Chapter 71: Our Matter

Asa hurriedly tossed the black gemstone into the air and stepped back, allowing the massive dragon claw to sweep past him like a hurricane, snatching the gemstone from midair.

"Finally recovered… finally recovered..." Moriel's voice, both weak and filled with rage, echoed through the cavern. She no longer paid any attention to Asa but instead shifted her enormous body toward a corner of the cavern.

In that corner, piles of gold coins and various treasures had accumulated into a small mountain, seemingly the place where she had been resting. However, in the wake of the dragon breath that had just filled the cavern, many of the treasures had been scorched, deformed, or destroyed. Now, Moriel regarded them as nothing more than obstructive junk. With a sweep of her massive tail, gold coins and treasures flew across the cavern, revealing a small hidden altar beneath them.

She bent down, carefully holding the black gemstone between her massive claws, and placed it into the center of the altar.

The moment the gemstone settled into the altar, it began to emit strange light and magical fluctuations. A similar energy pulsed from Moriel's body, as if resonating with it. A peculiar chant emerged from her dragon mouth, and then her massive form began to tremble.

In the green magical glow, her grand and imposing dragon body twisted and shrank as if it were dough being molded.

With a final flash of green light, the black dragon was gone.

Standing before the altar was now a red-haired woman dressed in tight-fitting black clothing.

Asa stood there, dumbfounded by what had just transpired. From the magical energy he sensed, it seemed that Moriel had used a form of nature magic, akin to what elves wielded. However, this bizarre and astonishing transformation was something he had neither seen nor even heard of before.

Asa knew very little about the most powerful beings on this continent. In fact, it wasn't just him—almost no one on the continent had much understanding of these ancient and enormous creatures. Their lifespans were simply too long compared to humans, and the years they had lived through even exceeded the recorded history of any existing nation.

A sentient being with such a long life and such immense power was something that humans could never truly comprehend or relate to—just as ants and mosquitoes could never comprehend or relate to humans. Even Grandma Ail, who had guided Asa here, didn't know much about this dragon. She had only seen the dragon once, a long time ago, when she had descended into Nigen.

"Hahahaha…" The woman, who clearly was not truly human, threw back her head and laughed. Her red hair, like a blazing fire, trembled and burned as she laughed. The sound of her laughter still carried the same deep and resonant tone as when she was a dragon, shaking the entire cavern.

The woman turned and walked straight toward Asa. Now, there was no trace of weakness left in her—neither in her body, her face, her movements, nor her demeanor.

She stopped right before Asa. Though she now appeared smaller than him in both height and stature, Asa could distinctly feel that he was the one looking up at her. It was an instinctive, primal feeling.

For the first time, her eyes scrutinized Asa from head to toe, scanning him carefully. Asa could feel her yellow pupils sweeping over him, and wherever her gaze landed, his skin crawled with goosebumps.

Moriel suddenly chuckled and said, "How strange. The Dark Will's guardian of this generation, Akibard's successor, turns out to be such a mediocre mage. The World Tree's Leaf, which mages treasure like the most precious of artifacts, is truly wasted on you." She then glanced over at Hilika and Rodhart, who were feasting on the corpses of the temple knights nearby. "If the Necromancer Guild has declined to the point of having no one left, and yet it can still create such excellent undead knights, I have to say I'm rather curious."

"Though, logically speaking, retrieving this and restoring the seal is part of your duty, I still want to say that I owe you my thanks. When I think about it, you've saved me twice." Moriel looked at Asa, her yellow dragon eyes flashing with an odd light. Her voice had now shed all pretense of friendliness, carrying only an innate sense of superiority, condescension, and even a trace of dissatisfaction. "Do you know? I've been waiting for you for over ten years. The last Dark Guardian—the assassin—came here decades ago."

"Damn Akibard. He left this seal behind, forcing each generation's Dark Guardian to come and check on it, yet he never gave me a way to locate or contact you. Over these years, the Dark Elves must have sent plenty of people to the surface to search for you, but there's never been any news. After all, the surface isn't our territory. Our people can't even infiltrate human society, and they certainly don't have the strength to force their way into Dehya Valley. And you lot—you're all just a bunch of sneaky, elusive creatures…"

Moriel kept speaking, and Asa never found a chance to interject. Perhaps it was a primal instinct—humans would naturally shrink back in the presence of an ancient beast's aura.

