Chapter 1010
“… Elder?”
“The elder of the Chromatic Dragons? Are you saying the Chromatic Dragons have already chosen an elder? There’s no way those creatures would…”
“Impossible… Impossible!”
Even Alexander could sense the workings of the Metal Dragons’ thought processes.
What was the reason Blaugrunn said he was resigning from Bahamut?
‘Precisely what Ha Leeha proposed!’
Alexander, unaware that his fingernails were digging into his skin as he crossed his arms, glared at Blaugrunn.
Blaugrunn nodded towards the Metal Dragons.
“Indeed, the esteemed Ancient red dragon Flamme, who became the elder of the current Chromatic Dragons, has something to propose to the leader of the Metal Dragons.”
“It’s absurd! How? How could such a thing happen? Only twenty hours have passed since you mentioned it! It’s hard enough to believe the deal was finalized, but to handle it in such a short time…”
Even Kurpke, who was never shaken by anything, stood up and shouted in disbelief.
The disturbance in his heart was mirrored in his eyes.
It was surely an incident shocking enough to even startle the Ancient Copper Dragon, who had lived calmly through the ages.
“That is…”
Shwaa!
While Blaugrunn hesitated to speak, a lilac light flickered beside him once more.
This time, Leeha used “Partner: Summon” and appeared in the room.
As soon as Leeha arrived, he waved a piece of paper and approached the round table.
The Metal Dragons looked bewildered, but Leeha paid them no mind and placed the paper on the table, quickly jotting down notes.
“Alright, you’ve all heard the story, right? I came to check if there’s anything else worth including in the agreement, just in case. Let’s see, firstly, on the Lope Continent, neither Metal nor Chromatic Dragons shall invade each other’s territories—
“H-hold on! Ha Leeha! What exactly happened?”
“Hmm? What, haven’t you been told yet?”
Bailephus grabbed Leeha’s wrist.
Leeha looked at Bailephus, then turned his gaze to Blaugrunn. Blaugrunn shook his head.
“I’ve informed them, but given how unconventional our actions were, the elders might still find it hard to believe—
“Oh, you understand it in your head but can’t accept it in your heart, is that it?”
“The wise elders surely understood it.”
Blaugrunn’s polished way of speaking both flattered the Metal Dragons and subtly elevated their own achievements.
Leeha smiled faintly, noticing how different Blaugrunn seemed even on an AI level compared to his juvenile days.
“Hmm, so then, how—
“Could you explain it? Partner of Blaugrunn.”
Should they wait for acceptance?
While Leeha pondered for a moment, Kurpke spoke up, urging.
“How Flamme became a red dragon. If the Black Dragon was defeated… how did you quell that backlash? If you explain, I’m sure we’ll all accept it easily.”
He was the first metal dragon to regain composure, looking at Leeha with a calm expression once more.
Leeha looked at the Metal Dragons, including Kurpke.
Thanks to Kurpke’s serene tone, the Metal Dragons began to sit down one by one, changing their expressions, as Leeha nodded.
“Shall I, then?”
“Stop showing off! Speak, human!”
“Alright, alright. Ahem, where should I start… Maybe from when I took down Black Dragon’s rank 1 and 2.”
Zelreja flinched for a moment, but Leeha felt a smile forming for some reason. Nearly all the Metal Dragons seated around the round table were leaning toward him.
“Alright, how could you leave no trace? Even if the red dragon turned a blind eye, why didn’t the other Chromatic Dragons oppose you?”
“That is…”
With Kurpke’s question, Leeha’s story began.
It happened about five hours after they had slain Harveti and the 2nd rank Black Dragon.
* * *
“How dare a human—the enemy of the Chromatic Dragons—set foot in this place!”
A powerful glow emanated as the white dragon hurled its icy breath.
Leeha, however, remained still, watching the spectacle unfold.
“〈Flame Burst〉.”
With a quiet gesture, Blaugrunn cast a fire spell.
Despite its instantaneous nature, requiring no casting time, its destructive power was of a different dimension entirely.
The energy not only evaporated the icy breath completely but continued towards the white dragon’s body.
In haste, the white dragon executed evasive maneuvers to avoid the attack.
Its expression, which had been furious just moments before, shifted subtly. Surely, it had quickly assessed Blaugrunn’s capabilities.
It realized it was an opponent it couldn’t handle.
“Hmm! A metal dragon! Flamme! What on earth is going on here!”
The white dragon immediately addressed the red dragon standing beside Leeha and Blaugrunn.
Though Flamme spoke in a composed tone, her words were loud enough for every dragon gathered at the emergency meeting in the southern mountains of Minis to hear.
“In light of the deaths of Harveti and Zulmek, the human and the metal dragon here have come to testify. It seems everyone has gathered, so may we proceed to listen?”
The white dragon hesitated briefly at her words, not having a chance to reply.
Other Chromatic Dragons attending the meeting began to stir restlessly.
