83          The Trap (3)

“Holy shit. Two million gold!”

At night, all the auctions have ended. The nobles who have participated left. The host and the announcer also went away. Only the owner of the cottage Auburn Parker was there drinking his wine while muttering.

“This is nothing but a woman’s mischief…….”

He was angry about what happened in the auction earlier. That princess, Hailey Greenriver, seemed like she was just messing around. Was she willing to invest a large sum of two million gold? Can she, a princess and just a woman, invest that much money when she is not even an Emperor, a Prince, or the next heir?

‘Whatever, I have received the Emperor’s favor!’

Auburn Parker took out a bottle of the most expensive wine. The new owner of the two million gold as going to look after him. The problem was the prestige he had. Most of the nobles who participated in the auction were not yet members of his religious order. The ones who can make a difference to the order, what do they plan on doing?

‘The princess was obviously playing around saying two million gold, is she capable of investing in antiques? Is she a crazy one collecting antiques? Ha, this is ridiculous!’

Auburn put down the wine bottle.

He was trifling, and couldn’t help it.

Because there was a new owner.

‘Why was she so obsessed with it?’

It surely is a great book.

It can be felt by just seeing.

The problem was the two million gold.

There was a chance to get it more easily.

Being calm about it is fine.

‘It was the first time to hear that voice.’

One new owner, the princess wasn’t calm about it. The eyes and wings and tail of a dragon, and voice filled with excitement, it was the first time. This book, does it really have the language of the dragons?

“Definitely, definitely this is mysterious…….”

Auburn opened the dragons language with a blank face.

It was that moment. The voice could heard.

(Bring me that thing. To that place.)

Auburn was surprised for a moment there and turned around. There was no one there. Except for the guard who were at the far off door for protection. From where did it come? Even his son who is a mage, Pavon Parker also can’t do magic like this.

‘The tower lord, a wizard better than that kid.’

Once he got to that point, it got comfortable. Until a while before all the worries that have plagued Auburn Parker disappeared like snow. This was the first reason why he pledged his allegiance to the ‘Order of the Dragon’, he was given power from the holy spirit.

‘To protect me and my family.’

From 6 years ago Auburn Parker was living in insecurity. Ledio ran away because of his son’s joke.  Parker later received news that the alchemist came back with Ian Page and that he was being taken care of like family. From that moment it felt like Parker was being passed over. He saw Ledio when Parker went to the senior mages’s residence to give a bribe, there wasn’t even a response.

‘I didn’t have a clue a about it until now, how long is this pressure going to be built. It must be. The tower lord had a great deal of power…….’

I lived in anxiety up until a few years ago when I met the Order of the Dragon through Dumphil Morit. From then on, I became the member of the Order. And received the position of a preacher in charge inside the capital of the Empire.

‘The emperor, dragon, and state religion; Nothing else really matters. My family and I, if I can protect all of them, I will enjoy this continuously!’

Once again Auburn Parker became mindful, as he took the Dragon’s Language with him and left the cottage. There was a secret passage that goes through the woods a few blocks away from the cottage. As it would be dangerous if the soldiers followed, he immediately went down the secret passage.

‘A passage like this from the cottage.’

Surely I’m different from Auburn who had been around for a while. After a little distance from Auburn, Ian took a step back and switched off the Invisibility spell. It was dangerous to keep using too much mana.

‘I don’t know what kind of person is waiting for me.’

Instead, I lowered the Invisibility spell.

I kept some auxiliary spells prepped.

This much is enough.

Sabak sabak……..

A sound that someone stepped on the grass.

That was the sound of Auburn Parker’s steps.

Deep into the woods, very deep.

How far deep did I come?

There was an empty spot with a huge rock.

In front of that rock Auburn Parker stopped.

“I’ll put it here.”

Auburn Parker spoke that in a small voice like mumbling and put down the book of Dragon’s Language. He didn’t forget to lay down a sheet. It wasn’t covered with dust, and there was nothing special to be done.

“Oh? Ah……… I get it. Then, I’ll get going first. If you have anything that you need, feel free to ask me at any time. Thank you for all. Yeah.”

I heard someone order it. Just like going out. Ian surely had interest in Auburn Parker and company. He concentrated on strengthening his five senses. Now with the Dragon’s Language book out in front, Ian was aware of the other presences.

‘Is it Dragonian?’

If so, it would be nice.

No, it should be that.

Sabak!

The spell that sharpened his five senses had just finished at this time.

Someone came in front of the stone.

It had a shape that was similar to a human.

From the head to the body and from the hands to the legs.

If one difference can be seen, there were two.

Ghoul like wings sprouted from the back.

Above the waist was a loose tail.

‘This matches to what the Fairy Queen has said.’

That guy was exactly how he was described.

The wings and tail of a dragon, as well as the eyes.

Well, the existence of the Dragonian.

‘I should ask them properly.’

Although the bait plan was only half way finished.

This was easier than the plan.

‘First time to overthrow.’

The goal is to suppress, toward that end the ‘magic of the household’ can be used. Isn’t this too complex? The range of play is narrow. The Fairy Queen is close with the Dragon, and I was going to use it in a non-hostile manner, yet I need to be ready to oppose the enemy.

‘At least I should let go of its movements.’

At first, I thought about trying from a conversation.

Seeing a dragon do magic isn’t an easy thing?

This is like what fairy queens said.

The conclusion was to hold.

