Raon stared at Alice, his mouth agape.
'Will that even work?'
No matter how powerful Glenn Zieghart was as a transcendent being, the opponent was the Dragon Lord.
Dragons, being a species that fundamentally looked down on humans, wouldn't be swayed by such a threat.
'Moreover…'
Isn't he my grandfather before anything else?
Even though Glenn was much closer to him, he couldn't understand why Alice referred to him as his grandfather and not her father. She was a truly peculiar person.
'I should just prepare for the fight… hmm?'
Contrary to his expectation that it would have no effect, the Dragon Lord appeared taken aback, his jaw trembling.
"…Is that human really Glenn Zieghart's grandson?"
For the first time, the Dragon Lord's unwavering voice cracked. It was like a massive tree that seemed unshakeable was now trembling.
'Huh?'
Raon's eyes widened as he observed the pale Dragon Lord.
'This actually works?'
He never imagined that the Dragon Lord, who controlled all dragons, would be daunted by the name Glenn.
"Hmm…"
The Dragon Lord swallowed his dry saliva and turned his gaze towards them. He scrutinized Raon's hair and eyes one after another before pursing his lips inward.
"Indeed, the face and demeanor are quite similar."
"Why would I lie about something that can be easily discovered? He's genuinely his grandson, the one he cherishes the most."
Alice turned her chin sideways as if to mock the Dragon Lord.
"So, what will you do? Want to give it a try?"
She smirked, provoking him as if to show off her strength once again.
"Ahem!"
The Dragon Lord cleared his throat and waved his hand dismissively.
Gooooooo!
Instead of initiating a fight, he retracted the waves of mana that had been spreading endlessly. The powerful energy that had dominated Aikar calmed down in an instant.
"Why aren't you coming? Aren't you supposed to protect the continent?"
Alice curled her lips upward, continuing her taunt.
"I don't understand how taking Kaivar's Dragon Heart and corpse is supposed to maintain the balance of the continent, but do what you must."
"Within the Dragon Heart lies immense, pure mana. If misused, it could cause a severe imbalance on the continent."
Even amidst this situation, the Dragon Lord maintained a stern expression, insisting he was only acting for the world's benefit.
"Then what about Kaivar's corpse?"
"If the bones, claws, and horns of a dragon are utilized, they can create weapons stronger than anything else…"
"And that's enough to threaten the balance of the continent?"
"Hmm…"
The Dragon Lord's lips, which had been slightly twitching, came to a stop at Alice's mocking question.
However, his eyes still retained an air of haughtiness, as if he genuinely believed he was acting for the world's good.
"Fine. I'll help you take it."
Alice stretched her arm out behind her with a casual gesture.
"Lawaine, take it out."
"Yes, ma'am."
Lawaine opened a spatial pouch. He took out a Dragon Heart, shimmering in rainbow colors, and handed it to Alice. He displayed perfect trust in his master.
"Here, take it."
Alice tossed the Dragon Heart lightly, catching it with a narrow-eyed smile.
"But if you take this, his grandfather might go to another dragon and rip out its throat. About three of them might die."
She laughed, suggesting that returning one Dragon Heart might lead to taking three others.
"Nonsense!"
The Dragon Lord bared his white teeth at Alice.
"I know Glenn Zieghart. He wouldn't act for such a reason…"
"He would."
Alice interrupted the Dragon Lord's words.
"You met the Destructive King of the North in the center of the continent. Do you know why he appeared there?"
"That was…"
"It wasn't to capture the Demon King, like you. He came to save this one."
Once again, she made an absurd claim, shrugging her shoulders.
"That doesn't make sense…"
The Dragon Lord tried to refute but fell silent.
'No, his movements were indeed strange back then.'
Glenn Zieghart showed no interest in the Demon King or other factions.
In the midst of fighting the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance and the Leader of the White Blood Religion, he suddenly entered a barrier and searched for the vanished swordsmen.
It was unimaginable behavior for the Glenn Zieghart of the Continental War era. It was clear he had changed from before.
'If that's true, he might indeed attack another dragon…'
If this blonde, red-eyed human was indeed Glenn's cherished grandson, then who knows what he might do. Avoiding a potentially dangerous situation was the prudent choice.
"Hmm…"
The Dragon Lord looked at his trembling hand on the staff and bit his lip.
