The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1146

 Chapter 1146

 

“To defy the Lord’s command?”

Raon quietly nodded as he listened to the cold voice of the gold dragon, Bartius.

‘It’s the answer I expected.’

Fighting Bartius and the other dragons had helped me understand their personalities and tendencies.

They were clearly different from the other dragons I’d encountered so far, and just as I’d expected, they seemed intended to walk a different path.

“You don’t seem very surprised.”

Bartius narrowed his eyes at Raon.

“You already knew?”

“I could feel it from the way you all fought.”

Raon drew a faint smile as he looked at Bartius and the dragons standing behind him.

“That you wish to live differently from the Lord and the ancient dragons.”

Bartius and the other adult dragons did not rely solely on the magic power they were born with, instead, they used msgic and abilities they had developed on their own, displaying a distinctive way of fighting.

Even if their might didn’t reach that of the ancient dragons, fighting them was far more difficult and troublesome.

Damn it!

Wrath’s clenched fist trembled.

They’re lizards you can’t hate!

He shut his eyes tight, muttering about how it made no sense for lizards to have such personalities.

‘Yeah. They’re nothing like the trash-like Lord or ancient dragons.’

The adult dragons, including Bartius, did not spread malice across the world, did not cowardly avoid danger, nor did they only show up in situations advantageous to them.

There was no reason to hate or dislike them.

“I see.”

Bartius seemed to sense the goodwill in Raon’s tone and smiled faintly.

“Of course, we should be different from those old fools! There’s nothing to learn from them!”

The red dragon, Balasiur, snorted a long breath from his nostrils.

“You noticed that? Sharp eyes you’ve got!”

The blue dragon, Sirtiren, let out a cheerful laugh and clapped her hands.

“I could also sense your will during our duel. It’s a feeling only those who have truly fought can understand.”

The white dragon, Bursiarabi, lowered his gaze calmly.

“Hmph! We came all this way and even picked a fight, of course he’d figure it out.”

The black dragon, Dariauran, rubbed the back of his head where Raon had struck him and nodded.

“But I still want to know the reason.”

Raon looked at Bartius and the others one by one.

“Why would you defy the Lord’s command?”

These adult dragons wouldn’t suffer any loss even if they stayed idle until the war broke out, so I couldn’t understand why they would step forward and defy the Lord’s command.

“Dragons are an individualistic race.”

When Bartius spread his fingers, images of countless dragons appeared and scattered in different directions.

“Even if one is an elder of the tribe, there’s no obligation to obey their words unconditionally.”

He tilted his head slightly, saying their relationships weren’t like those of humans.

“But the Lord’s command is different.”

The dragon images that had left Bartius’s hand gathered back to him.

“The Dragon Lord is the one acknowledged by all dragons as our leader. His orders are, by principle, to be obeyed above all else.”

He explained that for that reason they had been hiding and obeying the Dragon Lord’s command until now.

“If it’s a matter of principle, then it stands above mere orders. So why do you intend to break it?”

Raon lowered his chin, signaling him to speak plainly.

“Because it’s cowardly.”

Bartius voiced what he had long felt watching other dragons.

“Cowardly?”

“Yes.”

He clenched his fist so tightly that the sound echoed, as if the very thought angered him.

“Dragons are the mediators of this continent, of this dimension. We are the great race meant to prevent interference from other dimensions and ensure this world flows as it should.”

Bartius looked up to the sky and let out a murky breath.

“That’s why we’re the first to rise and fight to the death at the advent of a Demon King. Without that mission, there would be no need to be born this strong.”

He furrowed his brows while explaining the reason for dragons’ existence.

“But the Lord and the elders of the tribes have ignored that duty, caring only for their own greed. They flee in fear of the demon king, and, intoxicated by their own power, they pressure humans as they please. Under the name of ‘mediators,’ they’ve begun to commit disgraceful acts!”

As Bartius spoke the word ‘pressure,’ he fixed his steady gaze on Raon.

“Still, that much was within the bounds of understanding. Given the individualistic nature of our kind, I might find them pathetic, but not enough to defy the Lord’s command.”

He clenched his teeth, knowing that what came next was what truly deserved his anger.

“Right. It’s ugly, but wanting to preserve one's life is a living being's instinct.”

The Blue Dragon Sirtiren shrugged.

“Even that irritated me! I wanted to burn everything to ashes!”

The Red Dragon, Balasiur, shook his head firmly, saying that from that point on, he couldn’t bring himself to accept it.

“In any case, the reason we decided to defy the Lord’s command was not because of the Demon King. Rather…”

Bartius raised his finger and pointed toward the sky.

“It’s because of the archangels and the celestials.”

His brows twisted deeply, his anger fully visible.

“As I said, dragons, as mediators, must prevent beings from other dimensions from interfering with this world. In other words, not only the Demon King of devildom, but also the archangels and celestials are targets to be eliminated.”

