Chapter 33: The Lord’s Sin

At my question, the Throne Lord finally closed his eyes and nodded his head.

Perhaps it was because he had been trapped for such a long time.

Or maybe, while trying to distance himself from all ideology, he had been unconsciously influenced by it.

His expression was so serious it seemed as if he was weighed down by such concerns.

I couldn’t see every detail of the dragon’s face, but the atmosphere made it clear.

“I’ve never thought about it in that way.”

At last, the Throne Lord spoke, and his first words were more than I had hoped for.

But I waited patiently in silence.

He still had more to say.

“Are you suggesting we let the Dragons gain experience by interacting with the outside world, so that they can discover what they truly want to do?”

I nodded at his question.

“To be precise, I mean they should pour all their strength into something they wouldn’t regret devoting their entire life to.”

“…Something not worth regretting even if they give their whole life? Why did you set that as the standard?”

“Because when one’s self-esteem drops, it’s often because they feel like they’re wasting their own life.”

Being a Guardian is simply an obligation as a Dragon.

But no living being exists that survives on duty alone.

If such people do exist, it’s not ‘obligation’ anymore, but those who find satisfaction in the obligation itself.

For an intelligent being to feel true self-esteem, they must find something they truly want to do.

Whether it’s a duty or not.

Only then can they know what it means to live their life to the fullest, and only then can they truly fill that sense of self-worth.

“This isn’t something that can be resolved in a day or two. It’s a journey that must be taken step by step, slowly. No doubt, it won’t be finished even by the time the next Throne Lord is chosen.”

The Throne Lord gazed at me in silence.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

He returned my question with one of his own.

“Do you still believe there will be another chance for the Dragons?”

I realized there was a great deal of meaning contained in that question.

As I quietly glanced at Thrall, the Throne Lord suddenly replied.

“That child already knows of my sins.”

“…Haa.”

At those words, I let out a quiet sigh, momentarily at a loss for words.

The atmosphere had been good, but that single sentence ruined the mood.

“I thought you’d tell me when it was just the two of us later.”

“If so, I apologize. I was planning to, but I came to think that at least to Thrall, nothing should be hidden.”

So, it’s my fault.

“Turns out, the standard for becoming a Dragon Lord isn’t strength, but shifting blame. No wonder most of the Dragons are like that; if the ones at the top act this way, those below are bound to follow suit.”

The Throne Lord let out a dry cough.

“Ahem. I won’t deny it.”

And since he didn’t deny it, I had nothing left to say.

…Fine. Since the Throne Lord apparently sees no reason to hide it, I’ll just ask directly.”

Then, while feeling the familiar stench drifting from him just moments ago and even now, I asked,

“Throne Lord, have you colluded with the Demon Race?”

“Oh?”

The Throne Lord looked at me in disbelief.

“How did you come to think such a thing?”

“If it weren’t that, I can’t explain this stench coming from you.”

“…Stench?”

“It’s nothing much.”

I pressed my nose with an empty hand.

“I just have a keen sense of smell.”

“…Ah. I see.”

The Throne Lord nodded as if understanding something.

“You must be the kind of Hero who has slain quite a few members of the Demon Race. Isn’t that right?”

“Do you think I only killed the Demon Race?”

I killed demons, slew monsters aplenty.

I even cut down the Demon King’s own flesh.

On my way to the Demon King, I faced and slew every kind of monster that belonged to the Demon King’s Army at least once.

The Throne Lord’s sunken gaze met mine.

“You remember the scent of Demon Race blood, then. I see. Now I understand the source of your strength. You were a Hero who fought the Demon King’s Army for a long time, despite how you appear.”

“So, your answer?”

“A foolish question.”

The Throne Lord answered with closed eyes.

“I have never colluded with the Demon Race. I swear it upon my name. However…”

But the rumbling sound from his mouth sounded quite menacing.

“Not long ago, I did eat a rat that sneaked into the Heavenly Palace to make a deal with me.”

I frowned.

“Throne Lord, are you trying to get food poisoning? No matter how tough a Dragon’s digestive system may be, you shouldn’t eat things like that.”

“Don’t worry. I chewed it so thoroughly that not even a bone fragment remained.”

He looked every bit the aged, decrepit dragon, but as a Dragon, his teeth seemed strong enough.

I questioned the Throne Lord, who smiled with healthy teeth bared.

“You said earlier that Thrall knows your sin. What did you mean by that?”

“It’s nothing much.”

From the moment he said that, I steeled myself.

Because I was certain it was something serious.

And as soon as the Throne Lord opened his mouth, my prior resolve was justified.

“I told him it was I who planned to turn that child into a Demon Dragon.”

“…Oh..”

I took a deep breath, swallowing back the word ‘damn’ that threatened to escape my lips.

“At least, you didn’t accomplish that plan.”

“Thanks to you.”

I gave a hollow laugh at the Throne Lord’s shameless reply.

If word of what he just said reached the Dragons of the Heavenly Palace, what kind of repercussions would it bring?

