NOVEL NEXT Chapter 183 - The Skeleton King's Body (5)
Isaac was dumbfounded.
So, this bastard now thinks I’m the Skeleton King’s subordinate?
[Should I hit him once?]
Along with Whisper’s words, Shabnak appeared beside Isaac. She seemed to have come out unable to bear the insulting words.
“I’ll cut off his head!”
Shabnak’s fingers cracked in anger.
Isaac stopped them both.
“Hmm, wait a moment.”
Isaac rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache and looked at the Black Angel.
“So why… do you think I’m the Skeleton King’s subordinate?”
“The Fourteen Demons told me. The Skeleton King… no, His Majesty the Skeleton King has a direct subordinate he cherishes, and he’s currently in the Holy Empire.”
Isaac rolled his eyes.
No. That cherished by me subordinate is probably Shabnak.
‘Or could it mean there’s a spy in the Empire?’
However, the Black Angel spoke with sparkling eyes.
“You’re trying to destroy the Holy Empire, aren’t you, sir?”
Ah… Um. Let’s go with that.
The Black Angel prostrated himself again.
“I pledge my loyalty to you, sir! I will help with that great foundation!”
Then Shabnak exuded killing intent as if telling him to stop talking nonsense.
“Shut up. Do you think we’d believe the forked tongue of magicians?”
Isaac smiled lightly.
“What’s your purpose?”
“There’s nothing else! If I have a connection to the Skeleton King, I could return to the Magic Empire too. But beyond that, for a black magician, it’s an incomparable honor!”
Well, that’s true.
Among magicians, the existence of the Skeleton King is in the realm of irreplaceable myth.
‘Even if I asked the Magic Empire Prince to accept me right now, he would.’
Of course, unlike Shablis who seemed ready to give anything for free, Hiberius was a Prince who was strangely precise about give and take. That’s a trait of magicians, but he’s particularly demanding.
[Isn’t it just the difference between knowing Master’s identity or not?]
Whatever.
“You, don’t you have a connection with the Fourteen Demons?”
“They just appear occasionally to make deals.”
“Hmm. What’s their name?”
“It’s… Ranshe…”
At that name, Isaac’s gaze changed.
It was when a giant skeleton was summoned at the Imperial Palace before. The summoner who was caught then said this:
-If the Emperor is killed by a skeleton, the responsibility will fall on Eshua who couldn’t deal with the Skeleton King… That ‘Ranshe’ guy!
-He was with the
“You, you once tried to kill the Hella Emperor by joining hands with someone from the Imperial Family, right? To bring down Eshua and Shablis.”
“…Ooh! To think you know about that incident, I’m honored!”
Now he’s saying he’s honored even for insignificant things. Well, I think I know why this guy targeted the Imperial Family without him saying it.
If the Emperor dies, the Holy Empire would fall into great chaos, and since Shablis is on Eshua’s side, he must have thought it was perfect.
“I understand why you held a grudge against Eshua. Well, I would have been resentful too. Being chased and fired from the palace magician position because of a kid you never kidnapped.”
The Black Angel, kuk, lowered his head even more as if moved.
“Thank you! If I had known you were the Skeleton King’s subordinate, I wouldn’t have done such a thing. Please forgive me…!”
“Never mind that. What’s that Ranshe guy’s purpose?”
“As far as I know, he’s trying to draw out the Sacred Dragon Leader.”
Isaac’s expression became strange.
The Sacred Dragon Leader?
[The one who has Master’s body, right?]
Then could it be that they thought the Sacred Dragon Leader would reveal himself if danger befell the Holy Empire, so they attempted to summon the Skeleton King and assassinate the Emperor?
Well, I understand that far.
But no matter how I think about it, I don’t understand.
“Why does the Sacred Dragon have the Skeleton King’s body?”
“Well. They say the Sacred Dragon Leader is obsessed and looking for the Skeleton King. So maybe for tracking purposes, they’re gathering everything related to the Skeleton King…”
…What??
Me???
Why is the Sacred Dragon looking for me?
Isaac made an incomprehensible expression, but Whisper chuckled.
