My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 248

248. The Last Dragon (1)

The earth vibrated slightly from the voice that filled the sky.

It was such a massive voice that it naturally made one wonder if thunder had struck.

And it was merely a voice that contained no force.

However, just hearing the voice felt like being crushed by something.

The oppressive presence seemed to weigh down on the entire body.

“Huff…! Cough…!”

“Hah…!”

Ruben’s soldiers, unable to withstand the pressure, began to collapse one by one.

The veterans were holding on to some extent, but the recruits were all gasping for breath and collapsing to the ground.

A simple presence without any force added.

“T, the Guardian…!”

Pavel’s trembling voice was heard.

The Guardian of the Beastmen.

The strongest being who reigns over all things, the Dragon.

This was none other than Dragon Pressure.

“T, this is…”

“No way…”

People seemed greatly bewildered by the overwhelming presence.

Only one person.

Saaaaaaah!

Sian alone stood calmly against the oppressive force.

The oppressive force that weighed down on the entire space was felt, but the dragon’s figure was not visible.

Perhaps… it seemed like it was deliberately not revealing itself.

It was an absolute being that presented this level of pressure with just its presence without revealing its appearance.

If it were to reveal its appearance, there was a real risk of people dying.

To be able to kill people with just its presence.

It was truly a mythical being.

Pajijijik!

At that moment, blue lightning flashed before his eyes.

Soon, the space where the lightning flashed split up and down.

[Come in.]

And then came a voice like thunder.

“……!”

“……!”

Pavel and Diana’s eyes widened.

That’s because of the sight they were seeing now.

This meant that the Guardian was going to meet Sian in person.

However, it was extremely rare for the Guardian to meet someone directly.

It had only communicated with its presence from afar like this.

Even Pavel of the long-lived High Elf race had never had a direct audience with the Guardian.

Only the tribal chiefs could have a direct audience with the Guardian.

But what on earth was going on now…?

Pavel and Diana’s astonished eyes turned to Sian.

Sian took a step through the cracked space.

And Aria followed behind Sian.

Right then.

[A child of mighty divinity.]

The voice of thunder erupted again.

And once again.

[But, can you handle it?]

At the same time, an enormous presence began to erupt.

The pressure, as if a huge amount of magic power had been gathered and detonated, weighed down on his entire body.

“Ugh…!”

Aria staggered.

Still, Aria was Aria, so she could stop at just staggering.

However, she seemed quite struggling.

After some time, the pressure disappeared again.

The dragon said no more.

However, the intention was clear.

If you can withstand that force, I will not stop you from entering.

“……”

Aria couldn’t bring herself to take a step forward.

And Pavel and Diana, who had indirectly felt that power.

The two could understand why the Guardian had not allowed direct audiences other than the tribal chiefs.

That’s why now.

“I’ll go alone.”

Sian’s unharmed appearance was astonishing.

It meant that he was at least on par with the tribal chief.

Astonishment turned into shock again and headed towards Sian.

Sian took a step forward in those gazes.

The space that was cracked and rippling.

Sian squeezed his body through it.

#

Inside the rippling space.

A slight dizziness occurred and the vision reversed for a moment.

And the scenery he saw was not much different from before.

It was almost an illusion that he was in the same space but at a different time.

It seemed to be a space of illusion…

Was the dragon really a dragon?

Sian couldn’t tell whether this place was an illusion or reality.

Perhaps if it wasn’t for the huge cave in front of him.

[Come inside.]

And if it wasn’t for the thunderous voice he heard, Sian would have been lost.

Sian took a step into the cave.

Whooooooong.

As soon as he entered, he could feel a huge storm-like wind.

The cave was quite deep.

It was so deep and huge that he didn’t know if it was a cave or if it had been dug through the entire mountain.

How could it be made so deep?

And was there a need to make it so deep?

For a moment, he wondered, but Sian soon realized.

Why the cave was so deep and huge.

To be exact, it had no choice but to be deep and huge.

That’s because of the huge being in front of Sian’s eyes.

Could this even be expressed with the word ‘huge’?

It was difficult to be accurate because it was estimated by sight.

However, it was not an exaggeration or a simple figurative expression.

It was a golden creature of overwhelming size, nearly 100 meters [328 feet] in height.

It included the length of the tail, but even so, it was truly an enormous being.

Whooooooong.

And the huge storm he had felt from the entrance of the cave.

That wasn’t a storm.

Whooooooong.

Unbelievably, the creature in front of him was causing a storm just by breathing.

The size was so huge that it just felt like a storm.

Sian stood there blankly.

Jjeoeooeok.

Soon, a roar was heard.

The sound of a large rock being lifted was none other than the sound of an eyeball being opened.

The eyeball resembled that of a snake, but it had a more chilling shape.

