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Chapter 226: Ancient Dragon Ignisia (5)
And her scheme hit the mark precisely.
In Ketal’s eyes, a deep favor appeared as he looked at Ignisia.
“I never thought there could be such a kind being!”
She misunderstood him and even taught him how to handle mysteries and the magic of words!
He almost wished she would continue to misunderstand him; he felt like he was soaring to the heavens.
“What is the price?”
Ignisia mentioned there would be a cost.
It wouldn’t be for free.
Whatever she desired, Ketal was prepared to pay.
Literally, whatever it might be.
Ketal's eyes flickered dangerously.
Ignisia flinched reflexively.
“Wha... it’s nothing special. I just hope you’ll have some goodwill towards us.”
“Goodwill?”
“Get along well with the beings of the earth. Don’t reject the dragons, and be friendly with us. If they hinder or interfere with you, please just think twice before acting. Of course, it’s a request, so it’s not forced.”
“Hmm?”
Ketal tilted his head at the sudden words.
But Ignisia had a very serious expression.
Ketal's principles of action were driven by his own interests and pleasures.
Though he thought of them as allies now, that could change with future experiences and events.
So, she placed a restraint like this.
Of course, there was no coercion.
But at least it could make him think twice before acting.
Seeing her expression, Ketal realized she wasn’t joking.
He nodded seriously as well.
“I understand. I’ll try my best.”
Given that several had already become quite close, he intended to do so even without Ignisia saying it.
“Is that all?”
“No, there’s one more thing. I hope you can do me a favor later. We’re quite busy at the moment.”
The dragons had not shown themselves to the world for a while.
And there was a reason for that.
Ignisia rubbed her forehead as if tired.
“There’s a lot to do. We could really use an extra hand.”
“What kind of work?”
“It’s hard to say right now because the situation is changing moment by moment. But it won’t be something too difficult for you.”
“I understand. I accept.”
Ketal nodded eagerly.
No matter what she proposed, he intended to accept it all.
Compared to the magic of words, anything else felt light.
“Then.”
“Okay.”
Ignisia nodded.
“I’ll teach you.”
“Oooh…”
Dragon Words.
It was time to learn the mysteries of the great world.
Ketal’s face lit up with excitement.
* * *
Ignisia moved to the living room of the lair with Ketal.
“First of all, you can’t learn it right away. You still don’t have any mysteries.”
Dragon Words ultimately dealt with the mysteries of this world.
To handle it, one needed to know how to handle mysteries.
However, Ketal still found it impossible.
“So first, I’ll explain what kind of power it is. Since it’s the power you will eventually handle, you need to understand its basic framework. The detailed usage will be taught after you can handle mysteries.”
“I understand.”
Ignisia began her explanation.
Ketal listened intently, as if he wouldn’t miss a single word.
“First, I’ll explain the power of dragons. Our power can be broadly divided into two types.”
Dragon Words.
And magic.
“I’ll explain our magic.”
Ignisia lightly waved her hand.
Then, the cap of a liquor bottle on the table opened, and its contents floated into the air.
It moved chaotically according to Ignisia’s finger and soon formed a complex statue.
Ketal gasped in amazement.
“That’s amazing.”
Ketal was impressed, but for a magician, it would have been a shocking level of magic.
For a superhuman top-tier magician to achieve the magic Ignisia was performing, they would need to spend several days designing and using catalysts just to barely accomplish it.
And she was doing this magic without any preparation or incantation, just with a simple hand gesture.
Ignisia extended her finger, causing the statue to collapse, and the liquor returned to the bottle.
“For us, magic is as natural as breathing.”
There was no need for incantations.
If they desired it deeply, they could manifest magic.
That was why dragons were called the magical race.
“But magic isn’t our core power.”
To dragons, magic was as natural as breathing.
In other words, it meant it was merely the most basic form of power.
The true power of dragons was Dragon Words.
“When we speak, we can imbue that power. You know what it feels like.”
