Chapter 812

【 PURIFYING THE CORRUPTION 】

All of a sudden, thick vines burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around the rampaging golden dragon, thus bringing it to a halt.

Surprised, Frank instinctively looked up at the sky, where he beheld a figure he would never forget for the rest of his life…

High above, a beautiful silver dragon soared gracefully through the air and standing upon its back was a young elven girl clad in a dark green robe, calmly raising her staff and pointing it directly at the golden dragon.

Brilliant sunlight cascaded over her flowing golden hair, lending her an ethereal, almost divine-like aura, while her emerald-green eyes shone like stars in the night sky, radiant and captivating.

“So… so beautiful…”

Frank murmured unconsciously.

But in the next moment, the golden dragon let out another furious roar and broke free from the binding vines.

Frank’s expression changed slightly as he inwardly reproached himself for letting his guard down at such a dangerous moment.

Just then, another calm, steady voice descended from above.

“Entangle.”

With that, countless vines erupted from the earth once more, coiling toward the golden dragon. At the same time, chants echoed one after another from the sky and under Frank’s astonished gaze, dazzling spells rained relentlessly upon the dragon.

[Paralysis]

[Freeze]

[Quagmire]

Every single one was a crowd-control spell.

Arcs of lightning danced around the dragon’s body as frost rapidly spread across its limbs, whilst the ground beneath its feet transformed into a swamp, before collapsing beneath its immense weight. Coupled with the ever-tightening vines wrapping around it, the enormous golden dragon was forcibly restrained in just a matter of moments.

S-So powerful!

Watching the fearsome golden dragon become completely immobilized almost instantly just like that, Frank’s heart was filled with shock.

Having faced the dragon himself, he knew just how terrifyingly powerful it was. It was an existence far beyond what ordinary high-ranking experts could hope to confront. Yet even such a fearsome being had been effortlessly bound by that female elf through a series of perfectly coordinated attacks.

The dragon was throughly suppressed!

And the fact that it was accomplished in such a seemingly effortless manner was far more difficult feat than simply defeating, or even killing, the golden dragon.

Frank could not help glancing at these newcomers, his heart trembling with amazement.

Just… who exactly are these elves?

At that moment, before Frank’s astonished eyes, the golden dragon, whose body had stretched over a hundred meters long, suddenly radiated brilliant light as its massive form rapidly shrank until it became a “small” golden dragon measuring only about forty meters in length.

“W-What happened…?”

Frank’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“It used an illusion. Specifically, its true form is merely that of a golden dragon that has only recently reached adulthood.”

A cool yet gentle voice answered his unspoken question.

Hearing the voice, Frank instinctively turned around.

The silver dragon had already landed upon the ground and the beautiful elven druid lightly leaped from its back. Around her were nine other dragons, each twenty meters in size, with a richly equipped elf perched on its back.

…Hm?

Wait—There’s even a human amongst them?

And… why does he look so absent-minded?

But Frank quickly recovered his composure.

Taking a deep breath, he respectfully bowed to the elves who had descended from the sky and said gratefully,

“Greetings. My name is Frank, I thank you all for saving my life.”

The elves sized him up briefly. Then the beautiful elven druid at their head smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

As she spoke, she turned toward the still-struggling golden dragon and addressed another female elf beside her.

“Dōngdōng, this dragon seems to have been corrupted by the power of the Abyss. Use divine magic to purify the corruption within it.”

The power of the Abyss…

Frank’s heart stirred as he finally understood why that golden dragon had gone berserk.

“Got it!”

The elven girl named Dōngdōng nodded. A devout expression appeared on her face as she interlocked her fingers before her chest and began chanting softly.

Golden points of light gradually blossomed around her.

Soon, the golden radiance transformed into countless shimmering motes that streamed into the golden dragon’s body.

The black runes covering the dragon suddenly twisted violently, struggling as though alive before gradually dissolving beneath the sacred light.

Before long, the dragon’s crimson eyes returned to their normal dark golden hue.

Its struggling also slowly ceased, as clarity returned to its gaze.

Lowering its head, the gold dragon looked at the elves beneath it and asked in astonishment,

“…Elves?”

The beautiful elven druid smiled faintly.

“How are you feeling now?”

As she spoke, she gestured toward her companions.

The other elves nodded and dispelled the spells restraining the golden dragon.

The dragon regained its freedom. Looking over its own body, it quickly realized what had happened.

“It was you who saved me?”

“It was merely a simple act of assistance. The Dragons has always been a friend of the Elvenkind, after all.”

A black-haired male elven druid replied.

Hearing this, gratitude appeared in the golden dragon’s eyes as it lowered its head sincerely.

