The location Kirke had designated was a dark cave.
“Very suspicious.”
The already dark cave was even more obscured by a creeping curse.
I could understand why other families had a hard time finding this place.
The curse’s intensity was similar in the area, but this was a cave on a cliff.
“It’s stifling… an unpleasant place.”
Beside me, Gemma was scrunching her face.
I brought Gemma along because we needed to go to a place full of curses.
I hadn’t brought any of the others.
This location had such a strong curse that it could spawn Undead, so everyone was afraid of getting cursed all over.
Staying inside the mansion risked getting caught up in troublesome affairs with other families, so I left the group at the scenic training ground located directly opposite this cave.
It was a place where only the direct descendants of Titans could enter, but since I was a direct descendant, what could they do?
That place was where the strongest meridian flowed through the Blade Mountain, so training there would boost experience and significantly build up physical prowess.
I would spend the day there.
Not only was the cave suffocating, but the entire area was covered in curses; just walking felt like a struggle, but I had a holy relic, so I was okay.
Even a non-functioning holy relic could sufficiently defend against the curse for one person.
However, even so, the thick curses that could be visually perceived were bothersome.
“Ugh…!”
Golden magic began to ripple around Gemma’s body.
As the magic of the Gold Dragon drove away the curse…
“Dealing with such a terrible source of evil is a very honorable task. Father will look back on me again.”
“Honor? You’re concerned about honor, huh?”
“Of course. The Gold Dragons are the most honor-bound race among the Dragons!”
“Then why do you steal?”
I pulled on Gemma’s ear in disbelief.
“Ouch?? T-That’s not stealing; it was more like humans paying tribute for me…!!”
“You had your subordinates do the stealing, and now you’re saying that?”
As I pulled Gemma’s ear down, her head instinctively bent downward.
The pain at her ear made tears well up in her eyes.
“I… did things I shouldn’t have done to rebel against Father when I ran away… I’m… reflecting on it.”
“That’s quite the brag.”
Unlike me, who wanted to kill my father, she seemed to want to rebel simply because she was caged despite having respect for him.
Once I let go of her ear, she rubbed it with her hand and wiped her tears away.
“Anyway, regardless of who did this, you said it must be the work of a living being? I’m curious about what it looked like. Let’s find it quickly and deal with it!”
Gemma raised her hand brightly, trying to sound cheerful.
Although I didn’t know who was spreading these curses, I agreed that we needed to deal with it swiftly.
[I’m sorry about that.]
At that moment, a fierce wind mixed with curses blew from inside the cave.
“Huh??”
Startled by the dispersed curses, Gemma spread her magic further, creating a hemispherical shield to protect herself.
“Your greetings are rough; who are you?!”
[That’s my line to say.]
A very low voice echoed through the cave.
One thing was clear: it wasn’t going to be a creature of our size.
Despite not shouting, the entire cave resonated, suggesting it was a gigantic creature.
As Gemma shone brighter, her golden magic illuminated the voice’s owner.
“Could it be…!!”
Gemma’s golden glow revealed the massive dragon coiled within the dark cave…
‘It’s a Black Dragon.’
I began to understand where all this curse was coming from.
Dragons have characteristics based on the color of their scales, and Black Dragons produce venom from their bodies, releasing cursed magic with each breath.
Because of that, it was said that their nests were full of curses, causing Undead to automatically form and act as sentinels guarding the nest.
[So, a human and a Gold Dragon… what brings the noble Gold Dragon to this humble nest?]
The Black Dragon Kruikeker, coiled up, lifted its head to greet us.
Naturally, there was no welcoming atmosphere for us who had intruded in its territory.
Its tone was mocking, and annoyance laced its voice.
Judging by the lifted head and entire coiled body size, it seemed to be fully grown and in its prime.
Once it fully extended, it would probably stand around 25 meters tall.
In terms of height, that’s roughly equivalent to a six-story building.
