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Chapter 216: The Quest of the Wandering Merchant (5)

The Next Day.

They continued to climb the mountain.

The boy\'s gaze was fixed on Ketal.

Seraphina gently asked,

"Why do you keep looking at him? Are you interested in spirits?"

"No, not really..."

The boy hastily shook his head.

Yet, even after that, the boy\'s gaze remained fixed on Ketal.

However, Ketal seemed disinterested, merely watching the others\' battles with a cheerful expression.

This made the boy frown with discomfort.

And then, finally, they arrived.

"This must be it."

Near the mountain peak was a cave.

They knew instinctively that this was the dragon\'s lair.

It would be foolish not to realize this, as the entrance to the cave was the size of a castle, big enough for a dragon to come and go with ease.

But that wasn\'t all.

"A guardian?"

"Looks like it."

A brown golem was guarding the entrance to the lair.

They could instinctively tell that the golem was strong.

None of them could guarantee victory if they fought it individually.

"We\'ll have to work together this time."

"Indeed."

They discussed their battle strategy.

After a while, the mercenary king summarized,

"The spirit and Seraphina will defend against the guardian\'s attacks in the front. The Spellweaver will provide support, and I\'ll exploit any openings. Conserve your strength as much as possible; we\'ll still need to face the dragon afterward. Any suggestions?"

"I have none."

"It seems clear enough."

"I agree,"

Ketal said.

Piego, who had been silent, was surprised.

[Wait a minute, master. You agree?]

"Yes. I think it\'s a sound plan."

[No.]

Piego was at a loss for words.

To him, the plan seemed full of problems for a simple reason: It would be much easier and more efficient for Ketal to smash the guardian on his own.

But Ketal insisted on not participating directly in the fight and just watching.

It was utterly irrational, and Piego couldn\'t understand it.

[No...]

As he looked at Ketal\'s face in confusion, Piego suddenly realized that Ketal was smiling.

\'A party attack by four top-tier superhumans.\'

What an entertaining spectacle it was.

Ketal had no intention of missing such an opportunity.

Piego, too, understood Ketal\'s thoughts from his expression.

The others had come here to slay the dragon and claim its reward, and Ketal was no different in that regard.

But for Ketal, the situation itself was also the objective.

\'This guy.\'

Piego finally understood what kind of person Ketal was.

To Ketal, the current situation was just an interesting show.

He enjoyed forming a party, hunting monsters together, and making plans.

It felt like witnessing a transcendent being playing with the world.

\'What a...\'

It was twisted.

It was safe to say he was broken.

Piego shuddered.

"Very well then, Piego. Are you okay with this?"

[...I have no objections.]

Realizing this about Ketal, Piego gave up and obediently followed.

There was no other way, as he had a direct contract with the spirit god.

He could only comply.

"Alright then. I\'ll go first. O Sun God, grant your blessing to your servant."

Seraphina uttered a small prayer.

Simultaneously, a shield and mace of light descended.

Sensing the energy wave, the guardian\'s eyes glowed.

"Hup!"

Seraphina charged, shielding her body with the shield.

Her small, slender figure collided with the golem.

A massive sound echoed, and shockwaves spread throughout the forest.

[Enemy detected.]

The guardian\'s role was to exterminate intruders in the dragon\'s lair.

The guardian moved to fulfill its role diligently, swinging its arms to strike Seraphina violently.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The tremendous force pressed down on Seraphina.

The ground sank with each blow, groaning under the pressure.

Screeech!

Just as the golem was about to deliver a crushing blow, crimson flames flared up.

Piego charged with his horns.

The golem assumed a defensive stance with the arm it was about to strike with.

A magical shield protected the golem\'s body.

Boom!

Piego\'s horn pierced the magical shield.

The recoil pushed Piego\'s body back.

Even the power of a highest-ranking spirit wasn\'t enough to withstand it.

However, thanks to that, the magical shield shattered.

And the mercenary king did not miss the opportunity.

He quietly moved behind the golem.

He reached the back of the guardian without a sound.

A blue aura shimmered on his sword.

The sword struck the guardian\'s body.

Clang!

With a harsh sound, part of the guardian\'s body shattered.

But it was only a small fragment of its structure.

Its durability was astonishing.

Screech!

The guardian swung its arm violently.

The mercenary king narrowly dodged and frowned.

"It\'s too tough."

"It seems to be a golem with a core. If we don\'t destroy the core, it will keep moving."

"Where is the core?"

"Right now, it seems well hidden. We\'ll need to keep fighting to create an opening in the magical concealment. I\'ll try to detect it."

"Understood."

"Hup!"

Seraphina thrust her shield forward.

The guardian roughly pushed Seraphina away.

Taking advantage of the opening, Piego struck with his horn.

When the golem defended, the mercenary king struck its body with his sword.

Using the gaps created, the Spellweaver tried to locate the core.

"Impressive."

Ketal, who had been watching, was impressed.

The coordination was incomparable to any party he had seen before.

It wasn\'t just about strength; it was about synergy.

