There are times like that. When actions come before words. But no matter how you look at it, this is just too much. Hans felt a surge of countless emotions. What on earth should he call this?
It was an emotion that even he didn’t quite understand. It felt similar to the emotion he had when the boss called him out for a weekend hike. It was an entire orchestra of feelings that couldn’t simply be labeled anger.
In some sense, it felt close to enlightenment. And in another sense, it felt close to hatred; he never expected to feel it this way. It was even a similar situation in that he couldn’t express his discontent.
No matter how much the Dragon Heart influenced him, his opponent was the Dragon Lord. Hans was still capable of that level of discernment. Hans swallowed a deep sigh and said.
“I never dreamed you’d take action to this extent.”
“Isn’t it the job of the strongest chief to step up in these matters?”
“…You’ve changed your appearance again. Is that your preference?”
The blonde woman vanished in an instant, replaced by an old man with white hair. His face was filled with wrinkles and beard, making it hard to see his mouth. He opened his mouth with a smile.
“This is my usual appearance. I suppose I have to act my age, don’t I?”
“Does this mean you plan to be serious about this?”
“Yes. And… there are many things I want to ask as a father.”
“…I see.”
Hans nodded. After all, he was also Yuren’s father. He likely had many things he wanted to test as a father who’s entrusting his daughter to another. But why now of all times?
Hans might not know it, but the Dragon Lord had been waiting for this moment all along. Any parent with a daughter would feel the same. If their beloved daughter showed interest in another man.
Naturally, attention would be directed toward that man. It might be okay if it were a typical opponent, but the problem was that the opponent was a human with the tremendous power to slay dragons.
‘If something goes wrong, my daughter could be seriously hurt.’
Of course, the chances of that happening were slim. The achievements the commander of the Royal Knights had made up to now were extraordinary. Unless the commander went insane suddenly, he wouldn’t direct those fangs toward his daughter.
But as a father, he couldn’t help but worry. So he decided he needed to check for himself. Coming as a disguise he disliked was all part of that plan.
If he had been swayed by appearances, he would have almost been disappointed. But he showed no hint of wavering. Now, all that remained was to engage as men and to get to know each other openly.
Thus, they had to climb the mountain. Isn’t climbing the best thing for men? At least, the Dragon Lord sincerely thought so. And strictly speaking, that wasn’t a wrong notion.
The problem was, it was a legend passed down from the mythical era. For instance, a courageous man climbing the mountains to pacify the anger of the harsh peaks.
“So, how’s the fortress these days? Is the work going well?”
Is it just his imagination, or does that smell like the boss from that crappy company? No, it can’t just be my imagination. The momentary irritation surged in Hans, but he managed to swallow it down. As if he were dealing with a boss.
“Same as always. I just do what I need to do.”
“That’s an excellent answer. It really seems like you’re doing just that.”
“Indeed.”
“But we can’t know if that’s your true feeling or not.”
Gasp! The air grew thick. It felt like the boss was going to poke at him. As a result, Hans trembled slightly, but on the outside, he tried extremely hard to remain calm. On the other hand, the Lord was taking it all in.
‘He’s angry. Well, that’s only natural.’
Someone of Commander Hans’s caliber wouldn’t miss that he was being tested. He must have realized he was being examined. Despite that, he wasn’t expressing his anger and was suppressing it himself.
To put it simply, it was like he was clenching his teeth. But the Dragon Lord didn’t view that in a bad light. In fact, he saw it positively. It meant he could restrain and control his emotions.
‘Shit! Damn Dragon Lord! Why do I have to climb a mountain like this?!’
The real Hans was inwardly swearing and cursing the Dragon Lord. However, the misunderstanding between them wouldn’t last long. Because soon, an opponent appeared.
“To think the Dragon Lord would come personally. I never saw this coming.”
“Indeed, your words ring true, Commander Hans.”
“….”
At the Lord’s words, Hans chose to keep his mouth closed. Instead, he drew his sword. This gave off a feeling of actions speaking louder than words. Thankfully, Hans’s intent was clearly conveyed to the Lord.