'He did issue a final warning.'
Glenn had declared that if he interfered once more, he would go to war with the dragons.
The other members of Zieghart weren't a threat, but the monster Glenn was a problem.
Having bested the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance and shed his shell, there seemed no way to kill him.
"Ha…"
Raon exhaled deeply, looking at the pensive Dragon Lord.
'This actually works?'
Alice's words were neither lies nor complete truths. Glenn came to rescue both the Light Wind division and the Heavenly Blade division, not just him.
It was a lie that could easily be seen through, but the Dragon Lord's expression suggested Alice's words had struck a chord.
-Why so much talking!
Wrath stuck out his face, frowning.
-I'll rip out that shiny lizard's throat! Just give me the body!
'Hmm…'
Though tempted, Raon pushed Wrath away, knowing there was no guarantee the Descent of the Demon King would happen again and that his barely healed wounds would likely worsen.
"Take it for the balance of the continent. Here it is."
Alice approached the Dragon Lord, holding out Kaivar's Dragon Heart.
It was a clear provocation, but the Dragon Lord simply narrowed his eyes without reacting.
"Hoo…"
The Dragon Lord exhaled a low breath after glancing at Raon.
"I'll retreat this time. But be careful. His name won't protect you forever."
"Why? Aren't you going to protect the continent?"
Alice turned her shoulders, smiling as if she expected this.
"Afraid of his grandfather?"
"…It's not him I fear. I'm avoiding unnecessary battles to maintain the balance of the continent."
He made an excuse that seemed unbecoming of a Dragon Lord, stamping his staff on the ground.
Woooong!
The Dragon Lord vanished into a golden light, just as he had when he first appeared.
"Ha…"
Raon shook his head as he watched the spot where the Dragon Lord had disappeared.
"Did he, did he just run away? The Dragon Lord?"
"Yes."
Alice giggled, nodding her head. She handed the Dragon Heart back to Lawaine and tossed her crimson hair back.
"You saw Kaivar. This is the true nature of dragons. Hypocrites to the core."
"That's right. They're stagnant creatures who think their actions are always right and that they're serving the continent."
Kuberad also frowned, clearly disliking dragons.
-Humans seem to understand the nature of lizards well.
Wrath nodded, looking at Alice and Kuberad.
-Dragons are born strong and grow stronger without effort, so their mindset is fundamentally different from other beings.
He twisted his lips, asserting that dragons were unnecessary creatures in this world.
"Still, to see them act so disgracefully…"
Raon let out a hollow laugh. The image of the Dragon Lord who first provoked them and then ran away after making lame excuses was unforgettable. It was both satisfying and absurd.
"Disgracefulness is a basic trait of lizards."
Alice scratched her nose, telling him to get used to it.
"But Alice."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you call the head of house my grandfather? Wouldn't it have been more effective to say he's your father?"
"I was warning him."
She pursed her lips slightly as if questioning why he asked such an obvious thing.
"A warning?"
"Yes, a warning that if he messes with you, Father will come out."
"That's just bluster."
"It's not bluster."
Alice shook her head firmly, denying it.
"But…"
-Hey!
Just as Raon was about to argue, Wrath shouted.
-It's all over now. Hurry up and prepare!
'Prepare for what?'
-To eat dragon roast! If you pass up this chance, I'll kill you! (wrath)
"Haa…"
Raon sighed deeply, then approached Alice.
"Excuse me, Alice?"
"Yeah?"
"I have something to ask…"
"Say it. I can listen to most things."
Alice nodded, saying she would listen to whatever he had to say.
"I'll do anything you want."
"I'm the same! I'll even teach you my swordsmanship secrets if you ask!"
Kuberad and Lawaine also smiled, telling him to speak his mind.
"Can I roast and eat the dragon?"
"Huh…?"
Alice and the others looked more bewildered than when the Dragon Lord had appeared.
Zieghart's Lord's Manor.
The guards protecting the Lord's Manor looked up at the dust-falling ceiling in confusion.
"An earthquake?"
"Hmm, there haven't been earthquakes in the North for a long time."
"Then what is it? Why is the entire building shaking since morning?"
"Aren't you worried the head of house might get angry?"
The guards gulped, concerned about the phenomenon of the entire Lord's Manor shaking.
