“What do you mean by that?”
At Ghislain’s question, Arterion replied evenly.
“Just what it sounds like. It means the Saintess’s life is in danger.”
“Could you explain more specifically?”
“I heard she awakened and can wield the power of the Sacred Stone.”
“From whom?”
“Grondal.”
“......”
“And I also heard about you from Iralniel.”
“You have more friends than I expected. And impressive information networks as well.”
At that, Arterion let out a laugh, as if amused.
“I hear much of the world’s news. That is part of a dragon’s duty, after all.”
“You mean you hear everything from your lair?”
“Yes. When the Demonic Realm stirs, word finds its way to me one way or another. That’s how I heard of you all, too. First, let me offer you my sincere admiration for your exploits.”
“......Praise is not what I’m here to hear.”
“No, but you deserve it. You’ve earned it. The fact that a true Saintess has appeared—one who can wield the power of the Sacred Stone—is deeply meaningful to us dragons as well.”
“......”
“We dragons too have long awaited someone who could command the Sacred Stone.”
Ghislain did not take Arterion’s words lightly.
“Then... are you saying you know what the Sacred Stone is meant to be used for?”
“It contains the power of the goddesses. Naturally, it must be used in the fight against the Demonic Realm.”
Ghislain narrowed his eyes.
Arterion was speaking as though the Sacred Stone were merely a tool for fighting the Demonic Realm.
But for someone who claimed to have been waiting for the Saintess, that answer was too shallow. They’d been fighting the Demonic Realm well enough without a Saintess until now.
Sensing Ghislain’s suspicion, Arterion shook his head.
“What I mean is that we expect the Saintess to be a great force in the fight against the Demonic Realm. Perhaps she might even be able to erase the presence of the Demon God.”
“...I see.”
That, at least, was a reasonable point. Deneb’s divine power had the ability to burn away the aura of the Salvation Order.
If Arterion had heard of Deneb, then that much hope was justified.
Still, Ghislain wasn’t about to accept everything Arterion said at face value. There were far too many secrets buried in the past to do that.
Looking at him with a penetrating gaze, Arterion continued.
“You’ve come to ask me for the Sacred Stone, haven’t you?”
“That’s right. Deneb deserves it.”
“Correct. A treasure must always return to its rightful owner.”
“Then will you hand it over now?”
“I have no reason to refuse. In fact, I’ve been waiting for someone worthy to appear. But if I simply hand it over now, the Saintess will be in danger. That’s why I cannot give it to you immediately.”
Ghislain understood what Arterion meant.
“Because of the Pope?”
“Yes. He is a man of greed. He will try to kill the Saintess and seize the Sacred Stone by any means.”
Ghislain had expected as much. The Pope had shown intense desire to possess the Sacred Stone.
But Ghislain had no intention of giving it to him. The Sacred Stone belonged to Deneb.
And Arterion, too, likely didn’t want to see the Saintess die. That much was clear from their conversation thus far.
After all, the dragons had said they had been waiting for the Saintess as well.
So Ghislain decided to test him.
“What if we just handed it over quietly? Offered up the Sacred Stone and withdrew without resistance.”
“He’d still kill the Saintess. Surely you expected that much.”
Ghislain let out a small laugh. True—it was an obvious truth.
The Pope would never leave alive a Saintess capable of wielding the Sacred Stone. Her very existence was a threat to him.
Ghislain exhaled deeply.
“Yes, I expected that too.”
“What were you planning to do?”
“If the Pope tries to take it by force... I was going to fight him.”
“...Huh?”
Arterion looked momentarily baffled, then burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But no matter how strong you are, you won’t be able to win against the Empire and all the kingdoms.”
“......”
“Not to mention, the Salvation Order will now be targeting you as well.”
“......”
“In short, you’ve become enemies of the world. Can you really handle that?”
Ghislain folded his arms and furrowed his brow.
No matter how powerful the Julien Mercenary Corps was, facing the entire continent head-on was unrealistic. Even if he had brought his original body, it would still be impossible.
But that was only if he fought them directly. Ghislain had no intention of doing that, so he still had plenty of chances to win. Not that he needed to explain that to Arterion.
It was hard to trust him completely, but at least for now, the Dragon Lord seemed to look upon them favorably. And it was clear that was because of the Saintess.
So Ghislain asked,
“If Your Lordship would strike down the Pope for us, our journey might become much easier. What do you think?”
“Huh... The more I see you, the more dangerous you seem.”
“You dragons wouldn’t want the Saintess to die either, would you?”
“That’s true. But killing the Pope is impossible.”
“Why is that?”
“Because it’s the vow our dragons made.”
“...A vow?”
“Yes. If the Demonic Realm becomes active, no dragon is allowed to touch the Pope. We can choose not to help him with what he does, but we cannot actively interfere. Otherwise, we risk internal conflict and won’t be able to fight the Demonic Realm.”
