Descendant of the Heavenly Demon – Part 2
I couldn’t just recklessly call him out and ask.
I told you already.
He’s a senile dragon.
Even if I asked where the Ice Palace was, he’d probably just babble about at.
So, I bought a massive amount of at.
Not just beef, but pork, chicken, duck, goat, lamb—anything edible.
I practically swept clean several butcher shops in the Castle of the Inexplicable.
Naturally, the butchers’ faces were blooming with smiles.
“Please co again!”
“I’ll give you a discount next ti!”
“Just giving us the immune suppressant was more than enough, but now you’re even buying this much at! Thank you!”
I added several other ingredients as well.
I didn’t know of any miracle cure for senility.
Nothing like that existed in the ga.
But I did know recipes for potions that could temporarily boost intelligence and speed up brain processing.
[Artisan][Artisan][Alchemy]
[Crafting][My House][Cooking]
It had been a while since I used Artisan.
I crouched down in the restricted-access council plaza.
As I pulled out my alchemy tools, magic cauldron, the extra-large frying pan borrowed from Elder Drake, and my cooking utensils, the elves watched with curious eyes.
“Master Swordsman? What are you doing?”
“I’m going to feed Red so special dicinal at.”
“dicinal at?”
“Why would you…”
“Red isn’t exactly in a normal state, right?”
“That’s true.”
“So I’m planning to feed him dicine and then ask him so questions.”
It’s said that smart dogs and cats spit out dicine if you try to feed it to them directly.
So you have to wrap it in food.
I was planning to do the sa.
Fwoosh!
First, the dicine.
I brewed the Potion of Brilliance, Potion of Wisdom, and Potion of Genius.
‘Now, mix this…’
The base was fairy oil.
I diluted it with elixir solution and then stir-fried the three potions together to create a sauce.
If I had to na it, I’d call it Genius Sauce.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
I made several drums’ worth of sauce.
I heated the extra-large frying pan over the Supre Fla and started grilling the at like frying.
A refreshing yet greasy, indescribable aroma filled the plaza.
The elves sniffed the air.
The soldiers from different races guarding the plaza were drooling as they sneaked glances at .
You want so?
Nope.
Even I wasn’t going to eat this.
It was all for Red.
‘Done.’
I piled up a ton of grilled at and rubbed my forearm.
The armband shimred, and a hazy red shadow surged out.
The crimson ancient dragon, Red, burst into the air.
Despite his ferocious appearance, he looked down at , drooling heavily.
[at!]
“[Here you go!]”
I swung the giant frying pan upward.
The sizzling, juicy at soared into the sky.
[at!]
Chomp, Red bit into the at.
His ferocious eyes curved into crescent moons.
[Yummy!]
“[Eat more.]”
Clack, clack, clack.
Using the frying pan as a shovel, I scooped and tossed more at.
Chunks of at the size of a person flew through the air.
So were grilled whole, while others were tied with edible tendons to keep them intact.
Red chomped, chomped, chomped, and chomped.
He didn’t even bother to chew properly.
His throat bobbed endlessly as he swallowed the at whole.
[So good! Freaking good! Crazy good!]
Where did he even learn to talk like that?
Gwoong, gwoong, gwoong.
His heart—the dragon heart—beat fiercely.
Mana waves tore through the air rcilessly.
It wasn’t an attempt to intimidate.
The thundering heartbeat was grand yet filled with pure bliss.
Like a stray cat purring after getting a can of tuna.
Winter Queen looked utterly dumbfounded.
“To think His Majesty Red would… act like this…”
Well, I was used to it.
A dragon who becos adorable when given at.
That’s Red.
I gauged the amount of at left.
And the amount of Genius Sauce he had absorbed through his mucous mbranes.
‘Not enough.’
He had to eat at least half the prepared at for the effect to kick in.
So, I cooked even more.
Sizzle!
I slathered it with plenty of sauce.
Beyond simply heating the frying pan with the Supre Fla, I infused the very essence of fire into the at.
I was making the ultimate steak exclusively for Red.
[More! More, more!]
“[Sure. Eat as much as you want.]”
Grill and feed, grill and feed.
The mountain of at quickly disappeared.
All into Red’s mouth.
I had prepared nearly 10 tons, but Red devoured it with ease.
Well, just look at the size of him.
Even dozens of cows wouldn’t fully satisfy him.
[Is there no more?]
Red licked his lips.
I looked up at him, utterly drained.
“[Aren’t you full? You still want more?]”
[I had my al, now I need dessert.]
“[You… phew.]”
You’ve got separate stomachs for als and dessert too?
I could only sigh.
Still, stuffing him with entire drums of Genius Sauce had paid off.
His usually hazy eyes were now sparkling brightly.
Also, through [Dragon Knight], the thoughts I shared with Red beca more complex.
He had started perceiving things beyond just at.
, the elves beside , and even the Castle of the Inexplicable.
[You guys… haven’t I seen you before? Your faces look familiar.]
Red said while looking at the elves.
The older brother, the Captain, bowed respectfully.
