Ch.224Chapter 224 – Red Demon Dragon (2) (Revised)

After Rubrum disappeared into the lava.

Following Lorona’s guidance, we headed deeper into the lair and entered through a certain wall, revealing an unexpected place.

“…What is this?”

“A very long time ago, my master had the dwarves build these guest rooms.”

Along the walls were doors, and inside each room stood massive beds and various pieces of furniture.

“When you say long ago, how long?”

“Well, they were here before I was born, so I’d say easily over 200 years.”

A place over 200 years old.

“Does that mean Lorona has been here for over 200 years…?”

“Absolutely not. I’m a sprightly 80-year-old.”

Lorona said this with a smile.

Seeing that smile, I figured she genuinely thinks she’s young, so it’s probably better not to point out that by human standards, she’s quite elderly.

“Of course, since my master rarely had guests worth inviting here, these rooms have been neglected for several decades.”

“I can see that.”

Given that personality, I doubt anyone would visit as a friend or be invited over. Unless absolutely necessary, these rooms probably went unused.

“Anyway, please rest comfortably here. At least until further notice.”

“Further notice?”

Something sounded odd about that, so I asked again, and Lorona replied with apparent discomfort.

“He didn’t specify how long you’ll be staying or whether you’ll be sent back at all.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

Beatrice immediately questioned this, but Lorona just shrugged her shoulders awkwardly and said:

“Here, he is the law.”

After saying that, Lorona quietly added:

“I should warn you in advance that I cannot let you leave until he orders me to do so.”

“What?”

“He specifically instructed me to tell you that if you try to leave the lair on your own, he will stop you personally.”

That dragon.

Is he imprisoning us?

“If you wait, I believe he’ll eventually tell you when you can leave. Until then, he ordered me to treat you as guests.”

“He’s really doing whatever he wants.”

Talk about giving someone a problem and then offering the solution.

Lorona nodded very slightly at my complaint, which contained a hint of dissatisfaction.

She seemed to agree deep down.

“Lirina will prepare your meals. If you need snacks or late-night food, she’ll make them anytime. Of course, if you don’t trust us, you’re welcome to use the kitchen yourselves.”

Lorona added that all ingredients and utensils were available, then pointed to one wall with her finger.

“If you go through that wall over there, there’s an open space. It was built as a training ground, so if you want to exercise, you can use it.”

“But it’s just a wall?”

“When you go there, you’ll find a moving wall. You can ask those magicians among you about how it works.”

In terms of facilities, this place seemed to have everything one could need.

It appeared they had prepared everything for the guests’ convenience, but unfortunately, the biggest drawback was that the owner was that dragon.

“If you need anything else, please ring the bell in your room. We’ll accommodate you as much as possible, within what our master has permitted. Well then.”

Seemingly having finished her explanation, Lorona turned to leave.

But Eve immediately grabbed her.

“Wait a moment.”

“What is it?”

Lorona smiled at Eve.

And Eve quietly asked:

“Do you know why he’s providing such accommodations?”

“Hmm… I’m not entirely sure.”

Lorona glanced at me briefly.

“I suspect my master has taken a liking to that person.”

“In what way?”

“I wouldn’t know. He’s quite willful and eccentric. Perhaps you reminded him of old times.”

Lorona shrugged her shoulders again as she spoke.

“Well, I’ll be going now… Ah.”

“Is there something else?”

In response to my question, Lorona made a slightly meaningful face, looked at Eve and me in turn, and said:

“Nothing major. I just wanted to mention that these rooms are very well soundproofed, so even if you engage in some… physical activity on the bed at night, it won’t disturb others who are sleeping.”

“……”

I completely understand what she was implying.

Eve quietly averted her gaze, and seeing this, Lorona left the room with a giggle.

“Why would she suddenly mention soundproofing?”

“I suppose she just wanted to brag about the facilities.”

Eve quickly answered Chris’s question.

While Sera glared slightly at Eve, Asam quietly spoke:

“By the way, so Rubrum the dragon really did exist.”

“It’s hard to believe that a being I heard about as a child was right before my eyes…”

“I had no idea such a terrifying creature lived in the Ferarius Volcano!”

Peri and Lara responded in order, and Beatrice nodded in agreement.

Then, Eina quietly raised her hand.

“Um, why is this dragon Rubrum so famous?”

“You don’t know?… I guess you wouldn’t. You and Helmet.”

Beatrice, realizing her momentary confusion, cleared her throat.