Roenn passed the worried guards and headed towards the audience chamber. He opened the rattling iron door and raised his gaze.
Rumble!
Glenn, seated on the golden throne, was shaking his left leg. The fierce vibration caused not only the audience chamber but the entire Lord's Manor to quake as if in an earthquake.
"…Did you find out?"
Glenn leaned forward as soon as he saw Roenn, swallowing his saliva.
"Yes."
Roenn nodded slightly, a faint smile on his lips.
"There were some injuries, but Lady Alice, Lawaine, and Young Master Raon have all returned safely. As for Kaivar…"
"Forget about him! Is Raon alright?"
Glenn shouted Raon's name as if Kaivar didn't matter at all.
"Yes. He's even healed his upper dantian. I hear he played a major role in defeating Kaivar."
Roenn relayed the report he received from Aikar.
"A major role?"
"Yes. Young Master Raon extracted Kaivar's Dragon Heart himself."
"Extracted the Dragon Heart? That's just like him."
Glenn laughed heartily. The leg that had been shaking all day finally stopped trembling.
"Hahaha."
Roenn found Glenn's amusement interesting, his soft smile lingering.
"Ahem!"
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Glenn cleared his throat and offered a clumsy excuse.
"Don't look at me like that. I asked because a problem at sea could be troublesome in many ways."
"Indeed, a troublesome situation almost occurred."
"What do you mean!"
He jumped up from the throne, seemingly forgetting his excuse.
"The Dragon Lord appeared suddenly and made threats."
"Threats? What kind of threats? What did that lizard say!"
"He demanded Kaivar's Dragon Heart and corpse, and seemed ready to attack if we didn't comply."
"That damn lizard…"
Glenn clenched his fists. His rage materialized as willpower, causing a fierce vibration that spread throughout the entire Zieghart territory.
"Fortunately, Lady Alice handled the situation well and sent him away without any issue."
Roenn gestured with his hand to indicate that everything was fine now.
"I don't like it."
Glenn rubbed his chin, his eyes cold.
"Maybe I should just kill them all."
His voice dropped, deadly serious.
"It's not impossible, but we'd suffer considerable losses too. The Five Demons would likely get involved, escalating the issue."
Roenn took Glenn's words seriously, offering a brief analysis.
"Since the Dragon Lord has already retreated, let's leave it for now."
He suggested letting it go, smiling as if urging Glenn to be patient just this once.
Tsk.
Glenn clicked his tongue and leaned back against the throne.
"So, when is Raon returning?"
"Lady Alice didn't specify. She said if you want to see him, you should come yourself."
Roenn bowed his head apologetically.
Thump!
Glenn unknowingly stomped his foot. The vibration of his long legs started up again.
"Send him an order to return immediately! Right now!"
That day, the guards at the Lord's Manor shivered all day long due to the inexplicable tremors.
A festival was held in Aikar.
Although many had died, and there was significant material damage, with the restoration not yet complete, the people's faces were bright as they enjoyed the festival.
Much like mourners at a funeral trying to laugh and talk, everyone enjoyed themselves, comforting the dead and celebrating the living.
However, there was one place as quiet as a library, far removed from the festival.
Raon was biting his lip in the workshop of the temporary warship Kuberad was using. He was staring at the Dragon meat on the frying pan over the forge.
'Why isn't it cooking!'
Even with the heat of the forge, the Dragon meat wasn't cooking at all. The pan was on the verge of melting from the forge's heat.
'This isn't meat; it's more like ore!'
Its resistance to heat was so high, and its flesh so filled with mana, that it endured even the forge's flames.
-Focus! The juices are escaping!
Wrath smacked the back of his head, telling him to concentrate on the cooking.
'There are no juices to escape! It needs to cook for the juices to come out!'
-Are there no wizards around who can use Hellfire?
'Do you think people who can use 9th-circle magic are common?'
-These useless humans.
Wrath clicked his tongue in disdain.
-Then use your own fire. It will take time, but it will cook.
He pointed a finger, telling Raon to add the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to the forge's fire.
'Using martial arts just to cook meat…'
-You idiot. What is the purpose of martial arts?
'To become stronger.'
-Then how do you become stronger?
'Hmm?'
-By eating! So, eating this meat is no different from practicing martial arts!
'What nonsense.'
