Chapter 256: Temple of Unir (2)

The Elder reached out her hand towards me.

“H-How can Your Majesty be…!! Alive like this… I’m glad… I’m so glad…”

The Elder called me in a hoarse voice. I approached her. When she saw me up close, she was even more surprised.

“No… You’re not His Majesty… You’re not His Majesty Lucifer, but how can you look so similar… And you have the aura of a dragon… Could it be?”
“That’s right. I am His Majesty’s son. Julian.”
“His Majesty’s… He… He left behind a successor… Really… It’s Unir’s blessing…”

Lucifer had no other successor but me. So to the demons, it must have been known that the previous Demon Lord’s lineage had been cut off.

“You look exactly like him… who was so beautiful… I want to talk… I want to talk a lot, but the time I have left… is gone.”
“Elder!”

Trisha shouted, but the Elder raised her hand to stop her.

“The reason why His Majesty’s successor is a dragon… There must be Unir’s arrangement in that… Come closer… Can you come closer to me?”

I nodded. She wrapped her hands around my face.

“Since the intruders stole the branch of the World Tree from me… They will find the tomb of the Millennium Ancient Dragon… And the holy power of Unir that I have can instinctively know the location of that branch… That power to you…”

For a moment, holy power flowed from her. Since it was the holy power of Unir, it was a special kind of magic. A location naturally came to mind.

“The tomb of the ancient dragon is still near the World Tree, so they wouldn’t have arrived quickly… The power of that ancient dragon… must not fall into their hands… Instead, you, the rightful successor to the Demon Lord, must… Cough!!”

After saying that, the Elder coughed up blood again. I could feel her life fading away.

“… But I’m glad… I’m glad… Unir has disappeared… But her will still remains… To you, that will… Iceland… To stop that destruction… Please…”

And the Elder finally breathed her last. I quietly closed her eyes. Trisha embraced the Elder as if she was screaming.

“Elder… Why… Why…”

Trisha had already abandoned the Demon Kingdom and the priestess of Unir. But the Elder seemed to have a deep connection with Trisha.

And although the Elder was dead.

The magic she left behind, that will was clearly telling me.

‘The demon-possessed… The demon-possessed people who have taken over the Sentiac Knights are different from ordinary demon-possessed people.’

It was dangerous. It was the same ominous feeling I got when I met a high-ranking magical beast. They were guys who possessed that blind murderous intent.

I put my hand on Trisha’s shoulder. I calmed her down and said.

“Trisha. It’s sad, but we have to listen to the Elder’s words. We have to chase those guys.”
“Yes… Lord Julian.”

Trisha spoke in a sad voice, but she soon got up. After taking care of the Elder’s body near the temple, the party moved.

And Chloe was silent for a while. Because she had heard shocking words from the Elder. That I was the son of Lucifer, that cruel Demon Lord.

‘She must have expected my identity to some extent. But she probably didn’t think I was the son of the Demon Lord.’

Not only that, but she must have sensed that the upcoming chase would not be ordinary.

So I slightly raised my magic and read the magic of her womb tattoo that was connected to me. It was possible because the two of us were already connected through that tattoo.

‘Excitement?’

That’s right. Rather, Chloe seemed to be more excited because she found out that shocking secret.

I could feel that her interest and lust for me had increased even more than for the Millennium Dragon Scale we were aiming for.

‘She’s definitely not an ordinary person.’

I spoke to the party.

“We will hurry and chase the intruders!”

The chase continued all night. It had been quite some time since the guys who raided the temple had left that place. But fortunately, the speed of those guys was not fast.

Since they didn’t have a guide who could naturally open the way like Trisha. The party caught the tail of the Sentiac Knights.

“No matter how demon-possessed those guys are, they can’t withstand all the demonic energy of the primeval forest. That’s why they invaded with such a small number of people.”

When I read the traces, there were five of them. It must be true since it was what the nearby spirits told Trisha. Chloe spoke.

“Five elite Sentiac Knights. Even if they are demon-possessed. It won’t be easy to deal with them.”
“No. It’s fortunate that it’s only that many.”

The invasion of those guys was not a full-scale battle.

No matter how elite the priests were and how strong their power was, this was the primeval forest. So it was not a place where those guys could move around for a long time.

‘With that small number of people, they will steal the remains of the ancient dragon and quickly escape.’

The reason why they raided the temple must have been because they needed the branch of the World Tree to find the ancient dragon’s tomb. I objectively compared the intruders and my skills.

‘The Elder’s words. And judging from the speed and traces they are moving, they must be at least Aura Experts. Moreover, if they are demon-possessed…’

They were not easy opponents. I had recently shown a close match against Izaltie. But the opponent was five. They were strong men who could not be compared to the fake High Knights of the Imperial Guard.

‘Well, it’s their misfortune to have met me as an enemy.’

But I didn’t feel any fear at all. The dragonification was already complete.

I didn’t change my appearance in front of Chloe. But just by that dragonification, the amount of aura I could use seemed to have increased much more than before.

‘And it’s worth a try if Chloe is my companion.’

Because I knew her skills well. And because of the womb tattoo I had already created, the demonic energy of the primeval forest was no problem for her.

But still, it was 5:2. It was definitely an overwhelming numerical disadvantage. If so, it meant that Trisha, who was brought as a guide, also had to fight.

However, Trisha’s condition was not very good now. The grand temple where she had stayed for a long time. All the priests there had died in a gruesome state.

So, I could feel that she was emitting a strong anger towards the Sentiac Knights. But that shouldn’t be the case.

For a swordsman, anger could sometimes be a driving force that exerted more power than skill. But for her, who was a spirit user, it could rather be a hindrance.