After thinking for a moment, she took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth, and said:

“The Red Dragon Rubrum. Helmet, you’ve probably heard that during the Demon War, he was a dragon who fought on the Demon King’s side. His epithet was ‘The Lava Maker.'”

“Lava?”

“They say when Rubrum unleashed his breath with intent, even rocks and steel would melt and flow like lava. That’s how he got his nickname. It’s even recorded in the Magic Tower’s archives.”

Saying this, Beatrice lit her cigarette and smoked.

Meanwhile, Sera continued the explanation:

“It’s not exactly known why Rubrum sided with the Demon King. But it’s said that he burned countless divine apostles to death while fighting for the Demon King.”

“Some speculate he simply enjoyed fighting… others say he failed in challenging for the position of Lord and joined for revenge. This is something the dragon himself would know best.”

“I’d rather not know.”

Honestly, I’m not curious about it.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“The reason Red Dragon Rubrum is famous is that after the hero party was formed to defeat the Demon King, Rubrum was the one who pursued them most persistently.”

“Pursued them persistently?”

“Yes. Since Rubrum was second-in-command in the Demon King’s army, the threat he posed to the hero party was extraordinary.”

I wonder how strong the Demon King must have been for a dragon to serve under him?

Then Mask joined the conversation:

“This might not be well-known among humans, but strictly speaking, Rubrum wasn’t part of the Demon King’s army. From what I know, he had some kind of contract with the Demon King.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s well-known among dem… half-demons.”

After saying this, Mask quietly added as if remembering something else:

“The ‘second-in-command’ thing is a misunderstanding from the hero’s legend as most people know it. Since the Four Heavenly Kings appear after Rubrum in the story, people got confused. It was simply that the hero encountered the Four Heavenly Kings after Rubrum, but this was misinterpreted to mean Rubrum was one of the Four Heavenly Kings and second-in-command in the Demon King’s army.”

“You know a lot.”

“I’m a huge fan of the hero legends. Haven’t you read them in books?”

I do have a book I purchased before.

“I do have one book about it.”

“You should definitely read it. I understand you’re busy, but still.”

I nodded slightly at Mask’s words.

I had bought it along with a history book with Chris, but I ended up reading bits of the history book first, so the hero book took a backseat.

“Well, books are best read when you’re interested, so don’t force yourself.”

“Got it.”

Mask nodded with satisfaction at my response.

“Anyway, so Rubrum wasn’t part of the Demon King’s army. That’s news to me.”

“You’ve learned something new. Congratulations, Sister.”

Mask smiled at Chris’s comment.

‘Speaking of which, a contract, huh.’

Mask mentioned it briefly.

That dragon seems to really like contracts.

Or perhaps he has a personal principle of not acting without a contract?

While I was thinking about this, Eve steered the conversation back:

“Anyway, the legend doesn’t clearly explain why Rubrum actively targeted the hero. But we can make one guess.”

Eve pointed at my heart.

According to what Lumen told me before, the hero could also use dragon power.

Before awakening, he had a dragon’s regenerative power implanted in his heart, and during awakening, he used a dragon’s heart for the awakening ritual, so either way, he possessed dragon power.

In other words, it’s highly likely that Rubrum targeted the hero because of his dragon power.

“In a way, Rubrum was bound to be deeply entangled with the hero party.”

“Yes. That’s why the hero’s legend typically divides into the first half, up to defeating Rubrum, and the second half, after defeating him.”

Eve nodded at Chris’s words.

“In the beginning, they faced monsters sent by Rubrum, and at some point, they were chased by Rubrum himself…”

“Finally, the hero defeated Rubrum by cutting his eye.”

“However, what happened afterward isn’t clearly recorded. Some say Rubrum fled, others say he lost his life then.”

Asam’s mention of Rubrum losing his life was clearly false, as we could confirm.

If that were true, he wouldn’t have appeared before us.

So what we can deduce is that the hero took his eye, and Rubrum escaped and has been alive all this time…

“Something seems off about this.”

“That’s how legends are, you know.”

Beatrice spoke dismissively.

But I had some questions.

‘He fled just because he lost an eye?’

When we saw him earlier, Rubrum’s eyes were intact.

It’s questionable whether he lost an eye as the legend claims.

Even if he had lost an eye and regenerated it with a dragon’s healing ability, considering that dragon’s personality…

‘He doesn’t seem like the type to flee.’

From my brief fight with him, Rubrum didn’t strike me as someone who would abandon a fight and run away just because he lost an eye.

Moreover, it’s also strange that even after fleeing, he didn’t return to fight alongside the Demon King.

