Chapter 620
A Good Proposal. But……. (1)
Arterion finally recalled a question he had never thought of before.
For nearly a thousand years, he had believed and waited for the Adversary’s resurrection. Yet, in all that time, he had never once felt the Adversary’s presence.
At some point, the thought had abruptly surfaced in his mind, and he had simply been convinced of it.
‘That’s why I…….’
He had done everything in his power to kill the Adversary. He had bred monsters, driven them mad, and sent them down without rest.
‘Why…….’
How had he even known in the first place?
Why was he still so certain that the Adversary had appeared in this world?
‘Ereneth…… didn’t know.’
Even Ereneth, who had been bound by the same restriction, hadn’t known. She had only been able to make guesses based on various circumstances and clues.
No one else had known. Only he had been absolutely certain that the Adversary had been resurrected.
Arterion’s mind began sharpening once more.
‘I must know the reason. What has happened to my body and mind?’
The formidable mental strength of a dragon sought to unravel this phenomenon.
In that instant, Arterion’s consciousness was engulfed in a black mist.
His doubts vanished in an instant. Drowsiness overtook him once more.
‘Yes, because of the restriction…… The Adversary’s power is binding me……. It’s only natural that I would feel that power…….’
He rationalized it that way. But suspicion crept into his mind once again.
‘No…… That alone…… isn’t enough to explain it…….’
Even a dragon, confined in a cave, shouldn’t have been able to sense the presence of a single human.
The moment the doubt arose, Arterion’s thoughts became hazy once more. He wanted nothing more than to lose himself in nostalgia and dream of the past.
In the end, not even a dragon’s immense willpower could overcome this bizarre phenomenon.
Within his unconsciousness, a faint voice brushed past.
‘— ……When the time of the promise comes.’
‘— ……Come find me.’
With that final echo, Arterion fell into a deep slumber.
And in his dreams, he began reliving the war from a thousand years ago once more.
Tududuk……
At some point, one of the black chains that bound him shattered and scattered into the air.
The fragments drifted in the air as if guided by an unseen will, slowly gathering together.
The coalescing black energy slithered like a serpent, circling around the sleeping dragon.
Srrr……
The black energy seeped into Arterion’s body as he slept.
Even as it burrowed into him, Arterion remained unaware. He simply continued dreaming with his eyes closed.
Goooooo……
The black energy writhed as if it were alive. The great dragon’s body, like a vast and unfathomable ocean, absorbed the sinister force.
Soon, everything fell silent.
Now… only a single black chain remained binding him.
After the strategy meeting concluded, Ghislain called Galbarik aside. There was still much to prepare for the upcoming battle.
“Why… did you call me?”
Galbarik, who had been eagerly preparing for the retreat, looked uneasy. Being personally summoned by Ghislain had never ended well for him.
As expected, Ghislain placed a firm hand on Galbarik’s shoulder and spoke.
“Don’t leave just yet. We have some work to do. You’ve had plenty of rest these past few days, haven’t you?”
“……”
“Ah, don’t worry. It’ll be quick. It’s an easy job, won’t take long.”
“……What is it?”
“We’re going to build a fortress.”
“A fortress?”
“Yeah. We need it for when we fight the dragon.”
“W-Wait. Do you think a fortress just magically pops up the moment you decide to build one? A proper one takes years, and there’s no way the dragon is going to sit around waiting for us to finish!”
Galbarik flared up in frustration. He had put up with plenty of absurd demands until now, but this was simply impossible, even if it cost him his life.
Seeing that even Galbarik understood basic common sense, Ghislain reassured him.
“It’s not that kind of fortress. I just call it a fortress, but really, it’s more like a tiny shelter. It just needs to be sturdy enough.”
“Hmm?”
“Listen carefully. When we fight the dragon, the mages will need to block its mana. That means a lot of them will be gathered in one place. If the dragon decides to go ‘hurrah!’ and roll over them, they’ll all be flattened in an instant.”
Galbarik nodded. The dragon’s danger didn’t come from magic alone. Its sheer physical capabilities were monstrous.
“So what do we do?”
“We spread out the mages, keeping them at the maximum distance where they can still interfere with its magic.”
