While he was unconscious, Elric was dreaming.
It was a dream about a magician.
The magician’s face was unrecognizable, deeply hooded by a robe.
It was impossible to tell whether the figure was a man or woman, young or old.
The only identifiable feature was a seal engraved on the back of the robe, which indicated a family crest.
However, even that design looked different from recent ones. It seemed to be from a very distant past.
And yet…
Elric felt oddly familiar with the magician’s back.
He felt a sense of longing and melancholy.
Who could it be?
Suddenly, the magician stood at the edge of a sheer cliff, making the robe flutter.
Far away.
The sunset painted the sky, and from it, a massive darkness began to rise.
The pitch-black darkness eventually took the shape of a monstrous figure.
Just by looking at it, Elric felt an ominous presence. It was something that sent shivers down his spine.
It could be mistaken for a demon at first, but it seemed to be more powerful than even a Demon King.
A Demon God.
Perhaps that would be the right description?
However, the magician seemed unperturbed, laughing heartily as he swung his right hand in the air.
Then, hundreds of dragons descended from the sky, diving rapidly.
With a swing of the magician’s left hand, the earth shook, and giants, believed to have been extinct long ago, rushed out, swinging their axes.
They appeared to be the magician’s servants, starting a battle against the Demon God upon the magician’s command.
The sky darkened, and lightning struck. Blizzards whirled, and fiery storms swept the land multiple times.
It was a battle that seemed straight out of a myth.
Even on such a chaotic battlefield, the magician was genuinely laughing.
It was as if the magician was thoroughly enjoying the moment.
“Come at me!”
“Ah, it’s dangerous!”
Elric screamed, opening his eyes.
Reactively sitting up and glancing around, his vision blurred for a moment.
The soft sheets, the gentle jolting sensation, and a familiar ceiling.
He was in a carriage.
It was the academy’s carriage he rode when he was heading for the dragon’s nest.
Why was he here? As this thought crossed his mind,
Whack!
Elric winced at the sharp pain on the back of his head.
“Ouch!”
“Ouch? Did you just say ‘Ouch’?”
Turning his head, Sean stared at Elric with a scrunched-up face, full of rage.
“It hurts, doesn’t it? Good, I’ll make sure it hurts for the rest of your life. You said it was dangerous? Fine. I’ll make your life dangerous right here.”
Sean picked up a club that was nearby and swung it violently.
Elric, fearing for his life, quickly dodged out of the way.
However, the inside of the carriage was too narrow for him to escape.
After a while, he had to watch out for Sean, who was still full of energy even as he gently rubbed his bruised, bluish eye with an egg.
“…So, you led the rescue team and saved me, right?”
“Yes. This little guy.”
“Hey. But calling a person ‘this little guy’ or ‘that little guy’ is a bit…”
“What little guy?”
“…Ah, no. Nothing.”
Upon feeling Sean’s glare, Elric quickly turned his head to the side. If the conversation continued any longer, it looked like flames would shoot out of Sean’s eyes.
Sean glared at Elric for quite a while, then let out a deep sigh as if frustrated.
How did he get entangled with such a lunatic and end up in such a dangerous situation?
After Elric let the entire exploration team escape, Sean immediately contacted not the academy but his family clan.
Because there was Professor Brooks in the academy, and it was unpredictable how he would act, so he thought of leveraging the influence of his family first.
‘If the Dean delays dispatching a rescue team even a little bit in this urgent situation, Elric’s fate will become uncertain.’
Of course, moving a family that was as politically calculative as Professor Brooks was never easy.
But this time, they actively pressured the academy, and even moved the Magic Tower.
-The family that found a dragon’s nest rich in value as a research subject and saved Elric!
Just this alone would bring them great fame in the future.
It was considered a good deal.
Finally, during the rescue operation, when they opened the stone door, tense about the possibility of a dragon jumping out, Sean found Elric lying alone in the empty cave.
How much had his heart sunk at that moment?
Fortunately, Sean confirmed that Elric had only lost consciousness and wasn’t seriously injured before he could sigh in relief.
Of course, for the magicians excited about researching the dragon and the Dragonbone Soldiers, it was merely ridiculous.
Anyway, that was what happened.
They were now on their way back to the academy in a carriage.
