The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 320

214. White Gold Dragon’s Lair (1)

“So, this is it.”

While crossing the island, the group reached the volcano entrance without much trouble.

“For a place that was supposed to be a forbidden zone and a dragon’s sanctuary, it’s quite underwhelming.”

As if she had forgotten the battle they had just fought, Miliana clicked her tongue, seemingly disappointed.

“The monsters in the forest must have been terrified by the Drake’s submissive behavior. Or maybe they were intimidated by your momentum after crushing the Burguster.”

“Hmm. So, they were nothing special after all.”

Kahlil chuckled at her words.

“We were lucky. Thanks to you, we were able to arrive here smoothly.”

However, unlike her relaxed demeanor, Aidan seemed a bit tired due to the constant tension he had maintained. The assassins of the Dark Shadow were no different.

“With you and me here, they’re the ones who are tense,” Miliana said, sounding incredulous.

“The Dragon’s Sanctuary is a place like that. Still, they’ve managed to endure this far because of their skills. Could you guys start a fire and boil some water?”

Altemann took out one of the many potion bottles hanging inside his coat and handed it to Aidan.

“This will make you feel a bit better.”

“Mental strength is ultimately born from belief. If belief is strong, fear disappears. Even if I had brought my own subordinates instead of Kahlil’s Free Knights, they would have been less trouble than those guys.”

Despite Altemann’s words, Miliana still seemed dissatisfied.

“I don’t think so. Miliana, you don’t know because of your dragon magic, but the magic here is different from the continent.”

Kahlil spread his palm and swept through the air.

Then, white particles like salt appeared on his palm before disappearing.

Shaking off the dust, Kahlil said, “This is……?”

“Magic that has crystallized. I don’t know why, but it makes the air here very heavy. Regardless of physical strength, it would be difficult to endure here without being at least a Sword Expert [a skilled swordsman].”

“Hmm.”

“But that’s just the minimum requirement for movement. The assassins of the Dark Shadow have learned secret techniques for magic resistance since they were young, so they can still fight to some extent.”

“Kahlil is right. It’s like having attribute stones lingering in the air. It’s like inhaling the dust of attribute stones that aren’t your own… It’s definitely not a good situation.”

Miliana frowned slightly at Altemann’s explanation.

“Then they’re just more of a burden, aren’t they? Why did you bring those guys here in the first place? I don’t understand it even more after hearing you two.”

However, despite her nagging, Kahlil only responded with a faint smile.

“Let’s take a break for a while.”

Crackle… crackle…

The embers of the bonfire rose into the sky like shimmering waves. The Snakels, who had taken Altemann’s recovery potion, moved busily, and when a decent meal was prepared, people remembered that they hadn’t eaten anything since entering the island.

“Please, eat. Thanks to you, the ship wasn’t destroyed, so I was able to prepare this.”

Aidan passed a bowl to Miliana.

The steaming soup was clear, but the aroma was so strong that Miliana smacked her lips and said,

“For an assassin, you’re quite prepared.”

“The Eastern Kingdom assigns missions and divides people to live in various parts of the continent. Although they are assassins, they range from informants to personnel in charge of supplies. Snakel also came from the Dark Shadow and has experienced all of that, so he is bound to be familiar with outdoor life.”

“Hmm. It’s delicious.”

Miliana tasted the soup that Aidan handed her and said, sounding surprised.

“I’m glad.”

“But if it’s just for meal duty, one or two would be enough.”

Aidan gave a bitter smile at her unchanging attitude.

“Kahlil.”

Contrary to her words, Miliana emptied her bowl in an instant, and it was only when she was eating her third bowl that she gestured to Kahlil, who had returned.

“Where have you been?”

“I went around the volcano for a while. I found the entrance to the lair. We’ll move as soon as we rest.”

“Anything unusual?”

“Like all dragon lairs, there’s a barrier magic. There seems to be alarm magic and trap magic as well… Unfortunately, they’re not things I can identify at my level, so I don’t know what kind of magic is in place.”

Kahlil shook his head at Altemann’s question.

“[It’s a mixed barrier that only dragons can use. It’s called a multiple seal.]”

Alrn appeared in a black form and said.

“[It was also a specialty of Pan Oman, one of the seven elders during the Magic Era. Various attributes are fitted together like a puzzle, so it’s not easy to break. If you just go in, you’ll be immediately discovered by the White Gold Dragon.]”

“Then does that mean we can’t enter the lair?”

“[It’s not that it’s impossible to break, just not easy. It’s just much more elaborate and precise than Pan Oman’s. Besides, the problem is that this guy hasn’t reached the 7th class yet.]”

Altemann looked at Kahlil at Alrn’s words.