“Hmmm… And how many of these shelters do you need?”
“We’ll put about fifty mages in each one, so around thirty should do.”
With the United Army’s mages included, they had gathered roughly 1,500 mages. Even after setting aside some for subjugation efforts, that number remained unchanged.
It was enough to suppress a dragon’s 9th-circle magic.
“Ugh…”
Galbarik looked exhausted. It was doable, but there would be no time to rest. The work just never seemed to stop.
Ghislain, as usual, spoke casually.
“The dragon won’t show up for at least a month. But we need to finish before then. The mages need time to inscribe the structures with magic, so the dragon won’t be able to detect them.”
Spreading out the mages wasn’t just to prevent them from getting wiped out in one strike. It was also to obstruct the dragon’s vision. To fully conceal them, the mages needed time for their enchantments.
They had rested enough over the past few days. Now, it was time to get back to work in preparation for the new operation.
There was no shortage of workers here. They would just need to put in some labor before retreating.
Galbarik nodded with a sour expression.
“Fine… Ugh, I swear, I’ll only be free when I’m dead.”
Muttering complaints, Galbarik left with a face that looked as if he were on his last breath. They had to get started as soon as possible.
The mages were also assigned to work on the makeshift fortifications. Their role was to install interference magic to prevent the dragon from locating the mana controllers.
Jerome and Vanessa carefully selected the positions for deployment. The two of them would work together to regulate all the mana.
“This should be about right.”
“We’ll need more runestones.”
Simply gathering mana wasn’t enough. To control such an immense force, they needed supplementary rituals to assist in the process.
Thus, the mages inscribed numerous magic circles throughout the area. They also used an enormous amount of runestones to amplify the power.
Fortunately, there were plenty of runestones. Some had been collected from the surrounding areas, while others had been taken from estate funds meant for military expenses.
Even the mobile corps’ enchanted weapons contained runestones.
Although it felt wasteful, they gathered every last one and used them, creating an unprecedentedly massive magical zone.
“Wow, at this level, even a dragon won’t be able to do anything about it.”
Jerome marveled at the sight. At last, they had achieved total control over the mana in the area.
Vanessa, however, asked with a slightly worried expression.
“But… will the dragon really show up here?”
“Hmm, I don’t know.”
They had fortified the closest route leading to the capital of the Kingdom of Turian.
Ghislain had pushed for this location as the final battleground. If the dragon appeared somewhere else, the situation would become dire.
In that case, they would have no choice but to rush in and fight with whatever they had on hand.
“Well, we had to pick a place and prepare anyway. Since the dragon intends to destroy the kingdom, this path is the most likely.”
“That’s true. The lord has always been right. I’m sure he is this time, too.”
Vanessa steadied her wavering heart. Ghislain’s methods were always strange, but the results were always correct.
So, as always, she just had to trust him. There wasn’t any other option.
After a few days, the makeshift fortresses were completed. They were positioned at a set distance from each other.
Even if some were destroyed by the dragon’s attacks, the remaining ones would still be able to gather mana.
“Shall we double-check everything?”
At Jerome’s words, the mages entered the shelters. The floors of the fortifications were covered in countless magic circles.
The mages only needed to focus on pouring their mana into the system.
However, the location where Jerome and Vanessa stood was slightly different from the others. In addition to the magic circles, two enchanted staffs were planted firmly into the ground.
These staffs were auxiliary magical tools designed to aid in mana control.
Standing side by side, Jerome and Vanessa each grasped one of the staffs.
The staffs were positioned close enough so that if something happened to one of them, the other could grab both simultaneously.
Guuuuuuung!
As the mages channeled their mana, an enormous concentration of magical energy flooded the area. Vanessa controlled the flow, gathering the power, while Jerome used it to cast a spell.
Paaah!
A Fireball materialized in midair one so massive that it resembled a small hill.
And yet, this wasn’t even a full-power spell. It was merely a test, a light spell used for verification.
“Whoa…….”
“That’s a Fireball? That thing’s ridiculous…….”
“At this level, we might actually stand a chance against a dragon.”
The onlookers murmured in awe.
