Episode 620 A Good Proposal. But… 1

Arterion had finally stumbled upon a question he had never thought to ask before.

For nearly a thousand years, he had believed in the return of the Adversary and waited. Yet, in all those centuries, he had never once sensed the Adversary's presence.

At some point, the thought had suddenly emerged in his mind, and he became certain of it.

"That's why I…"

He had used all his power to kill the Adversary. He bred monsters, drove them mad, and sent them forth relentlessly.

"Why…"

How did he know? How had he come to this knowledge in the first place?

Why was he so convinced, even now, that the Adversary had appeared in the world?

"Ereneth didn't… know."

Even Ereneth, who had been subjected to the same geas, hadn't known. All she could do was speculate based on various circumstances and clues.

No one else knew. Only Arterion could sense with certainty that the Adversary had been resurrected.

Arterion's mind sharpened once more, a keen edge forming in his thoughts.

"I must know the reason. What has happened to my body and mind?"

The powerful mental fortitude of a dragon sought to unravel the phenomenon.

At that moment, Arterion's consciousness was engulfed in black mist.

His questions vanished in an instant, and drowsiness crept over him once more.

"Yes, because of the geas… the Adversary's power binds me… It's only natural that I sense that power…"

He rationalized it that way. Yet, doubt crept back into his mind.

"No… that alone… cannot explain it…"

Even a dragon—trapped in a cave—could not possibly detect the aura of a single human.

As soon as doubt took hold, Arterion's thoughts became hazy again. He wanted only to succumb to longing and dream of the past.

In the end, not even a dragon's formidable mind could overcome this bizarre phenomenon.

From deep within his subconscious, a faint voice brushed past.

— …When the promised time comes.

— …Come find me.

With that echo as the last sound, Arterion fell into a deep slumber.

And in his dreams, he once again relived the war from a thousand years ago.

Crack…

One of the black chains binding him shattered and scattered into the air.

The floating fragments moved slowly, as if guided by an unseen will.

Gathering together, the dark energy coalesced, writhing like a snake as it circled the sleeping dragon.

Swish…

The black energy seeped into Arterion's body, slipping through unnoticed as the dragon remained lost in his dreams.

Whoooom…

The black energy writhed like a living creature. The massive dragon's body absorbed it like a deep, dark sea consuming the tide.

Soon, everything grew still.

Now… only one black chain remained, binding him.

***

After the strategy meeting, Ghislain called Galbaric aside. There was much to prepare for the upcoming battle.

"Why… did you call me?"

Galbaric, who had been enthusiastically organizing the retreat, looked uneasy. He had never had a good experience when summoned directly by Ghislain.

Sure enough, Ghislain placed a firm hand on Galbaric's shoulder and spoke.

"Don't leave just yet. There's something you need to do. You've had enough rest over the past few days, haven't you?"

"..."

"Oh, it won't take long. It's an easy task. Really quick."

"...What is it?"

"We're building a fortress."

"A fortress?"

"Yes, we'll need it to fight the dragon."

"No, no, no. Do you think a fortress can just pop up out of nowhere? A proper one takes years to build! The dragon isn't going to wait that long!"

Galbaric snapped, visibly agitated. While he had tolerated all sorts of ridiculous requests so far, this was utterly impossible.

Ghislain, seeming to understand the basics of common sense, patted Galbaric's arm reassuringly.

"It's not that kind of fortress. It's more like… a sturdy little shack. Just something strong enough to hold its ground."

"Hmm?"

"Listen carefully. When we fight the dragon, the mages will need to suppress its magic. That means they'll all be gathered in one spot. If the dragon decides to just roll over them, they'll all be crushed to death."

Galbaric nodded. Dragons weren't just fearsome because of their magic—their physical strength was terrifying as well.

"So, what should we do?"

"We'll spread the mages out as far as the range of their magic suppression allows."

"Hmm… How many of these 'shacks' are we talking about?"

"We'll place about 50 mages in each one, so around 30 in total."

Including the allied mages gathered for the mission, there were approximately 1,500 available. Even after leaving some behind for other tasks, they had enough to effectively neutralize a dragon's 9th-circle magic.

"Ugh…"

Galbaric looked exhausted just thinking about it. It was feasible, but it meant no time for rest. The work seemed never-ending.

Ghislain, as usual, spoke nonchalantly.

"The dragon won't appear for at least another month. But we need to have everything ready before then. The mages need to inscribe the suppression runes in these fortresses to ensure the dragon can't locate them."

Spreading out the mages not only prevented them from being wiped out in one go but also concealed them from the dragon's sight. The additional time was essential for properly hiding their positions.

They had already had a few days to rest. It was time to get back to work and prepare for the new operation.

There were plenty of laborers available. They could work while waiting for the retreat to resume.

With a resigned expression, Galbaric nodded.

"Fine. Ugh, I swear I'll only stop working when I die."

Grumbling, Galbaric trudged off, looking utterly defeated. The work had to start immediately.

Mages were also drafted for the construction of the fortresses. They needed to set up interference magic to prevent the dragon from finding the magic suppressors.

Jerome and Vanessa worked together to carefully choose the locations. The two of them would ultimately oversee the entire suppression operation.

"Do you think this spot is good enough?"

"We'll probably need more runestones here."