“I am Gemma Aurum, the daughter of the great Dragon Lord. Reveal your identity.”
[I am Kruikeker, son of the Blackwing Regalia. What brings the daughter of the Dragon Lord to my nest?]
The Black Dragon Kruikeker seemed to grumble in response to Gemma’s introduction, offering it in an annoyed manner.
“What do you mean? This is a nuisance! The Undead spawned from your curse are terrorizing people. Stop it at once!”
Gemma confidently voiced her complaint using her title as the daughter of the Dragon Lord, glancing over at me, perhaps hoping for praise.
Earlier, when I fought well against the Dragon Undead, I praised her, and now she often looked at me like this.
But would such words even reach that Dragon?
Naturally, I didn’t think it would end that easily.
[Ha… you’re interrupting me for something so trivial? The noble Gold Dragon may not know, but this is simply my nature. Am I to simply stop breathing?]
“That’s not it. You’re being told to go to a place where the damage is less!”
[I’ve hidden myself in this desolate mountain range; where else do you want me to go?]
The Black Dragon Kruikeker bared its fangs, threatening Gemma.
Considering its perspective, it was undoubtedly an unpleasant situation.
After quietly resting in its nest in a harsh mountainous area, suddenly intruders appeared and told it to leave.
Generating curses simply by breathing was indeed a characteristic of Black Dragons.
Gemma, overwhelmed by Kruikeker’s superior logic and experience, couldn’t retort further.
Although she pressed on out of emotion and anger, it was too flimsy a rationale to withstand.
I prepared to step in, ready to grasp my sword at any moment.
“Enough with the evasions.”
[Quiet. Dragons are having a conversation here. What gives a human the right to interrupt?]
As soon as I opened my mouth, Kruikeker cut me off coldly.
I felt a bit angry, with veins popping on my forehead, but I decided to try reasoning first.
Dragons are prideful by nature, so I was accustomed to it.
“If the curse were solely yours, this mountain range wouldn’t be so severely tainted. The Blade Mountain is not that weak.”
The Black Dragon naturally emits curses in all directions, but they wouldn’t be at a level to contaminate the entire mountain range so horrifically.
Just as Gemma wouldn’t summon lightning storms simply by breathing.
If a fully grown Black Dragon emitted curses this thickly… this continent would already be overrun with Undead by the Black Dragon’s doing.
The Blade Mountain is a place carrying a incredibly strong meridian, and to have contaminated the entire range to breed Undead suggests something else was at play.
[You’re quite perceptive, human.]
The Black Dragon Kruikeker, who had been appealing to emotion in denial, didn’t bother to refute my deductions.
[Yes, I settled here to cover this mountain range with curses. So what do you plan to do about it? Will you drive me away?]
“Yes. Get those Undead springing from this land to go back to where they originally came from right now!”
[I don’t want to.]
“Do you want to start a war or something?!”
I reached out and hooked my arm around Gemma’s abdomen, quickly pulling back.
-Crack!!
Just then, a black claw as long as Gemma’s height smoothly sliced through the cave floor where she stood.
“Uh… huh?”
[You dodged.]
Gemma, stunned by the black claw that had struck in front of her, gaped in shock.
If I hadn’t pulled her back, that claw would’ve sliced her in half from crown to groin in one swift motion.
Looking at Kruikeker’s expression, it seemed somewhat regretful, but not too disappointed.
“What… what is the meaning of this?! You… are you attacking a kin?? Do you even know who you’re attacking?!”
Gemma shouted back at Kruikeker.
She was indeed terrified, but she managed to hold her voice steady.
Given how her body was trembling, it wouldn’t be surprising if she peed herself, yet her restraint was commendable.
[Yes, yes. You’re the daughter of the Dragon Lord? And what of it? You’re not the Lord, are you, little one.]
The Black Dragon countered surprisingly straightforwardly.
[Don’t assume that every dragon must obey the Lord’s commands!!]
As expected, it was clear that this wouldn’t end through dialogue.