Bartius growled like a beast as he spoke the word “archangel.”

“If even the archangels were among those you were meant to eliminate…”

Raon let out a dry laugh as he listened to Bartius’s words.
“So you’ve been turning a blind eye to it all this time?”

Unlike during the advent of the Demon King, the Dragon Lord hadn’t seemed concerned about the advent of the archangels.

I had thought they accepted the advent of the archangels because they were different kinds of beings from the demon king, but after hearing Bartius’s words, it seemed they had pretended not to see even though they should have eliminated them.

“Yes. The elders not only turned their backs and ran from the Demon King, but also ignored the advent of the archangels, no, worse, they opened their arms and welcomed them.”

Bartius frowned deeply, as though disgusted by his own elders.

“On top of that, the Lord made a deal with Derus Robert, the one who summoned the archangels. Seeing that… I could no longer stay silent.”

He clenched his fist so tightly that blood began to flow.

“I’d rather die fighting than live in filth.”

The Black Dragon Dariauran emitted a strong poison from his hand that was massaging the back of his head, enough to give goosebumps.

“Even if I have to curse them to death with poison, I’ll die with them.”

He pressed his lips together tightly, saying he would gladly give his life for his duty.

“I agree. Whether they came down from above or crawled up from below, trash is still trash.”

The white dragon Bursiarabi stomped on the ground, lifting his chin toward the sky.

“In truth, we already knew about the advent of a Demon King in the Holy Kingdom of Schper. but because of the Lord’s command not to act, we had no choice but to remain still.”

Bartius looked at Raon. His eyes were cold, but their target seemed to be somewhere else.

“But the moment we heard that the one who drove out the Demon King was you, we defied the Lord’s command to stand by and came here.”

“So, that means… because of me?”

“Because you are different from the Lord, and from those old fools of our race.”

His gaze burned as he looked straight at Raon.

“Raon Zieghart. Whether your opponent was a demon king, an archangel, or even a Transcender, you charged forward, burning your life for your convictions. Watching you, I felt the emotion called admiration for the first time.”

He nodded, saying that was why he wanted to fight Raon personally.

“So, what’s your impression after meeting me?”

Raon could sense the answers Bartius and the other dragons hadn’t yet spoken in the looks in their eyes.

“Beyond expectations.”

Bartius answered without hesitation.

“Your might and your will, nothing is lacking. It’s like looking at a great pillar that could reach the heavens.”

He said it had been even more astonishing than the rumors and, for the first time, allowed a faint smile to form on his lips.

“Now I can make my decision without doubt.”

Bartius nodded calmly, then turned slightly to look back.

“Wouldn’t you all agree?”

He glanced at the others as if demanding a response.

“After trading blows, I can’t deny it!”

The red dragon Balasiur raised his clenched fist.

“I like him! He’s handsome for a human!”

The blue dragon Sirtiren grinned and patted Raon’s shoulder.

“He was a perfect sparring partner. I agree too.”

The black dragon Dariauran’s eyes gleamed with determination.

“I could feel faith in his sword. A soul befitting a mediator.”

The white dragon Bursiarabi nodded heavily in agreement.

“The dragons behind me and I were once those supported by our respective tribes to become the next Lord. We are rivals, but also close.”

Bartius stepped forward, as if representing the dragons.

“You may see us as immature, but among dragons, I hold a fairly high position.”

“I know. You were harder to fight than the ancient dragons.”

Raon nodded while glancing at Bartius and the dragons behind him.

“Your magic was impressive, and your fighting styles were new. If you keep improving, I probably won’t be able to suppress you easily.”

If they were to become ancient dragons, their mana and physical abilities would increase drastically, so much that even I would have a hard time defeating them.

“We no longer wish to live as cowards. As mediators of this dimension, whether it’s the advent of an archangel or the advent of a demon king, we will drive out all such beings.”

Bartius raised his chin, declaring that he would walk a different path from the Lord.

“With the dragons who follow us, we will stand on your battlefield.”

He extended his hand forward, as if asking to be accepted.

“C-Can we really trust them?”

Dorian swallowed dryly, looking uneasy. He seemed to recall everything the dragons had done to them before.

“We can trust them.”

Raon grasped Bartius’s hand without hesitation.

“Because I fought them.”

When you face someone in a duel, you can feel what they’re thinking and what lies in their heart. Bartius and the four dragons behind him truly cared for this continent.

Damn iiiiit!

Wrath screamed upon seeing Raon’s and Bartius’s joined hands.

Now we can’t eat them!

He grabbed his head, lamenting the loss of tender dragon roast.

Since it’s come to this, bring another ancient dragon!! Quickly!

*   *   *

“Where is the Dragon Lord right now?”

Raon looked at Bartius, asking him to tell what he knew.