He might consider fighting alongside someone else humiliating, but it still seems odd that he would so easily let go of someone who took his eye.

‘There’s something more to this.’

Something hidden behind the legend.

Probably something connected to the hero.

“This is troublesome. That dragon summoned us here and has no plans to let us leave.”

“I wonder if he wants something from us.”

In response to Peri’s words, Eve offered a guess, but there was one problem.

That dragon didn’t actually say anything, so we don’t know what he wants.

“What should we do?”

“We’ll have to wait and see for now.”

Since we don’t know exactly what he wants, unfortunately, we’ll have to wait.

“Of course, we can’t just wait forever.”

If necessary, we should consider sneaking out of here.

However, with our current strength, it would be difficult for everyone to escape.

‘So, first…’

I looked at Beatrice and spoke.

Beatrice nodded and said:

“I’ll prepare.”

“Is it possible?”

“I brought materials separately from the carriage, just in case.”

Beatrice tapped her hat as she spoke.

Then she looked at Sera and Peri.

‘Next, I’ll have to ask that person.’

I’ll need to call Lorona and make quite a few requests.

Things were going to get busy.

At that moment, Eve spoke with a worried tone:

“I wonder if Moo is doing alright.”

“He’ll be fine.”

I reassured Eve.

+

In an abandoned castle without an owner.

The Demon Lord sat on a chair there.

And beside him, a blood-covered demon was crouched, tightly bound in chains.

The demon showed no movement, as if unconscious, and the Demon Lord, who had been looking down at the demon, shifted his gaze forward.

“Report.”

The Demon Lord quietly questioned the demons kneeling before him.

Soon, after exchanging glances, one demon stood up as a representative and spoke:

“Most of what you instructed is still in progress, but…”

After catching his breath briefly, the demon quietly continued:

“We have found the whereabouts of the white dragon you mentioned.”

“The one who briefly fought the previous Demon King.”

The Demon Lord muttered with displeasure.

‘Damn that white dragon.’

His plan would have been perfect.

But that white dragon had created a flaw in his plan.

‘If only that commotion hadn’t happened.’

When he stabbed the Demon King in the back, he believed everything would be resolved.

But at the moment he stabbed the Demon King, a brief commotion occurred.

And as a result, the demons fell into great confusion.

‘They say they cannot acknowledge me as Demon King.’

Many demons refused to accept his rule.

Some even claimed they would only acknowledge his rule if he defeated the white dragon who had fought against the Demon King.

‘…Pathetic creatures.’

Though demons typically submit to the logic of power, he knew that many would not comply with control when presented with the possibility of an even stronger being.

More likely, they doubted whether he was truly stronger than his predecessor.

To be honest, he hadn’t expected so many to refuse to comply.

Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t deal with them.

“…What about the rebels?”

“We’ve treated their wounds for now.”

If they won’t submit to his rule, then according to the logic of power, he just needs to beat them into submission.

He had personally punished those who refused to accept his rule through violence.

However, in the process, he had to witness many who truly irritated his nerves.

“…To call out the previous Demon King’s name even as they fall.”

It was evidence that many genuinely followed the previous Demon King.

Among them were demons who attempted suicide while calling the previous Demon King’s name, knowing they couldn’t defeat him.

This was an impossible phenomenon for demons who follow the logic of power.

‘…The Demon King is supposed to be a symbol of fear.’

What exactly was the previous Demon King to them, that they still rebel and resist him?

Conditioned by the logic of violence, he couldn’t find an answer and could only feel displeasure.

‘…Never mind.’

At least many demons would be satisfied if he brought them the white dragon’s head.

Simultaneously, these problems would naturally resolve if he became stronger than he is now.

“You’ve sent trackers, I assume?”

The kneeling demon quietly answered the Demon Lord’s question:

“Yes.”

“If they find that dragon, have them continue to follow it.”

After giving that order, the Demon Lord quietly added in a low voice:

“And also carry out that operation we discussed.”

“It is considered dangerous.”

“It doesn’t matter. Follow the orders.”

The Demon Lord said coldly:

“Everything is for this Demon King.”

Seeing the Demon Lord’s blazing eyes, the demon who was about to object quietly bowed his head.

And at that moment, a voice came from the blood-covered demon who was crouched:

“…Someone like you… is no Demon King…”

The Demon Lord turned his head at the demon’s voice.

Words spoken with genuine feeling, drawing on all the strength from within.

Those words disturbed the Demon Lord’s composure.

“Shut up, Baphomet!!”

Enraged by the bloodied demon’s words, the Demon Lord began to beat Baphomet.