Star-Embracing Swordmaster - Chapter 233
Dragons on leashes (1)
Under the Mother World Tree with its red maple leaves fluttering, Quihano was quietly looking at Vlad, who was sitting with his head buried in his knees.
This is because the sight of Vlad running away to someone else’s world and sitting silently reminded me of my old self.
[……There was a piece of a dragon stuck in Frausen’s heart.]
It was not easy to open his mouth, but looking at Vlad’s back, which did not look like he would wake up easily, Quihano decided to tell him.
Even though it wasn’t the right method, I was able to guess the weight of Vlad’s concerns.
[If only we could stop the piece, even if only for a moment, Frausen would also close his eyes.]
Founding King and Sword Master.
Although Frausen was brought back to life in a pitiful way, he was like an insurmountable wall to Vlad.
Quijano knew very well that in order to surpass him, he would no longer be able to pursue standard methods.
“how?”
[Split your world.]
Not the resurrected Sword Master, but the pieces of the dragon he carries.
It was also a method that only Quijano, who had already experienced destroying perfection, could suggest.
[By breaking up your world like that, you are damaging the perfection of the piece.]
Vlad slowly raised his head at the sound of Quijano’s voice, which seemed different from usual.
Quihano was like a lighthouse to Vlad, always showing him the right path, but today he was shining fiercely.
[……In order to hurt someone else’s world, I also have to be prepared to be hurt.]
Kihano’s eyes looked somewhat sad as he looked at me like that.
The depth of sadness that Vlad could not dare to fathom came from memories from a very long time ago and was also directed at the young knight who now had to navigate the harsh reality.
[Knight Vlad. Are you prepared to get hurt to do what needs to be done?]
The most hurt person in the world was asking this question.
Toward those who will be hurt on your behalf in the future.
“…….”
‘How do I look in your eyes now?’
In the long silence in front of Vlad, Quihano remembered the most perfect dragon he had ever faced.
The most perfect dragon, who could become anything because it was a brilliant possibility, was a being who did not know what he wanted to become until the moment he died.
“…There’s no need to be so considerate. Quijano.”
However, Vlad’s answer after silence was different from that time.
“I’m the one who swore to do that in the first place.”
Although they originate from the same entity, they are completely different answers.
With Vlad’s answer now, Quihano was able to confirm that the choice he had made at that time was not wrong.
Unlike the most perfect dragon back then, Vlad, who was in front of Kihanoe now, was a man who clearly knew who he was.
※※※※
“Get out of the way!”
“Guards, open the gates!”
As Vlad and his godmother were facing each other, the sound of someone’s horse’s hooves was loud on the walls of the city of Namarka.
It was the sound made by what seemed to be about fifteen horses galloping.
However, rather than stopping the rushing horses, the guards who were supposed to guard the gate only hurriedly took refuge when they saw the flag ahead of them.
“Dragon Slayer Knights?”
“Why are these people…”
A city with no proper owner and therefore no one to take responsibility for.
There were flags running towards the city without hesitation.
The flag, which was raised with a fierce force that looked as if it would cut down anyone in front of it, had a long line drawn dividing the dragon’s neck.
“Where are you?” “Vlad.”
Mirshea’s eyes were shining blue as she looked at the city she had just entered.
This was because the presence of Vlad, who he could clearly feel because he was nearby, made his heart beat.
“…That way.”
Although he was not as good as his father, the Dragon Blood Prince, Mirshea was also the eldest son, fully inheriting Dragulia’s blood and education.
Mirshea, who was exploring the world of dragons with her closed left eye, was able to see a golden world rippling from the end of an alley in the distance.
“You’re still stuck in a place you don’t belong in. “Vlad.”
Although the blood he possessed was noble and the light he gave off was brilliant, his younger brother was still stuck in a shabby place.
Although it was a guy he had to face, Mirshea didn’t like the sight, so he frowned and began to grab the reins of the horse he was riding.
“let’s go.”
“yes. “Captain.”
The final resting place of the Ruga family, who had been wandering aimlessly for so many years without a single warm rest.
The dragon’s flag moving towards that place was clapping ominously.
Like the eyes of Mirshea, who is now leading the Dragon Slayer Knights and moving forward.
※※※※
“Godmother!”
There was an urgent voice that broke the frozen air in the room.
The atmosphere in the opened room was not so friendly that anyone could easily be disturbed, but it didn’t matter to the beastman man who had just entered.
“This is the Dragon Slayer Knights! “The Dragon Slayer Knights are rushing towards here!”
“…….”
Quihano inside Vlad.
Thus, the godmother of the Luga family, who had even guessed what kind of being Vlad was who was carrying Quihano, put down the pipe she was holding at the sudden ominous news.
“This is what ends up happening.”
The godmother’s eyes were calm as she looked at Vlad.
They said they had just realized how mysterious the Vlad in front of them was, but in the end, the dragons were just ominous beings to them.
“You always end up trampling on our land. “A long time ago and even now.”
“…….”
Although there are countless possibilities trampled by dragons, there are probably no people who suffered as cruelly as the beastmen who lost their home and were forced to sink in the sea.
Perhaps it was because of that grudge that he passed on this curse-like mystery to the Sword Master.
“I am different from those outside. “ No matter
how much you explain, I don’t know you.”
The shouting sounds outside were getting louder.
It was a confused scream from the beastmen of the Luga tribe at the sudden intrusion of beings who could not resist.
“So give me your dagger.”
“Why is the dagger… suddenly?
No matter how different it was, to the godmother of the Luga family, the face of Vlad in front of her was just a dragon.