“We t before, during the battle against the Arctic Sovereign.”
[That’s not it… not the Arctic Sovereign… it was before that…]
It seed his mory really was returning.
Even though the Captain spoke in human language, Red understood.
Red’s pupils grew clouded.
No, more like misty.
His gaze drifted far into the past.
Tracing back thousands of years.
Now was the chance.
“[Red.]”
[Yeah? What? You gonna give
more at?]
“[If you do what I say, I’ll make you a at cake.]”
I pictured it.
A towering mountain of at.
Raw at marinated in a honey-sweet sauce.
Grilled at cooked crisp in a spicy sauce.
at simred in a rich, creamy sauce with a deep flavor.
All of it coming together to form a tri-color at cake.
Through the Dragon Knight trait, I sent this culinary fantasy straight into his mind via ntal sharing.
Not just the visuals.
I imagined the taste of each sauce and each type of at in detail and transmitted even the sensation of flavor.
Gulp!
Red’s throat moved in a huge swallow.
[I’ll do it! I want to eat that!]
“[Okay. Just do exactly what I tell you, alright?]”
[Quick! Hurry!]
“[Simple. First, let’s find the treasure you used to have back in the day.]”
[Treasure? Treaasuree?]
“[Yeah, treasure.]”
Even with his boosted intelligence, Red was still senile.
If I just asked where the Ice Palace was, he wouldn’t get it.
I needed a different approach.
I adapted the personal quest I had done before.
‘In the ga…’
It was a treasure hunt.
And through it, Red would slowly recover fragnts of his mory and his past.
It wouldn’t cure his senility.
The most you could get were so dragon-exclusive equipnt pieces.
Woosh!
I climbed onto his back.
Red flapped his wings mightily.
The gust of wind blew the two elves’ golden hair into disarray.
“By the way, do you know the nas of the First Heavenly Demon and the Northern Sea Empress?”
In the ga, they had never been ntioned.
“Hmm…”
The Captain furrowed his brows.
He knocked on his head and, after a long mont, finally recalled.
“I rember. The First Heavenly Demon was nad Dokgocheon, and the Northern Sea Empress was called Kyuriana.”
Dokgocheon.
And Kyuriana.
Murmuring the two nas, I began equipping my traits one by one.
[Dragon Knight][Magic Brain][Ascension]
[Sixth Sense][Wish][Treasure Hunt]
I surveyed the world.
The Treasure Hunt trait was activating.
A hazy glow spread all over the Castle of the Inexplicable.
The strongest glow ca from the giant frying pan I had borrowed.
And my golf bag.
Red was still craving at.
I smirked inwardly and whispered to Red.
“[Here we go.]”
[Uuung?]
First, I activated Ascension.
An invincible nullification trait that could cure any disease and dispel any debuff.
Even mutations could be healed.
White light flared.
From my head, from Red’s head.
A spray of white starlight poured out and washed over Red completely.
Red froze.
His body stiffened.
I could feel his mind clearing sharply.
And along with it, mories floated up.
And yet, as they surfaced, they also began to fade.
Vague faces erged only to be erased again and again.
I watched those mories, saving them into the Dragon Sovereign’s ntal storage while feeling a pang of regret.
‘Even Ascension can’t cure senility.’
What if I evolved Ascension?
Still impossible.
My Sixth Sense whispered that it couldn’t be done.
It was already an irreversible condition.
Even using a Wish wouldn’t change that.
Red might temporarily regain his wisdom, but after a short conversation, he would revert to his adorable senile dragon self.
Summoning Wise Red would be a move for the final step.
After Ascension, I activated Wish.
“I wish to find a treasure linked to Dokgocheon and Kyuriana.”
A wish had to be specific.
You couldn’t wish for sothing vague like “I want to know the path to the Ice Palace.”
How would you know how it would manifest?
It might just show you the Ice Palace’s old location and be completely useless.
Flash!
Light spread outward.
The wish activated.
At the sa ti, I strengthened the Treasure Hunt trait.
The power of the wish that had been spreading through the air paused, then was sucked into my Treasure Hunt trait.
With a refreshing clarity, lights began to shine all over the world.
I had to avoid looking with my own eyes.
I shut them tightly.
Cut off all other senses.
Instead, I saw through Red’s eyes.
A strangely warped world.
Not just visible light, but ultraviolet rays, infrared, even X-rays and microwaves—every wavelength seen through the dragon’s sight.
Tiny light spots sprouted one after another.
All across the Castle of the Inexplicable.
Not at, but actual treasures were being marked.
‘It’s working!’
I imdiately took off.
Oh, and I didn’t forget to grab the two elves with Red’s front claws.
“Ughk?”
“Mommy!”
We flew toward the closest signal.
It was the central plaza.
The heart of the Castle of the Inexplicable.
Various races were playing around the fountain, and they looked up at
and Red.
“It’s His Majesty Red!”
“The Liberator is riding him!”
I quickly scanned the plaza.
The glow was coming from none other than the fountain.
Not the statue that spouted water, but the knight sculpture beside it.