“I understand. It’s very powerful.”
In a party of four superhuman top-tier warriors who had come together to capture a dragon, they had fought against it.
They were losing, but it was not a level at which they would easily be defeated.
They had even succeeded in launching an attack just before finding an opening.
However, the moment the dragon spoke for the first time:
[[Get lost]]
At that moment, the tide of battle turned.
With a single word, the strength of the four superhuman top-tier warriors was mercilessly torn apart.
“More precisely, it feels like this: [[I wish there was one more golem protecting the lair.]]”
Ignisia said.
There was power in those words.
And then, the world moved.
Clang!
Artifacts began to fly from the lair’s storeroom.
They gathered and combined, starting to form the shape of a golem.
“…Oh?”
As Ketal observed closely, he realized one thing.
Ignisia wasn’t manipulating the artifacts to create the golem.
The artifacts were moving on their own to fulfill Ignisia’s words.
Before long, a golem was completed.
It looked incredibly powerful.
Even the four superhuman top-tier warriors who had faced dragons couldn’t guarantee victory.
“Time to work.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Ignisia said lightly.
The golem departed to guard the entrance at her command.
“Do you get it?”
“I just felt that the artifacts seemed to move on their own to fulfill your words.”
“That’s right. That is the power of Dragon Words.”
The words of dragons were imbued with power.
It was a command directed toward the world.
The world itself moved to fulfill the dragon's words.
That was the great authority possessed only by dragons.
“It's a power that almost all dragons use as their main strength.”
A dragon who could properly control their Dragon Speech was a being akin to a natural disaster.
With the ability to command the world at will, there were few who could stand against them.
“It’s a powerful force. And just as dangerous.”
It was a power that even dragons could not easily handle.
The bigger problem was that it was difficult to control.
In fact, young dragons couldn't even speak carelessly.
Since they couldn’t control their Dragon Speech, opening their mouths recklessly could cause them great harm.
That’s why dragons only slowly learned to control Dragon Speech after reaching adulthood.
“Ah, so that’s how it is.”
Ketal muttered as if he understood.
The dragon they had faced, which had just become an adult, did not speak carelessly.
It seemed that the dragon still couldn’t properly control Dragon Speech.
A power so strong that even speaking was dangerous.
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He could wield that, or even stronger power.
He was very pleased. Ignisia brought up the main point.
“Magic and Dragon Speech. These are the two abilities dragons wield. And the power to combine those two into one.”
That was Dragon Speech Magic.
“Our own unique magic, which we wield by speaking the language of magic with Dragon Speech, allowing us not just to command the world but to wield it freely.”
“Whoa…”
It was a power that ordinary dragons could not wield.
Only a dragon that had aged to the level of an ancient dragon could do so.
And with that much power.
Ketal could not underestimate the Dragon Speech Magic that Ignisia wielded.
Even in the white snowfields, such power was rare.
Ignisia continued.
As Ketal listened, a question arose.
“Then are you stronger than the King of the Wind Spirits?”
According to the explanation of Dragon Speech Magic, it could freely interfere with the concepts of the world.
It was a much broader range than the Spirit Kings, who were bound to a single concept.
But Ignisia shook her head.
“No, that's not the case. Dragon Speech Magic can widely interfere with the world's concepts, but it's thin. Those who are specialized in a single concept have their own powers. At that level, it varies depending on the difference in ranks.”
“I see. I understand.”
“Originally, no one but a dragon could wield Dragon Speech Magic... but you might be able to. I will embed a dragon heart into your body.”
The power of a dragon would dwell in his body.
He had now gained the qualification to wield Dragon Speech Magic.
“To wield Dragon Speech Magic, rank is also required, but that won’t be a problem for you.”
The rank that Ketal possessed was very peculiar and powerful.
Perhaps even higher than Ignisia’s.
He was more than qualified to wield Dragon Speech Magic.
“Of course, it won’t be as powerful as ours, but it will be satisfying.”
