34. Infermur, the City Where the Dragon Awakens (1)
*
-Kurrrrung….
The vibration first came from afar. Only a few extremely sensitive elves among them felt the ocean rippling.
-Kurrrrung….
Soon, the vibration grew louder, shaking the coastline. Now, all the elves sensed that something was wrong.
More than the vibration itself, it was the instinctive disgust and fear carried by the tremor that overwhelmed the elves.
-Kurrrrrung…!
After that, chaos erupted as the elven ships began to sway and collide, engulfing Infermur.
The wooden stakes tying the ships at Infermur’s port snapped under the sudden rise of the sea level, and the cargo scattered everywhere.
“What… is this…??”
Leia, who was running toward the King’s Flagship, stopped in her tracks, her ears perked up. The ground was shaking. From deep underground, a relentless, oppressive presence could be felt.
Leia was one of the few elves familiar with the continent. She closed her eyes and touched the ground. Beyond her retina, a vivid blue ear appeared.
“Gasp!”
Leia’s eyes widened as she jumped up. What she saw might have been nothing more than an illusion conjured by instinct and fear.
However, there was something underground that could plant such illusions even in the Wild Prince.
“This… this feeling…?”
Leia’s ears twitched. She swallowed hard, her eyes trembling as she looked back. The pressure was growing stronger. Buildings in the inland part of Infermur were collapsing under the intense earthquake.
-Kwajijijik!
-Woodeuk….
-Kurrrrung….
“Kyaaaah!!”
“What is this!!!”
“E-Earthquake! It’s an earthquake!!”
The port city was engulfed in chaos and terror. Humans rushed out of their homes, covering their heads as they ran through the alleys. They searched for open spaces, safer from the quake.
Leia bit her lip as she watched the scene blankly. By now, most of the elves could feel it.
Unlike the dull senses of humans, elves were more attuned to spiritual beings and magic.
Even if the last legend was two thousand years ago, and only a handful of elves who remembered that time remained, the instinct embedded in their bloodline was identifying the approaching presence.
“The dragon is coming….”
*
-Kwajijijik!!
“Starboard!! Report the situation!!”
“General!! We must evacuate! The damage is severe!”
“We can’t! The supplies haven’t been fully transported yet!”
Aynard shouted roughly as he rushed across the deck. His flagship was entangled with the complex web of elven warships, unable to move.
The elves’ city stood on ships. But Infermur had half of it on land.
No matter how precisely the city was divided, it was impossible to move all the elven ships out of the port in an instant.
One by one, the ships closer to the open sea were continuing their evacuation. But time was running out.
The closer to the port, and with each seismic wave, the entangled warships collided and shattered against each other.
Though flooding was occurring repeatedly, the fact that no ships had run aground yet was a testament to the elves’ shipbuilding skills.
“What about General Aildern? Isn’t he farthest out at sea? Has the Aildern fleet completed evacuation?”
“Messenger!! Messenger!! Report!”
“The messenger hasn’t returned!”
“What??”
At the first tremor, Aynard had sent messengers to each fleet. He was the most agile elf to react.
But the messenger sent to General Aildern, who should have arrived by now under normal circumstances, had no news.
“…Betrayal…?”
At that moment, Leia’s voice echoed in Aynard’s mind.
*
“There is a traitor among the five generals, colluding with the head of the Franzrit family.”
*
“…Huh…”
If they were to betray now, it would indeed be an unexpected ambush. Aynard had positioned himself closest to Guimerin’s flagship to guard against the generals’ betrayal.
And he had placed the most suspicious, the cunning General Aildern, farthest out at sea.
Even if Aildern made contact with outsiders and betrayed them, if a bombardment centered on the port occurred, it would be an unwinnable situation.
But to use an earthquake? Aynard’s long experience in war sounded the alarm.
“His Majesty’s flagship won’t falter over a mere earthquake.”
“…What?”
Aynard stopped and looked at Guimerin’s flagship. It was a massive ship, almost twice as tall as any other vessel. No, it was more like a castle floating in the middle of the sea.
In fact, the ship’s function was akin to a castle. The lofty sea fortress ruled by the Eternal King Guimerin. Aynard fell into thought.
‘There are only three means to attack His Majesty’s flagship. If not by direct boarding…’
The Ancient Dwarven Flame, the Dragon’s Breath, and the Curse of the Great Demon… Aynard clenched his eyes shut. He could clearly feel the blue ear glaring at the back of his head.
At first, he thought it was a delusion, a hallucination born of unfounded fear. He wasn’t weak enough to be swayed by fear. But now, he could feel its presence getting closer.
Even if the other elves didn’t know, Aynard, Guimerin’s right hand and only confidant, knew.
Having lived through the long history himself, he knew what lay deep beneath Infermur.
Guimerin knew it too. The reason he ruled Infermur was to keep the only threat to him under surveillance within his territory. After all, elves couldn’t set foot on the continent.
Deep beneath Infermur lay the remains of a dead dragon.
Just how far had Guimerin anticipated this? What was his plan the moment he read the letter brought by Franzrit’s envoy? Why did he entrust such obvious threats to mere human Inquisition Officers?
Father. Why?
“General! Generaaal!!! General Aynard!!!”
“…Report.”
His thoughts ended. Aynard looked at his deputy, who was shouting from the deck, with eyes clouded by fatigue and confusion.
The deputy’s face was…
They were terrified.
“General Aildern’s fleet has surrounded the port!!”
“What about breaking through?”
“The camp was destroyed by the earthquake! The army can only stand once the earthquake stops!”
“That goes for Aildern as well.”
At least on the sea, Aildern’s fleet was not in a favorable position. All they could do was blockade the port, and if they were to take an offensive stance, the same would apply to Ainard.
