Episode 358

Golden Fairy Luan was the youngest son of the Badnikers and the current future family head. He was an A-class hero of the Hero Society and belonged to the lesser race clan, Corrupted.

It hadn't been long since the time he was called the only failure of the Iron-Blooded Lord, but his current performance could be called the best among the young heroes of the empire. He'd played a key role at the Badniker training camp, the Imperial Academy, and in the north where Ymir's corpse was located. In addition, it was believed that he had many other deeds that hadn't been identified.

"Still, I didn't expect to be defeated like this." Ludwig was laughing when he suddenly coughed. He fortunately didn't cough up blood, but he knew he was a mess inside.

"Don't hit my face," he grumbled.

Disguise was a delicate task. If his face was injured, the number of makeup or disguise options would be greatly limited. It would be even more fatal if a permanent scar remained. Fortunately, this was purely a punch. There was only a slight swelling and no cuts or tear. He was glad there would be no setbacks for his future missions.

Ludwig shook his head, thinking, Is my perception strange too?

He once again recalled the phrase about him missing something important. It wasn't that he didn't understand. Even so, it was a question he had no solid answer to.

Ludwig had played dozens or even hundreds of roles and interpreted numerous characters: merchants, cooks, knights, rogues, beggars, scribes, watchmakers, priests, pharmacists, clowns, musicians, bards, fishermen, trainers, and so on. If it was for the sake of a mission, he could instantly become any one of those characters even now.

Yet there was still one role he couldn't interpret. He didn't know much about Ludwig Badniker.

"It's making me think uselessly," he muttered to himself, thinking that Luan was truly a great youngest brother.

Ludwig grinned before catching sight of the burning dwarf village. It was difficult to predict what would happen from now on. That was why he had to anticipate it somehow.

He stood up while considering various possibilities. He never stopped thinking and planning so as to be able to respond flexibly, even if the worst came to pass. He believed that that was his role.

***

I ran frantically and saw a familiar place. It was a house with a large barn and a camel trembling in the corner.

Strangely, the moment my eyes met those large pupils, the heat in my head gave way to an icy calm. I realized that facing Delac like this wasn't a good thing. He was a man who rarely went back on what he said. I had thought I might be able to communicate with his younger self, but that was a foolish thought.

Things would never go that easily. If the Delac I faced were really as timid as Assad had described, he wouldn't be carrying out this massacre. All the talk of morality and ethics that I'd discussed with Ludwig probably wouldn't work on the Iron-Blooded Lord.

All of a sudden, I felt that I understood why the Iron-Blooded Lord had such a terrible reputation in the empire. It was the same reason why the mere mention of the Iron-Blooded Lord at the auction hosted by Raizen had sent the participants into a state of chaos. I wondered if a festival of blood would have taken place if I hadn't stopped it then.

Aside from the family's power, the Iron-Blooded Lord had also received the right to directly conduct executions from the imperial family. Once someone like that drew his sword, not even a nobleman with a high reputation could protest.

He was a supreme powerhouse with execution rights, personally infiltrating organizations and tracking down criminals, whether it was in back alleys or sewers. There could be no one more terrifying to a criminal.

I wondered if I would really be able to stop Delac by force, if I failed to persuade him. Of course, there was no way I could do so as Luzard. However, I wasn't sure if I could defeat him as Luan either. Before coming to the south, I had sparred with Delac every chance I got, around ten times. I won most of the matches, only to end up losing the last three in a row. Of course, I hadn't been using my full strength, but that was how explosive Delac's growth had been.

—Face him in this form!

I shook my head at the voice that appeared in my head. It wasn't the forgotten god, the Martial God. It was Vulcanus, who was dwelling within the Black Dragon Fang. I responded, What are you talking about?

—I know that your strength is restricted in this form! But that is even better! Fight like this in front of the dwarves!

"What do you mean?"

—There is no time to explain! Just listen to me!

Vulcanus shouted in a rather forceful tone.

I inwardly clicked my tongue. I had almost forgotten after becoming used to talking with the Martial God, but this was basically what gods were like. They were unruly, unkind, and even coercive.

Fight the Iron-Blooded Lord as Luzard? I wondered. Of course, our lone lizardman warrior, Luzard, was one of the strongest in the desert, but he still wasn't ready to confront the Iron-Blooded Lord head-on. If I fought now, I would unconditionally lose.

However, it was unlikely that Vulcanus would talk nonsense to get me killed. After all, this god had come to punish the dwarves who betrayed him. Yet he didn't laugh or feel pleasure when he saw the village turned into a sea of fire. On the contrary, his shock and grief made me think he had to be a kinder god than I had thought.

—How dare he turn my tribute-manufacturing factory into this... I can never forgive him!

I pretended not to hear the latter words.

I thought about various things before I finally reached the center of the village. It was the village square, a place I had glanced at when heading to Master Visid's house. It was probably created by the craftsmen in order to exchange materials or opinions.

—Over here!

Vulcanus cried out urgently, and I saw it. In the center of the square, dozens of dwarves kneeled in silence, holding their breath. The one in front was a face I knew.

"Please..."

I instinctively called out when I heard that sobbing voice, "Stop."

Delac finally glanced at me. There was no emotion in his fierce eyes as he asked flatly, "Why?"

I was caught off guard by the question and remained silent. Delac continued, "This village colluded with the Dark Church."

I responded, "I know. However, not all of them joined forces with the church. There must be dwarves who didn't know the truth, and others who were forced to go along with the overall trend."

"Do you think that is sufficient to pardon them?"

