The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 387

238. Onslaught’s Overture (3)

“So, this is it.”

Kahlil murmured quietly, looking around, a wave of emotion washing over him. When he had escaped the Imperial Capital with Randal, he was a fugitive. Now, he returned with authority.

“To think there’s a place like this in the Imperial Capital…”

“Fascinating.”

“Ahem…”

Their impressions varied.

“Has anyone been inside? Even if it’s abandoned, the Imperial relic repository should at least have a caretaker.”

“He is dead.”

The answer was as cold as the eerie atmosphere. Kahlil looked at Cardin Luer, who had accompanied him.

He looked quite weary. He was the only one who had cared for Ollivern after the Empire’s defeat, and he was also the Duke who had joined Kahlil’s inner circle.

Kwell McGovern, one of Ollivern’s supporters, returned to his territory after retreating from Tatur, and Bellin Valentien, the commander of the assault squad, maintained neutrality before siding with Ollivern. He reorganized the Knights with composure even after the throne changed hands.

Prime Minister Brin Inique, perhaps overwhelmed by the deaths of the three emperors he had served—the Emperor, Ruon, and finally Ollivern—resigned after the Empire’s defeat. He relinquished most of his territory and retired to a small estate in the south.

‘Honestly, Cardin Luer is the surprise. I didn’t realize he was so loyal to Ollivern.’

Kahlil studied him.

‘It’s not bad to have the Archmage as an asset… but his loyalty is focused on Ollivern, which is unsettling. I need to be careful.’

He knew that Cardin remained in the Imperial Capital to protect Ollivern’s legacy.

“Dead? Why?”

Kahlil asked.

“The caretaker of this tomb was Bran Gaunt, whom His Majesty also knew.”

“…”

Kahlil’s face hardened at the mention of his name.

“He was a disciple at the Academy who was deeply interested in ancient history and relics. Only the Emperor can access the reports of the Imperial Palace, but not here. He volunteered to be the caretaker.”

Cardin Luer continued in a dry voice.

“It’s just an abandoned place. Aside from the occasional beggar children from the plaza scavenging for scraps, it’s nothing special.”

“The rumors among the beggar children of the Imperial Capital say that this place isn’t an abandoned warehouse, but a tomb.”

Kahlil stared at him coldly.

“You can’t possibly not know that… Shall I say one more thing? You also knew that this place is a demon’s den, didn’t you?”

Cardin Luer gave a bitter smile at his words.

“That’s not wrong. You’ll see when you go inside, but it’s a place full of evil energy, like a tomb. But it’s also a demon’s den that isn’t a demon’s den. If it were truly infested with demons, it would have been destroyed from the beginning.”

“Not a demon’s den? How can you be sure?”

“I was the caretaker here before Bran Gaunt.”

There was no lie in Cardin Luer’s words, but he showed no particular enthusiasm, as if he longed to return to his mansion and rest.

‘Hmm…’

Kahlil considered him for a moment and then turned his head.

“250 years ago, during the Old Empire, Kaie Essir hunted the Flame Dragon Lyseria and made a tomb with its bones. That’s this place.”

“So?”

The Flame Dragon Lyseria was the most tyrannical of the dragons.

When he died, history praised Kaie Essir as the first dragon slayer, but Kahlil knew from the memories he saw in Lyseria’s heart that there were questionable aspects to their battle.

“Dragon bones are harder than Blue Luster [a type of extremely durable metal] and have a stronger magical repulsion. Interestingly, they not only have repulsion but also absorb magic like Blue Luster.”

“It must have been made that way to withstand the vast magic emanating from the dragon’s heart. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to move its heavy body.”

Nine Darhon said, listening to Cardin Luer.

“I understand the meaning of the tomb now. That place was a place to seal relics with dense magic that had to be contained with dragon bones.”

Nine Darhon nodded as if he understood Cardin Luer’s words at once.

“But what is it?”

“Well, that’s all I’ve found out. I couldn’t go any further after that.”

“That’s it? Are you saying that you, an Archmage, could only look into the entrance of the tomb?”

Nine Darhon frowned.

“You, the leader of the Immortal Society, should know more about the undead than anyone else. I’m talking about the demons born from the dragon’s corpse.”

“…Dragon Tooth Warriors?”

