Chapter 35: The sun has risen (8)

"A real Dragon?"

Nobody reacted to something one of the attack team member's mumbled. No, they couldn't react.

Only one individual reacted.

"Yes. I am a Dragon. I'm sure this isn't your first time seeing one?"

Although he was surrounded by gold dust and half of his face was covered by a mask… His white gold hair and eyes were radiant.

"Mm.'

Chief Eaen gulped.

She knew that there was a monster behind her back but she couldn't easily take her eyes off of the Dragon.

'…My goodness.'

Marquis Helson had said that there was a black Dragon by the purifier's side. He had said that it was a young Dragon.

However, there was a different Dragon in front of her right now.

Of course, it was possible that the black Dragon used dye magic to dye his hair gold before appearing, but the gold dust and gold mana that this Dragon was using did not show any signs of hiding anything.

'He must be shocked too.'

The video communication device had been silent since earlier.

Marquis Helson was unable to say anything despite seeing everything.

"…Ha."

Eaen turned her gaze for a moment after hearing someone sigh.

It was someone whose identity could not be properly investigated.

Mercenary Zero was sighing.

'Hmm?'

Eaen thought that Zero's eyes underneath his disheveled hair looked a bit odd.

'…He looks a bit crazy?'

Zero mumbled to himself at that moment. It was extremely quiet.

"…Unbelievable."

Zero felt his fingertips going numb.

His gaze moved toward the First Imperial Prince's helper, the other Dragon.

This black-haired woman… She was unable to move at all and was completely focused on the man who was glowing white gold.

"Ke, keke."

Zero smirked. His eyes lit up with passion.

'I thought that it was weird.'

The Dragon that the First Imperial Prince had brought with him…

When he first saw this supposedly extinct creature in the party hall, he assumed that she was really a Dragon because everybody was calling her a Dragon.

'A real one is like this.'

Now that he experienced a real Dragon, he could tell that a real Dragon needed nobody to tell him it was a Dragon for him to know the truth.

'Yes, this pressure, this power that seems out of this world, and-'

The mana swirling around the Dragon…

Although it was different from the black vine waves that were headed toward the attack team not too long ago, a large golden tsunami was surrounding this Dragon.

This tsunami looked as if it could turn into violent waves at any moment to destroy everything around it.

"…Boss."

One of the helpers who came with Zero started to speak.

"If it is like this, the plan-"

"Shut up."

The subordinate quickly shut up after hearing Zero's vicious voice. He then flinched.

'He's gone crazy.'

Zero's eyes looked crazy.

It was best not to mess with Zero when he was like this.

"Ha, hahaha-!"

A piercing laugh burst out at that moment.

First young lady Mineh Huayans. She wasn't even looking at Choi Han's sword that was pointed at her neck and was looking at Eruhaben as she laughed.

"Hahaha, hahaha-!"

Eruhaben, who had just been standing there, started to walk toward her.

Mineh started to speak.

"Heni Wishrop–!"

Her voice was full of anger.

"Who the fuck are you?! Who the fuck are all of you?!"

A sword master, an extremely skilled necromancer…

Those two were at least acceptable in her opinion.

It was plausible that she was royalty from a perished kingdom who wanted to take the Imperial throne and that he was someone from a guardian household who had been protecting her family's side for generations.

"A Dragon?"

One corner of Mineh's lips curled up.

"There is a Dragon and one that has grown up properly at that? Huh? A living Dragon exists?

Ha, haha!"

She was laughing nonstop.

"How does that make any sense?!"

She could not stop laughing.

That was the only way to mask her fear.

"It makes no sense!"

The Dragon with the gold mana wrapped around him was coming closer.

He was heading toward Mineh.

She clenched her fists.

She felt as if her hands would be shaking if she did not do that. Her body was already shaking a bit.

'This Dragon-!'

She realized it the moment she looked around.

Everybody was feeling pressure from the aura that the Dragon was releasing, but nobody was feeling fear like her.

It felt as if a sharp dagger was pointed right at her heart to the point that she could not even pay any attention to the sword that was pointed at her neck.

'Is this Dragon Fear?'

Cold sweat was drenching Mineh's forehead.

That Dragon was only sending Dragon Fear toward her. Mineh was sure about that.

The Dragon was in front of her now. There was nobody to stop him.

"First young lady Huayans."

Eruhaben started to smile.

"Why does it make no sense that a Dragon is in front of you?"

Dragons on this Xiaolen Planet had gone extinct.

Of course, there was the black-haired woman next to Mineh who was introduced as a Dragon, but even Eruhaben could not tell whether she was a real Dragon or not.

However, when that black-haired woman channeled her mana a few moments ago, the moment he noticed that weird warp…

Eruhaben was able to figure out what this Dragon really was and how she had grown up.

'Motherfucking bastards.'

The gold dust surrounding Eruhaben fluctuated.

Choi Han could tell that Eruhaben was quite angry right now.

Eruhaben stood right next to Mineh and lowered his head toward her.

