Chapter 11 Part 4
Jeremy didn’t know what it was—but even though it was nothing more than a black aura, the moment he saw it, it made his stomach churn as if he might throw up.
He wanted to beg him to stop.
But all that came out were silent tears streaming down his face.
Kirthalros smiled as he covered Jeremy’s face with his palm, the black magic swirling within it. In an instant, that writhing energy seeped into him—through his eyes, his nose, his mouth.
“Aaaagh!”
Jeremy Noer let out a shrill scream as he burst out into the corridor. People turned toward him in shock, but he paid them no mind, stumbling forward as tears and snot streamed down his face, rushing toward the ballroom entrance.
“What’s going on?”
“Isn’t that the Noer heir?”
“Good heavens… he looks completely out of his mind.”
As whispers spread and someone suggested calling the guards, imperial knights arrived after hearing the commotion. They entered the corridor, checked inside, and returned—finding no one.
Only after they had finished did Kirthalros slowly emerge from the shadows.
Hiding wasn’t his preference, but he couldn’t leave just yet—not before Anais appeared.
‘When will the Empress show herself?’
Timing his return with the moment the commotion died down, he stepped back into the ballroom. Though only about ten minutes had passed, the number of guests had noticeably increased.
Annoyed at the thought of being disturbed again, Kirthalros moved toward a more secluded corner and sent a message to his knight and two attendants. The voice that rang inside their heads made the three non-human beings quietly change their positions.
“…What do you think?”
Emilio had also entered the ballroom, blending in among the nobles. If it became known that he was the Master of the Magic Tower, attention would inevitably gather, so he had taken on a simple disguise.
In truth, he had wanted to alter his appearance with magic, but that idea had been dismissed—there was a risk it might draw the dragon’s attention. Instead, he concealed his striking features with makeup and a fake nose.
“There’s no doubt.”
Emilio murmured, trying to suppress his rising excitement. The official standing beside him instinctively reached for alcohol, then caught himself and picked up a glass of a non-alcoholic drink instead.
Considering the dragon’s palace and the magic it had used, the one hidden among the ballroom guests was likely a true dragon—one that had created ancient ruins.
If it were up to him, he would have mobilized every mage in the Magic Tower to capture it alive.
But Rahil—the Emperor—had ordered it killed.
In the capital, where the damage could be catastrophic, slaying the dragon was unavoidable. The dead could not be brought back. It had to be hunted down before it could kill countless others.
An ancient dragon was, by its very existence, a disaster.
‘Though that was more true in the past.’
While the ancient dragons had gradually declined, humanity had advanced rapidly. Borrowing the power and knowledge granted by the gods, they had risen—breaking free from the disaster that was dragons and becoming the rulers of the continent.
It hadn’t even taken a hundred years.
Of course, that didn’t mean dragons were no longer a threat. But even within the Empire alone, Emilio knew at least three individuals capable of killing a dragon single-handedly.
One was Duke Theodore Calix.
Another was Emperor Rahil Mior Kal Seiven.
And the third was Count Rodrigo, who was currently waiting outside the ballroom for a signal.
This wasn’t a question of whether the dragon could be killed.
It was a question of how to kill it while minimizing damage to the capital.
Destroying a living relic of the ancient age was a waste—but leaving it alive would turn it into a disaster capable of slaughtering millions.
‘And it’s also a chance to see how well my magic holds up against a dragon’s…!’
The official tightened his grip on his glass and took a deep breath. Just knowing that a dragon had infiltrated the imperial ballroom was enough to make his blood run cold.
Emilio felt a faint distortion in the flow of magic within the hall and tensed.
The dragon was using magic.
Though he hadn’t deciphered it entirely, he had managed to reproduce fragments of it from the traces left behind.
Because of that, he could faintly eavesdrop on the “sounds” Kirthalros was gathering.
—Will His Majesty appear?
—Both Their Majesties are late… oh, look over there. Young Lord Decart…
—Have you heard what kind of dress Her Majesty ordered?
—I wonder what wish I should make to His Majesty…
It was clear—he was collecting “sounds” that contained words like His Majesty or Emperor.
With too little information, he was simply listening in on the nobles’ chatter inside the ballroom.
Up until two generations ago, humans and dragons had been in direct conflict. Humanity’s rise to dominance wasn’t just because they had grown stronger than before—
It was because dragons were too arrogant to try and understand humans.
They ruled by strength, treating humans like playthings.
Human emotions, human perspectives—those had never mattered to them.
Because to dragons, humans were nothing more than insects.
Kirthalros suddenly turned his head, sensing magic not far away.
He couldn’t see the man’s face—the target was looking elsewhere—but he recognized the magic.
And he was genuinely surprised.
‘Is this… another one of the gods’ tricks?’
Even while being tortured to death, that man had never revealed his origins.
Because he knew—if he did, Kirthalros would hunt him down and burn his city, his country, everything.
Emil.
The cunning mage who had stolen Radiel’s heart—something he himself had never managed to obtain—was here.
In a different body.
And with power far greater than before.
For a brief moment, Kirthalros wondered if the man had somehow overheard his magic—but that was impossible.
How could a human eavesdrop on a dragon’s magic?
Humans might have advanced in swordsmanship, but in magic, they could never reach the level of dragons.
‘What a strange and unpleasant coincidence. If this too is the will of the gods… then it’s nothing but irritating.’
He had thought he had found Radiel’s reincarnation—
And now Emil’s as well?
For Kirthalros, who stood here borrowing another’s name and form, it was enough to send a chill down his spine.
He wanted to kill him immediately.
But the location made it impossible.
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