Chapter 200
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Dragon Bow Sword Hrunti (5)
“Disciple? So you're openly declaring you're going to steal another man's son.”
Unlike Kyle, who laughed outright, the other three hardened their expressions.
Just as they regarded Theo as half a successor.
It was a blatant sign that the Mad Dragon Emperor valued Theo highly as well.
Considering his madness, they could already picture the depths of his obsession.
‘Though that was the point from the start.’
‘The eastern region is going to turn into a battlefield from now on.’
‘We need to be even more vigilant about the Holy Demon Church's movements.’
“Understood. You must have a lot to sort out, so go rest.”
Theo bowed his head and left the room.
* * *
Woooong! Wooong!
The Dragon Bow Sword Hrunti, hanging at his right waist, trembled lightly.
As if it were overjoyed at finally gaining its freedom.
Ziiing—
Whiiiing! Whiiing!
The twin Dragon Slayer Swords responded in kind, shaking violently, while the other artifacts welcomed Hrunti's addition.
‘Still, Hrunti's dragon power feels too weak. It's probably because the seal was forcibly broken and the guardian died, leaving a penalty.’
For now, the joy masked it.
But if left like this, Hrunti might waste away and break.
‘What should I do?’
That was when it happened.
[A quest has arrived.]
‘A quest?’
+
[Sub Quest]
The Dragon Bow Sword Hrunti has undergone purification, but its condition remains unstable. Find an excellent blacksmith and attempt restoration.
· Difficulty: A+
· Reward: Hrunti Awakening
· Failure: Death
+
An excellent blacksmith?
One name came to mind.
There was Master Blacksmith Kirson.
He had shown deep interest in ancient dragon artifacts from the start.
So he might handle Hrunti well too.
‘The problem is not knowing what he'll demand.’
They had exploited(?) the grandfather-grandson relationship to take so much already that he must be grinding his teeth over there.
‘I should consult with Mother.’
Theo recalled Kirson's one weakness and unwittingly smirked.
Then.
Zzap.
“Ugh.”
A sudden, excruciating headache struck the back of his skull like a brutal smack.
The artifacts cried out in unison.
Asking if he was okay.
『My mate.』
Lordbrock's voice grew cautious, sensing it through their bond.
“I'm fine.”
『But.』
“It's just because I'm not used to it yet.”
『Wait just a little. I'll find a way somehow, as fast as I can.』
Lordbrock felt regret for failing to properly protect his mate.
Especially since the pain Theo was enduring now was essentially his own powerlessness at fault.
‘The Sword Orb has grown too large. The brain gate has opened abnormally wide as a result.’
He had acted nonchalant inside so Kyle and the others wouldn't worry.
In truth, Theo's health had deteriorated badly after the thought awakening.
The Mad Dragon Emperor and Ashin.
‘The Sword Orb had explosively grown by absorbing large remnants left by those two existences.
[Skill: Hatchling Synchro is operating normally, activating <Nirvana>.]
[Madness and demonic energy are being forcibly controlled to prevent rampage. Be careful not to disrupt the balance.]
Kyle probably hadn't anticipated this either.
Fortunately, Theo's mental strength had strengthened alongside it, overcoming the immediate risk of outburst.
But if Theo showed even a moment's lapse, it could explode right away.
He was living with a time bomb strapped to his head.
Of course, it wasn't all downsides.
[You've gained inspiration for a new swordsmanship.]
[The inspiration has solidified and will be applied in your next sword demonstration.]
[You've gained new insights from meeting masters.]
.
[You've fallen into Abnormal Status (Excitement).]
[You've fallen into Abnormal Status (Craving).]
[You've fallen into Abnormal Status (Impatience).]
Effects that once only triggered in crises now activated at random.
Inspiration lurked in everything in the world.
Efficient breathing from others' breaths, stable stamina distribution from his own footsteps, clues to spring breeze-like swordsmanship from the surrounding scenery.
A situation any swordsman would covet.
But for Theo, the flood of stimuli and information made selection overwhelming.
This must be how the Mad Dragon Emperor perceived the world.
—Disciple.
That was why he had called Theo that at the end.
‘The problem is I never wanted it.’
Theo now understood why Kyle and his brothers feared the outwardly gentlemanly Mad Dragon Emperor so much.
If the Mad Dragon Emperor wanted something, he never forced it.
Instead, he scattered reminders of himself around it constantly.
To slowly brainwash.
To dull resistance.
To turn it into craving.
‘By sharing his view of the world, he erases wariness and fear, creating awe and loyalty... He numbs the senses themselves... That's it?’
He just kept them rolling in his palm indefinitely.
