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Located in Bollayno, the outskirts of the Kiehl Empire, the village Ariartelle lived in was as rustic as Gidol, Eugene’s hometown. When Eugene arrived in the village, he finally understood why Cyan and Ciel had said some specific things before.
“…It smells like cow dung,” Eugene commented bitterly.
To some level, Cyan and Ciel had spoken the truth. The smell of cow and horse dung wafted around the quiet countryside.
“Won’t it be better to live in a city rather than the countryside?” Eugene muttered to himself.
“I hate the city because it’s noisy there,” Ariartelle mumbled, frowning after she had followed Eugene outside.
She looked like she had nothing to do aside from watching what was happening in the Dragonic mansion while cooping herself inside her home, so why would she care if the outside of her house was noisy?
…However, Eugene decided to not ask Ariartelle the question.
“Don’t come looking for me on your own,” Ariartelle spoke. “This is a quiet village. If a warp gate connecting to the capital was opened here, the news would shock everyone in the town. If one of the Lionhearts used the warp gate, the villagers would be hellbent on holding a festival.”
“…Are you exaggerating a bit?” Eugene asked reluctantly.
“This village held a festival for a neighbor’s dog when it first succeeded in using a potty. I don’t want to provide any excuses for the village to have another festival or attract attention because of you.”
If she really didn’t want to receive attention, shouldn’t she have lived in a secluded mountain village instead of a village like this? And how could she hope to not draw unwanted attention with her fiery red hair?
…Eugene didn’t ask those questions too.
“Then what do you want me to do?” Eugene tilted his head.
“What do you mean? I will just send the magic staff, as I don’t want to be associated with you any further,” Ariartelle spoke, glaring at Eugene. “…Stupid Hamel, I’m telling you this now because I was too distracted, but I’m really not pleased about your sudden visit. If you weren’t a Lionheart and the Stupid Hamel’s reincarnation, I would have made you pay for your rudeness with your life.”
“What does the fact that I’m a Lionheart have to do with anything?” Eugene asked with faint annoyance.
“It is true that the world became peaceful after the Great Vermouth swore the Oath. I’m a dragon, but I respect the Great Vermouth.” Ariartelle nodded solemnly.
“But why aren’t you respecting me? I also fucking cut the heads of three Demon Kings with Vermouth.”
“…I forgave your sudden visit and your rude remarks, so aren’t I respecting you enough?”
“I think you need to respect me a lot more. To be frank with you, I will kill Raizakia, the motherfucker of the dragons, on your and other dragons’ behalf and finish the task that the solidly sleeping dragons weren’t able to do 300 years ago.”
“…You are going to finish it? How?” Ariartelle’s eyes sparkled.
“Are you seriously asking that? I’m going to kill Raizakia, the Demon King of Incarceration, and the Demon King of Destruction. In the process, I will probably kill all the other high-ranking demonfolks and wipe out Helmuth that braggingly calls itself an empire,” Eugene said nonchalantly, but Ariartelle believed none of Eugene’s words would come true.
However, Eugene’s eyes were calm, and his voice didn’t tremble, so he sounded like he was talking about his daily life, just telling her he was hungry or thirsty. If a person was hungry, they needed to eat, and they could just drink if they were thirsty. So yes, everything Eugene said wasn’t difficult to complete because all he had to do was just do it.
Killing Raizakia, the Demon King of Incarceration, the Demon King of Destruction, and wiping out Helmuth could never come true, but Eugene spoke as if he could just do the impossible if he just tried.
Therefore Ariartelle was confused. She was a young dragon who had recently graduated from being a hatchling, and she hadn’t even been born 300 years ago, the time when the world was in the heat of war. Only after Vermouth had succeeded in wringing out an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration and the world gained peace had she hatched from the egg.
She hadn’t experienced the war, but she knew how horrible the war was 300 years ago. Dragons lived for eons, and the dragons, who had barely survived the fight against the Demon King of Destruction, said that the scariest and most horrible being they encountered during their lifespan was the Demon King of Destruction, followed by the Demon King of Incarceration.
