Chapter 228: The Power of the Black Dragon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: The Power of the Black Dragon (1)
Zipple’s 1st Magic Tower.
The top floor of this place, known as the ‘Tower of Stories,’ was where Kelliark Zipple had been spending most of his time lately.
“Murakan, is it…? I was looking for Misha, but I’ve stumbled upon an even bigger catch,” Kelliark said, tapping a crystal ball with his fingertip.
Sitting across from him, Kadun—currently in human form—wore a deeply contorted expression.
“What does that matter, damn it? To think I let him slip away right before my eyes! It was a golden opportunity, the kind that won’t come twice.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you this disappointed.”
“Disappointed is an understatement; I can’t forgive myself. Sigh. If I had captured Murakan, I could have drawn out his contractor as well.”
The Contractor of Solderet.
The most vital ingredient for the ‘Demon God Stone’ they were so painstakingly trying to restore.
Kelliark and the Zipple leadership had been aware of a potential Contractor of Solderet since 1795—the very year Jin had begun his life as a reserve flagbearer, long before he ever encountered Andrei Zipple.
Around that time, Kadun had heard from the earth dragon Labus of Viment and from Untiel that they had personally met Murakan.
However, even after receiving that news, Kelliark and Kadun had assumed that if a dragon had killed Andrei Zipple and Buretta, it was most likely Misha. Their judgment was that even if Murakan had awakened from his slumber, he would have been too weak to do anything against Andrei or Buretta.
“Well, perhaps. But since it’s been proven that the Viment earth dragons were telling the truth, we can just take our time and find another opportunity. You said he didn’t have any of his old power anyway, right?”
His old power.
Naturally, Kelliark had never personally experienced Murakan in his prime. He only knew of it through records and the testimony of other dragons.
Kadun, on the other hand, knew Murakan’s terrifying strength from those days all too well.
“One never knows. He might regain it.”
“Is it even possible to regenerate a dragon heart? Without a Demon God Stone?”
“I’ve never seen such a case, but the Black Dragon is different from ordinary dragons. It’s highly likely his presence near Santel was part of an effort to recover his strength.”
Kelliark’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Whether regenerating a dragon heart was possible or not, he found Kadun’s reaction more intriguing than the fact itself.
“The way you say that makes me want to face the Murakan of old myself. It wouldn’t be so bad if he regained his strength and reappeared.”
“Don’t say such dreadful things.”
“By the way, I’m more worried about the Holy King. Since I borrowed the Dawn Order of Doctrine Protection without his permission, he’ll probably come barging in to make a scene… That man is utterly exhausting every time we meet. He’s so stubborn, and he despises me. Hmm, what to do about this…”
Kelliark pressed a hand to his forehead and gave a mock shudder. After a moment of feigned distress, he flashed a thin smile.
“Should I just kill him? The man has lived long enough. If he dies, he’ll likely go to heaven rather than hell, so it wouldn’t be entirely a bad thing for Miklan.”
Kadun shook his head as he watched Kelliark.
“You really are a madman.”
“Haha, was that a bit much?”
*
Thanks to the route Rani provided, the group escaped Santel without much difficulty.
They had a few skirmishes with half a dozen paladins from the Dawn Order, and a chase ensued after they left the city. However, the group managed to lose them easily and boarded a teleport gate in the Scholl Principality before a lockdown order could be issued.
Now, after taking a few detours to ensure the Dawn Order couldn’t deduce their destination was Tikan, their initial objective would be achieved once they returned.
Yet, the expressions of Jin and his companions remained grim.
“Meow…”
Murakan let out a low, pained cry from within Jin’s arms. His tiny body was as hot as a furnace. Even in cat form, the damage inflicted by Kadun persisted.
Forced transformation.
Unlike his usual shifts, Murakan had not transformed by his own will. After sustaining a fatal blow, his body had unconsciously transformed into the form most suitable for survival.
This forced transformation was a phenomenon rarely experienced even among dragons, occurring only in exceptionally resilient individuals.
“It’s a miracle he still had such a defense mechanism left, even after losing his old power.”
Escaping capture by Kadun and simply surviving was indeed a stroke of luck.
“…The problem is that, for now, he’s been reduced to an ordinary cat. Jin, we need to give him more water. It seems his fever is going down, just as Rani said.”
When a dragon transforms into a creature other than a human, they face several fatal restrictions. The most serious was their current situation.
If a dragon misses the ‘window to revert,’ they can never return to their true form on their own. No matter what they transformed into, they would eventually lose their draconic ego and become that creature entirely.
“Nyaaa.”
Murakan lapped at the water Jin held in his palm.
For the moment, there was no way to restore him. This was due to the unique nature of the Black Dragon. Other dragons, should they miss their window to revert, could regain their true form with the help of any other dragon.
However, a Black Dragon required the assistance of another dragon with the exact same attribute.
Since there were only two active Black Dragons in existence, the group had only one course of action: find Misha, the sister Murakan had gone searching for.
“I don’t think I’ve ever resented him being a Black Dragon as much as I do today. Once we get back, we’ll re-examine the travel routes Murakan mapped out and start searching those areas immediately.”
