CHAPTER 58: CONFRONTING THE ANCIENT BLACK DRAGON

A moment later, as Ard and the others were training in the mansion’s backyard, suddenly, "clang... clang," an emergency bell rang from the village. Ard and Eva immediately stopped and looked toward the mountains behind the mansion.

"What’s going on?" Ard asked.

"I don’t know. Did the imperial soldiers arrive? But they shouldn’t need to ring the emergency bell if they did, right?" Eva asked.

"Hmm... I have a bad feeling about that bell," Claudia muttered.

"Me too. Maybe I’m paranoid, but Eva was right, the villagers wouldn’t ring the bell if it was just soldiers arriving," Alicia added.

"Someone’s coming," Irwin said, turning toward the mansion’s back door.

Suddenly, a servant arrived and told them that a horde of monsters was attacking the village from the base of the mountain, and Dimitri’s vampire forces were going to intercept them. The servant urged everyone to stay inside the mansion and not go to the village for now. Shortly after, Dimitri and Patricia came to meet them.

"I apologize, I must go out. This is something very rare. Monsters like wyverns, orcs, trolls, and cyclops that are supposed to be in the mountains are flocking down toward the village," Dimitri said.

"It looks like there’s a stampede because the monsters on the mountain are running down in fear, and the village and this mansion are right in their path," Patricia added.

"Did something disturb them in their habitat?" Ainsley asked.

"That could be it. Monsters wouldn’t leave their environment, and they wouldn’t attack humans unless provoked," Mirea replied.

"That’s absolutely right. But what could cause a stampede? Usually a demon or... a dragon," Patricia replied, thinking.

"Huh... there’s no way it’s a dragon," Beatrice protested, used to seeing them.

"Shh, don’t get involved, Your Highness princess Beatrice," Rosalind said, pulling Beatrice back.

Dimitri fell silent and thought. Suddenly, "swoosh," Ace, Ard’s Garuda, emerged from his shadow and flew skyward.

"Huh... what is it, Ace?" Ard asked, watching Ace fly high up.

It turned out it wasn’t just Ace. Eva’s Griffin and all the other familiars came out too. They all hovered in the air, staring in the same direction. Dimitri’s familiar, a massive Nightmare horse, also emerged, hovering among the other familiars. Everyone turned to look toward the mountain in the distance. Dimitri closed his eyes, and suddenly his already pale face grew even paler. He looked terrified and shocked. He opened his eyes, which instantly widened.

"No... no way... Zorax, the ancient black dragon, has awakened... what’s happening? That dragon shouldn’t be awake," Dimitri muttered.

Hearing Dimitri’s words, Ard and Eva’s faces immediately turned pale. They clearly knew a dragon named Zorax because Ashton, Esmeralda, and their group were the ones who had sealed that dragon in the mountain directly behind Dimitri’s village territory.

"Zorax? The dragon who always opposed the Dragon God and was his eternal enemy? That’s... impossible," Ard said.

"Why did he awaken... he should have been asleep forever inside the mountain," Eva added.

"I’ve never heard of that dragon," Mirea said.

"Same here. I don’t know either," Milia added.

"Even I, who am from a kingdom founded by the Dragon God, have only just heard of it," Beatrice added.

"True, Princess, I’ve only just heard of it too," Rosalind added.

"Hmm... but all our familiars are staring in that direction. This is strange," Geoffrey said.

"Yeah. It’s likely that dragon is really up there," Ainsley added, squinting in the direction the familiars were looking, even though it was blocked by the mansion’s high wall.

"Of course none of you know. That dragon has been asleep for 3,000 years, and the ones who made him ’sleep’ were Ashton and Esmeralda," Patricia said.

"Oh, I see," Geoffrey muttered, surprised.

Everyone immediately turned to look at Ard and Eva, who were holding Exgrandal and Exelion because they had just been training. Then Eva turned back to look at Dimitri.

"Count Dimitri, allow Ard and me to go," Eva said.

"Huh?" Ard asked, turning to look at Eva.

"Very well. Only you two can handle him. Please save the village and all living things by putting that dragon back to sleep," Dimitri replied.

Eva nodded. Then she turned to look at Ard, who looked confused, and nodded. Then she raised her hand, "crack," her Griffin immediately flew down, then became immense on the ground. Eva immediately jumped onto the Griffin, which instantly looked pleased to be mounted.

"Come on, Ard," Eva said, offering her hand.

