Eating a Dragon Heart made you stronger.
Kain had discovered that fact 940 years ago, when he succeeded in hunting a dragon alone for the first time.
Back then, rather than hunting it, he had been swallowed whole.
Because he had protected his body with mana, the dragon’s gastric fluids hadn’t dissolved him, and Kain had torn the dragon apart from the inside and escaped alive.
During the process, he accidentally drank blood from the Dragon Heart after it burst and felt an enormous increase in his mana.
‘That’s when I learned. Eating Dragon Hearts makes you stronger.’
He needed to hunt as many dragons as possible and consume their hearts.
Only then could he grow faster than he had in his previous life.
That was also why he had insisted on accompanying the subjugation force as an observer.
To kill the dragon and monopolize its heart.
But there was another reason.
‘This dragon might have a relic too. The chances are low, though.’
Kain knew the locations of some relics during this period, but there were still many whose whereabouts he didn’t know.
That was why he was searching the treasure vault before killing the dragon.
‘It’s unlikely the Lord would entrust one to a dragon that’s only seven hundred years old... but you never know.’
Dragons loved treasure.
Most of them kept their hoards in the deepest part of their lairs.
Kain entered the darkest area and concentrated Aura into his eyesight.
It wasn’t as clear as broad daylight, but he could make out the outlines of objects.
‘Using magic to brighten my vision would be more convenient, but the dragon might notice.’
As he continued forward while using the Prophet’s Eye to see the future—
‘Would you look at that? He set traps.’
Kain saw a future in which he suddenly dropped downward several steps ahead.
He lightly jumped over the trapped area.
But there wasn’t only one trap.
Apparently installed to protect the treasure vault, dozens of traps appeared through the Prophet’s Eye.
‘Young dragons are always like this.’
They filled the area in front of their treasure vaults with crude traps because they were wary of the unlikely possibility that a human might come.
Once they reached Bernatus’s age of over 1,200, they became too lazy to bother, but a seven-hundred-year-old dragon was still young enough to put in the effort.
‘Is this it?’
After avoiding every trap with his precognition, Kain finally reached the treasure vault.
Mountains of jewels, gold, and silver treasures filled his vision.
‘I’d love to take everything, but I don’t have the time....’
There were all kinds of treasures piled together, but nothing in particular stood out.
‘No relic.’
As expected, the Lord apparently hadn’t entrusted one to such a young dragon.
‘Since I came all this way, I should at least take something....’
Kain slowly looked around for anything useful until something caught his eye.
‘Is that... a Mana Amplification Necklace?’
He could tell merely by looking at the spell formula engraved into the necklace.
‘With this on, even a Fourth-Circle spell can produce power comparable to the Fifth Circle.’
It was a precious item worth hundreds of millions of gold outside.
Kain immediately put it around his neck.
This alone made the trip worthwhile.
‘Shall I go?’
To kill the dragon.
***
“Ptoo, ptoo....”
Walter spat out the dirt filling his mouth and slowly opened his eyes.
He remembered being seized by the Great Sandworm and dragged underground.
But he had no idea where he was now.
‘Am I alive?’
His body felt stiff, but he could move.
He wasn’t restrained by the Sandworms either.
‘Where am I?’
Walter brushed the dirt off himself and stood, but all he could see was pitch-black darkness.
There was, however, something resembling a silhouette.
‘What’s that?’
When he concentrated Aura into his vision, the silhouette gradually became clearer.
And it was—
‘Gasp!’
More than enough to make Walter freeze in horror.
‘A-a dragon?’
A creature the size of a house stood right in front of him.
Even when he had gone on dragon hunts, Walter had only been assigned reconnaissance duties.
This was his first time seeing one from this close.
[You’re awake, human.]
A silver eye larger than a human head stared at Walter.
He hadn’t been struck by petrification magic, yet his body froze and refused to obey him.
[I was waiting for you to wake up.]
“W-why... were you waiting for me...?”
[Why was I waiting?]
When the dragon smiled, teeth like sharp pillars were revealed.
