CH 180

When Ciel asked about the ring, Eugene opened his eyes wide, wondering what she meant about a ring.

‘Wait… a ring?' Eugene realized.

“Ah.” Eugene held up his left hand and stared at Agaroth’s ring on his ring finger. Although he was wearing a ring, he didn’t really feel it, and it didn’t hinder Eugene from clenching, unclenching, or moving his hand.

Looking back and forth between the ring and Ciel, Eugene explained, “…It’s a gift….”

“From who?” Ciel asked quickly.

It was a difficult question to answer since the ring was from Ariartelle, the dragon. He hadn’t made any vow using Draconic to not talk anything about her to someone else, but Eugene had no intention to speak about Ariartelle unless he really needed to.

“I can’t tell you,” Eugene answered with an awkward smile. Regretting telling Ciel that the ring was a gift, Eugene saw Ciel’s eyes lose focus. It wasn’t just her eyes because Ciel tightly clenched her fists and bit her previously gaped lips.

“You can’t. Tell. Me? Why?” Ciel hadn’t been planning on getting enraged about this matter. Her plan was to handle the situation rationally and calmly, but a person’s mind and emotions often contradicted the person’s rationality.

On top of that, a person often failed to objectively analyze their emotions. For instance, the person obviously looked angry, but they refused to acknowledge that they were angry.

It wasn’t that they lacked the ability to make such a judgment, but they pretended to do so even while knowing their true feelings, or they didn’t want to admit their emotions because they were embarrassed.

It also applied to Ciel because she thought she wasn’t furious and had no reason to be angry. A ring? So what? Even though she believed it was nothing, the thought didn’t naturally come to her mind as it was just a desperate self-justification.

Ciel Lionheart was a twenty-year-old human who teased and made others angry rather than getting teased and angry herself. Therefore she didn’t want to admit this complicated but simple annoyance she was feeling right now. Meanwhile, she shook her fists and chewed her lips, blatantly expressing her irritation to Eugene.

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“…Uh…. Are you alright?” Eugene cautiously asked, feeling a shiver down his spine.

Taking a step back, Eugene lowered his left hand, but just then, Ciel snatched Eugene’s wrist.

“…Hmm.” Ciel raised one of her eyebrows, glaring at the ordinary-looking gold ring. The ring didn’t really have an expensive jewel — no, was it actually made of gold? Maybe the ring had been plated with gold or made from another mineral. When she reached such a conclusion, the ring's color on Eugene’s ring finger looked faded.

“…It doesn’t look expensive,” Ciel commented.

“I’m not sure about its price….” Eugene looked at his ring.

“It doesn’t look good for the members of the Lionheart main family to wear a cheap….” Ciel trailed off after seeing the old necklace on Eugene’s neck through the gap in his shirt. If her memory served her correctly, Eugene had already been wearing that necklace for seven years.

Although Gilead knew that the necklace was from the Lionheart treasure house, Ciel and Cyan didn’t know about that for a simple reason. Seven years ago, Eugene had brought out two things — the necklace and Wynnyd — from the Lionheart treasure house, and Gilead didn’t want his children to be jealous and give the cold shoulder to Eugene. Therefore Ciel and Cyan had previously come up with a theory: since Eugene never took off the necklace, even when he was sleeping, maybe the necklace was from Eugene’s deceased mother.

‘I’m so stupid…!’ Ciel screamed in her mind.

The necklace was so old that it couldn’t be called luxury even as a pleasantry, but that necklace was probably from Eugene’s deceased mother, making it the most valuable treasure for Eugene. Ciel had completely forgotten about the necklace and made a comment about how Eugene was wearing a cheap accessory…. Not knowing what to do, Ciel tiptoed around Eugene.

In fact, it was from Hamel's deceased parents, but it didn’t mean much now. Eugene was wearing it since the necklace was from his past life.

“…Uh….” Cyan spoke as he stepped up. Since Ciel was in trouble, he thought he had to help his sister. However, how should he help her? Well, he did make Eugene and Ciel look at him by speaking up.

Cyan saw how Ciel’s eyes lost focus. His sister who had been born a few seconds later than him always looked mischievous and naughty, but she was feeling lost.

“You… you are thrifty, haha,” Cyan said as he chuckled.

Although he had put some words together… he felt there must be better words to choose from. Looking back and forth between Ciel and Eugene, Cyan continued, “The ring… uh… must have special characteristics… that ordinary people don’t know since you are wearing it….”

