Chapter 264 : Chapter 264
Side Story 23. Red Dragon (5)
Aionis.
When a human entered his nest, he gave a satisfied smile.
‘I should kill her!’
He had been in need of someone to vent his anger on.
He could never agree with the Lord’s decision.
A Blood Alliance with a Kalian who had killed one of their kin.
Even if the condition was to destroy the Demon King, whom they saw as a thorn in their side, his loyalty to Devrias mattered more.
Moreover, the two dragons had been especially close even within the Red Clan.
The Red Clan had come to Kalia in the first place to massacre the humans here and take revenge.
And now, suddenly, a Blood Alliance?
Aionis was grinding his teeth at the Lord’s incomprehensible change of heart.
‘As expected, I don’t like this.’
Aionis was second only to Abner within the Red Clan.
But the position of second-in-command gave him little influence.
The Lord’s authority was too overwhelming.
Naturally, there was no way he could be without dissatisfaction over that.
And if the one being above him disappeared, he would be the one to take control of the Red Clan.
He often imagined rebelling against Abner in that way.
But it had always remained an event only in his imagination.
‘He’s too strong!’
The Lord had lived for over ten thousand years yet remained in full strength, and it was certain that he would retain his current position for a long time to come.
For now, Aionis had to wait for the right time.
He imagined the day Abner would finally weaken.
In any case, he intended to vent his anger on the human who had entered his nest.
Though the Lord had unilaterally formed a Blood Alliance, Aionis had more than enough excuse.
Dragon tradition was just as important.
Aionis returned to his true form.
Red scales and fierce eyes shone as a Red Dragon’s Fear reverberated through the nest.
It was an overwhelming roar that would freeze the limbs of most living beings merely by hearing it.
But the Kalian woman who had entered the nest calmly walked toward its center without caring about the Fear.
His pride wounded, Aionis unleashed Fear once more.
KROOOOAR!
This time, it was a far more savage, vicious cry.
Even as mana shook violently and the vegetation trembled, the woman maintained her unshakable composure.
Aionis was dumbfounded.
‘Is this possible?’
Though extremely rare, Fear might not work if a human had reached a certain level.
But for her not to reveal even the slightest wariness before a dragon’s Fear went beyond common sense.
“I’m dying to know.”
Aionis beat his wings, flew over, and landed in front of her in an instant.
BOOM!
The ground shook, sending up a cloud of dust.
Aionis immediately asked the human.
“You, did you know where this was before entering?”
Even when facing the dragon’s eyes at point-blank range, she showed no sign of fear.
It was not surprising anymore.
“A dragon’s nest.”
The woman spoke calmly, without the slightest hesitation.
“You entered knowing that?”
“I’ve been waiting for this day.”
“What?”
The human’s answer became more astonishing with every word.
In any case, one question had been answered.
Why she could remain so calm after hearing a dragon’s Fear and even seeing its true form before her eyes.
She had deliberately sought out a dragon’s nest.
“How did you know right away? It has not even been a few hours since nests appeared in Kalia.”
“I’m something of a dragon expert.”
“It is surprising, but it is also a believable answer. An ordinary human could not remain this calm even after meeting a dragon. But why are you interested in our clan?”
“I came looking for a person.”
“A person? What does looking for a person have to do with our clan?”
The woman looked directly into Aionis’s eyes and continued.
“About ten years ago, someone entered a Red Dragon’s nest that had appeared in Kalia.”
“Ho.”
Aionis’s eyes gleamed.
If it had been ten years ago, she was likely talking about Devrias.
“Then the person you are looking for...”
“Yes. His name is Johan Raven.”
“So that was the name of the bastard I could chew up and still not be satisfied with.”
At once, the woman’s face brightened.
“As expected! You know him? Johan Raven, he is still alive, isn’t he?!”
Aionis recalled the face of the human he had met not long ago.
The one who had not only killed Devrias, but humiliated the Red Clan by treating them like puppies.
The cunning human who had won the Dragon Lord’s favor and ultimately led him into forming a Blood Alliance.
Of course, it was both Aionis’s misunderstanding and the truth.
After all, the current Seo Ji-han and the Johan Raven of the past were the same person.
“Then what is your relationship with this Johan Raven?”
“R-relationship?!”
“Entering a dragon’s nest is not something one can do without ordinary resolve. Your relationship with him cannot be ordinary. Isn’t that right?”
Aionis gave a sinister smile as he watched the woman’s flustered eyes.
An opportunity to properly avenge Devrias had rolled to him of its own accord.
“Tell me quickly! Where is Johan Raven now?!”
Of course, Aionis had no intention of telling her willingly.
He intended to kill this woman immediately anyway.
“Hey! Now is not the time for you to worry about that bastard’s whereabouts! Do you know why? Because you’re going to die a very painful death in this nest! Heh heh heh.”
Aionis gave a delighted smile.
But the woman remained completely unshaken, as though she had expected this situation.
