REFDL 61

The entire Firmus empire was in turmoil.

This was because it had belatedly come to light that Duke Irelion, who had gone to stop the Monster Wave, had gone missing while handling the aftermath.

He had even lost his own Pensilta during the wave and had been riding the Kremlis entrusted to him by the emperor instead.

He had been accompanied by the Kremlis on the fateful day as well.

Both vanished without a trace.

The confidential news leaked out somewhere and spread like wildfire.

Far away, in Denos, Valita heard the news and burst out laughing.

He laughed, pounding his desk, but soon stopped laughing.

“Duke Irelion. If you were going to die, you should have died alone. Why did you have to ride my Kremlis for no good reason…”

“……”

The aide who brought the news kept his mouth shut, gauging the ominous atmosphere.

Before he said those words, Valita’s mood had seemed as light as a cloud.

Even if he asked for five days of paid leave, he’d probably say, ‘Five days? Is that enough? I’ll give you ten. Go ahead.’

Unlike the chaotic situation in Firmus, Denos had successfully repelled the ferocious Monster Wave.

Valita had deliberately unveiled some of the winged species he had secretly bred during the Monster Wave.

They appeared highly trained and exceptionally well-disciplined.

They lined up like soldiers. During the departure ceremony, none turned their heads elsewhere or made unnecessary movements.

Their entire bodies were clad in armor, their heads covered by helmets. Sharp claws made of alloy were fitted over their real claws. Even their wings were completely covered with specially crafted thin iron plates.

Nothing was exposed except their gleaming eyes.

Those who witnessed them firsthand claimed their knees went weak, paralyzing them with fear, yet they also spilled incoherent accounts of their excitement.

The feats of the new dragon unit were extraordinary.

They didn’t even require dragon knights. They never went out of control or became bloodthirsty and violent.

They perfectly understood and precisely executed the commands of their master, Valita.

Valita silenced all doubts and questions by claiming he used magic. After all, almost no one in Denos knew much about dragons, and even if they did, they couldn’t match Firmus.

If he said, ‘It’s a technique secretly obtained from Firmus,’ no one could refute it.

Of course, the excuse became flimsy when confronted with, “But even Firmus can’t make dragons like this…?” But there was a counter for that too.

“It’s not that Firmus can’t make this. They choose not to.”

Valita declared confidently.

“This is an inhumane method. It’s brainwashing a dragon with magic.”

“……!!”

“But if war breaks out right now, we’d lose to Firmus because of dragons. Are we just going to look for humane methods? Do you honestly think losing humanely is better than winning through inhumane means?”

“…….”

Of course, 90% of Valita’s statement was a lie.

For reference, the truthful part was ‘inhumane method’.

What Valita used was dark magic.

The recipe is as follows.

A dead dragon’s corpse. One.

The strength of the left leg. A little.

Spices and preservatives enough to make your nose sting.

A living sacrifice with its entrails exposed.

Combine all these ingredients properly, and ta-da! The birth of an undead dragon, alive and breathing through demonic energy!

It had been completed for a while now.

Until the Monster Wave, they had been used strategically, hidden from the eyes of the Firmus bastards.

For instance, he used them to capture a Kremlis dragon alive in the Sea of Trees.

“Tsk.”

The ambitious plan, undertaken at the cost of his left leg’s strength, ended in failure.

Even for an undead creature, penetrating deep into the Sea of Trees, Kremlis’ primary habitat, proved difficult. It was common to be torn to shreds by monsters of high rank along the way.

They did manage to spot one Kremlis that had ventured to the edge to lay eggs… but ultimately, the capture failed.

All they salvaged was a partially skeletonized corpse, obtained by tracking his trail.

‘The corpse was in poor condition. It had been heavily devoured, the vessel was naturally gone, the mana was all scattered… And for a Kremlis, its resistance to demonic energy is disgustingly strong.’

But it was too valuable to discard, so he tried to ‘recycle’ it somehow.