Soon, the gaze of the eyeball turned to Sian.

At the same time, a presence that was on a different level than before was felt.

Sian hurriedly controlled his mana and protected his body.

Otherwise, it was a terrible pressure that was hard to withstand.

How could it give such pressure just by existing?

The dragon that went extinct a thousand years ago by the demons.

Sian could immediately understand why the demons hunted the dragons first.

[A thousand years ago.]

And after a little time, a voice was heard.

It resonated through the eardrums and into the mind.

It felt like consciousness would be cut off if he didn’t concentrate.

[There was a human who overshadowed the world.]

The dragon continued to speak, looking at Sian.

[It was truly an amazing being. So strong that even I couldn’t dare to do anything. Was it even possible for such a being to die? It was such a powerful and amazing being that I had such doubts.]

The dragon muttered an incomprehensible story.

However, Sian could understand.

The human who overshadowed the world that the dragon spoke of.

Sian knew who that human was.

The strongest Arnaiz, Kyle.

[But even that mighty being eventually succumbed to the fate of mortality. And never again did that power come out into the world.]

[Even in countless years, there was no one who wielded that power. I thought it was a power that had faded and disappeared into fate…]

The huge eyes looking at Sian.

[How can you use that power?]

The dragon was revealing some curiosity towards Sian.

Sian looked straight into the dragon’s two eyes.

It felt like some mental strength was being consumed just by looking, but he didn’t turn away.

“Before that, there is one thing I would like to ask.”

And Sian did not answer the dragon’s question.

The reason was simple.

He had to stimulate curiosity.

The dragon in front of him was not meeting the beastmen for some reason.

Even though the beastmen’s crisis had come, he was neglecting his role as guardian.

So Sian would be no different.

The reason he showed up now and met Sian was none other than curiosity.

If he satisfied that curiosity, it might be the end.

So now was the time to maintain curiosity, not answer.

The dragon stared at Sian silently.

And Sian raised his tension to the fullest.

In fact, it was just stimulating curiosity.

It was no different from ignoring the dragon’s words.

From the dragon’s point of view, humans were just insects.

An insect ignoring the dragon’s words?

Of course, it was an inevitable situation to be angry.

In fact, Sian was receiving such pressure.

And frankly speaking.

Sian couldn’t guarantee victory even if he fought the dragon in front of him.

A pressure even greater than the seven demon lords.

Of course, it was only when compared to the restricted seven demon lords, but even so, it was truly an absurd being.

Sian wondered why there was no dragon slayer in the history of the continent.

In addition, how absurd Kyle, who the dragon praised as amazing, was.

Sian could realize it again.

Sian waited for the dragon’s actions, raising his tension.

But why?

The dragon showed no other reaction than that.

To be exact, he was just looking at Sian with indifferent eyes as if he didn’t care.

Whether he knew or not, it didn’t matter.

The dragon was showing an indifferent attitude.

Sian couldn’t help but be surprised by the dragon’s reaction.

Silence descended.

Sian slowly opened his mouth.

“The great one—.”

[Karze.]

The dragon cut off Sian’s words for a moment.

He wondered what it was for a moment.

[It is my name that will soon return to nature.]

Somehow, the dragon’s name seemed to be Karze.

And the words ‘soon to return to nature’.

Sian intuitively knew that Karze was about to die.

And only then could Sian see Karze’s appearance properly.

A dragon who has lived for 1,000 years.

But even dragons are ultimately mortal beings.

Karze, who was a hatchling a thousand years ago, had become an ancient dragon in the endless years.

Maybe that’s why.

Sian felt like Karze was soaked in inertia.

Sian slowly opened his mouth.

“I would like to ask if Karze knows where the relic is.”

[Relic…]

Karze muttered with a sigh.

And he didn’t answer for quite a long time.

Rather than not answering… it seemed like he was thinking.

So it seemed like he was thinking about what the relic Sian was talking about was.

Karze, the ancient dragon of a thousand years.

Even if Sian hadn’t said it, Karze would have known countless relics.

Perhaps, if the beastmen had come and asked about the location of the relic, he wouldn’t have hesitated.

But Sian was a human, not a beastman.

There were countless things that were called relics to humans.

Sian realized his mistake and corrected his words.

“Do you know where the relic Muriel left behind a thousand years ago is?”

Then suddenly Karze’s momentum changed.

The indifferent eyes that had been soaked in inertia were clearly filled with curiosity.

As expected, Karze asked Sian.

[How… do you know that fact?]

As expected, Sian did not answer.

He had to continue to stimulate curiosity now.

He had to continue this meeting by stimulating curiosity.

The information Sian wanted to obtain was not only the location of the relic.

The truth that Kyle faced.

The truth of some kind that he had to abandon his comrades and leave.

It had disappeared into the years and was buried, but not Karze.