“Indeed, there’s no need for more words here.”
“Wait a moment. I’m not foolish enough to engage in a direct fight with the Dragon Lord.”
“What are you scheming?”
The demons appearing in front of Hans and the Lord were clad in armor. But it was not a serious look. The proof was that the armor was light. They wore only one piece on their upper body.
Aside from that, they had what looked like tattered rags hanging off of them. Even the sword they held was rusted. With dark circles under their eyes, hidden beneath their purple hair, they looked like they were about to drop dead from exhaustion.
That demon, clearly broadcasting, “I’m too tired to fight,” raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. But neither Hans nor the Lord would fall for such a foolish trick.
The Dragon Lord was the first to act. He closed the distance in an instant and grabbed the demon’s neck, slamming it into the ground. Before the overwhelming speed and strength, the demon couldn’t do anything and was soon subdued.
“Yikes! A dragon is killing a person!”
“Can you even call a demon a person? I don’t think so.”
“I had no choice. I really didn’t want to fight if I could help it.”
The demon spoke as if it had no other choice, trying to shake off the Dragon Lord’s grasp. Despite the unexpected situation, the Dragon Lord merely scoffed and spoke.
“Hah, I thought you were just some ordinary demon.”
“Looks can be deceiving; I do carry the name of Blood Demon.”
‘Is that a Blood Demon? That thing?’
Standing in front of the Dragon Lord and acting so carefree made Hans think the demon must have some sort of hidden power. Hans felt his tongue click in disbelief. Regardless, the Dragon Lord coldly retorted.
“Do you think a single Blood Demon can block me?”
“No, I guess not. I’m aware of the Dragon Lord’s strength. If I had been completely clueless…”
“…?!”
The demon grinned ominously. At that very moment, Hans felt a surge of foreboding and tried to stop the Lord. But it was already one step too late. From the demon’s hand, lightning suddenly shot out.
The Dragon Lord, caught off guard, couldn’t withstand it and knelt down on one knee. In this sudden situation, Hans could only blink in disbelief. What is this? Why is this happening all of a sudden?
“Do you think we carelessly had Zairkan join us? No way. We’ve been gathering a plethora of information about dragons through Zairkan and preparing our plan.”
“Zairkan knew the Dragon Lord’s weakness?”
“No, that’s not it. That guy, when it comes to strength, is just a low-level among dragons. Honestly, he was a dumb guy who didn’t know much.”
Even if Zairkan had earned the nickname of Black Dragon, having lived since the mythical era, it seemed that its limitations couldn’t be hidden any longer. Hans glared at the demon.
“If that’s the case, you researched the dragon’s body to create such a device.”
“To be precise, it could be called an artifact. Why? Did you think only you could create such things?”
The demon blatantly waved an object in front of him, as if to say, “Try stealing it if you can.” At that moment, Hans realized why the dragons had been able to withstand this…
Why the Racial Alliance had been pushed back so radically from the original story. Naturally, the demons wouldn’t have left themselves unprepared against dragons. And that was it.
An artifact capable of subduing even the Dragon Lord. But at the same time, this was also an opportunity. At least, it wasn’t something that occurred during a war. Hans struck his thumb and index finger together.
“What’s that…”
The unusual action, which he’d never done before, caught the demon’s attention. But the demon couldn’t say anything more. Everything around Hans turned gray.
At the same time, Hans dashed forward instantly. He closed the distance, swinging his sword and slicing off the demon’s arm. But simultaneously, a thought crossed his mind. Is it possible that this guy is deceiving me?
Could that be an artifact used as a facade? The reason he thought that was simple; the Dragon Heart within him had reacted. Hans shifted his gaze.
“Could it be over there?”
What caught Hans’s eyes was a colossal tower. Or rather, it resembled a pillar made of iron. He could sense it through the Dragon Heart. That was the artifact the demon spoke about.
Now that he realized that his course of action was predetermined.
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