The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 167

The dragon’s eyes narrowed as it looked at the female warlock.

From her, a disgustingly thick aura of dark magic could be felt.

-…A warlock, and one who has dabbled in darkness through twisted methods. I sense the grudge of those steeped in pain and hatred within your body.

-What do you mean by twisted? I’d prefer if you saw it as simply accumulating power efficiently, O Dragon.

She released a slight killing intent toward the uninvited guests who had interrupted her sleep, but they stood their ground unfazed.

The fact that they endured it, even though she had weakened it, indicated that they were not ordinary strong individuals.

The dragon asked with curiosity.

-Why have you, who walk the path of darkness and not of a magician, come seeking me? There is nothing you can gain from me. Or have you come desiring my scales or teeth?

-Something similar, but a little different.

-Different? Then what is it that you want?

-What we want is… “everything of yours.”

At that moment, dozens of warlocks scattered at once and simultaneously struck the ground with their staffs.

Ziiiiing, ziiiiing.

A massive magic circle, large enough to encompass the entire body of the dragon, appeared on the ground and began to rotate slowly.

Seeing this, the dragon’s eyes widened.

-This is… magic? No, it’s not complete magic, is it? It’s combined.

A fusion of black magic and magic. A hybrid magic circle where two inherently incompatible energies were fused together.

Even she, who had lived for a long time, was witnessing this method for the first time.

The female warlock spoke with a voice tinged with laughter.

-You are an obstacle to our plan. In our task to bring chaos and death to the world, a dragon who balances the world is inevitably a being we must clash with. But at the same time, your power, your body, and your mana are incredibly tempting. The origin of all magic.

The warlock scanned the unfamiliar magic circle the insignificant human child had cast before her and deduced that it was related to ‘mind control.’

Clang, clang, clang!

Hundreds of black chains shot out from the magic circle, wrapping around the dragon’s wings, legs, tail, and body.

-…How absurd. Do you think you can control me with such a petty trick? You are foolish and arrogant, child tainted by darkness.

This magic circle, though quite unique, was weak enough to be easily unraveled with just a little interference.

The level of the magic circle was pitiful, insufficient to bind one with a transcendent rank like her.

Because of this, she let her guard down.

-Of course not. I have a separate gift prepared for you, O Dragon.

She pulled out a long rod wrapped in cloth from her bosom and unwrapped it.

A sword was revealed.

A bastard sword with a dragon engraved in relief on the hilt.

The moment the dragon saw it, she screamed involuntarily.

-That…! It can’t be!

-As expected, you recognized it immediately. Yes, it is the 72nd Sword, ‘Balak’. How does it feel to see it again? I’m sure it’s overwhelming.

The female warlock of Chaos sneered and raised the sword toward the dragon.

-It is your half, your counterpart. The sword that holds the power of ‘Absolute Dominion over the Dragon Clan,’ which once made you the ‘Dragon Lord’ in ancient times.

-You even know that… Who are you?

The warlock drove the sword into the edge of the magic circle.

-Regrettably, we cannot fully dominate your mind. You are too powerful a being for that.

Whoooosh! The red aura began to rise from the 72nd Sword, Balak, and fused with the magic circle.

Clang, clang, clang!

This time, red chains shot out and wrapped around the dragon’s body, and the chains began to seep into her.

-But it’s enough to drive you mad, rendering you unable to use your magic or power.

-Kaaaaargh!

-Go ahead, rampage to your heart’s content.

The dragon’s consciousness gradually became blurred.

No matter how hard she tried to resist, it was impossible.

The absolute power of domination contained within the sword began to take over her mind.

And soon…

-Grrrrrrrrrr.

The sacred being once called the world’s balancer, the dragon, had been reduced to a beast filled only with the will of destruction.

Whoooosh!

The dragon, now driven mad, spread her massive membranous wings and took flight.

A storm arose at that spot.

-Kyaaaaaaaooooo!

The dragon’s thunderous roar shook the heavens and the earth. It was the signal of the Mad Dragon’s emergence.

The memory shown by Hermit ended there, and the scene quickly vanished, returning them to the room they had been in.

“You asked me why I went mad, and what I desired.”

“…”

“Was that answer sufficient for you?”

“…”

Aden remained silent in response to her question.

His expression grew terrifyingly stern.

After a long silence, Aden finally spoke.

“So… you….”

“Yes. I was driven into a frenzy by humans, specifically by the corrupted warlocks.”

“…”

“I was foolish.”

The being who was likely the wisest on the surface referred to herself as a ‘fool.’

“I never expected humans to obtain that sword. And who would have guessed they could use that power, even in an incomplete form….”

“What exactly is this cursed sword, Balak?”

“Do you know the origin of the 72nd Sword?”

“I know the basics. It’s said to have been created from the remnants of the ‘Fallen Lords’ who existed in ancient times.”

The Fallen Lords—Aden knew little about them, as only a few ancient texts mentioned their names.

It was merely known that they were transcendent beings who ruled the underground world before the Demon Lord appeared.

And among the Fallen Lords, the most powerful one was the entity Aden possessed, the ‘Lord of Gluttony, Baalzebul.’

Hermit nodded.

“The lords were beings who voluntarily corrupted themselves to gain great power. And I was once one of those Fallen Lords. Heh.”

“…You were?”