"Hmm... alright, I’ll ride my own," Ard replied.

Ard immediately summoned Ace by raising his hand. Then Ace instantly became a giant Garuda in the air and, "caw," he swooped down. "Hop," Ard leaped onto the back of Ace, the giant Garuda, and stood on his back.

"Hey, be careful," Geoffrey yelled.

"Yeah, you have to come back," Claudia added.

"Don’t push yourselves, Ard, Eva," Alicia yelled.

Ard and Eva looked at their friends and smiled. They nodded, then immediately flew off with their familiars toward the high mountain behind Dimitri’s mansion. After Ard and Eva left,

"Alright, let’s go to the village to help secure it," Mirea suggested.

"Agreed," Milia replied, raising her hand, which held a sword.

"Okay, let’s go," Beatrice added enthusiastically, raising her sword.

"Huh... this spoiled princess is starting trouble again," Rosalind muttered softly.

"What did you say?" Beatrice asked, turning to look at Rosalind.

"Nothing. Come on, Princess, I have to guard the Princess," Rosalind replied.

"I’m ready," Geoffrey said, drawing his greatsword from his back.

"Don’t forget me," Irwin added, drawing his sword.

"I couldn’t possibly not join in either. Patricia, are you coming?" Ainsley asked, turning to look at Patricia and drawing his sword.

"Of course," Patricia replied, drawing her sword.

"Okay, allow us to help, Count Dimitri," Alicia said, looking at Dimitri.

Dimitri was silent for a moment, but then he nodded and smiled. Finally, he turned around too, and they all walked into the mansion to exit from the front, heading toward the village to help it.

Meanwhile, Ard, standing on Ace’s back, and Eva, sitting on her Griffin’s back, sped toward the crater in the mountains at high speed. They could see countless monsters running down the mountain below them. Ard turned to look at Eva, then nodded, and Eva returned his nod. Shortly after, they arrived at the crater of a now-inactive volcano.

"Groaaaaar,"

A dragon’s roar echoed from inside the crater. Ard and Eva hovered above the crater, and their eyes widened, seeing an absolutely massive giant dragon with half its body embedded in the crater and its neck chained with massive magical chains.

"Okay, he’s definitely awake," Ard said.

"Did the seal break?" Eva asked.

"Maybe. It’s impossible, though. The seal placed by the Dragon God shouldn’t be able to break... unless someone released it," Ard answered.

"But who is capable of releasing it besides the Dragon God himself?" Eva asked.

"That’s the question. Let’s go down, Eva," Ard suggested.

"Yeah, let’s go," Eva replied.

Before they could descend, Zorax suddenly turned up and saw them. His mouth immediately opened, and "bwoooosh," a huge fireball shot toward Ard and Eva. "Shriing," Ard and Eva swung Exgrandal and Exelion, causing crescent beams of light to roll toward the huge fireball aiming at them. The fireball was immediately split in two, then disappeared.

"Graaah,"

Two crescent beams of light, one black and one white, hit Zorax’s head, making him growl in pain. Then Zorax looked back at Ard and Eva angrily. Ace and Eva’s Griffin immediately swooped down. Ard and Eva jumped off, landing right in front of the chained Zorax. They looked up because their size was so vastly different from the dragon’s. Zorax immediately lowered his head to look at Ard and Eva.

"Well... he sees us. Hello, old dragon," Ard said, waving his hand that held Exgrandal.

"You can still joke at a time like this," Eva replied, turning to look at Ard.

"What else can I do? Like Dimitri said, only we can handle him," Ard said.

"But last time there were five of us... although I forget who they were," Eva replied.

"Same here. I don’t remember our traveling companions back then either. That’s why I wanted to go to the Elf village, and because of that, I can’t lose here," Ard replied.

"That’s absolutely right. Come on, Ard," Eva replied.

"Groaaaaaaaar,"

Zorax roared loudly. Ard and Eva immediately sped off, running toward Zorax, who seemed ready to welcome them, even though half his body was embedded in the crater and he couldn’t move freely because of the chains around his neck. Ard turned to see a stonehenge like the one he saw in his dream when he released Malekh’s seal.

"Eva, follow me," Ard said, pulling Eva’s hand.

"Oh... okay," Eva replied, resigning herself to being pulled by Ard.

Ard immediately led Eva running toward the stonehenge, which was inscribed with runes and was actually a magic circle, while Zorax’s head kept following them, continuously roaring and trying to break the chains binding his neck.