Chapter – 82
“I did not realize I was in the presence of such an honored individual. Please—please forgive my rudeness.”
Having finally collected himself, Borodin treated Carlisle with far greater respect and caution.
‘…Seriously?’
Carlisle couldn’t help feeling baffled.
It was Maranello who defeated the Gorgonne, and the dwarves were terrified of the baby dragon.
Yet somehow he was the one being treated like a grand figure.
So this is what it feels like to bask in someone else’s glory, he thought.
“Forgiveness? You weren’t rude in the first place.”
“But still…”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. And you—dial it down a bit.”
Carlisle looked at the baby dragon.
“Even if dragons and dwarves are natural enemies, show some restraint. I have my reputation too. Do you have to bully them that much?”
“What? What did I do?”
“I said—tone it down.”
“Anyone watching would think they begged me to build them a nest or something.”
“Build a nest? You tiny lizard, what nest?”
“…What? Are you done talking, butler?”
The baby dragon growled.
“For your information, dragons need grand and magnificent nests.”
“Then build one when you grow up. At the rate you’re growing, you’ll be ancient by the time you can build one.”
“I will build one when I grow up! I will!”
“Then do it then. Why are you obsessing about nests already?”
Watching Carlisle and the baby dragon bicker was pure agony for Borodin.
He was grateful Carlisle at least scolded and humbled the baby dragon a little as its master.
Had he not, the Hammerforge Clan would likely have been dragged away to build a nest for the dragon for the rest of their lives until they died of old age.
We must serve Young Master Carlisle with even greater devotion. The survival of our clan depends on staying under his protection.
Hadn’t they always said: if you must align yourself, align wisely?
And for Borodin and the Hammerforge dwarves, showing absolute loyalty to Carlisle was the only correct path.
Why?
Because no matter how terrifying that dragon was, the true master was Carlisle.
“For now, please rest well tonight. Tomorrow, relief supplies and support personnel will arrive from Decaron.”
“We are simply grateful for the young master’s thoughtfulness.”
Borodin bowed at a 90-degree angle to express his gratitude.
That night.
Crackle, crackle—
Carlisle’s group sat around a blazing campfire and made a simple meal of snacks and dried rations.
“Young master, you truly are remarkable.”
“For what?”
“You discovered the mines in the Merrel Mountains and freed the dwarves. Thanks to that, Decaron will grow even more prosperous. His Grace the Grand Duke will surely be delighted.”
“Well, I suppose.”
Carlisle nodded casually.
“But I’m not the one who did anything amazing. She found the vein, and Maranello defeated the ancient demon.”
“Young master,” Maranello said with a smile.
“But it was you who led us to accomplish those things.”
“Led…?”
“Look.”
Maranello picked up a twig.
“If you consider this end to be the spearhead, what would it represent?”
“In war?”
“Yes.”
“Well… the strongest knight fighting at the very front, I guess.”
“Correct.”
Maranello nodded.
“Then what would this be?”
He pointed at the hand holding the twig.
“The command center?”
“You catch on quickly.”
Maranello smiled.
“No matter how fine a sword, if no one wields it, it is just a piece of metal. What matters is who wields it and how.”
“…Hmm.”
“You wished to explore the Merrel Mountains, ordered Evangelin to locate the ore vein, and commanded me to slay the ancient demon. Without your direction, we would not have achieved today’s accomplishment. That is the role of a commander—
to lead, to place people where they can perform best, and to produce results.”
“Now that you say it, I guess so.”
“That is why the responsibility and duty of a commander are heavy. You will soon become one yourself, young master. So don’t dismiss this as the ramblings of an old man—consider it, at least once.”
“I understand.”
Carlisle nodded—not out of politeness, but sincerely.
Helen, Grand Duke Guntram, and now Maranello—
He had been hearing much about the responsibility of a commander lately, and he was starting to grasp what it meant.
He had seen, heard, and experienced enough in war to know.
“But… tell me something.”
“Yes, young master?”
“How strong are the barbarians?”
“Extremely strong.”
Maranello shuddered as if just imagining it was unpleasant.
“The great chieftains leading the large tribes, and the warlords under their command—their strength is beyond imagination.”
“Well, I figured.”
“But why do you ask?”
“Because I feel like I have a long way to go.”
“Heh.”
“After watching you slay that ancient demon, I realized something. If we encounter enemies as strong as you, I’d die before I could do anything.”
“Oh?”
Maranello’s smile widened, pleased by what he heard.
“Does this mean you finally wish to grow stronger?”
“It’s not that.”
Carlisle shook his head.
“How long would it even take to become that strong? I’ll die of old age first.”
“You possess talent, young master.”
“Talent? Please. Don’t flatter me.”
“This old man may be old, but my eyes still work. You have talent. With steady training, you will grow at an exceptional pace.”
