Episode 313: The Dragon (3)
Iris led Damian to her home.
As expected of a dragon’s dwelling, the place was enormous. Damian felt as if he had wandered into the land of giants.
“It’s rare to have a guest, but I don’t seem to have a suitable place for you to sit.”
There were pieces of furniture like a bed and a table, but they were all far too large.
“Please wait a moment.”
Iris closed her eyes and began to chant in a language Damian couldn’t understand.
As she spoke, the magic in the air began to shift. Soon, a table and chairs perfectly sized for a human emerged from the floor.
Damian watched the spectacle with fascination. It was his first time witnessing a dragon use their ancient language.
Iris then transformed into the form of a young girl using polymorph.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Iris, an ancient dragon.”
She sat across from Damian and continued, “I have many questions for you. That’s why I brought you here, even though I knew it might be an imposition.”
“But first, I have a question of my own. How did you find me?”
Thinking back, there were several suspicious aspects.
Elpheim was hidden by the World Tree, yet the dragons had found Damian’s location with ease, as if they had been watching him. Meanwhile, they seemed unaware of what had transpired in Elpheim.
“That’s thanks to my abilities.”
“Abilities?”
“Do you know how the Otherworld was created?”
Damian shook his head. He had no knowledge of that.
“It was formed through the sacrifice of the ancient dragons. They gave themselves to create the Otherworld. But just before they vanished, they pooled their power to leave me behind.”
“So, you’re the last of the ancient dragons.”
Iris nodded.
“As the last ancient dragon, I inherited their memories and abilities. Thanks to that, I can read fate.”
Iris continued, “When I learned that demons had been summoned, I saw your image through fate.”
That explained how she had been able to find Damian in Elpheim.
“However, this ability isn’t perfect. I can only tell that you’re involved, not the specifics. That’s why I wanted to hear it directly from you.”
A thought suddenly occurred to Damian.
“Is there a way to locate the demons…?”
“Yes, with my ability, it’s possible. But to read the fate of demons, I need something or someone deeply connected to them.”
In other words, Damian’s presence was necessary.
“Now it’s my turn to ask. What exactly happened in Elpheim? How were the demons summoned?”
Having received information, it was only fair to provide some in return.
Damian recounted everything he had experienced to Iris.
As his story unfolded, Iris’s expression grew darker.
“The key… So the covenant has truly been broken.”
“What exactly is this covenant? Even the Red Dragon didn’t know.”
Damian asked about something that had been bothering him.
“The covenant is an absolute rule, a promise. Because of it, demons couldn’t ascend to the surface, and dragons lived in the Otherworld.”
Iris spoke in a calm voice.
“There are other covenants as well. The continuous emergence of master classes in the Empire is thanks to the covenant.”
“Who made this covenant?”
“Ruine.”
Damian’s eyes widened at the name.
“You probably haven’t heard of him. He’s a forgotten existence now.”
“I heard he was the true hero betrayed by the Order of Salvation.”
Iris seemed surprised that Damian knew this.
“How could a mere human create a covenant?”
“Ruine wasn’t just any human.”
“Then what was he?”
Iris hesitated for a moment before speaking.
”…I don’t fully understand what Ruine was either. I haven’t completely absorbed the memories left by the ancient dragons. But I can tell you this much.”
“What is it?”
“He was a being capable of anything.”
There was an unmistakable reverence in Iris’s voice and eyes.
“Ruine defeated the seven demon lords who ruled the continent and even killed the Dragon Lord. He subdued countless other formidable foes.”
Iris’s praise seemed endless.
“And he cast a covenant over the world, banishing other races and creating a paradise for humans. The key you mentioned is the tool used to cast the covenant. Ruine created it.”
Even hearing it directly, it was hard to believe.
Could such a being truly exist?
Even if he did, he couldn’t be considered human.
“It’s like looking at a god.”
“I think so too,” Iris nodded.
