Chapter 228 - The Power of the Black Dragon (1)
The first magic tower of Zipfel.
The top floor of this place, commonly known as 'The Tower of Stories', was where Kelliark spent most of his time these days.
"Murakhan... I was looking for Misha, but I ran into an even bigger fish."
Kelliark spoke, tapping a crystal ball with his fingertips.
Kadun, who was sitting in front of him, had transformed into a human and was frowning heavily.
"So what are you going to do, damn it. I didn't think you'd let him slip away right in front of your eyes! It was a golden opportunity that doesn't come twice in a lifetime."
"It's been a while since I've seen you regret something this much."
"It's not just regret, I can't forgive myself. If I had caught Murakhan, I would have definitely been able to bring out his contractor."
The contractor of Solderet.
The most important ingredient of the 'Demon Stone' they were working to restore.
Kelliark and the brains of Zipfel had been aware since 1795 that there was a possibility that 'the contractor of Soldelet' was active.
It was the year when Jin started his life as a preliminary rider, before he met Andrei Zipfel.
Around that time, Kadun heard from Bement's Earth Dragons Rabus and Untiel that they had directly met Murakhan.
However, Kelliark and Kadun speculated that if a dragon had killed Andrei Zipfel and Vyuretta, it was most likely Misha.
Even if Murakhan had woken up, they judged that he would be helpless against Andrei and Vyuretta in his weakened state.
"Well, that's that. Since it's proven that the Bement Earth Dragons weren't talking nonsense, let's take our time to seize the opportunity again. Anyway, you said he had no strength like before?"
Strength like before.
Naturally, Kelliark had never experienced Murakhan's heyday firsthand. He only heard about it through documents and the testimonies of other dragons.
On the other hand, Kadun knew very well about the formidable power of Murakhan in those days.
"You never know. He might regain his former strength."
"You mean it's possible to regenerate a dragon's heart? Without the Demon Stone?"
"I haven't seen such a case yet, but the black dragon is a bit different from ordinary dragons. There's a high possibility that him being around Santel was part of his efforts to regain his strength."
Kelliark's eyes lit up with interest.
Whether it was possible to regenerate a dragon's heart or not, he found it more curious that Kadun was reacting like this.
"It makes me want to fight Murakhan at his prime if you talk about it so much. It wouldn't be bad if he regained his strength and reappeared."
"Don't say such horrible things."
"Anyway, I'm more worried about the Holy King. He used the Dawn Guardians without saying a word, so he'll probably cause a fuss again soon... That friend, I feel like dying every time I meet him. He's so strong-willed, and he hates me too much. Hmm, what should I do about this..."
Kelliark trembled as he held his forehead.
Then, after a while, he exaggerated his troubled mind with his body language and then smiled.
"Why don't I just kill him? That friend, he's lived long enough. If he dies, he's more likely to go to heaven than hell, so it won't be entirely bad for Miklan."
Kadun shook his head at Kelliark.
"Anyway, you're crazy."
"Haha, did I go too far?"
Thanks to Lani showing them the way, the group was able to escape from Santel without difficulty.
There were about six battles with the Dawn Guardians along the way, and a chase after they escaped the city.
The group managed to fend them off and get to the teleport gate of the Shul Empire before the control order fell.
Now that their destination was Tikan, they took a detour to prevent the Dawn Guardians from guessing this, and if they returned, they would have achieved their initial goal.
However, Jin and his companions couldn't help but have dark expressions.
"Nyaoo..."
In Jin's arms, Murakhan let out a weak cry.
His tiny body was hot as a fireball. Despite being transformed into a cat, there were still injuries inflicted by Kadun.
Forced transformation.
Currently, Murakhan wasn't transformed by his own will, unlike usual. He had received a fatal blow and underwent an unconscious transformation into the most suitable form for survival.
This forced transformation was a phenomenon that only particularly strong beings among dragons rarely experienced.
"It's a great relief that he still has this kind of defense mechanism, even though he lost his old power."
It was certainly fortunate that he had escaped from the crisis of being caught by Kadun and survived.
"...The problem is that he's now fallen to the state of an ordinary cat. Jin, you need to give him some more water. As Lani said, it seems like his fever is slowly coming down."
When a dragon transforms into a creature other than a human, there are several fatal restrictions, and the most serious one is exactly the current situation.
If they miss the 'time to return', dragons cannot return to their original form by themselves.
No matter what they transform into, they fall into that creature and lose their identity as a dragon.
"Nyaaa-"
When Jin offered water in his palm, Murakan licked it.
There was no way to turn Murakan back to normal for now.
It was because of his uniqueness as a black dragon. Other dragons, except for the black dragon, could return to their original form with the help of any dragon when they missed the time to return.
However, a black dragon needed the help of another dragon with the same attribute.
Since there are only two active black dragons, there was only one thing the group could do. Find Misha, the sister who Murakhan had gone to find.