‘You can’t fight with the Demon King of Destruction.’ The dragon had told Vermouth and his party as his last words.
The dragon’s last words were also the lesson that every dragon learned through extreme pain. Even Ariartelle had heard this from her mother before she had gone dormant. Showing her crushed scales and wounds underneath, her mother warned Ariartelle to never go to Helmuth, try to take revenge on Raizakia for the other dragons, or to fight against the Demon King of Incarceration, or stand in front of the Demon King of Destruction.
“Hamel.” Ariartelle no longer added stupid in front of his name because she could finally realize that the man in front of her wasn’t the 20-year-old Eugene Lionheart.
He was the leading star of the war and had journeyed to kill the three Demon Kings alongside the hero Vermouth, who had challenged the Demon Kings. The same Demon Kings who had clipped the wings of all the dragons 300 years ago.
“Ariartelle, the cradle’s manager and the only dragon to be awake, would like to ask Hamel Dynas…. Are you really going to kill all the Demon Kings?” Ariartelle asked solemnly.
“Then shall I make pinky swears with the sleeping dragons or something?” Eugene snorted as he answered, “I prefer punching and swinging a sword to making promises.”
“…Is that so?” Ariartelle didn’t need to suggest Eugene take a vow because she read Eugene’s hatred and the strong desire to kill, which hadn’t subsided or decreased over time, in his calm golden eyes.
Hamel — no, Eugene Lionheart was going to kill all the Demon Kings. Even if he failed to achieve the goal due to his lack of strength, he would continue to try everything he could to kill the Demon Kings until the last day of his life.
“…That cloak,” Ariartelle observed Eugene’s Cloak of Darkness closely.
The cloak was an extraordinary artifact that no longer needed to be improved. The inside of the cloak was carved with the highest-ranking spatial magic, and its outside was filled with appearance-changing spells and defensive spells for physical and magical attacks.
“…It’s already a great artifact, but it isn't a good enough armor if I think about the enemies you will face.” Ariartelle raised her hand, splitting the air, and put her hand in the split space.
“I’m managing the assets of the dormant dragons, but I assume you won’t need jewels or coins since you’re a member of the prestigious Lionhearts,” Ariartelle spoke as she pulled out an ordinary-looking golden ring. “I hope this aids your journey.”
However, Eugene knew that the ring was never an ordinary ring. Unlike its exterior, the inside of the ring was pitch-black because it was filled with small indecipherable letters, creating magic formulas.
“…What is that?” Eugene asked.
“It’s Agaroth’s ring. Do you know who he is?” Ariartelle looked at Eugene.
“I don’t know. Who is he?”
“…He is one of the ancient gods who had disappeared due to the myth that mainly emphasized the God of Light. You must have received a high level of education since you were born in the prestigious noble house,” Ariartelle explained.
There was one religion that could be called the biggest religion in this world right now, and it was that of the God of Light served by the Holy Empire Yuras. The religion was not only believed in Yuras, but it was also believed all over the continent.
The God of Light wasn’t the only god on the continent. Although Yuras had officially made the God of Light religion a state religion, the other nations guaranteed the freedom of religious beliefs, leading to different countries and tribes believing in various gods. For example, the citizens of Nahama believed in the God of Desert and Sand. The people in Shimuin, who were famous for upholding the code of chivalry, believed in the God of Knights and Honor. There were also various beliefs in the Kiehl Empire, but the most famous god was the God of Light, followed by the God of Abundance and Prosperity.
Aside from the gods that people still believed in, it was known that many other deities had existed in ancient times.
“Agaroth is an ancient God of War from the old era that even dragons who lived for eons don’t remember. The ring is the remaining artifact from the Age of Myth.”
The ring flew toward Eugene from Ariartelle’s hand. When Eugene reached out with his left hand, the ring put itself on Eugene’s ring finger even though his fingers weren’t adorned with any accessories.
“Why did you put it on my ring finger?” Eugene tilted his head.
“From ancient times, the ring on the ring finger has various meanings, from a contract, a bond, a promise,” Ariartelle calmly spoke.
