Call It a Legend (1)
The imperial capital, Antonium.
Palace mage Naysh William gazed up at the sky. The rain had stopped, and the sun blazed fiercely, yet his body still shivered coldly. No matter how hard he tried to steel himself, it was inevitable.
"It seems an inadequate little brother can never imitate his elder brother..."
The dragon's appearance. He knew full well it was like throwing an egg at a rock. But he couldn't just stand by idly. So Naysh had moved swiftly, preparing for a possible dragon assault.
But the moment he faced the dragon, Naysh froze. The title of palace mage rang hollow as terror overwhelmed him. How can I face His Majesty like this, big brother...?
"Surely, if it had been you..."
If it had been his brother, who always vowed to surpass even the fiery dragon...!
Even before a real dragon, that blazing spirit would never have faltered. Of course, that fiery dragon hadn't been a true one. But even if someone pointed that out, it offered no comfort to the dejected Naysh.
"What are you pondering so deeply?"
"!"
The voice that snapped Naysh from his self-recrimination belonged to his liege, the emperor.
At the emperor's voice, Naysh hastily bowed his head.
"I have no face to show you, Your Majesty."
"Speaking of having no face out of nowhere—what do you mean?"
"I regret to say I failed in my duty as palace mage. I cowered before the dragon and forgot my place."
The emperor approached Naysh without a word.
"...?"
Then he patted the bewildered Naysh's shoulder.
"Isn't it only natural, Naysh? Even before a true king, one cannot properly lift their head. You need not seek my forgiveness. I myself couldn't even look straight at the sky."
The emperor's gaze shifted from Naysh to the window, taking in the panorama of Antonium. The capital city that had repelled demons and now rebels alike. Yet the vibrancy it once held seemed a distant memory—Antonium lay deathly still.
The emperor gave a wry lift of his lips.
"So there's no need for apologies or self-recrimination. For now, simply be grateful. Though the reason eludes us... rejoice that they have withdrawn."
"...I shall obey, Your Majesty."
Of course, he knew it wouldn't be easy. The reason Antonium was so quiet right now was surely because of 'him'. The cause of the dragons' disappearance was something anyone could guess.
'The Black Dark Dragon.'
Stories of dragons had been passed down even in the empire. But most were mere legends compiled from oral tales into books. Nothing truly verifiable...
'Except, of course, the Dragon-Mage Great War.'
The Mage Tower's war with the dragons. The scant few pages preserved in the palace were the sole token of goodwill from the tower, earned through amicable ties with past emperors. Handing over hundreds of magical artifacts for just a handful of sheets—some might call it an affront to the empire's dignity.
'I myself once thought so.'
But now, having witnessed a dragon with his own eyes, those few pages on the Dragon-Mage Great War would serve as invaluable guidance for the empire. That's what he'd thought, and that's why he'd just reviewed them himself.
However.
'Even the Mage Tower knew nothing of it.'
The records of the Dragon-Mage Great War made no mention of the Black Dark Dragon. The emperor pondered deeply. A being from the distant past, absent even from the Dragon-Mage Great War—how could it wield such influence over the dragons...?
"It's profoundly puzzling."
Suddenly, the emperor's eyes fell to the palace floor. More precisely, beyond it—to the palace underground.
The Archive of War Chronicles lay beneath. There, answers resided. If an answer existed anywhere on the Arcana Continent, the Archive of War Chronicles would reveal it. Asking about the Black Dark Dragon's nature would resolve the mystery in an instant.
Yet.
"..."
The emperor questioned himself. 'Is this truly the moment to use it?'
Many knew of the Archive's existence—Naysh and the ministers, and even Harkon, now in the adventurers' world. But only the emperor knew that accessing its answers demanded a 'price.' It had to be that way. Only past emperors had ever used it.
'...What should I do, Harkon?'
As the emperor bowed his head in torment, the warm sunlight bathing the palace suddenly vanished. The emperor and Naysh both startled.
"...?"
Was a sudden downpour coming? Or had the dragons returned? Their shock was justified.
But neither was the case.
"...Your Majesty?"
Naysh trailed off. What blocked the sun was neither dragon nor storm cloud. It was a familiar airship. The dwarves' Iron Castle Ho.
Doubt flickered across the emperor's face as well.
"Why have the dwarves returned...?"
He'd thought they had no reason to visit Antonium for a while. Had some emergency arisen? The emperor commanded Naysh.
"Prepare to receive them, Naysh."
"I obey, Your Majesty!"
Soon, they met the dwarven leader, Chainwalker. The emperor's guess was half right—Chainwalker spoke urgently.
"We return to the empire with grave news."
Yes, it was urgent, but in a different sense.
"Empire, you lack even the time to cower in fear. Restore your forces with utmost haste and reclaim your former glory!"
"...What do you mean, dwarf? You saw it yourself—the dragon appeared. The people can't shake off the shock. How can you say such things?"
"It's no time to be shocked."
"...Pardon?"
"Because it's not something to fear."
"Not something to fear? What on earth do you mean?"
Chainwalker continued to the questioning emperor.
"The Black Dark Dragon."
...
Chainwalker was certain.
"You wouldn't want the continent trembling in fear."
The last survivor of Akshan. Lee Hoyeol, who knew better than anyone that negative emotions fueled demons. Right now, humans and demons alike shuddered before the dragon...