“......”
“The priests of the Demonic Realm have moved. That means we dragons must now uphold the pact.”
The pact was the only thing that could restrain dragons—because it was etched into their souls.
“Tch.”
Ghislain clicked his tongue.
The Pope was the most powerful figure on the continent. If even dragons couldn’t touch him, then in the current situation, he was practically invincible.
In the end, they would have to protect Deneb using only the strength of the Julien Mercenary Corps.
Arterion smiled again and spoke.
“Now do you understand why I cannot give you the Sacred Stone yet? If I handed it over here, I wouldn’t be able to interfere anymore.”
“Then what were you planning to do?”
“I was going to watch and see if you were truly worthy to protect the Saintess. Strength matters, yes—but more importantly, could you serve the Saintess with sincerity? If you let greed get the better of you, everything falls apart.”
Ghislain chuckled faintly. There might not be a single person in the world who thought of Deneb more than Julien did.
If anyone tried to use Deneb, Julien would be the one to lay down his life to stop them.
If Arterion had done his research on the Julien Mercenary Corps, he’d know this. Julien and Deneb’s awakening had become famous even among the dwarves.
Still, Arterion likely wanted to confirm it with his own eyes.
“What if we were unworthy?”
“Then I’d have killed you and taken the Saintess with me. At least until I could think of a better way. If I told the Pope I was still deliberating over giving him the Sacred Stone, that would’ve bought us time.”
“......”
It was a harsh method, but not incomprehensible.
If Arterion withheld the Sacred Stone and kept the Saintess with him, even the Pope wouldn’t be able to act rashly—because no one wanted the full set of Sacred Stones more than he did.
Of course, Deneb and the others listening looked pale after hearing that.
Ghislain leaned back in his chair like Arterion and asked,
“So what about now? Do we seem worthy?”
“Hard to say. I’m still undecided. You seem decent enough, but whether you can truly resolve this remains to be seen.”
“The elves and dwarves will help us.”
“So I’ve heard. Iralniel and Grondal spoke so highly of you, their mouths nearly went dry. That’s why I’m torn. If you’ve earned the sincerity of those two, that says something.”
“If the elves and dwarves support us, even the Pope’s army won’t be able to persecute us lightly. We’ll use that to try persuading the Pope.”
“Persuade him?”
“Yes. In the end, to fight the Demonic Realm, we need the power of the Saintess. If you, Lord Arterion, support us, even the Pope will have to make some concessions.”
“Concessions, huh...”
“The Pope only wants the Sacred Stone to stop the Demonic Realm. If we start fighting over the stone itself, we’d be forgetting the purpose entirely.”
“Hmm...”
At Ghislain’s words, Arterion wore an unconvinced expression. He didn’t believe the Pope would back down so easily.
But he also couldn’t just suggest they split into opposing camps and fight. From his standpoint, ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) it was more important that humanity remain united against the Demonic Realm.
Otherwise, the dragons would never have entered into such a covenant with the Popes of past generations.
Of course, Ghislain didn’t believe it would all be resolved peacefully, either.
‘I’ll do everything I can to persuade the Pope...’
But if it didn’t work, then he was ready to resort to other measures. Either way, the Sacred Stone belonged to Deneb.
Still, knowing Arterion’s position, Ghislain tried to phrase things in the most agreeable way.
But he knew that alone wouldn’t be enough—so he offered something more.
“If we become stronger than we are now, negotiations should become easier, right?”
“Stronger?”
“We’ll need your help.”
“What kind of help?”
Ghislain grinned slyly.
“We’re planning to train in the Frozen Wastes for a while. Can you assist us?”
“...You want me to help with your training?”
“Please share your knowledge with us, Lord. And provide the various resources we’ll need for the training.”
“Oh...”
A flicker of interest lit in Arterion’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected a human to ask a dragon to help them train.
This was a first in his entire life—but the sheer audacity was... amusing.
After all, dragons had long shared their knowledge with humans. Magic itself had been taught that way.
So it wasn’t entirely strange or impossible for Arterion to assist with the Julien Mercenary Corps’ training.
Ghislain continued confidently.
“If you help us, we’ll become much stronger. And also—please provide us with some 8th- and 9th-circle spellbooks.”
Spellbooks above the 8th circle were incredibly difficult to come by, even for Ghislain. As for the 9th circle, he hadn’t even found a hint.
Even though Astion was already at an equivalent level of enlightenment, his studies had stalled due to the lack of spell formulas.
Having met a dragon, Ghislain intended to extract everything he could—including spellbooks.
At that bold request, Arterion burst out laughing.
“Are you fearless? Or just insane?”
“I hear that a lot. But I’m neither fearless nor insane.”
“Then what are you?”
“I do what needs to be done.”