“That’s nonsense! I wouldn’t have attended this meeting if not for such ridiculous claims! Why does Lady Flamme speak thusly!”
“What do you think is wrong, Karanique?”
“Are you suggesting we should believe that Lady Harveti was defeated by mere humans! Lies, all lies! There’s no way those human creatures could have done such a thing! If we burn down every human village nearby, they’ll be forced to confess the truth! What do you think?”
A robust man with closely-cropped Black hair shouted.
Though past middle age, his skin retained its firmness. Younger than Flamme, but possessing a strength that rivaled hers.
―If they were to actually fight, lady Flamme might lose, don’t you think?
―It’s not easy to predict. He exudes an aura befitting the third-ranked Black Dragon.
Even Leeha and Blaugrunn couldn’t help but feel somewhat tense.
The gathering was indeed due to the deaths of the first-ranked Harveti and the 2nd rank Zulmek among the Chromatic Dragons.
Faced with the sudden news of the consecutive deaths of Black Dragons, the Chromatic Dragons had urgently convened this meeting, with every one of them rushing to fill the seats.
Of course, it was Leeha and Blaugrunn who brought the news and it was the Ancient red dragon, Flamme, who called the assembly.
“I never claimed that humans killed them, Karanique.”
The only confirmed information was the death of “Harveti and Zulmek.”
“Then what happened? No, more importantly, does it make any sense that this human—who dared to injure Queen Tiamat—brought the news of Lady Harveti’s death?”
The quieter Flamme’s voice became, the more Karanique raged.
The White Dragons, as well as the Blue, Yellow, and Green Dragons, did not look favorably upon Leeha. Yet none dared to directly challenge him.
From the perspective of a chromatic dragon, how would Leeha seem?
Though Leeha’s stats had slightly decreased due to the penalty from defeating Tiamat, it was insignificant compared to the aura of buffs emanating from him.
Even an Ancient-class dragon would have found it difficult to stand comfortably under Leeha’s influence.
Furthermore, the power of Blaugrunn beside him, combined with the grandeur of Flamme who protected them, left ordinary chromatic dragons entirely cowed.
“Is it a metal dragon or a human? Flamme, are you losing your senses?”
“Karanique! You’re going too far! You don’t speak like—
“Arev, you don’t know your place. How dare you talk to Karanique like that!”
Arev had stood up to reprimand Karanique but was immediately counterattacked. However, the rebuttal didn’t come from Karanique. It came from Seoryu, the Black Dragon who had been silently sitting next to Karanique.
“Seoryu…”
“Seoryu? Can’t you call him ‘Lord Seoryu’? Insolent fool! Karanique, it seems those red dragons are surely plotting. The human over there, our sworn enemy, recently requested a private talk with Arev. Might they be…”
After scolding Arev again, Seoryu whispered to Karanique. His gaze darkened significantly as he looked between Arev and Flamme.
“A private talk? What reason do you have to converse with the enemy who killed the queen, Arev?”
“… It was only to convey a message from Lord Kuzgunak’sh. Nothing of importance was said.”
Arev bowed his head quietly. The momentum of the Black dragons showed no signs of diminishing.
Leeha watched the scene intently.
‘He didn’t step forward. It would have been natural for him to be the first to attack me… Cautious behavior. Even now, he’s insinuating that I might be in cahoots with the red dragons.’
It was clear that Seoryu wasn’t the type to ignite situations himself. He was the sort to pour fuel on the fire after someone else lit the match. Leeha knew of several such players and NPCs.
‘I know how troublesome it can be to leave those kinds of people alone. I’ve experienced it firsthand.’
Leeha had suffered in the past because of clever individuals. Leeha trusted his instincts.
—Leeha.
—Yes, indeed, he’s a cunning one, even from the first look, he seemed unpleasant…
—But he’s a smart one.
“Huuuuu…”
Leeha took a deep breath. He wasn’t wrong in his thinking. His strategy wasn’t wrong either.
It was bound to succeed.
The plan wasn’t just to elevate the red dragon Flamme to an elder.
“Indeed. I came here to testify, apart from that private talk.”
As Leeha stepped forward, all eyes, including Karanique’s, focused on him.
“What testimony do you claim to have? Do you know who truly killed Lady Harveti and Lord Julmek?”
—Don’t worry. They can’t escape from our trap now. Deceptive ones should be stomped out early on.
“Yes. It was that dragon Seoryu who colluded with the humans, and I witnessed him fighting against the Black dragons.”
Behind this revelation lay one of their stratagems, targeting the downfall of the Black Dragon, Seoryu.
Seoryu’s eyes widened in shock.
“That’s impossible! What— you insolent worm! What nonsense are you speaking! How on earth could I have done such a thing?”
“Here, I have proof.”
Leeha rummaged through his bag and pulled something out. Holding up a small crystal, he opened his mouth to speak.
All eyes, dragon and otherwise, fixed on the crystal.