Suddenly, the sounds of digging and shouting outside the passage grew louder. The Dark Elf reinforcements had finally broken through the collapsed tunnel. Amidst the approaching footsteps, a group of Dark Elves rushed to the cave entrance. But the moment they saw the red-haired woman standing there, they immediately dropped to their knees, bowing low in complete submission.

"The great Moriel. Your safety is truly a blessing from the Shadow Dragon—one that extends to our entire race."

"What's happening outside? Is this the work of that idiot, Timmah?" Moriel asked.

"Yes. Timmah led all the Minotaurs in an attack on Othello. The other families have already gone to reinforce the city. Knowing that he wouldn't dare launch an assault without also targeting you, I came here first to aid you..." The speaker, a female Dark Elf, propped herself up slightly. She was the matriarch of a noble house. "Great Moriel, has your body fully recovered?" The Dark Elf matriarch was so overwhelmed with emotion that tears streamed down her face. Though she and the other Dark Elves had noticed Asa and the two undead knights feasting on corpses, they seemed completely indifferent. In the presence of the great Moriel, all other beings were insignificant—like ants beside a god's statue, unworthy of attention.

"My body is fine now. Timmah actually had the audacity to ally with the human church against us? I will make sure the Minotaurs are wiped from Nigen entirely," Moriel said with a nod before gesturing to the Dark Elves. "You should leave now and support Othello. Once I've finished up here, I will join you shortly."

The Dark Elves swiftly departed. Moriel, however, showed no urgency. Instead, she turned to Asa and asked, "All of this is thanks to you restoring my seal... But I'm very curious—where did you find this sealed dragon blood?"

Asa sighed and answered, "Inside the remains of a Dark Elf friend..."

"Your Dark Elf friend? You mean on the surface?" Moriel's voice was filled with astonishment.

"Yes. She was a friend of mine… But she never once mentioned anything about this. I only discovered it in her body by chance."

"What?" Moriel roared, her voice shaking the entire cave as it reverberated with disbelief. "Which family does she belong to? How dare she betray the entire family, betray the Shadow Dragon, steal my belongings, and escape to the surface? Impossible! How could a Dark Elf ever betray her family and faith?"

"I'm sure it was Timmah's doing," Asa responded. "otherwise he would never have had the courage to start this rebellion. The damage to my seal and my declining strength were only known to a few of the matriarchs. But how could a Dark Elf be swayed by Minotaurs? What could she possibly want? Faith? Desire? Could Minotaurs provide that? Money? Not a single Dark Elf would care about such things. So what else could it be? Could it be love, freedom, those useless things?"

Asa fell silent, recalling the conversation between Jessica and the Temple Knights in the Turaleone Forest. Although it was brief, he could vaguely guess the reasons behind it. He sighed and said to Moriel, "Enough, no need to talk with me. Go support your people. We can talk about this later."

"No, it can't wait. It must be dealt with now, right away," Moriel insisted.

"Huh?" Asa was taken aback.

"Compared to the situation outside, our matter is far more important. It must be resolved immediately."

"Our matter?" Asa was confused. The hilt of the Black Star sword was no longer in his possession, and even if it were, it didn't seem urgent. From Moriel's words, it seemed like she had something to discuss with him.

Moriel looked up at the ice-sealed opening at the top of the cave, then turned back to Asa. "Akibard once told me that anyone entering through this path must have already mastered the meditation techniques he left behind. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Asa nodded. He was a bit surprised, not expecting that the rule Akibard had left in the Necromancer Guild would have something to do with Moriel.

"I felt it just now," Moriel continued, her gaze shifting to Asa. "The power of the World Tree's leaves is within you, isn't it?"

"Yes," Asa nodded again.

"Good, good, very good..." Moriel kept nodding as she stared at Asa.

Suddenly, Asa felt a strange sense of danger. Although, logically, Moriel had no reason to harm him and should be grateful to him, Asa couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that arose as he gazed into her distinctly non-human yellow eyes. A faint sense of fear stirred in his chest. He instinctively took a step back.