Published at 26th of March 2019 2:14 am

Volume 11, Chapter 5: Frost Dragon Lord Part 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

It was said that there were three trials along the way to the former Royal Capital of the Dwarves.

The first was the Great Rift.

Needless to say, one could not cross it on foot. Of course, one could also look for a way around it, but that increased the chances of encountering monsters. The monsters who lay in wait within such terrain were a fearsome threat to the Dwarves.

It was very difficult to evade an ambush launched by monsters who could sense the footsteps of their targets and attack from underground. One false move might lead to being swallowed and digested. In addition, there were monsters who could launch psychic attacks and deliver lethal blows while the minds of their victims were still confused.

In places like these, humanoids like humans, Dwarves and Elves were little more than prey animals.

While the safest way across would be to take the overland route which cut across the mountain range, that path was still dangerous even for surface-dwellers. One had to worry about being attacked from above by creatures like Perytons, Harpies, Itsumades, Gigant Eagles and other monsters, as well as large flying animals. Since humans had small cones of vision above and below them, a moment’s carelessness might lead to missing an ambush from above, which in turn contained the risk of being slain in one blow.

Thus, merely crossing the Great Rift was a trial in itself.

Because of that, the Dwarves had built a city nearby and raised a suspension bridge. Once the bridge had fallen, nobody would be able to cross, and the Great Rift would serve as an impassable barrier to protect the city.

Now that the suspension bridge had been cut by the Quagoa, the Great Rift was an imposing challenge.

However—

It did not bother Ainz and his company at all. After all, the use of the [Fly] spell rendered it a trivial obstacle.

Then, there was the second trial — the land of molten magma.

This sea of scorching heat shone with blinding radiance. It was an extremely dangerous region where inhaling a single lungful of searing air could char one’s lungs within the chest.

The reason why lava could flow uncounted kilometers beneath the earth was most likely because this world was a magical one. There were naturally-formed portals which were close to [Gates] in power, and they joined the magma flows of this region to those of a distant region.

Amidst this searing ocean lurked the reason why this place was considered a trial.

That would be the monster who swam lazily through the scorching sea.

It was a gigantic monster over 50 meters long, which resembled a fish. To be precise, it resembled an anglerfish. However, it did not have a lure on its head, but a tentacle which substituted for hands. It could seize a distant foe and deposit it into the monster’s oversized jaws.

Its skin was sturdy and tough, and it grew scales like a normal fish, but their toughness far surpassed that of even orichalcum.

Many monsters grew very powerful because they lived a long time. These individuals were famed as superior specimens, and in many cases they would be classified as a different kind of being from their parent race. This monster had completed a specialized form of evolution, and it had become a unique being, found nowhere else in the world.

And so, these were the three rulers of Mt. Rappaslea, as linked by the [Gate]—

The Phoinix Lord, who ruled the sky;

The Ancient Flame Dragon, who ruled the earth;

And the La-Angler Lava Lord, who ruled the underground sea of magma.

If ranked by the adventurers’ difficulty estimates, the master of the molten ocean would score around 140. In all likelihood, one would not survive combat with it.

Fortunately, it was poor at engaging terrestrial targets. One would not be attacked if one stayed out of the magma. However, the road to the Dwarven Royal Capital ran along a narrow, unsteady path that was only a little higher than the sea of molten rock below it.

Quite a number of Quagoa had fallen into the magma during their invasion. Unable to withstand the superheated air which blew up from below, their bodies trembled, which sent them plunging into the sea of molten rock.

However—

The crossing posed no problems for travellers prepared with fire immunity and flight magic. They flew through the air, far above the reach of the La-Angler Lava Lord, and neither party realised the presence of each other.

Thus did Ainz and his company cross the sea of magma.

The trials until now had been easily overcome with flight magic, so it was hard to consider them trials. However, the final trial was a challenge in the truest sense of the word, being a long, twisting and branching series of caves.

It certainly qualified for the title of ”labyrinth”.

Still, that alone would be too easy to count as a trial. There were no monsters in this area, so as long as one spent time on making a map, one could eventually overcome it. And if that were all that were to it, then it would only qualify as a trial to those who lacked food and water — or, in other words, those with limited time.

Yes — there was another reason why this place was considered a trial.

This area was filled with vents which spewed plumes of volcanic gases at regular intervals, and there were places where the gases collected. In other words, it was a hellish area of invisible, fatal poison, lashed by fierce winds.

There were several routes which led to the exit, but there was only one which did so and also avoided the gas. Even that route might end up being filled with gas if one did not traverse it quickly enough.

Even the use of the [Fly] spell — which had trumped every challenge thus far — would only allow them to scrape along the ceiling. The sprayed gas would fill even the air up there with poison as well. At most, all the spell would do was allow one to avoid the areas where the gas had settled and collected.

