NOVEL NEXT Chapter 24
Yuma gazed at the sky where the black dragon had vanished into oblivion.
“Shit.”
The Dragon Heart.
He had completely forgotten about it.
Forget the Dragon Heart, he had made the dragon’s very existence disappear from this world.
But his regret didn’t last long. It was literally a moment on the brink of life and death. There was no time to think about spoils.
Yuma looked around.
However, the gazes of the people staring at him were anything but ordinary.
There was a reaction of shock, even surpassing that to awe and admiration.
He noticed the citizens of Count Rubelt trembling with their bodies in a kneeling and bowing posture. Even dozens of knights and soldiers were doing the same.
“…O great hero, the slayer of the evil dragon!!”
“I wish to spread the name of the Dragon Slayer far and wide. Please, reveal your name!!”
They looked like fanatics before a saint.
Stepping forward with grace, Yuma moved onward. The destination was the Count’s castle, to check on his eldest son Kaisen.
Inside the medical room of the castle.
On the bed was a middle-aged man. The face of Count Rubelt now looked as frail as an old man’s.
“How is the Count’s condition?”
Kaisen looked up at Yuma’s voice.
There was awe in his eyes, which was mutual. The black dragon Acreon had spread its massive wings and ascended the sky; even if he didn’t want to, he couldn’t help but notice its presence.
And he had seen it.
Elcam─Acreon being annihilated in a single blow by Yuma, who was even greater than the castle itself.
Kaisen gazed at the healer who was continuously examining Count Rubelt’s body.
The healer shook his head slowly.
“…I’m sorry. I don’t think any meaningful changes will occur in this state. Even if he regains consciousness, it will be hard for him to last more than a week. The magical energy has seeped deeply into his body.”
Yuma looked at Kaisen, who seemed to be in deep anguish.
However, this worry was solely Kaisen’s burden.
He was the one who would have to lead the Count’s territory moving forward.
“Do you remember the dragon’s cave your knight saw?”
Kaisen nodded.
“I didn’t hear the exact location, but I think it’s one of the two large caves to the south. It’s near the area my knight was supervising.”
Yuma’s eyes sparkled with intrigue.
A dragon’s nesting ground. That’s what becomes a dragon lair.
Even though Acreon had only settled in the count’s territory for less than half a year, he believed there would still be something left behind.
*
The first princess with long white hair and blue eyes.
Princess Brigitte was left dumbfounded by the news she had just received.
Princess Brigitte, the First Princess, was utterly dumbfounded by the latest news she received.
“…They killed a black dragon? Not a hatchling, but a full-grown one?”
Baron Bennett, one of Brigitte’s supporters, bowed slightly.
“Indeed. This information comes through the Information Guild as an urgent report, so it’s reliable.”
Bennett swallowed hard.
“It’s clear that Her Highness the Princess’s representative, the God of War Duke Yuma, is the one who dispatched the dragon.”
Brigitte struggled to close her gaping mouth.
Baron Bennett continued speaking.
“It has been reported that the black dragon was seen soaring over the city of Arkan as well. And even the blue magic tower reported sightings of the black dragon.”
Sweat trickled down Bennett’s forehead.
“A colossal dragon was last witnessed disappearing with a red flash.”
Brigitte slowly opened her mouth.
“And the body?”
“…It’s been said that Duke Yuma eliminated the dragon so thoroughly that not a single speck of ash was left.”
Just how powerful must an attack be to erase a dragon completely?
Brigitte had no idea what kind of person she had recruited.
She barely gathered her thoughts and asked, “Are there any other important matters?”
“A request for military assistance has come in from the Marquis Tornel, who guards the southern front of the Empire.”
The Marquis Tornel.
A family that protects the border at the southernmost tip of the Empire.
It was very rare for the Tornel family to request troop support.
“It seems that the movements of the Barbarian Nation Pineon are quite suspicious.”
The Barbarian Nation Pineon.
Pineon earned its title of a barbarian nation primarily for its rapid territorial expansion, and it did so with astonishing force.
Pineon started as a kingdom and managed to conquer the neighboring Rommel Kingdom. That was seven years ago, which is when Kament started being known as the Conqueror King.
“Typically, when such urgent troop support requests arise, the Empire’s Ten Lords have attended to them.”
Baron Bennett let out a low murmur.
Currently, the Empire’s Ten Lords were in quite a state.
Thanks to whom, they had somehow become merely six lords.
“I suppose the Marquis Tornel designated Duke Yuma for urgent military support, citing the halving of the Ten Lords as the reason. His prowess has been sufficiently demonstrated, after all.”
If they know he’s the one who took down the dragon, they’ll want Yuma even more desperately.
“But Duke Yuma is currently fulfilling a task assigned by Her Highness the Princess….”
Bennett glanced at Brigitte. As one of Brigitte’s closest aides, he was aware of the oracle that had been given to her. Therefore, he also understood the importance of the mission Yuma was carrying out.
Finding the blue-haired swordmaster was of utmost priority for Princess Brigitte.
Knock! Knock!
Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door from outside.