"Should there be no Dragons alive?"

Similar to what the White Star had done in Eruhaben's world…

The Dragons in this world probably went extinct from being hunted.

Large parties probably went to attack the Dragons that lived alone.

And at the center of that were the Hunters… The Black Bloods household.

The family of the first young lady in front of Eruhaben right now was most definitely responsible.

"First young lady Huayans. There is a Dragon by your side as well."

He then started to smile.

He lifted his head and looked around.

"I don't know why you are all so shocked to see me when you have all had a Dragon by your side until now."

Choi Han suddenly recalled something Cale had told him.

'Our luck has been good until now.'

Cale had shaken his head side to side.

'Do you know how egotistic and prideful Dragons are?'

Choi Han had replied that the Dragons they had met until now were not like that.

'As for Raon, his situation was special. Eruhaben-nim is a special Dragon too. As for the other Dragons?'

Cale spoke calmly and confidently as if it was to be expected.

'Eruhaben-nim looks favorably on us humans. He doesn't care for formalities that much and is nice. We were able to be so relaxed around the other Dragons because Eruhaben-nim was with us.'

Cale's face had been quite calm and even a bit cold as he said that.

'Eruhaben-nim is the Dragon who has lived the longest. He's quite amazing.'

Choi Han could finally understand Cale's words properly today.

The greatest existence in the Natural World…

The Dragons.

A Dragon, an ancient Dragon who has lived over 1,000 years, was looking at humans who had never experienced a real Dragon because they had gone extinct.

"Did you all not know what kind of existence Dragons are?"

The Dragon Fear that had been directed at Mineh gently spread in all directions.

Eruhaben's gaze moved at that moment.

His eyes that were glowing more beautiful than pure gold were looking at the black-haired woman.

"You, cancel the spell."

The black-haired woman's eyes started to shake.

However, Eruhaben's gaze was firm as he looked into those black eyes that were shaking with anxiety.

"Now."

Black mana flowed out of the black-haired woman at that moment.

It was similar to Raon's but the mana felt different.

This mana was a bit darker and sunken.

"No! Don't do it!"

Mineh immediately shouted after seeing that mana but the black-haired woman was only looking at Eruhaben.

A bitter smile appeared on Eruhaben's face.

'…For a Dragon to look at another Dragon like this…'

The black-haired woman was looking at Eruhaben with awe and longing.

Even though she was also a Dragon…

Shaaaaaaa—

The black mana brushed past the woman's body.

"Eek."

Someone gasped and held back from saying something in shock.

The black-haired woman…

Her whole body was covered in black spider webs.

"As I expected."

The corners of Eruhaben's lips twisted.

He had said the following about the Dragon in front of him to Cale.

'51 percent certain.'

It was more than likely that she was a Dragon.

'It does not seem to be normal.'

However, her condition was not normal.

'Cale, mana is not going around that individual.'

'However, that individual still has a strong mana. Yet she's worse at hiding herself even more than Raon. It's as if-

It's as if she is raw. It is as if she has never learned how to handle mana or ever practiced it properly.'

Eruhaben asked the Dragon who was covered in veins that looked like black spider webs.

"What is your name?"

"…Aphei."

"I've seen a human like you before."

Saint Jack's sister, the sword master Hannah…

She was poisoned by dead mana and survived.

She was still a sword master after that experience.

"You are a Dragon who has overcome dead mana."

Eruhaben had noticed something weird when this Dragon tried to use magic earlier.

Just as the strong mana inside the Dragon started to move to cast the spell, he faintly sensed dead mana within it.

It was so trivial that only someone extremely skilled would be able to notice it, but that dead mana was mixed with mana.

Of course, the two did not combine to become one.

But the two of them were sort of wrapped together similar to Hannah's aura as a sword master and dead mana.

"…No wonder it was confusing."

Eruhaben smiled bitterly while looking at Aphei, whose eyes were looking down at the ground.

The Dragon could not look at the ancient Dragon from the moment her skin was revealed.

A Dragon was an existence that lived together with mana.

'I'm assuming this punk was against it.'

It was highly likely that she lived in dead mana even when she was an egg and was born within it.

Otherwise, it would be difficult for a Dragon to overcome dead mana and mix the two manas together.

"You are definitely a Dragon."

Eruhaben turned his head after saying that. Aphei's eyes that were only looking down at the black sand shook after hearing that and she raised her head.

She looked up at Eruhaben's face.

She heard Mineh's voice at that moment.

"Aphei!"

Mineh's voice was sharp as if she was trying to whip Aphei, but she didn't even listen.

A real Dragon, something she had only imagined and read about in books…

The feeling of déjà vu she had felt in the party hall while looking at this individual had not been wrong.

'He said that I was a real Dragon-'

A real Dragon had called her a Dragon.

And now…

'I, I am not alone.'

She had a fellow Dragon who could prove and confirm her identity as a Dragon.

That fellow Dragon had beautiful gold light unlike her dark and dirty black mana.

Gold light fluttered around him looking like snow.

