The Gold Dragon raised his head and narrowed his eyes as he stared up at the hill. The brilliant glow emitted by the vast mana surrounding Mikhail made it impossible to look directly in that direction.
As the crimson light in Mikhail Luce Inehart’s eyes slowly began to fade, the gathered mana swiftly dispersed in tandem. The prince’s bright, shimmering silver hair, which had been rippling from the force of the mana, gradually settled into place.
Shhh—
Adrian was still standing at the base of the hill within the underground cavern, gazing upward.
He could feel it—pure mana, dense enough to send chills down his spine, was being sucked inward like a receding tide, pulled toward the center of the hill where the prince stood. It was an amount no hundred ordinary mages could ever hope to control, now being rapidly compressed into a single point.
The mana that had been violently lashing through the air like blades now vanished, and with it, the crushing weight on his body lifted in an instant, leaving him as light as a feather.
Huh? The moment Adrian sensed the shift, he was finally able to lift his foot, which had felt bolted to the ground.
“…Snap out of it!”
The dragon clenched his teeth and shouted. As the gleam vanished from the prince’s eyes, his hand slipped from the sword lodged into the hilltop.
Damn it. How long is he going to keep ignoring me? Adrian grumbled inwardly.
With only a few strides, the dragon reached the prince’s side and snatched his body into his arms. The prince, eyes closed, hung limp like a puppet, unconscious in the dragon’s grasp.
Annoyed, the Gold Dragon carried the prince’s collapsed body down the hill. Their builds were similar, so such a feat would have been impossible if they were mere humans. But since the prince was unconscious, the dragon freely used magic to ease the task.
Adrian stared at the prince’s pale cheek, then lightly tapped it with the back of his hand.
Ha. The brat went around doing whatever he pleased without listening to a word, and now look at him—can’t even stay conscious. Serves him right.
Then it happened.
From within the low hill where dark mana had been oozing out, a thunderous rumble erupted—something deep within stirred and shifted.
RUMMMBLE—
The lava lake inside the cavern surged violently in response. Standing at the edge, Adrian quickly shifted the prince further outward, away from the creeping lava threatening to rise to their ankles. The movement jostled the prince, and perhaps it was enough to bring him back—his eyelids fluttered open slowly.
“…What the hell?”
The Gold Dragon looked down at the prince, who now wore an insolent expression, and scoffed.
“You passed out, dumbass.”
“What?”
Mikhail shoved away Adrian’s arms with a strong hand. As the prince twisted in his grasp, Adrian casually released him and let the prince stumble out on his own. Standing up on his own feet, Mikhail quickly turned his head, surveying the area.
The underground was a mess. The lava lake that had been slowly flowing in the distance had surged forward, as though trying to consume the entire cavern. The sound of anxious salamanders, trembling under the pressure of the minor quakes, echoed all around them.
“…What?”
The prince asked again, and this time Adrian just gave a half-hearted nod as if to say, Stop asking already.
“The moment you stabbed the sword into the hill, that’s when the tremor—”
At the word sword, the prince’s head snapped down as if something had clicked. My sword… it should’ve been…
“The salamander gave me the sword… and I took it with my own hand…”
Mikhail murmured to himself as he opened both hands, now empty. Ugh—he hadn’t noticed before, but the moment he saw them, a burning pain flared through his palms like fire licking at his skin. He clenched and opened his right hand repeatedly, disbelief painted across his face. Adrian noticed the reaction and grabbed the prince’s wrist, saying, “Stop that.”
The Gold Dragon furrowed his brow and lifted one foot. The black mana had already begun flowing down to where the two of them stood.
RUMMMBLE— Again, the underground cavern shook from side to side.
“Ugh, we need to move further out. What the hell caused all this?”
“What do you mean, what did I do?”
“I told you earlier. Up on that hill—”
“…I don’t remember. Seriously. You’re saying I stabbed the sword into that hill? How?”
Mikhail muttered, his tone bewildered. He wasn’t even skilled enough to cut through rock without channeling sword energy.
“And what the hell is this burn?”
His entire palm was scorched red, as if seared by something. The Gold Dragon gave the injury a brief glance.
“…It’s probably a mana mark. Happens when your body touches mana it can’t handle. It’s not too serious, so stop moving around.”
“Burns are the least of our problems right now,” the Gold Dragon muttered with a shrug. Just moments ago, Mikhail’s eyes had blazed with a brilliance that rivaled the finest ruby—now that gleam flashed again in the dragon’s memory.