“Damian, the covenant hasn’t been completely broken yet. The demons’ goal is likely to fully dismantle the remaining covenant.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“As long as the covenant remains, they can’t bring all the demons to the surface.”
Iris spoke with a serious expression.
“If the covenant is fully broken and demons flood in, it will truly be the end of everything. I want to prevent that.”
Suddenly, Iris let out a long sigh.
“But we dragons are bound by the covenant and can’t leave the Otherworld. That’s why I want to borrow your strength.”
Iris extended her hand. But Damian didn’t take it immediately.
“Why do you dragons want to stop the demons?”
After all, dragons were also bound by the covenant, just like the demons.
It was only natural to be suspicious of a race that wanted to help him.
“In the past, we dragons fought against humans. But eventually, we cooperated with them.”
It was true.
Dragons were once enemies of the Order of Salvation but later became allies and fought together.
“We aren’t trapped in the Otherworld. We entered it voluntarily for the harmony of the surface. But now, demons are trying to defile the surface.”
Iris’s eyes shone with determination.
“Many of our ancestors sacrificed themselves to drive out the demons. How can we stand by and let that effort go to waste? We dragons want to help you stop the demons again.”
Iris extended her hand once more.
“So, Damian Haxen, please help us.”
After much deliberation, Damian took Iris’s hand.
“Alright. I’ll cooperate with you.”
After a few more conversations, Damian left the building.
Once Damian was gone, another dragon entered the building.
“Lady Iris, did the conversation go well?”
It was Typhon, the Light Dragon.
“More or less,” Iris said, sitting down with a hint of annoyance in her demeanor. The polite and composed girl was nowhere to be found.
“Thanks to your performance, it was easy to win Damian Haxen’s favor.”
Typhon had played the role of an enraged dragon, with Iris stepping in to mediate. It was a simple tactic, but effective in opening someone’s heart.
“I apologize. I actually intended to kill him.”
Typhon bowed his head. Iris was taken aback by his words.
“Are you serious?”
“I lost my head when I saw my son’s form…”
“You really tried to kill him and failed?”
Iris recalled Damian Haxen’s presence. She had thought he was no ordinary person, but she hadn’t expected him to be that formidable.
“Do you still want to kill him?”
“Even now, I want to tear him apart.”
Typhon’s eyes glinted with malice. Iris chuckled softly.
“Hold back. We need him to retrieve the ‘key’ from the demons.”
Iris had lied to Damian.
It was true that dragons had fought alongside Ruine. But they hadn’t helped him willingly.
They had bowed their heads in humiliation to survive Ruine’s wrath.
Thanks to that, the dragons had survived but were trapped in the Otherworld.
The Otherworld was a dreadful place.
The sky was low, and the land was narrow. They couldn’t unleash their full power.
The dragons’ goal wasn’t to protect the surface. It was to escape the wretched Otherworld.
To break the covenant, they needed the key held by the demons.
The problem was that the dragons, bound by the covenant, couldn’t cross to the surface.
So Iris had decided to use Damian Haxen.
“Tell Valhard to assist Damian Haxen faithfully.”
From now on, Damian Haxen would be their pawn in the fight against the demons.
“And if the opportunity arises… steal the key immediately.”
With the key, they wouldn’t have to remain trapped in the cramped Otherworld.
“I will follow your will, Lady Iris,” Typhon said, bowing his head.
“Well, it seems they had other plans after all.”
A short distance from Iris’s home, Damian lay in a lodging created by the dragons’ ancient language, speaking with a tone of disbelief.
“So they intended to use me to break the covenant?”
The reason Damian could eavesdrop on the dragons’ conversation so effortlessly was thanks to the World Tree’s sapling.
The sapling’s detection abilities were both extensive and discreet.
The two dragons had no idea that Damian was listening in on their conversation.
“This is infuriating.”
Damian propped his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
He wanted to confront them immediately, but doing so would mean losing the chance to locate the demons.
“I’ll keep quiet until I find the demons.”
But after that, Demian wouldn’t just stand by.
His eyes glinted with a chilling intensity.