However—

Ainz and the Guardians had adequate countermeasures against gas-vector attacks, so it posed no problems to them. Rather, the only one who might be affected by gaseous attacks was Gondo. The undead had their immunities, and gases which did not inflict acid or fire damage would not harm them at all. Aura had a magic item which surrounded her in a bubble of fresh air, so mere gas counted for nothing against her.

In other words, as long as Gondo was protected by magic, he could walk safely through the billowing vapors of death.

And so, the three trials — terrain hazards which were deemed impassable to those without preparation or prior knowledge — were easily conquered by Ainz and his party.

Ainz’s spell — the [Bless of Titania], which told its userthe best way through a dungeon — slowly faded away. That was either a sign that its duration had expired, or that its purpose had ended.

“...Hm. It looks like there’s a fresh Quagoa corpse inside that cave. But we haven’t caught up with their unit yet. I guess a day makes a huge difference.”

“Still, we’ve closed the gap greatly. We’ve almost caught up with them now,” Aura said after inspecting the footprints on the ground.

“...Really now. Then, let’s discuss what we’ll do afterwards. ...Gondo, we’ll be reaching the Royal Capital soon, right?”

“Yes. I’ve only heard of it in legends, but if those caves were the legendary Maze of Death, then we ought to be there soon.”

A bitter expression came over Gondo’s face.

“Was that really a Maze of Death, though… The legends said that those who didn’t know the way would only find death at the end of their journey…”

Ainz could not answer that question. After all, it had been too simple a challenge. Perhaps it was only a ruse, designed to trick the opposition into thinking they had cleared it before the true trap was sprung. That was not entirely out of the question.

“...When that happens, all we need to do is break through any traps that await. That said, stepping into a preset snare is the height of foolishness. Let’s slow down and advance while staying alert.”

They had been moving at great speeds to catch up with the enemy. However, they had not caught up with them yet, even after coming all the way here. They should rethink their strategy while operating under the assumption that the enemy had already returned to their base.

“Then, we shall consider what we will do after reaching the enemy headquarters.”

After verifying that everyone had nodded, Ainz turned towards Gondo.

“To begin with, Gondo and I will take on the Royal Palace. I will handle the Dragon there.”

Neither the Guardians nor Gondo objected to this.

The highest-ranked Dragons were some of the strongest opponents in YGGDRASIL. It was very dangerous to move separately from the Guardians while they did not know the enemy’s strength. However, Ainz possessed a World-Class Item. It possessed many powers, and one of them was very effective against Dragons. Therefore, even in the worst-case scenario, he ought to be able to escape it.

In contrast, if he brought the Guardians with him and the enemy was more powerful than expected, then he would have to work harder in order to make his escape.

With Gondo around, the worst that could happen was that Ainz would have to abandon him. He could not abandon the lives of his friends’ children. Therefore, the best solution was to not have them with him in the first place.

Dragons, huh… I’m looking forward to this.

In YGGDRASIL, Dragons were mighty foes and also a bounty of riches.

They dropped good data crystals, and they had a higher chance of dropping artifacts than normal monsters. One could harvest their skin, meat, blood, fangs, claws, eyeballs, scales and other body parts for various uses.

One could say they were delicious enemies.

Knowing that he would soon encounter his first Dragon in this world filled his heart with a blend of unease, anticipation and desire. Ainz was so delighted that he was barely able to contain himself.

According to the Dwarves, the mighty Frost Dragon which had laid waste to the Western city might be there. If things went poorly, he might face another battle with questionable odds of victory, much like the one with Shalltear.

Could the Dragon have defeated the Death Knights? I can still manage if it was the same entity, but it’ll be troublesome if there was another one. Should I remain hidden and bring up everyone except the Hanzos — no, this ought to be the right choice.

“—Ainz-sama?”

“Hm? Ahh, Shalltear. Forgive me, I was lost in thought. Then, I shall give you two your orders as well. Aura and Shalltear, you are to face the Quagoa and have them submit to my rule. If they dare to refuse, then show them the power of Nazarick!”

The two Guardians replied with forceful affirmatives.

Ainz’s gaze shifted to Gondo. He did not look like he had anything to say. That attitude seemed to imply that he would go along with any decision Ainz made.

While Ainz had agreed to clear out the Quagoa, Ainz did not intend to completely exterminate them. He simply felt that the genocide of a race which did not exist in YGGDRASIL was a bit of a waste. Indeed, killing them all might eliminate this race from the world. No, even if that were not the case, they might end up being beneficial to Nazarick in the future.

Of course, they might also be harmful to Nazarick. However, extirpating them before verifying that was something of a waste.

Extermination is easy, but revival is difficult. Thus, there’s only one path I can take. And besides—

“If they are fools who will not swear their loyalty to me, then reduce their numbers to around 10’000 or so. Try and keep the strong ones alive. However, after considering future issues, do not select them purely based on strength. You must make sure an equal number of them are female. In addition, you must not let any of them escape, do you understand? Especially the one that is the equivalent to their king.”