Those who could sense mana could feel the immense pressure in the air, pressing against their skin.
This was completely different from ordinary magic suppression, where individual mages would cast interference spells. Here, all mana was concentrated into a single controller.
Because of this, the mages didn’t need to worry about maintaining dispel sequences. That was the controller’s job.
All they had to do was keep supplying their mana.
“Basically, we created a dragon to fight a dragon.”
Jerome smirked.
With this much power, they could now use even 9th-circle magic, which until now had only been theoretical knowledge to them.
As for their ultimate secret techniques, they could technically be used, but unfortunately, their effectiveness was questionable.
Leaving aside the fact that they required risking one's own life, a direct slugfest with the dragon was out of the question. If they hesitated even for a moment, the dragon’s attacks would reach them before they could finish casting.
That was why sealing the dragon’s magic was the absolute priority.
All preparations were now complete.
With only those essential for the dragon hunt remaining, the rest of the forces began their retreat.
Elena, Arel, and the others who weren’t Transcendents would withdraw along with the Ritania forces.
Before leaving, Elena approached Ghislain with a worried expression.
“Brother, your mouth is the problem. Please, stop saying ominous things.”
“……What did I even say?”
“Just don’t say anything weird. Otherwise, something insane is going to happen again.”
“……Alright.”
Ghislain understood exactly what she meant.
A ridiculous rumor had spread among the soldiers that "the Duke of Fenris summoned the dragon."
‘I heard the source of that nonsense is Ricardo…’
After spreading wild rumors and getting himself thrown out of Ferdium, now Skovan had joined him in causing trouble again.
Ghislain sighed inwardly.
Knowing the future was surprisingly exhausting. Even when he spoke honestly, no one believed him, they just criticized him instead.
The remaining warriors stood tense, awaiting the dragon’s arrival.
With all the preparations complete, there was nothing left to do but wait.
‘Is this really the right place?’
‘I hope we can talk things through peacefully.’
‘With my twin blades, I’ll slice through the dragon’s wings, just like ’
Everyone spent their time lost in thought.
As the days passed, the tension among them began to fade.
‘Hmm, could it have appeared somewhere else?’
‘Well, I don’t mind the extra rest, but…’
‘What if this whole dragon thing was just a lie?’
Had it not been for Ereneth’s warning, they wouldn’t have prepared at all. This operation had only happened because Ghislain had believed and pushed forward with it.
Meanwhile, Kaor and Alfoi spent their days gambling. Others trained or took the opportunity to rest.
Then, as the month came to an end—
A mage standing watch suddenly widened his eyes.
“I-It’s real. The dragon is actually here.”
Far off in the mountains, something pure white emerged.
Even from this great distance, it was visible to the naked eye, an undeniable testament to its colossal size.
The mage, his voice shaking, raised his staff and fired a flare of magical energy into the sky.
“The dragon has appeared!”
Every gaze instantly shot upward.
A massive, white form dominated the sky, exuding an overwhelming presence.
As the sunlight glistened across its scales, its figure became strikingly clear.
It was like a living, breathing snow-capped mountain.
Chwaaaaah!
As the dragon approached, it spread its gigantic wings, casting an immense shadow over the land.
Every being below seemed utterly insignificant in comparison.
“Prepare yourselves!”
At Ghislain’s command, the mages snapped out of their daze and began gathering mana.
Though they had yet to activate the magic circles, they were prepared to deploy a barrier at any moment.
Everyone except Julien gathered near Ghislain, their eyes locked onto the approaching dragon, their expressions taut with tension.
Krrrrrr……
Arterion, soaring toward the royal castle of Turian, spotted the humans assembled below.
His azure eyes gleamed as he gazed down, carrying the wisdom and might of an ancient era.
Gracefully curving his long neck, he slowly turned his head. Even the air around him seemed to tremble at his movement.
“Insects.”
Arterion did not think much of them.
They were just a gathering of humans, standing in his path.
He could have simply flown past them.
But these were the first humans he had encountered since returning to the world.
Surely, such a momentous occasion should not be ignored.
So, ever so slowly, he opened his jaws.
Kuuoooooo……
In that instant—
the world fell silent.