in Pandemonium with Uba. She feared that if she left him, he might never return to the North.
"Sigh..."
Mio let out a heavy sigh and decided to accompany them.
Tsk.
If we finish quickly, I can tell Rowen my wish...
She knew better than anyone what that wish was. The moment the desire to be with him, even in this manner, crossed her mind—
"..."
Her entire face flushed bright red. She patted her cheeks and shook her head vigorously. Watching her, Uba mentally labeled her as a 'profane woman.'
"Ahem!"
Mio cleared her throat, trying to calm herself and change the subject. "Still, he's improved quite a bit. He can at least manifest his wings and reverse scale now."
"He's still got a long way to go! The boy needs to put in more effort."
"Shut up. Let him rest."
"No! At this rate, he won't be able to stop that Kain fellow!"
"...Are you planning to march right into the Demon King's castle?"
"Your disciples are there."
Mio's disciples. They were still trapped in the flames of corruption, acting solely on their base desires. Uba knew this, which was why he had foolishly spent years in Pandemonium for her sake. Mio knew how incredibly stubborn and inflexible Uba was being, but she couldn't hide her gratitude. Yet, perhaps because she had accepted reality for too long, she felt she would never be able to see her disciples as they once were.
"Corruption cannot be undone. No matter how much they repent or beg for forgiveness, the end is always hell."
"I do not worship your god, so I do not understand your words. But I know this much: even sinners can be forgiven."
"But those sinners aren't asking for forgiveness. That's why they're still like that."
"Mio, I understand how you feel. But there must be a way. Demons are not perfect, complete lifeforms either."
"..."
Mio didn't answer. She simply lacked the courage to face her disciples. Uba wasn't wrong; there surely was a way to restore them. But... why was her heart in such turmoil? If she had to witness her disciples' corrupted states again, she feared her anger would boil over.
"Look! Even this young boy is working himself to the bone to save a friend!"
"...We are not friends."
"If you aren't friends, then what are you? You're of similar age, and you've come all the way to Pandemonium to save Kain. If that doesn't make you friends, what does?"
Mio answered in his stead.
"Kain is Lian's younger brother. Ah, or is he the older brother? Half-brothers, I think."
"...Mio. What did you just say?"
"Huh? Lian's bro—ah."
And just like that, Uba learned of Lian's existence.
Thud!
"I'm going back."
"Wait! You were just acting all cool, saying you'd find a way to save my disciples!"
"That can wait!"
"...You absolute idiot!"
Uba was incredibly agitated. Kain's brother was the reincarnation of Lian Rose? What did that mean? Of course, Uba had known that Lian would reincarnate eventually. After Beelzebub's final moments, Leah had said she was heading to the divine realm. Uba had grasped Leah's intentions, so he had hoped that when the day of Lian's reincarnation came, his friend would seek him out.
Yet, his dear friend hadn't come to see him once in the eighteen years since his reincarnation. This was a clear declaration of friendship termination!
"I'm going to demand an explanation from Lian!"
He had every right to sulk!
"...Are you sulking?"
"I am not sulking! I am merely going to leave a massive handprint on Lian's face!"
"Hey, how can you sulk over something like that?!"
"Out of my way, Mio! I am dead serious! This is basically him cutting ties with me!"
"Hey! Hold on, you idiot. Do you even know what kind of life Lian has lived since he reincarnated?"
He didn't. Since they hadn't met, how could he possibly know?
"I don't know, and I don't care! I'm just furious that he didn't even think of meeting his friend!"
"Lian lost his father! Just like you and me, the parent who raised him lost his life because of Magic Engineering!"
"...What?"
That was a well-known fact. Lian had lost his father to Beelzebub, the Demon King. That was why he had sworn revenge and inherited his father's keepsake, the Holy Sword.
"I know that! Everyone knows that Lord Leandri passed away!"
"No, you idiot! I mean Lian lost his father in this life too! Even after reincarnating, his life has been a tragic, repeating cycle! Can you still say that after hearing this?"
Ah.
"..."
It certainly wasn't a lie. Uba realized he had let his emotions get the better of him. He had behaved like a child. Yet, he still felt a lingering resentment toward Lian for not seeking him out.
"Do you remember Kadan?"
"...I do. He was a very polite young man. A descendant of Balenos, the Ice God, right?"
"Yes. Lian was the child Kadan raised. According to Balenos, his biological father is Kasion, and his mother is of the imperial family. Honestly, that was a shock to me too."
"Kasion? That handsome brat?"
"He certainly was handsome."
Uba pretended to ponder for a moment, then bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"That is none of my business!"
Right now, his resentment toward Lian consumed him entirely. Mio looked at him and thought he was a complete blockhead. Normally, people grew wiser as they aged, so why did Uba seem to regress the longer he lived?
Oblivious to Mio's frustration, Uba nursed his sulky mood. But wait... what did she say? He had lost his father again?
...What a bizarre, cruel fate. If he truly had reincarnated as Mio said, he must have been consumed by vengeance once more.
"...What did you just say?"
There was one more person present who was utterly shell-shocked.
"Is it true that Rowen is a legendary hero?"
And then:
"If it's true that his mother is of the imperial family... you must tell me everything."
"Ah..."
Lucius stood frozen to the spot, completely overwhelmed by shock.