The knight’s head was dazzling in Red’s vision.
[You stupid sword-swinging bastard…]
Red muttered in his hazy voice.
A mory replayed.
A young man dressed in a long robe, carrying a sword.
He raised his hand and stamped it firmly on a rock.
[Today, we kill the Demon King!]
I opened my eyes.
I burned mana to activate Destiny Sight.
Soon, I saw a faint line, barely holding together—a fragile line of fate.
Connecting Red to the knight’s head sculpture.
And from that head, lines spread out, flowing to various parts of the world.
Sowhere at the end of those lines, the Ice Palace ruins must be waiting.
Thunk!
I yanked the knight’s head off.
The Captain, dangling in Red’s claw, cried out in alarm.
“Master Swordsman! What are you doing?”
“It’s necessary for finding the ruins. I’ll leave the cleanup to you.”
“Wh-what?”
When could I afford to sit down and negotiate or do paperwork?
I had to use local collaborators.
We moved again.
This ti, the target was an antique shop.
An old alloy necklace, so worn down it had lost its shine and shape, was rolling around.
The sight of it triggered another mory.
[You clumsy elf spirit mage…]
An elf, looking exactly like Winter Queen, smiled.
Wearing the necklace around her neck.
That warm smile was so full of happiness it even moistened Red’s heart, which had long since hardened into stone.
Maybe that was the happiest ti of Red’s life.
Seeing as he later beca the guardian dragon of the Ice Palace.
It was before he beca an ancient dragon.
Though he was a holy dragon back then, he was still young enough to lose to the young First Heavenly Demon.
Thus, we gathered treasures and relics one by one.
Seven pieces just from the Castle of the Inexplicable alone.
That should be enough.
The strongest thread of fate was still held in Red’s front claws even now.
I returned to the plaza.
I laid out the two elves and the seven treasures.
The Captain shook his head, and Winter Queen grumbled.
“Sigh, what on earth is going on…”
“Master Swordsman, this will really work, right? It will, right?”
“Of course. Once we find the Ice Palace, you’re coming with . We’ll need you to open the treasure vault.”
“Treasure… um, I can take a few things too, right?”
“Naturally.”
There was no way I was going to hog everything for myself.
I only needed the Heavenly Demon Sword.
Of course, I’d grab any bonus loot if possible.
I closed my eyes.
I burned my mana to the maximum.
True mana from my real self.
Only with that could I use Destiny Sight.
Through it, I observed the threads of fate.
Lines tangled ssily from the two elves, the seven treasures, and Red.
I calmly sorted through them.
One by one, inside my mind.
Analyzed through Magic Brain and supported by Ascension.
Sixth Sense helped a lot.
It whispered which threads to keep and which to discard.
Thus, I reached the conclusion.
“Huh?”
It was strange.
The crossroads of fate were closer than expected.
Only a few dozen kiloters from the Castle of the Inexplicable.
A place I had visited before.
It was where the Arctic Sovereign’s forbidden zone, Mount Arctic, had been.
‘The Ice Palace is there?’
It seed the forbidden zone around Mount Arctic wasn’t created solely by the Arctic Sovereign’s power.
Talk about not seeing what’s right under your nose.
Coughing slightly, I deactivated Destiny Sight.
After chugging an elixir and using the Resurrection ability of the Golden Fleece, I finally returned to normal.
I could have used Ascension, but I needed to save that.
I had to use it on Red.
“You found it?”
“Yes. I found it.”
“Where is it?”
“At Mount Arctic.”
“What? Mount Arctic?”
“No way. I was trapped there for decades. I would’ve noticed if the Ice Palace had been nearby, even frozen.”
“Because of spatial distortion, it’s hard to detect. It’s still the sa now.”
The ruins of the Ice Palace, swallowed into a dinsional rift.
How could they have noticed, suppressed by the Arctic Sovereign?
Even knowing where it was, it wouldn’t be easy to find.
I had no sure way either.
It could be buried underground, sealed inside so ice shard—there was no telling.
This was a ti to borrow the wisdom of a true sage.
Soone who had lived for at least several thousand years.
A dragon who had ties with both the First Heavenly Demon and the Northern Sea Empress.
[Ascension] ==[[Nirvana]]== [Ascension]
Trait equipped.
Then replicated through World Traits.
Evolution completed.
A new trait was born, one that could be called Nirvana or Extinction.
“Hoo.”
The mana cost was overwhelming.
It wasn’t just my own mana; I had to draw from external mana sources, and even from Red’s mana, to barely make it work.
After taking a deep breath, I activated it.
Gwoooong… Gwoooong…
A giant, majestic sound.
Mana vibrated, spreading out like the tolling of a massive temple bell.
Light radiated outward in all directions.
Wrapped in a lotus-like halo of light, Red slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
And in those open eyes—
There was no trace of the senile dragon.
Instead, ancient eyes, filled with the wisdom of thousands of years, gazed straight at .
Red.
The Northern Fla King.
The Red Dragon, worthy of being called a true ancient dragon.
I stood face to face with the real Red for the first ti.
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