Chapter 90

Near the north gate of Arsen Academy.

There was a lone carriage sitting on the forest path. Workers were bustling around, loading items onto the carriage, and before long, the task was complete.

“Checked! It’s perfect.”

After thoroughly checking the cargo loaded onto the carriage, a middle-aged man flashed a smile.

Then he bowed politely to the girl with gray hair standing in front of him.

“Thank you for your hard work, Silfi.”

The man’s identity was Alond.

He was the butler managing Count Dermore’s mansion and a loyal confidant of the Count.

Today, he was in charge of transporting the luminous stones and Abyss Water collected from the Source of Magic to the mansion.

“Uh, just to be sure, you weren’t caught using any sorcery, right?”

“Nope, acted separately.”

“Haha, good job!”

Alond smiled once more at Silfi’s response.

“If your origins were revealed, my lord would be in trouble. Then we wouldn’t be able to protect you, milady.”

Silfi shut her mouth tight.

She already knew this fact.

Her origins lay in the southern desert, specifically with the Desert Order, which was currently at odds with the Empire.

If her background and identity were exposed, Count Dermore would surely discard her without hesitation.

‘I probably would have done the same if I were in his shoes.’

It was said that collaborating with the Desert Order was a crime second only to treason. So Silfi had thoroughly hidden her identity.

“This is the reward my lord gave you for your hard work.”

Just then, Alond offered something.

A pure white envelope. As she took it, he again bowed politely.

“I will contact you again by letter later. Until we meet again, please take care of your health.”

With a courteous farewell, Alond mounted the carriage and soon disappeared beyond the forest. Left alone, Silfi let out a sigh and sat down heavily.

“Haah.”

This was due to the relaxation of her tense state.

She sighed in relief again and opened the envelope she received from Alond.

Inside were five gold coins.

A hefty sum for a student.

‘Well, the more money, the better.’

With the original goal of taming the White Wolf hiding in the mist with the minions of Rudrik now a failure, Silfi’s future looked quite uncertain.

Thus, she planned to secure as much money as possible in preparation for the unclear future.

‘Oh, right.’

As money came to mind, something suddenly struck her.

Before coming here, she had found a top-grade magic stone in Zone 3 of the Source of Magic.

At the time, she thought it was merely set up by Professor Dirck for research.

‘But thinking back now…’

It was highly likely that the item didn’t belong to Dirck.

After all, she had heard that he was lacking research funds and was cooperating with Count Dermore.

‘Yet he has six top-grade magic stones? Not just one?’

That just didn’t add up.

Six top-grade magic stones would be enough to buy a three-story mansion in the bustling district of the imperial capital.

This meant Dirck wasn’t the owner of the magic stones.

Just after realizing this, she mouthed in disappointment.

‘Had I known, I wouldn’t have said anything.’

Then she could have snatched it for herself.

With a heavy sigh, Silfi expelled her thoughts on the matter.

‘It’s fine. Regardless, the job is done.’

Time to head back to the dormitory.

With the relaxation came a wave of fatigue.

As she turned her body toward the dormitory.

Chills ran down her spine!

In that moment, an instinctual fear gripped her throat. An indescribably unsettling feeling washed over her.

Faced with this sudden change.

Silfi hurriedly turned her head.

Towards the source of that ominous feeling. Then her eyes widened in shock.

“…!”

She looked south.

The direction from which she had just come, the Source of Magic. Silfi mumbled with wide eyes.

“The sky…”

It was split in half.

And only the sky around the Source of Magic.

She then instinctively sensed it.

Something unusual was happening.

Frost Dragon.

One of the Six Lords of the Abyss that could freeze the surrounding magic with its mere presence, completely halting the flow of magic.

For the flow of magic to stop meant that spells could not be cast. Thus, the Frost Dragon was known as the nemesis of mages in the original work.

But that wasn’t the essential point.

‘What did she just say…?’

Noah’s eyes were filled with intensity.

She looked at Ulan with wide eyes. It was instantaneous, but she definitely heard it.

「Frost Dragon!」

With a voice that echoed through the battlefield.

Ulan had certainly exclaimed that.

At the same time, Noah snapped back to reality.

So startled that even the overpowering fear that flooded in with the appearance of the Frost Dragon faded away.

Which was understandable.