After reaching the 6th class, Kahlil was finally able to access Alrn’s repository of knowledge, but unfortunately, he had not yet acquired all the knowledge of the Archmage.

“It’s not that there’s no way.”

But surprisingly, Kahlil was calm.

“I can’t release the multiple barriers, but I can know what attributes of magic are in place. I can change the attributes of my magic accordingly.”

“Change…….”

“[It’s not about breaking the barrier, but about changing the intruder’s body to match the barrier. It’s much easier than breaking through the lair’s magic.]”

“Is that possible?”

Altemann frowned slightly and asked at Alrn’s words. Humans are born with only one attribute. That was true not only for humans but also for elves and other races.

But to change that innate attribute was impossible.

“It’s possible for someone with colorless attributes.”

“Ah……!”

Altemann made a low exclamation at his answer.

“But aren’t you and she the only ones here with colorless magic?”

“That’s right.”

“……Then why.”

“Why did I bring you and them?”

Kahlil laughed as if he knew what he was wondering.

“I’ve never been here, but I’ve heard before. The islands of the White Gold Dragon’s lair look peaceful, but in fact, each of the large and small islands has a magic cave and is covered with dense dragon magic.”

“……?”

“I wondered if it was true, and it was. In fact, this is the second time I’ve been in a place where magic is so dense in the atmosphere.”

Altemann looked at him with an expression that he didn’t understand what he was saying.

“[Heh heh…….]”

However, Alrn, who had created a space of magic by passing on the colorless sword to Kahlil at the Gray School, smiled faintly.

“And I achieved remarkable results there.”

“What does that have to do with now?”

Kahlil answered Miliana’s question.

“This is the best place to improve your abilities. If you can freely exert all your original skills here, you will have twice, no, three times more power than on the continent.”

Kahlil looked at Aidan and Juke Di Hold.

“I wanted to bring more people if I could, but it had to be those with the minimum ability to survive here. That’s you guys.”

The two flinched at his gaze.

It was because they were acutely aware of how big the difference was between them and the overwhelming force of Kahlil and Miliana since coming here.

“The assassins of the Dark Shadow. They have excellent individual combat abilities, and they are assassins, so they have excellent survival skills. In addition, their resistance to magic is also high, so they are most likely to survive.”

“The possibility of not dying……?”

Aidan felt a chill down his spine for a moment.

Because Kahlil was smiling.

That smile.

It meant he was already planning something.

“Everyone’s had enough rest, right?”

Kwaaaang―――!!!

It was then.

Monsters that looked like giant orangutans burst out of the bushes all at once.

“It’s training time.”

“[Kuaaaaaaa!!]”

“[Kaaack!!]”

The roars of monsters were heard here and there.

“It’ll be a little easier than the Burgusters. But be careful because the number of groups will be three times that.”

“Be careful!!”

Aidan and Juke Di Hold threw the bowls they were holding and avoided their attacks.

“What is this……!”

“Where did they suddenly come from?!”

Unfortunately, there was no one who could properly hear Kahlil’s explanation. In the confusing situation, Miliana asked as if she was dumbfounded.

“You……. You didn’t go to investigate the lair, but to call the monsters?”

“Kind of.”

“I thought there would be other monsters if there were Burgusters. I was wondering how far that White Gold Dragon could spread corruption. Well, apart from that, fortunately, there were suitable guys. Besides, thanks to you wiping them out alone a little while ago, they didn’t seem to be wary of me. As soon as I killed a few, they came running.”

“……Crazy.”

Miliana hurriedly tried to draw her sword at the sudden attack of the monsters.

“Stop it. You’re coming with me.”

“What?”

“I told you why I brought them. As you said, it’s enough for us to attack the White Gold Dragon’s lair. I brought them here to improve their skills even further.”

Kwang―! Kwagagagang―!!

Explosions erupted from all sides, and the Snarkels began to surround the monsters in unison.

Still, perhaps because they had a history of hunting Burgusters, their movements were much smoother than before.

“And you heard Alrn, right? Altemann. I’ll leave them to you.”

At Kahlil’s words, Altemann shrugged his shoulders with a bitter smile.

“I’ve been had. The reason you brought me was to use me as an assistant to them.”

“The odds were fifty-fifty. If you could pass through the barrier in the lair, I was going to change my mind. But you can’t pass without dragon magic. If you want, you can check it out.”

“No. You’re probably right. I’ll help them. Anyway, it would be dangerous to leave them alone here.”

Altemann shook his head.

“I ask you to give them good teachings as befits the reputation of the Northern Teacher.”

“Hmph…….”

