“Then that lava lake we went to back then…?”
Mikhail spoke as he cautiously made his way down the stairs with heavy steps.
“Yeah.”
“That was the heart of the Dohenia Volcano?”
“Exactly.” Adrian nodded lightly as if to tell him to finally catch on. The baby salamander squirmed in his arms, seemingly impatient and eager to move faster.
“Tsk. You’re gonna fall if you keep that up.”
Adrian tried to calm it down, absently stroking its little body. But the salamander showed no signs of settling, its hind legs kicking restlessly. After tolerating the flailing for a short while, Adrian clicked his tongue and set the salamander down on the stairs. It was his way of saying, Fine, do what you want.
Isn’t this a bit too high for a baby salamander? he briefly wondered—but clearly, he had underestimated the little dragon. The moment its feet touched the ground, the salamander darted down the stairs with surprising speed, its short legs moving in a blur. The way it ran made it seem more than used to this sort of thing.
Fsssh! A small burst of flame escaped its mouth as it was the first to reach the bottom of the stairs. The moment the sound echoed, Adrian sensed something approaching. Judging from the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps on the ground, there were quite a few of them.
“Oh.”
Adrian let out a sound of awe.
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen a whole group of salamanders.”
Mikhail, who had only ever seen a single salamander back at Basamiel Academy, whipped his head around to look at Adrian’s face. His words always seemed to spark strange thoughts. This time, it was that one word—“ages.” Like the elemental spirit studies lectures had mentioned, spirits may have once been common, but that was long ago. To see a group of those rare salamanders? That was unheard of now.
Sensing Mikhail’s curious stare, Adrian gave him a faint smile.
“What?”
“…Nothing. Your expression was just weird.”
The prince muttered nonchalantly, turning his body sharply and heading down the stairs ahead of Adrian.
Weird expression? Adrian paused on the steps and brushed a hand down his face. What kind of face was I making just now? The Gold Dragon tilted his head in thought, but no matter how hard he tried, he could only recall his usual smile.
With a slight shrug, as if he’d just heard something odd, the Gold Dragon began slowly descending toward the prince.
“Whoa, look at that—!”
Mikhail’s urgent voice snapped Adrian out of his slow pace, making him quicken his steps. It was the first time the prince had ever called out to him with that level of urgency. Adrian chased after him through the cavernous underground space and called out.
“What’s wrong?”
“Look at that!”
The prince pointed to a salamander peacefully grooming its scales.
That’s it? What’s the big deal?
Adrian followed the direction of the gesture but quickly slowed his stride. Mikhail, ever perceptive, noticed the change in pace and responded with clear irritation. His thoughts were written all over his face.
“It’s that one from before!”
Scratching his brow, Adrian tilted his head. The prince had a better memory than expected. Adrian stared blankly at the salamanders rolling lazily on the warm floor of the lava lake.
“…You sure?”
They all look the same, Adrian thought, still looking unconvinced. Mikhail let out a sharp sigh, a short ha! sound, fueled by a sudden wave of indignation.
Is this guy seriously doubting my eyes? Without another word, he marched forward, pushing past the other salamanders in an attempt to grab that one. The sound of his firm footsteps echoed, and the salamander, which had been calmly grooming itself, suddenly snapped its head up.
Black eyes locked onto red ones—the salamander’s gaze met the prince’s head-on. They stared each other down. Then, the prince’s lips parted slightly.
“…Easy there, now… good boy…”
Slowly, he raised both hands and held them out, palms facing the salamander, as if to show he meant no harm. The surrounding salamanders, who had been rolling around until moments ago, all turned to stare in that direction. Despite the sheer number of living creatures present, a stillness settled over the space.
And then—
“Pfft, like that’s gonna work.”
Sorry, but the dragon couldn’t hold back his laughter. After spending so much time with that guy, he had never once heard him speak or seen him make that kind of face.
Adrian stood a little distance away, quietly observing the standoff between the salamander and the prince.