Simply gathering mana wasn't enough; they also needed auxiliary rituals to manage such immense power.

The mages carved countless magic circles into the ground at various locations. To amplify their effects, they used an enormous number of runestones.

Fortunately, there were plenty of runestones available. Some had been collected from nearby areas, and others had been taken from the territory's treasury, originally intended for military expenses.

Even the magical weapons used by the mobile units were stripped of their runestones. Though it was a shame to dismantle them, pooling all available resources allowed them to create a massive magical suppression zone.

"Wow, with this, not even a dragon could do anything," Jerome remarked, clearly impressed. They had gained complete control over the area's mana.

Vanessa, however, looked worried as she asked, "But… do you think the dragon will really come here?"

"Hmm, who knows?"

Their location was the closest route to the capital of the Turian Kingdom. Ghislain had insisted on setting this as the battleground. If the dragon appeared elsewhere, it would spell disaster.

In that case, they would have to rush in and fight unprepared.

"Well, we have to pick one place to prepare, don't we? If it's planning to destroy the kingdom, this route is the most likely choice."

"You're right. You've always been right before, so I'm sure you're right this time too."

Vanessa steadied her wavering confidence. Ghislain's plans always seemed strange in the process but were invariably correct in the end.

After several days, the fortresses were completed. They were spaced far enough apart that even if some were destroyed by the dragon, the others could continue gathering mana.

Jerome and Vanessa stood at the central position, where two long staffs were planted into the ground. These were auxiliary magical tools designed to help them control the mana flow.

The staffs were placed close enough together that, in case something happened to one of them, the other could take control immediately.

Whooom!

As the mages began channeling their mana, a massive surge of energy swept through the area. Vanessa managed the flow of power while Jerome used it to cast spells.

Fwoosh!

A fireball the size of a small hill materialized in the air.

And that wasn't even the full extent of their power—it was merely a test spell.

"Whoa…"

"Is that even a fireball anymore…?"

"Honestly, this might actually be able to take on a dragon," murmured the onlookers, awestruck.

The sheer pressure of the mana being concentrated in the area was palpable, even to those without magical abilities.

Unlike traditional magical suppression, which required individual mages to maintain rituals, this setup pooled all mana into a central controller.

"Essentially, we've created a dragon to fight a dragon," Jerome said with a sly grin.

The system could even handle 9th-circle magic, but they avoided using their ultimate abilities due to the risk. Not only did such spells demand a great personal cost, but in a direct battle, the dragon's attacks would likely strike first.

Neutralizing the dragon's magic remained the top priority.

With preparations complete, most of the forces began retreating, leaving only the essential personnel behind for the dragon hunt.

Elena and Arel, along with the non-superhuman troops, were tasked with leading the main army back to Ruthania.

"Elena," Ghislain said casually, "don't make that face. Everything will be fine."

"You always say that," she replied, frowning. "But please, stop saying terrifying things to people."

"…What did I say this time?"

"Just… don't start any weird rumors again, okay?"

"…Alright."

Ghislain understood what she meant. There had been absurd rumors circulating among the soldiers, claiming that the dragon's appearance was his fault.

'I heard the source was Ricardo… again.'

Ricardo had previously been involved in spreading baseless gossip in Ferdium, and it seemed he was up to his old tricks.

With a sigh, Ghislain shook his head. Knowing the future often felt more burdensome than it was worth. No one ever believed him anyway, and they just complained.

The remaining forces waited tensely for the dragon. With all the preparations finished, all they could do was wait.

'Will it really appear here?'

'I hope we can communicate with it.'

'I can't wait to slice its wings with my twin blades…'

Everyone passed the time lost in their own thoughts. As the days stretched on, the tension gradually began to dissipate.

Finally, one month later…

A mage standing on watch opened their eyes wide in shock.

"It's real. A dragon—an actual dragon is here!"

Far off in the distance, something white appeared on the mountainside.

Even from such a great distance, its immense size was unmistakable.

The mage quickly unleashed a signal flame of mana into the sky.

"The dragon is here!"

Everyone's gaze snapped to the heavens. A massive white figure loomed, radiating an overwhelming presence.

In the dazzling sunlight, its scales glimmered as the dragon's outline became clear. It resembled a living snow-capped mountain.

Swoosh!

The dragon drew closer, its colossal wings casting a shadow that seemed to swallow the earth. Every being on the ground looked insignificant in comparison.

"Get ready!" Ghislain shouted, snapping the mages out of their stupor as they began gathering mana. Though the magical formations weren't yet activated, the power was primed to launch at a moment's notice.

Everyone except Julien gathered near Ghislain, their expressions tense as they watched the dragon approach.

Flying toward the Turian capital, Arterion noticed the group below.

The dragon's blue eyes gleamed as they swept over the humans. Those ancient eyes carried the wisdom and power of ages past.

With a graceful curve of its long neck, the dragon tilted its head, and even the air seemed to tremble.

"Insects," Arterion muttered, his deep voice resonating like a distant thunderclap.

He didn't think much of them. They were just humans gathered along his path.

He could have ignored them and flown on, but these were the first humans he had encountered since emerging into the world. This momentous meeting couldn't simply be passed by.

Slowly, he opened his jaws.

Gwooooooom…

For a moment, the entire world fell silent.