My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 249

249. The Last Dragon (2)

The smartphone notification buzzed in my pocket.

But Sian couldn’t bring himself to check it.

A terrible pressure weighed down his entire body.

The kind of authority only top predators possess: Fear.

The pressure he felt now resembled that Fear, but with a crucial difference.

Fear terrifies prey, hindering their ability to fight back.

But this energy was different. It crushed and extinguished existence with sheer force.

The instinct was ingrained in all living beings.

Scholars defined this as Dragon Pressure.

Kugugugung─!

The suppressing force intensified.

Ever since achieving 100% mastery of the Demon Mixing Art, ordinary suppression no longer worked on Sian.

“Is it really because it’s a dragon?”

The simple act of breathing became difficult.

The air around Sian thickened, pressing down on him.

Stimulating curiosity was one thing.

But he seemed to have overstimulated it.

“What should I do?”

Sian shook off the pressure and quickly gathered his thoughts.

He couldn’t risk provoking the dragon’s curiosity further.

Therefore, remaining silent wasn’t a good option.

However, answering truthfully didn’t seem wise either.

Karze, the dragon who ignored the beastmen’s plight.

Sian had a feeling that once his curiosity was satisfied, Karze would end the conversation.

A moment of contemplation.

“Kyle.”

Sian slowly spoke.

“I am a descendant of Kyle.”

Karze’s aura shifted instantly.

The crushing pressure vanished, and surprise flickered in Karze’s indifferent eyes.

A brief silence.

[Kyle…]

Karze finally spoke.

His eyes seemed to sink into a distant memory.

[That name belongs to a fate that died and disappeared long ago.]

Karze spoke again.

He clearly didn’t believe Sian’s claim easily.

Which was understandable.

Kyle had died a thousand years ago, and for a millennium, his line had vanished.

While other Arnaizes’ descendants continued their legacies, Kyle’s had not.

It was natural for Karze to be skeptical.

However…

“Didn’t you see my power just now?”

It wasn’t something Karze could simply dismiss.

His gaze returned to Sian.

The magic Sian had used earlier.

It was undeniably a power Karze remembered.

Even though a thousand years had passed.

Karze hadn’t forgotten. He couldn’t.

How could he forget that wondrous power?

A strength that defied human limitations, unbound by natural laws.

That’s why Karze was certain of one thing.

The young human before him now…

Was not the same as the Kyle from back then.

Too pathetic in comparison.

And that’s why the claim of being a “descendant” was so hard to swallow.

He wielded the same power, yet he was so weak.

Karze studied Sian in silence.

Time stretched on.

Finally, Karze looked away, his indifferent mask returning.

[You said you wanted to know the location of the relic.]

Karze asked, his tone unchanged.

Sian wondered at the sudden shift in demeanor.

Shouldn’t Karze have *some* kind of reaction to the claim of being Kyle’s descendant?

*If it’s a lie, call me out. If you believe it, even a little, shouldn’t you ask for proof?*

But Karze showed nothing.

He seemed indifferent, uncaring whether it was a lie or not.

Deeply puzzled, Sian simply nodded.

A brief silence.

[Have the demons reappeared?]

Karze muttered, his words heavy with meaning.

Considering the events of a thousand years ago, the word “again” was accurate.

But there was something more to it.

“What do you mean by ‘again’?”

Sian asked, and Karze slowly began to speak.

[A long time ago, after all those who stirred up the world had passed on, the incident we feared finally occurred.]

Karze’s indifferent gaze was fixed on the empty air, not on Sian.

[The demons finally reappeared.]

“······?”

Sian tilted his head, confused.

*Demons appeared in the past, too?*

Karze said “a long time ago,” which could refer to the events of a thousand years ago.

But he also said, “After all those who stirred up the world had passed away.”

In other words, it happened after the Arnaizes had died.

*This is the first I’m hearing of this.*

Sian knew nothing about it.

It was a secret unknown not only to Sian but to the entire continent.

The only known demon appearance was a thousand years ago.

They had never reappeared since.

If they had, demons wouldn’t be considered beings from a distant past.

More importantly, if demons had returned, the entire continent would have been thrown into chaos.

Such an event would have been recorded.

But there was no record of demons reappearing anywhere.

But now…

[The continent was plunged into great chaos once more. But those who could stop them were gone. Only their descendants remained.]

[The continent rallied around those descendants.]

Here, “descendants” referred to the Arnaizes.

[However, even in that crisis, one descendant was absent.]

Kyle’s line had vanished.

[The most powerful being. But he had no heirs. If his descendants had remained… perhaps Charlotte’s child would not have died.]

Karze continued, his tone still indifferent.

*Wait a minute.*

Charlotte’s child died…? That meant Charlotte’s descendant.

