136 Extra: The Elder Dragon Eldrad

Many, many years ago...

Einzelschwarz. The Land of Eternal Darkness.

It is a region located in the Demon Continent—a harsh and wild region filled with strong monsters—creatures who are the rulers of the dark. The day never comes, the sun never rises, and the moon is always shining blood red on the night sky.

And there, a certain mage was fighting, against a swarm of pitch-black dragons. If she had any thoughts of escape, it would be impossible. Black dragons are well-known for their fierceness. They are filled with the endless, bottomless desire to eat and consume. And even though said mage was so small compared to them, they wouldn't hesitate to lay down their very lives just so they could sink their fangs onto her.

However, she had no such thoughts whatsoever.

"Absolute Zero: Spiral!"

With a maniacal laugh, she raised her staff to the air.

And then, the world turned silver.

***

When the spell ended, the once black region had turned pure white.

The ground, once a barren rocky landscape, was now completely covered in a thick layer of ice. Massive solid crystals made out of the same materials jutted out in a spiral pattern centered around the mage. The air was filled with snow, like the aftermath of a blizzard.

And the dragons? Covered in ice from head to toe. They were frozen, not just on the outside, but inside as well. Their blood, their muscles, their organs—not a single one was spared.

It didn't take long until one by one, they shattered into a million pieces.

And the mage watched with deep satisfaction.

"Haah, how boring! I don't want to play with the young ones! Where are you, O Elder Dragon? I'm waiting! I've slaughtered all your kids and you're just going to hide in your little cave?"

She spoke with such smugness and confidence, you would not be at fault if you immediately believe she would indeed be capable of taking on such an unbelievably strong monster with ease. After all, an elder dragon, compared to a normal dragon, is like a normal dragon compared to a drake. Meaning, they are nowhere close in strength or intelligence. All elder dragons are capable of speech and reason. As such, they are capable of casting magic as well, using their own scales as their mana conduit. And speaking of their scales, there's no need to say how much tougher those are compared to the ones ordinary dragons possess. They're pretty much superior to their lesser children in every way.

And so, to challenge one like this, on her own, she would be either insane or a really, really strong magician. And seeing what she just did to the dragons, perhaps the latter would be the correct assessment.

For her name was Vera Marjoram, the future member of the Magocracy's Council of Magicians.

***

She continued onward, deeper and deeper into the Black Dragon Region of Einzelschwarz. Naturally, for such a large place, it wasn't only dragons who lived inside it. And they possessed their own chunk of the place where only their kind could live, where any other creatures who dared to enter would be killed and devoured in an instant.

And so the region was named The Dragons' Hunting Ground.

She disposed of a number of other dragons the same way she did with the swarm from before, utilizing her Grandmaster-level spell to slaughter all of them at the same time. However, since it took her quite some time to recite the chant needed to cast such a powerful spell, there were other, auxiliary spells that she employed. Like her Ice Clone spell, used to bait the dragons into the proper location. And if she found herself in an unfavorable spot, she could also use her Ice Jet spell to create an ice trail she could skate over with her staff. And seeing how she could cast two magic at once, she could keep up her chanting for her Absolute Zero spell while dodging the dragons' attacks, if necessary.

After bringing down another batch of dragons, she summoned out a vial of liquid from her Dimensional Storage. It's a mana-replenishing potion. She decided it was the right time to drink one as she could feel her mana storage running low.

Only to be interrupted by a roar, followed by a beam of darkness heading straight down where she stood.

Her ice snake manifested, taking the blow intended to hit its master. It managed just that, but not without evaporating into nothingness in the process.

Tch! A sneak attack from above!

She didn't see it coming, for the elder dragon had flown far above her over the clouds before firing its breath.

She knew elder dragons were supposed to be intelligent, but to think one of them would do such a cowardly attack like this…

She immediately utilized her staff and magic to skate away from where she stood. The dragon chased, firing more and more beams of darkness that she dodged nimbly. Meanwhile, she started chanting her Absolute Zero spell, waiting until the perfect moment to strike back. She could guess where the dragon was judging from the angle the beam came from. Its shadow could've been another hint to where its location might be, but the red moon didn't shine brightly enough that night/day for it to be a viable option.

