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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“The Four Dragons.”
When Adele spoke those words, I flinched and narrowed my eyes.
I hadn’t expected to hear about the Four Dragons here. I asked if she knew about them, and Adele, shaking her head, mentioned Lothos and continued.
“If they’re appearing in the uncharted territory, it’s only natural to be interested in the Four Dragons. Don’t you think so?”
“…That’s true. If it’s the uncharted territory, there’s only one being related to it.”
“You were also interested in the artifacts when you visited the South. I assumed it had something to do with the Four Dragons. And if it’s the Four Dragons… there’s something related to them in the North as well.”
I tilted my head at her words. There couldn’t be any artifacts in this desolate wasteland.
While it was a region associated with the Four Dragons, I had never heard of them hiding artifacts or any ruins here.
I had investigated the artifacts thoroughly; surely, I would have looked into the North?
While I hadn’t visited the North often, I had assumed it wasn’t relevant.
That assumption was shattered by the document Adele showed me.
One of the Four Dragons’ ruins, a place secretly built by those who worshipped them long ago, inheriting their will…
Why hadn’t it been discovered until now?
Adele said she hadn’t investigated it because she wasn’t interested, but there were too many suspicious details for that to be the only reason.
I had a hunch, a terrifying one.
If Kaitel had killed Adele for this…
If his objective wasn’t Adele’s power, but the uncharted territory and the ruins related to the Four Dragons…
Perhaps that would explain why Adele died.
“Are you suggesting we investigate this together?”
“Yes, it’s not far from here. We should arrive in a few dozen minutes by wolf. I’m not letting you go alone. If you’re going, you’re going with me. And if you don’t want to, I won’t let you go.”
“…Someone might think you’re obsessed with me.”
“Anyone would be if they saw the man they cared about constantly getting injured or in danger. Consider it your fault.”
I wished she wouldn’t do anything that would attract Kaitel’s attention, but I didn’t think anything would change just because she didn’t accompany me.
She had died even when she focused solely on the subjugation and avoided any other activities.
I considered it for a moment and nodded.
Her face brightened instantly, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, running a hand over my face.
I had thought I was the one in control of this relationship, but perhaps I was the one being led.
Adele remained silent as we rode the wolves.
Perhaps she was still processing the mention of the Four Dragons.
Even I was skeptical about their existence. It was understandable that Adele would feel the same.
The Four Dragons, ancient beings… if they reappeared, there was no guarantee we could defeat them.
Adele glanced at me after a while and spoke hesitantly.
She seemed to have something to say, so I looked at her intently, and she finally spoke.
“Have you known about the Four Dragons for a long time?”
“What do you mean?”
“It doesn’t seem like you suddenly became interested in them. You know the masked figures are searching for the Four Dragons. I thought you might have been investigating them for a while.”
I was more interested in Kaitel than the Four Dragons, but I had helped him use his precognitive abilities, so…
Adele sighed and smiled wryly when I nodded.
She seemed displeased, and I tilted my head in confusion. She answered.
“You always seem to be looking for trouble. Even if you had multiple lives… sigh, is that why you live like that?”
“I only take risks I can handle. Who would live wanting to die?”
“If anyone did, it would be you. You have a talent for making people worry. I almost want to commend you for it.”
Her tone was sarcastic, but her words, clearly criticizing my behavior, stung.
I had asked who would live wanting to die, but wasn’t my life dedicated to death?
I had simply made an excuse because I couldn’t be honest with Adele.
There was no need to tell her the truth.
The conversation lulled, and Adele, who had been staring at me, looked away.
We continued forward, the wind cool but not as cold as before.
We arrived at an empty area near the eastern part of the North, not far from the main castle. Adele drew her sword and plunged it into the ground.
“You know this sword isn’t ordinary, right?”
“It’s a legendary sword. A symbol of the North.”
“It’s also a sword that consumes a tremendous amount of magic, enough to make an ordinary person explode. So… if you can channel magic into it, it means you’ve already surpassed a certain level.”
That was why Adele had lent me her sword.
I could withstand the sword’s magic and wield it freely.
Adele’s magic flowed from her body into the sword embedded in the ground.
The magic, flowing into the earth, became a key.
