After inspecting the printing presses—
Ethan searched the head priest’s body.
His hand found something.
An emblem?
A badge on the inner clothing, partially intact despite the heat.
A silver emblem.
Its design resembled a Dragonkin’s head.
The Order’s mark?
Or perhaps a symbol used by the mage group the priest mentioned.
Worth investigating.
Pocketing the emblem, he scoured the cave.
Meticulously, including the mage’s quarters.
The mage’s room held only a bed, a desk, and a few books.
Ethan flipped through them.
Flip.
Magic tomes.
Ordinary tomes filled with theory and formulas. But one caught his eye. A random phrase stood out mid-page.
To create the heart of a dragon.
A heart-training method in a fire magic tome.
Oddly out of place.
Could it be…
He quickly scanned the other books. Piecing together scattered phrases revealed a training method.
Theoretical notes.
Likely the theory behind the head priest’s technique.
Ethan’s eyes gleamed.
Even as a former Transcendent, he couldn’t fully deduce a technique’s theory just by examining pressure points.
He’d planned to loosely adapt it, focusing the Rings in his heart.
Now, he’d found the exact theory needed.
If I build the Rings in my heart this way…
It could minimize side effects while rapidly gathering energy.
He nodded quietly.
Far superior to the mercenaries’ trash.
Their technique focused solely on quick energy collection via the heart.
In other words, optimized for a short lifespan.
But this theory was different.
Side effects are significantly reduced.
The head priest’s method held more principles and higher sophistication.
If the Ardan breathing technique emphasizes stability, robustness, and quality…
This prioritized mana quantity and accumulation speed.
It was decent enough to rival the Ardan technique.
Both had merits and flaws.
A thought struck.
If the head priest mastered this level, what technique did the Archbishop wield?
If I could steal his method…
He could optimize the heart-focused Rings further. With the theory in hand, he didn’t hesitate.
Ethan began concentrating the Rings in his heart.
Like a Dragonkin’s Dragon Heart, it rapidly amassed mana.
The Rings settled smoothly.
Time to test it.
The Ardan secret art, Breath of Black Flame.
No technique was more stable and robust for building mana.
Combining it with Dragonkin theory—
His mind raced.
Discarding unnecessary elements from the priest’s theory, he integrated its core principles into Breath of Black Flame.
If other knights saw this, they’d be stunned, drooling in awe.
Modifying a mana breathing technique wasn’t something even an 8-star knight could easily attempt.
But for Ethan, once a Transcendent, it was trivial.
“Hoo.”
After a breath, he nodded, satisfied.
Double.
His mana collection speed doubled.
Having fully grasped the priest’s theory before adapting it, there were no side effects.
Well executed.
Adopting the priest’s method outright might’ve quadrupled the speed.
But it’d ruin my body.
Rather than recklessly building power, cherry-picking strengths and discarding flaws was better.
Like now.
The Cycle.
The second stage, Iron Man. Overcoming it to reach the third wouldn’t take long.
Got everything I needed.
Exiting the cave, Ethan released the guildmaster’s pressure points and boarded the carriage.
Stopping at Gerond Village to order the presses moved there, he headed to the small city of Uldron.
Handing the guildmaster to saluting knights—
“Lock him up.”
“Yes, sir!”
As he stepped off the carriage—
Silvia greeted him with a bow.
“You’ve arrived.”
She handed him a document.
“What’s this?”
“After Jifron mentioned the book, I investigated the Order. This is the analysis.”
Ethan flipped through it.
Intriguing information.
[Narakthos Order Investigation Report]
- Recognized as an official “religion” in six kingdoms and the Zenon Empire, excluding the Hydern Kingdom.
- The Dragon God Scripture is spreading rapidly in other nations.
“They’re an official religion?”
“Yes, confirmed. Their ‘holy land,’ a grand cathedral, is in the Zenon Empire, with central branches in each of the six kingdoms.”
“Branches. Know who runs them?”
“Archbishops. The cathedral’s leader is called the Pontiff.”
They’re deeply entrenched.
Unbelievable.
The kingdoms and Empire were closely tied to the Dragonkin.
Otherwise, a Dragonkin-worshipping Order couldn’t gain official status or establish branches.
“No branch in Hydern?”
“No official ones.”
Implying unofficial ones might exist. Ethan recalled the head priest’s words.
“We… swore to the Archbishop…”
He’d mentioned an Archbishop. Then the bald mercenary’s words.
“Some western territories distribute these books… I heard the Dekun Viscount’s Family does too.”
Combined with reports of the Order expanding outside the west—
An Archbishop likely exists in Hydern.
No official branch, but an unofficial one was probable.
As Ethan pondered—
“One more thing to report.”
“What?”
“While nobles tacitly accept the Order, the kingdom doesn’t recognize it as a religion, largely due to King Delfrion’s lukewarm stance. As a nation that faced the Dragonkin, he’s mindful of the people.”
“Delfrion?”
Caring about public sentiment.
True.
Hydern Kingdom bled first against the Dragonkin, alongside the Zenon Empire.
Having honored the Ardan Ducal House as kingdom guardians, accepting the Dragonkin carried more weight than in other nations.
“Look at this.”
Lawrence handed another document, listing Delfrion’s policies.
Ethan noticed something.
This…
Subtly, yet effectively, they curbed Dragonkin influence.
Unexpected.
He’d assumed token resistance, but these policies were practical.
Not as deeply tied to the Dragonkin as other kingdoms.
He needed to learn more about Delfrion’s stance.
“Report regularly on new policies. And this—”
Ethan handed over the silver emblem from the head priest.
“Investigate groups using this symbol. Likely tied to mages.”
“Yes, I’ll look into it.”
“And send this to Greston.”
He gave Silvia a letter.
“Yes.”
Poporens.
A letter for the Dwarf.
Flamehammer Forge.
A knight burst in.
“Where’s Poporens? Urgent.”
“That’s me. What’s this?”
“Take it.”
The knight left after handing over the letter. Poporens, puzzled, saw the seal and gaped.
The Archduke?
The seal confirmed it was from the Archduke he’d met before.
He tore it open.
Hope you’re well. I’ve got a question. Found this emblem in a bad place. Know any Dwarves using it? Contact me if you do.
At the bottom, a crude drawing of the emblem.
Recognizable, especially to Poporens. He’d seen it too often.
That’s his!
Williams.
A royal supplier. His emblem, no doubt. Poporens’s eyes glinted coldly.
A bad place.
Dwarves chased profit, but Williams was extreme.
He’d take any job for money.
Took a lucrative job.
And it tied to the Archduke negatively. The Archduke was a terrifying knight, confirmed firsthand.
Plus, heir to a house rivaling royalty.
This could…
Screw Williams over. With the Archduke’s power and status, it was possible.
Time to meet him.
Poporens turned to his apprentices.
“Shop’s closed today! Take a month’s vacation!”
“Vacation?”
An apprentice tilted his head.
What was in that letter to make this miser grant a break?
His eyes, usually dull, sparkled with rejuvenation.
A chance.
One apprentice raised a hand.
“Paid vacation…?”
“Are you mad? Paid for resting?”
The apprentice shrank.
No chance.
A miser never changes. Closing shop for a month, Poporens dashed out.
He arrived at a goat pen.
“What’s the rush?”
“Hey, Kan! No time for chatter. Give me your fastest goat for a month!”
“Rental’s three gold.”
“Bloody expensive.”
Grumbling, he handed over three gold coins.
Clambering onto the goat, the Dwarf pulled the reins.
Baa!
The goat charged out of the city.