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Chapter 182

You\'re going to choke, kid.

"Like you, I had no idea. I did not know someone was after me, let alone that they were an agent of a dragon. I only found out after I encountered them."

"Can you tell me why you\'re so sure about this?"

Mev raised a hand to stop Philip\'s questions and added, looking at Ian with her green eyes.

"I\'m not questioning your words out of doubt. In fact, I had my suspicions as well. The power he wielded felt similar to divine power. So, I assumed it was the power of the void."

“That\'s precisely the power of a dragon,” said Ian.

Ian nodded and continued, "I\'ve experienced divine power, chaos power, and dragon power, so I can tell the difference. Besides, the presence that appeared after killing him was undoubtedly a dragon. I\'m sure you sensed it, too."

"Indeed. I merely assumed it was a void creature... Yes... Not only void monsters have such a presence. A dragon could certainly..." Mev finally sighed.

Charlotte, giving Philip a look to wait, added. "But the Corrupt Dragon should already be dead. I saw the remains of the dragon you killed with my own eyes."

"Tahumrit is definitely dead. The one who sent the agent is different."

"Do you have any guesses who it might be?" Thesaya asked next.

Unlike the others, she sipped her drink with a look of pure interest.

Ian, who actually knew the name, shrugged nonchalantly. "Well," Ian shrugged nonchalantly, knowing the name. “The Platinum Dragon said that all dragons inevitably fall into madness someday.”

He added, raising his glass, “And that black knight called himself an apostle and considered the dragon he served as the true God. So, this one must be some creature deluded into thinking it’s a God.”

"If there\'s such a deranged dragon, why hasn\'t it..."

"...Heaven Defier." Philip\'s dazed voice interrupted Charlotte\'s murmur.

With everyone’s eyes on him, he furrowed his brow and continued, "You can\'t know, right? It\'s the legend of the Heaven Defier. The notorious evil dragon who tried to ascend to the heavens, claiming to be a God."

Charlotte and Thesaya blinked, clearly unfamiliar with the tale. Ian was no different. Even though he had fought Rakhmah in the game, he didn\'t care about its backstory.

"It\'s a story priests often tell to children."

Mev was the one who spoke.

"Long ago, there was an evil dragon that ruled the continent with blood and fear. He was so powerful that not even other dragons stood a chance against him and got taken out. His arrogance knew no bounds, and he eventually declared himself a God. Many races submitted to him, and even dragons followed his will."

She sipped her wine and continued in a steady voice.

"And then he prepared to ascend to the heavens. That was when the warriors of the church rose. They sought help from the Golden Dragon, who accepted and gathered other dragons to join them. On the day the evil dragon was to perform the ritual, a battle ensued between the warriors and the dragon\'s worshipers. Many dragons and the church warriors lost their lives."

Mev\'s voice grew wistful, as if she were recalling a distant past when she first heard this story.

“And their sacrifices and prayers reached the heavens, bringing divine punishment upon the evil dragon. The Golden Dragon broke its wings, causing it to fall. The warriors of the church then risked their lives to behead the dragon. Thus, the evil dragon, who had claimed to be a God, met its demise as the warriors of the church killed it and erased its name from history forever. And...”

She shrugged her shoulders and looked at Ian with a peculiar expression.

“Those dragons who sided with humans earned the title of saints in the church. The dragon that broke the evil dragon’s wings is the Great Platinum Dragon. The church received the blessings of both gods and dragons, and all humans united to worship the light. Thus began the era of humans. So, always remember to be grateful to the Radiant Goddess and the saints of the church, as the priest who told me this story said.”

“An interesting story,” said Thesaya.

Interesting, my foot. It\'s so predictable.

Ian silently scoffed at Thesaya\'s words.

“It seems it wasn\'t just a simple legend after all,” Mev concluded meaningfully.

Ian nodded roughly, “Seems so.”

“...Though it was me who brought it up.”