It was not an ordinary dragon, but a remnant of an innate blood, and the most perfect dragon remnant was the Vlad that the Great Mother identified.
However, the situation we encountered was urgent and there was no place to ask for help, so the godmother of the Luga family had to make a decision.
“If you want to make me understand and also receive the imprint to slay the dragon, you will have to give it to me quickly.”
With those words, the Great Mother of the Luga tribe pulled out a large feather from her headband and began to dip it into the pitch-black dye bucket that was sitting next to her.
It seemed like it was some sort of mystical technique that made the once gorgeous feathers turn completely black even though it was only slightly pinched.
“Dragons are greedy creatures that never let go of what they hold in their hands. Because they try to reach perfection through the things they collect.”
The Great Mother of the Luga clan took the dyed feather and began drawing something on Vlad’s dagger.
It was just a picture drawn with ink, but for some reason, it was a picture that became a solid pattern on Jorge’s dagger.
“But you said you were different, so prove it with this.”
A pitch-black engraving was already engraved on Jorge’s dagger, which was finally drawn amidst the urgent cries coming from outside.
Although it was only drawn on the surface, the engraving was firmly established as if it had been driven in with a hammer, and had the shape of a jagged noose.
“Are you really different from other dragons?”
“…….”
Vlad, who received the dagger, did not say much, but he felt like he could know what the Great Mother of the Luga family wanted from him.
Dragons are beings that only possess because they do not share.
However, the Great Mother of the Luga clan was saying that in order to show your sincerity, even your dragon instincts must be silenced.
※※※※
“Off…”
Radu, who was sitting in the prison, was shivering from the sudden chill he felt.
Even his face was turning completely white, making it look like his condition was unusual to anyone who saw him.
“Why are you doing this? “Do you have a cold?”
“Hmm…. I’m here, I’m here.”
Pierre, who was next to him, approached Radu, who was shivering, but the source of his chills was not illness but fear.
“Mirsea Mirshea has arrived nearby.”
“…!”
The son of Dragullia, who is said to have the blood of the dragon the most after the Dragon Blood Duke.
No matter how much he was weakened, Radu could feel Mirshea’s presence because he was also a dragon.
However, his ever-looming presence was like a death sentence to Radu.
“We have to get out now, we have to get out…”
“Guard!”
Pierre, who recognized the seriousness of the situation, called the guards outside the prison, but all he received was empty silence.
The guards were so desperate that they rushed out without leaving a single person behind, so the only people in the prison now were Pierre and Radu, who were standing apart from each other.
“Vlad! It’s here!”
However, as if Pierre’s cry had not been in vain, there were people rushing from the darkness beyond the torch.
Looking at those familiar shadows, Pierre waved his hand as if to say, “Here they are.”
“Don’t you have any keys?”
“If I had had the key in the first place, I would have been locked up!”
“Then get out of the way.”
Kwazijic-!
Pierre got angry at Vlad’s stupid question, but when he saw the bars falling down from the rainwater, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
No matter how rusty the bars were, in front of Vlad’s sword he was swinging, it looked like a piece of cake.
“Wake up.”
“Ugh!”
Vlad entered the prison and strongly grabbed Radu, who was still shaking, saying that Mirshea had come.
Radu, who was already very old, had no choice but to cling to Vlad’s cruel gestures.
“You said this happened because your blood was taken, right?”
“That’s right.”
Vlad’s eyes were shining blue as he glared at Radu.
The look in Radu’s eyes, which he could feel as he was a dragon, slowly began to push away the pieces of fear that had settled in Radu’s soul.
“Then what should I do to become young again?”
“what?”
Lure them into the alley!
First, take care of your godmother!
The shouting coming from outside the prison was growing louder.
It meant that the Dragon Slayer Knights were now close enough to be recognized just by the sound they made, and it also meant that Vlad didn’t have much time left.
“Can I drink blood again? Does that make you younger?”
“…….”
“So, even if you don’t know Mirshea, you can stop other knights?”
Radu Dragullia.
A half-bastard who inherited the blue eyes but not the brilliant blonde hair.
Although he has now lost all his potential to his father, he also had a shining time as a knight.
“of course. “Within the Dragon Slayer Knights, the only people who can stop me, Radu Dragulia, are my father and Mirshea!”
Even though he was arrogant, Radu seemed to have regained his normal self. A moment of laughter appeared on Vlad’s face at Radu’s rant.
However, contrary to the smiling expression, Vlad’s hand was just a deep cut.
“Do not forget why I give you this blood.”
“…!”
Drops of blood fall to the floor of the prison, following a dagger with a strange engraving on it.
Radu’s eyes began to turn red as he recognized the potential of the dragon shining brightly within him.
Thick dragon blood that cannot be obtained even if you kill dozens of dragons.
The blood was now dripping pitifully, tempting Radu.
“Help me stop the Dragon Slayer Knights. Radu Dragulia.”
“Big! Sigh!”
Radu opens his mouth at the falling blood drops as if he has no time to breathe.
It was a small drop, but as I became more filled with my potential with each drop, Radu began to realize that he was a dragon again.
“Keuuuuu!”
The fangs get longer and longer every time the ulda wriggles, and the muscles all over the body gradually begin to swell.
And the strangely shaped tattoos that appear around his neck every time he passes over Vlad’s blood.
“this.”
Pierre was at a loss for words for a moment as he watched Vlad share his potential and Radu greedily receive it.
And through his vision, he began to see strange engravings gradually spreading around Radu’s neck.
The imprints were slowly spreading black around Radu’s neck, like a noose made of thorny vines.