The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 59

52. Overlord

“You saw into my head?”

Cahill glared at Aln Zaberius.

[Only a dragon could read memories as you think them. If we could meet him, we could prove your identity, but the problem is breaking into the lair.]

“…….”

[Even I, as a spirit, couldn’t see everything completely. I only saw fragments when you connected to my memory. So don’t feel too bad. You saw my past too, didn’t you?]

“That was because you showed it to me.”

Aln Zaberius said that, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of being exposed.

[By the way.]

“Hmm?”

[I understand your plan. But are you really going to meet the Platinum Dragon and show him your memories as proof of regression?]

“What do you mean?”

Cahill frowned slightly.

[Do you really trust the Platinum Dragon? Haven’t you ever doubted him, even once?]

It was an unexpected question.

Cahill, who expected Aln to ask who was better between Kaie Essir and himself, scoffed.

“What nonsense…….”

[I mean exactly that.]

Aln, in his spirit form, lightly circled in the air and stopped in front of Cahill.

[Is Nar D. Maugh really a comrade?]

“Shut up.”

There was no reason to listen to such drivel.

Cahill growled at Aln and turned away.

[It would be different if you heard my story. You must be curious about why I’m trapped here, aren’t you?]

Perhaps he read Cahill’s expression, or perhaps he saw his thoughts in their shared mental space.

He asked knowingly.

[You must have seen me fighting. I was called one of the Seven Elders, but not all of them were the same kind of mage. They’re not bad, but in fact, the other six are inferior to me.]

It might sound arrogant, but Cahill had seen him fighting in Aln Zaberius’s memory, and he couldn’t deny it.

He was definitely different from other mages.

[But they returned alive, and I’m trapped here. Why?]

“…….”

The face that came to Cahill’s mind at Aln’s words…

There was someone he could guess.

But he couldn’t easily say that name.

[That day, there was an intruder in the Gray Tower.]

As if Cahill’s expression amused him, Aln Zaberius slowly emphasized the name.

[Platinum Dragon.]

And he repeated it.

[The one who trapped me is Nar D. Maugh, whom you trust without a doubt.]

He knew.

The only being who could trap a mage of that level was a dragon.

“There must have been a reason.”

Surprisingly, Cahill pretended to be nonchalant.

“Just like we can’t say that the Seven Elders only exist to make the continent prosper, right?”

He was testing him.

If he wavered now, he would be denying his actions so far.

[Heh heh heh, yes. You’re right. We don’t really care how humans live. Teaching them magic is just a game.]

But Aln didn’t miss even that slight tremor.

[What I want to ask is, haven’t you ever found him strange?]

“I don’t know.”

[That can’t be.]

He immediately denied Cahill’s answer.

[The fact that the only thing he found here was an Ice Claw is a lie.]

“Stop beating around the bush and say it clearly.”

At that moment.

As if Aln Zaberius was an old comrade, he casually put his arm around Cahill’s shoulder.

“…….”

He didn’t like the gesture, but Cahill watched quietly.

[Honestly, I was a little surprised to see my predicted death in your memory. Even though I don’t have a body, I’ve lived for over a thousand years. It’s a shame to know that I won’t exist in just a few years.]

“You’re not living. You’ve been dead for a long time, right?”

[Heh heh heh.]

“Are you saying that Nar D. Maugh killed you?]

[No. I don’t know that. You didn’t see me disappear either. I’m just speculating based on your memory.]

“You’re saying you don’t have any evidence.”

[Maybe I was attacked by someone before that. Someone might try to attack the Gray Tower in the next few years.]

Aln Zaberius said in a low voice.

[But there’s one thing that’s clear.]

“What is it?”

Clang-

At that moment.

Aln Zaberius’s arm moved.

Then the sound of the lock on the coffin containing the Ice Claw clicked open, and the lid slid open.

Coo goo goo goo…….

Crack…….

Inside was a small box.

[Nar D. Maugh took it in your past life. This time, you’ll get the jump on him. He must have taken this when he came to the Gray Tower with you.]

Cahill’s eyes widened.

The small box was tightly locked.

“How can you be so sure when you don’t even know your own death for sure? Like your death, someone else could have stolen this treasure before Nar D. Maugh came.”

[No.]

Cahill frowned at his firm answer.

[That can’t be.]

“Why?”

[You said that no one has mastered the original magic. Why is that?]

“……Is it because your magic is related to dragons?”

[That’s right. Half of the Seven Elders learned magic from dragons. They could use dragon magic to some extent. I’m the only one who transcended attributes, though.]

At his words, Cahill understood why Aln could use two attributes.

Dragon magic is non-attribute.

