Chapter 213: There is a Path in the Darkness (1)
VNIIt was early in the morning, just as the sun began to rise.Zi1P8w
cFVJTdAlthough it was the end of winter, the cold wind was still felt as Vlad contemplated the city of Nassau.tpl8fD2
ZUKt5ul“It seems this incident was beneficial for Captain Harven.”FOTmKhB
I2rUVlad silently shook his head when he heard Joseph’s voice coming from beside him.LKLsE
9JXczIp“Harven won’t see it that way. He always had a lot of affection for his ship.”CQL1
JwfBg“Really? Well, he did seem to have a special attachment to his ship.”Dy4OIi
R0kbafqThe sea shimmered with the morning sun.M7pDYl
7HNUA large ship was slowly leaving the port of Nassau, cutting through the crystal-clear waters.sfTfK
oHGfrV3The galleon-class ship, said to be hard to find in the North, was the ship that Vlad and his crew had captured from Barbosa’s men.ZxYCKcL
OrpHNQ“At least it’s a relief to have recovered the flag.”nkK
6TW1Vlad silently spoke as he watched the ship slowly and lonely sail out to sea.rV7nWH
JxB57Although it lost its original form, Harven’s new ship could retain its name.fsc3Uap
kGd8As if to prove it, a flag with a red rose engraved on it waved from the highest point of the mast.ThP0Z
E4eIt was the only trace Vlad took from the sinking Zemina.amAJ
kpAcj“Where are you going now?”zMZXL
ogE9Vlad opened his mouth while watching the new Zemina sail north.s8abKt
KcibThe work with the dwarves was done.b7Cyy
45qfkfyThrough this incident, Joseph got what he wanted, and Vlad was able to safely complete the contract he thought he couldn’t fulfill.6Q8eaC
0O4JYIn other words, there were now no obligations or debts between Joseph and Vlad.auGZQwv
MyS“I’m going to the central region. To be precise, I plan to meet with the lords in the northern border area.”hgux
dazx“To the center?”dXFs
j0hgjoJoseph, who opened the carriage door, smiled at Vlad and answered.9Vn
e3E“I no longer have support in the north. Now I have to seek it elsewhere.”4IhFgu
kvuG9g“…I see.”d8ceNQo
B4wArT“My final destination is the Count Oscar family, which is my maternal family. I’m sure they’ll help me there.”Vago
VrQxJoseph kept saying he would aspire to the position of head of Bayezid, but Vlad could only feel an unknown sentiment in his words.AxxW
68qGxUnlike his fierce past, his smile had somehow become lighter.oQquCG
cHD8YVlad felt a sense of strangeness that was hard to explain in words due to the subtle change in attitude that only those who watched closely could recognize.ceFiWiP
19ID“What are you planning to do?”FS1b
jiesExx“I…”zJCAHlk
8xqVlad was speechless for a moment at Joseph’s question.A84qW
6oaBp2He was sure of what he had to do, but he still had no idea where to go.YjNAXy
pYuR34E“They say dragons are dying.”pN5jJ
YVN“Yes?”6ZPjH0
tNvl“From the west. There are reports of their corpses scattered everywhere.”hHV4J
Xb2Joseph shrugged and continued as if he knew all his worries.N5rZC
fA89“They say their remains are heading towards the center.”iBY4sib
P0YLlJ“…”wu5
qqTbHAfter saying these last words, Joseph entered the carriage and poked his head out of the open window.DHKP
82Zb“If you want, I can lend you food for your horse and a place to camp on the way.”91KrKQ
aQf“Thanks you.”C84n
NIS“But I can’t offer you a place in my carriage. This one is much smaller than the previous one.”j1R
UY4It was no longer about settling debts, but about moving towards their respective destinations.EgEuy
BIaVlad followed Joseph’s slowly moving carriage and grabbed Noir’s reins.ddZ4V
YVaThe son of the prairies, eager to depart, neighed loudly.ymb0
qkMk“He seems to be doing well.”snsP
QB6Cj“He’s always been clear about what he wants.”42P
zGxGDuOJoseph silently looked out the window as Jager, who was sitting across from him, spoke.pMoGr
iRyUIEThe winter road was still icy.K1IgiE
QDx4cHowever, the spirit of spring would soon be felt.0Dk
