Recently, information about the Dead Dragon has surfaced from the ruins that were discovered.
Detailed discussions can only happen after Arwen has heard everything, but upon hearing this, Adrian swallowed his silence for a moment.
It might be quite difficult to immediately comprehend the danger posed by the existence of a Dead Dragon.
However, surprisingly, Adrian accepted it relatively easily. With an expression far more serious than usual, she quietly reflected on the name “Dead Dragon” and cautiously continued speaking.
“The Order does not deal with the existence of a Dead Dragon.”
“I understand that. That’s why I hesitated to ask. But given the circumstances, it’s unavoidable.”
Berod also seemed curious about Adrian’s response. The Order’s attitude towards the Dead Dragon has always been aggressive. They preferred to erase any related matters and wanted people to forget them as soon as possible.
However, the reason Adrian spoke this way was because there was information that needed to be discovered.
While the Order had erased information on the Dead Dragon, if they were aware of these ruins…
Someone might have known that the mind of the Dead Dragon was fragmented. And they might be preparing for how to respond in the future.
Though Berod looked uncomfortable, he also seemed to respect Adrian’s decision.
If even the Saintess couldn’t wield authority over this matter, it might have been judged by him, the Paladin who has been in the Order for the longest time.
“Well, I think Your Excellency knows that normally, one would simply ignore this and brush it off as something unknown. The Grand Duke would likely feel the same.”
“That’s true. I understand.”
“However, the murals at the ruins… I believe it’s serious enough that we can’t simply overlook it. In my own judgment, I think it’s something we must investigate. Berod, what do you think?”
Surprised by the sudden question, as he hadn’t expected to be asked, he fidgeted his lips slightly.
The answer from the Saintess was what we had been hoping for. Above all, if Adrian could use her special authority within the Order, many conclusions could be drawn about the Dead Dragon.
After contemplating several times, he met our gazes one by one and sighed softly. Then, as if giving up, he shook his head and replied.
“I will follow the Saintess’s words. You intend to disclose the information about the Dead Dragon to Your Excellency and the Grand Duke, correct?”
“I’m sorry. But I believe we must find out about this.”
“I will only follow the Saintess’s judgment. For a long time, what you deemed right has also been right for me.”
As Berod bowed his head in response, Adrian smiled softly and turned to me.
“However, it will take time to gather information from within the Order. I will make a request, but it will require time to review and send over. If it’s okay, may I directly see those ruins?”
“It’s going to take some time to bring the materials. I will make the request, but it’ll take time for them to review it and send it here. If it’s alright, can I take a look at that ruin myself?”
“If it’s a ruin, that should be fine.”
As Adele replied, Adrian urged us to move a bit faster. It might have been because the topic of the dead dragon was so urgent. The once cold atmosphere eased a bit, but the seriousness of the current situation was undeniable.
I came to the North to clear my head, yet here I was getting busy again. For a moment, Adele and I exchanged glances, her frowning as if expressing discontent, which made me chuckle. It seemed like we were on the same page. Perhaps Adrian felt the same way.
#
The ruin we returned to was not much different from before. Aside from a few bugs that I hadn’t seen then, there were no traces of anyone else having been here. What I wanted to confirm here was whether the information I had given to Adrian matched the rest.
If the saint verified it and confirmed it, the Order would immediately take it as fact and handle it more seriously.
Berod, with a surprised look, was staring at a mural, then seemed to realize something and glanced at me.
“By the way, you read that. I’m not well-versed in ancient languages, did you study it before?”
“…I happened to learn it by chance. I’m not an expert. I can only read it.”
I couldn’t exactly say it was something I had spent years learning. Trying to explain a privilege that only reincarnators had to others seemed pointless.
Berod chuckled, as if he found some humor in the whole situation, despite wondering what that stroke of luck was.
“It’s impressive that you handle swords so well at your age, and to think you know ancient language too. If you were part of the Order, you might have been treated like a saint.”
“I’m not that special.”
“You are already special. Just being the Head of House Taylor puts you above everyone else, barring the Imperial Family. I’m joking, of course, but you could be compared to them. You might even rise higher.”
Though it sounded like a joke rather than a serious statement, it felt bitter to me, as if it was foreshadowing something I might actually do in the future. Hmm, it might not be impossible to reign above the Imperial Family. If I smoothly succeeded in a betrayal and claimed the emperor’s seat, that could happen. But the emperor’s throne belongs to Miragen.
If caught, I’d die, or else I’d be wandering aimlessly somewhere unknown. By then, I thought the name Taylor would become meaningless.
