Chapter 256

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 256

Chapter Title: Lesson 50. Dragon's Tomb - 2

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[There's another barrier. I'll erase it.]

While receiving real-time information about the ruins from his familiars—who roamed freely inside after sharing the Shadow Arts, hiding in the shadows that filled every direction—he was thinking about a certain friend who likely had deep ties to these ruins.

[Everything else has rotted away, but the metals are surprisingly intact. Huh? This... doesn't it look a lot like the Dragon Slayer Sword?]

[Oh, it has the same properties as that artifact? As expected of Eve sis. Ah, there are books here too!]

Asha had overcome her ancestor's obsession and the dragon's curse, awakening as a true dragon.

The Dragon Slayer Sword that had chosen her as its master granted her both power and poison simultaneously, but under Ban Yu-won's guidance, it triggered a reversal, underwent super-evolution, and was reborn as the True Dragon Sword that amplified the power of dragons.

This dramatic growth—even her ancestor, who had sought to possess Asha's body, could not have foreseen—rebirthed her as a prospective superhuman transcending the realm of lower dimensions.

She now stood equal to Lucelle, who had awakened the blood of both divine beasts, and Dokgo Yeon, Rebellion's undisputed strongest. There was no need to discuss her achievements further.

[Whoa, jackpot here too. And here! Dragon Slayer Sword replicas are scattered everywhere!]

―Bring more. No... bring it all!

It seemed like everything was resolved, but mysteries related to him still loomed large.

Why had the Dragon Slayer Swords—said to number only a handful across all dimensions—flowed into the D-13 dimension?

What connection did the necklace have to them?

Why had the ancestor's soul and the dragon's soul been sealed together?

[Ah, this is it? As expected, without entering the core area, this is all we can snag.]

―Translate the intact documents right away. This ruin... might be connected to dragons.

[Of course. Starting now.]

Among them, the most baffling was this.

He understood the intent to possess a descendant's body, but why choose Asha of all people—born as a dragonkin?

...To begin with, why had Asha, a descendant of the dragon slayer, been born with dragonkin blood?

'The clear fact is that it was deliberate. It wasn't that the ancestor carefully selected a sacrifice who happened to be a dragonkin; he chose her precisely because she was born one.'

That meant the ancestor had known a dragonkin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would emerge from his bloodline in the future.

Then, had the ancestor perhaps...?

Ban Yu-won shook his head, banishing the wild thought.

―Ban Yu-won, what's wrong?

―Just thinking.

―About that team-killer chick?

―Watch your mouth.

Sure, Asha was a team-kill specialist!

But since reclaiming her true form, she listened well and put in real effort!

And whenever she confronted traces of her dark history past, she curled up like a little puppy, trembling adorably—it was utterly cute.

Ban Yu-won wasn't the only one who thought so. Lately, the Rebellion channel was flooded with comments about how Asha's cross-dressing opened "new doors."

Thank goodness it wasn't actually new doors.

"This... what is it?"

Rosius stopped in his tracks, as if he'd spotted something.

What he stared at were wires clinging to the ruin's inner walls.

There must have been protective covers originally, but time had erased even their traces. At least the wires remained intact—a small mercy.

"Like a monster's veins... I can feel magic power coursing through them."

"Part of the facility, probably."

"Not dangerous?"

"If you smash everything that looks risky, sure. You'll find plenty in these ruins."

Aneri shot back provocatively at Rosius in Ban Yu-won's stead.

"If you're scared, wait outside."

"――No, I'll come along."

What had Rosius hoped for upon entering the ruins?

Obviously, the holy sword wielded by the Guardian Alliance's leader, the prince of planet Camelot.

Its outrageous power—infinite magic that couldn't exist in lower dimensions.

The moment the ruins were discovered on this planet, he'd dared to hope a sword like that might be slumbering here.

But the deeper they ventured, the more the reality diverged from his imaginings.

No treasures. No monsters. No traps.

Just those magic wires—occasionally exposed from the floor or dangling from the ceiling, writhing creepily whenever power surged through them—and endless passages stretching on forever.

The occasional rooms, with doors long vanished and interiors laid bare, fared no better.

Only furniture and fixtures rotted beyond recognition by time; otherwise, remarkably nothing at all.

"......"

Rosius's expression twisted in real time.

The other knights—and even the elite members of the mercenary group Level Force—wore similar looks.

They'd bargained for a 50% cut to enter, only for the ruins to be a total bust. Who wouldn't be pissed?