"But demons are fools who know no sense of proportion."
Foolish demons who even forgot fear. This peace wouldn't last.
Chainwalker made his decision.
"Isn't this what oaths are for?"
To seize the moment, reverse the negative emotions blanketing the continent. It required little—just one word.
The emperor appeared atop Antonium's central keep. The citizens of Antonium looked up with faces full of worry. From the Iron Castle Ho, Chainwalker observed them once more.
Walls Whale asked.
"Chainwalker, did you convey it properly?"
The Black Dark Dragon that made dragons wail. He was Akshan's last survivor, Hoyeol. For news like that...
Not only the citizens, but even the emperor's expression wasn't overly grave. To ease that concern, Chainwalker chuckled softly.
Unnecessary worry.
"Walls Whale, wouldn't you know?"
"What're you on about suddenly?"
"How legends are passed down."
"...?"
Walls Whale scowled at the cryptic words. Living by the blazing forge had made him short-tempered elsewhere.
Chainwalker got to the point.
"No matter how legendary the event or being, it can't be called a legend without passing through the human realm. Ultimately, humans elevate things to legend."
"...!"
Indeed. No matter how grand, without widespread knowledge, it couldn't become legend. And spreading it wide fell to humans alone.
"I see..."
Reclusive as they were—not dragons or elves—they weren't suited to spread tales.
Chainwalker watched Antonium with satisfaction.
"What our Holy War Alliance needs is a reversal. A dramatic one, Walls Whale. One big blow to overturn the fear gripping the Arcana Continent."
Walls Whale asked.
"Tempering for that?"
Chainwalker nodded firmly.
"Yes. And not just any tempering. Depending on whose mouth it starts from, the legend's weight changes."
Chainwalker burst into laughter.
"In that sense, who better than the emperor?!"
...
The emperor spoke.
"I know what you fear."
Even as he said it, he felt shameless. Speaking as if he hadn't been afraid at all. Before demons. Before rebels. And before the dragon. He, who had trembled more than anyone.
"..."
So the current silence felt no cruelty. From the citizens gazing up at him, he expected no respect or awe. As emperor, he had proven nothing.
'If I'm not ashamed, then I truly am a demon.'
Once-vast imperial territory. Now, only the capital Antonium—and Frost, rebuilt in the adventurers' world—could be called lands.
He knew he could no longer be called emperor without tending to the rest and its people. Yet.
"Thus, by the name of the emperor, I declare."
He had to desperately play the emperor. Even if just a hollow shell. His words carried power. That power needed to be lent to 'him'.
"Fear not the Black Dark Dragon."
Here, his childhood education as crown prince proved useful. The thorough training in diction and rhetoric seemed enough to rouse the terrified citizens.
But the emperor knew.
'What truly awakens them is not me.'
He was merely a stepping stone. So he spoke with even greater dignity. A majesty he could never muster to exalt himself.
"You already know who the Black Dark Dragon is."
"...?"
"You as well."
The emperor's gaze fell on the Dreadsden survivors. The first to grasp his meaning were, naturally, the survivors themselves.
Dreadsden, at the empire's edge—a remote village untouched by imperial news. And they'd only recently settled in Antonium. Yet, we already knew of the Black Dark Dragon...?
"...!"
Lancy murmured unwittingly.
"N-No way...?"
Yes, that impossible guess was correct. The emperor continued.
"The Black Dark Dragon—he is Dreadsden's savior."
"And at the same time, Antonium's hero."
"From the endlessly deep darkness."
The moment the emperor proclaimed the legend.
"Indeed. Adventurer, Lee Hoyeol. He is the Black Dark Dragon!"
"...!!!"
*
...My ears are itchy. Back at the Mage Tower. The moment I sit at my desk in the office, my ears itch. Bad omen, this.
But such crude ear-picking with the pinky wouldn't be tolerated by Grandfell's decorum, even on pain of death. I ignored the itch as best I could and turned to the desk.
First to catch my eye: the tower exit application. Or rather...
The cat paw print stamped on it. The task the Tower Master handled in my stead, as Marcelo mentioned—was approving exit applications?
I examined the approved form and murmured.
"I fully acknowledge your sincerity."
But... there's such a thing as pointless consideration. The Tower Master's goodwill was exactly that. Grandfell, who couldn't abide owing anyone...
'So I can't say no to it.'
Truly, cat-level work, rivaling a cat washing its face...! No, even if lazy, stamping blanket approvals like this—what were they thinking?!
"However, what must be corrected shall be."
Looks like I can't trust the Tower Master—that cat—anymore. Of course, it was all due to Grandfell's nitpicky nature.
I grumbled inwardly.
'With this personality, give-and-take is best.'
In that sense, I wanted to plead with everyone.
'Please, refrain from doing anything "for my sake."'
If you pity me, stuck handling the aftermath. Anyway, let's hurry. Much to finish before day's end. As said, with the class quest goal—physical training—I had to diligently complete it.
So, first, revise the exit application.
'Thus.'
I slashed the quill across the page.
Scratch-scratch— Regrettably, this exit application is also rejected.
Senior Bensy William.
...
Legend system unlocked.
Legend acquired: 'Black Dark Dragon Lee Hoyeol'.
Your legend takes form.