‘I don’t know if it’s a friendly or not.’

Because of the Fairy Queen there was definite information and experience. One, it wasn’t Dragonian. There was no one sided existence, even when mixed with the society of the humans. But would he show me the spells of magic verbally? That dragon’s mana began to take off. In front of me was an unprotected potential enemy.

‘That could be a dangerous thing.’

Not just slightly dangerous, but a very dangerous thing.

Ian was ready to get into the action.

While, the spirit of the man was focusing on the book.

This was the perfect opportunity.

‘Frozen Shackles.’

Ian called out and the cold air formed a round chain, which caught the ankles of the Dragonian.

‘Caught it.’

A ring went up and caught the ankles of the Dragonian, while everything near the frost were swallowed. Surely, the target is the Dragonian’s ankle.

Kadak! Kadak! Kadak!

The lower half of the Dragonian’s body froze quickly.

Soon the upper body also began to freeze.

‘Now!’

Ian flew towards the Dragonian and at the same time, he chanted the order of the household. The order should be completed as he was getting close to him. It was a ransom pleasure.

“………?”

The first plan of Ian seemed to be a failure. The frozen body of that guy started to blur, as if it was going to disappear.

‘Breakout?’

Ian also could do the breakout that was similar to this. The 6th Class level magic, the ‘Puppet Play’. So it was easy to be done. The words of the Fairy Queen were indeed correct. About this Dragonian.

‘Someone equivalent to me.’

More of a wizard.

And the thoughts reached there.

Kwang~!

The guy’s breakout explosion was huge.

It wasn’t a simple explosion.

The explosion was from the mass concentration of the mana.

If it wasn’t for a quick barrier, I would’ve been dead.

(Quite a thing. The barrier in that moment.)

At the same time a voice was heard.

Like the system of the households.

Not through the ears, but being heard in the mind.

The identity of this guy is definite.

‘Dragonian.’

Ian immediately gathered his mana.

It was an obvious explosion of hostility.

It was inevitable to fight.

But, it is a little weird.

(Are you a human? Not a level for a human?)

(Ah! You are that guy? That Ian…… what?)

(Ian Page, the man who is cared by the old man.)

The voice came.

No, heard a voice.

It wasn’t from a single person.

‘One woman and two men.’

A total of three voices could be heard.

Ian was listening to them.

Was it all Dragonian?

‘I guess he isn’t one person.’

Suddenly the details that the Fairy Queen gave came into the mind. The story about Dragonian having eight different personalities. Also, as to which number I’m supposed to stop talking.

(Human Mage. You have been snooping around the auction house since before, I was aware of it. I don’t know what this is about, I think it was used as a bait for some reason……..)

Yet, from the sky three Dragonians appeared. All three of them with red wings and tail were dragons. Red dragons, they all seemed to have been born from the seeds of a dragon.

(Oh my, the trap isn’t yours. This is the trap we laid out.)

The Dragonian is more thorough than I thought. He knew every movement of mine from the auction house, yet he didn’t react. Instead he called out his clan. Equivalent to the 6th class mage, it wasn’t just a saying, but its was the definite thing.

(Seems like there is something about this thing that you wish to know……. What is it? That you want to know, the quality work. There is no need to hide, it’ll be nice if you just say it.)

The Dragonian was speaking from earlier. Speaking with a profound voice, and his eyes were scanning Ian. Like the way one looks at their prey.

(I would have noticed if you were a mage like me. You should’ve already run. Even being alive would’ve been tough. That’s how it would’ve been. In another case you could make it alive. It would be a shame to die. Many possible ways.)

The words of Dragonian weren’t wrong. All three of them were similar to that of Ian, he wasn’t the mage to look at these thing? No matter how, Ian didn’t find a way. Blowing them out with Hematocrit, was a way to escape from their pursuit.

“Yeah, won’t do.”

But Ian wasn’t flustered.

Rather he had a relaxed face.

Yes, there wasn’t for now.

That method means.

But, how far.

‘Hematocrit.’

Something was coming out from Ian’s hands.

A small pocket, ‘a space bag’.

“So, three came to catch me?”

(You human, are you the mage who can go beyond his limit? I’m also burdened with it, but being thorough isn’t a bad thing. If you want to blame, blame it on yourself for coming out here alone.)

“I came alone. No way.”

(……… what?)

At Ian’s words, one of the dragonians did an extensive detection. It was to make sure that no one was hiding. There wasn’t a single one around. He knew.

(Are you bluffing about it?)

Said the dragonian with a ridiculing voice.

“It isn’t a bluff.”

A word from Ian spit out.

That one word came out along with the cord to tie the bag.

A cord to close the snout of the space bag.

“Even you guys.”

That wasn’t the end.

Ian’s right hand went into the bag.

Soon, he pulled out a white piece.

“The tide.”

It was the fragmented sculpture from the ‘Dragon’s bone’.

All those fragments of bone were everywhere.

One handful, one handful, one more handful.

The mana was being taken into the ground.

From then, how many seconds have passed?

Gkukukukuku…..!

There came a strong vibration.

Much stronger than what was anticipated.

It could be believed as an earthquake.

“Friends, face it.”

The result of the vibration was even more shocking. The dirt from the floor where the bones were planted, from all those places gear started to come out. Along with the huge and large ‘Spartoi’, the ’empty shells’ of the dragon were equal to the number of the bones.

“See it.”