“That’s right. The reason this place has the aura of a demon’s den is because of them, born from the tomb made of dragon bones.”

“This is troublesome. Dragon Tooth Warriors were familiars used by dragons during the Magic Era… It’s not easy to deal with them unless you’re a Sword Master.”

“Especially for mages. They have high magic resistance and are undead, so their stamina is strong, and they keep attacking without getting tired.”

Kahlil listened to the two and looked around.

His gaze stopped on each person in turn.

Miliana, Nine Darhon, Aidan, Hashir, Hwarin, Kinu Mukari, Serica Loren, Mikhail.

And finally, looking at Gordon Fabian, Kahlil simply commented on the dragon bone tomb.

“It’ll be simple.”

* * *

Crack-!!! Crunch–!!

Fuss….

The sound of skulls breaking was loud, and Gordon Fabian, Miliana, and Hwarin, who were at the front, gleefully beat up the Dragon Tooth Warriors.

“Hey, there’s one more here.”

Gordon grabbed the Dragon Tooth Warrior by the neck and threw it with all his might.

[Kereuk…! Kehehek!!!]

The demon flailed in the air, making strange noises.

Thud-!!

Hwarin’s fist struck the Dragon Tooth Warrior’s spine, bending its back into an arch, and as if waiting for it, Gordon applied force to the opposite side of the break, snapping the Dragon Tooth Warrior’s neck.

“Not bad.”

“You too.”

Hwarin, who wouldn’t be pushed back by Gordon’s physique, shook off the remnants of the Dragon Tooth Warrior from her palm and smirked.

“…I knew Gordon was a monster, but the other two are just as monstrous.”

Cardin Luer looked at the three of them in disbelief. As an Imperial, he had no choice but to admit that he had looked down on the foreigners and barbarians.

It was useless to regret it now that they had been defeated, but Cardin Luer couldn’t help but feel the potential of the body without magic.

[They’re monsters. You don’t know, but that woman named Hwarin really turns into a monster.]

“Excuse me? What do you mean…?”

Cardin Luer lowered his eyes slightly and asked at Alun’s words.

Alun Zabis, called the First Magician and the leader of the Council of Seven Elders [a powerful group of mages], who led the revival of magic, was like a teacher to the mages, leaving behind an infamy that had not yet been resolved, so just being with him was an incredible thing.

[It means that there is no need to distinguish humans by the blood flowing in their bodies anymore. Whether you have magic or not, you all have red blood.]

Alun, in his black form, shrugged his shoulders.

[Well, I thought so when I was alive. If you abandon your narrow view, your magic will become richer. You remember the last words of the White Gold Dragon before he died, right? You have room to grow.]

“How can I at my age…?”

[Magic doesn’t weaken with age. It’s just that the human body ages. Isn’t that why mages have more blessed talents than knights? They can prove their existence with only pure magic.]

Cardin Luer nodded at his words.

“You’re lucky. You can receive teachings from the master.”

Nine Darhon said, raising his nose slightly as he watched the scene.

[Shut up, and you keep practicing basic magic.]

“…Yes.”

Cardin gave a bitter smile as Nine looked at him with a tearful face at Alun’s answer.

Somehow, Alun seemed to be enjoying the situation a little. That’s because he had now accepted two 7-class Archmages, who were called the best mages of the time, as his subordinates, so he felt like he had taken in new disciples.

“At this rate, we’ll be able to conquer this place quickly. A conquest team composed of Sword Masters and Archmages… And we have someone leading us who no one can beat even if they attack together.”

“Don’t underestimate it.”

“You worry too much. Have we used magic since we came here? But we’ve already gone much deeper than you’ve been.”

Nine Darhon was convinced that this would be the easiest place he had ever experienced in his life, more than any demon’s den he had ever experienced.

The reason was Kahlil, who was still walking behind them, just like them.

He hadn’t drawn his sword yet, but just his presence was enough to make the fear disappear.

‘He seems to have the qualities of a king now…’

When he came to the Anti-Hum Grand Library to find him, he was just an arrogant boy.

‘Well, the doubts disappeared at once because of his appearance in the Immortal Society, including the master…’

Even so, he couldn’t have imagined that he would unify the continent back then.

In Kahlil’s appearance, which now seemed to have the dignity of a leader who inspires morale beyond personal strength, Nine realized the birth of a king who had never existed before and would never exist again.