“But… Ainz-sama…”

Ainz urged Aura — who looked depressed — to continue speaking.

“We don’t know exactly how large the Dwarven capital is, but it seems like quite a large area. It’ll be difficult for just the two of us to ensure that none of the Quagoa escape from such a broad space. What should we do?”.

“Hm. A reasonable question. Because of that — Aura, it’s time for you to shine. Use the World-Class item I gave you earlier.”

“Is, is that really alright?”

“Umu. This is when it should be put to use.”

“I, I understand!”

Tension was written all over their faces.

“While that there are no use limits on that World-Class item, if the enemy fulfils certain conditions and escapes, ownership of the Item will automatically shift to them. That is the worst-case scenario and must be avoided at all costs.”

Ainz recalled the incident where Ainz Ooal Gown had seized possession of it.

How many mails had the enemy sent, begging them to “give it back”?

Ainz snorted.

“If you didn’t want to lose it, shouldn’t have used it,” was the matter-of-fact reply. Nothing was more stupid than a guild which could not accept such a rational conclusion. If they did not want it to be taken, they should have stashed it in their treasury and never taken it out. Therefore, Ainz kept harping on it, even though he felt that there would be no problems with its use.

“Also, you must be cautious of foes you cannot suck into it, because such enemies possess World-Class Items as well.”

“That means you won’t be able to enter either, right, Ainz-sama?”

“Not when it opens up. However, there are ways to go in if you choose to do so. You need to pay attention to the time lag when that happens… Alright, let’s go, then.”

Led by Aura, the group set forth.

Perhaps they were near the former Dwarven Royal Capital, but even the naturally-formed caverns were easy to traverse. All the stalactites and stalagmites had been cut down, probably for convenience of passage. They walked on for a time, surrounded by the labor of the Dwarves.

Aura — who walked at their head — suddenly stopped. Then she cupped her hand to a long ear, listening intently.

Ainz and the others kept quiet, waiting for Aura to give the word.

“Ainz-sama, I can hear many living beings ahead, numbering in the hundreds. I can’t gauge the exact distance, but I think we’ll make contact with them within minutes.”

“Hoh… have we caught up to them?”

“No, they don’t sound like they’re moving. It feels like they’re waiting…”

“I see. Did they sense our pursuit? Are they ambush troops?”

If that were the case, they had probably used some sort of divination magic to spy on Ainz and the others.

Ainz smiled thinly.

Until now, he had not let the enemy observe their power. Because of that, they wanted to throw their unit against Ainz and observe their abilities.

From the enemy’s resolve and actions, he could sense their anxiety and willingness to sacrifice lives to learn about them. It made Ainz feel that he had won his battle of wits against his opponent.

“Ainz-sama, shall we capture them?”

“Hm, come to think of it, we haven’t shown too much of our abilities to the enemy yet. Therefore, let’s gather some information before we roll over their headquarters in one fell swoop.”

“Understood!”

In addition, even if they did learn about them, they could not devise a counter-strategy that easily.

There were two main types of characters in YGGDRASIL.

There were those who specialized in a certain field, and those whose abilities were evenly distributed.

In the former case, even if one learned about an enemy, they would have a hard time dealing with them if the information did not pertain to their specialty. In the latter case, they might be able to deal with them, but given the even spread of their foe’s abilities, said countermeasures against them would not be foolproof.

Of course, there might be people like Ainz who knew many spells and who possessed many items left behind by their comrades, and were thus able to adapt to many circumstances, or someone like Touch Me with very high overall stats, but those were the exception to the rule. Therefore, there was only one thing they had to worry about.

...The number of powerful entities. The fact that I don’t know that figure scares me a little. Given that I can’t fully verify that particular point, I should probably keep the idea of retreat in mind — hm. Well, in any case, we can’t proceed without punching them to see what the enemy has up their sleeve. —Ohh, the spirit of Yamaiko-san is possessing me...

“Shalltear. You are not to go berserk this time, alright?”

“Of course!”

Shalltear readied her Spuit Lance.

“Very good. Normally, we should avoid revealing the fact that we possess divine-class items to the enemy. However, they won’t be able to see through it without very good detection skills. Alright, go.”

“Understood!”

***

In Feoh Berkanan — the stately, magnificent former Royal Capital of the Dwarves, built during the flower of their civilization — the largest building besides the Royal Palace was the Merchant’s Guild, because it contained many rooms used during meetings and temporary vaults used to briefly store resources.

This building was used by many Dwarves, and it was larger than any other structure in the city. However, it was now the residence of the Lord of the Quagoa Clans, Pe Riyuro.

By the time Yozu returned, Riyuro was seated — almost sinking — into a large and soft cushion. His attitude was one which carried on as normal, without entertaining the possibility of anger or anxiety, even after hearing about Yozu’s failure.

Yozu bowed, and described what had happened.