After pricking Eugene’s finger, the ring shrunk its size to fit his finger and absorbed his blood. Shortly after, an invisible barrier covered Eugene’s body underneath his uniform.
Although Eugene was sure something had covered his skin, he could feel nothing. When he brushed his skin, he could still feel his arm and pull out his arm hair. He could even feel a little pain if he pinched his skin.
“The ring will protect you from lethal dangers,” Ariartelle continued. “It won’t protect you perfectly, but it will help a lot in fighting against your enemies.”
“Give me Akasha.” Eugene gestured at Ariartelle.
After Ariartelle handed him Akasha, he glared at the ring and could understand the various spells engraved on it one by one. This was ancient magic — no, closer to divine magic.
‘…It is impossible to decipher them, and they don’t look like they require mana.’ Eugene observed the ring.
Though he was observing the spells with Akasha’s aid, he couldn’t replicate them without using the ring itself. This was the case with all divine magic. While it was technically still classified as magic, it was fundamentally different from regular magic that used mana, for which reason the powers of priests and paladins were called ‘miracles.’
‘…A magic barrier. …Is… this healing magic? The healing magic forcefully increases the regenerative abilities of the ring owner to the maximum limit…. Luckily, it’s only activated when I want it to,’ Eugene thought.
He now understood what Agaroth’s ring was. At the cost of forcefully recovering the owner’s fucked-up body, the ring’s healing spell decreased the ring owner’s life span, stealing the owner’s future. Along with figuring out why the ring made a contract with the owner through their ring finger and siphoned their blood, Eugene had also comprehended why Agaroth, the ring’s original owner, was a God of War. Agaroth wanted the owner to stand up and fight after recovering their half-dead body multiple times through the ring.
Eugene chuckled as he clenched his fists. If he inevitably used the healing spell, he would need plenty of rest and recover his vitality that would be drained away by the ring. Moreover, he wouldn’t be able to overuse the ring’s regenerative ability in battles. Although it depended on the severity of the wounds, recovering from one fatal injury with the aid of the ring would make it useless for further consecutive uses.
‘Using it with Ignition… is impossible. I would rather suffer the rebound.’ Eugene clicked his tongue.
The idea of using Ignition to the level at which he burst his heart and healing the shattered heart with Agaroth’s ring came to his mind. Not only was it a brainlessly crazy method, but it also wouldn’t give him the efficiency he thought it would give, so it would just make him idiotically self-destruct.
‘It’ll be for the best to just receive treatments for injuries, so I guess it’s just insurance for an inevitable moment…. It’s also lucky that I can choose whether or not to use the ability. I can heal my injuries just enough for my body to survive and recover my lost life span after I survive.’
If he hadn’t understood the ring through Akasha, he would have overused it on battlefields and died a sudden death. Snorting at the God of War’s naughtiness and atrocity, Eugene clenched his fists as he asked, “Are you not going to give me any weapons?”
“You no longer need any new weapons.” Ariartelle shook her head.
The Storm Sword Wynnyd alone was one of the strongest weapons on the continent. Aside from the sword, the Lionhearts possessed various weapons, strong enough to even make dragons madly obsessed. Vermouth had found and monopolized the hidden weapons of the Age of Myth from around the continent 300 years ago. Including the dormant dragons’ assets, no stronger weapons existed than the ones the Lionhearts possessed.
“I want to decide whether or not I need them though…. It looks really bothersome to manage the dragons’ assets, so why don’t you leave that to me? I will put them to good use and return them in one piece, along with some money and jewels….”
“If you go through the full-length mirror in the living room, you will be able to return to the Dragonic estate.” Ariartelle took Akasha away from Eugene without further ado. “I will carve the Draconic spell on the magic staff and send it to the Lionheart estate, so don’t come to visit me anymore.”
It looked like she had no intention of entrusting Eugene with the dragons’ entire assets.
* * *
Eugene gained more than he had thought he could from the week he had spent in the Dragonic mansion. First, Alchester had taught Eugene the Empty Palm. Then Eugene had met Ariartelle, the dragon, and learned that all the dragons aside from her had gone dormant. And lastly, he had obtained Agaroth’s ring, which would be Eugene’s insurance in a worst-case scenario.
