Ian smiled.
Mev, who had been blinking in confusion, suddenly let out a quiet gasp as realization dawned on her.
"This is the place the Platinum Dragon summoned you to before, isn’t it?"
"You got it," Ian answered without hesitation, glancing at her as he stepped into the central plaza. "Don’t just stand there. Let’s talk while we move; this place is a lot bigger than it looks."
"Ah, right. Okay." Mev adjusted the crate in her arms and followed carefully.
Miguel swallowed hard, then asked, "Uh, are we really allowed to just walk in like this?"
"I told you, it’s mine now. And even if it wasn’t, you were once its messenger. That’s more than enough qualification. Stop worrying and get in here," Ian replied without slowing, his gaze sweeping across the vast circular space.
The towering walls were lined with pillars and structures reminiscent of temples or palaces. Intricate carvings and patterns were etched everywhere, grand and meticulous.
Soft light glowed from various points, illuminating the entire space like a quiet, sacred hall
How many dwarves did it work to the bone for this?
The corner of Ian’s mouth twitched upward.
Of course, he wasn't admiring the craftsmanship. Along the walls were numerous stone stairways and arched entrances leading to upper levels.
"Lu Entre... damn... this is insane," Miguel muttered, finally stepping fully inside.
"To think I’d live to see the inside of the Platinum Dragon’s nest..."
"More people have probably passed through here than you think," Ian chuckled.
The Platinum Dragon had many agents over time. And over a long span of time, long enough for legends to form, it had even taken in orphans in secret and raised them.
The wraiths outside had likely gathered only after the dragon moved its nest elsewhere.
"Do you think... that’s where it used to rest?" Mev asked quietly.
Ian glanced again at the massive, throne-like platform ahead—bathed in soft light, unnecessarily grand.
"Probably."
He could easily picture the enormous Platinum Dragon seated there the moment he saw it. The fact that it was positioned directly facing the entrance corridor was no coincidence. It was clearly meant for any potential visitors.
Perhaps it didn’t block off the other entrances to hide corruption. Maybe it just didn’t want anyone seeing this place at all.
A new thought crossed his mind.
Suppressing a faint smile, Ian turned to the left. He headed toward the nearest inner doorway.
From the outside, they couldn't tell which entrance led to the treasure vault.
"I can’t believe it’s this vast and this lavish..." Miguel’s voice followed, his mouth hanging open as he kept looking around. "It’s hard to believe even while seeing it. I doubt even the Great Church or the Imperial Palace is this beautiful."
"It is unexpected. From what it had said before, it seemed to live rather modestly," Mev added, walking just behind Ian.
Yog let out a quiet snicker, causing Ian to hesitate for a brief moment.
"That’s exactly why it stopped using this place."
In the end, deciding to preserve the Platinum Dragon’s dignity, Ian continued toward the entrance ahead, saying, "This was built back when it hadn’t let go of material desire. You could call it... a bit of a dark past for it."
"Th-Then, are you sure we can be here?" Miguel hesitated, lowering his voice.
When Ian glanced back, he swallowed, shifted the crate in his arms, and bowed his head slightly. "If it’s something like that, wouldn’t it have preferred to keep it hidden?"
"You served as its messenger, and you’re still this scared?" Ian let out a laugh.
Miguel’s expression twisted, as if he’d just heard something absurd. "That’s exactly why I’m like this. Honestly, I’m more surprised at how casually the rest of you treat it..."
"Ah, I see. Sounds like it wasn’t as approachable with you." A faint smile tugged at Ian’s lips. Miguel had met the Platinum Dragon after Ian disappeared beyond the Black Wall, after all.
"Well, it was kind, but... It’s hard to explain. Just being near it made my spine freeze. I couldn’t even see its eyes properly."
At that, Ian’s smile deepened slightly.
Figured as much.
Even he had felt that pressure whenever the dragon’s presence turned cold. For Miguel, it must have been a suffocating, unforgettable moment.
"Sounds like you were caught in the crossfire because of me."
"It’s not something you need to apologize for. I received more than I deserved in return."
Miguel smacked his lips, then forced a smile and shrugged.
"Looking back, maybe it was for the best. If it hadn’t been that intimidating, I probably wouldn’t have remembered every word it said. I memorized that long message in one go, you know?"
Maybe that was intentional.
Ian kept that thought to himself, letting out a chuckle instead. "Lucky in an unlucky way, then. Either way, don’t worry. By the time it finds out, you’ll probably already be in the heavens."
"So you’re saying this is something it wouldn’t want, then?" Miguel blinked, pausing mid-step.
Seriously, such a coward.
Ian clicked his tongue quietly and turned his gaze forward—not just because he was holding back the fact that the Platinum Dragon had already gone beyond the Milky Way, but also because they had just passed through a tall, arched doorway.
—Oh?