The teamwork was far superior to the old party he had seen in the capital of the Denian Kingdom.

Although they had fought various battles while climbing the mountain, they had never fought together.

The fact that they coordinated so perfectly indicated that their individual skills were exceptionally high.

Ketal watched the battle with admiration.

The boy next to him quietly asked,

"...Are you just going to watch and do nothing?"

"It\'s not that I\'m doing nothing. My spirit is fighting hard over there."

Ketal was a spirit summoner.

It wasn\'t a big problem if he didn\'t participate directly.

The others, sensing that Ketal\'s presence wasn\'t particularly necessary, didn\'t object.

But the boy narrowed his eyes.

"Is that so? It seems you have considerable strength too. Wouldn\'t it be faster if you joined in?"

"There\'s no need. I\'ll intervene if it looks dangerous, but it doesn\'t seem that way."

Cracks were spreading across the guardian\'s body.

At this rate, it wouldn\'t be long before the fight was over.

The boy\'s expression was quite curious upon hearing Ketal\'s answer.

His face showed puzzlement and curiosity.

And a strange sense of kinship.

"You asked me a question, so may I ask you one?"

"Yes, go ahead."

Ketal looked at the boy with curiosity.

"Why are you dressed as a man?"

The boy flinched, surprised by the unexpected question.

"What? I\'m a boy."

"I know. Biologically, you look like a boy."

Ketal smiled.

"But your behavior and build are more like a girl\'s."

"...What?"

"If I\'m mistaken, forget it. There can be boys like you in this world."

Ketal concluded.

The boy looked at Ketal with narrowed eyes.

\'...This guy.\'

Was he doing this on purpose?

The boy frowned.

Meanwhile, the battle was nearing its end.

Having finally located the core, the Spellweaver shouted loudly.

"Right knee! The joint! That\'s where the core is!"

"What an odd place to put it!"

As soon as they identified the core\'s location, they focused their strength.

In an instant, the guardian\'s knee was shattered, revealing the core inside.

Clang!

Piego\'s horn pierced the core, and the guardian stopped moving.

Hum.

The light in the guardian\'s eyes went out.

The battle was over.

Seraphina took a small breath.

"They\'re strong."

Even with the coordination of four top-tier superhumans, it took considerable time.

Despite holding back, their power was immense.

They couldn\'t have guaranteed victory if they fought individually.

"So this is just a guardian protecting the lair..."

"A dragon is a dragon. We\'ll need to be thoroughly prepared."

They caught their breath and prepared to face the dragon.

A few minutes later, after finishing all preparations, they began to enter the dragon\'s lair.

Seraphina spoke to the boy.

"Ian, you should wait here. No matter how skilled I am, I can\'t protect you inside."

"Oh. Okay..."

"This area seems to be free of monsters because it\'s near the dragon\'s lair, but just in case, I\'ll give you my necklace. If monsters approach, hold the necklace and pray to the Sun God. They won\'t be able to see you."

"Thank you."

The boy bowed his head.

They left the boy behind and entered the dragon\'s lair.

The boy watched them quietly.

And the moment their figures completely disappeared,

The boy\'s expression changed.

"What is with that guy?"

He frowned.

The previously timid and scared look was nowhere to be found.

His face now bore the expression of a shrewd, cunning person.

He tapped his chin with his finger.

"I can sense something strange... but I can\'t figure it out. A being I don\'t know. Is that possible in this world?"

The boy murmured and suddenly paused.

"Or, is it not from this world?"

His voice was filled with interest.

"Hmm. I was planning to play a little prank while taking care of business, but something peculiar came up."

After pondering for a moment, the boy stamped his foot.

"I\'ll watch for now."

And at that moment, the boy\'s body vanished.

* * *

Simultaneously as the boy\'s body disappeared,

Ketal, who was entering the dragon\'s lair, halted.

Seraphina asked, puzzled.

"Is something wrong?"

"Did you sense something?"

"No, it\'s not that. Didn\'t any of you feel it?"

"Huh?"

"Did you sense something?"

They all looked as if they hadn\'t felt anything.

It was as if they weren\'t even aware that something had changed.

Seeing their reactions, Ketal smiled.

"No, it\'s nothing. Let\'s keep going."

"Uhm, alright."

They continued deep into the dragon\'s lair.

There were no obstacles or interruptions.

They just kept moving through a deep, wide passage.

And at the end,

They arrived at the dragon\'s lair.

"...Wow."

"Whoa."

There was a massive chamber large enough to fit a castle.

The chamber was shining brilliantly.

The walls were literally made of jewels.

The multicolored light brightly illuminated the dark cave.

Selling all those jewels could buy a kingdom.

They were momentarily captivated by the overwhelming brilliance.

But there was something that outshone even those jewels.

It was at the center of the dragon\'s lair.

The Spellweaver sighed.

Ketal\'s eyes sparkled more than ever.

"Dragon..."

A chamber large enough to fit a castle.

A gigantic creature that filled a third of it.

A red dragon lying down with its eyes closed was in the middle of the chamber.

The dragon was in front of them.