“No thanks. I’ll grow just enough to live a decent life. I don’t want to fight monsters like that. That’s a guaranteed stupid death.”
Carlisle wrapped himself in a blanket and lay down by the fire, shuddering at the thought alone.
“Enough. I’m going to sleep.”
“Yes, young master. Rest well.”
Maranello still wore a gentle smile as he watched Carlisle settle in.
So, your thoughts have begun to change, young master.
He had not missed the shift happening inside Carlisle.
The next morning.
Carlisle’s group woke early and headed deeper into the mine with Chief Borodin and the dwarf elders.
There, they found a small shrine-like structure. In the center stood a stone sarcophagus, its lid completely open.
“We discovered this shrine and coffin while excavating ancient ruins buried in the mine.”
“That ancient demon came out of this?”
“Yes, young master.”
“Hm.”
“We never imagined a demon would be sealed inside when we first found it.”
“And why show this to me?”
“No particular reason. We simply wished to show you.”
“I see…”
“The ancient language on the shrine and the stone tablets—our dwarves cannot decipher it. We have no idea what it says.”
“And you expect me to know?”
Carlisle was utterly ignorant of ancient languages.
“I’m afraid I can’t read it either, young master.”
“Me neither.”
Even Maranello, who was considered quite learned, couldn’t make sense of the script. Evangelin, who was studying magic, said she had never seen these symbols before.
“I thought as much.”
Borodin sighed, as if he hadn’t expected much anyway.
“We only wanted to ask out of curiosity—how could a shrine be buried within such a solid rock formation? That was all. Think nothing of it.”
“It is strange, I admit.”
Carlisle agreed.
According to the dwarves, even the Hammerforge Clan had no knowledge of the shrine.
They had discovered it only while digging tunnels as usual, following ore veins, when it appeared sealed inside the stone.
“Either someone sealed it here long ago… or the entire Merrel Mountain range might be an ancient ruin.”
“That is also our clan’s suspicion.”
Borodin nodded.
“If only we could decipher the stone tablet, it would be wonderful. A pity.”
“No need to overthink it.”
Carlisle lost interest and turned away.
He wasn’t a historian, archaeologist, or treasure hunter. Ancient ruins didn’t matter to him.
“And stop poking around. What if you wake up something worse next time? The last thing that popped out wasn’t exactly pleasant.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re right.”
“Curiosity kills quickly.”
The baby dragon abruptly joined in.
“Ugh. So ignorant. These are Hadiyat characters.”
“Hadiyat characters? The hell is that?”
“You don’t know the Hadiyat Magitech Civilization?”
“How would I know that!?”
“Butler, you really need to study. How do you not know the Hadiyat Civilization?”
“Oh yeah? And how do you know? You’re literally a newborn.”
“I am a dragon, you know.”
The baby dragon lifted his head proudly.
“And still a newborn.”
“You’re unbelievably ignorant.”
“…?”
“Dragons are born already knowing the world. No one teaches us—yet we awaken with vast knowledge.”
“And I’m supposed to believe that?”
Maranello supported the dragon.
“It may well be true. Historical records say dragons are born as wise beings.”
“R-really?”
“Yes, young master.”
It was hard to believe, but Carlisle decided not to question it.
This world was full of illogical things. Pointing them out would only exhaust him.
“Dragons inherit knowledge from the past. Not everything, but enough.”
“Fine…”
“Hadiyat was an ancient magitech empire. Around… five thousand years ago?”
“Five thousand?”
It was an unimaginably distant era.
“I don’t know the exact date. Let’s just say five thousand.”
“And?”
“Hadiyat was a civilization of highly advanced magic. Until it was destroyed by the Dragon God.”
“What does that mean? Explain in words I understand.”
“Ugh…”
The baby dragon sighed as if Carlisle were hopeless.
“You at least know dragons are divided into clans, right?”
“Yes, that much.”
“Each clan is ruled by a Dragon Lord, and above them all is the Dragon God.”
“The god of dragons?”
“Practically a god. Close enough.”
“And?”
“The king of Hadiyat stole dragon knowledge. Their advanced magitech was only possible because they stole it.”
“…Don’t tell me they were destroyed for that?”
“As far as I know—yes.”
The baby dragon nodded.
“They crossed a line. It wasn’t enough to steal knowledge—they tried to artificially create Dragonslayers to hunt us.”
“Hahaha… ha… ha…”
“They paid the price. Stealing our knowledge was one thing, but to create weapons to hunt dragons?”
“Yeah… I can see why that would end badly.”
“As far as I know, this region used to be part of Hadiyat territory, so that explains things.”
“So what you’re saying is… there are Hadiyat ruins in the Merrel Mountains?”
“Most likely.”
The baby dragon nodded again.
“So can you read the tablet?”
“Let me see.”
“Here.”
“Hm.”
The baby dragon’s gaze slowly scanned the stone tablet Carlisle handed him.
