God Agent: All Hail The Great Kobold

Chapter 39: Guardians Of Athedal

Squish!

Ka’z remained seated on the cold stone floor, quietly listening while Boi enthusiastically rambled about dragons and the countless legends surrounding them. The goblin’s excitement was almost infectious, yet most of what he said sounded strangely familiar. These were the very same stories Tong’a and the colony elders had told every hatchling growing up.

Everyone knew that long before the Age of Darkness, Athedal had belonged to the dragons. They had ruled not merely as kings but as gods walking among the races. Then came the Dark Age, a century during which calamity after calamity devastated the continent.

Entire kingdoms vanished, civilizations crumbled, and countless races were driven to the brink of extinction. When that terrible age finally ended, the dragons had disappeared alongside it, leaving behind only myths, ruins and scattered legends.

Since then, every legendary figure who had shaken the Central Continent shared one strange similarity.

Each supposedly possessed dragon heritage. No matter how diluted, the bloodline made them special.

"You mean dragon blood can actually be acquired?" Ka’z asked, his voice rising slightly with genuine curiosity.

He still couldn’t fully grasp what Boi was trying to explain.

Boi nodded.

"I’m saying there are countless stories claiming that many of those legendary figures discovered dragon corpses hidden in forgotten ruins or ancient battlefields. They consumed their flesh to gain the draconic bloodline that made them legendary."

Ka’z blinked.

"...Consumed them?"

"Some say you need to drink the blood while other say it’s the heart you need to eat. Nobody knows which stories are true anymore." Boi shrugged. "But according to the old records, if someone fortunate enough discovers the remains of a true dragon and survives consuming it they will gain the draconic bloodline and the power that comes with it."

Ka’z subconsciously tightened his grip around Shiki. The thought alone sounded unbelievable yet considering everything he had witnessed since arriving in this world he honestly couldn’t dismiss it.

Bam!

The heavy wooden door burst open, Both Ka’z and Boi instinctively turned. Tong’a stood silently within the doorway, the old priest’s cloudy eyes first settled upon Boi.

For several long seconds, neither spoke.

The atmosphere inside the prison suddenly grew noticeably heavier before Tong’a finally shifted his gaze toward Ka’z.

"Come with me."

His calm voice carried no room for discussion. Without waiting for a response, the old priest turned and walked away down the dim corridor.

Ka’z glanced briefly toward Boi before grabbing Shiki and painfully hauling himself back onto his feet. His bruised body protested every movement, but he ignored the discomfort and hurried after the elderly kobold.

Only once he had nearly caught up did Tong’a finally speak again. His gaze shifted toward the steel staff resting in Ka’z’s hand.

"Why do you cling to sacrilegious items?"

His tone remained calm but his eyes did not. Only now did Ka’z remember Tong’a had never merely disliked rune magic, he considered it heresy.

To him, forcing Athedal to obey through words and symbols instead of harmonizing with it naturally was fundamentally wrong.

At that moment, Ka’z realized something far more troublesome than simply understanding rune magic. Learning it wasn’t the real obstacle. It was convincing everyone else, specially Tong’a, that would be the true challenge.

If the colony rejected everything related to runes because their spiritual leader declared them forbidden, then no amount of research would ever matter.

Ka’z quickly organized his thoughts.

"...To study it. If we don’t understand this magic then we’ll never truly understand how to defeat it."

The old priest stopped walking. For nearly an entire minute he simply stared at Ka’z to the point the silence became almost uncomfortable.

Finally, Tong’a turned back toward the tunnel ahead.

"Know no evil...lest you become consumed by it." His voice echoed softly through the underground corridor.

After saying those words, he spoke no further. The remainder of their journey passed in silence.

Eventually the familiar shrine came into view. Unlike the cold prison beneath the colony, this chamber felt peaceful. The enormous wyvern skull hung upon the stone wall as though silently watching everyone who entered while the faint scent of incense drifted through the room while mana lamps cast a warm glow across the ancient carvings decorating the walls.

O’nil was already waiting.

The elderly chieftain smiled faintly upon seeing Ka’z before gesturing toward the woven mat opposite them.

