CHapter 208: Turning Point (8
“Then…”
Menoruka spoke in a trembling voice.
Her pupils were still restless with anxiety, constantly quivering.
Even so, she seemed to be trying desperately to recall something, her gaze trembling toward the void.
“There was… a child, around the same age as me.”
Hoo.
Having finished speaking, Menoruka paused to catch her breath.
Like someone struggling to gather and piece together fragments of a very old memory, her brows faintly furrowed.
“When I was little… I remember playing with them often. Running through the forest together, practicing our wing flutters… those kinds of memories…”
Then she suddenly stopped speaking and hesitated for a moment.
She looked as though she were trying to recall something even more important.
“That child’s name… the name…”
Menoruka pressed her temples with both hands as if in pain.
“I’m sorry. My mind is still all jumbled… It seems that even I agreed to seal away my own memories back then. Maybe that’s why it’s taking longer for the Suggestion and the binding to unravel.”
“It’s alright.”
Windy May nodded.
“Could you just tell us what you do remember?”
“Yes… I’ll share what I can recall first. Please forgive me if my words come out disjointed.”
Menoruka took another deep breath and began her story again.
“One day, I saw the adults all gathered in one place, discussing something. At the time, I was too young to have the right to attend such meetings. So I could only watch from afar… the adults were speaking with grave expressions.”
Her voice still trembled thinly as she continued.
“And then, a few days later, I heard that the child had died. It wasn’t from natural causes or illness… I overheard the adults whispering that the child had been brutally murdered by someone.”
She stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, as if in pain.
“Do you know why?” Lian asked cautiously.
Menoruka merely shook her head weakly.
“I don’t know that part. I only remember my parents sternly warning me to run if I ever encountered a man without a head.”
It was then that Windy May spoke in a low voice.
“There are more than enough reasons.”
Her tone held not only cold analysis but also a trace of bitterness.
“Just earlier, Urkubar, that old man, said it—nothing about a Dragon goes to waste. The heart, the flesh, the bones, the scales… even a single drop of blood, all of it becomes valuable magical material and catalysts. And judging from that Masked Man’s ability to raise the dead… there would have been nothing more tempting than a Dragon’s corpse. After all, it’s common knowledge that necromancers dream of controlling the corpse of a Dragon.”
Windy May paused briefly, murmuring in thought.
“…But why target a Wyrmling, specifically?”
She shook her head, as if she simply couldn’t understand.
“That’s the only part that doesn’t make sense to me. Normally, a fully grown adult Dragon is far more valuable. And as you know, attacking a Wyrmling is tantamount to turning all Dragons into your enemies. The cost far outweighs the gain.”
To her questioning tone, Deiare muttered quietly, as if responding.
“Human sacrifice.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward her.
Though her expression was still cold as ice, her eyes brimmed with deep disgust and hatred.
“He called himself a demon.”
She took a moment to steady her breath.
“Whether he really is a demon or simply claims to be one… at the very least, it’s clear he’s deeply connected to them. Someone with that level of power and presence wouldn’t speak such words lightly.”
Deiare nodded.
“Of course, given how he delights in deceiving people with his words, we can’t take everything he says at face value. But at the very least, there is definitely a connection.”
“Yes, of course. Especially since careless words like that can bind you to your own statements. For those of us who use magic, it’s something we’d go to great lengths to avoid.”
She continued in a calm but firm tone.
Windy May also nodded, reinforcing her claim.
“…Let me bring the conversation back to the main point. In cases of human sacrifices carried out by Cultists of the Evil God, the required offerings usually have specific and demanding conditions. I’ve come across several cases where the required sacrifice was a child, not yet fully grown. In that context… it might explain why the Wyrmling was targeted.”
“So, what do we do now?”
Professor Shagas finally broke the heavy silence.
His voice was lower and graver than usual.
“We must act immediately.”
Yeriel answered without hesitation.
Determination had settled on his face.
“Yes, that’s obvious. What I meant was… how exactly should we act now?”
Professor Shagas clarified with a nod.
“To be honest…”
Windy May began, clearly reluctant.
“In our current situation, we need to join forces with the Dragons. Based on the circumstances, it’s obvious that that Masked Man not only got his hands on a Dragon’s corpse but also the heart. Regardless of anything else, there’s no way the Dragons would let such a disgrace to their kin go unanswered.”
