Chapter 248
‘Huh?’
A voice echoed in Zeke’s mind, but it was in a language he had never heard before—he couldn’t understand a word.
Zeke asked the system mentally:
‘System, why aren’t you auto-translating this?’
A message appeared in front of his eyes:
[Translation unavailable. This language is a dead tongue erased from all records.]
Zeke hadn’t expected that there could be a language even the system couldn’t translate.
『■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■!!!』
The dragon continued shouting something at Zeke and Yellin.
“S-Sir Zeke…”
When he turned, he saw Yellin pale as a sheet, trembling uncontrollably.
Because Zeke had a draconic body, he was immune to the oppressive aura of a dragon. But Yellin, a High Elf, was especially sensitive to the dragon’s killing intent—it overwhelmed her.
After all, facing a living dragon up close wasn’t something anyone could call “normal.”
‘Even I nearly collapsed when I saw one in a video for the first time.’
Zeke took Yellin’s hand and activated ‘Infinite Stamina skill’.
A gentle power flowed into her, calming her nerves. Slowly, some color returned to her face, and the shaking began to subside.
Zeke then looked up and sent a telepathic message to the dragon.
—O Hermit of the Black River. We cannot understand a word you’re saying.
As his thoughts were transmitted, the dragon’s glowing violet eyes turned toward him.
"Grrrrrr…"
The massive dragon loomed forward, glaring at Zeke.
Then, a different voice rang in his head—this time in Old Eastern Tongue, which he could understand:
“You damn bastard! Do you think you’ll get away with wrecking my beloved Blackie No. 1 like that?!”
Zeke blinked. That was… unexpected.
‘Blackie? Is he talking about that black knight?’
The dragon snarled at the black knight still hovering mid-air.
“You have any idea how much effort I put into making that thing? And now it’s smashed to pieces! Smashed!”
—Did a great being such as yourself create that black knight?
Zeke’s question made the dragon turn again, its eyes sharp with fury.
“Of course I made it! Who else could craft such a masterpiece? The intricate magic circuits carved into the armor, the fluid joint movements—every piece crafted to perfection! And now it’s ruined!”
Zeke was puzzled. All he’d done was defend himself—why was this dragon blaming him?
‘This... isn’t quite what I expected.’
He’d heard this dragon was sealed away by an Elder Dragon for committing kin-slaying. Zeke had assumed it would be like Bahamut—violent, destructive. But this one… not so much.
Still, when Zeke glanced at Yellin, she was doing better than before but still trembling.
So Zeke turned to the dragon again.
—O Great One, I have something to say.
“Silence! You don’t speak until I give permission!”
But Zeke wasn’t one to just obey.
Without much concern, he reached into his inventory and pulled out Annexie’s dagger.
—I carry the Black River’s Token. I’ve come to break the shackles of the binding oath that holds the Ishtar clan.
The dragon recoiled in surprise.
“Y-You?! How did you speak when I told you not to use Draconic?!”
—I just spoke. Is there something wrong with that?
Zeke tilted his head. The dragon, now more curious than furious, stared at him for a moment.
Then it spoke again.
“You... are you one of those Dragonkin or whatever they’re called?”
—No, I’m not. But I can use the power of a dragon.
At that, the dragon suddenly leaned in and sniffed him—then jolted back in alarm.
“B-Bahamut! That’s Bahamut’s scent!”
Apparently, it had sensed the remnant of Bahamut’s power within Zeke’s body.
Zeke met its eyes and asked calmly,
—You know Bahamut?
"Grrrrrrr…"
An even stronger wave of killing intent poured out of the dragon.
“Bahamut! That thieving bastard kept sneaking into my lair and stealing my treasures! He wrecked every guardian I made! Arghhh! I’m furious just thinking about it!”
The entire lair shook with his roar of rage.
Yellin, completely unaware of what was happening, turned even paler in the face of the dragon’s fury.
“S-Sir Zeke! W-Why is the Great One so angry?!”
Zeke was at a loss on how to explain.
“...Let’s just say… he’s remembering a very painful loss.”
