Chapter 249: The Dragonblood Curse
The excitement on Heki Stone's face was so infectious that even Ambrose was drawn in.
The dwarven vampire had rushed over before even finishing his allotted questioning time. Whatever he had discovered, it had to be something major.
Ambrose continued drawing his magic circle as he said, "Go on, I'm listening."
Heki was clearly dissatisfied with this half-hearted response. This was a discovery that could shake the history of the entire continent.
But there was no changing Ambrose's attitude, so he pressed on. "Back then, Arthur Lyon must have suffered from a severe physical condition. That's why he left without a word."
"A legendary paladin... getting sick?" Ambrose frowned. "Got any proof?"
Paladins might shout about "holy light" so often it sounded like a catchphrase, but their power was undeniably potent. In theory, paladins didn't fall ill. They only aged.
Arthur Lyon was beyond even that. He might as well have been a demigod.
What kind of illness could affect someone like him?
Heki replied firmly, "After speaking with his spirit, I can confirm his personality matches the historical records. He's humble, compassionate, strong-willed, and deeply responsible. Someone like that wouldn't abandon his empire without reason. There had to have been an irresistible force.
"But what could possibly force the Emperor of Lyon to leave? It couldn't have been divine intervention. The Lord of Dawn wouldn't allow another god to harm such a devout follower. That leaves only one possibility: something went wrong with Arthur Lyon himself.
"I cross-referenced the records. Around that time, Lyon purchased massive amounts of medicinal materials and sought out doctors across the continent. Officially, it was due to a plague, but think about it. In an empire bathed in holy light, what plague could there be? Wouldn't the priests' healing magic suffice? Why bring in outside physicians?"
The reasoning made sense. Arthur Lyon may have been afflicted with some condition even holy light couldn't cure.
But Ambrose still thought that something was off. "If he disappeared to seek treatment... No, that doesn't add up. Why leave without telling anyone? He could've discussed it with his ministers. Who would've stopped him from seeking a cure?"
Heki grinned. "Exactly. You're sharper than I thought. What if this illness couldn't be revealed to anyone?"
Ambrose paused mid-stroke. "A hidden illness? What, did Arthur Lyon catch some kind of venereal disease?"
That might have been the case for any other ruler, but surely not Arthur Lyon.
Holy light could cure such diseases easily. That couldn't be it.
Heki smirked. "Want to know? Given our relationship, I'll only charge you two hundred thousand gold. How about that?"
"Pass. That's not worth two hundred thousand to me. Sell it to the Lyon Empire. They'll probably pay you two million just to keep things quiet."
Ambrose refused without hesitation. Even uncovering the empire's deepest secrets wouldn't make its paladin legions vanish overnight.
Seeing his payday slipping away, Heki grew anxious. "This is absolutely worth it! It's tied to the corruption of the Lyon royal family, and it's connected to the Dragon Tyrant!"
Ambrose completed the final stroke of the teleportation array, then stroked his chin thoughtfully. "...Connected to the Dragon Tyrant?" he murmured. A moment later, he asked, "Arthur Lyon was afflicted with a dragonblood curse, wasn't he?"
"Uh..."
Seeing Heki's expression, Ambrose chuckled. "Looks like I just saved myself two hundred thousand gold."
The dragonblood curse was an obscure phenomenon. Dragons were rare to begin with, and the conditions for such a curse were even rarer: a legendary dragon consumed by hatred, willing to destroy its own soul and bind it into its blood—and a dragon slayer who kills the beast and bathes in that blood.
"So when the Dragon Tyrant died, it chose to annihilate its own soul and curse Arthur Lyon?" Ambrose mused. "That doesn't make sense. This curse is powerful enough to affect even gods. How did Arthur Lyon live past a hundred? He should've died long ago."
Heki was visibly annoyed that Ambrose had deduced most of it already. How did this damn lich know so much? Dragons had been gone from the continent for over a millennium. He had only learned of the dragonblood curse from a few obscure tomes out of thousands. How did this lich even know of it?
Since Ambrose had guessed the truth, though, he sighed and said, "I believe the Lord of Dawn intervened to suppress the curse. But as Arthur Lyon aged, the suppression weakened. That's why he left."
Ambrose shook his head. "It still doesn't explain everything. A dragonblood curse would be proof of his triumph. Why hide it? Why abandon the empire in secret?"
Heki hesitated. "I don't know about that. But from what I learned, the campaign against the Dragon Tyrant involved far more preparation than simply stealing his artifact."
"Go on."
"Pay up first."
"Keep it to yourself, then."
......
Heki clenched his teeth. He knew squeezing money out of this lich was impossible. But the secret was too big to keep bottled up, and there was no one else to share it with.
Heki Stone loved gossip. He wouldn't have enjoyed history otherwise. In the end, his gossipy nature got the better of him.
The Dragon Tyrant had three nearly invincible abilities.
First, as a time dragon, it could control time itself. It even forged a divine artifact to enhance that power. With it, the dragon was effectively immortal. Any injury could be instantly undone, and even death could be reversed.
Second was its breath. Anything struck by it would turn to ash. The power of time couldn't be resisted.
Third was its immortal dragon soul. Even if its body was destroyed, its soul could exist independently and was immune to most attacks—for instance, paladin strikes, spells, and even divine magic. Nothing could harm it.
To overcome these three issues, Arthur Lyon had spent years in preparation. He first stole the hourglass artifact and replaced the fragment of the dragon's soul within it with his own will. Then he used that fragment to forge a divine sword, one capable of harming the Dragon Tyrant's soul.
It sounded simple, but the cost was immense. Out of more than a dozen of his companions, nearly all perished. Only three survived, one of them the former Elven King.
As for the dragon's breath, even Arthur Lyon could not come up with a solution. The only option was to kill it before it could unleash it.
In the end, Arthur Lyon faced the Dragon Tyrant alone with that soul-forged blade, annihilating both its body and its soul.
The heroic spirit didn't remember the final battle, but it retained the memories of the preparation. From that, Heki deduced the existence of the dragonblood curse. "If that sword could destroy the dragon's soul," Heki said, "then the Dragon Tyrant must have realized it was doomed. With no escape, and even its soul at stake, it chose to drag Arthur Lyon down with it by casting the curse."
There was no direct proof, but to Heki, it was the only explanation.
Ambrose frowned. "It still doesn't answer the key question: why keep it secret?"
Arthur Lyon wasn't the type to hide things out of politeness or fear of burdening others. He was open, optimistic, and straightforward.
Or had age changed him?
That was unlikely. A paladin's will was not so easily altered.
Heki sighed. "I'll have to look for more records."
Ambrose shrugged. "Even if we don't have the full truth, this is already a solid breakthrough. By the way, my alchemy factory is nearly complete. Any suggestions for products aimed at common folk? What sells best among desert dwellers?"
Heki answered without hesitation, "Stamina potions. What man can live without them?"
"...Ah." Ambrose caught the implication.
It did make sense. Every man needed stamina potions—for labor, of course. One bottle, and you could keep going for another hour.
Maybe a new type of stamina potion could open the market?
But that would be difficult. The formula had been refined for years, and improving it further would be nearly impossible.
If he couldn't dominate the market with something new, the opportunity wasn't worth much.
But if the men's market was saturated... What about the women's?