“……”
Amaruah silently nodded in agreement with Windy May’s words.
An indescribable complexity clouded her expression.
“But that old man didn’t seem willing to work with us. On top of that, he insulted us.”
Yuran spoke coldly.
She had clearly understood every word Urkubar had said about her, including calling her a mutt while looking at her with contempt. The discomfort showed plainly on her face.
“…I have no excuse. Though it’s not enough, I, this humble one, offer my apology on his behalf.”
At Yuran’s words, Menoruka’s already gloomy shoulders sank even further, utterly dejected.
“And the reason Grandfather is acting that way… must surely be because of me. If I were to follow his wishes and submit…”
“No, I don’t think that’s it, young Dragon.”
Windy May interrupted Menoruka.
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
“That old coot is pathologically opposed to cooperating and doesn’t hesitate to hurl insults at us… It’s most likely because of me.”
Windy May glanced around the room, her expression reluctant.
“As many of you already know, I killed both Summer Essence and Winter Essence, earning the title of Dragon Slayer. The Dragon known as Summer Essence… was that old man Urkubar’s daughter. And…”
Windy May trailed off.
A deep sense of guilt and sorrow passed over her face.
“……”
Lian could tell from her expression that there was a deep story hidden behind it all.
She wouldn’t make such a face otherwise.
“…Ahem, anyway.”
Windy May cleared her throat, as if to regain her composure, and continued.
“Let’s put aside winning the Dragons’ cooperation for now. First, we need to track that Masked Man’s trail.”
“The festival’s underway right now, and the Academy and its surroundings are overflowing with people. It won’t be easy to conduct a search.”
“Yes, that’s why even the slightest delay could make what little clues we have completely vanish. We have to move immediately.”
She paused briefly.
“If he vanishes now, finding him again would be close to impossible.”
“She’s right.”
Deiare nodded.
Her gaze remained cold.
“High-ranking Demons… are said to defy the laws commonly known to the world. Tracking them through conventional means is almost impossible. In the past… even my master, Arpentia, and the other Knights struggled greatly because of one.”
Then Cecilia cautiously spoke up.
“In that case, how about tracing his trail backward?”
All eyes turned to her.
Cecilia continued without faltering.
“I’m certain I heard him say, during the fight, that he paid extra for Professor Deiare’s disciple’s corpse… Ah, I apologize.”
She caught herself mid-sentence and apologized, and Deiare gave a faint nod, indicating it was alright.
“…He mentioned paying a premium for it. And considering the sheer number of corpses he’s collected… there’s no way he could’ve gathered them all just by grave-robbing or stealing. He must have used a variety of methods, and among them… I believe purchasing some of them with money wouldn’t be uncommon.”
“The black market.”
Lian murmured.
His eyes gleamed sharply.
“Cecilia is right.”
He nodded, speaking with certainty.
“There’s talk that the corpse of a renowned magician alone can become a top-tier artifact. And I’ve heard that collecting the bodies of prominent individuals or powerful figures—whether for twisted hobbies or research—isn’t as rare as one might think. Especially in the case of famous criminals, there were even times when their corpses or personal effects were openly auctioned.”
“…Regardless of how you know such things, what you’re both saying is valid.”
Windy May nodded.
“So, the idea is that we should gather intel on the black market?”
Yuran succinctly summarized and nodded.
At that moment, Yeriel let out a deep sigh.
His expression still bore traces of intense thought.
“But information like that is certainly traded under strict secrecy. Even if we want to find it now, can we really track it down so easily? Maybe errand boys or mercenaries from the black market might know something… but they’re hardly likely to cooperate with us. Especially not with anyone from the Academy.”
He was right.
It was akin to openly declaring they intended to snoop around the black market—who would willingly help with that?
Deals of that nature were usually made in utmost secrecy through trusted intermediaries, often relying on personal credit. Even making contact would be difficult.
There was no telling how long it would take just to approach a broker, let alone get into the black market itself.
“Unless we had someone who was already well-connected in that world, and also somewhat well-known…”
Yeriel trailed off with another sigh.
Just then—
“…Ah.”
Lian let out a short exclamation, as if something had suddenly come to mind.
He carefully pulled something out from within his coat.
What he held was none other than the Entry Tag given to him by Artemia—proof of his rank as a top-tier mercenary.