"Hm?"
In a dry, stuffy cave, Aiyi, who had been sleeping atop a massive rock that had clearly been forged and burned smooth and flat, suddenly opened her eyes and looked in one direction in utter surprise.
"This is...?"
Aiyi rubbed her eyes and climbed to her feet, staring in that direction with both surprise and delight on her face.
She sensed a surge of magic power unique to dragonkind, burning and rising like flames.
And that magic power was extraordinarily strong.
"There's such a powerful dragon living in a place like this?"
Aiyi was indeed quite delighted.
However, beside that dragon's magical presence, she seemed to sense her own magic power as well.
That magic power was something Aiyi had placed on someone.
Since it had appeared there, that proved the person was nearby.
"What is he doing over there?"
Aiyi grew suspicious, but she did not dwell on it too much.
"Let's go take a look."
With that thought, a pair of dragon wings spread from Aiyi's back, turning her into a streak of light as she shot away.
At the same time, on a mountain path, Vasco and the other nobles led a large number of knights and guards toward that same direction.
Their goal was clear: find that black dragon and hold the Demon Refining Ritual again.
Roar!
At that moment, a faint roar reached them, heard by everyone.
"Listen!"
"We can already hear that dragon!"
"Looks like we've caught up!"
The nobles immediately perked up and grew excited.
Only Vasco stopped in his tracks. Listening to the roar, he furrowed his brows tightly.
For some reason, he felt that the dragon's roar sounded different from before.
Previously, its roars had been filled with pain, struggle, and frenzy, like the desperate struggle of something on the