Raon shook his head with a look of pity.
-It's not nonsense! Hurry up and add the heat!
Wrath beat his hollow belly, insisting he was starving.
'Sigh…'
Raon frowned and added the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to the forge's flames.
Whoooosh!
The flames in the forge grew visibly larger, but the intensity did not increase proportionally.
"Hmmm…"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the flames.
'Adding fire to fire doesn't necessarily make it stronger.'
While operating the Ring of Fire, he observed the movement of the flames carefully.
The heat from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the forge's fire had similar yet different flows.
'If I match their flow…'
When he synchronized the heat from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation with the forge's fire, the flame's size shrank, but its intensity more than doubled.
Whoooosh!
The frying pan glowed red-hot, and the surface of the Dragon meat began to brown slowly. Finally, it was starting to cook.
'So that's it. Even flames of the same element can multiply instead of just adding…'
-Don't have an epiphany while cooking! Idiot! (wrath)
Wrath yelled as Raon began to gain insight into the nature of flames.
'Alright, alright.'
Raon focused on the flames as he breathed out a murky sigh. As he carefully grilled the meat, ensuring the juices didn't escape as Wrath instructed, the door behind him suddenly slammed open.
Bang!
Alice leaned against the wall with a bottle of alcohol in each hand. Though she usually dressed freely like in a swimsuit, today she was even more casual, likely due to being drunk.
"You're really going to eat that?"
She burst into laughter at the sight of the Dragon meat.
"Yes. I need to eat it for something important…"
"I've been called strange many times, but you take the cake."
Alice chuckled and approached him. Her hair swayed, releasing a refreshing and pure scent like sea flowers.
"Not really…"
Raon shook his head. No matter how peculiar he might be, he didn't think he was stranger than Alice.
"Is it starting to cook now?"
"Yes. The forge's fire alone wasn't enough, so I added my own heat."
"I'll help."
Alice giggled and placed her finger on the forge. Colorless waves emanated from her finger, significantly increasing the heat inside.
Sizzle!
The meat began cooking faster, emitting a mouth-watering aroma.
-Now! Add the butter!
Wrath gestured urgently towards the butter.
Raon nodded and added a chunk of butter to the pan.
The butter melted instantly, turning into a golden liquid that threatened to stick to the pan.
-Coat the meat in the butter!
'I can't believe I'm doing this.'
As Raon coated the Dragon meat in the butter, Alice, who had set down her bottle, approached him.
"I have a gift for you."
"A gift?"
Raon tilted his head, stopping his hands.
"Remember the promise I made when we first set out?"
"Ah!"
He remembered asking Alice for the Sea Serpent's heart at the beginning.
'I can finally create the artificial energy center for Mother.'
He had already obtained a Drake's heart, but not the Sea Serpent's heart, so it had been frustrating. Finally, it would be complete.
Thinking of Sylvia's joy brought a natural smile to his face.
"You seem to like Sylvia a lot."
Alice smiled as she watched him, her nose wrinkling slightly.
"You look your age for once."
"Um…"
Raon didn't know how to respond, so he remained silent.
Buzz!
Alice smiled deeper and opened her spatial pouch. Expecting the Sea Serpent's heart, Raon was surprised when a shimmering bone appeared instead. It wasn't the Sea Serpent's heart but Kaivar's Dragon Heart.
"Here!"
She extended the Dragon Heart towards him.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"If you're making an energy center for my sister, your mother, then it should be the best. Why settle for a Sea Serpent's heart?"
Raon hesitated, licking his lips. If it were for his own sake, he would have refused, but since it was for Sylvia's energy center, he couldn't easily decline.
"Of course, it's not free."
Just as Raon awkwardly reached out, Alice pulled the Dragon Heart back. Her eyebrows narrowed slightly.
"There's a condition."
"A condition?"
If she was giving the Dragon Heart instead of the Sea Serpent's heart, it wouldn't be an ordinary condition. It had to be something risky or challenging.
'Maybe she wants me to join her pirate crew or help her for a few years…'
As Raon anxiously waited for Alice to state her condition, her red lips slowly parted.
"My condition is simple."
Alice smiled, releasing her furrowed brows.
"Call me auntie! You promised to call me auntie when you returned alive!"
"Ah…"
-Just call her auntie already and flip the meat! It's burning!