Ciel’s eyes started to focus again little by little, and she awkwardly snorted in a high pitch. However, Ciel was certain that she perfectly controlled her emotions and successfully hid how she had been shaken up.

“…So you can’t tell us who gave you that ring?” Ciel quietly asked.

“Shouldn’t you respect others’ privacy?” Eugene answered.

Upon hearing the worst answer, Ciel raised her eyebrows, making Cyan break into a cold sweat. Derza never wanted to be involved in the conversation, so she kept her butt close to the saddle as she maintained her unstable position on top of the wyvern’s back. Despite feeling frustrated from the conversation, Mer ate crispy chips inside Eugene’s cloak.

“The ring!” Cyan hurriedly interrupted. “Wearing the ring on your left ring finger has a special meaning, right? That is why the story about your ring is your private affair, and you can’t tell us, am I correct?”

“What? Why is everyone so interested in my ring?” Eugene raised one of his eyebrows.

“Of-of course, I’m curious since you are my brother. Just a week ago, you didn’t wear any ring, so wouldn’t it be natural for us to be curious if you’re suddenly wearing a ring on your ring finger? Of… of course, sharing rings with somebody else is totally your right…” Cyan spoke dramatically.

“No, you are misunderstanding. This isn’t a matching[1] ring.” Eugene lightly chuckled, waving his hand. “This is a magic artifact, not a fashion accessory. The reason I can’t tell you about who gave me—”

“Magic!” Cyan suddenly yelled and went up to Ciel, putting his arm around her shoulder. “That was it! You have no other choice if it’s a magic artifact. Magic is… really a mysterious and secret study, right?!”

“…What?” Eugene asked back in disbelief.

“People shouldn’t talk hastily about magic, so you have no choice. Considering your personality, you must have a good reason to not talk about it,” Cyan proudly concluded, grinning awkwardly.

“You are right, Sir Cyan!” Mer stuck her head out from the cloak. Then, wiping the chip crumbs from her mouth, Mer continued, “The ring holds a magical vow. Since you aren’t a wizard, you may not be aware of this, but the left ring finger symbolizes a contract, a promise, and a connection. And such a ritual is very important in magic.”

“…Is that so?” Ciel’s face loosened up more.

“Yes, that’s true! And just like Sir Cyan mentioned, magic should be secretive. That’s why Sir Eugene can’t tell you, yup!” Mer backed Cyan up.

Although Mer wanted the conversation to continue further, it seemed that things would escalate into a disaster if she let the conversation continue on its current track, and that wasn’t what Mer wished. To be honest, watching Ciel’s refreshing reaction from within Eugene’s cloak was quite fun.

‘Well, her every attempt will be futile once Lady Sienna returns,’ Mer thought, already feeling a sense of superiority like a victor.

“Is thaaaat soooo?” Ciel grinned, shaking Eugene’s hand up and down that she had been holding until now.

‘I can’t believe I got so worked up,’ Ciel thought in disbelief.

After calming down very quickly, Ciel spoke pleasantly, “There’s no choice if magic is involved. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

She knew she had gotten enraged about a stupid matter just because it involved Eugene. Her pervert brother had indulged himself in pornographic books he had hidden in his room since he was little, but Eugene hadn’t done it once, not to Ciel’s knowledge. Eugene was stoic and devoted himself to training and improving himself to the extent that Ciel couldn’t believe Cyan and Eugene were the same age.

‘Did he run into a wandering wizard that had been hiding their identity or something?’ Ciel wondered.

The Dragonics had Alchester Dragonic, the best knight in the empire, as their Patriarch. Although the Dragonics were lacking in several aspects compared to the Lionhearts, there was a possibility of the Dragonics having a secluded wizard with a hidden identity as their clan member.

“I did it!” Dezra exclaimed from behind. The wyvern that had refused to move in accordance with Dezra’s will now followed her lead and flapped its wings.

“Lady Ciel, look! My wyvern spread his wings!” Dera proudly called out to Ciel.

“Shut up, Dezra!” Ciel let go of Eugene’s hand and glared at Dezra for talking to her when she was having a good conversation.

* * *

Another week had passed.

After Eugene got up from his bed, he blinked in disbelief because Akasha was floating in the middle of his room. Ariartelle had said that she would send Akasha to Eugene… and she literally just sent it over to him. From the rustic Bollanyo, Akasha had flown all the way to Eugene’s room in the Lionheart’s main estate.

“Well… umm… did she not worry about someone snatching it or birds pooping on it…?” Eugene frowned.