7v1“Still, unlike before, it seems you’ve gained a bit more common sense.”Yb6Pqr
sraU8lHowever, Joseph, who until then hadn’t been able to withstand the cold, carefully opened the box given to him by the dwarves.uU3jyA
CIWJpInside was an ancient tea set, clearly made by an artisan.OenG
0PFAlthough the cups seemed too delicate to use, Joseph took them without hesitation and began to brew tea.Yel
bATJLd“I’m glad to see you learned well.”9QCk8
9eX3ysdThe Zemina ship, Vlad, and Joseph.D4U9a
hXGTNassau was a city where those who were supposed to be there were now leaving.wWxxoyt
WnbJ64There, in the depths of the sea, silver waves were moving along the ship heading north.redtm8
1smRjtQThe deep places where humans dared not approach were filled with squids heading north in search of cooler nests.tQY2i74
1CoqW3***MGiutR
Knywu4People were lined up along the richly decorated hall.6dn
HWJRThe red carpet on the floor was adorned with gold threads, and the white marble walls were decorated with all kinds of jewels and colorful flowers.nsQYh
XcNp1‘…In the end, I have to accept it.’46C
hgUfKThe faces of the gathered people were as wonderful as the appearance of the magnificent banquet hall.SVP
BmbvoHNobles, royalty, and honorable knights.zbwP8Br
6NRBut on the face of Prince Armand, the highest-ranking person present, there was a shadow he couldn’t erase.ignA
gudL9R“…From the day the empire was founded until now, I have been thinking about how to thank Duke Sarnus for fulfilling his duty so well.”gjAiC
Hqw62OIThe first to speak was a young boy who still seemed to have the soft skin of youth.W1wV6c
lTu3However, atop the boy’s head was a heavy crown that seemed difficult for someone his age to bear.4eUxS
uX7YUF“Therefore, I have decided that Duke Sarnus, who has been more loyal than anyone in the empire’s history, deserves a worthy reward.”U4tzww
hYSThe words he spoke were fluent, as if he had practiced them, but his voice constantly trembled.SUhZ0Z6
wLuyPerhaps the young emperor felt overwhelmed by the aura of the man kneeling before him.zyPN
xVv3“Rise, Duke Sarnus. In the name of the emperor, I present you this box as a token of my gratitude.”0hJfQ
N4LFollowing the young emperor’s instructions, servants brought out strange-looking boxes.jSZ4
5Hb8The box, which resembled a coffin, was tightly bound with silver chains.R1MQ
vyt4“…This is too much for me, Your Majesty.”iKnTd8
XiWBazQThe man kneeling before the emperor had bright blonde hair.OND
l1o“I fear repeating past mistakes.”cbS
jyCHis eyes, raised towards the emperor, were bluer than any jewel in the hall.XIv
wPlM4“But if this is another obligation the empire imposes on me, I will gladly accept it.”Zj1n0
cznEHowever, when he finally stood up, his presence was greater than anyone else’s here.PnxG
lYONqkEven more than the young emperor standing before him.O3H8yj
mhEScc“This, this piece is now yours, Duke Sarnus.”K2yQ
VeSThe oldest dragon, Sarnus Dragulia.lVU4
UyKThe man extended his hand towards the box that had been split by the founding king and guarded by princes throughout generations.oyqZ8TG
Mga“Thank you, Your Majesty.”2KMr1qj
gLbUPrince Armand looked away as Sarnus extended his hand towards the most perfect piece.R5KGzX
fpyHis blue eyes shone.ABr7Xn
GQrUntil recently, they were human eyes, but now they were vertically narrowed.clOa
7zhWhat he had been waiting for a long time was now before his eyes.mxdx
QSU4c***D516qK
ikeuyp“…It Doesn’t Seem Like the Typical Basement of a Duchy”OYUpC3
gd0Z3sThe humidity in the air was thick.7BOu
BWi4rdThe stone spiral staircase was slippery, and the air grew colder as he descended, making the hair on the back of his neck stand up.BSRD5
Wu9FF“Was it necessary to make it this deep?”sWvhtvW
wycIn the capital Brigantes, there was a mansion with a shadow as dark as the passage of time.tbzbr
