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Chapter 225: Ancient Dragon Ignisia (4)

Ignisia allowed Ketal to roam freely within the dragon\'s lair.

There was a reason for this.

She had discerned what kind of being Ketal was—what he was, where he came from, and the extent of his power.

However, she did not know much about Ketal as a person.

She had no idea what his objectives were, what values he held, or what his ideology might be.

Although Ketal had introduced himself as an ally of the earth, she needed to determine what that truly meant.

‘Even the illusions of the forest claimed to be our allies.’

She had connections with the designer of the Magic Tower, the Master of the Tower.

Recently, she had met him in person and heard stories about the forest and Nano.

The Nanos tried to replace everything in the world in order to help it.

Their actions might have been evil, but their intentions were pure and benevolent.

Of course, Ketal had met with gods directly, so such issues might not be a concern for him, but Ignisia still needed to investigate thoroughly.

Her intention in seducing Ketal was partly driven by personal curiosity, but it also had this purpose.

As Ignisia was crafting a catalyst, she muttered to herself,

"I want to understand his actions."

Her dragon\'s power activated, and every one of Ketal’s actions became known to her.

She quietly observed him, watching what he did and how he behaved in the dragon\'s lair.

To her surprise, Ketal’s behavior was quite unexpected.

‘…He’s not touching anything?’

This was the lair of an ancient dragon, filled with countless precious treasures.

Gold, silver, and jewels lay scattered like trinkets, along with various artworks and artifacts, and even wines aged for thousands of years.

These were treasures that anyone, even an outsider, would recognize as priceless, items unattainable even with a fortune.

Anyone would be tempted.

Moreover, she had told Ketal he could take whatever he liked.

She intended to gauge his level of greed.

However, Ketal showed no particular desire.

"It\'s incredibly extravagant."

Of course, he was interested and did look around, even touching a few items out of curiosity.

But that was all.

His eyes and actions revealed no greed or desire.

‘What’s going on?’

His attitude was surprising to Ignisia.

Ketal had taken on a quest from a wandering merchant, meaning he was not someone completely devoid of worldly desires.

Yet, he showed no interest in the treasures of the dragon\'s lair.

While his quest for the wandering merchant was to obtain mystery, Ignisia, who didn’t know this, could only feel confused.

Instead of treasures or artifacts, Ketal seemed more interested in ancient books.

"May I read this?"

"Uh… sure."

Even then, he asked for her permission before reading.

Ketal quietly sat on the sofa and started reading.

Although he occasionally moved to find new books, he went out of his way to minimize any noise so as not to disturb her.

‘What is this?’

The Ketal she had observed so far was remarkably sensible, like a well-educated noble or scholar.

Yet, Ketal was a barbarian from the white plains.

This discrepancy left her puzzled.

"What are you reading?"

"A history book about a kingdom that perished a thousand years ago. It fell due to internal power struggles."

"…Ah. I remember that."

Even she had roughly tossed that book into storage and forgotten about it.

"Is it interesting?"

"It is."

Ketal nodded.

A constant smile played on his face as he read.

His demeanor left Ignisia feeling unsettled.

Her observations of Ketal up to this point revealed someone who was desireless, a knowledge seeker, and respectful as a guest.

Considering his mysterious nature, it was difficult to discern whether this was a façade or genuine.

“Hmm.”

Since she couldn’t figure out his personal values or ideology, she decided to approach it from another angle and asked him,

“Come to think of it, I never asked about your objective. You\'re trying to acquire mysteries, right? Is it to become stronger?”

“Not particularly.”

Ketal replied calmly while still reading.

“I simply want to acquire mysteries.”

Ignisia paused at his words.

She had assumed that Ketal\'s desire for mysteries was to become stronger—a very common, logical assumption.

However, Ketal’s answer was different.

“…The acquisition of mysteries is the goal in itself? Is that really all?”

“Yes. Oh, it’s not entirely.”

“Right? Your goal is to become stronger, isn’t it?”

“No, that’s not it. I want to wield swordsmanship and magic. I want to use the world’s great powers with my own hands.”

Ketal’s face lit up with a smile of anticipation as he spoke.

In that moment, Ignisia realized that Ketal was being sincere.

“…What do you want to obtain?”

“I’m still deciding on that. For now, I want first to master Aura.”

Sword mastery, the supreme swordsmanship.

Since he had fought using only his physical strength, he first wanted to learn swordsmanship.

“But I also want to learn magic. They say you have to focus on one if you want to master it, which is a shame. Ah, but that’s fine. I’ve got an artifact that should allow me to use magic. I think I’ll manage.”

Suddenly, Ketal began to speak more freely, his expression the most joyful she had ever seen, his words flowing rapidly.

“So right now, my biggest dilemma is which swordsmanship to learn. Cain’s swordsmanship was very appealing. I’m not too interested in learning physical enhancement techniques. I’m curious about the swordsmanship of other Swordmasters. Finding and learning from them one by one would be interesting.”

Ignisia fully understood.

Ketal’s sole desire was his own enjoyment, nothing more.

She broke her silence and asked,

“You’ve met demons, haven’t you?”

“I’ve met quite a few. They wield some unique powers.”

“Are you interested in their abilities as well?”

“Absolutely.”