And Charlotte’s descendant was the emperor of the empire.

Which meant…

The emperor had died.

Of course, the emperor was mortal and would eventually die.

But from what Karze said, it seemed he had died fighting demons.

Only once in the empire’s history had an emperor died before his time.

A great crisis that threatened the empire’s existence centuries ago.

The emperor was assassinated during a certain incident.

The incident in which Charlotte’s swordsmanship was lost.

*Wait. If that’s the case…?*

Sian’s mind raced.

Whether Karze sensed Sian’s turmoil or not…

[Nevertheless, they fought against the demons.]

Karze continued.

The demons had reappeared on the continent.

Without the Arnaizes, there was no one to stop them.

However, the demons had underestimated one thing.

[I couldn’t stand by and watch the continent fall into crisis.]

The dragon, Karze, thought to have gone extinct a thousand years ago, still existed.

At that time, Karze was only a few hundred years old.

A healthy and energetic adult dragon.

[I joined forces with their descendants and fought.]

But it was a difficult battle.

The Arnaizes’ descendants were just that: descendants.

They were weaker than their ancestors.

And while Karze was an adult dragon, he was ultimately alone.

In many ways, it wasn’t enough to face the seven demon lords.

Nevertheless, there was one thing that allowed them to drive the demons back.

To be exact, something the demons hadn’t anticipated.

[If it weren’t for the power of the relic… I would have died then.]

The relic left behind by Muriel [one of the original Arnaizes, known for her foresight].

If that relic hadn’t weakened the demons’ power, the continent would have been destroyed.

Muriel had foreseen the demons’ return.

The legacy she left behind remained.

[The continent once again defended its peace from the threat of demons.]

That’s how the fight ended.

But the damage was more severe than expected.

First, Charlotte’s descendant, the emperor, was assassinated.

A great crisis that almost led to the fall of the entire empire.

[Although that too was a false peace…]

The biggest problem was that the demons could return at any time.

So, immediately after that incident.

[Their descendants erased the existence of the relic.]

They erased the fact that the relic existed from the records.

The decisive reason they were able to repel the demons.

In the distant future, if the demons were to return, they would seek out this relic first.

And if records related to it existed, its location would be easily discovered.

If that relic were to fall into the hands of the demons…

A world without the Arnaizes [a powerful lineage of warriors].

There would be no one to stop the seven demon lords who had unleashed their full power.

So, they erased all records.

Not only the fact that the relic existed, but even the fact that demons had invaded.

[I settled here with the beastmen.]

In the process, the beastmen turned their backs on the world.

The beastmen, who had been actively interacting with humans, turned away.

Cyan felt like all the pieces were falling into place.

Pavel’s words that it was the beastmen’s mission to protect the relic.

Also, the reason why the beastmen moved their kingdom.

The reason why the location of the beastmen kingdom was different from the records of a thousand years ago.

Moreover, even the reason why the demon invasion of hundreds of years ago was not recorded.

It seemed that all of it was because of this.

To erase the existence of the relic from the world.

And to hide the existence of the relic from the demons who would return someday.

So, now Karze is the guardian of the beastmen, and at the same time.

[And has been protecting that relic until now.]

He was acting as the guardian of the relic.

Perhaps… he wasn’t the guardian of the beastmen, but the guardian of the relic.

With those words, Karze was silent for a moment.

Cyan waited for Karze, and soon Karze slowly opened his mouth.

[The relic is currently in the Levis Forest.]

Cyan didn’t know where the Levis Forest was.

It seemed to be somewhere in the area where the beastmen lived.

He could quickly find out the location by asking Pavel.

So, this wasn’t a big problem.

And Cyan had to move quickly.

Because even at this moment, Elandur would be moving to find the relic.

To secure the relic before Elandur, he had to move right away.

But Cyan couldn’t do that.

To be exact, he couldn’t shake off one question.

[If you have nothing more to say, go back.]

None other than Karze’s current appearance.

The ancient dragon lying down and not moving.

‘Why on earth…?’

Cyan couldn’t shake off the question.

Karze, the guardian of the beastmen and the guardian of the relic.

As a guardian, Karze had fought against the demons even hundreds of years ago.

He joined forces with the descendants of the Arnaizes to drive out the demons.

So, it had to be the same now.

He had to get up and fight this time as well.

But he didn’t.

Even though the demons had appeared again, Karze didn’t move.

Forgetting his role as the guardian of the relic, he was neglecting the relic.

He was just staring blankly at the air with indifferent eyes.

Was it because he was old, unlike back then?

“What is the reason?”

Cyan had no choice but to ask.

Karze’s indifferent gaze turned to Cyan.

That gaze was so sunken that it couldn’t be thought of as belonging to a powerful being.

[Do you prefer life, human? That fleeting flicker.]