Philip spoke cautiously at that moment.

“The more I think about it, the harder it is to believe. According to the legend, the Heaven Defier was killed. It’s an existence from a time so ancient, even before the ages of war and civil strife.”

“Well, as far as I can tell, it seemed quite alive.”

“Could it be another dragon?”

“The Platinum Dragon seemed to have full authority to intervene in matters caused by dragons. If it were another dragon, it would have been dealt with already. I don\'t think there are many dragons capable of plotting such things while avoiding its gaze.”

“...So, you believe that the ancient evil dragon is still alive somewhere on the continent?”

“For now. I trust my own experiences more than some old legend.”

In reality, I already knew the answer and just pieced everything together.

“Oh, Lu Solar...”

Finally, Philip sighed and downed his drink before continuing, “I can’t understand it. Why did they leave such a monstrous being alive instead of killing it?”

“Because death is too merciful a punishment.” Charlotte, holding a glass, blurted out.

Receiving Philip\'s gaze, she continued nonchalantly, “The church made the evil dragon suffer alive. For as long as possible. Maybe, forever.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because the God our beastfolk served in the past ended up in a similar situation for similar reasons.”

“Ah...”

Philip, at a loss for words, gaped and fiddled with his drink, averting his eyes.

“So... that\'s what happened... Then it\'s no wonder you are so certain. I was ignorant....”

“Don’t worry about it. I, too, serve the Radiant Goddess now.” Charlotte shrugged.

Mev sighed softly right after. “Even after such a long punishment, it didn’t abandon its ambitions.... It’s both astonishing and terrifying. Who knows what kind of monster it has become by now?”

“It’s more than just not abandoning them. Even in that state, it managed to create followers and a situation where it could bestow power.”

At Ian’s addition, Philip and Mev froze for a moment, then sighed.

“That’s true. I understand now why it targeted you, my lord. According to the legend, it must have a deep grudge against the Platinum Dragon and is trying to exact revenge by killing its agent.”

“I don’t care about its reasons.”

Ian downed the remaining drink in his glass and placed the empty glass in front of him with a thud.

“More importantly, it\'s crucial to realize that there isn\'t just one agent of that creature.”

“...!” Everyone except Thesaya widened their eyes.

Charlotte poured more alcohol into Ian’s glass as she asked, “Are you saying there are more of those beings?”

“He talked about killing me and becoming the only Great Warrior. There are others in similar situations. That lizard must have put a bounty on my head.”

“Wonderful... It means we get to fight more of those incredible beings,” said Charlotte.

Philip looked at Charlotte, who was smiling, as if she were out of her mind, and then sighed, “So that\'s why you said staying here would cause more trouble.”

“Yeah. They know my location. It probably got out when we passed through the Empire. That was the first time I revealed my true identity. Another one of them might already be on their way.”

“Time-wise, that makes sense. I thought it was too much of a coincidence... Wait a moment. Oh my god, Lu Solar.” Philip, realizing something, sighed and looked back and forth between Ian and Mev.

“So, not only are there corrupted ones in the Empire but also cultists who serve the Heaven Defier!”

He’s acting like that’s a huge surprise.

Ian chuckled as he replied, “Maybe they\'re all in cahoots.”

“That’s unlikely. With the Platinum Dragon present, how could they...”

“You never know. Some priests secretly serve the ancient gods of the void, so why wouldn’t there be cultists of the Heaven Defier?” Ian casually remarked as he brought his glass to his lips.

He did plan to ask the Platinum Dragon if they met again. Whether it truly didn’t know, or if it was just allowing it to happen, as it always seemed to do. If it was the latter, he would use that as leverage to get a hefty reward.

“But... Hmm, yes. We can’t be sure of anything....” Mev’s eyes darkened as she mumbled.

It was more despair than anger or determination, as if she were facing an endless trial.

“So, to summarize, a crazy old dragon is targeting Ian, so we need to leave before things get worse?”

