Chapter 274: Awakening of the Eye (1)

Kuarne’s face twisted fiercely. That once-beautiful countenance contorted into a grotesque demonic grimace, making him look even more sinister.

“…Lord Dragon.”

Though he seemed ready to strike at any moment, Kuarne merely muttered under his breath. He didn’t appear afraid. Compared to a human, his reaction was more like someone encountering an annoying presence.

Valerion, the Dragon Lord, sighed in resignation.

“When will you give me a straight answer? Are you going to let them live or not?”

At Valerion’s persistent questioning, Kuarne’s expression shifted slightly.

“Tell me, is this proposal yours, Lord Dragon, or is it the will of your entire race?”

“Is that really a question I need to answer?”

“Don’t test my patience, Lord.”

“What a bother.”

Valerion crossed his arms and gestured with his gaze above Kuarne’s head. In the sky, a swarm of dragons flew in a circular formation, spiraling around the black sun.

“Just seeing that we’ve all come should make it clear. If we’re here, it’s because my entire race agreed.”

At that response, Altair’s eyes widened. It was said the combined strength of the dragons was equivalent to five Corps Commanders, and yet, they never gathered.

Each one was fiercely individualistic, as if they were their own nation.

‘But then how did they manage to unite?’

The questions didn’t stop there. Were the dragons really confronting a Corps Commander to protect humans? And what was that “favor from his granddaughter” they mentioned? The more he pondered, the more questions arose.

The only clear thing in that moment was.

‘They’re allies.’

Valerion positioned himself in front of Kuarne, blocking the patriarch from view. That small gesture was enough for Altair to understand he wasn’t lying. And even if he was, there was no other choice but to accept it.

In a conversation between monsters, there was no room for human interference. The entire fate of the Auditore clan hung by a thread.

“I see.”

Kuarne rose, undoing his lotus position, and floated into the air.

“Very well, Lord Dragon. I’ll withdraw for today.”

He snapped his fingers. Instantly, the ground beneath him rippled like water and split apart as though a beast were opening its maw. A passage formed, leading to some unknown place.

Kuarne looked down at Valerion from above.

“I’ll collect the price for this later. Not just from you, but from your entire race.”

“I got it, don’t waste your breath. But before you go…”

Valerion cleaned his ear with his pinky.

“I want to remind you. Our ancestor, the great Ouroboros, signed a neutrality pact with the true lord of Gehenna, Lord Lycan. Not with a half-demon like you, the second commander.”

The Dragon Lord implied that Kuarne, having once been an angel, wasn’t even a true demon.

“The previous Dragon Lords stayed silent… but I won’t.”

He blew on his finger. The wax flicked toward Kuarne.

“What you’re doing now defies the legacy of Lord Lycan, who forbade war against humanity, little angel.”

“Hahaha.”

Kuarne burst into laughter.

The waves of his voice trembled across the land in ripples.

Rrrrumble.

It felt as though the entire landscape might be torn away. All the Auditores were left breathless, clinging to their weapons lodged in the ground to avoid being swept away.

Valerion, for his part, remained unshaken, frowning slightly without responding.

“You spent centuries holed up in your nest, and it seems you’ve lost touch with reality, Lord Dragon.”

“……”

Valerion’s frown deepened, bothered, but he didn’t reply. He hated to speak unnecessarily.

“This war was started by Lord Lycan himself. Anyway, until next time, take care, Lord Dragon. So that your body stays nice and healthy… for me to torture it at my leisure.”

Kuarne gave a sadistic grin.

Valerion responded with disdain.

“Thanks for the tip. Keep those feathers of yours in good shape, little angel. I’ll pluck them one by one, then cut them off.”

Kuarne snapped his fingers again. A magical portal rose like a serpent and swallowed both him and Leon. The torn ground slowly closed, as if digesting them.

Moments later, the earth was completely sealed once again.

***

At the same moment, in the Academy’s Special Building.

Horn was seated with her eyes closed, gently pressing both temples with the tips of her fingers. At that moment, she was in communication with the dragon clan.

‘Who would have thought Horn was related to the Dragon Lord?’

The fact that she had ascended to dragonhood after shedding her imugi skin at such a young age already hinted at an extraordinary bloodline.

But who would have guessed she was a direct descendant of the Dragon Lord himself? Once again, I congratulated myself for having rescued her from the Fertinax auction.

‘If that story had reached the Dragon Lord’s ears…’

It was already difficult enough dealing with the Corps Commanders. If the dragons, who had remained neutral until now, had also joined in, even the last thread of hope would have vanished.

“Huff…”

The silence ended. Horn let out a deep breath and turned to me.

“The second Corps Commander seems to have left.”

She smiled gently, though her face was a bit pale from the strain.

“…It looks like he’s gone for now, but…”

Horn didn’t seem entirely convinced. I was dying to ask more, but I chose not to.

“You’ve done a great job. Let’s go eat meat.”

Instead, I invoked the magic words that could cheer up anyone.

“I reserved an SSS-grade hanwoo restaurant.”

Horn’s face lit up immediately. Choi Seol-Ah, on the other hand, shouted with joy.

“Yay! The Lord is treating!”

I gave her a cold sideways glance and replied.

“And why are you coming? You didn’t even do anything.”