Tong’a quietly lowered himself onto his usual seat while Ka’z carefully sat across from them, wincing slightly as his battered body settled against the floor.

For several moments, nobody spoke. But finally, O’nil broke the silence.

"Before we address the colony regarding everything that happened, we wanted to hear your side first." His calm eyes settled upon Ka’z

Tong’a slowly nodded.

"We were told that you foresaw this calamity."

Ka’z nodded firmly and his expression gradually became serious.

Since their short chat in the corridor, Ka’z had reached one unavoidable conclusion. If he wanted to change this colony, then he needed influence.

No matter how uncomfortable that realization felt, he couldn’t deny it anymore. The title of the Child Of prophecy only made adults take him more seriously than his siblings but it didn’t mean they valued his words.

In there eyes he is still a youngster and unfortunately, simply possessing knowledge accomplishes nothing if nobody listens. Especially during wartime, a single refusal to adapt could condemn everyone.

"...It wasn’t exactly a vision. It’s more like a feeling I can’t ignore. I believe they’re premonitions." Ka’z chose his words carefully.

He couldn’t see the future but he could predict the possible outcome based on tasks the system give. They were two different things and he needed them to understand that.

O’nil and Tong’a exchanged another glance before returning their attention toward him.

Tong’a spoke first.

"Then tell us."

Ka’z began recounting everything from the beginning. He started from his warning before the operation, to the scout triggering the arrays, his confrontation with Boi and then linked his premonitions to his decision to keep the battle shaman alive.

Neither elder interrupted, they simply listened in silence. By the time he finished, both elderly kobolds looked noticeably shaken.

O’nil slowly exhaled.

"You spared that goblin because of the same premonition?"

Ka’z nodded.

"When everyone told us you had defeated him but refused to kill him, we couldn’t understand why. Tong’a insisted we wait until you regained consciousness." O’nil leaned back slightly.

Tong’a remained unusually quiet and just observed Ka’z. His wrinkled fingers gently tapped the top of his staff as he organized everything he had just heard.

Eventually he lifted his gaze.

"You’ve spent some time speaking with the prisoner. What have you learned?"

Ka’z immediately straightened. Despite his injuries, excitement visibly returned to his face.

"I believe the Ashmork Clan rose to power because of something called the Red Scripture."

Buzz!

Both elders visibly stiffened. Their eyes immediately met before returning toward Ka’z.

"...Continue."

Ka’z explained everything Boi had shared but he deliberately avoided mentioning the more sensitive discussion regarding rune magic itself.

Instead, he focused upon the existence of the scripture and the goblins’ rapid rise. He also recounted everything Boi had revealed concerning dragons and his bloodline.

Only after finishing did silence once again settle across the shrine and Tong’a slowly nodded.

His earlier displeasure had softened considerably. For the first time, he fully understood why Ka’z had chosen to spare Boi.

"...The battle shaman possesses knowledge too valuable to lose, clearly we should keep him alive and let you investigate further."

He quietly rubbed his chin.

"But the other prisoner remains uncooperative. We’ll require more time to know how valuable he is."

O’nil immediately laughed.

"Time?"

He waved dismissively.

"Just throw Lan’ka into his cell the moment he wakes up. I guarantee that goblin will be singing like a bird before sunset."

Ka’z couldn’t help smiling. Honestly, he found that prediction surprisingly believable.

Tong’a finally released a long, exhausted sigh. The previous night had weighed upon him more heavily than any he could remember in years. Everything had happened too quickly. But finally the scattered pieces had begun fitting together.

He slowly closed his eyes.

"Now we finally have the complete picture." He looked toward O’nil.

O’nil smiled knowingly before rising with the support of his cane.

"Good. Now you can finally prepare your speech." He pointed toward Tong’a

Tong’a’s forehead twitched immediately.

"You annoying piece..."

He stopped himself as O’nil raised an amused finger.

"Watch your language. There are children here."

Tong’a glared at the old chieftain while O’nil laughed all the way out of the shrine, leaving the elderly priest silently wondering whether old age would ever force that infuriating bastard to mature even a little.