‘Since well-trained knights like Sentiac are fighting machines. If there is a person who loses their composure, the party could be in danger.’

So it meant that I had to calm Trisha down now. The party, who had been following Trisha’s back, stopped.

“Those guys must be tired too. It seems that they are planning to sleep and rest before entering the ancient dragon’s tomb. They are preparing to camp. Then if we attack them at this time…”
“That’s not possible. Trisha. It’s when those guys’ vigilance is at its peak. Rather, if we attack those guys, it will be after they enter the ancient dragon’s tomb.”

The magic of Unir that the Elder had left behind. According to that will, I didn’t feel that the ancient dragon’s tomb was a threatening place.

I was also a dragon. So to the ancient dragon, I was a more rightful visitor than those intruders.

“It seems that it would be more advantageous for me to fight in that tomb. That method would have the highest probability of success in revenge. Let’s take a rest for now.”
“Okay. Lord Julian…”

Trisha spoke in a tired voice. But she obeyed my words. The location of the party was a safe distance where the intruders could not notice.

So, like the day before, Trisha created a place to tie up on a large tree again.

“Then let’s rest here.”

After a simple meal, the three people entered their respective bedrooms. But a little later. There was a knocking sound on my door.

“Um… Lord Julian. It’s Trisha. I have something to say…”
“Come in.”

Trisha didn’t seem to be able to sleep easily.

The herbs that she had collected on the way here. I lightly brewed tea with those herbs and shared it with her.

And as if to comfort her heart. I silently listened to what she had to say.

“It feels strange to be back in the primeval forest like this. When I left the Demon Kingdom with Cecil, I didn’t intend to come back.”

The Trisha sisters who were collateral Demon Lords. And in the serious crisis of the Demon Kingdom due to the absence of the Demon Lord. Cecilia was forced to make a contract with an Archdemon.

Cecilia, who had just become an adult dragon. And the situation was said to have been very bad, to the point where Cecilia, who was a reclusive dragon far from the doctrines of Unir, had to hastily attempt that contract.

‘The damage that had to be suffered because of the magical beasts. It was much greater for the demons than for humans.’

100 years ago. The appearance of the Chaos Gate was the root of all evil.

The power of dragons and elves. And the skill of the outstanding blacksmith dwarves was great. But the problem was the absence of the main god of the demons, the God of Darkness, Unir.

Unlike humans who somehow survived from the magical beasts by borrowing the power of Jedin and his six gods’ holy power.

The demons, who could only use holy power in the form of contracts with demons, could not properly cope with the rampage of the magical beasts.

“So the Great War of 20 years ago was, so to speak, the last struggle. The magical beasts of the east. And the Orhain army of the south, the Sentiac Knights. If we were caught between them and stayed still, the demons would have really been destroyed.”

So the Great War with humans began.

The reason why the demons could fight on par with humans even in that inferiority. It was definitely because of the existence of the cruel Demon Lord, Lucifer.

“He had great power as a Demon Lord. But he had great charisma to lead people. He had great insight himself. So he made bold personnel changes and formed a proper staff.”

The unique tactics that Lucifer created with those staff members. The fact that the Empire was burned down by that tactic was still in the history books.

Through that Great War, the demons were guaranteed the right to survive from humans.

“But even now that the threat of humans has not completely disappeared… The Chaos Gate has begun to be activated again. You know that the gate has been dormant for the past 50 years, right, Lord Julian?”

I nodded. Immediately after the super-large gate was summoned 100 years ago. So when the Sword Empress Atlin was active.

At that time, the power of the Chaos Gate reached its peak, but around 50 years ago, that power weakened to some extent.

But I knew. That dormancy was a temporary dormancy to create the last Chaos Gate located in the Old Imperial City.

‘My parents. The Chaos Gate that Saint Agnes and Demon Lord Lucifer sealed.’

It was known to the public that it was a gate summoned by Demon Lord Lucifer. But the truth was completely different. Rather, Lucifer had saved humans.

But that seal had also expired now.

The autumn nest raid. If that failed. It meant that the magical beast of that nest would release all of that seal.

Then the five Chaos Gates would be activated. That was the most definite death sentence for Iceland.

Of course, she might not know the details to this extent. But the temple of Unir, where Trisha belonged, must have definitely sensed the sign of that destruction.

“If it’s a world that will perish someday… And thinking of my sister who became terminally ill due to the failure of the contract with the Archduke. I thought I shouldn’t stay in the Demon Kingdom any longer. Cecil had always admired human culture. In fact, I did too to some extent.”

It seemed that the sisters had always been curious about human society.

Rather than silently waiting for the downfall of the demons, no, the downfall of the world, they chose to move first.

“But was that choice a mistake? If I had stayed in the temple. The Elder and the other elves might not have died so miserably…”
“No. It’s not. To be honest, even if you were there, you couldn’t have stopped those demon-possessed people. And thanks to your decision to leave the Demon Kingdom, Cecilia survived.”
“… That’s true. But the people in the temple were people I had been with for a long time… I guess I was a little shaken. But I won’t hold you back, Lord Julian.”

But I could still feel Trisha’s emotions shaking. No matter how cool she was. It would be difficult to maintain her composure when she saw the gruesome scene of carnage at the temple.

I held her hand.

“You don’t have to pretend to be too strong. You need some time to mourn for the people who died a little while ago.”

At my words to comfort Trisha, her eyes turned red. And at that moment. Trisha leaned into my arms.

I patted Trisha’s back, who was shedding tears, and comforted her.

A little later, when she calmed down and our eyes met.

The look in Trisha’s eyes looking at me was not her usual self. It had changed into the look of a woman with deep passion.