Contract cancellation seemed to flash before their eyes.

"Feels like... someone already cleaned the place out."

Amid it all, Ban Yu-won voiced what everyone was thinking but no one dared say aloud.

Sharp glares flew his way in an instant, but he merely shrugged.

"Wasn't me who looted it, so why glare at me?"

"Kuh...!"

In truth, it was Ban Yu-won who'd looted it.

Resonating with his familiars to store items remotely via inventory—truly the best!

"Our previous intruder... could they have?"

"The ruins were sealed, but we can't swear no one slipped in before. ...And seems like some followed us in."

Rosius's face paled at Ban Yu-won's words.

The knights' expressions shifted too—in shock at the unforeseen situation.

And why not?

They still hadn't made contact with their supporting forces.

In other words—the intruders tailing them now stemmed from intel leaked somewhere other than to the knights present!

―Knew it wouldn't end peacefully, but didn't expect this much of a shitshow.

―Good thing we looted the contents first, right ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yu-won?

―Eh, Ban Yu-won looted it?! How?!

―Trade secret.

Evidently, the team minus Ban Yu-mi had caught on that he'd looted the place, but only Aneri had pieced together the how.

―Familiars, right? The dart positions shifted subtly. If the knights were sharper, we might've been busted.

―Thanks for the heads-up. I'll train them to clean up even more thoroughly from now on.

They'd probably never intended to honor the contract to begin with, but this mercenary gig was riddled with loopholes anyway.

Plenty to nitpick if one wanted, but crucially: Ban Yu-won, not being a mercenary group member, wasn't bound by the contract at all.

If Aneri spotted it first, he'd have to split with Rosius. But anything his familiars secured beforehand became Ban Yu-won's personal spoils, outside this mercenary job.

―That's cheating!

―Yu-mi, remember this: in this line of work, the one who gets played is the fool.

Ban Yu-mi gaped at Aneri's kind explanation.

Fortunately, her dumbfounded look could pass for shock at the intruders.

Ban Yu-won stepped slightly forward, shielding his sister as he pressed Rosius.

"So, what now? Face the enemies here?"

"――No."

Rosius, whose face had been stunned by news of intruders, hardened his expression.

"We scout the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ruins. Clashes come after."

"Well played."

Ban Yu-won couldn't help but smile, having read every bit of Rosius's unspoken intent.

A lie, laced with killing intent.

He could guess what the lie was, and killing the group was already on the table.

He hadn't expected loyalty from the start, but this was almost too predictable.

Either way, they no longer needed to hold back.

Owners oblivious that the true master was elsewhere, coveting what didn't suit them.

They'd all amicably become part of the ruins—and sleep eternally.

―Sealed zone ahead. Probably the deepest part. You get me?

―All hands, battle ready.

Good, they understood.

Ban Yu-won petted Eve and Liliss, who had returned to his bosom after securing the spoils, as he mentally reviewed the plan ahead.

Three minutes later, the group reached a massive metal door, just like the entrance.

All the thick wires snaking through the ruins converged and ended where they met the door, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠underscoring its importance.

Undoubtedly, the ruins' most vital something lay beyond.

"Hoo...!"

Rosius let out a sigh of relief the instant he saw it.

Natural, given the near-bust exploration was on the verge of bearing fruit.

"Hurry inside. No matter the dangers, recover the relic fast and secure our exit."

"Smart thinking."

What an idiotic statement.

If he planned to honor the mercenary contract, there'd be no need for an exit—once they had the relic, space magic could whisk them straight to safety.

It was tantamount to declaring zero intent to fulfill the deal, yet in his tension, he hadn't even noticed.

"Open it."

Why did humans keep making foolish choices?

Even with a space magic user in plain sight, they ignored the risk of ending up on the wrong end?

But then, humans were humans—ever gutting the golden goose for a quick meal... Ban Yu-won advanced with such needless philosophizing, placing his hand atop the door.

In it, he gripped the perfectly restored cross.

Yeah, knew that term would pop up eventually.

Though its contents were doubtless worlds apart from the legendary grail—

Before the core door could crumble after fulfilling its role, Ban Yu-won absorbed its every concept wholesale, slamming them into Seal Ring and Soul Liberation respectively, and let out a wry chuckle.

Beyond the door lay a vast—immensely vast—chamber.

The areas they'd passed had brimmed with rare metals, research tomes, and Dragon Slayer Sword replicas.