“The fact that Dragon Tooth Warriors come out from the beginning means that it’s a difficult place, but… this is a place that the Emperor has forbidden.”

Cardin Luer was sparing with his words, but he implied that there was no reason why the Empire couldn’t have conquered this place if it had set its mind to it.

He had failed because he had investigated this place alone out of simple curiosity, but if the Empire, which had numerous knights and magic troops, had done its best, it would never have been impossible to conquer.

Nevertheless, the Emperor kept relics inside and forbade entry.

‘It’s not just because of the difficulty of a simple demon’s den.’

Cardin Luer didn’t bother to tell Kahlil his thoughts. It wasn’t a petty act of revenge like resistance to the invaders.

His desire to see how far he could go after catching the White Gold Dragon was greater.

“Well… but Nine, you’re not wrong. Even if the Empire’s knights were deployed, it would be hard to see this much power.”

Cardin shrugged, closing his eyes slightly.

Kwaaaaaaaang—!!!

It was then.

His cheek felt as hot as if it had been burned. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what had passed him by because he had simply closed his eyes.

He didn’t even recognize it, and the magic shield he had always worn was shattered without doing its job.

“…”

Cardin turned around with a frozen face.

Tsuuuuuuuuu….

Tsujujujik….

Behind him, embers were scattered here and there on the floor as if it had been heated by fire, and there were clear traces of being pushed by a powerful force on the floor.

“What is this commotion? Who did this?! Where is the Emperor?!”

A sharp voice that echoed in his ears rang through the cave.

“Ollivern Schtean!! How long has it been since you ascended the throne that you broke your promise with us!”

Everyone hurriedly looked inside at the voice filled with dark magic coming from the darkness.

“…What is it?”

“Who is it…!!”

Hwarin and Miliana, who were at the front, couldn’t hide their embarrassment at the fact that they hadn’t reacted to the weapon that had just flown in.

“…A demon?”

Nine Darhon, who had dealt with corruption, frowned slightly at the familiar smell of magic and carefully took out the staff he had hidden in his robe.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!!”

At his loud shout, people, including Mikhail and Serica, aimed their weapons at once.

“Wait.”

At that moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on the back.

The sharp spear, the weapon that had just flown in, flashed every time he took a step. The person holding it was none other than Kahlil.

“Say it again. Ollivern? How long has it been since the owner of the throne changed that you’re still looking for him?”

“Who are you?”

“The master of the continent.”

At Kahlil’s words, the eyes in the darkness changed thinly, like those of a reptile.

“You’re crazy. Bring the Emperor. If you don’t want to die.”

“Ollivern seems to have known that you guys were here. And yet he pretended not to know to me…”

Step- Step- Step-

Despite the warning from the being in the darkness, Kahlil slowly walked forward with the long spear in his hand.

“Thank goodness. Seeing you, I’m sure. I know how to kill you.”

“…What?”

The demon looked at Kahlil in disbelief.

Kwaang-!!!!

But at that moment, Kahlil’s body moved faster than the spear that had flown in, and he used the spear he was holding to smash the demon’s face in front of him.

“Keok!!!?”

The demon screamed in pain with his crushed face. As he tried to get up from the floor, Kahlil stepped on his shoulder.

“You…!!!”

“Prokel.”

At that moment, the demon looked at him with a surprised expression as Kahlil called his name.

“Was what you had the Lament of Grief? If there’s the Armor of Extreme Qualification in here, then there must be Honggak, another of the Four Horsemen [powerful demons].”

“You… Who are you.”

How could he not know?

All of them were demons he had killed in the process of finding the three relics, the first trial he had experienced as one of the Ten of the Oracle [a group of powerful individuals chosen by fate].

Ollivern knew that they were here, but he dropped each relic far away, as if he had hidden them in distant places when the oracle was given.

That meant that he was colluding with the demons.

“Who am I? I’m the one who will kill you again.”

Kahlil smiled coldly, looking at him in embarrassment.

‘Yula. If the oracle of the previous life was the result of you and Ollivern colluding, I’ll see how it turns out this time.’

Kwaddeuk……!!

He thought, stepping harder on Prokel’s shoulder.

‘When you come to give the oracle, I’ll shake the three relics you told me to find in your face.’