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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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It felt wasteful to let such valuable techniques rot away unused. Moreover, both Athena and Kayla possessed exceptional talent.
Their current skill level at their age was a testament to their natural abilities, even considering my extensive support.
‘Talent…’
A thought suddenly occurred to me.
“Would you be interested in using it as… reference material?”
“Reference… material?”
“Yes. Reference material. Learning it directly would be problematic, but perhaps you could incorporate some aspects into your existing techniques?”
“…That would be… quite risky.”
He was right. The current royal family’s training methods had been refined over generations, possibly even centuries.
Incorrectly incorporating these techniques could be detrimental.
“That’s true. But isn’t it too valuable to simply ignore?”
“That’s… true, but…”
“And there are the sword marks as well. You have both the manual and practical examples…”
Kayla’s eyes lit up again at the mention of the sword marks.
The sword marks alone were a valuable learning opportunity, and now we also possessed the techniques of the one who created them.
“Now that you mention it… and we wouldn’t be able to incorporate the more distinct techniques anyway…”
Kayla muttered to herself, seemingly organizing her thoughts.
I took the opportunity to examine the dragon’s corpse.
‘Finally, it’s mine…’
It had been a long time coming. Or rather, it was sooner than expected, thanks to the confluence of various events.
‘If I had known it would be this easy, I would have come sooner.’
But then again, this was earlier than anticipated, so there was no reason to be discouraged.
I had come, and I had secured it.
That was all that mattered.
‘Things are about to get busy.’
Regardless of the complicated external situation, having achieved one of my objectives, I had to redouble my efforts.
The initial signs of conflict were emerging, events that hadn’t occurred in the previous iteration, a direct result of my influence on history.
In times of international tension, even the smallest spark could ignite a major conflict.
Therefore, I had to remain vigilant and cautious, closely monitoring external events.
While I was examining the dragon’s corpse, Kayla, having seemingly made up her mind, stated her intention to use Septran’s manual as a reference to further refine her and Athena’s techniques.
Faced with such a formidable challenge, she felt compelled to try, and I encouraged her, wishing her luck.
Leaving Athena, who promised to assist Kayla, I stored the dragon’s corpse within the dimensional fragment.
While incredibly heavy, adjusting the entrance made it manageable.
‘It’ll have to remain untouched for now.’
That was fine.
Kayla expressed her desire to study the sword marks, and I readily agreed.
“I’ll try to collect as many of the sword marks as possible when we leave.”
It wouldn’t be difficult.
I could simply extract sections of the bones and walls. While durable, with Mutre’s assistance, it wouldn’t be a problem.
We thoroughly searched the lair for anything else of value, amassing a vast treasure.
‘No artifacts, though.’
Gold and jewels lay piled high, a veritable mountain of riches.
‘I won’t have to worry about money for a while.’
The sheer quantity stunned even Kayla, who had been engrossed in the manual and sword marks.
“…We could probably buy a small country with this.”
“I doubt anyone would sell. We’ll be lucky if no one tries to steal it.”
Perhaps we could buy a magic tower. They were obsessed with gold and jewels. Of course, I was joking.
The jewels and gold likely contained a large amount of mana, which explained why they were stored here. Perhaps the dragon had intended to decorate its lair with them.
While Kayla and Athena focused on the sword marks and manual, I spent most of my time within the dimensional fragment with Mutre.
“You want to build… a laboratory… here?”
There was no need to build it underground. There was no one to hide from here.
Mutre’s eyes lit up at my words.
“Oh, so I can truly build whatever I want…?”
His artistic spirit seemed ignited.
“You can build your own living quarters as well.”
“That would be wonderful.”
This place would also serve as his refuge, so I was happy to accommodate him.
“I’m planning to start Ashen Construction here as well.”
“…So a tower isn’t enough for you?”
“Isn’t the location ideal? This will be my true domain.”
A Necropolis.
The external towers, dungeons, and underground tombs were merely branches. The true fortress city would be built within the dimensional fragment.
“A city of the dead, hidden from the world…”
“A city that can appear anywhere.”
The entrance to the dimensional fragment was centered on me. It was a mobile domain.
While I couldn’t create a complete Necropolis yet, starting now meant I could eventually achieve it.
I firmly believed that.
Mutre chuckled at my words.
“Your growing power benefits me as well, so I’ll assist you in any way I can.”
I hadn’t forgotten about his family.
He seemed to care deeply for his kin, so I considered acquiring more dwarves in the future if the opportunity arose.
We spent about a week within the lair.
As a precaution, I retrieved Septran’s broken sword and damaged armor, storing his remains in a small box.
