Volume 3 Chapter 17: The Rugar Ruins 3/4

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Author: 夜州 (Yashu)

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On top of the back of the Rock Dragon, Cain was thinking about a way to defeat it.

“I guess cutting off its head would be the fastest…”

Cain muttered while staring at the Rock Dragon’s neck, which it had stretched out as it was searching for him.

Its two-meter-thick neck was covered in rocks, and looked really firm.

Cain cast his magic.

[Air Cutter]

Cain eagerly looked on as a blade of air, around three meters in diameter, flew from his hand towards his enemy.

And the magic passed through the Rock Dragon’s neck in a straight line.

The spell passed through its neck, and flew on until it disappeared.

Then, the movements of the head that had been looking around for him stopped, and slid downwards, pulled by gravity.

Booooooooooooooom…

Its legs gave out, and its huge body collapsed onto the ground along with its head.

“Huh… it’s over after just one shot…”

Wondering about the unexpected development, Cain jumped down from the back of the Rock Dragon.

Cain looked up at the now dead monster, impressed by its size, before storing it away in his Item Box.

He also stored its head away, and proceeded further onwards.

Descending down a staircase, he exited into a wide hall resembling a temple.

And, in the middle of the hall was a large black crystal ball, with a black dragon exceeding ten meters in size lying in front of it.

Noticing Cain’s presence, the black dragon opened its previously closed eyelids and stared at Cain.

“Kinda gives off the feeling of a last boss…”

Cain swallowed nervously at the black dragon that was releasing more magical power than anything he had met before.

Cain let his own magical power flow through him in preparation for the final battle.

Seeing Cain’s magical power, the black dragon’s eyes widened.

Then, it raised its huge body, making Cain think it was getting ready for the fight, but…

{Child of humans… I have no intention of fighting you…}

Cain was surprised at the voice that resounded directly in his head.

“Eh, you can talk…?”

The black dragon moved its head vertically without saying anything.

{I am speaking to you directly through your brain. As I am unable to speak.}

Because the dragon was communicating with him, Cain cancelled his Boost and put his sword back in its scabbard.

{Then, let us talk. Please wait a minute.}

Conveyed the black dragon, and its large body was enveloped in light.

The light gradually went out, and disappearing, it revealed a humanoid shape where the dragon had stood.

“It’s been a long time since I had this appearance, it’s quite tiring…”

Said the middle-aged man in what seemed to be his fifties, his black hair flowing down behind him.

Cain gulped at the sight.

“Well, we can’t really stay in a place like this, so come this way.”

Cain followed behind the middle-aged man, who walked up to a rock face and held his hand out over it.

Booms echoed.

The previously plain rock face began to move on its own, and a small door appeared.

“This way.”

The middle aged man opened the door as if this was all normal, and entered inside.

While feeling a little nervous, Cain followed behind him.

Stepping through the door, Cain found himself in a space where a human would be able to live.

“You can sit down there.”

The man pointed at a table and four chairs, on one of which Cain sat down, still nervous.

The middle-aged man sat down opposite Cain.

“Who on earth are you…?”

Cain asked what he had been wondering.

“Let’s start there then… My name is Dangdoria. I have been alive for a thousand years now. I’m called the Ancient Dragon by the other dragons.”

Cain had read about Ancient Dragons in books. That they lived for a long time, spoke human language, and were rarely seen. That they were also said to be messengers of the gods, and sometimes appeared out of nowhere to give a country a message from the gods, then left in the same manner.

Such a being was currently in front of Cain.

“Why are you telling me this…?”

At first, Cain had questioned the fact that the man wasn’t hostile. The black crystal ball back in the hall was almost definitely the dungeon’s core. He had thought the man would fight to protect it, but then things had taken an unexpected turn.

“Child of humans, you possess the blessing of the dragon god, do you not? For long-lived beings such as us dragons, it is easily noticed. Although perhaps not for the ones who were protecting the floor above this one…”

“…umm… I defeated all of them…”

Both the Rock Dragon and the Earth Dragons were all stored in Cain’s Item Box.

Worried that that might affect the dungeon’s future, Cain asked Dangdoria about it.

“Don’t worry about that. More will be born from the core tomorrow. Also, I doubt there are any other humans than you that are capable of defeating that many of them.”

Dangdoria replied with a faint smile.

Hearing that, Cain patted his chest in relief.

“Then… I would like to ask you one thing. I smell the scent of a Divine Dragon-sama coming from you…?”

Dangdoria was curious about the scent of a Divine Dragon coming off Cain. It was because he had the blessing of the Divine Dragon and was emitting this scent that Dangdoria had not challenged that child of humans to a fight when they had met.

“Aaah, right. I do have a contract with one.”

[Summon: Haku, Gin]

Cain cast the summoning magic, and two magic formations appeared, out of which came Haku and Gin, who seemed to have grown bigger again.