There!

She fired—a massive wave of frost and ice shot up to the skies. And it seemed to hit the dragon, as it let out a roar of pain before spiraling down to the ground.

And now, she finally witnessed the size of the beast in its full glory.

Even she couldn't help but be impressed.

It was massive, easily twice the size of the black dragons she had slaughtered. Or even more.

But thanks to that, even her spell couldn't hit every single part of its body. And so, that allowed the creature to flap one wing, stabilizing itself before it could hit the ground. It then fired its own breath on itself, melting the ice inside and outside, while not being harmed in the slightest. If she had to guess, it's simply immune to any forms of dark magic, unlike its lesser cousins who were merely resistant.

"Well done, gnome. How long has it been since I was last wounded by a mortal?��

The dragon spoke—his voice rich and deep, signifying a fully mature older adult. It was the voice of someone fit to be a king. Even hearing it would be enough to draw awe from any bystanders, without actually seeing his majestic size.

"I expected better from an elder dragon," Vera replied, still keeping her confident smile. "To think you have to resort to trickery. Well, I suppose it's only natural—after I killed all your little children like that."

Even against an elder dragon, she kept her sadistic and taunting personality.

"Hah! Those whelps! If you believe I would care about them like you mortals care for your younglings, think again. In this world, only the strong survives and thrives. If they're weak, then it's their fate to perish."

"In that, I agree," the gnome replied. "So, if you would, just lay down and let me kill you, o weak one." She pointed her staff towards him.

"Ha! Very well. Let us partake in this game, shall we?"

They shared no other words before they resumed their clash.

***

"W-why… t-that's… that's unfair… you can't just… hide… guaahhhh!"

The mage puked blood before falling down to the ground.

She had lost.

Vera Marjoram had lost.

...No, she had not lost. She had simply been cheated out of her victory, by a dirty trick that scum of a dragon had pulled on her.

"Y-you… you can use magic? S-since when… dragons can use magic? And a magic-devouring spell?"

She coughed again, spilling more blood onto the snowy ground.

She never knew elder dragons were capable of spellcasting. It wasn't her fault really. There was barely any information about elder dragons in the first place. Seeing one was really quite rare, and if you see one, you usually won't be alive to tell the tale.

But, if it's just normal spells, she can handle them. But instead, that accursed dragon possessed a spell she only heard in myths and legends. Magic that devours other magic. An anti-magic spell.

With it, what should've been her killing blow was nullified in an instant. And now, she was laying down in the pool of her own blood, with one of her arms missing.

She was dying.

The dragon only replied with a roaring laugh.

"Silly little girl, you believe that I would show you all my cards from the very beginning? How naive. No wonder you mortals are so weak and frail. You can't even use your intellect to compensate for your lack of strength."

I-it's cold…

M-my body… it's getting so cold…

My vision… it's going dark… I can't see anymore…

I-is this it? Is this how the Great Vera ends? In this wretched place with this wretched dragon? After all that she has been through to reach these heights?

If only… if only I have more strength! One of my blasts nearly ended him, but he recovered before I could deal the finishing blow!

Aaahhhh, I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!

"Do not fret, little one. I shall grant you the honor to die by my hands. Well, by my jaws, that is. As food! Gwahahahahahaha!"

Finding his own joke incredibly funny, the elder dragon laughed once more, before slowly walking towards the barely conscious mage.

THUMP THUMP

The sound of his thundering steps

His steps made earthquakes in the ground, crushing the ice he stepped on into fine powder.

"That's enough. Leave her alone."

H-huh?

A-an elf? Why is she—

She lost her consciousness.

And the last thing she saw was a silver-haired elven girl standing between her and the dragon.

--------

"Oh? And who is this? A friend?"

The dragon was not intimidated in the slightest. Even though the newcomer had appeared out of nowhere, with him failing to notice her presence until she announced herself, he was still fully confident she was just another cockroach for him to step on.