“What about the nest?”
Elric cautiously asked, fearing that Sean might get angry again.
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Sean, still displeased with Elric, answered without further questions.
“There are still many magicians left.”
“Of course, none of them have ever seen a nest preserved so well…”
The excavation work must now be in full swing.
And Elric seemed to regret not being there.
Although he obtained the most important connection, he still wanted to monopolize the other materials there.
However,
“No. I’ve blocked everyone from accessing it.”
“What? Why?”
“You discovered it, so naturally, the ownership of the dungeon is primarily yours, right? Who would just leave it for someone else?”
The research labs of reclusive magicians’ ‘dungeons’ were bound by law to belong to the one who discovered them.
If the dungeon was of any significant size, it wasn’t easy to determine ownership, as many would claim they had the rights to it.
So now, each school faction would negotiate excavation rights, demanding a certain share of the items excavated.
Excavating an entire dungeon was never an easy task.
Yet Sean had blocked all claims to the excavation rights.
While Elric was unconscious, both the Magic Tower and the academy wanted to get involved with it.
‘I really have one good friend.’
Elric felt deeply grateful for Sean’s consideration.
He was very familiar with how Sean distanced himself from his family.
Yet, he bowed his head and stepped forward for his friend.
“What are you looking at?”
“Because I’m thankful.”
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t say that just because things went bad.”
“……”
Then Elric let out a hollow laugh.
As expected, Sean was being his usual self.
Then…
‘Wait.’
A thought passed through Elric’s mind.
‘If used properly, I might be able to get rid of Professor Brooks in one go?’
He already had a plan, but if he connected the dots properly, it seemed like a more interesting picture would emerge.
For a moment, Elric laughed wickedly.
Seeing that, Sean’s face soured again.
“…Don’t laugh like that. Every time you do, some trouble ensues!”
“Since we’re here, I have one more favor to ask.”
“I won’t hear it, I won’t…!”
Fearing he’d be dragged into more troublesome matters, Sean began to shout, but Elric paid him no mind.
“Can you spread a rumor that I’m badly injured?”
The carriage was transferred to the Imperial Magic Hospital located in the Imperial City, not the academy.
It was because of the news that Eric, who had been rescued, suddenly became critical.
“Elric Melvinger, a student, was urgently transferred to the Imperial City. The wounds he sustained from the dragon’s nest suddenly worsened, causing him to fall into a coma. Our medical staff is closely monitoring him.”
As a result, many people, including Professor Brooks who was awaiting Elric’s arrival, were quite flustered. However, the guards from Sean’s family meticulously isolated the vicinity of the hospital.
Hence, people like Professor Brooks had to swallow their bitterness and leave.
While their faces showed concern that the Melvinger’s connection might be severed, some wore a faint, triumphant smile.
Then…
“You may rest.”
As the attendant Sean had assigned left the room,
“…Phew! I thought I’d suffocate.”
Elric, alone in the room, let out a relieved sigh.
Those who had been assigned to guard the hospital were trustworthy and known for their tight lips. So there shouldn’t be any leaks about the truth.
But one couldn’t let their guard down.
‘Even if they’re close to Sean, I can’t trust all of them.’
Some magicians, using the excuse of checking his vital signs, secretly tried to pour magic into Elric’s body.
“【Magic Detection】“
In an instant, a faint light emanated from Elric, scanning the room for any concealed magic presence.
There it was.
Elric was skillfully using a magic that he had not been able to utilize before!
However, the origin of the magic wasn’t from his clogged heart, but from a part of his life force.
There, a fist-sized dragon heart was pulsating vigorously, exuding vast amounts of magic.
Dragon Heart.
The heart that was said to grant the ancient dragons immense power.
When he realized he had obtained it, Elric was more worried about it being discovered than elated.
Although he was safe this time, there was no guarantee such luck would last forever.
One must have the power to protect their destiny.
He feigned injury to Sean to secure the time to master the Dragon Heart.
“Now, with the addition of magic, should this be called a Demon Jewel?”
While sensing the tightly-packed orb, Elric chuckled and suddenly turned his head.
“What do you think, Mephisto?”
Where his gaze landed.
The Demon King Mephistopheles stood, arms crossed, with a gloomy expression.