"We've never had a day as frustrating as today, knowing that this guy is a black dragon. As soon as we get back, let's check the travel routes that Murakhan had set up again, and start searching mainly those places."
"Lord, don't worry too much. As long as he's alive, we'll soon find a solution."
"I'm surprised you're capable of saying such things, Kuzan."
"Just as Kuzan said, he's alive and we know how to return him back to normal, let's get going."
The group twisted their route and returned to Tikan by early the next morning.
They wanted to return faster due to Murakhan's poor condition, but if they were caught, it wouldn't be the Knights of Dawn, but Kadun and Zipfel's magicians who could possibly come to Tikan.
Fortunately, Murakhan's fever had subsided overnight. He was still weakly crying, though.
"My Lord, you're back! It seems that the beast of Santel was indeed Murakhan. Uh, why does Murakhan look a little unwell? Did he get a bit roughed up by that fire dragon?"
"Tell everyone to gather in the office. Call all the healers and animal handlers in the mansion, too."
"Animal handlers?"
"Hurry."
"Understood. I'll call on the healers right away! But my lord, your colleagues may find it difficult to go to the office right away. I think it would be better for you to go to the reception room."
"Why? What happened?"
Jet nodded as if to confirm.
Then, as if worried that someone else might hear, he looked around once before whispering.
'Well, isn't there a sister of Murakhan? Named Misha....'
"Is there news about Misha?"
"Why is Misha here!"
When Jin and Quinkantel both leaned forward to ask, Jet almost stumbled backward.
"Oh dear, please don't say that! She's really a bully. She's definitely Murakhan's sister! She suddenly came to the mansion about 5 minutes ago and started being violent immediately...!"
"What......?"
Jin and Quinkantel instinctively looked at each other.
'It seems that Beris saw her first. Somehow, she suddenly appeared in the middle of the mansion's reception room. So Beris was surprised and said, "Who are you, a thief?" and then...'
"What happened to Beris?"
This time, Kuzan leaned towards Jet.
'Ah, man! You'll scare me to death. Well, umm. Don't be too surprised and listen calmly. Beris's jaw twisted a bit from her punch. The healers are now fixing it so there's no problem....'
Kuzan ran like mad, almost tripping.
"Uh oh, it seems like he's in trouble. I think, he will suffer the same fate as well."
Jin and Quinkantel began to run towards the reception room.
"Uh, oh, my lord. Let's go together, be careful!"
Why is Misha here and how did she find this place? Moreover, she's causing chaos, does she have ill intentions towards us here in Tikan?
Will she help revert Murakhan? What if she can't or doesn't want to?
Various questions flashed through their minds as they ran.
A moment later, what Jin and Quinkantel faced was Kuzan lying flat on the floor like a wet rag, convulsing.
And behind him, an odd scene was unfolding.
First, there was a sharp-looking black-haired woman who had just sat down again at the table after resetting Kujan's jaw.
It was Misha.
"Brother Jin!"
"Master, you're here? Haha."
Surprisingly, Yuria was nestled in Misha's arms, and next to them was Lathry, serving cookies and tea. His hands were shaking like aspen leaves as he held the plate.
Kashimir, Yurien, Enya, and Gilly were also sitting at the table (Alisa was absent, busy with her guard duties).
Kashimir was wearing a polite business smile, and Yurien, like Lathry, was shaking his hands even with his poker face.
Enya was a little better, but still had a somewhat stiff expression after seeing two people pass out in an instant. Only Gilly was calmly serving cookies on Misha's plate.
Jin and Quinkantel couldn't help but be dazed for a moment.
'Crazy, what's this. Wait, this woman was Misha?'
Jin recognized the face.
She was the third mirage of the Mitra Desert, encountered right after overcoming Temar's energy.
He quickly collected his thoughts.
Although they didn't know why Misha had caused such a commotion as soon as she arrived, there was no use in panicking.
"I thought we hadn't met before, but it turns out we have. A pleasure to meet you, great Black Dragon, Misha. I am Jin Runkandel."
Misha nodded with an emotionless face.
"Right, since we didn't get a chance to talk in the desert, this is technically our first meeting. Nice to meet you, the thousand-year contractor. Is that my foolish little brother you're holding?"
"Yes, actually, we were just considering going to find you because of Murakhan. As you can see......"
"I know that. Kadun must have done something to him. I'll fix it later, so sit down for now. I don't want to waste time."
Jet wisely took Murakhan and went to the healers.
"Quinkantel, have you been well?"
"Yes, I've been well, Misha. You should have signaled if you were coming."
"You've become more beautiful since the last time I saw you. It's a shame for my brother, so I hope you forget about that guy soon."
Quinkantel coughed awkwardly and waved his hand.
"Don't start with that as soon as you see me... Misha, more importantly, his condition is really not good."
"I know. He must have been hit by Kadun. I'll fix it later, so tell me about what you've been doing. It's been a long time since I've visited, and I miss our talks."