[Because humans taste best when eaten alive. Hohohohoho!]
“Ah....”
He had no weapon.
No equipment.
He had come here barehanded on reconnaissance and was about to die like a dog.
That was what Walter thought.
Until someone appeared like a savior.
“So this is where you were.”
“K-Kain...?”
Walter froze in shock.
‘Did he actually... come to save me?’
Confusion shook his pupils.
***
Walter wasn’t the only one surprised.
‘What? Who’s that human?’
The Blue Dragon rolled his eyes toward the newly arrived prey.
A human had dared stroll confidently into his lair.
But something else stood out even more.
‘Th-that’s my necklace?’
The Blue Dragon’s eyes widened.
He had mountains of treasure piled up, but he remembered every single piece.
There was no mistaking it.
That was his treasure.
‘That damned human bastard...!!!’
Breaking into his lair without permission was bad enough, but he had even stolen his treasure!
Forget the human he had caught earlier.
He would eat this bastard first.
He would tear off his limbs one by one and savor his screams as a side dish!
But the Blue Dragon couldn’t act on that thought.
Because he noticed the spirit floating beside the human.
[Do you know who I am?]
[Gasp!]
The Blue Dragon, having seen through the spirit’s true nature, was startled.
There was no way he could fail to recognize the aura of his own kind flowing from the voice.
[A-a dragon...?]
[That’s right. I am Bernatus of the Green Clan. I turned 1,231 this year. How old are you?]
Respect for elders was absolute in dragon society.
That was why the oldest dragon became the Lord of the clan.
[I-I turned 701 this year.]
[Then why are you still holding your head so high?]
Startled by Bernatus’s angry voice, the Blue Dragon immediately lowered his head.
[M-my apologies! I was late in greeting you! I am Aolios of the Blue Clan!]
[Failing to recognize your elder and only showing respect now. Is the entire Blue Clan this mannerless?]
[I... I apologize.]
Bernatus looked at the flustered Aolios with displeasure, then deliberately spoke in a solemn voice.
[I have something to ask you. Do you know anything about the ancient relics?]
Aolios blinked.
Why was he suddenly asking about relics?
[Not in detail.]
[Have you ever received a relic from the Lord?]
[Do you mean Lord Arkadion? I have never even met him. I have only heard stories about the relics. I have never seen one.]
[What stories did you hear?]
[That they are ancient relics possessing mysterious powers. I heard they are keys that will one day prevent the destruction of dragonkind, so they must be protected at all costs....]
[What about their locations? Or information about who currently possesses them?]
[Ah... I don’t know that much....]
When Aolios answered while watching his expression, Bernatus sighed.
[Sigh, right. What would you know? Fine.]
[I apologize.... But....]
Glance.
Aolios’s gaze moved toward the human wearing his stolen necklace.
[Who is that human? Why are you traveling together...? Ah! He is your slave? A human slave you keep with you, Lord Bernatus....]
[Insolent!!!]
Aolios jumped at the shout and blinked in confusion.
[Why are you....]
[How dare you speak such nonsense when you do not even know who this person is!]
This person?
A great dragon was using honorific speech toward a human who was nothing more than prey?
Aolios found it absurd, but he asked anyway.
[Who... is he?]
[He is the Prophet who will save our race from destruction!]
[The... Prophet?]
There was a story dragons had heard since ancient times.
Overwhelming strength.
Primordial magic.
A lifespan bordering on immortality.
Born possessing everything, the dragon race came to regard themselves as gods.
Unable to tolerate their arrogance any longer, the God of Heaven looked down upon the earth and proclaimed,
The dragon race shall soon face destruction.
However, a Prophet who takes pity upon them shall appear upon this land and save them from ruin.
For his sake, willingly offer up the relics.
That prophecy, passed down for thousands of years, had spread throughout the entire dragon race.
Unless one was merely a hatchling, there wasn’t a dragon alive who didn’t know it.
‘That human... is the Prophet?’