Of course, Ariartelle had cast all sorts of protections on Akasha for possible accidents, from an invisible spell to a magic barrier to shield the staff from rain storms and dust. Still, Eugene grumbled as he reached out to Akasha.

Akasha looked the same. However, when he grabbed the staff, Eugene’s view flickered once.

‘She improved Akasha’s mana circulation system,’ Eugene analyzed.

300 years ago was a long time back. Although Akasha was made by a dragon, it had an old-fashioned side from the perspective of a wizard from the current generation. Ariartelle, being a newer generation dragon, had figured that out and updated the circulation system to the current standard.

‘Well, there was no standardized system of the Circle Magic Formula when Akasha was made….’ Eugene nodded.

This had always resulted in a little bit of delay and a bit of Eugene’s mana getting wasted while using the Circle Magic Formula with Akasha.

“So the dragon learned Lady Sienna’s Circle Magic Formula, right?” Mer asked, sticking her head out from within the cloak that Eugene had put aside.

During their stay in the Dragonic Estate, Ariartelle had poured out intense Dragon Fear, and Mer had been close by. Although it had been a week since they returned from the Dragonic estate, Mer crawled into the cloak every night, unable to forget the fear she had felt then.

“She improved the circulation system in accordance with the Circle Magic Formula, so yeah, she probably did so,” Eugene agreed.

“That means Lady Sienna’s Circle Magic Formula is so exceptional that even a dragon acknowledges it, right?!” Mer squealed in excitement.

“Why are you suddenly bringing it up…? Aside from dragons, most wizards are already learning the Circle Magic Formula.” Eugene tilted his head in confusion.

“A human learning about the Circle Magic Formula is totally different from a dragon learning about it! A dragon — no, the race of magic is acknowledging Lady Sienna’s ability! That’s my Lady Sienna!” Mer crawled out of the cloak, making a fuss. Then she quickly climbed her way up to Eugene’s bed. Despite her excited looks, thinking of a dragon alone made her remember how scared she had been when she had faced Ariartelle’s Dragon Fear in close proximity.

Feeling Mer’s slight trembling, Eugene wrapped a blanket around her without saying anything.

“…Hmm.” Eugene concentrated on linking with Akasha. He could understand what had changed and been added right away.

‘The recoil I experienced while using high-ranking magic has lessened. The formation of formulas became neater and faster….’ Eugene went through the change one by one.

He was currently a Fifth Circle wizard who could use up to Seventh Circle magic with Mer and Akasha’s assistance, but in all fairness, it was risky for him to use high-ranking spells during battles.

Through the improved circulation system, high-ranking spells became less burdensome, and Eugene could use his mana more efficiently while using Akasha. Eugene didn’t expect Ariartelle to be generous enough to actually upgrade the staff, so he grinned as he looked at the Dragonheart on top of Akasha.

He could see the Draconic spell engraved by Ariartelle. It didn’t include any specific formulas; rather, the method to use the engraved Draconic spell was transmitted directly to Eugene’s head through Akasha. After understanding the method, Eugene stood up.

“…Hmm.”

After looking around at the surroundings, Eugene remembered his necklace, so he took it off and made it resonate with Akasha.

Woosh!

The moment the light inside the Dragonheart flickered, Eugene could see an image of someone in his head.

‘That’s me.’ Eugene realized.

It was a vague image of him from his past life, but the image soon overlapped with his current self. Was Akasha showing the memory that was engraved in his soul? Where was this? When Eugene infused more of his mana, he could see the Lionheart estate.

‘The coordinates are…. I can’t read the coordinates, and it seems Akasha can’t show me the exact location of the target. Yeah, Ariartelle told me that a location and the coordinates are useless if I go beyond space and reach a dimension. I need to find a concrete connection….’ Eugene thought as he closed his eyes and understood the concept within the Draconic spell.

He now had to find something connected with Raizakia and make it resonate with Akasha. If the object was undoubtedly connected to Raizakia, Eugene could force open a dimensional door and reach the rift where Raizakia was wandering around.

‘…The spatial coordinates aren't fixed, so it always changes little by little, requiring a complicated calculation,’ Eugene thought.

After giving up on calculating the coordinates, Eugene expanded his search radius to a dimensional level. Looking at a place where the target belonged from far away was enough, so Eugene grinned as he reached his hand to the Cloak of Darkness, planning to conduct several tests.

The first weapon Eugene pulled out was Wynnyd. When he put Akasha before Wynnyd, the sword shook instantly, making Tempest react immediately.

