VOLUME 14: CHAPTER 4

The dwarves of the Coalition Army, who'd remained silent until now, nearly fainted when they saw the entire Ancient Fire Dragon Tribe.

In their entire lives, they believed that there was only a single Dragon living in the Lair, but this belief was broken not long ago when Agnus personally went to the Bottomless Gorge to secure thousands of monster corpses.

The dwarves wanted to shriek and jump around from excitement, but the last remaining bit of their rationality prevented them from doing so.

They were already being bold by gazing directly at the Dragons.

Vulcan noticed this, but decided to let it pass this time.

"Dwarves," said Vulcan.

The dwarves flinched and immediately prostrated on the ground. "G-Great Guardian Deity!"

"All of you are to stay here," said Vulcan. "Only King Lark and his selected people are allowed to enter our Lair."

The dwarves were disappointed, but they agreed regardless. For a moment, they thought they would finally see what the Lair was like inside.

"Yes, Great Guardian Deity!"

After prohibiting the dwarves from entering the Lair, the Ancient Fire Dragons confirmed the people who would be entering with them.

"The snake isn't coming with us?" said Vulcan. "Heh, no matter~ They're not allowed inside in the first place."

Agnus snickered, while Arcturus quizzically tilted his head.

"Hmph! As if we're interested in seeing what the Lair of mere lizards is like!" – Blackie had the urge to say those words out loud, but after being reminded of Lark's stern warning, it chose to simply shut its mouth.

In the end, Blackie said through gritted teeth, "We'll stay here and await your return, God Evander."

Lark could see how much the Scylla was struggling to rein in itself. It must have been dying to retort and badmouth the Dragons.

"You're doing great," said Lark. He patted the first head's snout. "I'll be back soon. Thank you for keeping your promise, Blackie."

The Scylla was visibly touched when it heard those words. With teary eyes, all seven heads surrounded Lark from all sides.

"Sniff… Sniff!"

"M-Me, too!"

"Pat me, too!"

"G-God Evander!"

Lark patted their snouts one by one, assuring them that they would get used to this soon, and that everything would turn out fine.

Agnus snorted, thinking of how absurd the situation was.

How annoying.

Was it really such an amazing feat for the Scylla to behave every once in a while, like this? He could do it, too, but even if he did, he knew he wouldn't get any praise from his father.

"Fucking unfair," muttered Agnus.

Vesta's ears twitched. With a smiling face, she faced Agnus and said coldly, "Did you just curse in front of our guests?"

"…Ah."

Agnus turned pale.

If he were to choose, he would rather be reprimanded by his father than his mother.

Although their mother had never used violence against them, there was this indescribable sense of terror whenever she was displeased with her children.

"T-That's not it, mother!"

Arcturus fixed his glasses using his fingers. "Agnus, I heard it, too. Don't even try to lie your way out of this."

Agnus helplessly looked at his father and sister, but the two avoided his gaze, as though they no longer cared what would happen to him next.

"A reprimand is in order, it seems," said Vesta. "Isn't that right, dear?"

Vulcan awkwardly coughed, "Haha, yes… of course."

"Father!"

Vulcan glared at his son, wordlessly telling him not to involve him in this mess. Agnus lowered his gaze and shrank his shoulders.

It felt unfair. It seemed that no one in this family was on his side.

"I apologize for the crass words of my son, King Lark," said Vesta.

Lark simply smiled. He had no intention of meddling with their family's affairs.

Vesta sighed. She looked at the seven-headed creature, then at Lark. "We'll show you around the Lair. This way, please."

Guided by the Dragons, Lark and his men entered the Lair.

Since the place was designed to allow the Dragons in their original form to enter freely, the passageway leading to the heart of the Lair was massive. Throughout the centuries, it had been continuously expanded by a select few dwarven engineers. By estimate, the pathway was probably a hundred meters wide and a hundred and fifty meters tall. Numerous luminous artifacts, which seemed to have been made by the dwarves, were latched on the walls.