At least, until a few moments later when he recognized just who it was he was really speaking to.

"You… "Ha! Gwahahahahahaha!" Another roaring laughter came from the dragon. "To think that we would meet again after all these years!"

He walked up to her closer with a grin on his face. Well, what passed for a grin for a dragon anyways. The elf however remained unfazed. Her stoic expression was as if she was simply facing an old friend she hadn't seen in a while.

"The Great Ilymhyrra herself! To what do I owe this visit?"

"If you don't mind, I would like to heal her first."

"Oh? Are you back on the hero business?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she walked over to where Vera was. She reached her left hand and began her chant.

"O mán! O anand! In nall weld thee!"

Her chant was in the elven tongue. Or, to be more precise, it was Ancient Elvish, only spoken by the oldest of the old high elves. For ordinary humans, you would only hear incomprehensible gibberish coming out from her mouth. You would need a high affinity in magic to even begin to comprehend it.

A magic circle slowly came into existence under the gnomish mage. And then, as it shone brightly, her wounds began to close. Even her missing arm regrow itself.

When she was done, it was as if she was never injured in the first place.

"How curious. The Butcher of Hellmyla is capable of such an advanced healing magic too. Quite uncharacteristic of you, don't you think?"

"I came here to ask you a question." She turned to face the dragon, ignoring his mocking entirely. "Did you destroy the village of Reimwall?"

"I've destroyed a lot of villages over the years, little one." He sneered. "You can't expect me to remember all of their names."

"I see. So you have broken your promise with us when we spared you that day."

"Then, I suppose I should finish what Arthur should've done back then."

In a flash, she fired a massive beam of white towards the dragon.

"Ha! So fast! So powerful! That little gnome was like a rat compared to you!"

The dragon let out a roar before what looked to be like a black membrane appeared on its front. It blocked the beam completely. Even though the beam was massive, it was still really small compared to the dragon's enormous size.

"I've learned a few tricks ever since you and your friends spared me, little one! Do you think I wouldn't have the knowledge to counter your cheap parlor tricks? No magic in this world can hurt me, for I have a counterspell that could devour them all! Not even yours!"

He then flapped his gigantic wings, sending a dark cyclone towards her direction.

The elf raised her hand, creating a barrier around her and Vera. Unlike a barrier a priest would make, it was shaped like a beehive—hexagons linked to each other. As for the color, it was less white and more silver, just like the color of the blast of energy she just fired.

The black wind surrounded them, trying to break down the barrier. It wasn't any ordinary wind. It would induce decay to anything it touched. However, the barrier didn't budge an inch. It remained as sturdy as ever.

She waved the same hand. A strong wind manifested, blowing the dark cyclone away.

"Good! I do not expect one of your caliber to fall so easily! I shall grant you the honor to die from my strongest attack. You might be able to withstand it with that barrier of yours for a few short moments, but you are not Milicis. You will break sooner or later."

The dragon opened his mouth as wide as he could, revealing his unfittingly pearl-white teeth.

"Terminus Breath!"

A blast of pure darkness fired from his throat, straight towards the two. It was an attack strong enough to destroy an entire city in a single blast. Only a being of the Grand Saint's caliber would be able to repel such an attack.

"Is it in the nature of dragons to be such arrogant creatures, I wonder?"

Huh?

A beam of energy pierced through his jaw, going upwards until it reached his brean, eviscerating it in seconds.

W-why? Why is she—

Defying all reason, the elf was no longer where she just stood a few moments ago.

She was instead standing right under him, in the blindspot where his breath couldn't reach. She held her staff upwards, firing the beam from its tip.

He couldn't use his Devour Magic spell when he was firing his breath. And she had abused that fact for a surprise attack.

How did she—

With a loud, thundering sound, the elder dragon fell. Pitch-black blood poured out from his head.

"Sleep now, Eldrad. Join your mother in the abyss."

"T-tell me, how did you… move... there?"

"I refuse to answer. Unlike you, I am not so naive to divulge my cards on the table."