[It’s an unpleasant spell,] Tempest grumbled.

“Cooperate,” Eugene spoke concisely.

[Hamel, I can’t refuse if you ask, but keep this in mind. For a long time, countless beings located the spirit world and attempted to enter, including several dragons. However, no one is allowed to enter the spirit world.]

“Why don’t you just say I’ll die if I go to the spirit world just because I found it,” Eugene grumbled, making Akasha resonate with Wynnyd.

The current attempt made Eugene’s head ache. Unlike the previous attempt, he couldn’t see Tempest and the space he belonged to.

[So, you can’t force open the spirit world’s door? I guess the spell just enables you to open the door to a place inside that dimension. Well, there is no way such a young dragon can ignore the strict law of the spirit world and open up a door to another dimension.] Tempest’s voice brightened up a bit.

“Then the spell will be useless if Raizakia is in another dimension,” Eugene said in annoyance.

[Hamel, don’t you already know the answer to your question? If Raizakia were somewhere in another dimension, Sienna Merdein and the elves wouldn’t be affected by his curse anymore.] Tempest reminded Eugene.

Knowing Tempest was right, Eugene felt slightly disappointed as he put down Wynnyd and pulled out the Moonlight Sword.

[Isn’t it dangerous?] Tempest asked because he also knew the power of the Moonlight Sword very well — the mysterious sword that had been found in Helmuth’s underground ruins. Although Tempest was the Wind Spirit King who had existed since ancient times, he had never heard of a myth or a legend about the Moonlight Sword on the continent.

[Hamel, you may also be aware, but that thing is… destruction in the form of a sword. You might experience an unexpected rebound from the sword.]

“The Moonlight Sword has the strongest connection with Vermouth,” Eugene spoke, unsheathing the Moonlight Sword without a single hesitation.

Woosh…!

When pale and dim moonlight made up a blade of the Moonlight Sword, Mer snuggled into the blanket.

“Thunderbolt Pernoa, Dragon Spear, Holy Sword…. All the weapons had their own histories and previous owners before Vermouth began to use them, but the Moonlight Sword had no history of being used before Vermouth. Although I’m the one who’s holding the Moonlight Sword right now, Vermouth used it way more often, longer, and better than me,” Eugene reasoned.

[That’s true, but….]

“I’m not putting too much hope on this since it’s Vermouth. That thorough bastard even had a funeral to pretend that he died, so he must have erased all the traces that could lead to him. However, there is always that ‘what if,’ right? Even if I fail in finding Vermouth, I might be able to locate the Moonlight Sword’s fragments.” Eugene said, bringing Akasha close to the Moonlight Sword. The moment the Moonlight Sword’s moonlight pushed away Akasha’s magic, Eugene instantly mediated between the two.

When he had first found the Moonlight Sword’s fragment three years ago, he had trained his mana control skill using the fragment, and after that, he had obtained the sword’s handle in the desert grave. It was hard to control the fragment of the Moonlight Sword, but he could use the sword’s handle.

The process of making it possible had been so freaking hard. While holding the Moonlight Sword, he used magic and released his sword force to tame the Moonlight Sword.

Woong…!

Through Eugene’s mediation, the Draconic spell from Akasha was cast on the Moonlight Sword.

‘…This is…’ Eugene thought.

Something had appeared inside his head.

‘…What am I….’ Eugene slightly gaped.

Something appeared, spread, and stained his mind.

‘…What am I seeing?’

It was now pitch-black. Was it… the sky?

‘…That’s….’ Eugene squinted.

However, he had no idea what he was looking at right now. It was so dark… nothing was around — no, he couldn’t see anything….

‘Vermouth?’

Rattle.

He had heard the sound before… where had he heard it?

Rattle.

The sound of iron chains being dragged on the floor echoed in the wavering darkness.

Two rays of red light showed up in the center.

“Don’t look,” someone quietly whispered to him.

‘The Demon King of Incarceration.’ Eugene realized who had whispered to him.

The darkness took on a shade of scarlet, and Eugene knew what that scarlet light was.

….

…….

……….

[…Hamel!] Tempest yelled inside Eugene’s head.

“Sir Eugene!” Mer shouted right next to Eugene.

The two voices brought Eugene back to reality, but his view was still red.

“Fuck,” Eugene cursed as he wiped the blood tears running down his cheeks.

1. Korean couples often wear a matched pair of rings even if they are not engaged or married. ☜