Soon, Karze’s mouth slowly opened.

[I have spent so much time enduring to delay the inevitable… but nothing has changed in that endless cycle.]

Karze’s gaze was still indifferent.

And it wasn’t a gaze based on the simple emotion of ‘indifference’.

Not even a shred of attachment to life.

The inertia that had soaked in over a thousand years.

[At one time, I believed that I could change fate. But… in the end, all I faced was the fate of mortality.]

[Many people struggled to change their fate… but in the end, no one succeeded. In the end, they perished and disappeared into the fate of mortality.]

Karze indifferently turned his indifferent gaze.

And only then could Cyan understand what Karze’s inertia was.

An endless nightmare.

For some reason, the demons did not die or disappear.

Karze had fought them for a thousand years.

He had protected the continent through desperate struggles.

A thousand years ago, and hundreds of years ago.

In countless ages that Cyan didn’t know.

Karze fought, but the demons would only return.

[There have been many deaths to change that fate. But it was meaningless. Some called it a noble sacrifice, but in the end, it didn’t change anything.]

The ancient dragon who had watched that repeating fate for a thousand years.

[Death was so meaningless. There was no such thing as a valuable death…]

[In the end, everyone just reached death.]

[Everyone is equal before death. It’s already a predetermined result, and no one overcomes death.]

[After all, no one survives in this world.]

[It’s just a matter of time. Everyone in this world eventually faces death.]

Thus, the life of the ancient dragon was coming to an end.

At the end of a distant life of a thousand years, the ancient dragon felt it.

[Life is a fleeting flicker, and death is eternal.]

[What’s the point of me stepping in? In the end, everyone will face the same death…]

The meaninglessness that doesn’t change even if you struggle.

In the end, everyone becomes equal before death.

Humans who can’t even live for 100 years.

Even those humans realize the futility of life in the face of death.

What about an ancient dragon who has lived for a thousand years?

Karze, who has seen the deaths of countless beings.

[There’s nothing more to say. Go back.]

Karze was alive, but not alive.

And Cyan was looking at such Karze.

“…”

Cyan really couldn’t say anything.

The thousand-year-old dragon soaked in inertia.

Cyan couldn’t say anything in front of that inertia.

It was good to have stimulated curiosity using Kyle’s power.

But curiosity ultimately failed to overcome inertia.

That’s why Cyan could realize that further conversation was meaningless.

It seemed like Karze wouldn’t answer even if he asked something.

Karze already thought everything was futile.

It could be seen as a great achievement just to have induced this conversation.

It was an achievement that he probably wouldn’t have been able to obtain if Cyan hadn’t aroused curiosity.

Anyway, he couldn’t draw out the conversation any further.

He couldn’t hope for Karze’s help any further either.

Cyan finished thinking and slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s just one more thing I’d like to ask you for the last time.”

Karze showed neither affirmation nor denial.

You babble, I’ll just listen.

With such a passive attitude, Karze was just staying still with his eyes closed.

Cyan said to such Karze.

“If you don’t need them, could you share some of the treasures you have…?”

Then Karze paused for a moment.

To be exact, his body didn’t move, but he could feel that way.

Cyan continued to speak.

“No, it’s not that I have any other intentions. Well… since you’re facing death anyway, and you feel that life is futile, I thought it would be okay to share some before you go… Haha.”

Karze’s eyes were slightly opened.

Cyan scratched the back of his head with an awkward smile.

No, but that’s how the words came out.

Honestly, wasn’t it the right thing to say?

It was understandable to feel the futility of life with death in front of him.

It was also somewhat understandable not to use his power as a guardian anymore because everything was meaningless.

Then, shouldn’t he feel that wealth and treasures are also futile in the same way?

A treasure that he can’t take to death anyway.

He could share some.

Above all, if he’s just going to stand by as a guardian, he could share some.

Cyan was standing there with a smile.

And Karze was just staring at such Cyan.

The indifferent gaze that had been consistent was no longer visible.

Right now, it was like saying, what kind of crazy bastard is this?

…

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m just asking in case. Just in caaase. Since you’re going to die anyway, I thought you wouldn’t need them… Haha.”

[……]

Karze was at a loss for words.

In a thousand years, this was the first time he had seen such a human.

Not only humans, but all beings, this was the first time a bastard… no, a being had said this in front of him.

To share some if he’s going to die soon.

What is this…

Karze, who had lived an immeasurable amount of time.

In that time, Karze had experienced all kinds of joys, sorrows, loves, hates, and desires.

But now, Karze was feeling some kind of emotion that he had never experienced before.

It was something different from curiosity.

And curiosity ultimately failed to overcome inertia.

But this feeling he’s feeling now.

“Not a lot, but even a little. No, even a speck…”

This feeling seemed to have overcome inertia.