To put it another way, it meant that he could use all attributes.

‘Then the assumption that there was a dragon among the Elders is wrong. But it’s not unrelated, so it was somewhat correct.’

Then were Nar D. Maugh’s words in the past just passing remarks?

After hearing Aln’s words, he became suspicious, but Cahill quietly listened to his story.

[All the magic we created has dragon magic at its base. Not only the original magic but also my secret arts. That’s why people with ordinary magic can’t learn it.]

“So?”

[Think about it. Would we have left the treasure where just anyone could find it?]

“Could it be…….”

At Cahill’s words, Aln nodded.

[As you can see, the treasure was sealed inside the tower. And dragon magic is needed to break that seal. You definitely saw it in your memory. The back of the stone wall is open.]

Aln Zaberius didn’t miss the scene that was clearly in Cahill’s subconscious, even though he didn’t consciously remember it.

[If no one masters the original magic even in the future of the past life… that means there are no humans with dragon magic. That means no one but him could have found the treasure we left behind.]

“…….”

[Besides, it’s impossible with the level of the woman who used that Ice Claw.]

As if to completely rule out even a shred of possibility, he emphasized each word, engraving it into Cahill’s mind.

[Nar D. Maugh, your last comrade, the Platinum Dragon, hid the treasure of the Gray Tower.]

“What the hell is that?”

Was it the question he had been waiting for?

Aln smiled at Cahill.

[It seems like you’re finally willing to make a contract with me.]

He had come right up to his face, but he lightly stepped back as if teasing him.

[Heh heh heh, yes. If you’ve eaten the Dragon’s Heart, you’ll be able to break the seal. Of course, that’s impossible unless I tell you the magic formula.]

“Are you suggesting a deal?”

[I’ve been suggesting that from the beginning.]

Aln Zaberius pointed to the Ice Claw that Cahill was holding, as if showing it off.

The blue-bladed sword emitting cold air caught his eye.

“How can I trust that it’s not a trap and it’s a real treasure?”

But Cahill didn’t let his guard down.

Deals should always be made carefully.

He knew better than anyone that a moment’s shallow belief could determine the victory or defeat of a war.

[You’re a really suspicious guy. How about the Sword Saint becoming a little more generous?]

However, Aln Zaberius said leisurely, as if he wouldn’t rush things.

[Changing the future? You can do it alone. But winning the desired future is not easy. I can speed up your goal and increase the probability.]

“…….”

[You don’t want to spend another terrible time in the tower for countless eons, do you? Isn’t that right? In return, you can be the bridge I want.]

Aln shrugged slightly.

[You and I clearly want the same thing: meeting Nar D. Maugh.]

“…….”

[I have to get out of here. Would I deceive you in this situation? Not only that, bring your hand. I’ll inject the disassembly formula into your head.]

Instantly.

Cahill’s mind felt like it was turning white.

Along with it, he felt like he was reading the countless formulas in Aln Zaberius’s head.

[You’re lucky. You met me before Nar D. Maugh. If you had touched that seal now without your magic circuit properly opened, you would have turned to ashes.]

“Kuh……!!”

Cahill couldn’t answer properly.

[If you want, I’ll give you all the knowledge I have now, even all the plans you’re thinking of. I’ll speed it up.]

Hundreds, thousands of magic formulas were stirring Cahill’s mind in a complex way.

[Shouldn’t we change the future of humans before we change the future of God?]

He said in a whisper.

“A contract with a mage from a thousand years ago… I didn’t expect this.”

Cahill looked at Aln’s outstretched hand and laughed lowly.

[It won’t be a loss. The mages of today? They can’t be compared to the Magic Era [a period of advanced magical knowledge and practice] I lived in. To you, who has gone back countless eons, a thousand years may be just a speck of dust.]

Aln Zaberius’s eyes shone.

[But.]

His hand, which had been like smoke, gradually solidified.

[The knowledge of magic for a thousand years is something you can’t get even if you die and come back to life, you who have never experienced even a moment during countless eons.]

“You’re right.”

The knowledge of a thousand years that Aln Zaberius had accumulated was something that no other archmage possessed.

No.

Perhaps it could even rival a dragon.

It was a dangerous gamble.

If he made a mistake, his body could be dominated by Aln.

“Good.”

But Cahill didn’t hesitate.

Because he knew that Aln Zaberius could never do such a thing.

“You’re suggesting a contract even though you know I ate the Dragon’s Heart. You must really want to get out of here.”

No matter how great Aln was, he was still human. On the other hand, Cahill’s body, which had consumed the Dragon’s Heart, was no longer simply human.

If he was greedy and tried to devour his magic, even the spirit form he was barely maintaining might disappear.