‘Not satisfying.’

Valita narrowed his eyes, recalling a scene he’d replayed hundreds of times.

Fragments rained down.

The gargoyle statue.

Death, closer than ever before, clearer than any other time.

Death.

The thrill of blocking it head-on was something he would never forget.

It was impossible for a Pensilta. It was a feat only possible because it was a Kremlis.

It was perhaps only natural that Valita, already fascinated by dragons, became obsessive.

He decided to think of the undead dragons simply as tools.

Powerful tools to get his hands on a real Kremlis.

His mood improved considerably.

‘Anyway.’

The reason he hadn’t put the ‘special dragons’ front and center until now was to keep an eye on Firmus, not because he cared about public attention.

Even if he was found out, it wouldn’t really matter.

Denos was already within his grasp.

If the mages who learned the truth submitted a petition to the emperor, where would that petition ultimately end up?

Handling things quietly was Valita’s specialty.

Of course, eventually, the day would come when it couldn’t be hidden anymore. But by then, he would completely have Firmus in his grasp. Then, there would be no need to be cautious anymore.

It won’t be quietly handling troublesome things behind the scenes; it’ll be a change where they’re openly expelled from the surface.

He shifted his gaze from his relaxed posture to the window. He was now in the emperor’s office. On the sofa sat the aged emperor, expressionless as a doll.

Valita, who treated him as if he didn’t exist (and indeed, he was as good as nonexistent, his soul was empty), gazed at the peaceful garden and imagined the beautiful, adorable Kremlis rolling around and playing in this very garden.

Then, when he called, he’d blink those cute yellow eyes and come running right over.

Just imagining it was so good it made him sigh. He was even thinking of making this fantasy a reality.

But then.

Today, he received the devastating news that the creature was either dead or, at the very least, definitely missing. Apparently, it had already been a month.

Considering the time it took for news to travel from Firmus to Denos, it likely had been even longer.

Valita leaned more toward the belief that the beautiful creature was dead. That Kremlis was special.

If rumors said that he died, then he died. He didn’t seem like the type to walk away from his beloved humans.

He was a dragon like no other in the world, and that’s why he was coveted.

When the news first came, Valita, consumed by rage to the tips of his hair, smashed everything in sight. It took three days before he could think rationally again.

He looked at his left leg.

…What was done was done.

His eyes gleaming ominously, he looked up at the sky beyond the window, toward where Firmus was.

It was twilight.

Blood-red.

* * *

Time slipped away.

The cavern remained tediously peaceful.

There was no sound of digging a tunnel anywhere, nor any human voices heard beyond the walls.

I knew now.

The chances of rescue are low.

I didn’t think they’d just sit idly by outside. They wouldn’t have given up easily either.

They’re mobilizing all personnel and methods to find us. It’s correct to interpret that it’s not going well.

“……”

I’d been actively seeking escape routes all along. But now, the necessity to dig became even more urgent.

For instance, attempting extreme measures I’d postponed until the very end, precisely because they could endanger our lives if mishandled.

“Ugh.”

I ignored the pain in my waist and crawled out of bed.

Kaelus, who had been lying beside me, grew restless at my action. He wanted to keep me in bed somehow.

I pretended not to notice.

When I stubbornly got up and headed out of the bedroom, Kaelus, finally giving up, scooped me up in his arms.

My resistance ended with a single flutter. I couldn’t win against him.

No one’s watching…

I guided him to the tree in the center of the plaza.

I stared at the massive tree, its leaves replaced by glowing vines.

Living here, I’d come to realize something. This space was favorable to me and Kaelus.

From here on, it was intuition, but at its core, no matter how I looked at it, this tree was there.

That’s why I hesitated about this method until the very end.

But with no way out in sight, I had no choice.

“Let’s set this place on fire.”

“……?!”

Kaelus was horrified. I pointed at the tree with my finger and declared firmly.

“Fire. I’m going to burn it.”

“……”