Chapter 1185
"As you have pointed out, the news of the Dragon Lord’s passing will remain hidden from both Derus and the Heavenly Demon."
Evelyn gave a slow, measured nod, signaling her silent concurrence with Raon’s assessment.
"This pocket dimension was the personal creation of the Dragon Lord, sustained by the power of three Ancient Dragons. Not a single spark of mana has leaked to the external world."
She traced her elegant, slender fingers through the air of the isolated space.
"However, Raon, you are well aware of the type of man Derus Robert is—he is as meticulous as he is heartless. Before the formal outbreak of hostilities, he will undoubtedly attempt to verify his alliance with the Dragon Lord and the other Ancient Dragons. Our deception will eventually be laid bare."
Evelyn’s brow furrowed, her expression suggesting that outmaneuvering Derus Robert’s intellect might prove more taxing than the physical act of slaying a Dragon Lord.
"Deceiving Derus Robert in that specific manner was never my primary objective," Raon replied, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips as he shook his head.
"The mere act of eliminating the Dragon Lord and his loyalist Ancient Dragons, while restoring the rest of the dragon kin to their roles as neutral mediators, is a monumental victory in itself."
He made a casual gesture with his hand, indicating he was more than satisfied with purging the world of such high-level threats to humanity.
"In that case, your strategy regarding Derus Robert involves..."
"That is a separate endeavor entirely."
Raon’s grin widened as he reached into his tunic and produced a small, black notebook he had been carrying close to his chest.
"You are the best person for this task. Actually, you are the only one who can find what I need."
Extending the black booklet toward Evelyn, he formally requested her expertise.
"I am not yet certain of its contents, but if you ask it of me, I shall succeed without fail!"
Evelyn accepted the notebook with fervent devotion, declaring her readiness to take on any challenge he set before her.
—What is that? Show me!
Wrath poked his head out, his curiosity piqued as he peered at the small volume Evelyn now held.
—I demand to know!
The small spirit, usually wary of Evelyn’s presence, found his inquisitiveness outweighing his caution as he hovered closer to her than he ever normally dared.
"This... oh, my!"
Upon opening the dark pages and scanning the entries, Evelyn let out a soft, sharp breath of realization.
"It seems all devious minds truly do think alike!"
A wide, predatory smile stretched across her face, as if she had expected to find exactly what was written there.
—Wait, Losran? Cifron? Jerfin? What are these names? And what is the meaning of the digits next to them?
Wrath’s eyes grew wide as he squinted at the unfamiliar geographical names and the accompanying numerical data.
—What about this is supposed to be cunning?
The spirit tilted his head in confusion, unable to grasp the significance of the ledger.
"Those locations are all districts situated within the territory of Borvorn."
Raon motioned with his chin toward the pages Evelyn was scrutinizing.
—Borvorn, you say...
"Precisely. That is the region where the Dragon Lord claimed to have intercepted the communication signals from Derus."
Raon rested a hand on the hilt of Heavenly Drive, his smile turning icy.
"The Dragon Lord was not a fool; he didn't fully trust Derus either. He was secretly running his own intelligence operation. Every time they made contact, the Dragon Lord would trace the signal back to its point of origin and record the coordinates. Furthermore..."
Raon’s hand tightened into a fist as he thought of the information hidden in the back of the book.
"He wasn't just watching Borvorn; he was monitoring the pulse of the entire surrounding area."
The Dragon Lord had meticulously documented the shifting patterns in Borvorn and the neighboring lands, noting the state of the populace and any irregularities in the local atmosphere.
"Take a look at this entry."
Raon indicated a specific section toward the end of the journal.
"The notes regarding the small, sporadic disappearances in the towns surrounding Borvorn. Don't you find that suspicious?"
—Hmm? What's so odd about it?
Wrath remained perplexed.
—In a world like this, people vanishing is a daily occurrence.
The spirit frowned, dismissive of the observation.
"The point is that while Borvorn itself remains stable, people are disappearing from the periphery. We will need to verify this with boots on the ground, but my intuition tells me..."
Raon bit his lip, the mental image of Derus Robert’s cold face looming over the data in the booklet.
"These disappearances are likely happening all across the continent. The numbers are kept intentionally low in each specific area to avoid raising a general alarm."