Until the Gate of the Abyss opened later on, to the people, the ‘Abyss’ was merely a simple legend. The only thing they might remember was about the Abyss Worshippers.

‘But…’

How did he know about the Frost Dragon?

At this point, he was supposed to be oblivious.

A question surged uncontrollably in Noah’s mind. Her gaze toward Ulan also became one of confusion.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Ulan frowned.

It was fine that the Frost Dragon showed up, but upon closer inspection, he felt a sense of unease.

‘Why is it so small?’

The Frost Dragon he had faced in his past life was colossal. It was nearly as if a massive mountain had begun to move.

However, this one didn’t seem that large.

If he had to describe it, it was comparable to the auditorium building he had seen during the entrance ceremony.

It wasn’t comparable to a mountain.

‘Oh, come to think of it…’

Information that had suddenly come to mind.

It was something he had learned while repeatedly battling the Frost Dragon in his past life.

Among that, one reason why it had grown larger each time they met was there. Remembering that, Ulan finally understood.

‘I see. It hasn’t molted yet?’

The Frost Dragon grows larger and strengthens its power with each molting.

Indeed, it would retreat into the Abyss whenever it faced any disadvantage in battle, returning stronger after molting.

‘So that’s why I never could hunt it down.’

The Frost Dragon, having repeatedly molted, became too powerful to deal with. That was why he could never finish it in his past life.

‘But this time is different.’

This Frost Dragon had just emerged into the world.

Meaning it hadn’t molted even once.

This meant it wasn’t as strong as he had struggled against in his past life.

Upon realizing this, he finally accepted what he had to do.

‘I will finish it today, right here.’

No matter what it took!

With resolve emblazoned in his crimson eyes.

He stomped the ground without hesitation.

But then an obstacle appeared.

Whoosh! Whoooosh!

The sound of wings slicing through the air.

Along with the fierce wind, dozens of monsters emerged from beyond the Abyssal Rift. They looked just like smaller versions of the Frost Dragon.

‘Flying Dragons.’

Literally, dragons that flew in the sky.

They were the minions of the Frost Dragon, slightly smaller than the Corkus Ulan had just fought.

While their raw power was akin to that of high-tier foes, they were somewhat tricky to deal with.

‘They won’t come down from the sky.’

Their height high above as they flew around, these creatures exhaled the chilling breath of frost that froze everything.

No matter what, they wouldn’t come down to the ground. So, to take them on, Ulan needed a sniper like Sven or Delia.

‘But…’

Right now, it was impossible.

Sven was absent, and Delia was on the brink of exhausting her magic. Even if she had mana left, she couldn’t cast spells as long as the Frost Dragon was present.

But in that moment.

Suddenly, the monsters descended to the ground.

With a clear objective. Seeing this, Ulan quickly realized what they were after.

‘Are they targeting Delia?’

Just like his past life.

The Lords of the Abyss were particularly obsessed with Delia. It seemed their exact intention was to capture ‘the one who receives the love of mana’.

‘Then this time…’

Noah would be their target as well.

Before the speculation could finish, the first of the attacking Flying Dragons lashed out toward Noah with its claws.

Of course, it couldn’t accomplish its goal.

Whack! Crack!

The head of the Flying Dragon was smashed to bits.

Ulan had swung his axe, having closed the distance in an instant. It wasn’t just that one. The other Flying Dragons met the same swift fate.

As a result.

The remaining Flying Dragons soared back into the sky.

It was likely they were frightened by what had happened to their kin. Ulan couldn’t do anything against the Flying Dragons high in the sky.

Just then.

“B-Be careful, Ulan!”

Noah warned with a pale face.

It seemed she had sensed something was off. Soon, the nature of her warning became clear.

Woosh!

All the Flying Dragons opened their mouths wide.

Almost simultaneously, a surge of chilling magic gushed forth, pouring down toward Ulan.

‘The Breath of Ice.’

A troublesome ability that froze everything in its path.

In his past life, avoiding it was the only solution. But this time was different. Instead of evading, he drew his axe and swung it.

Fwooom!

With the clash came an explosion.

The situation shifted dramatically.

As soon as the Breath of Ice touched the axe, it dissipated almost effortlessly. It didn’t stop there; even the mana that made up the breath was completely consumed.

