Chapter 203: Turning Point (3)
"Then that means it’s not just one person, you senile, dumbass dragon."
At Windy May’s flabbergasted retort, Urkbar’s brow twitched slightly.
The faint smile that had been hanging on his lips vanished in an instant.
"That mouth of yours is still flapping away. How fitting for something born a hybrid."
"Unlike someone else, I’m still in my prime. Maybe that’s why my brain’s still working just fine~"
As the two exchanged barbs, Lian unwittingly closed his eyes.
Dragon.
The reason they must never appear in the capital.
It was because their appearance marked the collapse of the imperial palace—what people referred to as the central government.
‘I suspected there was more to it…’
Not just Behad, but anyone sharing his bloodline would be held accountable.
In other words, it was a threat aimed at the entire imperial family.
Of course, in his previous life, there hadn’t been any imperial family members—Behad included—who were murdered by dragons…
But clearly, something big had happened, something he wasn’t aware of.
"……."
The appearance of dragons wasn’t just a temporary incident or confusion—it was the catalyst that triggered long-suppressed issues throughout the Empire.
Simultaneous rebellions and riots broke out across the outer regions, and there were those who deceived the people by claiming to be true saviors…
Taking advantage of the chaos, enemies from all directions launched massive invasions.
Ordinarily, it would have been an uproar easily quelled in its early stages.
But the central government remained silent, and that silence only worsened the chaos beyond control.
At that time, Basilia Everglenn—Cecilia’s older brother, known as the Giant of the North—sacrificed his life to stop the most ferocious advance from the north.
It was thanks to him and countless others who gave their lives that the situation was barely brought under control, but that was not the end of the chaos—it was only the beginning.
"……."
Lian couldn’t even sigh.
It was a memory he never wanted to recall again.
As fragments of the past swirled through his mind, he suddenly felt a dull shock, like strength draining from him.
‘…To think that all that carnage started over a love affair.’
While Lian was lost in thought, Windy May abruptly opened her mouth.
“Well, we’ve got time, so why don’t we have a constructive conversation for once? There’s something I’d like to ask before your granddaughter arrives…”
Before she could finish, Junongren butted in.
“How dare a filthy hybrid mutt like you! If you want to speak with us, learn your place and get permission before opening that filthy mouth!”
She lashed out, voice full of fury, but when Urkbar turned a chilling gaze toward her, she quickly shut her mouth.
"Didn't I tell you to watch your tongue?"
“...Ugh, yes. I’m sorry, Elder…”
Windy May looked at Junongren and muttered.
“If you’re going to be polite, you could at least try to make it sound nice. Just adding a ‘-yo’ at the end doesn’t make it polite, you know.”
“…Kkgh!”
Junongren ground her teeth audibly, and Windy May chuckled as if amused. Then she turned to Urkbar and asked,
“But isn’t it kind of funny that you curse as much as you like but tell others to watch their mouths?”
“Then would you prefer I refrain from now on?”
Urkbar asked with a faint smile.
Windy May’s expression instantly twisted as if she’d seen something revolting.
“...No, just keep doing what you were doing.”
“Then I shall.”
“Sigh… I didn’t even get a decent comeback.”
Grumbling, Windy May tilted her head slightly toward Lian.
“Lian. Can you explain in my stead?”
“Yes.”
Understanding what she meant, Lian immediately began to speak.
With a calm voice, he began to summarize what had happened so far.
"First, I happened to run into Miss Menoruka on the street. She was the one who stopped me first…”
Lian continued explaining.
That the dragons were looking for her, and that a disappearance and a murder of Wyrmlings had occurred at the same time, signaling something serious.
That Menoruka had insisted there were no other Wyrmlings besides herself.
And that even after asking another dragon for information, many things didn’t add up.
Having explained the situation to some extent, Lian carefully looked at Urkbar and asked,
“Would it be alright to hear the full explanation?”
Urkbar chuckled lowly.
“I was wondering why a child of another lineage was so curious about our side of things… Now it makes sense.”
His gaze turned toward Lian.
There was a glint of interest in his eyes—along with a certain wariness.
At that moment, Junongren once again couldn’t hold herself back.
“Hey! Why should we share such stories with you? Know your place and don’t cross the line, you worm! More than anything, you—!”
It was then.
“Hey.”
Windy May interrupted.
Her voice was low and calm—but overflowing with such blatant killing intent that even Lian flinched in surprise.
“…Hic.”
When Windy May’s icy gaze fixed on her, Junongren reflexively let out a small hiccup and shut her mouth.
“…Who did you just call a worm?”
At Windy May’s cold, murderous question, Junongren replied in a trembling voice, her face full of fear.
“T-The h-human… m-mutt…”
Even so, she clung to the word "mutt" to the very end—perhaps her final shred of pride.
Still trembling, she added in a quivering voice,
“I-I just don’t think we’re obligated to share the secrets of our lineage with an outsider!”
To that, Lian calmly replied,
“You were the ones who approached me first, and before that, I was entrusted with a request from Miss Menoruka. I don’t think I can be considered an outsider under these circumstances… More than anything, couldn’t you at least explain the situation to some degree?”
He took a breath, then added the clincher.
“Most importantly… another person involved in that incident mentioned a man without a head. Do you know anything about that?”
Man without a head.