Yellin gave him a puzzled look. To her, Zeke’s answer made no sense at all.
‘It’s true, though. What else can I say?’
While Zeke grumbled inwardly, the dragon finally managed to rein in his anger and snarled:
“Human, you! What’s your relationship with Bahamut?!”
Zeke hesitated for a moment, then answered slowly.
—There is no relationship.
Though he had absorbed Bahamut’s heart, Zeke played dumb, pretending he didn’t know a thing.
Even though it wasn’t just through the heart—Zeke was technically a distant descendant of Bahamut, who had once polymorphed into a human named Claudia Lubern—he simply stated that he had no connection.
The dragon narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Zeke.
Then he spoke again:
“You’re shady as hell. Anyway, what was that you said earlier? The Black River’s Token?”
Zeke raised Annexie’s Dagger and showed it to the dragon.
The dragon lowered his gaze to examine the dagger, muttering irritably.
“Tch, annoying. Wait a second.”
Suddenly, a glow enveloped the dragon's body as it began to shrink.
Moments later, where the massive dragon had stood, a black-haired elven boy appeared.
He looked no older than twelve, but the pressure radiating from his violet eyes clearly revealed his true identity—he was the dragon.
The polymorphed Black Dragon floated forward, coming to hover near Zeke.
Landing lightly a few paces away, he snapped his fingers.
Instantly, Annexie’s Dagger floated out of Zeke’s hand and drifted toward him.
The Black Dragon examined the dagger closely, then glanced sideways at Zeke with a sharp glare.
“Hey, human. Where’d you get this thing?”
Zeke hesitated for a moment, then responded via telepathy.
—I found it inside the Inverted Tower built by the Elder Dragon.
At the mention of the Elder Dragon, the Black Dragon visibly flinched.
“That place Chronos said he was building, huh?”
“You know it?”
The Black Dragon gave a faint snort.
“Of course I do. I designed the whole damn thing.”
Zeke was stunned.
“Are you saying... it was you who designed the tower?”
The Black Dragon furrowed his brow.
“Quit calling me with that annoying title. Use my name.”
“The Hermit of the Black River...”
“Not that weird-ass nickname! My name!”
As if trying to soothe a whining child, Zeke asked:
“Then, may I ask your name?”
“What?! You dare say you don’t even know my name?”
He trembled in frustration and yelled:
“It’s Hades!”
Hades, the Black Dragon, growled, glaring at both of them.
Zeke asked him:
“Lord Hades, with this dagger, is it possible to break the shackles of the binding oath?”
At that, Hades released a chilling wave of killing intent aimed directly at Zeke.
“Insolent wretch! Who gave a lowly microbe like you the right to sever a sacred pact with a being as great as I?!”
This dragon was the textbook example of someone drunk on his own greatness.
Suppressing a sigh, Zeke spoke on behalf of the Ishtar Clan.
“The Ishtar Clan, having taken on the oath of the Black River tribe, has been bound to this place for two thousand years, unable to go anywhere else. Please, release them from these chains.”
Hearing that, Hades floated into the air.
In the blink of an eye, he stood right before Zeke and Yellin, locking eyes with Zeke.
“Human. Are you not afraid?”
Few humans could even stand upright under the full weight of a dragon’s bloodlust.
But Zeke was someone who could speak his mind even under such pressure.
He replied calmly:
“I am afraid. But I speak these words because I believe a noble race such as yourself, Lord Hades, will make a reasonable decision.”
Hades’ expression changed.
“A reasonable decision?”
“Binding the Ishtar clan here gains you nothing, Lord Hades.”
“That’s not for you to decide, insolent brat.”
“Then, please explain. Is there a reason the Ishtar clan must continue to be held here?”
Hades hesitated, thinking it over. Then, as if catching himself, he clenched his jaw and growled:
“You damnable human… trying to manipulate me with your silver tongue. Why should I explain myself to you?!”
“Isn’t the real reason you won’t explain… because there is no good reason to keep them here?”
Hades flinched slightly at that.
Because Zeke’s words were right.
The pact made with the Black River tribe had been one of mutual benefit.