The Axe of Devouring, Gula.

Thanks to the axe that ravenously devoured all existing magic power.

[―――!]

Were the Flying Dragons taken aback by the sudden scene?

They all closed their mouths.

It seemed they no longer had thoughts of exhaling their breath.

And they circled in the sky, looking down at Ulan warily. Ulan wasn’t going anywhere either.

‘I can’t leave them alone.’

With magic and sorcery sealed,

Noah and Delia were not powerful mages but merely powerless girls.

So if Ulan were to depart, the two would likely be captured by the Flying Dragons in the blink of an eye.

‘If only the others were here…’

His comrades from his past life.

Even if Sven was there, he would have left to face the Frost Dragon while leaving this place to them. Ulan deeply felt the absence of his companions.

However, there was no time to dwell on it.

The Flying Dragons were charging toward the ground once again.

Whoosh! Whoooosh!

This time, they split into two groups.

One group attacked Ulan from all sides, while the other targeted Noah and Delia.

‘What a shallow tactic.’

As he watched the narrowing gap.

Ulan activated the Master’s Domain once more. The brutal slaughter commenced simultaneously.

Crack! Thud! Whack!

Heads splattered and bodies were cleaved.

The furious axe did not miss its prey, delivering sure death to the Flying Dragons.

But at that moment.

“…!”

Ulan’s eyes widened.

He had belatedly discovered something.

Outside the reach of his domain.

Three Flying Dragons with their mouths wide open were visible.

Then the icy breath was unleashed.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

They were aiming for Noah and Delia.

Ulan hurriedly tried to retract his axe to block the breath, but the Flying Dragons were blocking his way.

‘No, I can’t let it happen!’

The breath was just a hair’s breadth from reaching them.

Yet there was a way to stop it.

『Transcendent Domain』

A technique unique to heroes that transcended time and space.

Using this, he could barely manage to block it.

Of course, it would consume tremendous spirit and place significant strain on his body, but still, it was preferable to losing Noah and Delia.

Just as he was about to take that half step.

A blinding light emanated.

The flash that pierced into his domain, together with the breath, chopped through even the Flying Dragon.

Screech!

With an eerie sound, the three Flying Dragons were cut into dozens of pieces.

With clean severed marks as if sliced by a sharp blade. As their butchered bodies rolled on the ground, a familiar voice resonated.

“I felt something was off, so I came to take a look.”

A calm, deep voice.

Moments later, a middle-aged man with blue hair and a bushy beard appeared.

“Looks like it was fortunate that I rushed over.”

One of the five masters of the Empire.

Faithful Sword, Seoric Al Gorphant.

With the appearance of a solid ally, Noah’s eyes went wide.

“H-here? How…”

“I heard the students were isolated in Zone 2. I thought I’d help out while I was free…”

As he was speaking, he trailed off.

Narrowing his gaze, he closely observed the Frost Dragon in the distance.

“…Looking at the situation, it seems I must call Dean Diplyn.”

As soon as Seoric spotted the Frost Dragon, he had a hunch.

Fighting that monster would surely lead to defeat.

For the first time since reaching the level of master, he felt a gripping tension. Just as he felt his body stiffening while gripping his sword.

“I have a request.”

Suddenly, Ulan spoke up.

Then, with a serious face, he said.

“Take the two and run away.”

“…What?”

Seoric was a beat late to respond.

Of course, he was already thinking of retreating without needing to be told. There was no thought of fighting a monster against which he saw no chance of victory.

But Ulan’s words sounded a bit different to him.

So, wanting to confirm he had heard right, he asked again.

“You don’t mean to fight that monster, do you?”

“I do.”

Ulan replied without a hint of hesitation.

In that moment, Seoric was momentarily speechless.

Ulan likely knew as well. The odds against that monster were terribly slim. So Seoric spoke with concern.

“Even for you…”

“That’s right, Ulan!”

Just then, Noah interjected.

With a pale face, she grasped Ulan’s arm and shouted, as if to dissuade him.

“Fighting alone is a suicide mission!”

“For now, let’s retreat.”

Delia also suggested pulling back.

There was a certain earnestness in her gaze.

But Ulan shook his head.

“No, I can’t do that.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“I will take down the Frost Dragon here.”

“Ulan!”

Even after trying to persuade him again, he remained unmoved.