The dragon could only let out a weak chuckle as his consciousness vanished, sparing him from the pain he would get when the elf erased his body completely afterwards. Monsters could return as the undead if you just left their carcass out in the open. It would be bad if she ended up creating an undead elder dragon after all.

Once the dragon was taken care of, she turned her attention back to Vera. She was still unconscious, even though she had healed her.

It seemed she had to make camp here until she woke up.

---------------

Ilymhyrra

The black dragon fell as its head slid off from its neck. The man responsible sheathed his sword. His expression was neutral—quite the odd thing as he had just slain an elder dragon.

"And there she goes! Wow, she's quite the strong one, isn't she?"

"Perhaps it would've been easier if you had followed with the plan."

"Aaw, don't be such a grump, Milly! All's well that ends well, like they—Owww! Don't hit me like that, Master!"

"What did I teach you about keeping your distance? You'd be dead right now if I didn't save you then."

"Kuwa! Kuwawa!"

"Hmm? Oh my, is that, a baby dragon?

"Master, no! Don't kill it! It's just a baby!"

"Are you an idiot? You know he'll become just as vicious as his mother once he grew up."

"I agree. There's no need for us to spare such a wretched creature. Black dragons are the most dangerous of all the dragon races."

"Milly! You can't just—Uurghhh, hey, Arty! We're sparing the baby, right?!"

That day, we ended up sparing him after all. With a big cheerful smile on her face, my apprentice named him Eldrad and made him her pet. She taught him all sorts of things, even human morality. She clearly didn't want him to turn out like his mother, an evil monster who demanded human sacrifices just to satisfy her sense of cruelty.

Of course, a human cannot make a pet out of a dragon, especially a black one. In just one month, right when he's old enough to hunt on his own, he disappeared. He was merely using her to survive. That idiot of an apprentice even cried over him.

When I heard of an elder dragon terrorizing the area, I decided to come just to check if it was him, out of pure curiosity

No, I suppose I wanted vengeance. He made my idiot apprentice cry. And I couldn't forgive that.

---------

"U-urghhh…"

"You've waken up. Here. Have a glass of water."

The gnome mage blinked rapidly—her expression was akin to a dumbfounded animal. She sat up and took the glass from the elf. She then stared at it for a few long seconds, before she gulped it all in one go.

"What were you thinking, trying to take an Elder Dragon all by yourself?"

The gnome put the cup down. "I… This isn't the afterlife, is it?"

"I am very much alive, thank you very much."

"And you fought off that dragon?"

"I did."

"And my arm? H-how is it still here?"

"I healed it."

"You… just who are you? Those long ears… you're a high elf, aren't you? And that staff.. you're a mage too!"

"I am."

At this point, her eyes shone brightly like the stars above.

"Please!" She clapped her hands together. "Tell me! How did you do it? You're a mage too, right? How did you bypass his Magic Devour spell?"

The elf didn't respond. She simply stared at her from where she sat. They were sitting across each other, with a small bonfire between them.

The two were camping out in the open, under the eternally night sky of Einzelschwarz. Beyond the overpowering light of the red moon, one could see thousands of stars adorning the pitch-black canvass. "Not going to answer, huh?" Vera grinned in defeat. "I understand. A mage can't just divulge her magic secrets to everyone they met."

"You haven't answered my question," Ilymhyrra responded. "Maybe I'll consider answering your question once you answered mine."

"Fine." She smiled. "As my savior, I guess you deserve to know the life story of the not-so-great Vera Marjoram."

That day, she told me everything about herself—the depths of her ambition and to what end she would go to achieve it.

She then begged me to make her my student. I refused. I was not interested in making an apprentice of a mage who was only using her magic for power and fame. She told me why she went after Eldrad. It's simply to make herself be a famous hero.

What a fool. I warned her to change her ways, but there's no melting a rock that had hardened over decades of shame and anger.

And now, she's gone. Once again, she overestimated herself. But no one was there to save her. And her stay in the Magocracy only worsened her vice.

...Tell me, Mira. Is such a country truly a place you dreamed of?