– It’s the attendant, Your Highness the Princess.
The chief attendant Royan stood by the door, while Michael, the personal guard knight for the First Princess Brigitte, quickly opened it.
There stood an old man with neatly arranged white whiskers.
“Royan.”
As Brigitte approached, Royan slowly opened his mouth.
“The Holy Maiden has an urgent prophecy to convey to Your Highness.”
A prophecy.
“I understand.”
Brigitte immediately prepared to step out.
*
The Cat-Folk Swordswoman Hestia perked her scarlet cat ears.
“…Yuma is a dragon slayer, Yuma is a dragon slayer.”
Cloney stared at Hestia, who kept repeating the same words. Hestia’s green eyes sparkled.
“How can he take down such a massive dragon all by himself!”
“Seriously.”
Cloney gazed at Yuma’s back as he headed towards the cave.
Every time she looked, Yuma’s power surpassed any logic she could fathom.
How much training would it take for a human body to possess such strength?
Cloney felt a thirst again. A thirst for growth.
Yuma entered the vast cave.
The cave ceiling was densely decorated with thick stalactites resembling icicles.
Water droplets clung to the tips of the stalactites.
Yuma walked further into the cave.
The eyes of Hestia and Cloney widened in astonishment.
There were clear signs of habitation inside the enormous cave.
“…Wow, it looks like a full-blown lair!”
Hestia exclaimed, her mouth agape as she surveyed the cave.
The cave radiated an unmistakable aura of being a dragon’s lair.
Rock displays crafted by magic lined the space.
And atop those displays were numerous jewels.
And then.
“It seems like he did indeed eat the kidnapped people one by one.”
Cloney’s delicate brows furrowed.
The jewels and rocks were arranged as if on display, and unlike the various weapons lodged in the corners, tattered clothing lay strewn about.
It was evidence of having devoured people.
“The count’s territory will throw a fit.”
The two soldiers following Yuma under Prince Kaisen’s orders clicked their tongues. The clothing of the missing persons.
The acquaintances of the missing would surely recognize them.
“We’ll take care of the clothing, Mage.”
One of the soldiers bowed deeply towards Cloney.
“Yes.”
Cloney replied while closely examining the clothing. Compassion filled her face as she scrutinized the garments.
Among the various items, Yuma touched the most conspicuous one. He activated Search Eye.
The object that resembled a red gemstone was.
[Valcan – Dihith’s Dragon Heart]
The Dragon Heart of the Red Dragon “Valcan – Dihith.”
It is the heart of an Ancient Dragon that died 1,301 years ago.
Predicting what kind of power is ingrained is impossible.
It was the Dragon Heart.
“Cloney.”
Yuma called out to Cloney.
“Yes, Lord Yuma!”
Cloney quickly walked over at Yuma’s call.
“Can you read this?”
There were letters on the spot where the Dragon Heart had been, resembling magical language.
“It says… ‘In honor of my friend… the peaceful rest of Dehit.'”
Anger glimmered in Cloney’s eyes.
What a hilarious guy.
The one who had devoured humans like meat to restore his own physical body was now honoring a friend’s peace.
Cloney looked at the Dragon Heart in Yuma’s hand with a stern face.
“Is that the Dragon Heart?”
“Looks like it.”
Yuma’s gaze turned towards Cloney.
“Do you want it?”
Cloney shook her head.
“No, I can’t possibly handle such an item. I don’t deserve to possess it.”
Yuma examined the Dragon Heart closely.
Acreon. Would he really not consume this Dragon Heart because he wanted to keep the friendship with his friend?
He could have restored his mana and physical body in no time without the hassle of eating people, right?
It wasn’t a Green Dragon. A Black Dragon couldn’t possibly have such human-like qualities.
‘A dragon can’t consume a Dragon Heart with a different attribute from itself. If it did, it would die.’
It seemed the rule from Loop Blood functioned the same in this world.
‘If I eat this now, I will die.’
Even a Sword Master with a sturdy body and high-density mana flowing through their mana heart would die instantly from the Dragon Heart.
Yet, if the average guy Yuma tried to swallow it now, it would truly result in instant death.
‘In Loop Blood… you could consume the blood of a Great Demon King-level demon along with the sprouts of the Golden Rule.’
Who knows if the game’s rules would apply in this reality-like world?
For now, Yuma put [Vulcan─Dehit’s Dragon Heart] into his Spatial Pocket.
He ultimately got his hands on the Dragon Heart he could never obtain from Acreon.
“If you need any weapons, take some.”
Yuma said to Hestia while looking at the swords and spears displayed on the rocky showcase.
“Ooooh!”
Hestia’s eyes sparkled like a child in a toy store.
‘So, it really is about the Sword God, huh.’
The twelve swords from the Spatial Pocket of Sword God Chronos were far superior to all the swords collected by Acreon.
So there was no need for her to take any.
*
Night had fallen.
Yuma and his party returned to the Count’s residence.
“He’s, he’s waking up!”
The healer’s shout echoed.
Count Rubelt’s eyes slowly opened as he lay on the bed.