“I brought an offering for a dragon!”
“An offering?”
The woman took out an insignia bearing a dragon pattern in iridescent pink gold.
But Aionis merely snorted.
“A dragon expert? Heh heh heh. If you thought you could tempt our clan with a human-made object, you are greatly mistaken.”
“It is not a human-made object!”
“It is not?”
“Look closely once more! Whose workmanship do you think it is? And how ancient do you think the history contained within it is?”
At the woman’s words, Aionis leaned his head toward the insignia and gently rubbed it with a claw raised from his front paw.
After a moment, he let out an exclamation.
“A masterpiece of the Dwarf Tribe! Judging by its mana traces, this object must be more than two thousand years old!”
“That is right! A masterpiece of the Dwarf Tribe, which dragons—the progenitors of magic—love most! If you only tell me where that person is, I will gladly give you this item!”
But Aionis gave a sinister smile and exhaled.
“Heh heh heh. Listen, human. You only know part of what dragons are. Certainly, it is an object I desire, but do you think I will cooperate with you just to obtain that insignia?”
In other words, taking it by force would be easier.
“I have enough ability to burn it in my hands the moment I sense anything suspicious.”
The woman revealed her firm resolve.
“Yes. I can tell you are an extraordinary mage. You may even be among the strongest in all of Kalia. But human, you understand far too little about a dragon’s abilities.”
More precisely, she understood far too little about the abilities of the Red Clan’s second-in-command.
For ordinary Red Dragons, it might be different, but Aionis believed that using magic to snatch away the insignia before a human could react was as easy as breathing.
“Aah!”
Before Aionis had even finished speaking, the woman let out a scream.
Her wrist had been twisted by Telekinesis.
Even as she raised mana to burn the insignia with magic, she realized it was already too late.
A barrier had already formed around the insignia.
TAP!
The insignia had already flown into Aionis’s front paw.
“How is it? Can you still go around claiming to be a dragon expert after this?”
Aionis wore a broad, delighted smile.
In contrast, the woman tried to conceal her bewilderment as she hurriedly spoke.
“Dragon! If you wish, I will bring you an offering similar to this...”
“No. I do not need it. Heh heh heh!”
“It was made by a Dwarf artisan three thousand years ago...”
“I said I do not need it.”
This time, his smile was cold.
Aionis continued.
“After this nest completely disappears, you will be found here as a corpse. And I will make sure that only the shape of your face remains preserved without rotting. Perhaps that bastard will recognize you and mourn.”
“You know that person well?”
“I am tired of this nonsense. Shall we finish this now?”
At Aionis’s words, the woman hurriedly raised mana.
She did not believe she could match that ferocious Red Dragon.
But she intended to put up one final resistance.
Nor did she regret entering this nest.
‘Because I confirmed that he is still alive.’
It was regrettable that she would never see him again, but this was enough.
BOOM!
BOOOOM!
At her gesture, lightning poured down from the sky, shaking the nest.
It was lightning magic of the highest grade.
In an atmosphere that felt as though a heavy downpour would begin at any moment, fierce light struck Aionis again and again.
KRAKABOOM!
But after a moment, the sound that followed was the Red Dragon’s laughter.
“Pathetic! Human! Did you act so proud with only this much power?!”
The woman tightly bit her lip.
The dragon was of a far higher caliber than she had thought.
But she had already prepared herself for death, so she decided to continue her desperate resistance.
She raised mana once more.
And at that moment.
FWOOSH!
She saw enormous flames.
A feast of mana so powerful it defied description.
As a mage, she thought that fire was beautiful.
‘I’m dying.’
There was no other possible outcome she could imagine.
She closed her eyes before the overwhelming power she could not resist.
Even through her tightly shut eyes, it felt as though she could see the blazing aura of fire.
Then, as though the world had gone dark, the flames soon went out.
She thought this was death.
Something felt strange, but death was bound to be a first experience for anyone.
At least there was no pain.
But then.
‘Why does it feel like I’m still inside the nest?’
She gently opened her closed eyes.
She did not expect anything in particular.
It would be the afterlife anyway.
But the sight before her was entirely different from what she expected.
The Red Dragon was still there, and the scenery of the nest remained unchanged.
‘!!!’
Her thoughts became tangled in a situation she could not understand, and an unfamiliar sensation came from behind her.
It felt as though someone were warmly embracing her from behind.
At that moment, a name suddenly came to mind.
‘Johan!’
She did not know why, but she felt certain it was him.
She hurriedly tried to turn her head, but a quiet voice from behind her spoke first.
“Stay back.”
It was a voice that inspired trust.
That very feeling could only come from one person.
“Johan!”
She cried out that name without realizing it.
Then she saw the back of the man who stepped out from behind her.
The moment of reunion had finally arrived.
But she withdrew the hand she had been about to reach toward him.
Black hair instead of blond.
And a completely unfamiliar silhouette.
Diorin felt as though her thoughts had stopped.