Dead Dragon.
Arwen had been researching this being for a long time, yet with each study, her doubts only grew larger.
Starting from why it had revealed itself, to why nothing had happened until now.
Even though the followers of the dead dragon still existed after a thousand years,
why had there never been an attempt to break its seal?
The dead dragon stood in opposition to the Moon Goddess, its existence symbolizing the ancient sun.
It attempted to steal away the night, but was stopped by the goddess and sealed away.
Though she didn’t worship the dead dragon, if she had, she might have thought of trying to break the seal.
Yet, the lack of any attempts felt strangely unsettling.
“…The erased parts.”
She had explored many ruins, but not all information related to the dead dragon was in her possession.
Unless one were to reincarnate like Robert,
the amount of information that could be gathered within a limited time was not abundant.
However, what felt odd to her was that the contents found in the ruins all hinted at the resurrection of the dead dragon.
The seal placed directly by the goddess was almost permanent.
It would be released someday, but until now it had not been broken.
Moreover, since it was the magic power of a god, it wouldn’t be easily undone.
To lift the seal, one would need to weaken the goddess’s power or utilize the residual thoughts of the dead dragon.
But the methods that Kaitel was trying to use surely wouldn’t wake the dragon.
A little more residual thoughts had to be used, and a little more people needed to respond to the resurrection of the dragon.
That’s why she thought the followers would attempt resurrection.
However, the group of followers Arwen had infiltrated once didn’t seem to attach much significance to resurrection.
– If the great dragon’s resurrection day comes…
– Resurrection? Well, there are those who utter such words, but in fact, those at the top don’t seem to like the word resurrection much.
– Why is that?
When she asked why they didn’t think positively about resurrection, the old man smiled slightly and spoke slowly.
– Because they believe it is already alive. The notion of a seal, in fact, holds no meaning in the minds of those high-ranking individuals.
What could this mean? Were the leaders of the followers already leading a quasi-religious organization while giving up on the seal of the dead dragon?
With the information gathered so far, this was incomprehensible, and she could only formulate hypotheses.
[The great dragon will appear on the day the moon disappears. Only when the world is filled with the sun, and the name of night vanishes.]
If it were the sun being eclipsed, that would be one thing, but she had never seen a phenomenon where the moon disappeared.
I had never seen anything like it.
Is it really possible to block the Moon with magic power?
I couldn’t quite imagine this from the start, but I recalled the phenomenon of midsummer nights that often occurs in cold regions and began to piece together the next part.
[The world will collapse, and the body of the screaming goddess will be torn apart. What the great dragon possesses is a blazing wrath, anger, and a punishment for sinful humans. Only those who serve the dragon will survive and live in the new world.]
In the end, it was the usual talk of the gods wanting to recreate the world.
I didn’t think too deeply about that, but I was curious about the world the dead dragon desires.
And the possibility of stopping this dead dragon when it is resurrected.
However, considering that possibility, I had no choice but to refer to a phrase written on a mural.
What does it mean that only those who have lived through an endless time can kill the dead dragon?
Repeating destiny, living through an endless time.
Arwen suddenly remembered Robert’s name and swallowed a small gasp.
It was found in ruins associated with the dead dragon, written by its followers, but I couldn’t say for sure if it was the dragon’s will.
Even if I thought simply, it wouldn’t make sense for someone to write down the existence of an adversary who could kill them.
If that were the case, it would be shameful to be destroyed by such a dead dragon.
Arwen, who projected the mural with magic power again, carefully scrutinized the letters.
“If I repeated reincarnation, I could say I’ve lived an eternal life.”
Although I didn’t directly ask him, I reached the conclusion that Robert was repeating reincarnation.
Counting the cycles, it was over a hundred times.
The phrase about repeating destiny also somewhat aligns with the focus on reincarnation.
If that reincarnation were true, it might refer to Robert as the adversary.
But isn’t it strange? That so many things overlap like this ‘by chance.’
Kaitel, who was trying to use the dead dragon’s residual thoughts, was fated to continue killing the reincarnator Robert,
yet the path of Robert, who survived, was heading towards the dead dragon.
He said he’d sent me clues about the dead dragon this time, so if I confirm that, I might grasp some clue.
The fact that my existence keeps overlapping within his reincarnation might mean it’s destiny to reveal the dead dragon.
Then I had to muster all my strength. Well, the reward was pretty decent too.
Arwen was more satisfied with her current life than when she survived as Alchemist Jay.
Every morning, she could enjoy a life of fried eggs, two pieces of bacon, and a perfectly cooked sausage with mustard sauce.
Moreover, with that money, she could strengthen the barrier and no longer worry about assassination.
I could say this was the most comfortable and cozy time of my entire life.
I was also somewhat relieved about the resurrection of the dead dragon.
Judging by the data accumulated so far, it seemed we had a long time before this seal would break.
