Chapter 39: Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Dragon and Demon Beast (2)

Right after the battle ended—

Something began flying in from afar. It gleamed faintly, like a meteor shower descending from the heavens.

It was none other than Zeke.

With a thunderous crash, Zeke landed on the ground. He had just faced six Demon Beasts—creatures no different from calamities themselves. Yet, not a single wound could be seen on his body.

Zeke spoke. His expression remained as calm and unshaken as ever, but there was a trace of worry in his voice.

[I am fine. But your son is the problem. That boy tried to throw away his life for my sake.]

A look of bewilderment flashed across Zeke’s face, followed by a quiet sigh.

“So, the Blessing has been erased.”

Leon couldn’t answer. He only bowed his head weakly. Zeke’s face twisted into a grim expression. He turned toward Luseus.

“Luseus, is there truly no way?”

Luseus slowly closed his eyes, as if sinking into deep thought. After a moment, he opened them and spoke.

[There is one. It’s a matter of restoring the Blessing.]

“I’ve already used holy water once. There’s no way to restore Leon’s Blessing anymore.”

[Why do you think that’s impossible? When a master of magic such as I am still here.]

[I am called a relic of the glorious age, am I not? This much is hardly difficult.]

Leon couldn’t grasp the meaning of their conversation. All he could tell was that something extraordinary was about to happen.

A radiant light started to pour from Luseus’s body—a warm, comforting glow, almost indistinguishable from the holy light used by priests.

[Leon, thank you for protecting me and my child. As a token of gratitude, I too shall entrust something to you—the future of this world.]

Luseus spoke. His eyes held a gentleness they hadn’t before. Slowly, Leon lifted his gaze. A magnificent radiance filled his vision.

Entranced by the beauty of it, Leon murmured,

“What… do you mean by that?”

[What I’m about to perform is a magic only a dragon can wield. A spell that converts Mana into Holy Power to restore your Blessing.]

“Mana… into Holy Power?”

Impossible. Holy Power was something granted only to those chosen by the gods. To reproduce the power of the divine with mere Mana—it couldn’t be done.

Leon couldn’t even muster the strength to deny it.

But Luseus no longer explained. He simply showed it—the pinnacle of magic itself.

The light streaming from Luseus’s body enveloped Leon. It was warm. Peaceful. Leon instinctively knew—this light was Holy Power.

It was unbelievable. He had recreated divine power, something belonging only to gods, with Mana. It was a feat that challenged the very throne of the divine.

[Marvelous, isn’t it? A miracle forged at the cost of a dragon’s lifespan. In a way, it’s only natural.]

“Your… lifespan? You mean to say…?”

[The Demon King’s seal won’t be broken. I still have some time left—perhaps five years. My child will be born before then, so there’s no need to worry.]

An indescribable feeling welled up inside Leon. Sharing one’s lifespan—even for family—was something nearly unthinkable. Even for a dragon whose life far outlasted other races, it was no trivial burden.

Why would he offer part of his life to someone like him?

As if to answer that unspoken question, Luseus said,

[Leon, I saw potential in you. You will be the one to fulfill our long-cherished wish. Ask Zeke for the details. I can’t speak much longer. I’d like to sleep a while… but even that’s difficult, with my body aching so.]

Luseus’s face contorted slightly, his breath growing rough—he was clearly in great pain.

It must have been the price for using his lifespan. Leon’s heart grew heavy.

Then, a thought struck him—the sleeping agent he had brought.

“Luseus, I have a sedative with me.”

Leon gasped mid-sentence. Only moments ago, his body had collapsed at the slightest movement. But now it was different. Even as he reached for his back pocket, his body remained intact. His Blessing truly had been restored.

Leon approached Luseus slowly.

“Please, take this. I don’t know if it will work, but it’s a rare herb-based sleeping agent.”

[This scent… you’ve mixed in herbs that react to Mana. That wouldn’t have been easy for a human to obtain. Were you planning to draw my blood while I slept?]

[Ha ha ha! I rather like that you don’t deny it. Feed it to me. With that much, I should be able to rest peacefully for a day.]

Leon nodded. He opened the vial and poured its contents into Luseus’s mouth. The moment the liquid touched his tongue, it was absorbed into his body—truly an herb that reacted to Mana.

[Ever since I took on the duty of guarding the Demon King’s seal, I haven’t had a proper sleep. Thanks to you, I can finally rest. Thank you, Leon.]

Leon bowed silently—a gesture of gratitude toward the one who had shared his lifespan with him. A man of conscience owed sincerity in return.

Luseus turned his gaze to Zeke. His lips trembled faintly as he spoke.

[I leave the rest to you.]

“Rest easy. I’ll take responsibility for your successor as well.”

[Thank you, my friend.]

Luseus replied with a faint smile. Perhaps Zeke’s firm reassurance had eased his mind, for Luseus slowly closed his eyes and, in an instant, fell into a deep sleep—so deep that no one could have woken him even if they tried.

Leon and Zeke stood silently beside him for a while.

Leon said nothing for some time. Zeke, too, remained quiet. The two of them simply watched the sleeping Luseus in silence.

Zeke was the first to speak.

“The lifespan of a dragon is nearly infinite. But that doesn’t mean sharing that lifespan is an easy thing to do. You owe Luseus your gratitude.”

Zeke regarded Luseus’s sacrifice as something noble. Moreover, Luseus’s lifespan had been used to maintain the Demon King’s seal—a precious resource shared willingly.