“Young Master, do not worry too much. Since he is alive, we will find a way.”
“I didn’t know you were capable of saying such things, Kuzan.”
“Like Kuzan said, he’s alive, and we know how to fix him. Let’s just get back first.”
The group spent the time until early the next morning taking a circuitous route before finally returning to Tikan.
They had wanted to return sooner given Murakan’s poor condition, but if they were followed, it wouldn’t be paladins from the Dawn Order but Kadun and Zipple’s mages who would descend upon Tikan.
Fortunately, Murakan’s fever broke somewhat during the night, though he still let out weak cries.
“Sir, you’re back! It seems the monster in Santel really was Lord Murakan. Eh? Why does Lord Murakan look so unwell? Did that Fire Dragon do this to him!?”
“Tell everyone to gather in the office. And summon all the healers in the mansion who specialize in treating animals.”
“Animals, sir?”
“Hurry.”
“Understood! I’ll summon the healers right away! But Sir, your companions might not be able to go to the office right now. It might be better if you head to the drawing room instead.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
Jet nodded grimly. Then, as if worried someone might overhear, he glanced around before whispering.
“Well, you know Lord Murakan’s sister? Lady Misha…”
“Is there news of Lady Misha?”
“What about Misha?!”
When Jin and Quicantel leaned in simultaneously, Jet nearly stumbled backward.
“Oh, don’t even get me started! That woman is a complete thug. She’s definitely Lord Murakan’s sister! She just showed up at the mansion about five minutes ago, and as soon as she arrived, she started throwing punches…!”
“What…?”
Jin and Quicantel instinctively looked at each other.
“It—it seems Beris was the first to see her. She apparently appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the drawing room. Beris was so startled she blurted out, ‘Who are you, you thief?!’ and then…”
“What happened to Beris?” this time, it was Kuzan who leaned his face toward Jet.
“Gah, man! You’re going to give me a heart attack. Well, ahem. Don’t be too shocked, and listen calmly. Beris’s jaw was dislocated by that lady’s fist. The healers are putting it back now, so there shouldn’t be any lasting issues…”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Before Jet could even finish, Kuzan sprinted away like a madman.
“Yikes, we’ve got trouble. I think that guy’s jaw is about to get dislocated too.”
After a moment of being frozen, Jin and Quicantel also began running toward the drawing room.
“Wait, Sir! Wait for me! You have to be careful!”
Why was Misha here? How did she find them? And violence? Did she harbor ill will toward the people of Tikan?
Would she restore Murakan? What if she said she couldn’t, or wouldn’t?
All sorts of questions flashed through Jin’s mind as he ran.
A moment later, he and Quicantel were met with the sight of Kuzan, sprawled on the floor like wet laundry and twitching.
And beyond him was a rather bizarre scene.
A black-haired woman with sharp features sat at the table, legs crossed, having just dealt with the charging Kuzan.
It was Misha.
“Jin-oppa!”
“Young Master, you’ve arrived? Haha.”
Surprisingly, Yuria was cradled in Misha’s arms. Beside them, Latri was placing cookies and tea on a plate, her hands shaking like aspen leaves. Rattle, clatter, rattle.
Casimir, Julian, Enya, and Gilly were also seated at the table (Alisa was absent, performing her duties with the guard).
Casimir wore a polite, business-like smile. Julian’s face was stoic, but his hands were trembling just as much as Latri’s. Enya was faring slightly better, but having watched two people get knocked out in an instant, her expression was quite stiff. Only Gilly was calmly placing cookies onto Misha’s plate with composed movements.
Jin and Quicantel couldn’t help but be bewildered.
Crazy. What in the world… Wait. This woman is Misha?
He had seen this face before—right after he had overcome Temar’s energy in the third mirage of the Mitra Great Desert.
Jin quickly gathered his wits. He didn’t know why Misha had caused such a ruckus, but being flustered wouldn’t help.
“I thought we hadn’t met, but it seems we have. Great Black Dragon, Lady Misha. I am Jin Runcandel.”
Misha nodded, her face expressionless.
“Yes, we didn’t get to talk in the Great Desert, so this is effectively our first meeting. It’s a pleasure, Millennium Contractor. Is that my moron of a brother you’re holding?”
“It is. In fact, I was just trying to figure out how to find you because of him. As you can see…”
“I don’t even want to look at that pathetic sight. Just toss him somewhere and sit down. I don’t want to waste any time.”
Jet, catching the hint, took Murakan and brought him to the healers.
“Quicantel, have you been well?”
“Yes, I’ve been well, Lady Misha. You could have at least sent word.”
“You’ve grown even prettier since I last saw you. No matter how I look at it, you’re too good for my brother. I hope you forget about that loser as soon as possible.”
Quicantel cleared her throat awkwardly and waved her hand.
“What are you saying all of a sudden… Lady Misha, more importantly, his condition is very poor.”
“I know. He must have been hit by Kadun. I’ll fix him later, so tell me how you’ve been. It’s been a while since I’ve been in the human world, and I’m hungry for stories.”