To protect Deneb, he had to become stronger. Only then could the Julien Mercenary Corps save the world.
Ghislain never forgot that purpose. Others might not understand his actions, but he always moved with that goal in mind.
Arterion stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze toward Deneb.
“What do you think?”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve been proven to be the Saintess. That means we dragons must also protect you. But due to the covenant with the Pope, we can’t act openly. Are you truly prepared to go all the way with these people?”
Deneb nodded with a resolute gaze.
“Yes. I want to save the world with my friends.”
A soft divine radiance flowed from her body again.
She hadn’t released it on purpose—it was a natural response to her conviction.
Seeing it, Arterion’s eyes gleamed.
“Hmm... So the Sacred Stone really does respond.”
He looked genuinely pleased.
It was only natural—the appearance of someone who could wield the Sacred Stone was something dragons had long awaited.
Which was exactly why he didn’t want to offend Deneb unnecessarily.
“Very well. If that is the Saintess’s will, then I shall trust you and aid you.”
At those words, smiles of relief spread across everyone’s faces. Not only were they receiving the Sacred Stone more easily than expected—they’d also earned a dragon’s support.
Now only one threat remained: the Pope.
But the group believed Ghislain would be able to persuade him.
Arterion turned to Ghislain with a meaningful smile.
“Providing spellbooks is easy. Helping with your training is easy. But before that, I’ll teach you my way first. As you said—if you are to protect the Saintess, you must become even stronger.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted. But please exempt a few of us.”
“Who are you referring to?”
Ghislain gestured toward the regular mercenaries and Marika’s subordinates, who had recently joined.
“They’re not ready for harsh training yet. I’ll set aside time to train them myself.”
“That’s fine. I’m only interested in you and that boy Julien.”
“If you say things like that with that face, people are going to get the wrong idea.”
“Hah? Hahahahaha!”
Arterion laughed heartily, genuinely amused.
Never in his life had someone spoken to him so casually—and he liked it.
Originally, Ghislain had planned to send the regular mercenaries to another branch.
But the Crips assassins were lurking and watching nearby. If they split off, those mercenaries might be killed without anyone noticing.
So he had no choice but to keep them close.
He had considered letting them train together, but since he didn’t yet know what kind of instruction Arterion would provide, he couldn’t involve them blindly.
Arterion rose from his seat.
“We’re moving now. Everyone, stay away from me.”
Suddenly, an explosion of radiant light and overwhelming force erupted from his body.
Startled by the tidal wave of magic, the Julien Mercenary Corps stumbled back.
Paaaaaaah...
As the light subsided, a massive dragon covered in gleaming white scales stood where he had been.
Majestic and oppressive, as if he held a blizzard within his form—his mere presence seemed to freeze the air itself.
While the group stared in stunned silence, a powerful voice resounded in their ears.
“Climb onto my back. I shall fly us straight to the Frozen Wastes.”
Ghislain lightly leapt into the air and landed on Arterion’s body.
Sitting upon the dragon’s shoulder, he whistled.
“Wow. I never thought I’d get to ride a dragon in this life. Feels good.”
At that, Arterion chuckled deeply.
“You really are an amusing one.”
While Ghislain was clearly enjoying himself, the rest of the group was frozen stiff.
“D-did he just say to ride a real dragon?”
“What if we fall off while flying?!”
“Ah... I wanna run away.”
They were gripped by primal fear. Traveling with Ghislain always seemed to lead to the most insane experiences.
But there was no getting out of it now. One by one, they crawled onto Arterion’s back.
Once everyone was aboard, Arterion lifted his head to the sky.
KUOOOOOOOOOH!
With a roar that ripped through the heavens, his massive wings spread wide.
In an instant, the wind howled, and Arterion’s body surged upward.
“UwaaAAAH!”
The group screamed as they clung tightly to his scales.
The ground shrank beneath them, and they soared into the clouds.
Soon, Arterion’s body drew a shimmering silver-white arc through the sky, heading north toward the frigid heavens.
They were on their way to the Frozen Wastes—
To the land slumbering upon eternal ice, at the edge of the legendary storm.
And watching from afar, Darentz wiped the cold sweat from his brow and instinctively rubbed the back of his neck.
“W-was that... a real dragon?!”
From what he saw, it looked like a dragon had come directly to find the Julien Mercenary Corps.
He didn’t know what they had discussed—but if they’d been carried away on a dragon’s back, then the odds of them acquiring the Sacred Stone had just skyrocketed.
“C-Contact His Holiness immediately...”
There was no way they could follow them to the Frozen Wastes now.
That land was the domain of the Dragon Lord.
To step into it without permission wouldn’t be a simple mistake—it would be an act of invasion.
And if that happened, the dragons’ wrath would descend.
With trembling hands, Darentz began hastily writing a letter.
It was now impossible for them to pursue the Julien Mercenary Corps alone.