Haku and Gin, happy at being summoned, tried to hug Cain.

Haku was now three meters large, with Gin being around the same size. For Cain, who was still just a child, the situation of being surrounded by two bodies many times larger than himself and having them lick his face was a bit much.

“Hey, Haku, Gin, wait.”

He stroked their heads, trying to calm them down. A few minutes of still being squashed by them later, the two of them sat down.

Dangdoria simply watched on, amazed.

(My goodness… this child has a Divine Dragon-sama following him at such a young age… not only did he receive a blessing from it, but to think it would obey him. Impossible. I have lived for a long time, and I have only ever seen… one human who was able to connect so well with them. I wonder if he is the same as that child of humans…)

Dangdoria went and stood in front of the Divine Dragon, Gin, then went down on one knee and bowed his head.

“Divine Dragon-sama, my name is Dangdoria. This is my first time seeing you. You’re still young, so I wonder if you would tell me the names of your parents…?”

Gin stared straight at Dangdoria for a moment in silence at his question, then seemed to respond with a single “Kyui”.

Dangdoria understood with that much. That was because he had heard the answer through telepathy, something high-rank dragons could use between one another.

Hearing the names of Gin’s parents, Dangdoria prostrated himself¹ in front of Gin.

Quite confused at the treatment he was receiving, Gin tilted his head.

Cain, not knowing what was going on, was also stunned.

It was not surprising, as a thousand-year old Ancient Dragon had prostrated itself towards the young Gin.

“To think you were the child of Doran-sama and Ruri-sama… Child of humans, may I hear your name as well?”

Dangdoria asked Cain with an apprehensive face, unlike earlier.

“I’m Cain von Silford Drintor. It’s pretty long, so calling me just Cain is fine.”

“Alright, Cain-dono. Got it, your name had now been carved into my mind.”

Dangdoria took a deep breath, then sat back down in his chair.

Haku and Gin went and relaxed in the room after Cain told them they could.

“So, that thing in the hall earlier, that was this dungeon’s core, right?”

Dangdoria shook his head at Cain’s question.

“It is the dungeon’s core as well. However, that is not the only role it fulfils. It is also a jewel that seals evil ones. My role here is to guard it. It was a request to me from Doran-sama.”

“And the evil person is…?”

Cain asked, hearing Dangdoria’s answer.

“It must be hundreds of years ago now… an evil one appeared and caused chaos throughout the world. He was then sealed by heroes that had also appeared, and hidden here.”

Cain was shocked at the answer he received. He was now being told the same things Yuuya had told him once before.

“––was it Yuuya-san…?”

“Ah, you know the Hero-dono, then it is only natural that you would make a contract with the Divine Dragon-dono there…”

After that, Dangdoria told Cain about the history of the dungeon.

How the dungeon had been built to seal the evil one, and Dangdoria had been made its guardian.

How Yuuya had founded a town where Drintor currently was, and in order to cover for the growing population, moved the hub of everything to the current royal capital, and then founded a country. And how in order to govern over the expanding territory, he had given the people he trusted territories.

And about how if other countries went to war with him, the king himself would lead the army to victory.

And then, how it had become the country Cain knew today.

“––and then, I was to be the guardian of this place until the very end of my life.”

Dangdoria’s story was then over.

Cain listened to the history of the world, and was deeply moved.

Yuuya hadn’t given him a very detailed explanation, so until then, all Cain had known about the past was what he had read in books.

Cain was truly grateful at being able to hear such a story from a living witness.

“Thank you very much. I currently govern the town Yuuya-san founded. And intend to continue governing it in the future as well.”

Dangdoria nodded, his cheeks loosening a little.

“Cain-dono, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Understood. I guess I should be returning to the town now. Everyone might start getting worried.”

“Got it, come hang out whenever you want. I haven’t been able to have a chat like this since the Hero-dono used to come here. This was the first time in decades I have actually spoken.”

Cain nodded at the smiling Dangdoria.

“Then, I’ll come again sometime! Haku! Gin! We’re going now!”

Haku and Gin got up at Cain’s words, and disappeared with magic.

Then, Cain used [Transfer] to Transfer to the entrance of the dungeon.

Left on his own in the room after Cain disappeared, Dangdoria heaved a sigh.

“––that… was he really a child of humans… he looked like nothing but a god to me… Had I challenged him to a fight earlier, my life would have been reaped in an instant…”

Dangdoria muttered in the empty room.

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¹Not a dogeza, I just wasn’t sure what to translate it as (平伏した) (DeepL says it means ‘to surrender’ or ‘to fall flat’, but yeah, those don’t make much sense in the situation, so…)

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TN: no loli vampire… why are there even 4 “Rugar Ruins” chapters if he leaves after the third one… I think the ‘…’s are infecting me heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelp. …

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