Chapter 313
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 313
Chapter Title: Dragon (3)
Iris guided Demian to her home.
As befitting a place where a dragon lived, it was enormously vast. Demian even fell under the illusion that he had arrived in the land of giants.
-It's rare for a guest to visit, but there's no suitable place to sit.
There were furnishings like beds and tables, but they were far too large.
-Could you wait just a moment?
Iris closed both eyes and began murmuring in an unintelligible language.
The surrounding mana stirred in time with her voice. Before long, a table and chair perfectly sized for a human rose up from the floor.
Demian watched the sight with keen interest. It was the first time he had seen a dragon employing Dragon Tongue.
Soon after, Iris used polymorph to transform into the form of a young girl.
"I'll greet you properly this time. I'm the Ancient Dragon Iris."
Iris said as she took a seat before Demian.
"I have so many questions for you. That's why, even though it's rude, I brought you here."
"Before that, let me ask first. How did you find me?"
When he thought about it, there were more than one or two suspicious points.
Elfheim was concealed by the World Tree. Yet the dragons had located Demian far too easily. As if they had been watching him all along.
On the other hand, they knew absolutely nothing about what had transpired in Elfheim.
"It's thanks to my ability."
"Ability?"
"Do you know how the Shadow World came to be?"
Demian shook his head. He knew nothing on that front.
"It was born from the sacrifice of the Ancient Dragons. They offered themselves up to create the Shadow World. But right before vanishing, they pooled their power and left me behind."
"In other words, you're the last Ancient Dragon."
Iris nodded.
"As the final Ancient Dragon, I inherited their memories and abilities. Thanks to that, I gained the power to read fate."
Iris continued.
"When I learned of the demons' summoning, I was able to glimpse your form through fate."
That must have been how she tracked Demian down in Elfheim.
"However, this ability isn't flawless. I can only discern your involvement—nothing more specific about the circumstances. Which is why I want to hear the details straight from you."
Abruptly, a thought flashed through Demian's mind.
"The method for locating the demons... don't tell me it's...?"
"Yes, my ability makes it possible. Though to read the demons' fate, I'll need a living being or object deeply entangled with them."
In short, Demian himself was required.
"Now it's my turn to ask. What on earth happened in Elfheim? How were the demons summoned?"
She had shared her secrets, so it was only fair to reciprocate.
Demian recounted everything he had experienced to Iris.
With each detail, Iris's expression grew darker.
"The key... So the oath truly has been undone."
"Just what is this oath? Even that Red Dragon was clueless."
Demian voiced the question that had long gnawed at him.
"The oath... is an absolute rule and pact. It's why demons cannot ascend to the surface, and why we dragons dwell in the Shadow World."
Iris spoke in a steady voice.
"There are other oaths in place as well. The endless emergence of Master-class in the Empire? That's the oath at work too."
"Who placed these oaths?"
"Ruin."
The name drew a startled look from Demian.
"You likely wouldn't know of him. He's been erased from memory by now."
"I heard he was the true hero, betrayed by the Salvation Corps."
Iris betrayed her own surprise that Demian knew of him.
"How could a single human impose an oath?"
"Ruin was no ordinary human."
"Then what was he?"
Iris paused at Demian's query, deliberating at length before answering.
"...Even I don't know precisely what Ruin was. I haven't fully assimilated the memories bequeathed by my forebears. But one thing I can say for certain."
"What?"
"A being capable of anything."
Awe she could not conceal seeped from Iris's voice and gaze.
"Ruin slew the seven Demon Kings who once dominated the continent, and even struck down the Dragon Lord. He vanquished countless other formidable foes besides."
Iris's paeans showed no sign of stopping.
"And he imposed oaths upon the world itself, expelling all other races to forge a paradise for humanity. That key you spoke of? It's the instrument for binding oaths. Ruin forged it."
It beggared belief, even hearing it firsthand.
Could such an entity truly have existed?
And even if so, no human could claim that title.
"It's like beholding a god."
"That's exactly my thought."