“B-but…”

“Stay here, just in case. If you’re in the Special Building with Horn, even if you can’t send messages, you can at least receive them.”

“That’s too cruel, Lord! I want a reward too!”

“Rewards must be earned. And you did nothing today.”

I said while helping Horn up.

“I don’t see why I should spend a million won per serving on someone like you.”

“I don’t care! Take me too!! SSS-grade hanwoo…!”

Choi Seol-Ah threw herself to the floor and started kicking like a spoiled child. Her shrill whining echoed through the Special Building.

“Uwaaaaah…!”

***

Knox dropped to his knees.

“…Huh…”

Along with him, the entire Auditore group collapsed one by one. The assassins were drenched in cold sweat, as if they’d just awoken from a nightmare.

“Is everyone alright?”

The only one still standing was Altair, who spoke to them with concern. Everyone weakly nodded. No one had the strength to answer aloud.

Some were breathing heavily, but all were intact and unharmed.

“Thank goodness…”

As Altair sighed in relief and wiped his sweat, Valerion slowly turned around. The moment his eyes met those of the Auditores, their faces paled once more. It was only then they realized—he was a dragon.

“Why did you come to the Demon Realm?”

The question came abruptly. At the Dragon Lord’s probing gaze, the leader stepped forward and bowed his head.

“First, allow me to thank you for saving me and my children, Lord Dragon.”

“I don’t want gratitude. Just tell me why you came.”

Altair hesitated. Should he directly say they came on Heavenly Sword’s orders? Even though they owed their lives to him, they were still demons, and dragons, no matter how neutral, belonged to the opposing side.

Convictions don’t change so easily, especially for someone of his age.

“Allow me to explain.”

It was Knox who stepped in. He stumbled forward and stood before the Dragon Lord.

‘If it were Heavenly Sword, he would have said it without hesitation. He’s a man who honors his debts. If trouble arises, I’ll take responsibility.’

Knox conveyed those words telepathically to his grandfather. Altair stared at him wide-eyed, then let out a soft chuckle.

“This child. Do you really think you can shoulder that alone?”

Altair spoke out loud.

“It’s good you’ve matured quickly, but some things only adults can handle.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Still, Altair patted his grandson’s slumped shoulder. A kind smile appeared on his face.

“But I appreciate the thought. You’ve grown a lot these past two years at the academy. Now go and get some rest.”

Knox nodded and stepped back. Altair then turned to Valerion and apologized.

“Forgive me, Lord. I’m ashamed to have doubted, even for a moment, the one who saved us.”

“It doesn’t matter. I only want the facts. If the dragons have broken our neutrality and confronted the Second Corps Commander, I need a solid justification.”

“B-broken neutrality…?”

Altair flinched.

“Didn’t the Second Commander withdraw to avoid making enemies of the dragons…?”

“Afraid of dragons, that fallen angel? Please.”

Valerion clicked his tongue and looked to the sky, where Kuarne had just floated.

“Kuarne is completely insane. Seven hundred years ago, he was the one who incited the demons to start the war.”

“Wasn’t it the First Corps Commander who declared it?”

Valerion shook his head.

“Actually, Lycan opposed it at first. But in the end, yes, he declared it. Probably because he wanted to fight the Founding Hero. The war was just an excuse.”

“Ah…”

Waging war just to test himself against the Founding Hero From Altair’s perspective, Lycan was also utterly mad. But he swallowed those words. No need to provoke the Dragon Lord unnecessarily.

Valerion spoke.

“Tell me why you came. I don’t like talking much, so I’ll only listen.”

Altair nodded. After that brief exchange, he realized the Dragon Lord was someone with whom one could reason. An elder’s eyes could easily tell.

He then confessed the reason for their visit to the Demon Realm, carefully choosing his words not to implicate Heavenly Sword.

After listening, Valerion stayed silent for a few minutes. Then, he asked suddenly.

“Can I meet this Heavenly Sword in person?”

“…!”

Altair froze. He had carefully avoided mentioning Kang Geom-Ma, but Valerion named him directly.

He couldn’t deny it lightly. Dragons possessed magical eyes; they could see through any lie.

‘But I can’t refuse coldly either, not when we’re indebted to him.’

Auditore is a clan that can’t live with debts. That’s their philosophy—to repay what they receive, whether favor or grudge. That is their order.

‘Still…’

Just as Altair hesitated, Valerion added.

“What you fear won’t happen. I just want to thank him. That’s the only reason.”

“Thank him for what?”

“Because I heard he saved my granddaughter when she was about to be sold at an auction in the human world.”

Altair lost his breath. That scrawny girl with pointed ears… was the Dragon Lord’s granddaughter?

“I also heard Auditore helped in her rescue.”

“…So that’s why you decided to protect us?”

“What other reason would we dragons have to break centuries of neutrality?”

The Dragon Lord softened his expression.

“Dragons, since ancient times, are a race that repays its debts. What is received is returned.”

A clan of order and a race of neutrality. Their principles transcended species.

“By saving your lives, I’d say our debt to you is repaid. But to Heavenly Sword, we’ve returned nothing yet. In fact, after hearing about him, I’ve grown quite curious.”

The Dragon Lord touched just below his eye with a finger.

“I might even be able to help him awaken his eye.”