Preparation for the Decisive Battle (1)

“Dragon Tongue, you say?”

Damian also seemed startled by the unexpected words.

“How can a human use Dragon Tongue… No way?”

From the beginning, there was only one case where a human could use the Dragon Tongue.

It was only the bloodline of the Asktalin Empire, descendants of the dragon’s blood.

As Damian watched her, Riya bent at the waist and greeted with refined grace.

“I am Princess Riya Asktalin of the Empire.”

“H-hmm.”

This time, even Damian’s voice trembled slightly, as if he was quite flustered.

He stared at Riya for a moment, then turned his gaze to me.

“Just who are you, to be acquainted with the princess of the Empire? I’m sure you said you were a noble of the Kingdom of Talua?”

“I was just lucky.”

“Hmph.”

Damian folded his arms and shook his head as if finding it absurd.

“Well, if you can use Dragon Tongue, it will greatly help in dealing with Lugal. Still, even with Dragon Tongue, it would be impossible to completely nullify all of his attacks.”

“But it’s true that things will become much easier, won’t they?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

A faint smile played on Damian’s lips.

“It will definitely serve as a strong deterrent. You have a good companion.”

“And… another person may also come here soon.”

“One more? Who is it?”

Perhaps because he saw Riya first, Damian seemed quite curious.

From his perspective, it was natural to want to defeat Lugal as easily as possible.

“I’ll introduce her to you later. To begin with, she won’t be of much help in the battle against Lugal.”

“Then why bother bringing her here?”

“I’ll explain that when the time comes as well.”

Faced with my ambiguous words, Damian looked puzzled.

Of course he was. Saying there was someone I intended to bring here even though she wouldn’t contribute to the fight against Lugal was bound to seem suspicious.

“Clay.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been watching over you for some time. You’re not someone who does foolish things.”

“….”

“So, I’ll wait, believing there must be a reason.”

“… Thank you.”

After those words, he didn’t bother to press any further.

It was convenient for me, since I’d prepared several excuses, but also made me feel a bit awkward.

[Damian really is naive. He trusts a guy like you because there’s no one else to trust.]

‘We’re all just trying to help each other, aren’t we?’

[Hmph.]

Honestly, I inwardly agreed with Grancesia’s words.

I hadn’t expected Damian to trust me this much.

‘Well, it has been nearly half a year since we met…’

Although I’d spent quite some time in Eintban, I had also spent a significant amount of time with Damian.

I had lived here day and night trying to master the Moon Severing Divine Sword. Sometimes, I even felt more at ease here than at my own house.

“So, did you come here today to introduce this girl?”

“Yes, that’s right. There are still a few things left to handle in the domain.”

“That’s perfect, then.”

He folded his arms and glanced to one side.

“Follow me.”

He turned abruptly, not even waiting for my reply.

Watching him stride away, I met Riya’s gaze once before quickly following behind him.

‘I’ve never been downstairs here before.’

It had been quite a while since I was in and out of this place, but this was my first time going deeper inside.

The corridor was pitch dark, with not a speck of light, but thanks to the small flame Riya conjured with magic, I was able to follow after Damian without any trouble.

After about ten minutes of walking—

When we passed through the long corridor, a vast space came into view.

“This is…”

It was a bit smaller than the cavern where I’d just spoken with Damian, but it was many times sturdier, surrounded by mithril.

Only then did I realize.

This was Lugal’s sealing chamber.

“Now that we’re here, I should mention—I didn’t trust you at first.”

As I surveyed the area, surrounded by mithril, Damian spoke to me.

“That’s why I never made the location of Lugal’s seal clear to you. But after watching you, I realized that you genuinely wish to defeat Lugal. So now, I feel it’s safe to tell you where he’s sealed.”

Saying this, he slowly raised his hand and pointed to the ceiling.

But no matter how closely I looked, there was nothing there.

What on earth…?

“… I definitely sense something dangerous.”

As I narrowed my eyes in suspicion, Riya said, frowning—a rare sight for her.

Her gaze into empty space was slit like that of a lizard’s.

I couldn’t see anything, but it seemed she could detect something with her dragon eyes.

‘In that case…’

I turned my gaze back to the empty air. This time, I activated the Eye of Insight.

Suddenly, I saw it—something I hadn’t been able to see until now.

A rift in the black space.

No, rather than a rift, it was more like a fissure.

The black fissure greedily sucked in countless flows from the surroundings, gradually growing larger.

“So you can see it.”

As I stared at the scene, Damian spoke quietly.

“With your current skill, you shouldn’t have been able to see it… Well, it saves me the trouble of explaining it.”

“It’s an ability of the Eye of Shimosha.”

“Oh? I didn’t know that relic had such a function.”

Damian looked at the Eye of Shimosha, which was fitted on my finger, with admiration.

“In any case, since both of you can see it, you know. That fissure is where Lugal is sealed. He’s steadily gathering strength, so the rift will only get bigger over time.”

“What will happen then?”

“This area will soon be filled with his death energy. It might be held back since we’re surrounded by mithril, but…”

His words trailed off, as if he couldn’t guarantee it.

