DMHS 100

His words were true.

The royal library records described the ancestor dragons, and Lucien did not resemble them.

Kian’s words echoed in his ear.

–Lord Lucien’s power approaches the authority a goddess holds. It is the will of a god, the ability to create a world.”

Lucien did not doubt his existence completely, but his thought stopped there.

“So?”

What did that mean?

Now that he had found a mate, Lucien had no need to act differently from other dragons. Passing the coming-of-age rite and leaving for the Dragon Realm became his life’s goal.

As if he read Lucien’s thought, Ivan spoke.

“Since you found a mate, you mean the Arbiter’s role no longer matters. But is that really so?”

Flash!

The gathered dolls’ eyes shone again.

“What is that?”

“The magic placed on the dolls seems to have activated. We should watch to see what kind of magic it is…”

“Ugh!”

There was no need to waste time. Surrounded by dolls, Kian suddenly stepped back with a short groan.

Blood soaked from inside Kian’s clothes and trickled down.

Lucien looked between Kian and the dolls. The dolls still thrashed their arms and legs as they climbed the stairs, and none held blades.

Kian pressed a bleeding palm to another wound and said, “It’s nothing. Stop the dolls from getting out. If more dolls go outside, it will cause trouble.”

At a glance, the palm looked melted as if burned.

He soon learned what his mate had faced.

“The Lord’s mate is strong. But he has a weakness. It is the ‘holy power’.”

“……”

“I put finely ground sacred relics inside the dolls. Any body part that touches those parts will melt. What will happen if the dolls now climbing the stairs rush Lord Kian all at once?”

“……”

“Interesting things will occur.”

The scene wasn’t hard to imagine, his mate surrounded by dolls that swarmed from every side.

His arms and legs, and even his fair face…… the parts that touched the dolls would melt.

‘Fuck.’

At the Delia tribe temple Lucien had seen his mate weaken before holy power.

The light from Cardinal Malan instantly seared flesh and burst veins until blood flowed.

What if his mate died then?

Even high-ranked beings did not die easily, but they did not live forever.

Lucien clutched his chest. Imagining his mate’s death made his head spin. His heartbeat quickened and his mouth went dry.

“What do you want?”

“Give us time.”

“…Fine.”

As soon as permission was granted, the scene around Lucien changed.

The space shrank to the size of an classroom. Five chairs stood around Lucien.

Three chairs were occupied. The remaining two chairs were empty.

Ivan sat among the three. Unlike the one who wore Aslan’s appearance, the other two wore masks.

“My Lord…… at last we see you.”

A masked man spoke. He used voice-altering magic.

“I guess you brought me here because you have something to say.”

“I regret that circumstances came to this.”

“Speak.”

Lucien looked at Ivan, who crossed his legs and smiled.

“We are the ‘Heart of Dawn.’ We prepare the new era with the Lord. The Lord has been appointed Arbiter, and you can sustain or destroy this world.”

“But you want me to destroy it.”

“To put it bluntly, yes. We want the Lord to use the power of destruction to end this world and save us in the new one.”

“What if I choose to leave the world as it is?”

“That would be pointless. Another Arbiter would be appointed. If all ten prophecies come true, the heavens will open and the judgment will begin. Until then anyone can become Arbiter.”

Lucien reached a conclusion.

‘I guess I have to listen to them first.’

With his mate’s life at stake, cooperating and watching the situation to steal information seemed better.

Also their casual attitude suggested they would not demand anything immediately.

“If what you say is true, the Arbiter holds great power. Anyone would covet such a post. I would too. What do you want me to do?”

A smile appeared on Ivan’s face.

“Help us fulfill the prophecies. So far five prophecies have come true, and next we will realize the prophecy that ‘creatures that will swallow the world will be resurrected’ by reviving ancient monsters. The problem is those monsters are sealed in places that are hard to reach.”

“Where?”

“The mansion of Rowan, the Spirit King.”

Lucien crossed his arms and nodded.