"Pffft."

The gold Dragon chuckled.

Aphei watched his hand move.

"Ugh!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

Aphei could see the mana released from his fingertips suppressing dead mana as if it was an ant.

"Ugh."

Mineh, who had stealthily channeled her dead mana to try to teleport away, instantly frowned.

'How-, what is going on?

How did things turn out like this?

This motherfucking Dragon bastard!'

She was cursing both Eruhaben and Aphei in her mind but was still able to maintain a bit of rationality.

That was why she had tried to escape.

The reason was simple.

"You guys-"

Mineh asked the sword master, Dragon, and Heni Wishrop.

"There are more of you, aren't there?"

The voice was shaking.

First young lady Huayans. That was not a position that was easy to maintain.

The beautiful sight she had expected did not happen and she became anxious at the sudden appearance of a Dragon and angry at Aphei's actions, but…

She was still not very worried.

'That monster will handle the Dragon.'

The black tree. That thing would try to consume the Dragon.

There were not many creatures with as much life force as Dragons.

Even a Dragon would not be able to easily handle the monster if it went crazy and charged at it.

'We know how strong Dragons are.'

It was the judgment of the records of the House of Huayans as people who had hunted Dragons.

'Aphei's life is in our hands.'

To be more specific, her grandfather, the patriarch, held this rebellious Dragon's life in his hand.

That was why Aphei would return to them in the end.

So she thought that it was fine as long as she managed to escape.

'That Blood Cult bastard from the Central Plains will escape with the First Imperial Prince.'

The last helper, the bastard from the Blood Cult, was curled forward with his face covered pretending to be scared.

He was close to Heni Wishrop and the First Imperial Prince, so he would find the opportunity to escape with the First Imperial Prince.

'…He is almost as strong as the patriarch.'

However, Mineh realized the oddness of the situation the more rational she became.

She was not the only one.

Zero, Chief Eaen, the Fourth Imperial Prince, and the others had stopped being anxious and noticed the weirdness of the situation as well.

"Why? Why do you think that there is someone else?"

Eruhaben chuckled.

He continued to speak after seeing Mineh glare at him instead of responding.

"Because the monster is running away?"

The black tree.

That thing had been quiet since earlier.

"Or is it because the monster is surrounding itself with its roots?"

The monster had silently pulled back its roots to the center of the lake to create a wall. It was as if it was defending itself.

"If it isn't that either…"

Eruhaben pointed at the sky.

"Do you hear that?"

Ruuuumble-

The starlight had disappeared.

The night sky was covered by grey clouds.

The attack team members had been shocked by the appearance of a Dragon but none of them were idiots.

They all definitely remembered.

The red thunderbolt.

The power that easily burned the tree root and made the monster stop in shock.

'The purifier.'

Eaen, who knew the identity of the person, gulped.

She grabbed the video communication device around her neck and moved it so that Marquis Helson would be able to see clearly.

That was the only thing she could think about doing.

'A sword master, two Dragons, and a necromancer.'

The purifier was supposedly the leader of this group.

Then the purifier must be stronger than all of them.

'Does he really use the power of a god?'

He was an existence that made this monster that was larger than the Lord's Castle, the monster that made them worry about the fall of the west side of the Empire, move to protect itself.

"Just so you know, I will not be fighting it."

The ancient Dragon looked at Mineh and smiled.

"I need to keep an eye on all of you so that you guys don't run away."

The First Imperial Prince's helpers… Their locations and actions were all being seen and noticed by Eruhaben.

Even that helper who was warily looking for an opening to escape…

Eruhaben was planning on using his mana to tie down the First Imperial Prince's forces soon.

"I also need to protect all of you."

'Protect?'

Eruhaben's hand moved as some people looked confused after hearing that word.

The attack team… A gold shield appeared around them.

Ruuuuumble- ruuuuuuumble-

Mary, who still had her hand around the First Imperial Prince's neck, started to speak at that moment.

"Please take a look."

She whispered to the First Imperial Prince.

"You do not need to die. You will soon see a way to save everyone without dying."

First Imperial Prince Sanders. He saw the fire that approached them from the direction that the Dragon appeared a few moments ago.

Screeeech- screeeeeeech-

The black tree suddenly started to screech and the ground started to shake.

Boom, Boom!

The monster that had protected its body with its vines and roots was planning to attack its natural enemy with everything it had.

– Khahahaha! There is so much to burn! Let's play with fire tonight!

Cale leisurely walked as if he was out on a stroll.

He walked past the gold shield protecting the attack team members and headed toward the lake.

Splash.

Cale mumbled with a stoic look on his face the moment the water touched his foot.

"Should I burn up the water in the lake first?"

Ruuuumble- ruuuuuumble–

A rose gold current slowly appeared through the grey cloud.

The Fire of Destruction. This was a world where using one percent of his power would release the strength of him using fifty percent.

Cale was planning on using fifty percent of his power right now.

—
Translator's Comments

50×50 = 2500%!!!!!

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]