“Thank you, friends of the Elven Race. My name is Romanus, and I come from Dragon Island.”

As it spoke, its gaze swept across the other dragons nearby, and a thought suddenly occurred to it.

“C-Could it be… that you are the Chosen Ones from the Elven Forest?”

The… Chosen Ones?

Frank’s eyes widened in astonishment.

The leading female elf smiled gently.

“That’s right. We are the Chosen Elves from the Elven Forest. You may call me as Féng.”

She then glanced at the other elves.

“And these are my companions.”

The other elves nodded one after another and introduced themselves.

Féng…

Frank silently repeated the name, unable to resist stealing another glance at the beautiful elven druid.

As though noticing his gaze, Féng turned to look at him.

Frank was instantly overcome with embarrassment and hurriedly lowered his head.

A soft chuckle escaped the lips of a pink-haired elf upon seeing Frank’s reaction and his face immediately turned even redder.

“Lord Romanus, what exactly happened here? How were you corrupted by the power of the Abyss?”

Looking at the devastated mining site beneath the castle, the elf named Li Mu asked.

Hearing the question, Frank also became attentive asit was something he had been wondering about as well.

The golden dragon spoke in a deep voice.

“It was because of a seal.”

“I arrived here on the continent of Seigues three years ago to travel across the land and complete the coming-of-age trial of our Dragon Race. I was preparing to return to Dragon Island when I passed through this place and sensed the power of the Abyss…”

“After investigating, I discovered that beneath this gold mine lay a demonic seal. The entire seal was centered around a mana crystal mine.”

“However, humans began excavating the mine deposits, thereby damaging the seal and allowing the power sealed within it to gradually leak out… thus contaminating the entire vein.”

“This seal is incredibly ancient. The being imprisoned within it had long since perished, but its power still remained behind. If the residual Abyssal power were allowed to continue ravaging the surrounding area, it would likely merge with the mineral vein and give birth to new Abyssal monsters…”

“So, I drove away the miners here and intended to purify the Abyssal power.”

As he spoke, the golden dragon lowered his head somewhat ashamedly.

“However, I never expected the Abyssal power to be even stronger than I was. Not only did I fail to purify it, I even nearly became one of its victims…”

“In the end, left with no other choice, I decided to sealed myself here within the castle as well.”

“That was until that young man over there had arrived.”

The dragon turned to look at Frank.

After hearing the dragon’s explanation, an elf donning a ranger outfit looked at Frank in surprise.

“You actually entered this castle all by yourself? Man, you’ve got guts.”

Frank scratched the back of his head and replied,

“Well, to be honest, I am a member of the Lawson Household. After learning that a dragon had appeared at this mine, I had to investigate for the safety of our people since it’s my family’s sworn duty.”

The elves looked at him in surprise, seemingly caught off guard by his answer.

Then the elven warrior named Demacia asked,

“The Lawson Noble House? So someone from that damn family actually has a member who cares about the common people? Is the army stationed below the hillside yours as well?”

The remark made Frank feel somewhat uncomfortable. However, when he thought of the parasites within his own family, his expression quickly became dejected.

The young man nodded.

“That’s right. I organized the troops below the hillside, all as a precaution against the worst-case scenario.”

But almost immediately, seemingly afraid that the elves and the golden dragon might misunderstand, he hurriedly added,

“At the time, I wasn’t certain whether the dragon in this mine was truly a golden dragon. If it had been a chromatic dragon… then battle might have been unavoidable.”

The moment Frank finished speaking, he distinctly felt several disdainful gazes fall upon him.

Specifically, they came from the chromatic dragons accompanying the elves.

Frank: “…”

Did I say something wrong?

Wait…

Aren’t chromatic dragons supposed to be violent by nature? Why are they traveling together with the elves?

“Lord Romanus, could you take us to inspect the condition of the mineral vein?”

Li Mu asked.

The golden dragon hesitated briefly before slowly nodding.

“Very well. However, everyone should proceed with caution.”

After saying that, the golden dragon flew toward the mine, with the elves following closely behind.

After giving a signal to his personal guards waiting below the hillside to remain where they were, Frank followed after them as well.

The mine was located at the foot of the hillside.

When they arrived, they found black mist constantly churning throughout the area.

“It really is abyssal corruption…”

The elves’ expressions became solemn.

They attempted to cast purification divine spells, only to discover that they had no effect whatsoever.

“That’s right as you can see. The corruption has already become extremely severe. Even if a Legendary-rank mage were to come, I’m afraid they would still be unable to resolve it.”

The golden dragon spoke gravely.

He then let out a faint sigh.

“At present, the corruption is confined to the entire mineral vein, encompassing both the gold mine and the mana crystal mine. But if it is left unchecked, it will only continue to spread…”

Hearing the golden dragon’s words, Frank’s heart sank.