Meanwhile, Seoric watched this unfold in silence and ventured a question.

“Then can I ask you just one thing?”

With a serious gaze,

his lips moved.

“Why are you so intent on fighting?”

There were countless reasons to fight.

There was his duty as a hero, a mission left unfulfilled from his past life.

Plus, he was confident that it would ease his troubles in the future if he eliminated it before it could molt.

‘However…’

That wasn’t the answer Seoric wanted to hear.

He wasn’t a hero.

So Ulan wordlessly gripped his axe.

Then, with his aim set toward the Frost Dragon, he delivered a more fundamental answer.

“It’s a simple reason.”

Staring at the motionless dragon in the Abyss.

Ulan ignited the flames of his fighting spirit.

“There’s a monster right in front of me.”

No other reason was necessary. Ulan’s eyes seemed to convey just that.

Seoric was left dumbfounded.

It was a much simpler and clearer answer than he had expected.

“That’s a Ulan-like answer.”

With a chuckle, he solemnly nodded.

“Understood. Leave the rest to me.”

“Thank you.”

As if hearing the answer he longed for, Ulan immediately turned around. With all hesitation and lingering doubt stripped away, he stomped the ground.

Whoosh!

He dashed across the battlefield.

He could hear Noah and Delia shouting something, but he paid no mind. Right now, Ulan’s only focus was on the Frost Dragon.

[―――!]

Meanwhile, just after Ulan had departed.

The Flying Dragons circling overhead charged at Noah and Delia as if they had been waiting for this moment.

However, there was no need to turn and look.

The man beside the two was one Ulan recognized as a master and one of the Empire’s Elite Five.

The outcome was all but guaranteed.

Screech! Crack!

Seoric’s strikes fell like a flash, literally grinding the Flying Dragons into scrap.

The sounds of flesh tearing and bones shattering echoed, and without hesitation, Ulan charged ahead.

‘Frost Dragon!’

A battle he never got to finish in his past life.

Seizing the opportunity given once more, he aimed to put an end to the tiresome fight.

As Ulan’s eyes sparkled fiercely.

Whoosh! Crash!

Out of nowhere, a fierce gale swept through, delivering a strong shockwave that crashed over him.

It had enough power to blow gravel away.

In that split second where his body staggered.

【A worm that crawls on the ground.】

A chilling voice rang out.

Not merely in his ear, but as if it was delivered directly into his mind. It was none other than the voice of the Frost Dragon.

【How dare a worm without a tough scale, sharp claw, or the ability to soar through the sky oppose me?】

Its contempt was clear in its mocking tone.

Yet Ulan didn’t react.

He simply stood firm against the winds it produced, steadily moving forward.

【Feel the gap in our powers. Mortal.】

It flapped its massive wings once again.

This time, an icy wind roared, a bolt of freezing strike poised to freeze everything in its path. But even that couldn’t stop Ulan.

Creak! Snap!

Breaking free from the ice enveloping him,

He finally closed the distance by twenty paces.

“Finally, here it is.”

Now at the edge of the domain, Ulan grasped the Frost Dragon’s tail in one swift motion. Then he twisted his mouth into a grin.

“You won’t be escaping this time.”

As if to say he wouldn’t let go.

Had the Frost Dragon understood this? It flicked its nine eyes.

【Escape? Me?】

It sneered incredulously.

After a moment, it unleashed a terrifying killing aura along with an enraged roar.

【How dare a worm like you not know your place!】

The Frost Dragon twisted its body instantly.

It aimed to swing the tail Ulan was holding to knock him aside.

Yet strangely,

Its tail wouldn’t budge. It was as if it were being pinned down by an enormous boulder.

【What the—.】

It thus rolled its eyeballs in confusion.

What came into its sight was Ulan, who was stepping on its enormous tail, staring right at the Frost Dragon.

“I clearly said,”

A calm voice followed.

Ulan’s eyes glinted ominously.

“You won’t be escaping.”

Upon delivering this unmistakable ultimatum.

He swung his axe without hesitation.

With every ounce of strength he could muster.

And as a result.

Bang!

The deafening sound engulfed the battlefield.

The colossal Frost Dragon, akin to a mountain, was sent soaring through the air, crashing into a corner.

Chapter 23. Declaration of War