“So you mean we should release the ancient monsters there.”

“Will you join us?”

“I won’t if you touch my mate.”

The answer came from the masked man.

“I think, honestly, the Lord does not need a mate. The sun in the sky stands aloof alone. The moon hidden by clouds does not lean on anything either. You are perfect by yourself. You have no reason to keep a petty human by your side.”

“Is that so?”

Before Lucien could frown, Ivan quickly intervened.

“But there’s also no reason not to have a mate. The Master of Summoning only said it was a pity, and he promised not to do anything disgraceful. If the Lord stands with us, the problem you fear will not occur.”

“Keep your promise.”

“Of course.”

Freeing ancient monsters to protect his mate. For Lucien the deal had no loss.

Ivan then explained Rowan’s mansion. Lucien stored the information in his mind.

Finally Lucien tested the waters.

“It’s a shame your plan to destroy the Academy failed.”

“Our purpose is achieved because the Lord stands with us.”

“If the world falls, that place will disappear anyway.”

Ivan smiled instead of answering. His smile was as bland as the dolls he made.

Lucien returned to the basement. For a moment his original body remained standing in place while Frederick swore and fought a single doll alone.

“Damn it! No matter how many I destroy they keep coming!”

“Sorry. Let me help even for a moment.”

“No thanks! Why would a man who bleeds rivers from touching dolls try to intervene!”

“But Sir Frederick cannot handle it alone.”

“Staying still is the best help! I, Frederick Erlesia, swear by the honor of a battle mage to exterminate these things!”

Lucien regained his consciousness and raised his hand to struck down the doll before him.

Next. Next. He eliminated another doll and then another.

Seeing Lucien move, Frederick shouted with joy.

“You regained yourself, Lord Lucien! I was alarmed when you stopped like a broken clock!”

“I had my reasons. You suffered while I was gone, Frederick.”

It was the proper form of address rather than ‘blue hair.’ Frederick scratched his head in bewilderment.

“You knew my name.”

“Thanks for keeping my mate from fighting. Now finish clearing the area.”

“With pleasure!”

Lucien abandoned observation and set to destroying dolls at full speed.

He killed dolls that failed to climb the stairs and even dolls that had already reached the surface and roamed the Academy.

When the task ended Frederick lay on the floor, soaked in sweat, and breathed in hollow relief. Lucien’s face was dry and soft.

“I never saw you use power like that, Lord Lucien. If I were reborn I want to become a dragon too.”

“I hope that wish comes true.”

Frederick’s chest rose and fell.

“How is Kian’s wound?”

“I treated it with the potion from the pocket of the extra space. He is fine now.”

“Good that it wasn’t a serious wound. Why did only Kian get hurt?”

“I don’t know that either.”

His face had darkened despite the words, so Kian probably guessed the reason. Lucien changed the topic to protect his mate.

“It could be a dark mage targeting a specific individual.”

“That bastard is vicious. He even sneaked away like a rat.”

“Come to think of it, did we see the cat?”

“You mean that fellow Kessler. We searched everywhere to catch dolls and couldn’t find him. He must have slipped out during the chaos.”

Silence followed that remark. It was time to sort tangled information.

‘Ivan Harkin is Aslan’s true identity.’

The master of the Fourth Tower who was said to have died by the Chronos knight order.

He staged his death and let his brother destroy the city.

‘Ivan killed Laura too.’

Ivan had held a grudge against her since academy days. That likely explained why Laura alone died pierced by a blade while others turned into dolls.

‘Maybe he wiped out all the mage from the Fourth Tower as well…’

The prophecy may be an excuse and the result of a long-nursed resentment.

Given the damage he caused from the magic tower to the Academy, that hypothesis seemed plausible.

‘The problem is he is collecting souls across the kingdom.’

Because he targeted closed communities like the dark mage village, public knowledge is limited, but the number of souls he gathered must already be considerable. And…

‘The “Heart of Dawn,” including him, want me to judge this world.’