“They are a major force in the Imperial War. I don’t think we need to shed a lot of blood even in a great war. I’m going to have them take care of the leaders.”

“So you’re saying you’ve made this place their training ground? To use the Dragon’s Sanctuary, called the Forbidden Zone, as just a training ground……. There’s no one like you.”

Kahlil just smiled faintly at Miliana’s words.

* * *

“How wicked,” Miliana said, watching Kahlil nonchalantly move on after throwing his subordinates into the swarm of monsters.

However, contrary to her words, she wore a hopeful smile.

“I’ve seen the assassins of the Dark Shadow in the Istrian Three Kingdoms War. Their skills aren’t bad, but they seem stuck in their well, the Eastern Country, and haven’t realized the world has changed.” Kahlil spoke quietly.

In his past life, their skills would have been enough to dominate the continent.

But as with Miliana’s dragon magic, Kahlil had raised the overall power of the continent, including the Free Army of Tatur and the forces of the duchies.

However, unlike these changes, the Eastern Country was unaffected, remaining at the same level as in his past life.

Wasn’t that proven by Simon Coden’s defeat to Aidan?

‘The war with the Empire will start in about a month at most. To quickly improve the skills of the Dark Shadow, there’s nothing better than actual combat.’

Kahlil couldn’t help but feel pleased that his predictions were coming true.

“From now on, I’ll leave the Dark Shadow to Aidan. It would be good for them to work together this time.”

In his past life, Aidan was the one who led the Empire’s information organization called the Comet.

Believing that there was no one better to lead the Dark Shadow than him, Kahlil had brought them to this Promised Land.

“Anyway… I wonder if there’s anyone who can predict your schemes.” Miliana chuckled and looked ahead.

Woo Woong… Woong…

As the two stood before a large cave beneath the volcano, a transparent barrier like glass trembled at the entrance.

When Miliana pushed the barrier with both hands, she felt a strange, sticky sensation, as if she were sticking her hand into slime.

“I can definitely feel the magic. I wouldn’t have noticed it if it weren’t for dragon magic.”

Kahlil nodded at her words.

Swoosh—

‘Finally…’

Kahlil stepped into the entrance, scanning his surroundings with a trembling heart.

The lair of the Platinum Dragon, which he had never visited even in his past life.

“It’s a maze,” Miliana briefly commented on her impressions after arriving at the lair.

“It’s my first time in a lair, but it’s not unfamiliar. It’s like looking at a demon’s nest. Surely a dragon’s lair isn’t a kind of demon’s nest, is it?”

“Well, it seems unlikely… But if it is, the lair would be the oldest demon’s nest. Everything left on the continent is easily over a thousand years old.”

“A thousand-year-old demon’s nest… Certainly, a dragon would be a boss monster worthy of that.”

Koo Geu Geu Geu… Koo Woong.

The further they walked into the lair, the more often they heard sounds like the ground was rumbling.

One step, two steps.

How much time had passed?

The sounds of battle that had been faintly heard from outside completely disappeared, and even the sounds of the ground shaking occasionally disappeared. Kahlil stopped walking.

“Even if nothing else…”

Unlike before when she said it was a maze, Miliana confidently walked forward.

It seemed as if the dragon magic of the elf and dragon within her were guiding her.

After walking for quite a while, the debris that they had initially thought was dirt gradually became larger chunks and began to cover the floor.

“That Platinum Dragon. I can see he has a nasty hobby.”

As they continued to go further inside, the chunks scattered on the floor took shape, and they could see that they were fragments of sculptures, such as arms, legs, torsos, or buttocks.

The scattered debris looked like severed corpses, and Miliana frowned.

Moreover, a peculiar thing was that most of the fragments of the statues had their legs facing inward and their heads facing outward.

“What is this? Leaving broken statues scattered on the floor like this… Is it some kind of bizarre hobby like the nobles of the Empire, who embalm the corpses of monsters?”

Thud—

Kahlil kicked the hand of a broken statue on the floor.

“No.”

Then he said quietly.

“These are real humans.”

Crack—!!

With a little force, the hand of the broken statue crumbled into powder like burnt bones.

“……What?”

At that moment, a huge space like a large plaza appeared before their eyes at the end of the maze.

The center of the lair.

Miliana couldn’t close her mouth at the sight before her eyes.

“What… What on earth is this?”

Inside, countless coffins were densely packed inside the walls, like looking at a huge tomb.

[That guy experimented on us.]

[With what?]

[The possibility of the race.]

At that moment,

The conversations they had before leaving the North began to resurface one by one like a panorama, and they began to come together as if pieces of a puzzle were being put together.

[At least what’s certain is that he’s been preparing a plan for a long time.]

“……”

That evidence is them.