The moment those words left his mouth, Urkbar’s expression stiffened slightly.
He stared at Lian in silence for a moment before slowly nodding.
“…Very well.”
He nodded again.
“If you know that much, then explaining would indeed be the proper thing to do.”
Where should I start…
Muttering to himself, he let out a small sigh.
"First off, let me clarify—Menoruka… that child has it wrong. More precisely, she’s misremembering things."
Then he slowly began his story.
"It’s a fact that a child of our lineage was killed. And… Menoruka was so deeply shocked by it that she ended up hurting herself. She couldn’t cope with the trauma, so a few of us elders adjusted her memories. That’s why she doesn’t remember anything from that time."
He paused and let out a deep sigh.
"And as for the man without a head… Right, that story is connected to everything else, so I’ll just say it all while I’m at it."
Urkbar suddenly changed topics.
"Those who’ve slain dragons are extremely rare. Even if you comb through the past few hundred years, you’d only count them on one hand. And one of them is that mutt over there."
He casually, but all too naturally, hurled an insult at Windy May.
But Windy May didn’t seem the least bit interested in being insulted—she just idly groomed her fingernails with a bored expression.
"And the other… is that man without a head."
"Who is he?"
Lian asked, and Urkbar replied.
"A demon."
"A demon?"
"…I don’t know for certain. It’s just an assumption. But I did sense a faint trace of a demon’s distinct aura in the area where he appeared."
Avoiding Lian’s eyes with a slight turn of the head, Urkbar continued.
"Anyway, the guy killed a young dragon that had just become an adult and took its heart. Then he seriously wounded another dragon he encountered and disappeared without a trace. Judging by that, he must’ve been a high-ranking demon…"
"…So you don’t know his identity."
"That’s right."
Urkbar spoke with a bitter expression.
Then he let out a short, incredulous chuckle.
"All the prominent archdemons during the Great War were either killed or had their identities exposed… and yet, there’s not a single one that comes to mind."
Ahem.
He gave a brief cough.
"Anyway, ever since that incident, experienced dragons were assigned as personal protectors for Wyrmlings and other young ones. And when it was Menoruka—my granddaughter’s—turn…"
He suddenly fell silent.
A deep sadness and rage passed across his face.
"…Forgive me, but I’ll stop there."
Shaking his head slightly, he ended the story.
A heavy silence followed.
Then, as if remembering something, Urkbar turned to look at Lian.
"…Now that I think of it,"
He spoke abruptly.
"You’re the one who holds a Cornerstone, aren’t you?"
Lian tilted his head slightly at the unfamiliar word, and Urkbar explained.
"…Ah, that’s what we call it. I’m talking about the power you showed earlier."
Well, it wasn’t strange that an ancient dragon would recognize it.
Lian was thinking that when Urkbar’s next words made him flinch.
"I’ve seen that before, you see. I remember it very clearly. Some human was loitering around near our territory using that power and causing all sorts of trouble…"
Urkbar furrowed his brows as if the memory still irritated him.
"Even after repeated warnings, he kept poking around in our lands, so I decided to give him a proper lesson. Only then did he finally flee like a coward. Such an annoying fellow, really stuck with me. He even carried around this oddly twisted iron rod-looking thing and wandered all over the place."
"…Would you mind telling me how many years ago that was?"
Lian asked, and Urkbar fell into thought.
"Let’s see… I don’t remember exactly, but it wasn’t that long ago. Probably less than fifty years."
Fifty years.
Lian immediately realized who the human must have been.
‘Rahma.’
It had to be Rahma.
No—more importantly…
‘…That oddly twisted rod.’
While Lian was lost in thought, Urkbar now turned toward Windy May.
"You’ve raised a good disciple, Dragon Slayer."
"What, jealous?"
Windy May shot back without missing a beat.
Urkbar let out a low chuckle.
"Of course I’m jealous. But I’m also concerned."
"About what?"
"You’ve finally come to understand the pride and joy of raising someone."
Urkbar grinned slyly.
"It won’t be long before that disciple becomes like your own child. I know you well. At any rate… I’ll be counting down the days."
Despite his chilling warning, Windy May merely snorted in amusement.
Then it happened.
‘Ah.’
Lian suddenly recalled the faint trace of a Brand he had sensed on Anguster.
Was it because Urkbar had just mentioned the Brand—or because of that thing he said about an oddly twisted rod?
It didn’t matter anymore.
‘I need to check the body.’
With that thought, Lian cautiously asked Windy May.
"Professor, I have something I’d like to ask regarding Anguster."
"What is it?"
"You mentioned you’ve seen his corpse in person… If it’s not too much trouble, may I check it as well?"
Windy May hesitated for a moment, then replied.
"Hmm… it’s a gruesome sight, though. Are you sure you’re okay with that?"
Lian nodded.
"I’ll be fine."
"In that case… I’ve stored it in my office. Once we’re done here, let’s go take a look together."
That was when Junongren suddenly snapped, glaring off to one side.
"Who goes there?! Peddlers are not welcome, so kindly get lost!"
Everyone turned their eyes toward where she was looking.
Windy May was the first to react.
"…Huh?"
Then came Lian’s reaction.
"…Didn’t you say it was in your office?"
At the end of their gaze stood Anguster’s corpse.
More precisely, someone was holding up his body—as if supporting it.