Lark also saw murals depicting the greatness of Dragons here and there. He also saw murals showing the birth of a hatchling, until it became a full-grown adult.

"We're here," said Vesta after they reached a kilometer large clearing. "Welcome to the heart of the Lair, King Lark."

At the center of the clearing was a massive mountain of treasures. Gold coins, ornamental weapons, armors, gemstones, and precious metals were stacked on top of each other, forming a treasure mountain.

Dragons loved collecting shiny, beautiful, and expensive things, and it seemed the Ancient Fire Dragons were no exception to this.

"I didn't know you're filthy rich, Vulcan," said Lark.

Vulcan laughed. He was really pleased to hear those words come out of Lark's mouth. "Hahaha! Of course! This much is only natural for us Dragons! We've gathered all of these treasures over the centuries! I'm confident even the Empire's treasury wouldn't compare to this!"

The younger Dragons looked at the mountain of treasures with pride. That place served not only as their bed but also as a reminder of the power of their race.

"See that golden bell over there?" said Vulcan. "It's my favorite pillow. It has become a bit dented from overuse, but it still serves its purpose."

After arriving at the heart of the Lair, Lark's group and the Ancient Fire Dragons talked about several more matters, particularly the recent affairs in the Dwarven Kingdom.

Through Vesta's story, Lark finally confirmed his suspicion that the Dragons used his corpse procurement request as the Dragon's Trial for the dwarven princes.

He also learned that although First Prince Margaro had the best performance in the Trial, Second Prince Hafnir managed to win solely through luck.

The Second Prince Hafnir's army was nearly annihilated in the Bottomless Gorge, but he won the Trial since he'd managed to send the greatest number of corpses back to the dwarven kingdom.

Seeing Lark's expression, Vesta said, "Luck is also a skill, King Lark. It just so happens that the Second Prince was favored more by fate."

Lark didn't answer.

Honestly, he felt a bit responsible for those events. Moreover, one of the princes even died during the Trial.

"Don't worry too much," said Vulcan to Lark. "Even if you didn't request those monster corpses, the princes would have still undergone an equally brutal Trial."

"That's right," said Vesta. "And I believe this generation's Trial is a lot more… lenient. Isn't that right, dear?"

Vulcan nodded. "Only one prince died in this Trial. Most of the time, only one or two princes survive."

"Father, you gave the second prince your blessing," said Arcturus. "I wonder how much stronger he'd become by now."

Vulcan replied disinterestedly, "Does it matter? No matter how much any of those princes train, they would never measure up to their father."

King Lerenon 'Blood Mithril' Rugard was simply a freak of nature.

Even before receiving the Dragon's blessings, he was already a very powerful dwarf.

Although he never told anyone about this before, Vulcan believed that the current Dwarven King could probably kill one of the dragons if he went all out without any regard for his life.

Of course, there was no way to verify this.

"Lerenon…," said Vesta. "Time sure flies quickly. I still remember that time when he was born."

"The entire kingdom held a festival for an entire month, isn't that right, my dear wife?" said Vulcan.

Vesta affectionately held Vulcan's hand. "That's right, dear."

Vulcan and Vesta lovingly gazed at each other. Vulcan leaned forward and whispered, "I missed you so much. You've grown even more beautiful since the last time I've seen you."

Vesta fidgeted, "You, too, dear. I missed you, too."

"I miss embracing you, Vesta."

"Oh, my… Vulcan."

"Can I embrace you?"

"But… there are so many eyes watching?"

Arcturus loudly coughed, "Kuhum…"

Vulcan and Vesta smiled at each other. Still blushing, Vulcan finally turned his attention to Lark, "Although we've received the location of the adamantite deposit from the Second Prince, it'll be better if he guides us there himself. I shall summon him here to the Lair."

"The Second Prince, huh?" said Lark. "Vulcan, I'd love to see the Dwarven Kingdom. Can I go to the dwarven royal palace instead?"

"Is that so? That can be easily arranged," said Vulcan. "When do you wish to visit, King Lark?"