While the important details had already been sent via messenger, he was here to explain the details. In particular, he needed to thoroughly elaborate on the Dwarven Kingdom’s trump card, the black suits of armor which he had seen with his own two eyes.

Riyuro listened in silence, and then he slowly moved his hand, reaching into a cage beside him. He withdrew a squeaking lizard; a fat, round and juicy lizard, a snack fit for a king.

Riyuro extended the hand holding the lizard toward Yozu.

“—Want a bite?”

“No, no thank you.”

“Really now,” Riyuro muttered. Then he crushed the lizard’s head with his jaws, and Yozu smelled the faint scent of blood and innards.

All 20 centimeters of the lizard disappeared into Riyuro’s mouth within three bites.

Riyuro wiped his bloodstained hands and mouth clean with a nearby towel.

“—And so you retreated. What of your pursuers?”

“We’re unsure of that. However—”

Since the suspension bridge had fallen, he did not think the enemy would continue their pursuit. And frankly speaking, they had the Dwarves by the throat. All the Dwarves could do was reinforce their defenses, find and seal off the flanking route, and then perhaps they might mount a counterattack on this place.

The reason why they had only committed those two suits of black armor was either because they were foolish enough to split their forces or because that was the sum of their military power.

That was Yozu’s opinion, which he shared with Riyuro.

“It wouldn’t be strange if there were one or two more of them.”

Riyuro seemed to have sensed Yozu’s unconscious display of surprise. He poked repeatedly at the lizards in the cage while lazily explaining his meaning.

The Dwarves were confident in their fortress’ defense. If it was brought down, they would feel that the chances of their city being conquered were very high. Therefore, it was not wrong to assume that the black suits of armor they had sent out were a significant portion of their total number.

However, since they did not know how exactly the fortress had been conquered, committing all their forces to the frontlines was a dangerous gamble. If there were multiple avenues of infiltration, then they might be lost.

While it was not a situation where they could dole their fighting strength out bit by bit, they did not have the information to commit their entire force to a counterattack either.

Therefore, even if there were more, there would only be one, maybe two more. This was what he had come up with.

Yozu felt that it was exactly as the Lord had said, and he was filled with awe at the wisdom of his Lord.

“Then, who do you think can defeat those Golems?”

“I am certain that you could defeat it, my Lord!”

Riyuro was the mightiest being among the eight clans of the Quagoa. Indeed, his fighting ability was exemplary.

He might well be able to fight the entire Quagoa race by himself and emerge victorious. There had never been anyone as powerful as him in the history of the Quagoa.

Yozu recalled the sight of Riyuro battling a monster in the past. He was absolutely confident that Riyuro’s might was superior to that of the Golems.

“Dispense with the pleasantries. Do you truly think so?”

“Yes! I do think so!”

Riyuro chuckled bitterly, but Yozu’s reply was earnest. He had no answer besides that.

“...Which Clan were you born in?”

A surprising question. After Yozu stated his birth clan, Riyuro fell into thought once more.

“I see… In that case, you must really think I can win, then?”

“What, what does that mean?”

“I simply suspected that you might consider this a chance to eliminate me. It is true that I am stronger than anyone else in the entire species. Because of that, you might seek to have me battle the Golems after underestimating their strength. Then, the Golems would kill me. Well, if you did that, then nobody would be able to defeat the Golems… but they would be damaged during their battle with me, and then you might be able to crush them with numbers.”

Although the Lord to which he had pledged his loyalty cast his suspicions upon him, Yozu’s heart was filled with nothing but respect.

If he were in Riyuro’s place, he might not have thought so deeply into the issue.

Yozu firmly believed that Riyuro was the true Lord of the Quagoa, and his loyalty deepened ever further.

Riyuro did not quite understand the man before him, and asked Yozu a question.

“...Why did you not immediately answer that you had no such intentions?”

“Yes! My, my deepest apologies! I was merely entranced your deep insights, my Lord! As you have said, I harbored no such intentions!”

Riyuro laughed loudly.

“What an interesting fellow you are! ...The men I granted you were lost for nothing, so there must be a punishment for that. But I will not inflict wounds upon you, which might affect your future development. In truth, you learned about the Golems and returned here after realizing that it was important information. In addition, your anticipation of enemy pursuit and the allocation of part of your troops to the defense of the city shows your keenness of thought.”

“Thank you very much!”

Yozu bowed deeply.

“Now, I have a question for an excellent leader like you. How shall we gather more information about those Golems?”

“By attacking the shorties’ nation.”

“That is one way to go about it. If you do so, we might be able to learn if there are truly Golems in reserve.”

“Yes! If there aren’t any more, then we must conquer the city as soon as possible no matter the losses we suffer.”

“Umu”, Riyuro nodded.

If it was a matter of lives, then much time would be needed to bear and raise them. However, Golems only needed to be built. Time was not on their side, but on the enemy’s.