[Aren’t you wanted by the sacred dragons too?]
I don’t think so? I don’t think I messed with the sacred dragons??
…Probably?
…No, if I had.
‘Why? Why are they targeting me?’
And a leader-class at that?
“Since they’re sacred dragons, they’re the guardian dragons of the Holy Empire. It’s not strange for them to hate Master.”
[Well. Didn’t you just cause havoc without realizing it? Kuhek!]
Well, if that’s the case, it’s rather fortunate.
‘If they’re looking for me, it’ll be easy to draw them out.’
If I can just find them, I can take back the Skeleton King’s body they have.
‘With just this small fragment, I eliminated an 8th-rank lesser dragon.’
Isaac chuckled, as he looked at the Skeleton King’s body he had obtained this time.
In fact, while he had focused on magic training for several years, he was able to easily kill the lesser dragon thanks to this body.
’10th-rank magic is already in my head, but my magical power isn’t there yet.’
But using the Skeleton King’s body, he could use higher-level magic.
Above all, the advantage of being able to use it right away was big. Of course, in return, since it’s part of the body, the power is a bit lower, and if you don’t make it absorb, it becomes consumable, but.
‘Kuhehe. If it’s this much now, how much stronger will I become when I get the rest.’
It was right then.
Bang!!
“Isaac!”
Leia and Shuri burst through the wall.
“Isaac, are you okay?”
“Isaac! Are you oka… Kek, what! Why is Shab here?!”
Unlike Shuri who blushed at seeing Shabnak, Leia seemed very worried that Isaac was alone with the Black Angel.
After checking Isaac’s condition, Leia immediately widened her eyes. It seemed to be because of the lesser dragon’s bloodstains on Isaac’s clothes. Just from that, she seemed to have grasped what had happened.
“You, contemptible.”
Along with a voice filled with killing intent, Leia’s sword was drawn.
Shing!
Leia immediately approached the Black Angel.
“A lowly wandering magician dares to touch the junior family head of one of the Five Great Families? That crime will be heavy.”
“N-No!”
The Black Angel, who had been kneeling, looked at the Saintess with a startled and wary gaze.
Then Isaac smiled brightly and stopped Leia.
“Ah, don’t kill him.”
“What?”
“He’s my subordinate now.”
“What??”
Subordinate?
On the other hand, at Isaac’s words, the Black Angel looked at Isaac as if moved.
“As expected of Master! I will never forget this grace!”
And keep the fact that you’re the Skeleton King’s subordinate a secret, and honor the great will to destroy the Holy Empire, and help lay the foundation…
Click.
…Huh?
The Black Angel tilted his head at the strange sound.
What’s this?
Something cold and metallic on his wrist…
And Isaac, who had put handcuffs on the Black Angel’s arms, chuckled.
“Bad subordinates should be handed over to the palace.”
…What?
“This bastard, how much was the bounty again? This should be quite lucrative since he’s a named character, right?”
Isaac grinned with crescent-shaped eyes. At that sight, the Black Angel’s pupils shook madly.
…Master?
Uh…?
This is an act, right? Right?
Soon, as Shabnak was about to drag the Black Angel away, Leia said to go outside too.
“Since we’ve obtained the Skeleton King’s body too, let’s hurry back.”
“Right. If you submit that to the Papacy, you can be promoted too.”
“Yeah, after extorting a bit from the Julius kingdom first.”
But it was then.
Flash!
“Isaac!”
“!”
Suddenly, a suspicious light shone from Isaac’s hand.
No, more precisely, it was light coming from the Skeleton King’s body Isaac was holding. From the magic stone sealing the Skeleton King’s body.
Both Leia and Shuri were surprised.
“It’s glowing from the magic stone, right?!”
“Was there some device in the magic stone?”
At the same time, the Skeleton King’s body that Isaac had to submit for promotion suddenly floated up.
“Ah! The Skeleton King’s body!”
“No! This bastard Isaac needs to be promoted!”
More urgently than anyone, Shuri chased after it, and at that moment, the magic stone emitted light and created a magic circle.
“Ugh!”
