The Heavenly Dragon's Forbidden Feast
"You think you'll handle it? This is a matter between Ardragon tribes. No place for a human to meddle."
Crul gave a wry smile at Adel's words and shook his head.
"Who knows. My gut tells me this isn't just an Ardragon problem."
"……."
"It feels like the Fury King is tangled up in it. Otherwise, the White Fangs wouldn't have brazenly set up camp here. Which makes this a human issue too."
Adel met his gaze.
"I get that you're the link between those two. What do they want?"
"Hoo…… It's complicated. A tangled mess going back two hundred years."
Crul let out a low sigh of resignation and began his tale.
"Two hundred years ago…… It all stems from the Dragon War, doesn't it."
Adel said, eyeing Crul.
"Right."
"Well, the Dragon Lord's seat had been empty for ages. Dragons may have hearts, but it's weirder if greed doesn't stir in them."
He shrugged.
"White Dragon Bashif claimed victory in that war. That's how his White Fang followers became the Ardragons' overlords."
Nothing special about that on the surface. Wars bred winners and losers—that was natural. And as Kalderet had once said, history belonged to the victors. Wars raged endlessly across the continent even now, but posterity remembered the victors, not the dead.
"The Red Dragons' fate is tragic, but it's just a matter of scale. Things like that happen all the time in the desert. Anywhere, really."
"True. War's nothing special anymore. Like you said, the central Nine Kingdoms are locked in their own age of warring chaos."
Crul sighed deeply.
"But."
His eyes flickered, belying the resignation in his tone.
"What if that fight wasn't fair?"
"What do you mean?"
"Dragons are the strongest of all mortals, acknowledged by all. They call themselves sages."
He continued.
"The dragons exploited the gods' edict. They took advantage of the rule that gods can't directly interfere in this world."
Anger seeped into his voice.
"Exploited…… Maybe from the loser's side. But isn't it true that gods can't meddle directly in continental affairs?"
Adel tilted his head.
Exploited? That loose tongue of yours sure runs wild.
"Kalderet. Quiet."
Quiet? I'm your contract god, Adel, not a pet dog. I'll say what needs saying.
"Ancient God, your anger is understandable. But you were sealed back then. If you knew the truth of that fight, you wouldn't speak so lightly."
The truth? That's just excuses from the losers.
Kalderet snorted at Crul's words.
"Hmm……."
Adel eyed Crul with surprise.
"When I came to the desert, I heard about the Nine Kingdoms. Azal Kingdom's second prince was poisoned, they said."
He spoke calmly.
"A common internal strife amid wartime. He was supposed to be exceptional. But was it a fair fight from his perspective, the dead one?"
"……I see what you're getting at. But I'm not talking war tactics."
Crul shook his head.
"We Red Dragons have no regrets about fighting and losing."
"Then……?"
"Our grudge lies in the death of the Red Dragon."
He pressed on.
"What comes next isn't in human histories. It was thoroughly erased by the dragons."
Crul grabbed the liquor bottle from the table and downed it. He looked like he couldn't tell the tale sober.
"The gods' edict against direct involvement in human affairs deserves respect. But……."
He glanced at Kalderet.
"What if a god broke that edict and meddled directly? What say you, Ancient God?"
You mean a god broke the edict and joined the Dragon War directly?
Crul shook his head.
"Dragons aren't that sloppy. They kept the edict…… but broke it too."
Stop beating around the bush. I don't owe you Garon's level of respect. Don't test my patience.
At that moment, Kalderet's Void sharpened like a blade against his scales.
"……Stay your hand. This place is shielded by my forge, but any more and they'll sense your presence."
Answer the question. Worry about flies if you want.
Kalderet was different now, his fury genuine.
He's truly pissed this time.
Adel knew Kalderet's temperament well. He never meddled in human affairs, but god-related matters were another story.
"Heavenly Dragon. Qunzel."
Adel flinched involuntarily at the name.
Damn it, that bastard after all.