Chiiiiiik—
A seething sound rose from beneath their feet. The black mana had flowed down from the hill and now made contact with the molten lava. The thick, shadowy mana hissed and steamed as it was slowly swallowed by the lava, vanishing beneath its glowing red surface.
A few salamanders approached, watching the scene with twitching snouts. They opened and closed their mouths, lifting their forelegs and swishing their tails—as if they were trying to say something, to raise an alarm of some kind.
“……”
The Gold Dragon fixed his eyes on the hilltop where Mikhail had struck down his sword. He could feel the tremors in the earth beneath his feet, low and persistent.
Crack—crack—
Fissures began to appear, creeping one by one across the surface of the hill, as though it were about to erupt. From within those cracks, sticky streams of black mana oozed out like blood.
BOOM!
With a deafening roar, the ground split wide open.
The tremors intensified again.
RUMMMMBLE—!
“…Open it,” the Gold Dragon murmured, directing his voice at the salamanders below. A few of them halted their panicked shuffling and blinked their dark, beady eyes—You just figured that out? their gaze seemed to say. Fine. We get it now. The Gold Dragon let out a low growl in his throat, then spoke more firmly.
“Open the door, now!”
At last, the salamanders all raised their heads at once, opened their mouths, and spewed flames—small and large—into a single point. The fireballs converged, forming one massive sphere of fire. And within that blazing mass, just like when they first arrived, a familiar iron door took shape, standing solid and still.
Adrian rushed forward, seized the handle, and threw the door open.
Beyond the threshold lay a peaceful forest, with a vast lake spread out just below their feet.
“Let’s get out of here,” Adrian called to the prince, who had been staring off in another direction.
“…But—”
Mikhail’s eyes lingered on the sword still lodged in the trembling hilltop, an unmistakable look of regret in his expression. That’s what I came all the way here for… He hesitated at the doorway, and Adrian snapped at him irritably.
“Is that damn sword really worth risking your life over when Mount Dohenia’s about to blow?!”
Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Mikhail by the collar. The prince let out a surprised yelp as he was dragged toward the door by sheer force.
BOOM! KA-BOOOOM!
Pillars of flame burst through the floor of the underground cave, roaring into the air. Screeeeech! A few salamanders waved their forelegs excitedly—this, to them, was a festival.
BOOM!
One by one, the fire pillars erupted, eventually engulfing the entire underground cavern. Crash! Crash! Huge chunks of rock and boulders fell nonstop, slamming into the ground.
The eruption of Mount Dohenia was imminent.
No one knew exactly what that black mana was, but if the volcano blew, it would be incinerated by lava in an instant. And the one who had triggered it all—was a mere human child.
The salamanders had guided Mikhail here—one born far in the future, and singled out specifically. Then, Mikhail had wielded a sword with a power even the dragon couldn’t comprehend. Clearly, the prince wasn’t an ordinary human. Adrian shoved him harder toward the door. They needed to get out and take a closer look at just what kind of being this boy really was.
On the other side of the door, the drop led directly into the lake. Returning meant diving headfirst into the water.
“Ugh—wait, hang on a second!”
“No time for explanations. Jump through now!”
“Don’t push! Wait—just wait a second!”
“…If you’re scared to jump, then I’ll—”
“I-I can’t swim!”
“……”
Only then did Adrian realize why the prince had been hesitating. He muttered under his breath, “I feel like I’m doing every damn thing because of you…”
From his tunic, he pulled out a small box and dipped a finger into the dye inside. He swept a quick stroke beneath Mikhail’s eye.
The smear of blue beneath his crimson gaze shimmered faintly, giving him the look of an Elven hunter.
“There. Good enough?”
Adrian’s brown eyes locked with the prince’s red ones. Just like before, it looked as if a glimmering clump of golden mana was glowing within Adrian’s pupils. With their foreheads pressed together, Adrian gave a crooked grin—then shoved the prince lightly but firmly through the door.
“WAAAHHHH!”
Mikhail’s scream echoed behind him, followed by a crisp splash! as he hit the water.
BOOM! BOOM——! SHHHHHHHH!
And as if waiting for that moment, Mount Dohenia finally erupted, spewing lava skyward.
“Well, then. So long,”
The Gold Dragon gave a parting wave to the celebrating salamanders and stepped through the doorway.