Kare had met Kyle in person.

He also witnessed Kyle’s death with his own eyes.

Karze would know the fragments of truth that Sian was chasing.

Sian kept his mouth shut and stood still in that spot.

And this time, he wondered if he would get angry.

But Karze showed no reaction this time either.

His gaze and eyes were indifferent again.

[A long time ago, there were those who made the world noisy.]

Karze began to tell an unknown story.

Perhaps… it seemed to be a story related to Arnaiz.

However, unlike Kyle, he described the Arnaiz as ‘beings who made the world noisy’.

Of course, Kyle was also a member of Arnaiz.

However, Karze seemed to be accepting Kyle as a separate being.

[They drove out the chaos that had come to the world and regained peace.]

The six heroes who saved the continent, Arnaiz.

It was a myth that anyone on the continent knew.

[But that peace was false.]

But it wasn’t from here.

A story that is not known to the world.

A story hidden behind the myth.

And maybe.

The story of the truth that Kyle faced.

[The demons who plunged the world into chaos and the heroes who drove them out. But soon they had no choice but to face the truth.]

[The demons had only disappeared for a while…]

Karze continued to speak.

[The demons were not destroyed and had the risk of coming back to the world someday. But unlike the demons, they were mortal beings who would eventually face death. They couldn’t do anything about the demons who would come back someday.]

They here refers to Arnaiz.

Charlotte, Muriel, Elodie, Morkru, Noemi and Kyle.

[Therefore, they sealed some of their power to stop the demons. To prevent them from using their full power when the demons came to the continent again.]

Perhaps… he was talking about Muriel’s relic.

He thought Muriel had made the relic alone.

But according to what he heard, it seemed that all the Arnaiz had worked together to make it.

And the role of the relic was to seal the power of the demons.

Only then could Sian understand.

Why Nurvia and Rushria couldn’t use their full power in the past.

Also, why they were so eager to find this relic.

[But this also had the risk of being lost in the endless years. Therefore, they entrusted the relic to the most trustworthy person.]

That being was Noemi.

So the relic has been passed down as the relic of the beastmen until now.

At first, he wondered why it wasn’t Kyle.

The most reliable and safest place was Kyle.

But after hearing this story, Sian could understand.

It wasn’t Noemi.

The dragon in front of him now, Karze.

Perhaps it was because of Karze.

Noemi, who was a Dragonkin [a being with dragon blood or heritage].

Noemi seemed to have had some connection with the current dragon a thousand years ago.

Perhaps the reason why Karze exists as the guardian of the beastmen now.

It was probably due to Noemi’s influence.

Therefore, entrusting it to Noemi meant that he could borrow Karze’s power.

The average lifespan of a dragon is 1,000 years.

Even if Noemi died in the future, Karze would still be alive.

Even after all the Arnaiz died, Karze would still be alive.

He could protect the relic by borrowing Karze’s power for a thousand years.

Maybe that’s why the relic was entrusted to Noemi, not Kyle.

Kyle was a human, and therefore a being who had to face death.

[But that fact was kept a complete secret. Because there was no one to tell the truth after that.]

It was an ambiguous word.

But Sian could guess the meaning.

Perhaps he was talking about Muriel’s sudden suicide.

The truth that Sian dug up from Muriel’s ruins in the past.

Muriel committed suicide for some reason.

After imprisoning Kendrick and the Black Lion Knights, she committed suicide there not long after.

Even though there was no reason to commit suicide at all.

And the point in time when Muriel committed suicide.

According to Karze’s words, it seemed that she committed suicide after entrusting the relic to Noemi.

Could it be that she committed suicide to hide the fact that she had entrusted the relic?

To not reveal that it was with Noemi?

There were still unanswered questions to think that way.

The reason why Muriel committed suicide was still unclear.

But what was certain was that Karze’s Sian should not know.

That the relic of the beastmen was Muriel’s relic.

That Muriel entrusted the relic to Noemi.

It was a truth that disappeared with Muriel’s suicide a thousand years ago.

It was a truth that was not even known to the beastmen.

So Sian could say, ‘Do you know where the relic of the beastmen is?’

But he should never have said, ‘Do you know where the relic Muriel left behind a thousand years ago is?’

But what came out of Sian’s mouth was Muriel’s name.

[Answer.]

A clear vitality began to circulate in Karze’s eyes, which had been indifferent.

[How do you know that fact?]

With those words, a chilling momentum erupted.

Karze’s momentum added to the presence.

Sian could feel the terrible energy that was tightening his whole body.

A powerful restraining force that made it difficult to even breathe bound Sian’s whole body.

In between.

Ding!

『[Story Main Quest] – ‘Unresolved Question’ (Clear!)』

A cheerful smartphone notification sound was heard from his pocket.