Shuri was pushed back by the strong wind rejecting approach. Soon the Skeleton King’s body was about to disappear along with the magic circle.
Whisper quickly identified what it was.
[It’s dragon magic! Reverse summoning!]
Isaac, who noticed this, smiled as if it was detestable.
Huh. They said the Sacred Dragon put that body in the Princess’s body. Could it be they’re taking it back because they think it might be stolen?
Whisper was enraged.
[Kyaak! No wonder the filthy Sacred Dragon’s power was on the magic stone!]
Soon Shabnak knocked out the Black Angel and tried to retrieve the body. Unlike other humans, Shabnak could sufficiently retrieve it.
As Shabnak, a top-rank true demon, approached in an instant, the magic circle suddenly reacted sensitively and created another magic.
‘Summoning?’
At the same time, a huge beast’s head stretched out from within the magic circle. Everyone was startled at that beast’s head.
“A d-dragon?!”
It’s incomparably larger than the head of a lesser dragon. Moreover, the size of its magical power and pressure were incomparable.
“That silver color, could it be a Sacred Dragon?!”
It was certain. A head as big as a house was trying to escape through the magic circle.
-Kyaaaak!
Tung!
Even though only the head came out, everyone felt like their breath was caught by the pressure.
Isaac clicked his tongue as if he had a headache.
‘An adult dragon?’
Of course, it’s a bit small for an adult dragon. Maybe it’s one that just became an adult dragon from a hatchling.
But a dragon is a dragon.
‘Dragons are 9th rank or higher!’
Unlike lesser dragons which are pseudo-dragon species like wyverns, real dragon species gave Isaac a bit of a headache too.
Moreover, if it’s a Sacred Dragon which is a higher rank even among dragon species!
‘Well, it seems to be a young one, so it might be manageable.’
But he can’t openly use magic in a place where Shabnak, Leia, and Shuri are.
[Master, we’re going to lose it!]
But at that moment.
Leia’s gaze changed instantly.
Swish.
“Huh?”
Leia, who raised her sword with a different aura than usual, swung it.
A beautiful and brilliant light, as if slicing the moon, left a large gash on the dragon’s neck.
Slash!!!
-Kyaaaak!!!
A stream of blood shot up like a fountain. The dragon’s skin, which is said to be difficult to pierce with any weapon, was cut.
The dragon that received the attack seemed angry and tried to counterattack, but soon returned beyond the summoning circle. More precisely, it was driven away by Leia’s momentum.
Finally, when the dragon disappeared, the magic circle vanished and the Skeleton King’s body fell to the floor with a thud.
“Ah…!”
Leia picked up the fallen Skeleton King’s body. It was as if silver moonlight was pouring from her sword.
“Thank goodness. It wasn’t taken.”
Both Shuri and Isaac were looking at Leia as if bewildered. The reason they were bewildered was not for a different reason.
‘This power is clearly not 8th rank no matter how you look at it??’
The fact that she injured a 9th-rank dragon means she’s definitely not 8th rank.
And what does that mean?
“Leia, you… are already 9th rank?”
For an Eshua woman to become 9th rank means becoming a Saintess. It was an extremely, no, the most important event in Eshua.
But everyone thought Leia was 8th rank?
Even Benjamin and Grandfather.
‘Even Uncle Noel was proud of that.’
“Sister! Since when…”
Instead of answering, Leia asked Isaac.
“Isaac, you said you’d eliminate Saints, right?”
“Yeah.”
At the unchanged answer, Leia smiled as if very happy, as if relieved.
“Then it’s fine.”
“Huh?”
“What you two saw today is a secret.”
“But, Sister…”
“It’s a secret.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am.”
As Shuri lowered his head in fear, Isaac frowned.
He had learned about an amazing card beyond imagination that could harm a higher species like Sacred Dragons, but…
“…For a Saintess to attack a Sacred Dragon, isn’t this blasphemy…”
Leia smiled as she firmly placed the Skeleton King’s body in Isaac’s hand.
“They attacked first, didn’t they? It’s all good if we just got the item back, right?”
…As expected of Eshua, these crazies.