“If you’re not gonna help… at least shut up…”
Mikhail hissed, barely moving his lips, as if performing ventriloquism, casting a brief sidelong glance at Adrian standing behind him.
Swish— The salamander Mikhail had singled out slowly raised its body, then suddenly kicked off the ground with its short legs. It had sensed the prince’s attention waver and took the opportunity to bolt.
“Oh, it’s running.”
Adrian very kindly informed the prince of that fact. Mikhail snapped his head back at once, but by then, the salamander was already on the move.
“You little—!”
A curse was about to burst from the prince’s usually refined lips. Scowling, Mikhail clenched his jaw and took off after it. Adrian jogged behind them at a more leisurely pace.
The mana here felt even purer than what they had sensed in the forest. No—at this point, this chase had taken them directly into the heart of that thick mana.
A few more days down here, and they’d probably get used to it. Of course, returning to the academy afterward might be a problem… but that was something to worry about later.
The underground lava lake of Dohenia Mountain was vast—nearly the size of a forest on the surface. Mikhail clenched his teeth, suppressing another curse, as the salamander, despite its short legs, sprinted ahead like a blur. It moved with a speed that put newborns to shame.
Hahh, hahh.
Mikhail panted heavily as he unwillingly found himself sprinting around a scalding underground lake. The salamander was making a beeline for the widest part of the lake.
The same held true for the creature itself—its stamina was beginning to wane. Its movements slowed enough for Mikhail to finally catch up. He lunged forward, and his large hand grasped the creature’s cool, reptilian scales.
“…Gotcha!”
Mikhail shouted triumphantly. With both hands gripping the large salamander’s tail, the prince finally brought the long chase to an end. Adrian arrived just in time to see him standing frozen, clutching the creature while staring off into the distance.
“What is it?”
Adrian asked as he strolled over casually, seeing Mikhail rooted in place.
“There’s something… weird over there.”
The salamander in Mikhail’s grasp let out a small fsssh of flame, almost as if responding.
And then they saw it.
Even the ancient Gold Dragon, who had lived through countless eras, had never witnessed anything like it. At the far edge of the lava lake stood a low ridge. That alone wouldn’t have been surprising.
“What the hell is that…”
Thick, black mana.
From the cracked crevice in the ridge, a dense, ink-dark fluid was bubbling up in irregular spurts. The edge of the lava lake had risen into a mound, creating a natural hill. The black mana seemed to originate from the peak, trickling slowly down toward the ground.
But calling it merely black didn’t do it justice. It was the darkest color they had ever seen—so dark it almost consumed light itself. And within that darkness, particles of mana shimmered in various hues, swirling and flashing in erratic, chaotic patterns.
“Don’t touch it.”
The human beside him tried to stop him, but the Gold Dragon ignored the warning. Drawn by something unexplainable, he slowly reached out his hand toward the substance.
Tch! A sharp pain shot through his fingertips, and the dragon yanked his hand back. He looked immediately toward the salamander, which was staring at him with an unblinking gaze.
He was immune to most forms of mana. But that black substance was beyond his tolerance. Adrian cradled his tingling fingers with his other hand, grimacing slightly. The salamander continued to watch him intently.
Salamanders were pure creatures—no less so than dragons. This underground lava lake beneath Mount Dohenia was a cozy haven for their kind. There was no way the salamanders living here wouldn’t have known about this strange substance.
That thought hit Adrian, and he quickly turned his head to look back the way they’d come. And finally, he noticed something odd.
The salamander group was gathered far away, near the stairs where they’d first entered. Despite their nature—creatures who thrived wrapped in flame and fed on metal—they were avoiding the lava lake.
Because something deeper and darker than even elemental spirits could endure was near the lake.
You led us here, didn’t you?
You want us to get rid of that thing?
Adrian’s brown eyes reflected the salamander’s pitch-black ones. Blink. The large salamander slowly closed and opened its eyelids.