After all, unlike before, Lugal would soon be attacking with all his strength.

‘… If I used Solaris, I could probably cut through it.’

If I used Solaris, the sword that could even slash through the fabric of space, I could probably sever the very gap where Lugal was hiding.

But there was no way to know what effect that would have.

Either Lugal would be forcibly drawn out, or the power he’d been accumulating so far could explode.

I pondered the possibilities for a moment, but decided I couldn’t take an uncertain risk.

“Clay, did you say you were busy with affairs in the domain recently?”

“Yes. But if I manage my time, it’s not hard to come here every day.”

“It’s the opposite.”

“Sorry?”

“For the time being, you must not set foot here.”

Damian said this seriously and shook his head.

“Soon, this place will be filled with Lugal’s death energy. Unpleasant magic power will overflow, and a poison that taints the living will spread. It will be toxic to living beings.”

“But don’t we have to go through this if we want to defeat Lugal anyway?”

“No. If that thing escapes through the fissure, the death energy will be drawn back into him. There won’t be any big problems then.”

“But will you be alright, sir Damian?”

I asked cautiously, and Damian looked at me in astonishment, then chuckled.

“I am a death knight. No matter how much death energy I’m exposed to, it has no effect on me.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Damian seemed so human that I sometimes forgot he was already dead—a death knight.

‘But since I have Divine Blood, I think I’ll be fine…’

No matter how strong the death energy, Divine Blood would surely shield me from any real harm.

I was still wondering how to explain this, but perhaps picking up on my hesitation, Damian continued.

“Even if you do come, I’ll be too busy suppressing the death energy to watch your swordplay. So it would be a wasted trip.”

“… I understand.”

“I’ve already taught you every technique of the Moon Severing Divine Sword. From here on, you must master them one by one on your own, so don’t rush.”

Saying this, he placed a hand on my head and gently tousled my hair.

His gesture caught me off guard; although I’d spoken to him for a long time, he’d never acted so familiarly before.

“I never thought I’d take on a disciple. I don’t know what you’re after, but stay calm, Clay. Never act rashly. Take your time.”

With that, he slowly removed his hand from my head and turned away.

“Go back now. Soon, this place will be brimming with death energy.”

I hesitated for a moment, then looked at Damian, who was staring at the steadily growing fissure, and spoke up.

“Sir Damian, you told me not to come here for a while, but… when can I come back?”

If I missed the timing of Lugal’s resurrection, it would be a disaster.

Whether he understood my anxiety or not, Damian responded in a calm tone.

“You’ll naturally know when the time to return comes.”

And it was exactly ten days later that I understood what he meant.

* * *

One day, the sky suddenly began to darken.

At first, I thought it was just rain clouds, but the strange change persisted for days, and soon everyone noticed something was off.

The phenomenon started from Kiten Forest in the Vanhart territory and soon spread to the nearby Bellen territory and Deoric territory.

“What kind of weird disaster is this?”

Logan Deoric frowned at the black sky seen from outside the manor.

This was already the fifth day.

It wasn’t raining, nor was it just cloudy, but the sky was dark.

At night, it grew so pitch-black that it was difficult to move without a light.

“I heard that this darkness is spreading outward from Kiten Forest.”

“Kiten Forest?”

Logan had certainly heard that name before.

It was well-known as the fairy forest, the most famous sightseeing spot in Vanhart territory.

‘Could that Clay fellow be up to something strange?’

The thought suddenly crossed Logan’s mind, but he shook his head.

No matter what Clay might do, he couldn’t have caused something so conspicuous.

There was nothing to be gained by stirring up such trouble when things were going smoothly for him.

“… Could it be related to the demonkin?”

That was all he could think of.

There had recently been signs of the demonkin’s activity during the war with the Kainzel Kingdom.

Perhaps something related to them was happening in Kiten Forest.

‘Ah, come to think of it…’

Logan suddenly recalled a phrase from an old Deoric family document left by his ancestors.

Kiten Forest in Vanhart territory was said to be periodically shrouded in darkness, though no one knew the reason why.

‘And the darkness would naturally recede and disappear.’

As he mulled over this, Logan grinned.

“This is an opportunity.”

“Pardon?”

Leon, who was beside him, couldn’t help but look flustered at his father’s sudden words.

“An opportunity?”

“Whether or not this incident is actually connected to House Vanhart doesn’t really matter.”

What he could see right now was a black sky.

A palpable atmosphere of malaise spread from Kiten Forest, covering the southern lands.

“We just have to cast the blame on House Vanhart. And if we resolve this incident? Public opinion will instantly swing in our favor.”

“…!”

Leon couldn’t bring himself to object.

Surely, it was an opportunity.

“But how are you planning to solve this problem?”

“The darkness will disappear on its own. So we just have to station ourselves in Kiten Forest and then, when the darkness fades, act as if we solved the incident.”

“… Will it really be that simple?”

“Actually resolving it is a secondary issue, Leon. What truly matters is…”

Putting a leash around the neck of that upstart brat who’d been running wild, unknowing of his place.

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