novelraw Chapter 108
Chapter 108
Ch.108 Her Ears Fluttered Slightly
After entrusting Aria to Hans, Icira headed to the Dragon Lord’s lair.
—Is that you, Icira? What is it?
The Lord sensed her presence through magic alone.
His massive frame—worthy of the title ‘strongest among dragons’—shimmered with golden light as he shrank to a more manageable size.
“I’ve found the Adversary.”
Auros’s wrinkled brow twitched at the unexpected news.
“Already?”
“Yes. It’s the same human you met before, Lord.”
Confused by her vague phrasing, Auros scratched his forehead.
“I haven’t seen a human in centuries… Ah! You mean that fellow who asked to tour my lair? Hans?”
Icira gave a small nod.
“Yes. He made a rather bold request.”
“Heh heh… I never imagined that man was the Adversary. But what do you mean by ‘bold’?”
She waved it off casually.
“He asked to borrow several hundred golems and over fifty Guardians.”
“Golems and Guardians?”
Golems were easy—even mid-tier mages could craft them, and dragons found the task trivial.
But Guardians?
Not at all.
Guardians possessed self-awareness and rivaled Archmages or Swordmasters in power.
Even for dragons, creating a Guardian demanded immense time, effort, and rare materials.
“He claims he’ll lay a trap to kill the King of the Dead.”
Auros couldn’t believe his ears.
“The King of the Dead isn’t someone who’d fall to mere golems or Guardians.”
Who was the King of the Dead?
The harbinger of apocalypse for all living beings—even dragons.
For the one chosen by the God of Death to bring about the end… to be defeated by constructs?
It made no sense.
Icira merely shrugged at Auros’s reasonable doubt.
“He insists it’s possible. Said something about ‘fulfilling his dream’ or whatever nonsense.”
“Dream… a dream?”
Baffled by Hans’s reasoning, Auros stroked his beard.
“Is the Adversary… mad? That can’t be.”
The Adversary was chosen by all gods—except the God of Death—to stop the apocalypse.
He couldn’t possibly be a lunatic. At least… Auros hoped not.
After a long silence, the Lord sighed.
“Ah… so you’ve come to ask for Guardians, then.”
—Nod.
Though Icira was a dragon, she was still young—her personal Guardians would be few. Borrowing was only natural.
“Hmm… Guardians… I suppose I can’t refuse.”
But Auros hesitated.
He wasn’t sure he could trust Hans with such precious assets.
So, to confirm once more, he asked carefully:
“Does he truly possess Equality?”
“Yes. The curved barrel made me certain it was Equality.”
At her confirmation, Auros slumped in despair.
With a weary voice, he said:
“If that’s the Adversary’s plan… we must help. I’ll contribute twenty of my Guardians.
If we requisition from other dragons, fifty should be achievable. I’ll inform them at once.”
For a brief moment, Auros looked far older than usual.
As Icira turned to leave, he called out:
“Icira… is he truly the one who will stop the apocalypse?”
Icira paused, considering the weary Lord’s question.
“I don’t know if he’ll stop the apocalypse…but his heart is good—and he saved my precious daughter.”
Auros let out a warm chuckle.
“Heh heh… now that you mention it, he already prevented a war between our races.”
Dragons cherished Hatchlings deeply.
With their long lives yet low birth rates, every dragon child was treasured beyond measure.
Had a Hatchling died by human hands…
Auros himself would have led the charge to bring about humanity’s end.
“Then… I suppose we must believe. We have no other choice.”
Worried Auros might delay her, Icira waved and vanished—her form dissolving into the air like mist.
“Heh heh… what’s the rush, child…”
Auros too disappeared, off to inspect his Guardians.
***
North of the Northern Fortress, the undead army had been sighted.
“What shall we do?” the Emperor asked, his voice drained.
His ministers cried out:
“The Northern Fortress is the key stronghold of the north! We must hold it and blunt their advance!”
“Exactly! If it falls, they’ll ravage the entire northern region!”
Of course—if a critical stronghold fell, surrounding territories would be endangered.
But…
Hans had previously insisted they withdraw the garrison from the Northern Fortress to defend the capital.
He claimed the enemy’s true target was the capital—and that they wouldn’t attack elsewhere as long as their path remained unblocked.
It was an unbelievable assertion.
“No! Have you forgotten Baron Hans’s plan?”
“That’s right! In times like this, we must follow Master’s advice!”
Scarlet and Mia stepped forward, urging adherence to Hans’s strategy—but the ministers refused to trust him.
“Are you asking us to believe such a fanciful strategy? Think, Hero! If the Northern Fortress falls, they’ll plunder nearby lands and swell their undead ranks!”
“There’s no need to heed the words of some Baron Hans. Even a child knows better! All he said was that ‘in his previous game, it happened this way’!”
Even Cecilia opened her mouth to protest—
but the Emperor cut in:
“Silence. Frankly, even I find Baron Hans’s words hard to believe.
If we abandon the Northern Fortress and the north is ravaged, who will take responsibility?”
His reasoning was sound.
After all, none of them truly trusted Hans.
