Chapter 126: The Dragon’s Lair Part 1

I moved forward with extreme focus. Knowing that each step I took was tied to Ayla, Beepy, and even the unborn dragon's future, I couldn't help but walk with utmost caution.

-Slip!

-Grip!

-Beep!

Of course, I wasn't the only one responsible for them. Whenever I was about to slip, Ayla would grip my clothes tightly, and when the sparkling ice confused me, Beepy flew low over the ice tiles to verify the colors.

"Oh, we've only made it halfway."

-Beep!

"…Yeah, yeah. We're halfway there. I'll think positively."

I handed some jerky to Ayla and shared an energy bar with Beepy. Then, while stroking the dragon egg, I murmured,

"Good thing you don't need to eat yet."

-…

After filling our stomachs a little, I felt my mind clear up.

By the way, where were the others?

They must have seen the signal flare…

Since I had broken the mountain lotus, the entrance would be open. Furthermore, I had already deactivated the falling trap so the others should be able to pass without difficulty.

Even if the falling trap had been reset, Lloyd, Khalid, and Didier would be able to disable it easily.

Was I being too impatient?

Or…

Did something happen to them?

I shook my head. No, don't think negatively. Everyone would arrive soon.

Before that, I needed to cross this place and disable the traps. I stood up again and started walking while keeping an eye on the ominous sparkle.

How long had I walked like that?

Almost there.

There were about five rows left. The closer I got, the more intense the sparkle became, so much so that looking at the ground almost hurt my eyes. I moved cautiously.

When I reached the end, a solid granite floor awaited me. What a relief! The tension drained from my legs and I plopped down.

"Whew, taking a short break should be fine, right?"

-Beep~!

I leaned comfortably against Ayla's body; I then caught my breath while looking around. The walls, made of volcanic rock and granite, were beautifully carved with mountain scenery. The entire silver mountain range was intricately replicated, and in the middle of the range, a dragon which seemed to be a Tondra was roaring towards the sky.

Is Tondra inside here?

Going in alone was already nerve-wracking for me. It seemed better to wait until the others returned. I glanced back slowly. The path I had walked so far was a long one. I needed to disable the traps quickly so others could walk comfortably. After quenching my thirst with water from my canteen, I stood up again.

Disabling the ice tiles trap was simple. I looked around at the mountain lotus in full bloom around me. Unlike the transparent mountain lotuses on the other side, the ones here remained white until they touched water. By sprinkling a drop of water on the white mountain lotuses to make them transparent like the ones on the other side…

-Clang!

-Ching!

-Crack!

The fake ice tiles were all shattered. Now, only the safe ice tiles remained. It was reassuring. Well, even though only the safe ice tiles were left, I still had to be careful not to slip, as one slip could be fatal.

-Grind…

-Whooosh…

At that moment, I heard a strange sound from behind. I instinctively took a defensive stance and looked back. There, the wall had split exactly in half around Tondra to form a door.

The door was wide open. As if it was inviting me in.

-Gulp.

The ominous energy emanating from the inside made me swallow dryly without realizing it.

-Beep beep!

Beepy, who was perched on my shoulder, began to cry fiercely. His wings flapped so violently that the feathers brushing against my cheek almost felt like slaps. I grabbed Beepy, held him gently, and began to walk slowly with silent footsteps.

-Drip.

-Drop.

The sound of water droplets falling could be heard from somewhere.

As I walked past the statue of Tondra, I was greeted by a vast darkness. It was heavy and immense, so much so that I could feel its mass.

It was the shadow of the dragon.

-Whoooosh…

The sound of a blizzard swirling was actually the breathing of Tondra.

When I used [Sunlight], a small glimmer of light appeared at my fingertip. I scattered that light to illuminate my surroundings.

Wings made of steel-like membranes wrapped around its coiled body. Beneath them, the brilliant silver scales shimmered and each one resembled a shield crafted with the utmost dedication by a craftsman. The scales moved slowly in rhythm with Tondra's breathing.

-Whoooosh…

I walked while following the sound of Tondra's breath. I racked my brain, trying to figure out how to wake the dragon carefully and safely.

-Whooom…!

And then, I discovered 'it'.

Underneath the transparent and sharp claws that seemed to have been carved from crystal lay a huge ice shard that looked like a piece of a glacier. Inside that ice, golden magical runes swirled around and inside it was …

A fragment of Earte…!

There was a white gem that was sparkling like a diamond.

I see.

Tondra was guarding a fragment of Earte.