It was Thesaya, who had been quietly drinking, who spoke up then.

Ian nodded. “Exactly.”

“Alright. It’s a reasonable enough reason, so I’ll accept it. The story was quite interesting too.”

“In that case, it’s best if we’re cautious about revealing our identities for a while,” Ian added, looking at Mev and Philip.

“If they find out where we are, another one of their agents will tail us. Normally, it wouldn\'t matter, but now we have to root out the corrupted ones,” said Ian.

“If there’s any commotion nearby, it will reach their ears, and they’ll hide like rats, as they always do. It’s an excellent decision, my lord,” said Philip.

Ian nodded slightly at Philip\'s response and looked at Mev. “The same goes for you. It’s probably already known that you’re assisting me. It might have even reached the ears of the fallen ones.”

“...Yes. For the time being, I’ll have to be a nameless, wandering knight.”

As Mev nodded, Charlotte clicked her tongue in disappointment.

Thesaya also clicked her tongue and murmured, “That’s unfortunate. Watching you, I was thinking of introducing myself next time.”

“...Thesa, why would you?” Philip asked in bewilderment.

Thesaya shrugged. “I don’t have a squire, do I? So I have to do it myself.”

“You’re delusional. Do you really think you can stand shoulder to shoulder with Ian?” Charlotte frowned and spoke.

Thesaya leisurely turned to her and smiled. “Of course. I am an elder fairy. The most noble among the fairies.”

She slightly lifted her chin and looked down at Charlotte as she continued, “So just by announcing that someone like me is with Ian, it will be beneficial to Ian. Am I wrong?”

“...Damn it.” Charlotte, who had been glaring at her, muttered softly and downed her drink in one go.

Philip, smiling in disbelief, looked at Ian.

“It seems it will be hard to remain inconspicuous, even if we hide our identities. With these two around, perhaps we should come up with fake identities...”

Philip paused, noticing Ian’s expression, then blinked and added, “Why are you looking at Thesa like that?”

“Because what she said makes sense.”

“...?!” Charlotte looked at Ian in disbelief.

Even Thesaya raised her eyes in surprise, not expecting to hear such words.

“Thesa.”

“Yes, yes...?”

Ian placed a silver brooch, taken from his pocket dimension, on the table and added.

“From now on, you’re Aynas.”

“...?” Thesaya tilted her head in confusion.

Ian looked her in the eyes and continued, “While me and Mev hide our identities, you will be the face of our group. You’re an elder of the Aynas family, and we are your guards.”

“Is that really okay...? I heard it’s quite a renowned family.”

“We’ve already made enemies. One more won’t make much difference. It’s unlikely to reach their ears, anyway.”

“If that’s the case....”

Thesaya, glancing at the dumbfounded Charlotte, finally broke into a mischievous smile.

“I’ll do it. It sounds like fun.”

“Don’t make that face in front of others. You’re an elder. Act very arrogant and high-handed.”

“Don’t worry.” Thesaya’s tone shifted.

It wasn’t just her tone; her eyes cooled, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Her smile looked far more lofty and arrogant than it ever did in front of people. Though a faint bruise still lingered around her eyes, it didn’t mar her unique aura.

She stood up silently and slowly leaned over, extending her hand. Picking up the brooch from the table, she looked down at Ian.

“I’ll gladly do so.”

“Excellent.”

At Ian’s reply, her smile returned to its usual playful demeanor.

“Right? I tried to mimic what I’ve seen so far.”

“Never lose that. If someone who knows Ainas demands proof, you’ll need to show it.”

“I’m not confident I won’t lose it.”

Her expression shifted again as she raised her chin and looked down at Ian, slowly extending the brooch.

“So you should keep it safe, Ian.”

“This is driving me crazy....” While Charlotte squeezed her eyes shut, Ian, chuckling, took the brooch. He then casually tossed it into his pocket dimension and added.