Vol 6 Chapter 2

"Hey. Are you dead? It would be pointless if you died after all the trouble we went through to save you. Come on, get up quickly."

[ Who... are... you... two. ]

The voice that finally emerged was weak but still resonant. Although the sound waves alone made their hair and clothes flutter as if caught in a storm, Superior paid no attention to it and smiled broadly.

"Wow, you're still alive. I knew dragons were tough."

"We came here after swapping your body with those who attacked you. It was all because of this guy's whim, but I suppose we can say we saved you."

As the Dark Knight answered in a serious voice instead of Superior, the dragon's eyes slowly opened. The red pupils, larger than a full-length mirror, focused on the two humans' figures.

[ I... see. I... was... lucky... to... survive. ]

"I didn't feel like sacrificing one of the four dragons said to exist in the world. Since you're alive, hurry up and get better to make your saviors happy. If possible, it would be nice if you shared some of that treasure dragons are said to have."

"You keep saying such rude things."

Startled by the blunt words, the Dark Knight grabbed Superior's shoulder, but Superior playfully wrinkled his nose bridge and twisted his body, saying, "Ow~ That hurts."

The Dark Knight immediately let go, looking even more surprised than before.

"Did that hurt?"

"No, it didn't hurt. I was joking."

"..."

While the Dark Knight was reflecting on his own weakness towards Superior, the dragon finally spoke again after a long while.

[ I... am... grateful... for... being... saved. However... the... treasure... that... dragons... are... said... to... have... is... not... true, so... I... cannot... give... it. Instead... I... will... help... with... anything... within... my... power... that... you... desire. But... there... is... a... condition. ]

"What is it?"

A fire of anger suddenly flared in the dragon's immobile red eyes.

[ I... will... someday... take... revenge... on... those... who... attacked... me. When... that... time... comes, do... not... try... to... save... their... lives. ]

"..."

The Dark Knight's expression twisted violently. However, it was Superior, who had seemed relaxed, who stopped him with a single gesture as he stepped forward to say something.

"...Alright. Your revenge is your own. We don't intend to act so high and mighty just because we saved you, and it's enough that you're alive. Well, we have humans looking for us, so we should be going now. Take care of yourself."

[ ...My... true... name... is... Kor La Meisol Eizar Kanabei. Remember... it. ]

Superior raised the corner of his mouth slightly, looking surprised at the dragon's words.

"To hear a dragon's true name. That's more than we deserve. My name is... ' '."

What was that? Kapros was startled for a moment and shook his head a few times. After "My name is...", the voice seemed to be erased and couldn't be heard. This had never happened before, so he was very confused, but strangely, the words after that were coming through clearly again.

"Well, we'll be going now."

"You...!"

"Be quiet and follow me. You muscle-head all the way to the brain. A dragon's revenge isn't about destruction."

"...What..."

Superior grabbed the arm of the Dark Knight, who had a blank expression, twirled his finger once, and immediately disappeared with a flash of light, using spatial movement. The dragon continued to stare at the spot where they had vanished without moving its eyelids.

The next scene that appeared showed a somewhat tired-looking Superior and the red dragon, Kor, who now seemed perfectly healthy. The soot and dust covering Superior's entire body made his hair look gray rather than red.

[ I... heard... the... black... dragon... joined... the... filthy... march... of... those... demons. ]

"Yes. It's true. The northern city that vanished under the black dragon's breath will remain a wasteland for hundreds of years."

A deep regret appeared on Superior's face. The dragon, blinking its eyes with unreadable thoughts, slowly asked.

[ Why... don't... you... ask... me? ]

"Ask what?"

[ Only... a... dragon... can... stand... against... a... dragon. Don't... you... think... I... could... stop... it... if... you... asked... me? ]

"That may be true. But we can't ask you to do that."

[ Why... not? ]

"You're the youngest among the dragons, aren't you? That black dragon is said to have lived for over five thousand years. Do you think you could win against it?"

[ What... are... you... saying? I... am... the... flame... dragon... of... karmic... fire. My... nature... against... the... black... dragon... of... dark... clouds... ]

"Hahah. It was a joke, why are you getting so worked up? 'Fratricide is forbidden among dragons. It is the first and last promise engraved on the noble souls of dragons.' ...Isn't this true?"

The dragon, looking down at Superior's small head, slowly nodded.

[ It... is... true. ]

"The start of this war was because of humans, it has nothing to do with other races. Humans don't have the right to demand sacrifices from other races. If the dragons had thought they should restrain that black dragon, there would have been some word already. There's been no such movement. This war probably won't affect dragons much anyway."

[ ...That's... not... necessarily... true. The... black... dragon... has... disturbed... the... law... of... order... with... nonsense... about... betraying... the... lower... races. ]

"Well, even other races break the law of order about not harming other races all the time."

[ ... ]

"It's fine. I'm feeling quite fulfilled just by the fact that you said such things to me. Our situation isn't that bad. Even I manage to find time to come see you, don't I?"

Superior smiled with a tired expression. Kor didn't say anything more, and once again the scene blurred white and changed.

"Great being. Please give me your blood."

As the view shifted downward, the Dark Knight could be seen kneeling beneath Kor, his sword stabbed into the ground.

'Blood?'

"Even a single drop would be fine, I need dragon blood."

The Dark Knight's voice was low, as if resigned to death. After a long silence, Kor quietly tilted his head.