He nodded, his conviction hardening. Even if the Dragon Lord hadn't connected the dots, Raon knew the depths of Derus’s depravity. That man was almost certainly harvesting people from every corner of the world for some dark purpose.
"If we follow the trail of these records, we can find our way to Derus Robert. At the very center of it, we will find the hidden army he is cultivating."
A smile of grim anticipation crossed his face, knowing he finally had a thread to pull that could unravel his enemy’s grand design.
—No, how can you possibly derive all that from these simple notes...
Wrath let out a weary sigh, feeling more out of his depth the longer he listened.
—You are truly the last person in the world I would ever want to have as a foe.
The spirit clicked his tongue in a mix of frustration and begrudging respect, wishing he could smack Raon but knowing he couldn't.
"It isn't that I have some divine insight."
Raon shook his head slowly.
"It is simply because I understand the nature of Derus Robert."
His fist clenched tightly. To have been a victim of Derus was to understand the specific, cruel logic of his shadow plays.
"Leave the rest to me!"
Evelyn gave an enthusiastic nod, having immediately grasped the tactical importance of his request.
"I will conduct a thorough investigation, and I guarantee that not a single soul will detect my presence!"
She smiled with absolute self-assurance, confident that her skills in infiltration were unmatched on the planet.
—I cannot argue with that.
Wrath shuddered as he watched the manic glint in Evelyn’s eyes.
—Even I found it impossible to track that lunatics's trail.
The spirit recalled with a shiver how Evelyn could vanish into the forms of animals, becoming entirely untraceable even to his senses.
"I am placing my trust in you."
Raon formally entrusted the mission to her and reached out to take her hand.
"Eek!"
The moment Raon’s skin touched hers, Evelyn jerked as if a high-voltage current had surged through her body.
"Fear not! I shall bring you the truth, even if it costs me my very life!"
Her grin was so wide it looked painful, and her eyes burned with an intense fire as she returned her focus to the black booklet.
—Ugh...
Wrath squeezed his eyes shut, visibly revolted by Evelyn’s obsessive display.
"I've made my choices!"
Martha’s voice rang out as she approached Raon, her hand raised high. She carried a massive sword with a blade so thick it resembled a heavy axe, along with a tattered, ancient manual.
"What is that...?"
Raon blinked, staring at the weapon that looked more like a blunt instrument than a traditional blade.
"It's a hammer sword! Doesn't it seem like it was made just for me?"
Martha burst into a bold, hearty laugh, claiming she felt as though she could level a fortress with a single swing of the heavy metal.
"And this is the secret technique to master it: the Heavy Weapon Sword Art."
She brandished her fist, clearly invigorated by the prospect of training with such a brutal weapon.
"You’re actually going to switch to a completely different sword style and start from scratch?"
Burren let out a long, tired sigh as he watched her.
"Wouldn't it be more logical to refine the skills you've already spent years building?"
He shook his head, unable to wrap his mind around her choice.
"And what about you? What did you pick?"
Martha shot him a skeptical look, her brow arching.
"I selected something that builds upon my existing foundation."
Burren displayed his own choice of manual. It was a sophisticated, crushing sword technique that complimented his current style without requiring a total overhaul of his mechanics.
"The weapon is similar as well."
He showed her his new sword. It was slightly more slender than his previous one, but the length and balance remained familiar.
"We are currently at the summit of the Grandmaster level. Even if the realm of Transcendence is still a distant peak, I don't believe this is the right time for radical experiments."
He gestured toward her, silently urging her to reconsider her impulsive decision.
"Hah! You have to embrace the new if you want to evolve the old!"
Martha snorted derisively at his caution.
"How about a wager, with a wish on the line? Let's see who steps into the realm of Transcendence first."
She held out her hand, a silent challenge for him to prove his conviction.
"Hmm."
Burren’s lips thinned into a hard line as he stared at her outstretched hand.
"That bet is..."
He hesitated, remembering that Martha had received the Authority of Envy from the Sin itself, giving her a significant metaphysical advantage.
"Oh, right. I forgot. That wouldn't be a fair fight, would it?"
Martha realized why he was wavering and gave a knowing nod.
