Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Revenge for Those Who Crave It…
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I don’t just read the Communist Party Declaration back home. I often pick up Earth’s Bible too. Turns out it’s a book with more lessons than you’d expect.
…My favorite passage from it.
Leviticus 24:20 is the one I love most. I carry it in my heart always.
『From war correspondent Levin’s interview with Demerond Ip Marx』
***
The voice of the dragon that appeared out of nowhere carried no anger or hostility.
Pure joy.
An emotion that neither Yeomyeong nor anyone else in the valley could comprehend.
Everyone gathered here—whether the bloodthirsty Pig Heads or the mercenaries—had come to kill the dragon and claim the seal.
Yet it had revealed itself willingly before these intruders bent on its death and was expressing delight?
‘A young dragon, the lie, the blood kin token… There’s something the dwarf didn’t tell us.’
Yeomyeong narrowed his eyes and watched Kwon Mongju, the captain.
Right now, the most suspicious person present was none other than the captain, who had planned the operation directly with the dwarf.
And as if to prove Yeomyeong’s suspicions correct, Kwon Mongju began slyly preparing something.
Lucky for him the Pig Heads were fixated on the dragon—if this had happened mid-battle, the saintess right beside him could have been in danger.
‘Recovery’s not complete yet….’
Yeomyeong shifted his throbbing ankle and started walking toward his comrades.
The moment he took a step, the dragon spoke again.
[Heir of the mountain’s will! Step forward and show the token!]
Its voice boomed through the valley.
Unable to withstand the mana-infused roar, the Pig Heads and mercenaries clutched their ears in unison.
Even Yeomyeong covered his ears and winced, but Kwon Mongju alone strode forward unfazed.
“Orse Tabul! Guardian of the mountains, dragon of kings!”
He bellowed in a voice loud enough to reach the dragon overhead.
[You… are no dwarf.]
A flicker of disappointment crossed the dragon’s yellow eyes as it gazed down at Kwon Mongju, but the captain ignored it and dropped to one knee before the beast.
“Great dragon, I am Kwon Mongju. I have come here as proxy for the son of Daral Dun, Darulma Dun.”
In a solemn demeanor Yeomyeong had never seen before, he extended his right hand toward the dragon.
Resting in his palm was a thick ring that Darulma Dun had worn—a ring radiating an extraordinary aura even from afar.
The dragon’s eyes twitched at the sight.
[…The Dun family?]
“A branch bloodline of the Sculptor’s Mountain.”
[Dun… Dun… Ah, I remember. The cowards who fled first through the dimensional gate.]
“Great dragon, it’s a misunderstanding! The Dun family endured for a greater revenge…”
[Spare me the pathetic excuses.]
The dragon’s voice turned ice-cold. This was a bad sign.
[What should come from your mouth is not excuses, but explanation. Why did that fool Darulma Dun send a mere earthling like you instead of coming himself?]
“Lord Darulma intended to come in person. But…”
[But?]
“Those unidentified enemies over there targeted the seal and ambushed him, leaving me no choice but to come as proxy.”
The captain pointed at the Pig Heads. They flinched simultaneously under the dragon’s sudden glare.
[Indeed, repulsive monstrosities only earthlings could dream up.]
The dragon’s assessment was brief; its action swift. It casually raised its left hand and pointed at the Pig Heads.
[Begone.]
Whoosh!
Crimson flames erupted from its elongated claw tips.
The blaze poured down like lightning from above, sparing the mercenaries and saintess to engulf the Pig Heads precisely.
Some tried chanting spells or turning to flee, but not a single one escaped being swallowed by the firestorm.
“Kyaaak!!”
The Pig Heads ignited amid the ferocious heat.
By the time anyone could blink a few times, only ash and the stench of charred flesh remained where they had stood.
Kim Mansu and the mercenaries, who had endured the heat right beside them, wore hardened expressions as Yeomyeong clicked his tongue briefly.
‘Magic this powerful without a chant… At least on par with Kahal Magdu.’
Kahal Magdu, the skeletal dragon he had faced in northern Manchuria.
The moment the crimson dragon overhead unleashed its spell, an overwhelming mana rivaling that beast surged forth.
Of course, he couldn’t gauge their exact power difference. This was his first time seeing a living dragon(?).
But from that one spell alone, one thing was clear.
Fighting that dragon would mean staking his life.
Fortunately, both the dragon and Kwon seemed more inclined to talk than fight.
For now, at least.
[Earthling Kwon Mongju, proxy of the Dun family. I accept your explanation. Now, state your purpose here.]
“…Lord Darulma and the Dun family seek the golden seal.”
Golden seal. The dragon’s mana quivered at the words. It looked like it was suppressing waves of joy.
[At last… the time for revenge has come.]
Revenge? As Yeomyeong’s head tilted slightly, Kwon spoke in a calm voice.
“Great dragon, Lord Darulma… isn’t seeking the seal for revenge.”
[What? You dare claim to abandon revenge?]
“No. Revenge is already over. The Soviets lost Siberia and splintered into petty states. Stalin is no longer of this world.”
[…What?]
“The fallen Soviets paid reparations, and the dwarves reclaimed their homeland. The war is ended.”
[Stalin… is dead? The Soviet Union collapsed?]
Shocked, the dragon alternated its gaze between Kwon and the northwestern sky, as if Moscow might be visible from here.
“Yes, great dragon. It’s common knowledge to all earthlings.”
[…]
“So now, the Dun family and all dwarves beneath them seek only to prevent the seal from becoming a calamity for the innocent.”
The dragon stayed silent for a long moment after Kwon’s reply, then extended a gentle claw.
[I will verify the token.]