Leon understood its value. He could not help but bow his head with a heavy expression.

“You must have many questions. Is there something you wish to ask?”

At Zeke’s words, Leon thought for a moment. The first thing that came to mind was the seven Demon Beasts—their identities, and why they had shown such hatred toward Zeke.

“Have you been well, Father?”

But Leon put his questions aside for now. He simply offered a greeting—just as any son would to his father.

Zeke glanced at Leon briefly before answering in his usual calm tone.

“I’ve lived as I always have. What about you?”

“I joined a mercenary corps. It’s quite a good one. They were people who’d risk their lives for each other just because we were comrades.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ noᴠelfire.net

Zeke nodded slightly. Perhaps it was Leon’s imagination, but it looked as if the corner of his father’s lips had curved upward a little.

“It’s a troubled world we live in—an age where people are cold to one another. You’ve joined a good mercenary corps. What’s its name? Perhaps I’ve heard of it.”

“The Black Dragon… that would be Garan’s mercenary corps.”

“You know the Captain?”

Leon asked in surprise. Garan wasn’t even a citizen of Elphrel—he was from the Empire. It was surprising enough that Zeke knew of him at all.

“Garan was once a capable man who rose to the rank of High Warrior. But he couldn’t adapt to Elphrel’s ways, so he left for the Empire.”

Zeke’s words were shocking. Not only had he known Garan, but he had even allowed a High Warrior to leave the country—and not as a spy, but freely.

“Was that really all right? The title of High Warrior is something only the strongest in Elphrel can attain.”

“It’s just a title. One can discard it whenever one wishes. He was the one who said he hated Elphrel—why should I have stopped him?”

Leon let out a quiet sigh. Indeed, he thought, this was the mindset of Elphrel’s greatest warrior—so different from his own.

“Garan’s a good man. Judging by when he left Elphrel, he wouldn’t have known you, but… it seems he’s kept his discipline even in the Empire.”

“I only lived as you taught me, Father.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Zeke’s face—a genuine one, visible even to the eye.

It was the first time Leon had ever seen such an expression on him. Without realizing it, Leon stared, a bit dazed.

Then he shook his head. The pleasantries had gone on long enough. It was time to ask what he truly wanted to know.

“Father, I want to know about Superbia and the Seven Demon Beasts. What happened between you and them?”

“They’re simply ones bound by ill fate. They have considerable strength, but that’s all.”

“Considerable strength,” he said—but to Leon, those beings had been nothing short of calamities.

Leon couldn’t help but let out a faint, disbelieving laugh.

“Superbia claimed herself one of the Seven Apostles who serve the Demon King. I’ve already guessed the broad strokes. The flow of events made it easy enough to infer.”

“You talk too much. Ask what you wish to know.”

“When did you first learn about Luseus—or rather, the Demon King’s seal? And—”

Leon looked at Zeke, his expression more serious than ever.

“What will happen to the world if the Demon King’s seal is broken?”

Zeke closed his eyes slowly. His silence stretched long, but Leon waited. The more one carried within, the harder it was to let it out. He could only wait patiently.

Finally, Zeke spoke—his words heavy with revelation.

“The breaking of the Demon King’s seal is inevitable.”

Leon’s eyes widened as Zeke continued.

“Leon, the Evil God Jeozudin is said to be dead. If that’s true, his power should have vanished with him. Haven’t you ever wondered why his remnants still linger in this world?”

Leon’s breath caught. He had imagined many possibilities, but nothing like what he was hearing now.

“The Evil God isn’t dead. He’s merely sprouting anew—his seed germinating within the sealed body of the Demon King.”

Zeke placed his hand gently on the bridge of Luseus’s nose.

“The Demon King is sealed within Luseus’s body. Long ago, he willingly sealed the Demon King himself. You spoke with Reinhardt, didn’t you? Then you must already know what kind of covenant the Withers made with Luseus.”

“……He said it was to protect the dragons from mankind.”

“Humans come in all kinds. Among them are those with twisted ideals. For centuries, people have tried to unseal the Demon King. Some of them, Luseus said, were so powerful even he could barely fend them off.”

Leon found it hard to believe. He had felt Luseus’s power firsthand—the might of a being at the pinnacle of all life. And yet there had been humans stronger than that?

“You look doubtful. Of course, had Luseus been able to fight at full strength, he would have crushed them easily. But you see, within him lies something that devours his life force every day.”

Now he finally understood why a dragon—said to be the apex of all living things—had been living hidden away in such a place.

“This world is losing its balance. The age of a thousand years of peace is coming to an end.”

“…And what will you do when that time comes, Father?”

“You ask what should be obvious.”

For a brief instant, Zeke’s eyes gleamed with chilling intensity.

“I will vanquish the Evil God Jeozudin. I will preserve the peace our ancestors forged a thousand years ago. That is my goal. And that’s why I’ve stayed by the side of the weakened Luseus.”

His eyes burned—not with greed for fame or riches, but with a conviction like that of a chosen apostle.

Leon parted his lips as if to ask more, but stopped himself.

He had a general understanding now. From here on, what he needed to do was prepare—for the catastrophe that was sure to come.

‘I must become stronger.’

The Demon King’s seal, the resurrection of the Evil God—all of it was overwhelming. But that only strengthened his resolve.

When facing calamity, there was only one thing one could rely on—one’s own strength.

And to live without shame before himself, he would have to continue striving.