“Wait.”
Bernatus, who had begun moving the treasures, stopped.
[Why, Prophet?]
“I should set this one aside.”
What Kain picked up was a worn-out cloak.
It looked shabby, almost like a rag, but it was a relic said to have been retrieved by an explorer from deep within a swamp where it had lain dormant.
Its performance was anything but shabby.
‘The only cloak in the world that nullifies all poison and corrosion.’
That wasn’t the only treasure that caught his eye.
There was also a sword whose blade had been forged with dragon scales.
Dragon Breaker.
‘To think the weapon that’ll be talked about for the next three hundred years was here.’
It was a sword capable of piercing a dragon’s armored hide with ordinary Aura alone, without requiring the Sword Aura of a Sword Master.
Its value went without saying.
‘Other than these…… nothing else particularly stands out.’
After looking over the treasures, Kain turned to Bernatus.
“Take them.”
[Yes, sir!]
Bernatus was still grinning from ear to ear.
***
The family heads, Alton included, were in turmoil.
The Black Dragon who had protected the Bellion Kingdom was dead.
And he had died at the hands of none other than Red Dragon Ignition.
‘To think allies would fight and kill one another…….’
Something they had never even imagined had become reality.
A crack appeared in Alton’s normally wooden expression.
“What are we to do now? The guardian dragon representing Bellion has passed away…….”
“We will have to find a new guardian dragon…….”
“This is troublesome. With the position now vacant, the other dragons will not remain idle.”
“Why not remove the Antonio Family entirely while we are at it?”
“Agreed. Their duchy has burned, and their guardian dragon is dead. The Antonio Family is useless now.”
“Then we will need to choose someone new to represent Bellion…….”
“Does anyone know someone particularly favorable toward dragons?”
“Hmm…… That will not be easy.”
While the family heads exchanged opinions and considered their options, Alton remained silent throughout.
His mind was occupied with something else.
‘According to my subordinate’s report, the corpse wasn’t intact. In particular, the chest had been cut open and the heart removed…….’
It hadn’t been Ignition’s doing.
She might have mutilated the corpse in retaliation, but there was no reason for her to remove the Dragon Heart.
‘The heart wasn’t melted or destroyed either. They said not even a fragment remained.’
Then someone had truly taken it.
But who?
And why?
Dragon Hearts were valuable, but only as collectibles. They had no practical use.
The Magic Tower of the Estar Kingdom had conducted numerous studies attempting to utilize the impurity-free mana within Dragon Hearts, but every single one had ended in failure.
If a human could fully absorb the mana contained within a Dragon Heart, nothing could be better.
But human history had already proven otherwise.
It was impossible for the human body.
That was why Dragon Hearts possessed only monetary value.
Admittedly, they fetched an enormous price, so perhaps someone had simply taken them to sell.
‘Whoever it was, a third party intervened.’
Alton was convinced that this person was the same culprit who had orchestrated the entire incident.
Someone powerful enough to kill a dragon, deliberately pit dragons against each other, and then steal their hearts.
‘I don’t know who they are, but they’re dangerous. And they’re interfering with us.’
They had to be found and killed.
Not even the smallest clue could be overlooked.
Having organized his thoughts, Alton spoke.
“Family heads, listen.”
At those words, everyone stopped talking and turned toward Alton.
“This incident was not caused merely by discord between dragons. Someone is deliberately interfering with us.”
The meeting room stirred.
“We may not know that person’s objective, but one thing is certain: they are obstructing us. We must find them and eliminate them.”
The family heads nodded.
“First, use your contacts in each nation to find out whether any Dragon Hearts have appeared for sale.”
“Dragon Hearts……?”
“After examining the corpses of Lord Camiloas and Lord Bellacors, we discovered that both Dragon Hearts were missing.”
“S-such a thing……!”
“Whoever took them knew their value. They will surely make a move to sell them.”
“Then we shall investigate. We know the movements of the black market well.”
“We will check on our side as well.”
“If one appears for sale, we will contact you immediately.”
Alton received firm assurances from every nation.
The moment anyone tried to sell a Dragon Heart on the black market, they would be discovered.
“I will inform Lord Ignition of this as well. I also intend to ask why she killed Lord Bellacors.”
Alton left the meeting room and moved to his study.
When he pulled a particular book from the shelf, the bookcase slowly rotated, revealing a hidden chamber behind it.
He placed his hand on the crystal orb and attempted to contact Ignition.
If she hadn’t been in her lair, she wouldn’t have responded.
Fortunately, the connection went through.
“Lord Ignition. This is Alton Drake.”
―I know. I never forget a voice once I have heard it.
“Please accept my deepest condolences for your son. Your grief must be immense.”
―Grief? What I feel right now is rage. Rage toward you humans!
Even as Ignition snapped at him, Alton remained calm.
He already understood the temperament of each dragon.
“On behalf of humanity, I offer my apologies. Please, calm your anger.”
―Why have you contacted me?
“I heard what happened in the skies above Bellion. And what became of Lord Bellacors…….”
―So?
“I wanted to know the reason. I also have information to give you.”
―That bastard killed my son. That damned bastard!
Ignition erupted in fury.
Even after completing her revenge, her anger clearly hadn’t subsided.