“What other methods are there?”

“Forgive me, but I cannot think of any at the moment.”

Riyuro thrust his hand into the lizard-filled cage and withdrew another lizard.

“...Would you like one?”

Do I look that hungry?

It was true that he had fled back here with all his strength, and he had not even eaten or rested properly so far. However, he was not thirsty or hungry enough to beg from the king’s table.

“No, thank you.”

“Really now,” Riyuro replied. Then, he chewed off the lizard’s head like he had the previous one. After devouring it like before, Yozu asked Riyuro a question.

“Then, my Lord. Have you thought of any other methods?”

“Ah, yes. We can ask that fellow. His wisdom is far beyond mine… Although, the troubling thing is that the payment he demands will be equally high.”

“By payment you mean… could it be!”

Yozu immediately guessed it from those words.

“Correct. We must give the Dragons—”

Just as Riyuro was about to speak, there was a disturbance from outside, and then the doors swung open with a great crash.

“Clan Lord!”

It was one of the guards.

“Looks urgent, what happened?”

“Yes! There seems to be someone headed toward this city!”

“Where are they coming from?”

According to the guard, they had come from the flank where Yozu had positioned his troops. In other words, they had come from the Dwarven nation.

“So they’ve sent out pursuit troops… I underestimated the stunties.”

With that, Riyuro rose to his feet.

Yozu’s eyes seemed to ask him where he was going. Riyuro sensed this, and replied:

“It seems we’ve been saved a lot of decision-making. I will go meet the Dragons now.”

“Are you going to ask about the Golems?”

“No. I’m going to convince them to deal with the approaching stunties. Since they’re stunties, they’ll have their Golems in tow. Then, we should have them fight the Dragons and weaken both sides. ...Hmph. Might as well let them earn their keep.”

The Clan Lord was deeply furious about how the Dragons had taken the best spot in the city — the Royal Palace — for their own. This was something which only his most trusted confidants knew, in addition to how the Clan Lord had cleverly hidden those feelings and bowed to the Dragons.

There was an overwhelming difference between the power of Dragons and the Quagoa.

Therefore, they had to feign an air of servitude until they could pare down the Dragons’ strength. However, there were very few beings who could fight on even terms with the Dragons in the mountain range. With one notable exception aside, those would probably be the Frost Giants.

And now the chance had come, Riyuro said.

“Yozu, it’s not too likely, but just in case, begin moving toward the ruins district. I don’t want you to get involved in the battles of Dragons.”

One district of the Dwarven Royal Capital had been completely destroyed before the Quagoa had taken it over. The Quagoa had not rebuilt this area, in order to use it as a staging ground to gather a vast army. It would seem that it would finally be put to use.

“Understood.”

“Then… can you help me prepare some offerings for the meeting with the Dragons? They like jewels, so prepare some of them. I trust you also know that they’re very greedy and won’t agree to the initial payment right away. They’ll surely raise their price. With that in mind, prepare some lower-valued items as well.”

After nodding to Riyuro to show he understood, Yozu immediately began the preparations.

***

The mightiest species in this world were the Dragons. There were races which could adapt to the harsh lands where humanity could not reach. The Azellisia Mountain Range was no exception, and the Dragons ruled the roost here.

These Dragons were known as Frost Dragons.

Usually, Dragons had slender bodies. Those did not resemble the crawling forms of lizards so much as they did those of cats. Among them, Frost Dragons were even slimmer, like snakes.

Their scales were bluish-white, but as they grew older, they turned the white of snowfall. Having adapted to their environment, they possessed cold immunity, but in contrast, they were vulnerable to fire.

In addition, there was the trump card of the Draconic races. They possessed the fearsome power of freezing Dragon’s breath.

The Lord of these Frost Dragons, Olasird’arc=Haylilyal, coiled around his throne, looking down on the Quagoa who craved an audience with him.

“So, you have come. What is the matter?”

“Yes, I am deeply honored to be granted an audience with the mighty White Dragon Lord, Olasird’arc=Haylilyal—”

“—Dispense with the formalities. Get to the point.”

That said, Olasird’arc’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Being a Dragon Lord had a special significance among Dragons. It was a title only given to those who had reached the highest age category (Ancient) among the Dragons, or powerful Dragons who possessed special powers, or those Dragons who could use exotic magic. These outstanding Dragons were awarded the title of Lord.

Being addressed by such a glorious title was quite pleasing.

“Yes! Firstly, I wish to thank you for granting an audience.”

The Quagoa waiting behind the Quagoa Lord produced a beat-up old sack.

They opened it, and as expected, the glitter of gold spilled forth.

It was not enough to satisfy him, but that amount should have been all the Quagoa could manage, so he had to bear with it.

“Alright then, what do you want.”

“Yes! In truth, there are some uninvited guests with designs upon our homes, so I was wondering if we could call upon your matchless might, White Dragon Lord-sama.”