—Endless obsession.
That was the Mad Dragon Emperor's madness.
『You must never break, my mate.』
“Don't worry. I'm not that fragile either.”
Theo even planned to actively exploit this obsession.
If he could fully absorb the world the Mad Dragon Emperor saw.
If he could make it his own, wouldn't his sword realm elevate accordingly?
‘It's not like this is my first brush with such obsession anyway.’
Thud!
Then Theo's footsteps halted for the first time.
He had arrived at his destination without realizing.
“So this is what they meant.”
It was the prison.
The solitary cells in the North where only traitors were confined.
With no survivors, it was also called the 'execution chamber.'
“Isn't that the Ragnar bastard young master?”
Exhausted from endless torture and interrogation, but his eyes still burned fiercely.
It was Ed.
* * *
Theo might think otherwise.
But Ed was glad to see him.
Why?
“You here to mock me?”
That was why.
It was the very image Ed had always wanted to become.
‘Yeah. Time to admit it. I have to.’
Ed had always hated his precarious position.
An ambiguous status, neither full Ragnar nor Troyvan.
A half-baked spot as the Mad Dragon Emperor's successor, or not.
A life of settling for shadows.
Nothing could properly define him.
The Troyvans were the Ragnars' shadows, and he was an even deeper one.
That might be why he coveted the Ragnar throne so much.
Pushing his nephew Axion toward it was for that reason too.
But when Theo appeared, it all began crumbling at breakneck speed.
He.
Shone.
Dazzlingly so.
A brilliance a mere shadow like himself could never have.
‘With so little life left anyway, burning away in that sunlight isn't a bad end.’
Theo gazed at Ed silently, then shook his head.
“Why bother? I already won this fight.”
“Pfft! True enough! So why are you here?”
“I heard you're giving no answers in interrogation.”
“What? Gonna torture me yourself?”
Ed nodded toward the torture tools hanging in the next cell.
“Not a bad choice. I made you hate me plenty, right? Why not pull my nails?”
“If I thought you'd answer, I'd do it dozens of times over. But you won't.”
“Why? Maybe the shame of losing to a kid like you will make me spit something out...!”
“Because you're the Anti-Dragon.”
“...!”
“A dragon bending to something like that? Doesn't make sense, right?”
“...Me, a dragon?”
Ed's face twisted savagely.
“So you came to mock me after all. Congratulations, then. You've given me an indescribable humiliation. Feels like utter shit.”
Anti-Dragon.
A name laced with love and hate for a shadow-dweller like Ed.
But,
“Strange. The you I saw always seemed proud of the Anti-Dragon name to the end. Your attitude and speech screamed it. Or not?”
“...”
Ed's mind reeled for a moment.
That I always lived as the Anti-Dragon?
Even after returning to the Troyvans?
“Anti-Dragon. Master of strategy and machinery. Your swordsmanship was equally sharp. Ragnar's name rose thanks to you once, and many feared it when you left.”
Ed's breath caught.
A thought he had never once entertained.
‘Even among the things I dismissed as shadows... illusions... was there something real?’
Ed fell silent briefly, then lifted his head again.
For the first time, dignity settled on a face once full of only cynicism.
In that instant, Theo thought.
If this man had been born a Ragnar instead of a Troyvan, the throne might have been his.
“So what do you want to ask?”
“The Mad Dragon Emperor.”
“I don't know his movements eith...”
“I know. Probably not even the Holy Demon Church does. That's the kind of guy he was.”
Ed furrowed his brow slightly.
The way he spoke made it seem like he knew the Mad Dragon Emperor personally.
“Then?”
“Tell me what you know about him. Even your personal impressions are fine. I'm just curious what kind of person he is.”
Ed twisted one corner of his mouth.
“Targeting him next, huh?”
“...”
“Yeah. Well, you need that kind of resolve to be the Ragnar bastard young master who dragged down this Anti-Dragon.”
Did Theo realize?
Unlike the other idiot torturers, he had chosen the right question.
Troyvans, Holy Demon Church—ultimately, the Mad Dragon Emperor was at the center.
To catch him, don't ask about movements—ask about him.
His hobbies.
His specialties, characteristics.
How he might have changed.
He had refused to answer before because their stupidity disgusted him.
But this changed everything, didn't it?
‘This kid might be my greatest creation after all!’
Ed grinned boldly and shared a few facts.
Theo's eyes gleamed as he listened intently.
* * *
The next day.
Ed's head was mounted on Winterer's castle gate.
His eyes, defiantly raised to the end, seemed to gaze at something far off.
And,
News spread of the selection for the new Ninth Dragon to fill the vacant seat.
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