But his biggest achievement was that he could now track Raizakia using the Draconic spell that would be carved on Akasha.
Although he still needed Raizakia’s personal items that had been used over a long period or the blood of Raizakia’s hatchling, he now had options — a significant improvement over the time when Eugene had just wandered around without any clues.
‘I have to go to the Dragon Demon Castle either way.’ Eugene came to a conclusion.
Although it was a very accurate conclusion, he couldn’t depart to the castle immediately as he still needed to decide if he was going to barge into the Dragon Demon Castle or sneak inside. No matter his choice, going to the Dragon Demon Castle meant that Eugene was going to Helmuth. On top of that, the Dragon Demon Castle was filled with beings who hated humans the most in all of Helmuth.
‘…Aside from finding Raizakia….’
The Draconic spell that would be carved on Akasha would have complicated magic formulas, but they had one simple purpose — tracking.
‘…I might be able to find the Moonlight Sword’s fragment through the spell.’
Eugene had too many strong enemies to kill, so if he could restore the Moonlight Sword to its original state from 300 years ago, it would be of tremendous help to Eugene in killing them.
‘…And…. Vermouth.’ Eugene thought bitterly.
Vermouth had hidden the fact that he hadn’t died for 200 years and put a hole in Sienna’s chest.
‘He also left the Moonlight Sword inside my coffin.’
After stealing Sienna’s necklace to interfere with Eugene’s reincarnation, he had left the necklace in the treasure house of the Lionheart family’s main branch.
Using the spell, Eugene could perhaps track down the unfathomable bastard.
…Sob….
‘…Maybe I can even find Anise or Molon. Anise… umm… became an angel… then will it lead me to heaven?’ Eugene wondered.
Sob…. Sob, sob….
‘It seems Molon is still alive, considering how he was healthy and well 100 years ago. Wait, he didn’t die in the meantime, right? Molon’s favorite items will be there in the Ruhr Kingdom’s castle….’ Eugene made a plan in his mind.
Sob….
“Why are you weeping?” Eugene frowned and looked forward, seeing the crying Leo as he drooped his shoulders.
“…Are you not sad?” Leo asked with difficulty.
“Do you think I’m going die? Huh? Or are you going to die?”
“Sob….” Leo just cried.
“Why in the world are you crying? Why are you so sad about me returning to my own home?” Eugene genuinely wondered.
“I can no longer learn from you….” Leo’s shoulders trembled.
“I have taught you everything I can, so you don’t need my lessons anymore, Leo Dragonic.” Eugene firmly said, thinking this would be a better way to calm Leo down than sloppily pacifying him.
Although he had been annoyed just now, Eugene solemnly put his hand on Leo’s shoulder. “Shed sweat instead of tears, boy. The more sweat you shed, the stronger you will be. Don’t forget my lessons during the training.”
“…I will, I will.” Leo fervently nodded.
“Obey Sir Alchester’s words, and don’t swagger as you just rely on your father’s power. If you swagger without knowing anything about reality, you might get killed by a person who is scarier than me.”
“Yeah, I will….”
“I’ve taught you for a week, but don’t mistake yourself and visit the Lionhearts on your own, thinking we have a special bond.”
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“Pardon?” Leo asked back, unable to understand Eugene.
After pondering for a moment, Eugene rephrased his words for a ten-year-old to understand clearly and said, “If you want to come, ask me if you can come, but don’t come if I say no, got it?”
“Okay!” Leo smiled brightly as he imagined visiting the Lionhearts to meet Eugene.
Of course, Eugene would say no to Leo, no matter what he said.
‘I played with children seven years ago, so I can’t play with a child again at this age.’
Weren't the current Cyan and Ciel children if Eugene added the age from his past life to his current age?
‘Then what about me? Am I old?’
The thought suddenly popped into Eugene’s mind, but he didn’t think about it further.
‘It’s better to be young than old.’
Including his past life, Eugene was lenient with only himself in many ways.