“We haven’t seen the Lord in a long time. Occasionally, an ancient dragon who follows him gives orders on his behalf.”

Bartius shook his head, saying it had been ages since the Lord disappeared.

“He’s seriously pathetic. Doesn't act his age.”

The Red Dragon Balasiur openly spat out criticism toward the Lord.

“But you at least know where his nest is, don’t you?”

Raon held out his hand, asking for at least the nest’s location.

“The current Lord didn’t reveal the nest’s location. Only a few dragons who worship him might know.”

The Blue Dragon Dariauran clicked his tongue, calling him a disgraceful old fogey.

“He’ll probably crawl out when war breaks out and stand behind the archangels.”

The white dragon Bursiarabi frowned deeply. He seemed disgusted by the idea that the Lord himself was a dragon.

“That’s exactly it.”

The Black Dragon Dariauran ground his teeth.

“The Lord and the ancient dragons plan to stand behind Derus Robert and annihilate humans.”

He stomped his foot roughly, saying that was something no mediator should ever do.

“We’d stop him right now if we could, but we don’t know where he is. So…”

Bartius raised his clenched hand.

“We’ll find the Lord’s location before the war begins, no matter what.”

He nodded, saying they would locate the Dragon Lord before the war with Derus started.

“So you already knew about the war that will soon break out?”

Raon let out a thin smile as he looked at the dragons. He hadn’t expected them to know about the war with Derus.

“Thanks to observing you, we learned that Derus Robert will start a war to conquer the continent in a year.”

Bartius wrinkled his nose, saying that, because of that, they also learned Derus had met with the Lord.

“To think he would meet and make a deal with someone who plans to summon archangels and shatter the balance of the world… The Lord must think of us as mere stones on the roadside.”

He ground his teeth, muttering the names Derus Robert and the Lord with loathing.

“So that’s how it is.”

Raon looked at Bartius and the other dragons and realized he had gained allies who could support him.

“As I said, we’ll stand behind you humans in the war. And until that war begins…”

Bartius looked up at the sky, his eyes glowing faintly with light.

“We’ll find the Lord’s location and tell you.”

He struck his chest with his fist, as if to say, trust us.

“We only met today, but I can tell you’re trustworthy.”

Raon smiled and nodded.

“I’ll gladly wait.”

“In return, we have one request.”

Bartius raised a single finger.

“When the war begins, we’ll fight with our lives on the line. So, destroy every single archangel who tries to toy with this world.”

He revealed calm, unwavering eyes, as if vowing to be faithful to his role as mediator.

Not only Bartius, but every dragon present held the exact same conviction.

“Fine.”

Raon struck his chest with his fist like Bartius and nodded.

“I promise. My comrades and I will risk our lives to cut down every archangel who has descended into this world.”

He swore before Bartius and the dragons to drive out all the archangels and celestials.

Th-then the demon kings too?!

Wrath glanced at Raon.

‘That’s not right. Bartius only mentioned the celestials and archangels. I answered accordingly.’

Bartius seemed angrier at the archangels than the demon kings, as he had only spoken of the celestials.

Since he hadn’t asked me to kill the demon kings, my vow wasn’t a lie.

Y-you damn trickster! Even here you’re pulling this off!

Wrath narrowed his eyes, saying he was a human truly not to be associated with.

‘The other Demon Kings don’t cause trouble. They’re almost embarrassingly concerned with trivial things.’

Aside from Greed and Pride, the other demon kings had no interest in conquering the world or attacking humans.

They were just doing trivial things, eating ice cream, wandering around looking for a lover, so there was no problem leaving them be.

‘If they ever cause trouble, I’ll just send them out then. Of course, except you.’

Raon waved his hand, saying Wrath was the only exception.

W–why not the King of Essence?!

Wrath’s lips trembled.

Let the King of Essence go too! You’re draining the very marrow out of him! Just let him go already!

He screamed, saying he’d give up everything if only Raon would let him go.

‘No. There’s still plenty I can squeeze out of you.’

Kyaaaaah! Leave the King of Essence alone!

‘Nope. Not yet.’

Raon laughed as he watched Wrath throw his tantrum.

“Are you all right?”

Olga approached him, checking his condition.

“I’m not hurt.”

Raon raised both arms, showing that he was perfectly fine.

“After fighting five dragons in a row and coming out without a scratch… you’ve really become a monster now.”

Olga let out a faint, incredulous laugh, saying the more she saw him, the more amazed she became.

“Hmm…?”

Bartius narrowed his eyes as he looked at Olga standing beside Raon.

“A human from Schper?”

“So what if I am?”

Olga answered curtly, wondering why he was asking.

“Wait, you…”

Bartius looked at her more closely, as if realizing something, and his pupils trembled.

“Just what kind of god do you serve?”

 

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