The Demon Race Cannot Be a Companion

The terrifying dragon leaped from the ground, its sharp horns piercing the floor as its hideous head filled half the hall.

It was the very same Dark Dragon that had been missing a horn in the illusion they had just witnessed.

The moment it saw Shane and Frieren, the Dark Dragon opened its massive maw, and scorching flames poured out without mercy.

Shane was quick-witted, pulling Frieren into the Goddess's Barrier just in time.

The flames slammed into the barrier, successfully blocked.

Yet, the heat radiating through the barrier still made Shane feel as though the surface of his skin had been instantly scorched.

A moment later, the torrent of fire ceased. The giant dragon looked ahead, and seeing its targets had vanished, it closed its eyes in satisfaction, its head sinking back into the ground.

Shane and Frieren dared not even breathe, waiting in the barrier for a while until there was no more sound from the ground before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

The incident had happened too suddenly; thankfully, they had the protection of the barrier, or the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The two quietly retreated to the main entrance, but unfortunately, whether by pushing or using magic, all attempts to open the door failed.

"This door might have some ridiculous setting where it 'cannot be opened from this side'."

Shane could not help but grumble.

Frieren frowned, beginning to observe their surroundings in search of another exit...

Above the throne.

The Dwarf King continued to repeat the final words he had spoken before his death: "You man-eating beasts, go to hell along with the Dark Dragon!"

Just like the automaton in the Celebration Hall they had seen earlier.

Cycling in vain.

Frieren watched this scene with a sense of melancholy.

"The dwarf race never believed that souls go to heaven after death. Ize once said that in their tradition, they believe the soul returns to nothingness upon death."

"Yet, the Dwarf King has managed to remain here in a spiritual state. It seems his resolve to protect the dwarf race, held even unto death, has become strong enough to ignore the boundaries between life and death."

Hearing Frieren's words, Shane was deeply moved.

This tragic heroism of sacrificing oneself for one's nation earned his heartfelt respect.

At the moment of a dynasty's collapse, how many kings or emperors could possess such spirit?

He walked over involuntarily and patted the Dwarf King's shoulder in the void:

"Old friend, rest in peace. The Demon King has been defeated, the world has ushered in peace, and the dwarf race has not gone extinct. Everything you did was not in vain."

He had spoken from the heart, but to his surprise, the moment his words fell, the soul of the Dwarf King before him began to turn transparent.

Until it dissipated completely, leaving no trace behind.

Frieren was shocked.

"You actually managed to soothe a soul; you truly have the talent of a priest!"

Shane was speechless.

"I didn't do anything; I just had a chat with the old guy."

"Besides, stop bringing up that priest talent! I've said it before, I'm not becoming a monk, absolutely not! There is no way I'm becoming a priest in this lifetime!"

Frieren shook her head, looking quite regretful.

Shane was indignant.

As they spoke, a dragon's snort echoed from the ground.

The two quickly fell silent.

They searched the area again, but still found no way out, so their gazes turned to the abyss in the center of the hall.

"We have no choice but to bite the bullet and go down into the abyss to see if there's an exit on the dragon's side," Shane suggested.

"Okay."

Frieren grabbed Shane and used Flight Magic to descend, the two holding their breath as they quietly and slowly landed deep underground.

Then, they were stunned by the sight before them.

The entire lower half of the Dark Dragon was wrapped in countless thick, long chains. These chains were dug deep into its flesh and bone, with the other ends extending deep into the ground.

It was imprisoned here.

And behind it stood a massive, incredibly spectacular giant furnace.

A thought involuntarily popped into Shane's mind: Don't tell me the dwarves chained this guy here to use as a 'lighter'.

The moment this thought emerged, the dragon, which had been dozing, suddenly opened its eyes.

The giant dragon immediately spotted the two uninvited guests, Shane and Frieren. Without a moment's hesitation, it spewed a breath of fire directly toward them.

Frieren reacted quickly, instantly deploying Defense Magic to envelop them both.

Taking advantage of the visual obstruction caused by the flames, Shane quickly expanded the Goddess's Barrier, and the two vanished from the dragon's sight once more.

After the fire breath ceased, the dragon tilted its head to look around, and finding its targets gone, it closed its eyes again to continue its nap.

Shane and Frieren hid within the barrier, not daring to make a rash move.

"I can kill it directly with a charged [Demon-Slaying Magic]."

"Let's not..."

"Why?"

"Look at the setup; the Dark Dragon was imprisoned here by the dwarves to guard the ruins. If we kill it, who will guard the dwarven ruins in the future?" Shane hesitated. "It's better to leave things as they are, keep the dragon locked up, and we can just slip away quietly."

Hearing Shane's words, Frieren furrowed her brows.

"The Demon Race is the Demon Race; they cannot be tamed or taught. The fact that the dwarves locked the dragon underground and sealed it away, intending to use it only to perish together with their enemies in the event of their extinction, proves that they understood this truth as well."

"The Demon Race cannot be a companion."

As she spoke, she decisively raised her staff, aiming at the dragon's head.

"We cannot let a single member of the Demon Race go. What if someone breaks in later and becomes a snack for the dragon? Anyone harmed because of that would be a victim of our current false mercy."

Frieren's words stunned Shane on the spot.

He suddenly realized what a foolish thing he had just done.

He had actually been sympathizing with a demon dragon.

Just before the Dwarf King died, he had said: let the Demon Race and the Dark Dragon go to hell together.

Yet he had thought the demon dragon could be tamed as a pet; it was truly whimsical.

His expression turned serious. "Frieren, just pretend I never said what I just did. The dwarves were right; being merciful to the enemy is the height of stupidity."

Frieren smiled with relief and unleashed a saturated magical attack.

Whoosh—

The dragon turned to ash in its sleep and slowly dissipated.

With the dragon dealt with, the two of them successfully arrived before the furnace.

After thousands of years, this once magnificent and spectacular giant furnace had completely decayed; the operating handle shattered the moment it was touched.

Shane looked up. On the furnace, written in powerful, vigorous dwarven script, were the words: [Black Iron Legacy].

He looked at the refined iron handle he had snapped off in his hand, then took out the secret text to check it, feeling deeply disappointed.

No way, the treasure in the secret text is just this big furnace?

This is too much of a scam!

He instantly lost all his strength. Already suffering from a depletion of mental energy, he felt like he could just pass out right there.

After working hard for so many days, all he found was a rusty old furnace???

While he was sighing and groaning, Frieren pointed to the back of the furnace, where there was a small hole resembling a ventilation shaft.

Shane had no choice but to grumble as he followed Frieren, attempting to crawl out through the exhaust vent. The two of them crawled through the narrow hole for so long that Shane felt his knees were about to rot away, until finally, they saw the light of day again.

They had arrived at a high cliff in the Neck Mountains.

From here, one could overlook the entire Blackstone Mountain.

The previously split Blackstone Mountain had closed up, as if nothing had ever happened.

The dust-covered history of the dwarves had been buried back underground.

Frieren glanced at Blackstone Mountain, her gaze crossing the Neck Mountains and looking further north. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she said, "We can bring Ize back to see this later; he would definitely be interested."

Shane couldn't help but retort, "That would require catching a major demon and slaughtering it on the spot."

"Hmm... alright, I can just tell Ize about it."

Shane followed Frieren's gaze toward the north; that was the direction leading to the [Central Nations].