“Hm…”

To Olasird’arc, Quagoa were an inferior species. They were beings who should revere the mighty Dragons, and they were comparable to his possessions. It was somewhat aggravating to allow them to be killed at will. However, it was equally infuriating for him to have to take action on the behalf of such inferior lifeforms.

Olasird’arc’s gaze fell upon his glittering throne — a small mountain of gold and precious stones.

One habit which united all Dragons was the love of precious metals, jewels, magic items and related wealth. Olasird’arc was no exception in this regard.

However, while he might be able to dig tunnels and excavate precious metals or raw gemstones, he could not process them. In addition, the mighty should not be doing such things. That was what slaves were for.

Thus, it did not matter if he roused himself to labor on the behalf of his slaves. His heart surged with such generous feelings.

“And who are these people?”

“We are not sure. We have not grasped their true identity yet. However, they should be Dwarves.”

“Dwarves. ...Umu.”

Olasird’arc glanced at the great door behind him.

Behind that door was the Dwarven City’s former treasury.

No matter how many times Olasird’arc had attacked it, it had not opened or been destroyed. The protective magic worked on it by the Dwarven runesmiths had defended their treasures from all the attacks he had brought to bear on it.

His obsession with the contents of the vault had long faded, and that door was little more than a scratching post for his claws. However, when he heard about the Dwarves, the smoldering embers in his heart ignited once more.

If these Dwarves could make it here, perhaps they might have a way to open this vault.

Is it time to abandon the Quagoa? The Dwarves are more useful, in various ways.

As Olasird’arc contemplated these matters, he glared coldly at the Quagoa beneath him, and the Quagoa Lord’s pleas finally came to an end.

“I am sure that you will be able to defeat the Dwarves or whatnot with contemptuous ease, White Dragon Lord-sama. Please, lend your strength to us! Needless to say, when they are defeated we will offer up double the sum from just now, no more than that!”

His greed tickled by that last line, Olasird’arc’s face twitched.

“...I see. I shall consider it.”

“Please wait! White Dragon Lord-sama, the enemy is close! And the Dwarves seek to retake this city!”

Olasird’arc turned his keen gaze upon the Quagoa.

“What do you mean by that? Are you implying that these measly Dwarves can evict me from my nest?”

“I did not say that! But, there’s no telling what the Dwarves intend to do! For all we know, they might have a way to destroy this city!”

“Do you not think they would have done so already if that was the case?”

“It is very likely they intend to destroy the city from the inside!”

“Hm,” Olasird’arc thought. It seemed a little far-fetched, but it could not be entirely ruled out.

This place was absolutely necessary for the creation of a Draconic Empire.

After claiming the Dwarves’ Royal Palace, he had ordered his wives to lay their eggs here, and then raise his children as they grew.

In the past, they had randomly found a place to lay eggs and left them there, or kicked them out of the nest a year or two after they were born. That would not strengthen the Draconic race.

I must increase the number of my offspring, and then subjugate the Frost Giants. Then, I can completely dominate this mountain range, Olasird’arc had thought.

The Frost Giants and the Frost Dragons were the apex predators of this mountain range. Therefore, they had struggled for a long time to determine who was the top dog.

The Frost Giants were immune to cold, which meant that the Frost Dragons’ trump card of icy Dragon breath could not harm them. The power of the massive weapons which the Frost Giants wielded could not be overlooked, even by Dragons. If they came in numbers, the Dragons might well be defeated. Indeed, there were Frost Dragons who had lost to Frost Giants, and who were used as hounds by them.

Naturally, the Frost Dragons knew that too. If Olasird’arc were one of them, he would not miss the chance to destroy a powerful foe before their numbers could increase. If he had to abandon this territory, then the Frost Giant tribes would surely unite to attack them before he could seize a new seat of power.

Olasird’arc regarded his concubines, sprawled lazily around the room.

They were three female Dragons.

There was the youngest of them, with a single alabaster horn, Mianatalon=Fuviness.

The one who had fought with Olasird’arc for territory many times, Munuinia=Ilyslym.

And then there was the only Dragon in residence here who could use divine magic (albeit only of the 1st tier), Kilystran=Denshushua.

“What do you think?

“...Why not help them? After all, the miserable little Dwarves are hardly fearsome foes.”

“I agree too. Frankly speaking, I don’t care what they say. But if the Dwarves attack, knowing that we’re here, that would be equivalent to looking down on us. We ought to carve fear into the hearts of those cocky little creatures.”

He turned his gaze from Muninia — who was scratching at the floor with a sharp claw — and towards Kilystran.

“And what say you?”

After addressing Kilystran, she tilted her head.

“I oppose and approve of it. I oppose it because we cannot be sure that these attackers really are Dwarves. In addition, if they’re attacking while aware of our presence, they must have surely taken our power into consideration. However, while the very idea of destroying the city is absurd, a mechanism capable of doing so is not out of the reach of Dwarven technology. It would be foolish not to respond to that.”