Iris nodded as she spoke.
"Demian, the oath isn't fully broken yet. The demons aim to shatter what's left entirely."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because the lingering oath prevents them from dragging every demon to the surface."
Iris's face grew grave as she spoke.
"Once the oath fully unravels and the demons flood forth, it will truly be the end. I want to prevent that."
All at once, Iris heaved a deep sigh.
"But we dragons remain shackled by the oath—we cannot venture outside. That's why I seek your aid."
Iris extended her hand. Demian, however, did not grasp it right away.
"Why are you dragons so keen to halt the demons?"
In the end, dragons were oath-bound much like the demons.
The motives of such a race offering aid could not help but arouse suspicion.
"In the past, we dragons warred against humanity. But ultimately, we joined forces with them."
She spoke truth.
The dragons had once been foes of the Salvation Corps—until they became comrades-in-arms.
"We aren't prisoners of the Shadow World. We entered it willingly, for the sake of harmony on the surface. Yet now demons seek to corrupt it."
Iris's eyes gleamed with resolve.
"Countless ancestors sacrificed themselves to banish the demons. How could we stand idle and let that toil go to waste? We dragons wish to aid you in repelling them once more."
Iris proffered her hand anew.
"Please, Demian Haksen—help us."
After deep deliberation, Demian clasped her hand.
"Very well. I'll join forces with you."
* * *
Thereafter, Demian exchanged a few more words before departing the structure.
Once Demian was gone, another dragon entered the building.
-Iris-nim, did the discussion conclude well?
It was the Light Dragon Typhon.
"So-so."
Iris replied from her seat, annoyance plain in her features and demeanor.
No trace remained of the courteous, incisive young girl.
"Typhon, your performance made it simple to win Demian Haksen's favor."
Typhon feigning towering rage to corner Demian, with Iris playing mediator.
A straightforward ploy, yet peerless for cracking open a heart.
-My apologies. Truth be told, I fully intended to kill him.
Typhon lowered his head as he spoke. Iris could scarcely conceal her shock.
"You mean it?"
-Beholding my son's fate undid me...
"So you genuinely tried to slay him—and failed?"
Iris pictured Demian Haksen anew. She had pegged him as exceptional, but not to this degree.
"You still yearn to kill that man?"
-I'd rip the flesh from his bones this instant.
Typhon's eyes blazed murderously as he spoke. Iris gave a wry chuckle.
"Restrain yourself. We need that human to reclaim the 'key' from the demons."
Iris had lied to Demian.
It was true that dragons fought beside Ruin. But they had not aided him of their own volition.
They had abjectly submitted, desperate to survive against him.
Thus spared, they found themselves confined to the Shadow World.
A truly wretched domain it was.
Low skies. Cramped earth. No outlet for their full might.
The dragons sought not to safeguard the surface. Their aim: escape this infernal Shadow World.
To void the oath demanded the key in demon hands.
Yet the oath forbade dragons from surfacing.
Hence, after exhaustive deliberation, Iris resolved to exploit Demian Haksen.
"Inform Balhad. He is to assist Demian Haksen dutifully."
From here on, Demian Haksen would serve as their proxy, battling demons in their stead.
"And at the first opportunity... seize the key."
With the key alone, no more confinement in this stifling Shadow World.
-I shall obey your will, Iris-nim.
Typhon bowed his head.
* * *
"What do you know—they had ulterior motives after all."
A short distance from Iris's dwelling.
Demian lay within the shelter conjured by dragon tongue and muttered in disbelief.
"Planning to use me to break the oath, eh?"
The World Tree sapling enabled Demian to overhear the dragons' exchange with effortless ease.
Its detection spanned vast reaches and treaded with utmost stealth.
The pair of dragons remained utterly oblivious to his eavesdropping.
"How brazen."
Demian rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Part of him itched to upend it all then and there—but doing so would forfeit the demons' whereabouts.
"I'll play along until we pinpoint the demons."
Afterward, though, Demian would hold nothing back.
A chilling glint ignited in his eyes.