“Indeed.”
As Ketal listened intently to Ignisia's explanation, another question popped into his mind.
“If I wield Dragon Speech Magic, does that mean I won’t be able to learn swordsmanship or other magic? From what I know, it can only be wielded in one way.”
“No. Since Dragon Speech and Magic are our most basic powers, there’s no such restriction. In fact, there are dragons who have reached the level of heroes using only swordsmanship.”
“I see.”
The last concern was also resolved.
Ketal’s eyes shone.
“I completely understand. Hearing this makes me want to learn it even more.”
The power to grasp and shake the world.
Dragon Speech Magic.
How enticing it was.
His heart raced with anticipation.
Ignisia clapped her hands.
“Good. Then, that’s enough of an explanation for now. I’ll teach you the details after you’ve obtained the Mystery. It doesn’t mean much right now anyway.”
In the end, what mattered was the Mystery.
Everything else came after.
Ketal nodded vigorously.
After that, Ketal received a simple book on Dragon Speech Magic from Ignisia.
He read it with great focus and enjoyment.
Ignisia found it curious that Ketal was studying.
And two days later.
Ketal had completed all the preparations to obtain the Mystery.
* * *
“It’s ready.”
At Ignisia’s words, Ketal, who had been reading, jumped to his feet.
“Oh! Finally!”
“Follow me.”
“Understood!”
Ketal followed Ignisia with long strides.
They moved underground within the dragon’s lair.
There, several rooms were located.
Ignisia entered one of the rooms.
As soon as Ketal stepped inside, he let out a gasp of admiration.
“It’s thick.”
The room was filled with mana dense enough that even Ketal could sense it.
The Mystery, which normally should have been invisible, was visible to the naked eye.
And at the center of the room was an extremely complex magic circle.
Even Ketal, who had some knowledge of magic, could not comprehend this high-level magic circle.
Various catalysts floated above the magic circle.
Among them was a dragon heart, along with many other precious catalysts.
They were circulating and forming the structure of the magic circle.
Ignisia explained.
“That magic circle will allow you to wield the Mystery.”
“Oh, oh… Is there any problem?”
“According to my assessment, there shouldn’t be.”
The reason Ketal couldn’t wield the Mystery might have been that the amount of Mystery was far too insufficient for his body.
The vast amount needed to circulate within his huge body and the rank required to touch that mighty body.
In other words, if these two conditions were met, Ketal would be able to wield the Mystery.
That was the judgment of the ancient dragon, Ignisia.
“It really required an unimaginable amount of materials.”
In the end, both the amount and the rank of the Mystery had to be satisfied.
Given Ketal's body's speciality, it couldn’t be handled carelessly.
Even with just the dragon heart, the catalyst was of a different rank, and the supporting catalysts were also substantial.
The materials used were equivalent to more than ten of the blue gems Ketal had received in the city of mermaids.
The lesser materials were too numerous to count.
Even with the World Tree’s leaf that Ketal had handed over, such materials were still necessary.
Ignisia had never used so many materials at once before.
“If you still can’t wield it after this, that would be unexpected… but since you used the blue gem, your Mystery has risen to a second-class level, right? Then it should be possible.”
“Thank you. Truly, you’ve gone through a lot.”
Ketal spoke sincerely.
Ignisia smiled faintly.
“It’s enough as an apology. Besides, this guy worked hard too.”
Ignisia pointed to the wandering merchant waiting in the room.
“It was thanks to him that we could gather everything so quickly.”
She, even as a dragon, wasn’t particularly interested in catalysts or treasures.
As such, there weren’t many materials necessary for the lair.
Had she gathered all the catalysts used by herself, it would have taken quite some time.
It was all thanks to the wandering merchant that it was completed so quickly.
[My quest was to help you wield the Mystery… so this much is to be expected… And I’m curious too…]
The wandering merchant’s glowing pupils focused on Ketal.
He muttered with a strange tone.
[Just how will this turn out, I wonder…]
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