Even to someone like me, who wasn't well-versed in magic, the enchantment surrounding the fragment of Earte felt immensely powerful.

Tondra had expended so much energy sealing the fragment of Earte safely that he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The dragon probably thought it would be a brief "nap" to recover its energy, but contrary to its expectations, it took a lot of energy to maintain the magic, and that's probably why Tondra couldn't wake up easily.

What it had sealed away was a piece of the origin god. It was something powerful enough to be considered a part of the world itself.

Unlike the incident in the Dark Forest, thanks to Tondra, the piece of Earte hadn't fallen into the hands of dangerous beings, and for that, I was grateful.

I need to wake Tondra and persuade it; we should be able to communicate.

Tondra might even have extensive knowledge about the origin god. After all, it was a dragon who had accumulated wisdom over an incredibly long time.

I'll feed it, give it the sedative potion, and then we'll talk.

Tondra might be an intelligent being more advanced than I am. If things go well, we could resolve all this without any bloodshed…

-Crunch…!

"…Huh?"

Behind me, the granite wall was closing rapidly. What, what's happening, all of a sudden? I hurriedly ran toward the entrance where Tondra's statue stood. No way, was this a trap too? No, it couldn't be! As all sorts of thoughts raced through my mind, the light streaming through the wall gradually diminished. Am I going to be trapped here? Just as I was about to sprint even harder,

-Boom!

-Thud!

The sound of rocks colliding echoed all around the place. At the same time, the wall stopped closing, leaving about three meters of distance. No, it was more accurate to say it was "blocked" rather than "stopped". The huge granite wall kept grinding as it tried to move, but something was forcibly holding it back.

…What on earth is going on?

I carefully and stealthily hid behind Tondra's statue.

-Thud, thud, thud.

Heavy footsteps approached this place.

I could distinguish the footsteps of all my companions. These were not the footsteps of anyone in our group.

"Finally…"

A low voice murmured.

The person was a middle-aged man.

…Could it be the Crows?

I cautiously peeked at the shadow flickering beyond the statue.

That man is…!

"Huff, huff…!"

Aquila ran frantically through the snowfield.

Her curly orange hair flew wildly in the claw-like wind, and tears streamed continuously from her green eyes which resembled delicate foliage. Her tear-filled cheeks were frozen helplessly against the merciless cold of the Silver Mountains.

How, how could it be that person…!

Not only her body but also her mind and soul seemed frozen. She couldn't think clearly, her mind was blank. All she could do was run frantically through the snow while gasping for breath. She knew that breathing so rapidly in the harsh cold of the silver mountains could freeze her lungs, but her pounding heart was consuming all the air she could manage to take in.

She had to escape.

"It" was still chasing her through the snowfield, so she had to flee as quickly as possible.

"It".

Aquila had never seen anything so terrifying in her life. She had heard countless tales about the Yeti from the village elders and her grandmother, but she had never heard of anything like "it". Even the Yetis she saw while climbing the silver mountains did not resemble "it".

Scorched fur and melted skin, cloudy eyes, menacing teeth revealed through charred lips, blood-mixed saliva, three or five arms, bones, and a heart exposed beneath a torn chest!

A monster stitched together from the burnt remains of Yeti corpses!

If it weren't for Khalid and Didier, that wizard and witch, Aquila might have already been crushed to death by that monster's grasp.

Run!

Thanks to those two, she barely escaped with her life. She had to return to Lloyd and El and inform them about this immediately. By now, they should be around here. Aquila found the best path from the mental map that every Sherpa carried in their head. She started running again.

-Ooooooo…

The distant roar of the monster echoed. It was clear that it was still chasing Aquila. Like a little fox, she leaped over rocks and pushed through the snow while searching for any sign of Lloyd and El.

It's around here, it's around here…

Those two were slow, so they had to be somewhere nearby…

-Thump!

"Ahhhh!!!"

Unfortunately, the monster was faster than Aquila. It reached out with a burnt arm attached to its right side and grabbed the back of her neck. She started struggling frantically. However, escaping the monster's grasp with her small body was nearly impossible.

-Scrape…

But then.

-Slash!

What if there was a knight's sword that knew no betrayal?

-Thud!

-Splurt!!!

As a flash of light blazed by, Aquila fell to the ground along with the arm that had grabbed the back of her neck. Black blood started spurting from the monster's severed arm.

-Guooooooooo!!!

"…El."

"Yes, Sir Lloyd."

Lloyd who was aiming at the monster before him whispered,

"Go to Theodore."