Ketal immediately nodded in agreement.

"They each used unique and powerful abilities. All of them were intriguing. I would love to try handling them too, but... it seems impossible since those powers are specific to each demon. It\'s quite unfortunate."

Ketal smacked his lips.

"Oh, I\'m also interested in the magic you used. What\'s it called?"

"It\'s called Dragon Words."

"Dragon Words! What a fascinating name. I\'d like to learn that as well. But... it seems impossible, so for now, I should focus on swordsmanship."

Ketal said, smiling from ear to ear.

Ignisia silently watched him.

* * *

That night, Ignisia fell deep into thought.

She had just learned about Ketal as a person.

Ketal claimed to be an ally of theirs, but to be precise, he wasn\'t exactly on their side.

He was an ally of the world—humans, elves, spirits, dragons, even the demons of hell.

He bore goodwill towards them all.

Ketal was such a being.

He didn\'t distinguish between good and evil.

His own interests and enjoyment were his top priorities.

\'What kind of being from the Forbidden Lands is this?\'

Though he was an entity from the Forbidden Lands, an enemy of the world, he held goodwill towards the entire world.

She couldn\'t comprehend it at all.

\'This is... dangerous.\'

Ignisia let out a groan.

Ketal was currently opposing the demons and taking their side.

But that was only because the situation had unfolded that way.

If the demons approached Ketal with goodwill and made a connection with him, he would likely accept them without hesitation and side with the demons.

If Ketal had an enemy, it would be someone who interfered with his actions.

Dangerous.

Ketal could not be controlled.

He could change sides at any moment, depending on his interests.

"......"

Ignisia\'s eyes darkened.

* * *

The next morning, Ignisia sought out Ketal.

As always, Ketal was reading a book.

"Ketal."

"What\'s the matter?"

"You said you were interested in Dragon Words, didn\'t you?"

"That\'s right."

Ketal looked puzzled as to why she was asking. Ignisia spoke up.

"Then, would you be interested in learning Dragon Words from me?"

"What?"

Ketal\'s eyes widened.

"...Dragon Words is the magic you used when we fought, right?"

"Yes."

The powerful magic that used strange language to unleash red light and bind the very space itself in chains.

Ignisia spoke again.

"If you are truly interested and willing to learn, I\'ll teach you."

"Are... Are you serious?"

Ketal\'s voice trembled at the unexpected fortune. Confirming something in his reaction, Ignisia nodded.

"I\'m serious."

"Wait, just a moment."

Ketal barely managed to suppress his excitement.

It was an incredibly tempting offer, one that could easily cause him to lose his senses.

But he needed to confirm it first since there was a possibility of disappointment after building up such high expectations.

"Am I even capable of learning it? I don\'t wield any Mysticism. Moreover, it\'s Dragon Magic, so there might be restrictions."

"Of course, there are restrictions... But you\'re about to acquire Mysticism using a Dragon Heart, right? Then you\'ll have enough qualifications. If you\'re not skilled enough, you won\'t be able to handle it... but that doesn\'t seem to be an issue."

"Oh, oh!"

"So, what do you think? Are you interested?"

"Absolutely!"

Ketal answered energetically.

Dragon Words.

The mysterious language-based magic she had wielded.

It was immensely powerful and beautiful—a magic straight out of fantasy.

The thought of being able to learn something like that was a stroke of unimaginable fortune.

He felt like he was flying through the sky.

"Please, I beg you!"

Ketal immediately agreed.

As if she had expected it, Ignisia spoke.

"Alright. Then, just wait a little bit. I\'ll explain it to you after I finish this current work."

"Thank you so much. But why the sudden offer?"

Ignisia had no particular reason to teach Ketal Dragon Words.

She had never even mentioned it before.

But now she was suddenly offering to teach it.

It was hard to understand.

Ignisia spoke lightly.

"Think of it as an extension of my apology. Well, it\'s not entirely without strings attached. There is something I want from you."

"Ah, I see."

Ketal nodded in understanding.

But of course, that was all just an excuse.

There was a different reason she was teaching Ketal Dragon Words.

\'...The beings from the Forbidden Lands are emerging.\'

Entities from the Forbidden Lands were coming out and causing chaos.

Moreover, the demons were invading the surface.

The balance was heavily skewed against them.

In reality, large and small damages were continually occurring.

She had a hunch.

If things continued like this, the surface would lose.

In such a situation, this barbarian appeared.

Without knowing a single bit of Mysticism, he shattered her Dragon Words.

Once he acquired Mysticism, his power would reach an even higher level.

While bearing goodwill towards all things in the world, he was someone who could oppose the Forbidden Lands and stand on their side.

He could tilt the balance back in their favor.

The issue was that Ketal was someone who acted based on his own interests.

For now, he was opposing the demons, but depending on future circumstances, he could become their enemy at any time.

The possibility was low, but it wasn\'t impossible.

If that happened, the surface would almost certainly lose.

So, she made a decision.

She would definitely pull this barbarian over to their side.

She would make him hold goodwill towards the surface, towards the dragons.

She would bring the one who could disrupt the balance to their side.

For that reason, she decided to work hard to make Ketal have a favorable impression of them.

That was the conclusion she had reached after a night of contemplation.