If even a golden dragon was powerless against such corruption, he could scarcely imagine how disastrous the consequences would be if the Abyssal power continued to spread.

After all, there were several villages located near this mine.

“Is there truly no way to eliminate the corruption here?”

He could not help asking.

“No. Unless the entire mineral vein is completely destroyed. But even then, destroying the vein alone would likely be insufficient to eradicate the residual corruption.”

The golden dragon shook his head.

After speaking, he turned toward the elves once more, hope flickering in his eyes.

“Friends of the Elven Race.”

“I have long heard of the Chosen Ones of the Elven Forest, as well as the great Goddess of Life, Her Divine Grace Evé.”

“I heard your patron deity is righteous and benevolent. She saved the entire world during the recent demon invasion. Therefore, may I ask whether any of you have a way to cleanse the corruption here?”

Upon hearing his words, the elves exchanged glances.

The elven priestess named Dōngdōng let out a quiet sigh before saying,

“…Although the power bestowed upon us by the Goddess allows us to purify Abyssal corruption to a certain extent, the corruption here has already become far too severe. So I’m afraid there is no solution unless…”

“Unless what?”

Frank asked hopefully.

“Unless we can invoke a divine miracle or gather a large number of elemental fairies. However… the elemental fairies obey only the commands of Her Grace the Goddess. They can only be summoned through the Goddess’s divine oracle. Whether it is invoking a divine miracle or issuing a divine oracle, only the Goddess’s Godwardens can accomplish such a feat. Alas, no one in our group would be able to do so.”

Dōngdōng explained.

“I see…”

Frank’s expression fell with disappointment.

At that moment, the elven warrior named Demacia suddenly spoke.

“Wait guys, actually… I do have an idea.”

“Hm?”

The other elves immediately turned toward him in surprise.

“You have a solution?”

Joy welled up within Frank.

Demacia nodded.

“I do, but… the cost will be rather great.”

“…What kind of cost?”

Frank asked.

Demacia glanced over the entire mining site before replying,

“Well, the corruption here can certainly be eradicated, but this entire mineral vein will disappear along with it.”

“T-The mineral vein… will disappear?”

Frank froze for a moment.

He looked at the mine, where black mist continued to billow endlessly, and fell into deep thought.

After a while, he turned toward the golden dragon.

“Lord Romanus, is… this mineral vein truly beyond saving?”

The golden dragon glanced at Demacia before answering,

“The source of the corruption lies within the mineral vein itself. It has already become almost completely assimilated with it. Unless a True God personally descends, I do not believe this can be resolved without destroying the vein.”

Hearing those words, Frank fell silent.

After a long pause, as though finally reaching a decision, he let out a deep sigh.

“I understand.”

Then he looked at Demacia.

“Mr. Demacia, may I ask what you intend to do?”

Demacia’s expression turned serious.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Frank, but this is a secret of the Elven Race. Furthermore… if possible, I would like you to order your troops to withdraw from the vicinity of the mine until our operation is complete.”

༺⟐༻

“Young Master, are you really going to trust those elves? If anything happens to the mineral vein, your family will be furious!”

At the foot of the hillside, after returning to his troops and explaining everything that had happened inside the mine, Frank’s knights voiced their concerns.

Frank remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“I’ll personally explain everything. We cannot allow the corruption to continue spreading.”

“Young Master!”

“There’s no need to say anything more. I’ve already made my decision. The southern regions of the Empire have already fallen into ruin, which is proof enough of how terrifying the Abyss truly is. I don’t want to see our beautiful Northern Territory transformed into a living hell under the corruption of the Abyss as well… Even a golden dragon was powerless against it. This is no ordinary source of corruption.”

“Young Master…”

“Enough. Do not try to persuade me any further. Pass down my orders. The entire army is to withdraw from the mine and avoid interfering with the elves’ operation.”

“…Yes, sir.”

༺⟐༻

The human army beneath the hillside slowly withdrew.

Watching the departing troops disappear into the distance, Dōngdōng could not help turning to Demacia.

“Okay, what exactly are you planning? We obviously don’t have any way to deal with this corruption.”

Demacia grinned.

“Heh, Dōngdōng. We may not have a solution, but surely the Goddess does.”

“…What do you mean?”

“What else could I mean? We’re going all in, of course. We’ll use the entire mineral deposit here as an offering to our great and beautiful Lady Goddess! Hehe… Isn’t it a brilliant idea? I wonder how many contribution points we’ll earn this time. Don’t worry, we’ll split them evenly amongst everyone in our group!”

The rest of the players: “…”

“…As expected of you.”

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