The area around the uncharted territory was already saturated with magic, and the ground, tinged with blue, began to vibrate.
Adele pulled out her sword as she felt the ground shaking beneath her feet.
“It can be used as a key. If there’s a sealed place like this, we can force it open.”
“My sword won’t work. It’s not a legendary sword yet.”
“I can lend it to you. On the condition that you return it safely, of course.”
Adele smiled faintly and looked at the ground, now completely open.
There was a staircase leading down, but the energy emanating from within made me frown.
Had the Moonstone ever reacted this strongly before?
I knew it reacted to artifacts, but this reaction was like a resonance, as if it had found its other half.
My heart pounded, and I swayed, my vision blurring for a moment.
Adele approached me and steadied me, holding my shoulder.
“…Are you alright? You suddenly look pale.”
“There’s definitely something down there. I can feel it.”
“Don’t scare me like that. It makes things harder for me.”
Everything about the Moonstone was a mystery.
An artifact I had obtained one day as if by fate, an artifact whose origins I couldn’t recall…
I only remembered that it had triggered my regressions, as if it had been programmed into my mind.
It wasn’t mentioned in any books, and any records of its existence had been completely destroyed.
There was something there. But I couldn’t grasp it. Perhaps I would find out today.
I nodded, my condition now stable, and Adele sighed, stepping away.
“Then let’s go in. We need to see what’s inside.”
“If you’re not feeling well, we can check later-”
“We have to check now.”
Her firm response stemmed from her desire to resolve this mystery.
What was the Moonstone? Why was it reacting so strongly to this place, a mere ruin of the Four Dragons?
Adele frowned, realizing she couldn’t change my mind, and nodded slowly.
“…Alright, let’s go.”
As we descended the stairs, the Moonstone’s reaction intensified.
It was deep. We continued down into the darkness, but there was no end in sight.
The structure seemed similar to the tower in the South.
Perhaps there was a large chamber below.
I ran my hand along the damp, moss-covered walls as we walked, then paused, frowning at a section covered in an unusual amount of moss.
Moss thrived in areas with high concentrations of magic.
Adele also sensed something and swung her sword. Magic-infused flames erupted, consuming the moss and illuminating the path ahead.
The flames, like a burning fuse, lit the way forward.
“I’ve never seen a place like this. The magic feels… suppressed.”
“It’s a ruin of the Four Dragons. It was built by those who inherited their will, but ruins are mysterious things, aren’t they?”
Adele nodded and withdrew her magic as a massive door appeared.
The faint remaining flames illuminated the single door.
It opened easily when I pushed it, and Adele, who was walking ahead, stopped abruptly as she saw what was inside.
And so did I.
The chamber was larger than expected, unlike the narrow staircase, but what caught our attention first was the massive statue in the center.
One of the Four Dragons, roaring, baring its fangs.
A being that tore apart humans, shattered mountains, and heralded the end.
The majesty of the Four Dragons, who tried to plunge the world into eternal daylight by destroying the moon, was still present.
Adele chuckled softly and took a step forward.
“So this was in the North. It seems I’ve been neglecting it.”
Unlike Adele, who was focused on the statue, my gaze wandered to the surrounding area.
Something was densely inscribed around the statue.
I recognized the characters, they were part of an ancient language I had learned while studying the artifacts.
They were different from the ones I had seen in Arwen’s laboratory.
These characters were probably written a thousand years ago.
I slowly read the inscription directly in front of the statue’s eyes. It was about the Four Dragons.
“…The dragon who tried to steal the moon has been sealed. Here, the great dragon who spoke of humanity’s end disappears.”
The words, written like a fairy tale, seemed to hold an enchanting power.
I traced each character with my finger as I read, then paused at the part describing what happened after the Four Dragons were sealed.
The curse that binds the great dragon is merely a seal, a curse that will eventually be broken.
But the dragon never gave up.
It would eventually be broken. That was why Arwen was so worried.
But the inscription didn’t end there. My hand stopped at a particular sentence.
My eyes narrowed, and I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
I chuckled softly, realizing how foolish my actions had been.
The clue was right here, so close. Why had I hesitated for so long?
The key to regression… was with the Four Dragons.
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