“It’s a bit iffy whether you could call it an acquaintance. It’s just that when I stopped by a town to investigate Fleet Volcano, he told me about [the Dragon King’s graveyard]—that was the extent of our relationship.”
In terms of time, it was only a few hours of association.
He had happened to see him at a tavern, and by coincidence, he was a resident of Vechta Village, their investigation destination. Kurtz had simply listened to the legends he told in order to gather information.
But—later, he learned that those feelings and will were [genuine].
“Falsen truly believed that the [Dragon King] existed. No matter how much others denied it, no matter how much that legend was ridiculed as nothing but a fantasy, as a survivor of Vechta Village, he maintained the faith that he and the villagers had protected—and in the end, he martyred himself to that faith.”
After parting with Falsen, Kurtz had headed to Fleet Volcano.
He had also considered meeting with Falsen, who had returned home first, and asking him to guide them again.
However, when he arrived at the village ruins, Falsen was nowhere to be found.
What remained at the site of the village that had been swept away by pyroclastic flows were traces of what appeared to be an overnight camp, along with the small bag he had worn around his waist and a piece of paper.
[Even if the world denies it, we will continue to exist with the “God” we believed in]
What was written on the paper were words that spoke for the will and faith that he and his clan had maintained.
And in the bag, another piece of paper had been left behind.
[To the friend I was able to meet at the end]
It must have been a letter left behind in anticipation that Kurtz would visit the village ruins.
The letter contained Falsen’s gratitude to Kurtz.
For listening to the [Dragon King] legend that everyone now denied, for being able to tell the legend as a survivor of Vechta Village, for being happy when he saw that Kurtz and himself seemed to overlap when Kurtz spoke of his own purpose, for being able to meet such a Kurtz at the end—
[If I could have met you earlier, if I could have had a friend like you, I might have made a different choice. But the “God” within me had already died]
In his previous life, Falsen had made the decision to relocate to the mountainous areas near the capital, considering the volcanic damage and the villagers who had lost their companions.
However, the areas near the capital later suffered a great purge by [Sanctus’s Divine Punishment], and he had heard that the dragon people in those regions suffered tremendous damage and casualties.
Having lost many companions to the eruption, he then lost even the remaining companions at their new location.
Although Falsen was fortunate enough to survive, the [Dragon King] that his clan had devoted their lives to believing in never extended a helping hand.
That’s why Falsen chose to be with the being they had believed in at the end, returning to his homeland to martyr himself to his faith.
[Still, I’m happy to have met a “friend” with aspirations similar to mine at the end. My life may not be worth even a grain of sand, but if burning this life can make our god listen even a little, I will tell him that my “friend’s” wish may be fulfilled]
Holding those words to his heart, he must have thrown himself into [the Dragon King’s graveyard].
[May the blessings of us and the “Dragon King” be upon my friend’s path]
The letter he left behind was concluded with such a line.
Since the letter didn’t contain the false name Kurtz had given, he might have dimly sensed that the name and status were false.
Even so, Falsen had called Kurtz a [friend] and left words of gratitude and blessing.
“Frankly speaking, there’s no need to forcibly bring him in. Even if he were to leave the land of Felmund, I have prepared multiple paths to reach our goal. What we’re doing now could be done after they leave as well.”
While the other members are indispensable personnel for achieving the goal, Falsen is not necessarily so.
Even if he were to leave Kurtz’s side, the goal could be achieved without problem.
But, Kurtz continues his words.
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“—If either choice is acceptable, I want to choose the path where my [friend] is saved.”
While showing a smile on his lips, Kurtz recalls Falsen’s figure from his previous life.
The figure speaking about the legends with a calm tone yet with inner passion.
That figure resembled someone he respected in some way.
“This time it’s completely my personal convenience. I feel bad for involving you in this.”
“Hoho. So if we succeed, I’ll receive a reward from young master?”
“…………What do you want?”
“If I say it, it’ll probably get rejected, so I’ll leave that to young master.”
“Then I’ll grant one wish of yours within the scope of what I can achieve.”
“Oh, that sounds good, let’s go with that!”
“The discretion is mine, so if the content is unacceptable, it will of course be rejected.”
To Lucia who smiled broadly, Kurtz returned a wry smile and nodded.
“But saving Falsen means the [Dragon King] really exists?”
“That’s right, the [Dragon King] does exist. That’s precisely why Fleet Volcano erupted.”
Looking at past records, Fleet Volcano had shown periodic volcanic activity.
However, the volcanic activities were all small-scale enough not to cause damage to the surroundings, and they occurred in unnaturally precise cycles compared to activities recorded at other volcanoes.
That sense of incongruity was also the reason Kurtz chose [the Dragon’s graveyard] as a subject of investigation.
“Lucia, enter through that crevice.”
“Eh, is it safe to enter such a place?”
“No problem. Beyond that should be a passage that the priests of Vechta Village used, which collapsed due to the effects of past volcanic activity.”
Following Kurtz’s words, as Lucia proceeded through the crevice, artificial stairs appeared ahead.
Having collapsed and thus escaped damage from this eruption, the entrance to the [altar] that had miraculously emerged after several small-scale volcanic activities.
While Lucia carefully advanced watching her footing, Kurtz spoke about the [Dragon King’s] true nature.
“Multiple legends exist regarding the [Dragon King], and their contents show several common elements including [a being that rules over dragons]. This means that the being that became the basis of the legends existed in the past, but its form hadn’t been confirmed for long years because it made [places where other creatures cannot enter] its habitat.”
Beyond the stairs spread a large cavern, and from the light leaking from the brilliant lava pool, it could be seen that it connected to the volcanic conduit inside the volcano.
“The [Dragon King’s] dwelling was deep underground……drifting in the sea of lava that exists there, peering at the surface conditions with the enormous magical power residing in its body, watching over dragons of the same species and dragon people who were its descendants.”
While humans generate magical power through blood circulation, the dragon species possesses multiple organs dedicated to generating magical power in order to maintain large, robust bodies.
Older dragons possess enormous amounts of magical power, and that magical power also affects the surrounding environment.
In the sky, the atmospheric environment changes, and in the sea, the water quality environment changes, so it can be inferred that the influence the being called [Dragon King] has on its surroundings is tremendous.
Since such major changes weren’t confirmed within the continent, there was someone who proposed that the [Dragon King] existed deep underground where it wouldn’t affect the surroundings.
The proposer actually discovered what appeared to be the [Dragon King’s] remains in Fleet Volcano, used those remains for magic to cast a curse, and inflicted tremendous damage on the Ornament Ducal House, which had been expanding its territory.
“However, even though the [Dragon King] possessed extraordinary vitality and lifespan, it was still a living creature. By continuously swimming in the endless sea of melted rock, it would become fatigued, and to rest its body, it had the habit of floating up near the surface for recuperation at regular intervals.”
That’s why Fleet Volcano had volcanic activity at regular intervals.
This place was a resting place for the [Dragon King].
And Kurtz directed his gaze toward the crimson giant rock blocking the volcanic conduit—
“—Please forgive the rudeness of setting foot in your sacred domain, [Dragon King].”
Immediately after he said that, golden twin eyes were born within the crimson giant rock.
With a sound like metal creaking, the crimson giant rock began to move quietly.
It was—unmistakably the form of a [dragon].
The square dragon head that was slowly raised and the countless dragon fangs lined up.
Crimson dragon scales shining in the light leaking from the volcanic conduit.
Four limbs and sharp dragon claws revealed as it raised its body.
A gigantic body large enough to fill the enormous cavern that required looking up to see.
A presence so overwhelming that just seeing its form made one understand that the being before them was a [King].
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