mq2AeyNThe carvings here and there were beautiful, but it was a somewhat gloomy place, and perhaps due to the direction it was built, it was a mansion that generally did not receive much sunlight.fRt
EGBZoTtThe mansion of Duke Dragulia.RRW
6xOBishop Pedro, who was secretly lurking around the uninhabited mansion, lit the stairs with a torch.Ifo
pHW“…I can’t even see the end.”iqV
06xDrThe only thing the torchlight revealed was a darkness so dense it seemed impossible to penetrate.3mrM
4x5YzAt the foot of the stairs, there was only darkness, so deep that not even a devout servant of God could estimate its reach.tVactN
tVsCrack—4qBN
w7FEclAfter descending the seemingly endless stairs and finally reaching the floor, Pedro couldn’t hide his nervous expression when he heard the dull sound under his toes.iMgsps
4TF0P1Feeling reluctant, Pedro hastily waved the torch and realized he was now in an enormous circular hall.EuTq5o
Ft145eB‘…It seems there’s another mansion beneath the mansion.’rnNzm
iRI4uzIf it were an ordinary mansion, the basement wouldn’t have been dug so deeply.EdAQx
dzU7Pedro’s senses as an Inquisitor seemed to come alive as he looked at Dragulia’s secret basement, whose intentions were hard to discern.1iVp
w1D“…Please, help me…”fSbGw
evuK“…!!”tDyiE0W
k4UA faint voice was heard momentarily.9vNqSFD
FTRgoPedro, who heard a weak voice, like a lamp about to go out, quickly pointed the torch toward the darkness.9IqOV
AgW05Cp“Who’s there?”5NTLxi
fWVwAround the circular hall, there were many strangely placed iron bars.P7EH
uE3IXLooking at the place that seemed like a prison, Bishop Pedro silently made the sign of the cross over his chest and pointed the torch in the direction from where the voice was heard.WOozj
bjhWLX“Eh…”5SQ
cMh4raCThere, in the center of the darkness, was an old man.z1Zo3u
oJcW1yAn old man as withered as an autumn leaf.cGI
vC29O9“Please, get me out of here…”de3
W9S8The old man, waving his hand along the bright light, recognized the grayish-white eyes that looked at him and began to make a strange expression.h0b
2GVeHVW“Bishop Pedro?”1Rf
9QtXAlthough it was the first place he had been and the first old man he saw, upon hearing his name in that familiar voice, Pedro made an effort to hide his surprise.Ab3vR
InZVKtB“Do you know me?”CpoIvzV
R7fg“It’s me. Bishop Pedro.”aNOJTPC
tsPhVAUThe old man’s clouded eyes were finally regaining their original color as he looked at the bright torchlight shining over the exorcist.yUtpraM
yxgRt“I am Radu Dragulia.”nYH
Q81Me“…What?”CBHR
IM5DThe color his eyes regained was blue.NhUxe
e3fHis face, wrinkled and worn, didn’t seem familiar, but the color of his eyes did.arLWk1k
mPwb“Please, get me out of here. Bishop.”7Dqo
Cu6sK5“…Radu? Radu Dragulia?”0F9QZ
SmLU“Yes, yes. Please, please, Bishop!”srS
I4erhB7Bishop Pedro, unknowingly, took a step back upon seeing the old man sobbing sadly.GqyJ
Dkl5pTThis was because an unknown feeling growing inside him warned him not to get any closer.Xq7
G5oZ9r“…Lord, please hear me and respond. Give me light so that I do not sleep the sleep of death.”k70skbh
orVAs the exorcist recited the verses, the torch he held began to burn intensely.Pdip
S67Then, a pure white light started to ripple from the depths of Dragulia, which was filled only with darkness.JPeRB
aQs“…My God.”5lG
i140pBut this place, illuminated by divine light, was a terrible hell.PliG
2GzFKIt was a prison, a hell reserved only for dragons.yzC
ExwIAMWithin the bars, there was a sticky, bloody smell that made me wonder why I only noticed it now.gHu
NlzDMQ“Please, get me out of this vampire nest…”BQO
lYjbkKThe hidden depths beneath Dragulia were filled with the repressed screams of dragons.gdh6u
McMThey were the cries of miserable beings who had to offer their blood for the oldest of possibilities.ncnsUE9
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