They had the protection of a powerful Black Dragon, and in return, he had the Dark Elves serve as his guardians.
Back then, the land was teeming with monsters, and wars between tribes were common. It wasn’t unusual to form pacts on a tribe-to-tribe basis, even if not on a one-to-one level.
But as time passed and the Black River dried up, the region became a desolate, forgotten wasteland.
There was no longer any practical reason for Hades to keep a tribe bound to this place.
Zeke, well-versed in draconic behavior thanks to the Chronicles of Kaisir, had correctly deduced Hades’s circumstances and struck at the core of his logic.
Left with no rebuttal, Hades grew irritated.
Kaisir,“I don’t know! I don’t feel like breaking the pact! Just go back!”
At that, Zeke hesitated for a moment, then asked Hades:
“Forgive me if this is presumptuous… but are you perhaps also bound to this place, Lord Hades?”
Hearing that, Hades’s eyes flared wide as he shouted:
“You little wretch! Just because you’re the first mortals I’ve seen here in ages, I’ve been lenient—but now you’re crossing the line! Do you want to know what a dragon’s fury tastes like?!”
Sensing the mood, Zeke quickly switched to telepathy.
—The Sea God Poseidon has been freed from his seal.
Hades was visibly shocked by Zeke’s message.
He replied telepathically as well:
—W-what did you just say? L-Lord Poseidon… freed from his seal? What are you talking about?
—I pulled out the Spear of Godslaying that was lodged in his heart. That’s how the seal was broken.
Hades’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. His expression said it all: he couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing.
—That… that’s even possible?
—I don’t fully understand it myself, so I can’t offer a detailed explanation. But I just thought… if you are also imprisoned here, Lord Hades, maybe I could release your seal as well.
Zeke’s words flowed like water from a mountain stream. Hades, intrigued despite himself, paused to consider.
After a moment of thought, he suddenly flipped his palm from top to bottom.
In that instant, the scenery around them shifted.
Zeke and Yellin looked around, startled.
“Where… are we?”
It resembled a workshop—half mage’s laboratory, half blacksmith’s forge.
In every corner of the walls stood suits of armor like the Black Knight they had seen earlier, alongside weapons and armor of designs they had never seen before.
Floating in midair, Hades addressed Zeke and Yellin:
“You’ve piqued my curiosity a little, human.”
He gestured again, and a sofa materialized. With a nod for them to sit, Zeke and Yellin took their seats. Hades, still floating, continued:
“You high elves... you were the ones who begged me for a pact back in the day. And now you’ve come to whine about it?”
At that, Yellin was visibly stunned and asked:
“W-what? Are you saying it was our ancestors who first requested the pact?”
Despite her lingering fear of Hades, Yellin pushed herself to ask the question.
Hades reclined horizontally in the air, answering:
“Yeah. Back then, the high elves were practically on the verge of extinction. They came to me for protection.”
Yellin murmured in shock:
“B-but… I was told we inherited the pact from the Black River tribe…”
“Technically, that’s not wrong. The Black River tribe had left to join a war, which left my Guardian seat vacant. That’s when the high elves, who’d fled from the north due to vampires, came begging for my protection.”
“V-vampires…?”
“Huh? Don’t tell me you didn’t know. The north was completely overrun by vampires back then. Even orcs wouldn’t go near it. From what I’ve heard, even the Demon King’s army collapsed because it couldn’t withstand the joint assault from the vampire clans and the northern alliance.”
Even Zeke had never heard this story about the vampires.
‘I’ve only ever heard that the Great Sage sealed the Demon King… I never heard anything about vampires being involved.’
Then, a sudden thought struck Zeke, and he asked Hades:
“Lord Hades… are you bound here by the power of the Elder Dragon?”
Hades snorted dismissively.
“What kind of stupid crap is that?”
Zeke and Yellin exchanged glances.
Zeke cautiously continued.
Kaisir,
“According to legend, Lord Hades was the first among your kind to commit the sin of kin-slaying, and was sealed here because of it…”
“Kugugugugu!”
Before Zeke could even finish, an overwhelming surge of killing intent erupted from Hades’s body.