Although he wanted to go right away, Lark considered the situation and hierarchy in the Dwarven Kingdom first. He knew that their visit would cause a commotion in the entire Kingdom. To give face to the dwarven royal family, he decided to give them ample but reasonable time to prepare for his visit.

"I'll visit the royal palace in two days."

"Two days… understood. Feel free to stay in the Lair until then. Agnus."

"Father?"

"Go and tell the dwarves outside. I don't care how they do it, but tell them to inform Lerenon about our upcoming visit."

"Yes, father."

***

The Second Prince Hafnir's life had changed a lot since the Dragon's Trial ended.

Unexpectedly, he won the competition despite achieving poor results compared to the First Prince Margaro. This decision was met with a lot of criticisms, but no one openly opposed it since it was the will of the Great Guardian Deity.

Even their father, King Lerenon 'Blood Mithril' Rugard, readily accepted the Trial's outcome.

'A little bit more.'

Prince Hafnir was currently inside the training grounds of the royal palace, shirtless as he swung around a sledgehammer five times his size.

'Faster. Stronger!'

His body twisted, his grip on the sledgehammer tightened. With his entire might, he slammed the sledgehammer against the ground. The earth formed cracks, shattered, and quickly turned into a crater. The impact of the strike sent not only rocks and dust flying about, but also a small shockwave.

Although Prince Hafnir already possessed strength equivalent to an elite warrior in the Dwarven Kingdom, his prowess exponentially rose after receiving the Ancient Fire Dragon's blessing.

That day, Prince Hafnir lost consciousness after receiving the blessing. He woke up five days later, finding out that his entire body had undergone reconstruction.

His bones and flesh were torn and broken, and rebuildt themselves to create a shell befitting the Dragon's essence.

Prince Hafnir had never felt so powerful in his entire life.

He never knew it was possible to feel this much strength in the body of a mere dwarf.

This must have been what his father had been feeling this entire time.

He could see farther, he could endure better, and he could unleash greater strength after his body underwent the reconstruction process.

Moreover, he also gained the ability to manipulate the fire element, and he gained a certain degree of heat resistance.

'But this isn't enough.'

Still, despite gaining all of these abilities, he was certain that he was still a far cry from his father.

It was only after he reached this level that he realized how monstrous King Lerenon was.

Clap! Clap!

Prince Hafnir heard claps behind him. Even without turning around, he knew to whom it belonged. There was only him and that man in the training grounds, after all.

"Impressive, Your Highness. This Gulan is moved to tears. I'm really glad to have lived this long! To think I'll witness the Prince I've been serving reach such heights! This Gulan can die without regrets now!"

The man was General Gulan, Prince Hafnir's most loyal retainer. The dwarf who'd been serving by his side since he was just a child.

Honestly speaking, the General was closer to a father to Prince Hafnir than King Lerenon. Of course, he would never voice this thought out loud.

"General… are you crying again?" asked Prince Hafnir as he wiped his sweat with a towel.

Ever since Prince Hafnir had won the throne competition, the General became emotional. Whenever he accompanied Prince Hafnir, the General would suddenly become lost in his thoughts and reminisce about their hardships back in the old days, before bursting into tears.

The Prince remembered that during his crown prince appointment ceremony, the General wailed like a kid.

Back then, everyone was stunned speechless after seeing General Gulan acting that way. Normally, the General was calm and stoic – he even earned the monicker 'The Immovable Mountain'.

"Crying? Hick… Hick… No," said Gulan. "Something got into my eyes, that's all."

Prince Hafnir had gotten used to this by now.

Loyalty should be rewarded. Even if General Gulan one day turned into a senile old man, Prince Hafnir vowed to let him stay by his side, no matter what those around him would say.

The prince leaned his sledgehammer on the weapons rack. He grabbed and donned his clothes. "Come with me, Gulan. I wish to visit the dungeons."

Gulan understood his prince's intentions. "Of course."

After leaving the training grounds, the two of them went to the dungeons located deep underneath the royal palace. This place was reserved only for government officials, affluent merchants, or those from the royal family.

"Ah, Crown Prince Hafnir!"