“Indeed. Well, after some events, my powers were sealed by the gods, and I ended up with the tiresome duty of protecting the balance of the world.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I used to be quite a hothead back in the day. Although, unlike the others, I managed to avoid becoming a sword after death, thanks to some extenuating circumstances. But in exchange, I was cursed with the task of ‘protecting the surface world’ for eternity. Haa. Think about it, you can’t imagine how tiresome this job is, can you? If it weren’t for the pact, I would have quit a long time ago. I just want to lie down for about 500 years, sleep in, and then leisurely drink in human villages for another 100 years.”

“Hmm…”

It was an unexpected truth about the existence called the Balancer.

She was simply a social worker who had received an ‘indefinite community service penalty’ from the gods.

It seemed as if the word ‘bothered’ was etched across her face.

“Anyway. So, the gods stripped me of my powers. And the object in which those powers were sealed is Balak, one of the swords you call the 72nd Sword. The power it holds is ‘Absolute Dominion over the Dragon Clan.’”

“By dominion over the Dragon Clan, do you mean that you too are a target?”

“What a cursed thing. To think that an object containing my original power could subjugate me…”

Hearing this, Aden felt a chill run down his spine.

To dominate a dragon, the most powerful being on the surface world, was indeed the worst power imaginable.

“That sword is my fatal weakness and my reverse scale.”

She smiled coldly.

“A dragon never forgives those who touch its reverse scale.”

Aden felt a cold rage in her smile.

‘I see.’

Aden finally understood why she was in the Holy Kingdom, and why she had taken on the role of the princess’s mentor.

‘The dragon wants to erase Chaos from the world.’

After being subjected to the humiliation of being driven mad, it was only natural.

They were likely still planning to turn Hermit into the Mad Dragon, so it was clear she wouldn’t just stand by and let it happen.

And he realized one more thing.

“You can’t deal with them directly, can you?”

“Yes, that’s correct. Due to restrictions, I can’t intervene directly. But that’s just a secondary reason; the real problem lies elsewhere.”

Aden seemed to understand what the problem was.

“The cursed sword Balak. The Chaos faction has already acquired it, haven’t they?”

“Perhaps, or perhaps not.”

The cursed sword that dominates dragons, Balak.

If the Chaos warlocks hadn’t yet found the sword, there was no major issue.

Hermit was a dragon without a peer on the surface world.

If she could fully reveal her strength with determination, she could easily wipe out the Chaos faction.

“The problem is if they’ve already found the sword containing my power. If I were to confront the one who wields the cursed sword head-on, I’d be done for.”

So she had pushed Princess Lilith to the forefront to disrupt Chaos’s schemes.

With the gods’ restrictions and the penalty of the cursed sword Balak, that was all she could do.

She smiled bitterly.

“It’s quite a ridiculous contradiction, don’t you think? Possessing the power to do anything, yet unable to do anything at all.”

“There can only be one reason you’re telling me all of this.”

“Yes. You’re clever

, I like that. You’re right.”

She spoke.

“You, the adversary of countless warlocks and the child who defied time to pierce my heart. If I’m right, you’re a ‘mercenary.’ And I’m looking for someone to act on my behalf.”

She smiled, her red eyes gleaming, as she extended her hand to Aden.

“What do you say? Will you accept my request?”

A request from a dragon.

Refusal was nearly impossible.

But Aden crossed his arms and looked at her arrogantly.

“If I accept the request, what do I gain?”

He wasn’t someone who would be intimidated by authority due to a difference in rank.

He needed to confirm the reward for the request.

“Well, let’s see. For now, all I can offer is a few coins.”

“Hah, what do you take me for? Do you think you can buy me with mere money?”

Thud. She placed a subspace pouch on the table.

“I’m not sure, but it’s probably about 200 tons of gold coins and jewels. I scraped together what was in my lair.”

“…That’s a lot more money than I expected.”

Aden quickly pocketed her subspace pouch.

The deal was sealed.

* * *

That night, Aden fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he found himself in an unfamiliar place.

‘The sea.’

A shallow sea that barely reached his ankles, stretching to the horizon.

‘Clouds.’

Pure white clouds that also stretched to the horizon.

Between them, there was no wind, just a warm sunlight shining down, so the sea was completely still, without even a ripple.

It merely reflected the clouds like a mirror, creating a perfect symmetry along the horizon.

At first glance, it seemed like just a beautiful landscape, but Aden was standing on the clouds.

In other words, the sky was the sea, and the ground was the clouds, in a world turned upside down.

Occasionally, he heard sounds akin to a beautiful melody.

A place beyond human comprehension, yet incredibly beautiful.

Aden calmly speculated about where he was.

“Heaven?”

-No. But it is a similar place.

A voice suddenly echoed.

Aden turned around and spoke to the source of the voice.

“It was just a guess. This place is rather unimpressive. Aside from the inverted sky and ground, there’s nothing particularly remarkable.”

-…You’re the first human I’ve seen enter my sanctuary without any sense of awe.

“Well, the second time around, I’m getting used to it. It’s the same pattern.”

Aden shrugged.

Standing before Aden was a person dressed entirely in white.

White skin like jade, white hair tied in a ponytail, and eyes the color of blue sapphires.

On their back were five pairs of large white wings.

A being with an appearance and voice that made it impossible to discern their gender.

Or rather, a being that resembled a human but wasn’t identical to any race, possessing a strangely cold and stern demeanor.

The being spoke.

-Now that you’ve entered my sanctuary, you should already know who I am, but exchanging names is a proper courtesy and tradition that has been observed since ancient times.

“…”

-And since I am the one who invited you here, I will reveal my name first. I am the protector of justice and law, known as the God of Justice and Law, Ternia…

“Are you the ‘stickler’?”

-…

Suddenly, the atmosphere grew tense.