Here, the atmosphere flipped entirely: floor, walls, and ceiling were all metal, engraved top to bottom with ancient script and illustrations.

"This―― what is this."

"Pictures of humans fighting dragons."

Perhaps they'd even anticipated someone illiterate stumbling in here.

The depictions were incredibly detailed and considerate—but...

"What is this―― why pictures of dragons fighting each other?"

"A sword. There's a sword! It's the Star Prince's holy sword!"

"A dragon turning into a human....... What the hell does it mean?"

The content was profoundly unsettling.

Especially for Ban Yu-won, who could read the ancient tongue. And the reason...

'Censorship all the way here?!'

[If Master's power of language can't read it, that censorship rivals or surpasses Master's power, right? Doesn't that mean we can suspect your ancestor?]

[Eve sis wonders if maybe a dragon built the dimensional wall? Sounds plausible!]

―Exactly. Doesn't feel hidden—just taboo words neatly omitted, letting us infer the rest. But... even I'm shocked. A true dragon erecting the dimensional wall...? If it's artificial, who else could have done it?

Liliss, Eve, and even the hitherto quiet Cellon chimed in, turning it into a racket.

If they were wrong, fine. If right... big problem.

They'd come to resolve Asha's issue, only to uncover clues about her ancestor.

No, best not jump to conclusions.

Ban Yu-won committed every legible part to memory before reading on. Fortunately, the rest delivered what he'd hoped... namely, details on Asha's ancestor.

Dragons versus humans—it looked true from the pictures alone.

But a traitor emerging from the dragons to ally with humans? Unexpected.

If he'd forged blades to pierce dragons with his power, then the replicas found here—and the rare Dragon Slayer Swords across dimensions—were all his legacy.

However, the soul of the "final dragon"—likely the one trapped in the necklace—had clung to him alongside the curse.

'I see...! The two souls in the necklace weren't sealed together on purpose. They were attached from the start!'

The exact nature of the final dragon's curse remained unknown.

But considering the traitor dragon—Asha's ancestor—had sought to erase all draconic traces from the earth, perhaps the curse was dragonization itself.

Thus, he'd sealed both the final dragon's soul and his own to pass down generations, engineering dragonkin-awakened Asha to wield the Dragon Slayer Sword.

And ultimately, possess her body, come here, and cleanly excise the draconic factors etched into flesh and soul...

'What a bastard.'

[Total bastard.]

―Three strikes, you're out—total bastard.

Not just betraying his kin, but scheming to wipe the draconic heritage from his bloodline, ruining descendant Asha's entire life in the process.

He should've beaten him harder; vaporizing him without a trace felt almost regrettable now.

'Ah, that explains the great synthesis effect. No wonder the two souls blended so perfectly.'

[Right. Both dragons in the end, so grinding them into a sword becoming the True Dragon Sword? Inevitable conclusion.]

The mystery unraveled refreshingly, yet left a hollow aftertaste.

He'd planned to incite the D-13 dimension's nations to war, scout, and uncover hidden secrets. Who'd have thought it'd all resolve in one shot?

...No, Asha's reality remained unchanged, so not everything was settled.

"So...... where's the sword?"

Rosius muttered then.

As all eyes turned to him, he continued, anger flaring.

"Isn't this a treasury prepared for a human to face a colossal monster? Then there should be a hero's blade— Ah!"

He raised his voice upon spotting something.

At the chamber's center stood a groove unmistakably sized for a sword hilt.

"It was here, no doubt! Clearly, but who... who came first and took the sword?!"

Rosius jumped to conclusions and whirled furiously.

His rage targeted the knights who'd followed him thus far.

"You lot?! Traitors colluding with the alliance?!"

"N-no! We haven't even entered till now!"

"Absolutely not!"

"Lies――! I know everything――!"

After all that ordeal for nothing? Right to be furious. But Rosius's rampage felt prematurely excessive.

With a swift draw and horizontal slash, one knight who couldn't dodge had his head sent flying into the air.

The other two spat curses, backpedaling as they drew their swords.

"What the hell?!"

"You mad bastard! We said no!"

"If you're not traitors, prove it."

Rosius shook the blood from his blade, then leveled it at Ban Yu-won's group.

"Slaughter these outsiders with me. In return... survive, and I promise no punishment for your sins."

"Ha."

Ban Yu-won let slip an admiring laugh.

Right—too rational for mere berserk rage.

It was calculated madness.

Madness to sever the knights' loyalties and flip the board.

Either way, the contract no one ever meant to keep had finally shattered completely.