Olasird’arc smiled bitterly. She had such a twisted personality. That was why he liked her.

“So, the ayes have it. —Well then. I shall accept your request, inferior Quagoa.”

“Yes! You have our deepest thanks!”

As Olasird’arc glared coldly at the Quagoa kowtowing before him, he made a pronouncement.

“However, you must offer ten times the previous amount of tribute.”

“Ten! Ten times?!”

Olasird’arc snorted at the Quagoa Lord, who had raised his head.

“You do not even know who is attacking. That much should be expected. ...Then, what will you do? If you cannot produce the requisite amount, then you can deal with it yourselves.”

“Please, please wait! We will offer the tribute! Please let us offer the tribute!”

Suddenly, Olasird’arc thought of something.

Could the Quagoa actually pay that much gold? Or was it because the Dwarves were unimaginably powerful foes, which was why they were trying their best to get him to commit no matter how much they had to pay?

Well, it doesn’t matter. If they can’t pay, then just as Munuinia said, I will carve an indelible terror into the hearts of those weaklings (Quagoa).

“Then, begone.”

“Yes! But… when can we expect your arrival?”

“Soon. Until then, wait.”

“Yes!”

As Olasird’arc watched the Quagoa leave, Mianatalon asked: “Will you be going in person?”

“As if. Of course not.”

Olasird’arc was the most powerful Dragon here. That being the case, it would be foolish for him to actually fight on the behalf of his slaves even if he was paid. Therefore—

“Who should I send over... Whose child would be best?”

They were all his children. Every Dragon here with the exception of his concubines was bound to Olasird’arc by blood.

“In that case, send my child.”

“Yours? Who?”

Kilystran had birthed four children for Olasird’arc, and each of them was a Dragon of over a century of age. They were far more powerful than the Quagoa.

“The eldest, of course.”

“Hejinmal, then?”

Olasird’arc frowned.

“That boy might look like that, but he has a good head on his shoulders and he will see the opposition for what they really are. If they turn out to be Dwarves, don’t you think he’ll bring about a most agreeable negotiation? You must be starting to tire of Quagoa slaves, no?”

“Can he do all that? Can the other children not do it?”

Olasird’arc agreed with what Munuinia said.

“Better than Toranjelit, at least.”

“...Kilystran. The most important thing for Dragons is the power of their bodies. One cannot defeat power and speed with one’s head. Olasird’arc beat me because his body was stronger than mine. Remember that. Toranjelit’s superior body is far better than that of Hejinmal’s!”

Toranjelit was one of Olasird’arc’s children by Munuinia. In terms of raw strength, he was the best among his offspring.

“But things will turn out poorly if you don’t think. If you send out your child — who might kill the Quagoa for no reason — who knows what they’ll end up doing?”

“That’s enough.”

Olasird’arc halted Munuinia, who was about to say something, and then looked at Mianatalon’s face. She seemed to find all this squabbling terribly boring.

“Let’s go with Kilystran’s idea and call Hejinmal over.”

“It’s no use. He won’t come.”

Olasird’arc sensed his plan falling apart right from the start.

Munuinia chuckled, a thin, unhappy sound. It would be troublesome if they argued again, and Olasird’arc raised his voice.

“Just break down the door or whatnot and drag him out.”

“Ara, I didn’t destroy your fortress because you asked me not to. Does that mean you’re giving me permission? Although, it may not just be the door that gets destroyed.”

Indeed, he remembered saying those words. While Dragons were skilful, they could not rebuild a door once destroyed, and they did not know magic which could do that. Therefore, if they destroyed something, they would leave it where it was.

As the White Dragon Lord, it would be a shame to live in a castle filled with holes. Therefore he had demanded his concubines and his offspring adhere to that rule.

Although his concubines would probably go if he ordered—

“It can’t be helped. I’ll go, then.”

“Please.”

Olasird’arc looked at Kilystran with an indescribable expression on his face.

The fact that he had to go in person despite being a Lord did not sit well with him. In response to that, should he allow a few Quagoa to live here and let them work for him?

However, Olasird’arc abandoned the many possibilities which appeared in his mind.

He could not bear the thought of having inferior lifeforms like the Quagoa running around his fortress. Someday, when he defeated the Giants, he would have them work for him as slaves.

Until then, he would have to bear with it.

***

When one considered the height of the Dwarves, their Royal Palace was of a staggering size. It was because it was so large that the Dragons could live here, and it was a long distance from one end to the other.

Olasird’arc climbed and climbed, until he reached the door on the highest level.

Then, he shouted:

“It’s me, open up.”

He waited for a while, but there was no movement from the other side of the door.

It was impossible that he was not in. The son who lived in this room was a hikkikomori. He had not recalled him ever leaving his room. Even his meals were sent to him by his siblings.