‘I can’t turn him into an undead, but they might be useful later.’
We also spent considerable time collecting the sword marks, carefully extracting sections of the bones and walls.
We sealed the entrance to the lair and erased any traces of dwarven involvement, ensuring no one but us could find it.
While we had taken everything of value, the lair itself was still useful. It might prove valuable in the future.
There were no incidents at the three oases during our absence.
I returned the undead who had accompanied us to their respective posts.
“Master, are you leaving?”
“Stay vigilant.”
“It’s a shame, but I understand. I, will guard, here.”
Leaving behind a slightly disappointed Golun, I returned to the tower with Annelise.
Athena, waiting for news, continued her regular trips to Desert Shield, while Kayla and I dedicated ourselves to research.
“Would it be alright if I… temporarily stepped down from escort duty?”
Kayla’s question surprised me.
I had thought she would never leave my side.
Of course, I spent most of my time within the tower or the dimensional fragment, so there was little danger.
“I don’t mind, but… did you find something?”
“Not exactly. I just need… time to focus.”
“Alright. Focus on your training until we receive news. I’ll call you if I need you.”
Having achieved my objective much sooner than expected, I had ample time to study the dragon’s corpse.
Mutre occasionally expressed his desire to examine it, but I refused.
I wouldn’t allow him to touch a single scale, bone, or piece of flesh, not even a claw.
I knew that crafting equipment from these materials would result in incredibly powerful items.
Mutre was a dwarf, a skilled blacksmith capable of creating such items given enough time. Equipment crafted from dragon parts was so valuable that even kingdoms rarely revealed them, typically storing them away in their treasuries.
Creating such equipment would undoubtedly result in a significant short-term increase in our combat power, but it would be akin to sacrificing the future for the present.
Our current situation wasn’t dire, we could afford to wait.
Therefore, I had decided to utilize the dragon’s corpse more efficiently for the future, ignoring Mutre’s eager gaze.
Every time I examined the dragon’s corpse, I was filled with awe.
‘Is this really a corpse that’s been dead for centuries?’
As I had initially observed, it looked almost alive.
This was especially evident in the fact that I hadn’t even been able to access the dragon’s heart.
‘It feels wasteful to simply dissect it…’
It wouldn’t be easy either.
Any damage I inflicted could become a weakness if I later turned it into an undead.
Therefore, I attempted to examine its interior indirectly using demonic energy, but the residual mana within the corpse constantly interfered.
Finally, when my demonic energy reached the dragon’s heart, I was stunned.
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‘There’s something there.’
I was certain.
Something I couldn’t comprehend resided within the heart. Sensing my demonic energy, it reacted, and I immediately withdrew. It was faster than I had anticipated, an instinctive response.
I shouldn’t touch it. My instincts screamed at me.
‘Could this be…?’
No, that’s impossible.
For a moment, I wondered if the dragon was still alive. But that was absurd. I had already examined most of its body indirectly using demonic energy.
While the exterior was well-preserved, the interior was different.
The blood, still liquid, was saturated with mana. The muscles still twitched when stimulated, and the scales remained impervious to an Expert’s Aura.
The dragon’s corpse was filled with the unknown and the illogical.
While it possessed incredible resilience, there was no trace of sentience, no resistance of will, even a dormant one.
If it had been merely sleeping, there would have been some unconscious resistance.
The lack of such resistance led me to believe that the resilience I encountered was simply the inherent durability of the dragon’s powerful body, and that the dragon was truly dead.
It had taken considerable time for my demonic energy to reach the heart because it was the most mana-dense part of the corpse, and thus, the most resistant.
However, something unexpected resided within.
‘A soul… I think.’
It wasn’t a lingering fragment clinging to the mortal realm.
It was a pure soul, something I couldn’t even transform into a Soul Shadow. And it resided within the dragon’s heart.
‘Did the dragon… imprison its own soul within its heart?’
Why?
For what purpose?
I couldn’t understand. Such a feat was likely only possible for a dragon.
To preserve a pure soul…
‘I can’t touch it.’
This was beyond my expectations.
‘If I awaken it… I don’t know what will happen.’
I lacked information about dragons. Dragons were creatures of legend and myth, not beings encountered in modern times.
This was a being capable of preserving a pure soul within its heart, a feat impossible even for a necromancer, a manipulator of souls and corpses.
Even without a physical body, I couldn’t predict what it could do if awakened.
Therefore, I couldn’t risk awakening it without proper preparation.
‘…It might not be entirely bad, though…’
If I could control that soul, perhaps…
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