Elven warships do not easily succumb to mere waves and earthquakes. He believed in the ship’s sturdiness. No, he wanted to believe.
He hoped they could stand against the approaching presence within the inland of Infermur.
“…The dragon is coming.”
“What??”
“All ships, aim the cannons inland! Stop retreating! Prepare for battle!!”
“Y-yes, prepare for battle!!!!”
Ainard took a stance and shouted. His voice tore through the night sky. Soon, his army hastily began checking their battle readiness.
-Krrrrrrr!!!!
“Ahhhh!!!”
“Hold the cannons! They’re falling!!!”
Ainard ran toward the stern and shouted.
“Escort the King’s Flagship!!! The dragon is coming! The dragon is coming!!!”
“W-where are you going, General!!”
“To protect His Majesty!! Everyone, keep your eyes on the port!”
The dragon is coming. Guimerin must already know about this situation. Perhaps he even knows about General Aildern’s betrayal.
Ainard bit his lip as he watched Guimerin’s flagship slowly prepare its defenses. The King must have been tolerating the dragon’s resurrection.
What did you hope to gain from the dragon’s corpse, Father?
*
-Weeeeee. Weeeeee.
A loud noise echoed in Fernandez’s ears. It wasn’t a real noise. It was more like a spiritual warning.
Without opening his eyes, Fernandez was tying, untying, and retying complex Beastman knots.
[Infusion], [Descent], [Binding], [Sealing], [Compression]. Five knots were almost simultaneously being tied in the air.
However, this powerful summoning spell, crafted by the finest mages, was not easily broken.
-Give up. The magic circle’s activation can’t be stopped now.
‘What if I give up now? Can I survive?’
-Of course! Even if the dragon revives, the blessing on our bodies grants us immortality. Fernandez. Let’s die once and aim for the next chance.
‘We mustn’t get used to it.’
Fernandez bit his lip and continued tying knots. Each time he tied a knot, the burden on his body and soul was immense. The dense hellish magic filling the chamber was shaking his soul.
‘Once, twice. And then? When death becomes familiar, and resurrection feels normal. That’s when our spirit truly dies. As slaves to the Temple of the Gods, our souls will be mortgaged.’
-It won’t happen from just one time. And….
‘Even if it does. Guimerin, Kirhas, and Infermur—I can’t guarantee their safety.’
-If you’re corrupted by hellish magic, it’s putting the cart before the horse. They are tools, not beings you should sacrifice yourself to protect.
Faijashi was glaring at him. If he had a physical body, he would have stopped Fernandez’s foolish actions immediately. But Fernandez didn’t stop.
‘According to our plan, even we are just tools. The most important thing isn’t us. It’s the salvation of this world and our son’s soul.’
-If you’re corrupted by hellish magic, even the son you cherish now might not feel precious anymore.
The corruption of hellish magic twists the structure of the mind and corrupts the personality. Such magic was fiercely tightening around Fernandez’s soul.
[Desecration]. [Sealing], [Veil]. Fernandez’s hands tied the knots up to that point and paused in mid-air.
[Control]? The Control Spell was breaking down. Like candy melting in hot water, the circuits were burning up in the torrent of magic.
‘If we give up, it will flow no differently than in our previous life. The dragon will revive, Guimerin will fight, and Infermur will fall into Franzrit’s grasp. Then? Most of the northeastern plains and port cities will fall into the hands of vampires. Our plan will be set back by a decade.’
-Damn it. Fernandez!! Why don’t you understand? Our plan assumes that we will remain intact!
Fernandez’s eyes opened. Red magic was burning all around. The magic circuit he stood on was slowly burning as it was caught in the torrent of hellish magic. Gradually, the space where he could breathe was shrinking.
‘Faijashi. You don’t have a body.’
-Damn it. Damn it! So what!
‘That’s why you don’t know.’
-Know what?
‘What I can do with this body.’
Fernandez grabbed the air and tied a knot. [Liberation]. The magic he tied touched the burning [Control Spell] within the torrent of hellish magic. The spell shattered like glass. And at the same time-
-Whoosh.
From deep within the dragon’s skull in front of him, a blue flame ignited.
-Krrrrrrr!
The earthquake that had been shaking the earth as if tearing it apart reached its peak at that moment. The magic swirling in the chamber seeped into the dragon’s skull like water draining into a sewer.
-Krrrrrr!
He directly severed the Control Spell. And that thin thread, Fernandez grabbed it like a rein. This thread was the only strand binding the dragon’s body and soul.
-Your body…?
When Fernandez let go of all his protective measures and reached directly into the hellish magic to grab the Control Spell, a corrupting magic flowed into his body.
His white skin showed blackened veins. The veins around his forearm burned his skin, leaving black burn marks. Like a tattoo, his arm was instantly covered in geometric patterns.
Fernandez glared at the dragon’s skull with his blood-red eyes wide open.
-Corruption…?
Faijashi Wildcast. A grandmaster who wielded immense magic and was versed in all dark arts.
Even he couldn’t have been free from the corruption of hellish magic, let alone a fragile sixteen-year-old body….
-Whoosh!
The magic running through his forearm ignited with a blue flame. And at the same time, a brilliant light seeped from Fernandez’s chest. Stigma. A second stigma!
*
[I have come upon you, and through this, you have become my proxy and that of the Temple of the Gods. You shall never crumble, compromise, or settle. This is the second power I bestow upon you.]
*
-Unyielding!!
‘Yes. The blessing of Unyielding. In my opinion, it’s a stronger blessing than immortality.’
Fernandez glared at the dragon’s skull with bloodshot eyes. Like a heartbeat, the blue flame within the skull pulsed.
‘The dragon has revived.’
-Krrrrrr!
From within the dragon’s skull, a gaze was felt.
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