"That's right."

"You have a different opinion from me."

Delac looked away from me. His serious gaze turned forward again and he said, "Don't stop me."

As expected, words wouldn't work. I jumped forward the moment Delac was about to resume killing again. Then I blocked his falling sword with the Black Dragon Fang.

Clang!

My shoulder nearly gave out. I wondered where such strength could possibly hide in that delicate body. I finally realized just how heavy Delac's blade was when he swung it with killing intent. I wasn't the only one who hadn't used full strength in the last sparring match.

Just then, Delac kicked me. I quickly blocked the blow with both arms, but pain shot through me like an arm bone had been cracked.

Bang bang bang!

The moment I slammed into a wall, I burst forward again and stood in front of Delac. Once more, I stopped the sword that was falling towards a dwarf.

This sword is really good, I thought.

Even in this situation, I couldn't help noticing the quality of the Black Dragon Fang. Its durability surpassed every sword I had ever used. This was true even when compared to the Seven Sins Sword. The one flaw was that it was a bit heavy, but I wasn't lacking in strength. That meant it was actually a good thing.

I knocked Delac's sword aside and launched my own attack this time. Delac's sword, which had retreated slightly, struck diagonally again.

Clang!

I continued to fight Delac up close. Every exchange of blows made my hair stand up. This man had no intention of holding back.

In any case, if things continued like this, I would be the first to suffer. Even if the current Delac wasn't trying to kill me, I couldn't shake off the thought that he would cut off an arm or a leg to make me obedient.

If that's enough to trigger a regression...Ugh, I thought. I couldn't blow away a precious regression chance.

Since it was like this, I couldn't afford to worry about keeping Luzard's pride. I was about to operate the First Fire Technique and wield the White Sun Eclipse.

Suddenly, the Black Dragon Fang's white blade turned red. I wondered what was going on this time.

Immediately after, hot flames erupted from the sword. I was startled since it wasn't intentional. The same was true for Delac, who was confronting me.

It wasn't the power of the First Fire Technique. I suddenly became curious about the source of the flames, but first, I swung the fire-engulfed blade with all my strength.

Delac tensed slightly and he stepped back a considerable distance. He landed on top of a collapsed building and checked his body. The edges of his clothes turned to ashes and fell away. If we had continued to collide, he might've suffered burns. That was how strong the heat radiating from the flame was.

While I was flustered, a voice murmured from behind me.

"T-this flame..."

"It is the Breath of Vulcanus! The breath of the Fire Dragon God!"

"T-that can't be! It is impossible to imbue the breath into a weapon that isn't a chosen branch!"

"Isn't it impossible even for the most brilliant dwarf craftsman?"

The dwarves were greatly flustered, but I was even more confused than them. Still, I had to maintain Luzard's dignified air even in this situation, so I just skillfully swung the sword surrounded by flames with a slightly stiff expression.

At this moment, one of the dwarves screamed, "Vulcan...!"

It was none other than Konjian who had shouted. The other dwarves were startled by his words and responded to him.

"Vulcanus' messenger!"

"The one who holds the Fire Dragon God's fang!"

"A hero who will save the dwarves from a crisis! He comes in the form of a dragon!"

"Ohhhh!"

In the square where only the aura of death lingered, there was a sudden wave of emotion.

I was too stunned to keep up with the sudden change. At that moment, Vulcanus' words echoed in my mind.

—Kuhahahahat! This is it!

"What is this?Please explain the situation.Quickly."

—It is an old tradition of the dwarves! The moment there is an unprecedented crisis, the magnificent and merciful Fire Dragon God will send forth a divine messenger to save them! That messenger is called Vulcan!

I was speechless.

—Vulcan isn't the name for an individual! Throughout the long history of the dwarves, Vulcan has appeared many times whenever they are in danger! Yet the form has always remained the same!

"What kind of form?"

—Vulcan holds the Fire Dragon God's fang, is wreathed in flames, and takes the form of a dragonman!

Upon hearing those words, I looked down at myself.

So the Black Dragon Fang, said to be made from a dragon's tooth, was actually Vulcanus' fang. Through that, the Fire Dragon God lent me his power, the Breath of Vulcanus. Moreover, my current appearance as a lizardman was actually close to that of a dragonman.

Oh gods.

Vulcanus shouted excitedly.

—Kuhahahat! I realized it the moment I saw you! This appearance! If you save the dwarves while wielding the Black Dragon Fang, they will definitely mistake you for Vulcan!

"No, shit, this can't be real.Can a god deceive your believers?"

Vulcanus retorted in a serious manner.

—It is indeed real!

I was speechless.

—Look into their eyes now! No matter how carefully I shared the Breath of Vulcanus, they only offered polite thanks. Now, don't they look like they are seeing a savior?

"That might be true, but..."

—If they believe you are Vulcan, their faith and trust in me will amplify! Then I will give that power back to you. You will be able to fight this evildoer with the power of a god! Isn't this the meaning of infinite power? Kuhahahahat!

Is this really a god? I wondered. I could only stand there, dumbfounded. The dwarves saw me like that and shed tears while cheering.

"Vulcan is here!"

"God's messenger!"

"We have forsaken him but he hasn't forsaken us!"

"Thank you! Thank you!"

I watched the short dwarves jumping with joy and had no idea how to respond.

Well, that would have been the case for Luan. However, I knew what the lone lizardman warrior, Luzard, would say.

I shook my head with a hint of annoyance. Then I muttered in a voice loud enough for them to hear, "Sigh. I was caught."