“That sounds rather heavy for a joke.”
“It feels heavy.”
“Is that so? Oh dear, that wasn’t my intention.”
As Berod said this, he approached me, wearing a somewhat cold expression.
Whenever he was about to warn someone, I could feel an energy rising that tried to envelop my body, so I summoned my magic to push it away and furrowed my brow slightly.
I was suddenly curious about what intention lay behind his actions. Why was he coming near me when Adrian and Adele weren’t watching?
The question was soon answered by his quite heavy voice.
“I think it would be wise to be cautious. I’m thinking from the perspective of the Saintess, but I hope you can understand that I can discern at least that this situation is dangerous.”
“…I won’t do anything that will put us in danger. That’s something I dislike above all else.”
“I’m sure you realize that many things have changed since the Duke and the Saintess met. While emotions are crucial for the Saintess, it seems you can easily be swayed by others’ feelings.”
He let out a small sigh and then looked straight at me as he continued.
“Especially towards the Duke, you seem to be quite vulnerable. You know why that is, right?”
I wasn’t foolish enough to not realize it was due to feelings closer to affection, but I just listened silently to his words.
Adrian’s actions strangely aligned well with my opinions, and that couldn’t be entirely coincidental.
She is the Saintess, but also a woman who knows about my past, and despite knowing all my plans, she said she would support me.
Berod is unaware of that. That’s why he was wary of me, and I wondered if it was a bit frustrating to be unable to explain the reality of it.
“Let’s be careful. There shouldn’t be any bad happenings for the Saintess.”
“To me, the Saintess is someone I must protect with everything I’ve got. I had no intention of being rude, but in this matter, I had no choice but to intervene. After all, this concerns the Dead Dragon.”
The Dead Dragon is the existence that the Order must hunt down with all their effort, yet Berod’s concerns seemed to be not just about the Dragon itself but also about the ‘connection’ to the Dragon.
Did Berod know somewhat about the Crown Prince?
Smiling faintly without anyone noticing, I quietly nodded and stepped back.
Wondering if Berod understood enough, he stepped back, hiding his body so that Adrian couldn’t see him.
I didn’t know how Berod learned about Kaitel, but it seemed that the rumor about him trying to use the Dead Dragon’s residual thought had spread to some degree.
Arwen had discovered this years ago and had even utilized it somewhat for the Southern Hunt, so those who needed to know probably knew.
That’s why he was on guard. After all, Kaitel could easily judge Adrian as impure if they weren’t careful.
“It’s probably something to be cautious about. If we’re not careful, Kaitel might judge Adrian as impure.
It may not be the case for others, but Kaitel was definitely someone who could commit such acts.
Lost in those thoughts, I naturally approached Adrian’s side.
Adrian, who could read ancient texts, wore a serious expression for various reasons.
The very knowledge about the Dead Dragon was being twisted, so he likely had a lot on his mind. I certainly did.
Not to mention, from her perspective as the representative of the Order, she might view this mural depicting the Goddess’s incompetence unfavorably.
‘Would it be inconvenient if I helped you?’
‘No, it’s fine. If I place my hand here, I can read it through the Divine Power flowing inside. I learned to read in a similar way back in the past.’
As Adrian placed his hand on the mural, a pure white light emanated.
The warm light, just by looking at it, seemed to flow toward Adrian as if sharing the letters of the mural with him.
‘It seems this is the last part. Anything blurry is difficult for me to read.’
‘You probably concluded that what I told you was true, but now, that’s the important part. It seems the masked individuals nearby are investigating the Dead Dragon, so capturing and interrogating them would be the best course of action.’
‘Of course, but what worries me is something else.’
What is it? I asked, and Adrian looked at me quietly, his lips moving slightly.
‘I don’t know if you’re okay right now. Robert’s Reincarnation… could perhaps be related to the Dead Dragon.’
‘…I don’t think much of that.’
‘Still—’
‘What’s important right now is something else, isn’t it?’
Reincarnation is a significant issue. I knew well it was a topic that shouldn’t be dealt with lightly.
However, that could be investigated later.
What’s more important now is how the Crown Prince intends to use the Dead Dragon and whether it will resurrect. My own concerns could wait until later.
‘We can think about my matters later. What’s crucial is whether the Dead Dragon will harm others or not.’
‘…Yes, that’s right.’
Glancing at me for a moment, Adrian sighed deeply as if he was frustrated.
I was not all that significant in the grand scheme of things.
If the existence of Robert brought unhappiness so that others could be happy, he would certainly act that way.
Even if I understood her feelings, there were things I couldn’t align with.”
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