The prison guards immediately let them enter after verifying their identities.

"Take me to where my brothers are," said Prince Hafnir.

"Yes!"

Guided by five guards, the prince passed through a long hallway, went down three levels, and eventually arrived at the cell where the other two princes were locked up.

"Leave us," said Prince Hafnir.

This wasn't the first time the crown prince visited his brothers, and the prison guards had gotten used to it by now.

"Yes. Please call for us should you need anything, Your Highness."

After the guards left, only Prince Hafnir and General Gulan remained.

"Brothers," said Prince Hafnir.

A full minute passed, but there was no response.

Inside their respective dimly lit cells, the losers of the throne competition sat, unmoving.

Following the rules of the royal succession, the other heirs would stay locked up in this cell until the winner of the competition officially ascended the throne.

"Brothers," repeated Prince Hafnir.

After repeating that word, the crown prince finally received a reply. Fourth Prince Orgro spat, "You're here again, cheating bastard. What do you want this time?"

The cells of the First and Fourth Princes were across each other. Unlike the fourth prince, the first prince simply stared at Prince Hafnir in silence.

"…I'm just here to check how my brothers are doing," said Prince Hafnir.

"That again?!" roared Prince Orgro. "You fucking bastard! You get off seeing us in this state, huh!"

"N-No, that's not it, broth—"

"—Shut up! Why don't you just leave us alone! You won the battle, and even father acknowledged the outcome of the competition! As for us? Hah! Maybe we'll be stuck here for the rest of our lives! Who knows what you'll do to us once you officially become the king of this kingdom!"

"Brother, it's not my intention to keep the two of you here forever," said Prince Hafnir. "Once I become the King, I'll make sure to set the two of you free."

"You expect me to believe that?" sneered Prince Orgro. "Listen, Hafnir. I would have honorably accepted the outcome of the competition if you hadn't cheated! Your army horribly lost! They nearly got annihilated!"

General Gulan growled, "You're going overboard. Please stop, Prince Orgro. That's enough."

Prince Hafnir raised his hand, wordlessly telling the General not to interfere.

Of course, even if the General interfered, the Fourth Prince had no plans on stopping.

"I would have accepted the outcome of the Trial if the winner were Prince Margaro! Hafnir! You know it, too! You don't deserve the crown!"

The voice of the Fourth Prince echoed in the dungeons. The guards stationed nearby must have heard it, too.

Prince Hafnir lowered his head.

It had always been like this whenever he visited.

The fourth prince would badmouth and curse at him, while the first prince would always remain silent.

He'd already expected this, but hearing those words still felt painful and disheartening.

"Orgro."

The eyes of everyone widened. For the first time, Prince Margaro decided to speak.

"Eldest brother!" said Orgro.

"You're too noisy. Shut your mouth," said Margaro.

"W-What?"

There was a long pause. Margaro intently started at Prince Hafnir.

Eventually, the first prince said, "You did well. Do not mind the ramblings of that one. The rules clearly said that we must procure 'usable' corpses. It is my lack of foresight for choosing the Death Cavern. Crown Prince Hafnir, no matter what anyone says, you won that fight fair and square."

Hearing that, everyone was speechless.

"I would be lying if I said I didn't hate you," said Prince Margaro. "But over time, during my stay here in my cell, I came to the realization that everything is the result of a lack of preparation on my part. And as I've said before, you won that competition fairly. So, as the new Crown Prince, don't mind the naysayers. Lift your chin up. Show pride as the future incumbent Dwarven King of Rugard."

"E-Eldest brother!" said Orgro. "W-What are you saying?!"

Margaro glared at Orgro, and the latter instinctively moved back in fright.

"You don't have to visit us frequently," said First Prince Margaro. "As long as we have food and drinks, we'll manage somehow. So, go and due your duties as the official crown prince of the kingdom."

Prince Hafnir's shoulders trembled. He was moved to tears. Out of all people, he never expected the First Prince to acknowledge him like this.

Although King Lerenon didn't object to the Trial's outcome, Prince Hafnir was certain that his father was inwardly disappointed that Prince Margaro didn't win the competition.