As Aolios stared wide-eyed, a sharp rebuke struck him.
[Why are you not showing your respects at once?!]
[A-ah... M-my apologies! Prophet!]
Aolios bowed his head toward Kain.
Because of that, he failed to see the triumphant smile spreading across Kain’s face.
‘Well done, Bernatus. You really are good at doing what I tell you.’
Kain had openly appeared before Aolios, but he felt no fear.
Dragons strictly obeyed hierarchy, so Aolios wouldn’t dare act rashly.
Even less so after hearing the word Prophet.
‘Most dragons know about the end of their race, so they have no choice but to revere the Prophet.’
But Kain wasn’t some Prophet.
He was nothing more than a human who hated dragons.
‘And this Blue Dragon is no exception.’
The bastard had eaten humans.
He had devastated five villages and killed knights as well.
Leaving behind nothing but a single child’s shoe.
If Kain left him alive, he would only continue causing tragedy.
‘I had Bernatus question him, but it doesn’t look like he knows anything useful....’
It was better to kill him here.
Of course, killing a dragon wasn’t easy.
Aura Blade, a technique said to be achievable only by Sword Masters.
Without it, even piercing a dragon’s hide was difficult.
‘But that doesn’t mean there’s no way.’
Kain raised the corner of his mouth and approached the dragon.
“You said your name was Aolios?”
[Yes? Yes... Prophet.]
“For a dragon who’s lived 701 years, your manners are complete garbage.”
[Huh...?]
Kain spoke to the bewildered dragon.
“How dare you try to meet my eyes? When did I ever give you permission to look at me?”
[Ah... M-my apologies.]
Aolios apologized and squeezed his eyes shut.
Even so, his thoughts were in complete turmoil.
It was the first time he had ever bowed his head to a human.
The first time he had ever been scolded like this by one as well.
But Bernatus, an elder, was standing beside him, and Bernatus himself had called the human the Prophet....
Having no idea what was truly happening, Aolios could only get swept along by the atmosphere and obey.
That was his mistake.
Because Kain was approaching the back of Aolios’s neck.
‘He exposed his weak point without any defense.’
Being the Prophet was useful at times like this.
SHING—
Even when Kain drew his sword like this, the dragon merely stood there with his eyes closed.
‘I need to kill him in one strike.’
A dragon’s hide was generally hard, but not every part was equally tough.
There were always places where the scales were thinner.
And on a dragon only seven hundred years old, those scales would be even less mature.
‘Die.’
Kain coated his sword in Aura.
Then he raised his mana and imbued it with flames.
The purpose was to burn the wound from the inside.
The fusion of Aura and magic.
A power only the world’s sole Magic Swordsman could wield.
SQUELCH—!
He drove the sword all the way to the hilt.
It had to penetrate this deeply to sever the spine and burn the nerves with flame.
[KHUUUUURGH!]
Aolios’s eyes snapped open as excruciating pain suddenly erupted from the back of his neck.
He had suffered a fatal attack to his weakest point while completely defenseless.
There was no way he could recover himself.
[KHRAAAAGH! KHROOOOOOO!]
Even Bernatus was shocked by Aolios’s violent thrashing.
Bernatus had pressured Aolios exactly as instructed, but he had never imagined Kain intended to kill him.
[P-Prophet? Why...?]
“He’ll interfere with my plans later. That’s why I’m removing him.”
Kain spoke quietly, then continued in a cold voice.
“Finish him yourself, Bernatus.”
Aolios’s spine had been severed, but he was still alive.
Bernatus looked at him sorrowfully.
[......]
A brief silence passed.
Bernatus’s mana slammed into Aolios’s wound.
[KHRAAAAAAAGH!]
The wound tore open, and blue blood poured down like a waterfall.
Kain stood there without moving, even as blood splattered over his head.
THUD—!
The dragon’s thrashing soon stopped.
And just like that, a seven-hundred-year-old dragon died at the hands of a human.
At the hands of a 2-Star Knight who couldn’t even form an Aura Blade.