No doubt, it would only hasten the extinction of the Dragons.

Of course, it’s a pointless assumption now.

“Why would you do such a thing?”

The important thing was the Throne Lord’s intention.

If, even after all this, the Throne Lord was still determined to make Thrall a Demon Dragon, I couldn’t just let it go.

Even if the Throne Lord’s thinking had changed, being on guard was only natural.

How could I know the heart of an old dragon who has lived longer than anyone, when I can’t even know a mere human’s?

Perhaps sensing my wariness, the Throne Lord answered calmly, his gaze cautious.

“First, I promise you: what you fear will never happen.”

The Throne Lord bowed his head gently, meeting both my and Thrall’s eyes.

“But… yes. Why did I do such a thing? The reason is simple.”

His eyes turned ashen.

“The Eclipse Prophecy showed me a future where the Dragons would bring about the world’s destruction.”

“The Dragons destroy the world? How could that be possible?”

The Throne Lord let out a bitter smile.

“The Dragons didn’t act directly. We merely pulled the trigger.”

He meant that the Demon King’s Army had brought about the world’s end.

I could guess what the prophecy granted by the stars had shown him.

“So the Dragons’ ideology spread to humanity, is that it?”

“Yes.”

The Throne Lord affirmed with silence.

I asked, puzzled by his reaction.

“I heard all Dragons can see the Throne Lord’s prophecy. Then why didn’t they know about this one?”

“Because I hid it.”

“…You could hide it?”

I was startled by this new fact, and the Throne Lord nodded calmly.

“Sometimes, silence is the answer.”

So, he didn’t reveal the exact content of the prophecy, even if they knew he had received it.

“Were there any objections?”

“Why do you think the Throne Lord is the Throne Lord?”

“otot.”

The law is distant, but the fist is close, as the saying goes.

The Throne Lord is a position held by the strongest among the Dragons.

If you pressure the Throne Lord for the contents of a prophecy and anger him, you could end up paying dearly.

“So in the end, the Throne Lord tried to destroy the Dragonkind to stop that result. And Thrall was chosen as the Dragon who could end the Dragons, so he was sent outside the Heavenly Palace?”

“That’s right.”

The Throne Lord’s ashen eyes narrowed.

“I even gained the cooperation of the World Tree. It took some time to persuade it, but in the end, the World Tree, unable to find another way, accepted my persuasion.”

“I heard from Thrall that there was another who was arranged by you. Was that included as well?”

At my question, the Throne Lord shook his head.

“There was no one I arranged from the beginning.”

“Hmm?”

As I puzzled over his words, the light in the Throne Lord’s eyes returned to normal.

“We Dragons, when in a state of deep sleep and our lives are in danger, have the ability to devour the surrounding life force and mana. No matter how mana-insensitive a child may be, it’s a trait of all Dragons they cannot avoid.”

At that, I recalled the time Thrall was trapped within the World Tree.

‘It was at least two years, right?’

They said it had been two years since the World Tree began to wither, so at minimum, that much time.

If the dying of the forest began after some time had already passed, it could’ve been even longer.

In other words,

‘Thrall was trapped inside the World Tree for at least two years, without any nourishment.’

That’s why he began devouring the World Tree’s life force and mana indiscriminately, resulting in massive changes that affected the entire Ellesion Great Forest.

And since he would’ve been poorly treated even within the Heavenly Palace, Thrall’s condition at the time must’ve been even weaker than the average Dragon.

“So, could it be…?”

“The Elves, seeing the World Tree wither, would have come to resent Thrall, who was the cause. The World Tree could convey its will to the Elf King, but even the Elf King couldn’t communicate the truth to all his kin.”

A Guardian, meant to protect the world, recognized the danger of the other Guardians and tried to exterminate their own kind by sealing a Dragon inside the World Tree.

Even knowing the Elf race itself could perish.

And in the end,

Thrall, upon escaping the World Tree, realized he had been abandoned even by the Heavenly Palace, and wandered the world alone.

The result…

‘The birth of the Dragon King of Destruction.’

Despising humanity, annihilating his own kind… Later, as the one and only Demon Dragon, he would rise to become the Demon King’s Army’s greatest weapon.

‘…That’s why your appearance was both bewildering and delightful to me.’

The Throne Lord’s eyes glowed warmly.

“You are someone I never saw in the prophecy of the stars. Quite literally, a being outside of destiny.”

I cocked my head in confusion.

“Isn’t that just because I’m the Hero?”

“Maybe, but surprisingly, most Heroes are beings bound by destiny. They carry the fate to destroy the Demon King, who seeks to bring down the world.”

“But I’m not, you say.”

“Is that all?”

A strange light flickered in the Throne Lord’s eyes.

“A Hero who formed a contract with the Trinity Gods all at once—never, in all of creation, has such a thing happened.”

“So I am truly, endlessly curious.”

In the gentle gaze of the Throne Lord, I saw a deep abyss trying to pierce through my entire existence.

“Just where did you come from?”