Out of all the princes, First Prince Margaro was the closest to King Lerenon in terms of strength and ability, after all.

Honestly speaking, it felt such a waste to see him locked up like this.

"Eldest brother… thank you… thank you…" muttered Prince Hafnir.

While Prince Hafnir was wiping the tears that had formed at the corner of his eyes, they heard several footsteps coming in their direction.

General Gulan placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, but Prince Hafnir – whose eyesight had improved greatly after receiving the Dragon's blessing – stopped him.

"They're the guards from before," said Prince Hafnir.

Despite hearing their identities, General Gulan still readied himself should a fight or an assassination suddenly occurred.

"Princeee! Crown Prince Haaafnir!!"

Although the distance they ran was short, probably due to terror, the guards were huffing by the time they arrived.

"Croownnn Princeee!"

"Guards! Mind your etiquette when speaking to His Highness! Stop dallying, speak," said General Gulan. "What happened?"

"We received a message from the Lair! T-The Dragon! The Dragon, together with the delegates from the Kingdom of Lukas, will be visiting the royal palace!"

"What did you say?" uttered General Gulan.

It was big news.

After the Trial, they estimated that it would take decades again before the Dragon visited the kingdom. The Dragon normally disliked mingling with the dwarves and would just relay its orders through the current dwarven king. They never expected that the Dragon would visit the royal palace again this soon. Moreover, it brought humans with it.

"And! I believe that it's not just one Dragon, but the entire tribe who will be visiting us!"

The news was so shocking that even Prince Margaro abruptly stood up. The jaw of Prince Orgro hung, and his eyes became so wide they looked as though they would pop off the sockets.

It was only recently that they learned the truth behind the Dragon's Lair. It was only recently when they learned that there was not just one, but five Dragons living in the Dwarven Mountains!

Hearing that five of those divine beasts, who they revered as deities, would be visiting the kingdom brought them inexplainable surprise and bliss. They felt excited, and at the same time, afraid.

"His Majesty, King Lerenon Rugard, has called for everyone! He ordered all of the princes to be present during the time the Dragons arrive at the capital!"

Although it was a single, massive city, the Dwarven Kingdom still had its own capital. The walled territory where the royal palace was situated acted as the kingdom's capital.

"He also asked Master Gorovir to come to the royal palace! This… this is definitely a historical moment for the kingdom!" said the guard.

Gorovir was the brother of the current King Lerenon. Out of all King Lerenon's siblings, Gorovir was the only dwarf that had been spared after losing in the throne competition – and this was solely due to his unparalleled skill in blacksmithing.

Hearing that even the legendary blacksmith was being summoned, they realized that the Dragons wished to meet all notable individuals in the kingdom.

"When…," uttered Prince Hafnir. He was still in shock from the news. "When are they coming?"

"T-The ones who delivered the message used the powersuits to run from the Lair all the way to the kingdom," said the guard. "The D-Dragon asked them to deliver the message over a day ago. The message reached us only recently. So, by estimate, we have a-around five to seven hours before they arrived at the kingdom, Your Highness!"

Prince Orgro nearly fainted when he heard this.

Prince Margaro clenched his fists. For the first time, he lost his temper, "Then what are you doing! Guards, get us out of here! We need to prepare appropriately to welcome the entire Ancient Fire Dragon tribe!"

Prince Hafnir nodded his head. "Let them out!"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

After the two princes had been freed, they all went outside the dungeon and made preparations to meet the Dragons. They ate, bathed, and donned luxurious clothes befitting the occasion.

In just a few hours after receiving the news of the Dragon's arrival, the entrance to the royal palace was filled numerous influential figures of the kingdom.

The Dwarven King, Lerenon. The three princes. The ministers. The Generals of the military and their adjutants. Leaders of various Weapons Factory. Head engineers of various divisions. And the most skillful blacksmiths in the Dwarven Kingdom, including the legendary blacksmith, Gorovir.

All of these people tensely waited for the Dragons' arrival.