"He used a god's power. White Dragon Bashif may be the official victor of the Dragon War, but anyone there knows—he merely inherited the throne."
Gulp.
Crul downed more liquor before continuing.
"He ended the Dragon War with overwhelming force. None could contest that defeat."
So? Sounds unremarkable from your side.
"The sheer overwhelming power was the odd part. He's the eldest ancient dragon, but comparatively weaker in combat than others."
Possible. He's the oldest, but born a silver dragon—rated weak among them.
"Wise, though."
Good at petty tricks.
"Haha…… Be that as it may, does it make sense that he tore apart four dragons right there on the battlefield?"
Who knows. Ancient dragons have unknowns we can't grasp.
Kalderet played it nonchalant, but the circumstances screamed anomaly.
……Did Qunzel really fight four dragons?
He couldn't hold back the question.
"Not just that. He subdued every dragon there, color be damned."
Unbelievable. Even as an ancient dragon, the war's dragons were no slouches. For them to yield to one?
Garon, is this guy telling the truth?
Yes. Qunzel didn't step in at first during the Dragon War. But when White Dragon declared intent, he did.
Why? He's silver—why aid white?
Who knows. It was a fight for Dragon Lord, but really faction war. Silver backed white, that's all.
The six great dragon tribes divided into three factions. Silver backed white, green backed red, water backed black.
Three-way war turned farce with Heavenly Dragon's meddling.
Hmm…….
Kalderet narrowed his eyes.
What was Junon doing while this mess brewed?
His whereabouts are unknown. Still are.
……What?
Kalderet scowled at Garon's reply. Junon, high god of order, was the one dragons served.
Hey, you. Don't tell me…… The oddity you sense in that Heavenly Dragon matches what I'm thinking.
"After the Dragon War, we defeated Red Dragons and the Black Hands who followed black suffered heavy losses. But only our leader died."
Crul's voice grew somber.
"He was torn limb from limb, ending his life in brutality. We lost his treasured gauntlets as a result."
Seems you've said too much.
Crul nodded slowly.
"A dragon devoured a god's power."
"……!!!"
Adel couldn't help recalling Black Dragon Shan's incident in Cratel.
Shan devoured pure-blood high god Nephrim. Even ancient dragons can't swallow gods…… or so I thought.
If it happened in the Dragon War two centuries ago, Shan's feat wasn't impossible. Qunzel set the precedent.
So…… he's involved after all.
Adel recalled the name of Azal Kingdom's guardian dragon—the contract beast of Karon Azal, whom he'd aided.
Speak sense. How does a dragon devour god power?
Kalderet feigned ignorance of Cratel despite knowing.
"Ancient God, nothing's eternally impossible in this world. Rundle said before dying—he saw Qunzel devour a god with his own eyes."
…….
"Gods vanished in the Dragon War. Swept away or eaten by dragons—who knows."
Long tongue on that lizard. Spouting nonsense.
Kalderet feigned anger, but his mind raced.
Shan's case means it's not impossible. Need to investigate. How'd Qunzel that bastard devour a god.
Adel nodded at his words.
"I understand the Red Dragons' persecution stems from the Dragon War. But how does that connect to the White Fangs lingering here?"
"You know Gold Death Gorge, right? Not far from here, borders the desert. Ulan territory."
……Gold Death Gorge?
The unexpected name from Crul made Adel tilt his head. Unforgettable place.
During the necromancer purge, Hul had called him to his hunting ground there—Hul's base and outpost.
And where Mato Azal's treasure hides.
He'd planned to visit someday; hearing it from Crul piqued his interest.
"Of course. My third brother Hul's there."
"Right. White Ghost's spawn manages it. But even he wouldn't know this."
"Know what?"
Crul paused, then nodded resolutely.
"An ancient beast's egg lies there."
As if revealing a grand secret, he cupped his mouth and whispered, though alone with Adel.
"Ah, the phoenix egg?"
"……?!!"
Crul was the surprised one.