Seeing this, Cecilia grew anxious.
‘No… no! At this rate, we’ll go down the wrong path!’
“Your Majesty, please—!”
But the Pope intervened.
“Saintess Cecilia, we must uphold the principle of separation between church and state.”
That ancient tradition—never to wield divine will as political leverage—
left Cecilia speechless. She closed her mouth.
“Then I shall issue the order: the Papal See and the Mage Tower will reinforce the Northern Fortress.
We will stop their vanguard there.”
And so, Hans’s carefully laid strategy began to crumble.
***
I’d just finished selling holy relics, holy water, and supply warehouses to the Emperor.
Beyond that, I’d also issued decrees for Pisa Domain:
—All deceased must be cremated within thirty minutes of death.
—Logging permitted in my hunting grounds to secure charcoal and firewood.
—All residents outside the walls must shelter in designated safehouses within the city at night, in case of undead.
Checking if anything else was needed, I realized the sun had set—and I was starving.
“Ugh… I’m hungry. Time to eat.”
As I headed to the dining hall, I ran into Mia.
“Huh?”
She wasn’t wearing her usual practical attire—but an elegant red noblewoman’s dress.
Her hair was neatly braided and pinned up.
I was baffled.
“What’s this about?”
“Why are you dressed like that all of a sudden?”
I’d never seen Mia in such clothes—not even in the game.
—Flick.
She raised a fan to hide her face.
“I’m the Baroness now. I thought it proper to respect local customs.”
Baroness?! Since when?!
I bit back the words.
“Do I look… strange?”
She glanced at her outfit with uncertain eyes.
“No! Not at all. It suits you beautifully.”
Flawless white shoulders, long graceful arms—her stunning face and the lavish dress complemented each other perfectly.
As a High Elf, her beauty was literally impossible to ignore.
“I’m glad. Have you eaten?”
“No, not yet.”
Though it was late, he hadn’t eaten—so I offered:
“I’m heading to dinner. Want to join me?”
A small smile touched her lips.
“It’s been a while since we’ve eaten alone together.”
—Whoosh.
She linked her arm through mine.
As her floral scent tickled my nose, she said:
“Let’s go. I’m starving.”
She led me to the dining hall.
Servants brought out the meal.
Before Mia: a generous pile of vegetables, fruits, and dairy.
Before me: an appetizer.
“Why do humans eat so inconveniently?”
She pointed at my plate with her fork, looking pitying.
“If food keeps coming in courses, won’t it take forever?”
I was eating a multi-course meal—crafted with care by a master chef.
“Well… it’s delicious, isn’t it?”
I took a bite of the beautifully plated canapé.
Smoked salmon aroma bloomed on my tongue, melting luxuriously.
Just as I savored this rare indulgence…
“It looks nice, but the taste seems mediocre.”
“That’s an insult! The chef would cry if he heard that!”
Mia watched me take another bite, then tilted her head in disbelief.
“Hmph… I’ll never understand why humans obsess over such things. Are other nobles like this too?”
“Worse, actually. Some even age wine by dumping precious spices into it.”
Here, certain spices cost more than their weight in gold.
And they used them so extravagantly?
Frankly, incomprehensible.
“I’ve heard nobles are extravagant… but this is beyond belief.”
Mia sighed, eyeing me with half-lidded suspicion.
“Remember: as long as I’m mistress of this house, such excess won’t be tolerated.”
“I wasn’t even planning to—”
“No extravagant courses either. Even if you’re wealthy, as a lord, you must set an example.”
Did she really see herself as the lady of the house?
I certainly didn’t think of her that way…
Just as I felt awkward, the main courses arrived.
As we ate, we chatted about recent happenings:
—Isn’t Aria just too adorable?
—I inspected the garden—it’s poorly kept. I’ll tend to it myself.
—It’s fascinating that Sand Elves can contract with spirits beyond the Five Great Elementals.
Our idle talk carried us through the meal.
“Ahh… I’m full.”
The small, repeated servings had left me deeply satisfied.
Dessert arrived—gelato.
Though full, I couldn’t skip the crown jewel of a course meal.
I took a bite.
Wow… insane.
After savory dishes, the rich, old-world aroma and intense sweetness
electrified my taste buds and flooded my brain with joy.
“You won’t get tired eating so much?”
“It’s been ages since I ate like this. Until now, I’ve just had sandwiches.”
In the New Continent, travel made fine dining impossible.
Back in the Old Continent, I’d been too busy to savor meals properly.
Yet Mia sighed deeply, as if deeply troubled.
“Sigh… the King of the Dead is searching for the Seal Stone…
I wonder if it’s right for us to sit here so leisurely.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already set the trap.”
“Do you really think a being destined to bring about the apocalypse can be caught in a mere trap?”
She looked at me with pitying eyes.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“I do… but… huff. I have to. You saved my kingdom, defeated the Demon King, and prevented the Dragon War.”
To the doubtful Mia, I offered a fresh spoon.
“Exactly. You have to trust me. This is delicious—try a bite?”
Her ears fluttered slightly.
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