"Since I have the upper hand right now, perhaps we should wait until—"
"No!"
Burren interrupted her with a sharp shake of his head.
"I accept your wager."
His grip tightened on his new manual, declaring his intent to race her to Transcendence regardless of the odds.
"Are you certain? You're starting at a massive disadvantage."
Martha narrowed her eyes, searching his face.
"Even so, I think I need this kind of pressure right now to push past my limits."
A blue fire ignited in Burren’s eyes, a return of the fierce, competitive spirit that had defined him during their early days as trainees.
"Now that’s the spirit! That is the Burren Zieghart I know!"
Martha slapped him on the back, pleased to see his true, fiery nature resurface after so long.
'He still has a way to go, but with just a bit more growth...'
Raon watched Burren’s intense gaze and felt a spark of satisfaction.
'He might actually be strong enough to draw the attention of the Monarch of Greed, Greed.'
A low, heavy rumble vibrated through the ground. As Dorian finished hauling the last of the treasures from the Dragon Lord’s hoard, the shimmering golden portal began its slow, final contraction.
"It is truly finished."
Bartius, the Gold Dragon, watched the gateway to their former home vanish completely and let out a short, melancholic sigh.
"I must express my gratitude to you once more."
He inclined his head respectfully toward Raon, acknowledging that their liberation was entirely his doing.
"You are surprisingly formal for a member of the dragon race," Raon remarked with a light chuckle.
"But among brothers-in-arms, such stiff formalities are unnecessary."
He waved off the thanks, reminding the dragon that they would be fighting side-by-side from this point forward.
"The boy is right! Relax that stiff neck of yours!"
Valasiur, the Red Dragon, delivered a heavy thud to Bartius’s back.
"Exactly. We are companions now!"
Sirtiren, the Blue Dragon, gave a cheerful wave, a bright smile on her face.
"Hmph, we have a mountain of work ahead of us."
Dariauran, the Black Dragon, was already mentally calculating the number of rogue dragons they would need to subdue.
"If it must be done, we might as well do it swiftly so we can get back to our rest."
Bursiarabi, the White Dragon, bared his teeth in a grin that suggested he was actually looking forward to the coming battles.
"As he says, we will be occupied for the foreseeable future. Communication may be difficult."
Bartius stood tall before Raon, his eyes burning with a new, firm resolve.
"However, I give you my word: we will settle our internal affairs before the great war commences."
He placed a hand over his heart, reaffirming his pledge to join Raon’s side when the final conflict began.
"I will put my faith in you and await your arrival."
Raon drew Heavenly Drive with a graceful motion. He dipped the tip of the blade toward the earth and extended it in a formal sword salute—the highest mark of respect a swordsman of the Zieghart clan could bestow. As if to sanctify the pact between man and dragon, a beam of golden sunlight broke through the clouds, bathing the group in a warm, celestial glow.
Inside the Great Audience Chamber of the Zieghart Main House.
Usually, this was a time for Glenn to sit in solitary reflection under the afternoon sun, but today the hall was packed with the clan’s high-ranking officials. The atmosphere was thick with tension; the suddenness of the summons had the executives casting nervous glances at one another, trying to gauge Glenn’s mood.
"Pardon me, Division Leader Sheryl..."
Tisiren, the leader of her own division, shifted uncomfortably, whispering to the head of the Heavenly Blade.
"What exactly is going on?"
Still feeling the weight of her relatively new leadership role, she found herself struggling to keep her composure in the presence of the Lord.
"Is this about a declaration of war? The Head of House looks... terrifying."
Tisiren’s voice wavered, her eyes unable to linger on Glenn’s piercing red gaze.
"And look at his leg—it’s actually shaking."
She swallowed hard, noting the rhythmic, subtle tremor in Glenn’s right foot.
"In a sense, a war is indeed coming," Sheryl replied, a wide, knowing grin spreading across her face as she studied the passion burning in Glenn’s eyes.
"The Head of House is currently overwhelmed by a profound affection. And it is..."
Contradicting Tisiren’s fear, Sheryl gave a small shrug, watching the man whose leg was trembling not from rage, but from sheer, unadulterated joy.
"The kind of obsessive love for a grandchild that, once it takes hold, never lets go."