It was deeply aggravating that he would dare pretend he was not in, in front of his own father, a Dragon Lord.

“I’ll say it again. It’s me. Open up.”

Dragons had very keen senses. The way he was shouting, anyone inside should have heard it, and they would have woken up even if they were sleeping.

However — the door did not open.

The anger which blazed up turned into motion.

He lashed out at the door with his tail.

Struck by a tail that was the size of a log and sheathed with scales that were harder than steel, the door creaked as it twisted. The Dwarves who had built this door had probably not expected it to take a Dragon’s tail slap.

There were signs of movement inside, but this was not enough to quell Olasird’arc’s anger.

He slammed the door again, breaking it half down. Shattered and scattered stones flew inside like buckshot.

A distasteful “Hieeeeee” came from within.

“Get out of there, right now!”

In response to the angry shout, a Dragon sprang up.

Frost Dragons had slender bodies, but not this one. Simply put, it looked obese.

It had a pair of tiny glasses on its nose, and it regarded Olasird’arc from head to toe with a nervous look in its eyes.

This was his son, but this shameful display made Olasird’arc sigh.

Well, given that he was standing in front of a ruler like himself, cringing and twitching like this was unavoidable. Still, he had hoped to see some strength in his own son’s eyes.

And then there was that disgusting fat body of his. He was more like a swine than a Dragon.

In truth, having to send a child like this out to fight on his behalf might dmage his reputation.

As Olasird’arc contemplated this, his son — who seemed afraid of the way his father was staring right at him — ventured a question.

“F-father, what, what do you wish of me?”

That said, he might not be much of a Dragon, but he was still a Dragon. Dragons grew more powerful with age. With that in mind, perhaps even that flabby frame of his could still be of use.

“I have a job for you, Hejinmal.”

“A, a job?”

“Ahh. The Quagoa seem to have been invaded by the Dwarves or something. Repel them.”

“Hieee.”

“Hieee?”

“N-nothing. It’s nothing, Father. J-just, I, I’m, er, how shall I put this, I’m er, not very confident in my strength…”

“Then what are you confident in? Do you feel you can defeat the enemy with magic?”

Dragons slowly gained the ability to use arcane magic during their maturation, but those were little more than innate abilities. They could not be compared to magic casters at all. However, there were some Dragons who had learned to use actual magic.

For example, there was one of Olasird’arc’s own concubines, Kilystran=Denshushua. There was also one of the Republic’s Councillors, the “Blue Sky Dragon Lord” Suveria=Myronsilk, who had the powers of a druid and could use divine magic. It was also said that in the far east, there were Dragons who had attained the Paladin class and who could use magic from other systems.

“...Well, that’s one thing. I had to learn by myself because I had no mentor to teach me…”

“Then what the hell have you been doing in there all this while?”

There was a forceful gleam in Hejinmal’s eyes.

“Learning. I’ve been gathering knowledge.”

“...What? Knowledge? Weren’t you learning how to use arcane magic?”

“No, it’s not like that, Father. The knowledge I sought was not to use magic, but to further my studies, learn how this city was built, what sort of races live in this world and so on. I was learning about that sort of thing.”

“...I don’t understand at all. Does learning these things make you strong? None of that matters if you don’t become powerful.”

There was nothing more important in this world than becoming stronger. Since this was a world where only the strong survived, one needed to grow stronger to live. In contrast, one could say that not wanting to become strong was essentially rejecting life.

Just then, he spotted it. Hejinmal had tried to cover it up, but he saw that his son had done something, like a wordless gesture.

“What is it? Spit it out.”

His son remained silent. That disgraceful attitude of his made Olasird’arc flare up again.

Just as he was about to begin bellowing at him, he thought of why he had come here.

While he did not care what happened to the Quagoa, debts had to be paid.

“It doesn’t matter if you lock yourself up in your room until you lose your agility, but there’s no point losing yourself in books. If you want to acquire knowledge, leave this place and travel the world.”

Olasird’arc had already begun losing interest in Hejinmal. He had abandoned his body in exchanged for something utterly useless. There was nothing else he could say about this, and he had lost any semblance of concern for his own son.

“I, I was preparing for that. If I don’t know what sort of people there are in the world, I might die before I manage to see it.”

“Then why don’t you die? ─ You’re being too foolish. Why not seek strength from the beginning? Once you’re strong, you’ll be feared even when you leave this place, no? Like me.”

“But, Father. Knowing what sort of powerful beings there are in the world is very important too. It’s the same with you, isn’t it, Father? Aren’t the Frost Giants strong? If you went against them without knowing anything─”

“─I’m not afraid of those Frost Giants.”

“F-forgive me, Father.”

As he glared at Hejinmal, who had his head plastered to the ground, Olasird’arc rounded his shoulders powerlessly.

“That’s enough. I command you to complete your task. Then, I will kick you out after a month. You can live as you please from then on.”

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