Kwon bowed his head and raised the hand holding the ring high.
An invisible force soon enveloped it. The ring floated up, leaving the captain’s grasp.
Under the moonlight illuminating the deep valley, the gleaming golden band flew toward the dragon.
[At last…]
Though thick and heavy compared to a human ring—crafted for dwarves—even in the dragon’s grasp, it looked no larger than a button.
A storm of fierce emotions swirled in the dragon’s eyes as it stared at the ring, but no words escaped its maw.
What was it verifying?
The silent dragon finally spoke again only after Yeomyeong’s broken leg had fully regenerated.
[Earthling, do you know who buried the seal here?]
“…That is.”
The sudden question left Kwon unable to answer immediately, trailing off.
Not expecting a reply, perhaps, the dragon continued while gazing at the ring.
[Dabal Hillin. He was the rightful king of the Dragon Scale Mountains and the greatest warrior.]
A distant wistfulness filled the dragon’s eyes. They looked not at the present, but a far-off past.
[A great king rare in history… the most noble king in all of it. One who possessed a nobility so sublime even a dragon could not match.]
The dragon’s voice was serene. Yet Yeomyeong felt an inexplicable chill.
[Do you know? Ten years ago, the seal bored tunnels beneath every volcano in this land.]
“…”
[Then why haven’t they erupted until now? Simple. King Hillin didn’t wish it. He attuned the seal to hold the volcanoes on the brink without erupting.]
Kwon sighed in relief at the explanation, but the dragon’s words weren’t finished.
[But don’t delude yourselves. He didn’t abandon the chance for revenge. He merely left even that choice to his descendants.]
“Left the choice… you say?”
[With the blood kin token, the seal can either seal all the tunnels dug thus far… or trigger the eruptions.]
“…Then as proxy, I shall relay this: the Dun family, his descendants, and all dwarves under them desire no revenge.”
With Kwon’s declaration, Darulma’s commission should have concluded.
…It should have.
But the dragon gave no reply to Kwon. It neither returned the token nor handed over the seal.
Instead, it bared its fangs in a grin. A chilling, mad smile.
[However, I think differently.]
From between the scales beneath its neck, the dragon produced something. A rectangular lump of gold slightly larger than its claw.
The golden seal.
Not sealed beneath the cave after all? Kwon’s face hardened.
[Earth-tainted dwarves lack the qualification. Not to wield Hillin’s seal, nor even to choose. In this world, only I possess that right.]
The dragon pressed the ring— the Dun family crest—against the seal in its left claw.
[I choose. Suffer, earthlings.]
Flash!
The seal trembled violently, spewing intense golden mana.
In the next instant, a massive golden magic circle materialized above the valley cliffs.
No explanation needed for what it was.
The moment the sky above the valley turned gold, the ground beneath their feet resonated with the magic.
Rumble rumble ruuuumble!!!
The earthquake that began in the valley struck all of Manchuria.
***
The earth screamed.
Deep-rooted trees shook in terror, rocks and grass jostling up and down.
Even a superhuman’s senses barely kept him upright amid the colossal quake.
Atop this harbinger of doom, Kwon barely maintained his balance and shouted.
“Great dragon! Stalin is dead, the Soviet Union gone! There is no one left for you to avenge!!”
[Ha! And the communists who allied with the Soviets? All the reds who lived on this Manchurian soil? They still live!]
Clutching the seal, the dragon roared. A long shadow draped its face, backed by the golden magic circle.
“…The war wasn’t their will! How many of Manchuria’s tens of millions even remember it!”
[They’ve forgotten, no doubt. To earthlings, mere decades suffice to turn even sins into history! But I haven’t forgotten! I remember the earthlings’ greed and the communists’ atrocities as if they happened yesterday!]
The dragon cried out in anguish and spread its crimson wings.
The immense mana pouring from its body rippled into the magic circle, dyeing the valley sky gold.
“Then what of the dwarves! If Manchuria crumbles, what becomes of all dwarves settled on Earth!”
He poured out his plea at the top of his lungs.
Mercenaries, unable to watch, rushed to grab the captain and drag him away.
But Kwon resisted fiercely, shouting.
“Earth won’t forgive the dwarves! The peace they’ve earned will turn to bubbles!”
[Peace? How dare you call that peace, proxy of the Dun family?]
The dragon and Kwon locked eyes beneath the golden sky.
[True peace isn’t won by forgetting old grudges. Only after slaking the resentment of the unjustly slain! Only then can one speak of peace!]
“Then kill only the guilty! The innocent humans of this land—”
[The dwarves who perished under gas were innocent too! Was coveting mana metal by Stalin their sin? Was the Cold War their crime?!!]
The dragon raised its claw. The seal, having absorbed the ring, shone brilliantly.
Golden mana rippled like waves, cascading down like a waterfall.
[How can innocent grudges be assuaged by the blood of the guilty! A sinner’s life holds no equal worth to the innocent’s!]
Beneath Kwon and Yeomyeong’s feet, a long golden line stretched from the valley across the Changbai Mountains.
One, two, three, five, ten… dozens.
Not a single one of the dozens of lines from the valley overlapped.
Some headed north through Manchuria, others toward Baekdu Mountain.
Without anyone saying it, everyone present understood.
Passages linking to every volcano in and around Manchuria.
Kwon and the mercenaries easily envisioned the land’s destruction.
The dragon ignored them. Lost in its own fervor, it bellowed at Manchuria’s sky over and over.
[Fair death! Only innocent blood of equal value can quench the grudge of the innocent!]
As the dragon’s cry peaked.
[Earthlings! Burn away—]
Bang!
A white-glowing bullet pierced the dragon’s eye.
* * *