Beyond the thick outer wall, an immaculate and lavish corridor stretched out endlessly to either side.
—Now this is something I’ve seen before...
Ian gave a small nod.
This was a part of the lair he had once moved through more freely. Though even here, certain sections had once been sealed by barriers.
"It’s even bigger inside."
"No, wait, this is definitely larger than the Imperial Palace..."
Mev and Miguel both murmured in awe as they followed.
Their eyes wandered across the towering ceilings, the rows of carved pillars, the polished floors.
Even though their arms must have been aching from the crates, neither of them seemed to notice.
"I told you. It’s much bigger than it looks."
After glancing to either side, Ian turned to the right and added, "Keep walking, and you’ll understand why the Platinum Dragon abandoned this place."
The treasure vault lay even deeper underground. Since the corridors formed a continuous loop anyway, they’d eventually find it just by moving forward.
Fixing his gaze along the left wall, Ian strode ahead.
"The Elder’s going to lose her mind when she finds out," Miguel muttered not long after, trailing behind, his voice slightly breathless from Ian’s brisk pace.
"She was already devastated when she thought this was just a treasure vault. And now there’s something like this waiting inside," said Miguel.
"We’ll have to make multiple trips anyway. I can switch in with her halfway," Mev replied calmly.
Ian quietly clicked his tongue. "Judging by her reaction, she’ll cause a scene the moment she gets in here."
"Leaving without showing her a place like this would be cruel, Ian," said Mev.
"I agree. The Platinum Dragon might not have wanted it, but this is more magnificent than any castle I’ve seen, and more sacred than any temple," Miguel nodded, his earlier fear already forgotten.
—All the more reason not to show her, don’t you think? Watching that pointy-eared one throw a fit would be pretty entertaining.
Yog whispered slyly. For once, it was a tempting suggestion.
However, Ian only let out a long sigh through his nose and kept walking, not just because he lacked a good excuse to refuse, but because he could already picture Thesaya complaining about it endlessly.
Fortunately, his internal struggle didn’t last long.
"We got here faster than I expected."
After passing several side passages and upward stairways, a staircase descending into the depths finally appeared along the left wall.
"Wait, there’s more below this?" Miguel muttered in disbelief, breathing heavily. Clearly, he hadn’t even considered that possibility.
"I had the same reaction the first time I saw it," Ian replied, quickening his pace with a faint, wry smile.
Memories of the time he’d spent here with Archeas kept surfacing.
"Now I understand why the Platinum Dragon left," Miguel muttered, already slightly out of breath as they began descending the stairs. "As you said, it’s too big..."
"If it gets too much, take off your gear and leave it near the entrance. Pace yourself. You and I are going to be doing a lot of hauling," Ian said without even looking back.
"Ugh..." Miguel groaned, then suddenly sucked in a breath.
The crate in his arms had suddenly begun to float upward.
Ian had reached out with his Willful Grasp and lifted it for him.
"Stop talking nonsense and catch your breath. I’m helping so you don’t waste stamina," Ian said, cutting him off.
He continued descending the dimming staircase, ignoring the looks from Miguel and Mev behind him.
Below them, the structure gave way to a natural cavern.
"Now this looks more like the kind of dragon’s lair I imagined," Miguel muttered.
One corner of Ian’s lips curled slightly, not just because Archeas’s words had surfaced in his mind.
"What you’ll see below won’t be all that different," said Ian.
After all, a faint light, clearly reflected from somewhere, was already illuminating parts of the dark cavern.
"What do you mean by—" Miguel blinked in confusion.
Ian didn’t answer. He stepped into the cavern, walked a few more paces, then stopped and turned around.
—Oh, looks like there’s something even I didn’t see before...
Yog whispered with a hint of amusement.
Mev and Miguel followed down one after the other. As soon as they turned in the same direction, they froze, eyes widening.
"Lu Entre... my god..."
It was only natural.
Beyond the passage, under a soft, diffused glow, a vast expanse of gold spilled outward, stretching endlessly like a sea.
So it really just... left it all untouched.
It was exactly as Ian remembered.
Archeas, who had once roamed through the golden lake, hadn’t even bothered to close the door upon leaving.
A faint bitterness crept into Ian’s smile.
"Seriously... that..." Miguel’s dazed voice broke the silence. He turned to Ian, barely swallowing the drool threatening to slip. "All of that, it just gave it to you?"
"Yeah."
"That’s insane, holy shit."
"If you’re done being amazed, let’s go. The really valuable stuff’s further inside."
After glancing at Miguel, whose face was glowing with excitement, and Mev beside him, Ian tilted his head and stepped forward.
"W-Wait, Agent of the Saint!" Miguel called out hurriedly.
"What?" Ian paused and looked back.
Swallowing once more, Miguel asked, his eyes gleaming, "C-Can I... just once, just once... can I jump in there?"