If you only look at the piled-up documents, you could say it would still be a long time before this seal breaks.
Doo doo doo—
What Arwen heard at that moment was some winged thing crashing against the window.
It was a bizarre creature she had conjured with magic. Headless, it was butting its head against the window while carrying a stack of documents in its legs.
When she checked her surroundings and opened the window, it burst apart with a bang, scattering papers everywhere before flying off to who knows where.
“Was this sent by Robert?”
Now that he was a duke, there was no need to maintain formalities when they weren’t face to face.
Arwen took the documents and began to organize and read them one by one. She didn’t expect much different from the usual contents, but one could never be too sure.
As she flipped through the papers, her narrowed eyes lingered on a mural.
A dragon harming a non-human race, a dragon being sucked into twisted time. And the separation of body and mind sealed within.
Clink—
When she finally noticed the mention of time, Arwen set the documents down on the table and let out a hollow laugh.
The teacup she had just been holding shattered and scattered on the floor, but that was of no use right now.
What mattered most at this moment was that the mural of the ruin Robert Taylor had sent her was shattering all the hypotheses she had formed up until now.
Everything changes.
Much will be destroyed. If this is true, then everything started from those who worshipped the moon.
In a rush, Arwen began to sprint towards her storage room.
The possibility of the resurrection of the dead dragon, something she had unconsciously tried to discard, was once again rising within her.
#
“You seem to have changed quite a bit. Don’t you think?”
As Robert slightly nodded at Adrian’s words, Adele quietly tilted her teacup while casting a sideways glance at him.
Since they hadn’t been given any time to talk on their way to the estate, it felt like if they didn’t talk like this, they’d never have a chance to communicate at all.
She couldn’t understand the sudden change in his attitude.
It seemed like he had been somewhat okay when they had encountered each other in the south last time, so why was he so reluctant to let go of Robert now?
Anyone looking at them would think they were lovers.
Adrian was well aware that there were whispers about such things in the north.
However, she thought it was just gossip and not grounded in reality, yet seeing Robert’s hand lightly brush against hers made Adrian’s brow furrow.
Hmph.
When she turned her head at the faint sound of laughter, she noticed a small smile lingering at the Grand Duke’s lips.
Was that laugh intended to provoke her?
Normally, she wouldn’t have thought like that, but the clear intent behind that smile somehow irritated her.
But while those feelings lingered for a moment, Adrian quietly smiled at the thought that she was the only one who knew all of Robert’s past.
Adrian, recalling that he was the only one who knew everything about the past, quietly smiled.
In this place, it was only he who knew the truth…
No matter how close he was to the Grand Duke now, wasn’t he the one who empathized and felt sorrow over those memories?
The memories he faced in the Crown of Memories were still vividly etched in Adrian’s mind.
Robert also knew very well how he had reacted to those memories.
It was possible that something had occurred without his knowledge. However, in the end, isn’t it more important to know the memories?
Perhaps due to feeling a bit more at ease, Adrian’s gaze towards Adele was slightly softened compared to before.
Robert, who was watching the standoff between the two women, could only smile bitterly.
He was well aware that the brief exchange of emotions was not ordinary.
However, it was the fact that the cause was himself that made him uncomfortable. It was time to shift the topic.
Adrian had originally come here for that very purpose, but he also felt it was necessary to wrap up this matter.
“Thank you for coming all the way here, but I must get to the point quickly.”
“I came because you said you needed help, but I haven’t heard the main point yet. What is it that I need to know?”
After a brief pause, Robert slowly parted his lips.
How Adrian would react to this topic was uncertain, but it was a subject that couldn’t even begin without Adrian.
“Actually, there is a relic that we discovered with the Grand Duke’s help in the North.”
“A relic, you say… Is it related to the artifact we saw last time?”
“No. If that were the case, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to summon the Saintess.”
Hearing Robert’s words, Adrian’s expression fell into confusion but began to harden as he recalled something.
Relics, and the matter that required the Saintess’s assistance.
The gaze of Berod, who was glaring at Robert, also wavered at the mention of this topic, and Adrian, rubbing his forehead, slowly parted his lips.
“…It’s about the Dead Dragon, isn’t it?”
“Yes. And probably.”
Before bringing up any serious matters, Robert was prone to darkening his eyes.
To Adrian, who couldn’t see, it only felt like Divine Power, but that response grew more intense whenever the topic of the Dead Dragon came up.
It didn’t take long for him to realize what was about to be said next.
“I think we need to consider the possibility of resurrection now.”
That statement was not something to be brushed off lightly, and the atmosphere immediately chilled and hung in the air.
The Saintess, who had been happy at the thought of being together, had completely disappeared.
Becoming aware of his true status, Adrian turned back into the Saint and looked at Robert.
Unlike usual, there was a pure white light dwelling in his empty gaze.
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