“Please calm yourself, Lord Ignition.”
―And the Antonio Family! Those bastards are involved in this too!
“Because a sword was found in your son’s corpse?”
―That is right! They must have done it in retaliation for their duchy being burned!
Alton secretly sighed.
Even a supreme being like her was failing to view the situation rationally.
“I actually have something to tell you regarding that.”
―What?
“The Antonio Family is not the culprit. It appears someone framed them to make you think they were.”
―What?
Alton explained his reasoning.
“Before your son burned the duchy, the Antonio Family and the people of the territory had already evacuated. That means they knew in advance that their land was going to burn.”
―What are you saying?
“There was another party behind all of this. I do not know why Lord Camiloas burned the duchy, but because of that, Lord Bellacors became enraged. Then you yourself flew into a rage after seeing the Antonio Family’s sword, did you not? Our conclusion is that someone deliberately orchestrated all this to sow conflict between dragons.”
Ignition remained silent for a long while.
It was quite some time before her voice finally came through the crystal orb.
―So you are saying…… Someone played us? Us?
“I regret saying so, but yes.”
―Nonsense! Bellacors confessed! He said he killed Camil himself! I heard it clearly through Dragon Speech!
This time, Alton was left speechless.
He had assumed a third party had killed Camiloas.
He hadn’t expected Bellacors to have personally laid hands on him.
“That…… is something we were unaware of. But it is still clear that someone was manipulating events from behind the scenes.”
―And what evidence do you have of that?
“The Dragon Hearts are gone.”
―What……?
“Your son’s chest had been opened, correct? The exact same traces were found on Lord Bellacors’s corpse. His Dragon Heart was missing as well.”
The hearts of both dragons had disappeared.
And the incisions were identical.
It was far too precise to dismiss as coincidence.
“Did you perhaps take Lord Bellacors’s heart?”
―No! I did no such thing! Once I confirmed Bellacors was dead, I left immediately! I never even touched his heart!
Alton already knew Ignition was telling the truth.
There had been no need for her to deny it so desperately.
Dragons simply weren’t talented liars.
“That is why we suspect the involvement of another third party. Someone who was after Dragon Hearts.”
―Even Bellacors’s heart……? You are saying the same bastard did that too?
The tremor in Ignition’s voice revealed her agitation.
Bellacors might have killed her son, but as a mother, she still couldn’t tolerate the idea that someone else had ripped out his heart.
―Then what about the Antonio Family? Are you saying they have nothing to do with this?
“That is correct. The sword was merely a device intended to enrage you and make you attack Bellion. What the culprit truly wanted was probably the Dragon Hearts. They must have been waiting for the two of you to fight until one side died.”
Alton’s deduction was plausible.
And more than anything, it was shocking.
―I…… was played by a human……? I, of all beings……?!
Ignition’s fury was palpable even through the crystal orb.
“We cannot yet conclude that the culprit is human, Lord Ignition.”
―Then who is the culprit?
“We do not know. We have no clues from which to infer their identity. Other than knowing they are powerful enough to cut through dragon scales, we do not even know whether it was one person or several.”
―Damn it!
“However…….”
After a brief pause, Alton carefully continued.
“It appears they had contact with Lorenzo Antonio. Judging by the Antonio Family’s sword left at the scene.”
―Lorenzo? Is he not the head of the Antonio Family?
“That is correct. We currently have him imprisoned underground and have interrogated him several times, but we have obtained little information. He keeps insisting that he cannot remember…….”
―Hand him over to me.
“Pardon?”
―I will interrogate him myself.
Ignition’s voice sounded sharper than ever.
***
Inside the freezing prison, Lorenzo had spent all his time thinking.
Thinking about how he had ended up in this situation.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find an answer.
‘I only…… grabbed onto a lifeline for my son…….’
He no longer even had the luxury of worrying about Dario.
His own life was in immediate danger.
‘If this continues…… If they abandon me…….’
With his family lost and himself expelled from the alliance, where could he possibly go?
His thoughts didn’t last long.
CLANK—!
“Head of the Antonio Family.”
Alton opened the cell door and gestured for him to come out.
“There is somewhere you must go.”
“Where…… do you mean?”
“Follow me.”
Alton’s voice was stiffer than ever.
Lorenzo felt like an animal being dragged to the slaughterhouse.
“Come.”
“Yes…….”
He hurried after Alton and stepped outside.
Emerging into the sunlight in his disheveled state, Lorenzo narrowed his eyes.
“Get in.”
Lorenzo obediently climbed into the waiting carriage.
The atmosphere was so grave that he didn’t dare ask where they were going.
“If the opportunity arises, perhaps we shall meet again.”
With those words, Alton gave him one final glance.
Lorenzo could only stare blankly back at him.
‘I’m being discarded…….’
He could feel it.
But he had no idea where he was being sent.
He couldn’t even guess.
Not until he saw the enormous Red Dragon.
CRUNCH—!
[So you are the human who claims to have lost his memories.]
“U-uaaagh!”
Ignition, who had arrived at the agreed location, crushed the carriage beneath her claws.
After slowly examining the terrified Lorenzo, her pupils narrowed.
[Could this be…… Mind Domination?]
She could sense traces of Ninth-Circle mana lingering within Lorenzo’s body.