[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 59

    Suddenly,

    A face popped out from the fur. Royen’s mouth hung open as he stared at it.

    “Wow.”

    It was a beauty he had never seen in his life.

    Though it was eerie to see a face abruptly sticking out of a bundle of fur, the appearance itself was so stunning that it left no room for other thoughts.

    —Let go. Let go!

    “This is a Drake, right?”

    Myorn asked Royen with a serious expression.

    However, Royen, still gaping in a daze, didn’t snap out of it until Myorn pinched his cheek hard with the fur.

    Pinch—

    “Ow!”

    “Get a hold of yourself.”

    “Uh, it’s just that...”

    —Th-this fur... Why is it so strong?!

    The Drake struggled and spoke, but the person in front of him didn’t seem to hear a word.

    ‘He said only I would hear it...’

    It was just as Kaylen had described.

    “Answer the question.”

    Myorn pressed Royen for a response.

    Royen alternated his gaze between the Drake and Myorn before tightly shutting his mouth.

    He had already been caught hiding, so answering the question would be too much.

    “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

    “I-I don’t know.”

    “You seem like you do.”

    “I really don’t know.”

    Royen’s stubborn refusal to admit anything made Myorn’s brow furrow.

    “...Fine. Then, since you don’t know, I’ll just take a closer look at that thing.”

    Swish—

    The fur extended again, drawing closer to the Drake.

    “No, don’t!”

    Royen reached out urgently toward the Drake.

    At that moment, as his hand touched the Drake—

    Whoosh—

    A small pattern appeared on the dragon’s scales, and the fur binding the Drake instantly caught fire.

    Simultaneously, the Drake’s size grew from that of a dragonfly to about a sparrow.

    —Oh... Oh? I’ve grown? But it doesn’t hurt...?

    Meanwhile, the pattern etched on the Drake’s body transformed into a magic circle.

    Upon seeing this, Myorn’s eyes widened.

    “...That magic circle!”

    Swish—

    The fur extended like spiderwebs in all directions.

    “That! I need to inspect it closely!”

    The incoming fur elicited a strong reaction from the Drake.

    —That thing’s trying to catch me, isn’t it? I’ll burn all the fur!

    “W-wait a moment...!”

    Caught in the middle, Royen could neither do anything nor back away.

    “Ice Shield.”

    An icy barrier formed, surrounding the Drake as a shield.

    "What are you doing?"

    "Kaylen..."

    Kaylen stepped steadily up the stairs. His presence alone caused the tense atmosphere, which seemed on the verge of clashing, to settle momentarily.

    "Kaylen, that Drake... What is it?"

    "It''s something I acquired last night."

    "Last night?"

    "Yes."

    When Kaylen explained how he had obtained the Drake from inside a painting, Myorn bit his lip.

    "It was originally a giant Drake?"

    "Yes."

    "The magic circle engraved on its body—can I examine it?"

    "Magic circle?"

    If it was the magic circle on the Drake, it should have melted into his sword and disappeared. Kaylen tilted his head in puzzlement as he dispelled the Ice Shield.

    "Hmm. The magic circle has reappeared."

    "It showed up when that guy touched it."

    The powerful magic unleashed by the dwarf Meisters would lose its potency the moment it approached the vicinity of the magic circle.

    Overwhelmed by the anti-magic properties of the magic circle, the dwarves were helpless.

    "Fire and earth elemental powers were slightly more resistant... but even then, their effectiveness was drastically reduced."

    "..."

    "No matter what we tried, we couldn’t stop the Drakes. The inside of the fortress became a living hell."

    Kaylen’s gaze rested on the magic circle engraved on the Drake.

    It was the same magic circle he had frequently encountered during the Demon King Subjugation War.

    The magic circle''s effects were clear: it enlarged monsters and endowed them with formidable anti-magic capabilities.

    However, during the Demon King Subjugation War, it hadn’t been a significant obstacle.

    Back then, monsters marked with these magic circles were relatively easy to deal with.

    ‘The Dragon Knights disposed of them effortlessly.’

    Mounted on Drakes, Dragon Knights of Master-level expertise easily vanquished such monsters.

    While their anti-magic resistance was strong, they were notably weak against aura-based attacks.

    Once the magic circle was torn, the monsters would collapse rapidly.

    Even in the absence of powerful knights, high-level mages offered an effective alternative.

    Low-circle magic spells were ineffective, but magic of the sixth circle or higher was potent enough to deal substantial damage.

    ‘The Holy See’s forces were effective as well.’

    The Holy See’s Paladins and Priests also proved highly effective against these monsters.

    ‘But the current situation is different.’

    Knighthood had fallen.

    With the atmospheric mana greatly diminished, warriors capable of reaching the Master level no longer existed.

    Moreover, as magicians displayed overwhelming dominance in dungeon subjugations, mana suit research focused primarily on supporting their needs.

    Even if monsters marked with magic circles were vulnerable to aura, it wasn’t enough—ordinary experts could not surpass the limits of human capability.

    ‘An expert-level warrior cannot take on a flying Drake.’

    Then, what about high-level magicians?

    None remained.

    The pursuit of breaking dungeon cores led to a focus on single-element mastery, and Meisters became the norm within magical academia.

    High-circle magicians, capable of wielding diverse and advanced magic, vanished.

    Everyone strived to become Meisters, specializing in stronger single-element spells.

    And what about the last resort?

    “Were there no Paladins or Priests within the fortress?”

    “Paladins? Paladins disappeared long ago. As for Priests... they weren’t exactly abundant either.”

    No Paladins?

    Kaylen furrowed his brows.

    The lack of forces capable of countering monsters marked by magic circles was glaring.

    In this era, no adequate defense existed against them.

    ‘...Mana suits are remarkable inventions, no doubt.’

    Mana suits and Meisters were indispensable for humanity’s survival, designed to combat dungeon cores.

    But these advancements had inadvertently constrained humanity’s potential.

    Both swordsmanship and magic had stagnated.

    Everyone aspired to become a Meister, and society revolved around mana suits and their wielders.

    “Myorn.”

    “Yeah?”

    “If Drakes were to invade this kingdom today as they did back then... do you think they could be stopped?”

    Myorn’s fur shook in denial.

    “No. It’s impossible. Even with an S-class mana suit capable of piercing the magic circles, a single individual couldn’t possibly fend off so many dragons.”

    “Hm.”

    If the Black Anvil Tribe, with all its might, had been overwhelmed, then the Bormian Kingdom, with its scattered forces, stood no chance.

    ‘This kingdom is even more vulnerable than the Black Anvil Tribe was.’

    The conditions were perfect for the magic circle to exhibit its devastating potential.

    It would be nearly impossible to stop the Drake forces once they fully mobilized.

    ...This couldn’t simply be a coincidence.

    Kaylen recalled the word “Colony” he had seen in the dungeon core fragments.

    Could it be...?

    “Myorn.”

    “Yeah?”

    “This is the first time I’ve heard this story. I’ve never encountered it in the Academy, either.”

    “Why wasn’t this made known? If it had been, precautions could have been taken. The exclusive development of mana suits for magicians might have been avoided.”

    “...Due to an oath, it couldn’t be shared with the public.”

    “An oath? With whom?”

    Myorn remained silent, as if even the oath prohibited her from answering.

    “The Fairy’s Magic Tower?”

    “Or... the kingdom?”

    Flinch.

    Her mouth stayed shut, but her fur twitched instinctively—an unmistakable sign of affirmation.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]