Demons Could Never Be Companions

A terrifying dragon leaped out from underground. Its sharp horns pierced through the floor, and its hideous head filled half the hall.

It was the very same [Dark Dragon] from the illusion, the one that had had one of its horns cut off.

The moment it saw Shane and Frieren, the Dark Dragon opened its jaws and mercilessly unleashed a stream of scorching flames.

Shane reacted in a flash and yanked Frieren into the [Goddess's Barrier].

The flames slammed into the barrier and were successfully blocked.

But the heat that seeped through still made Shane feel as if the surface of his skin had been scorched in an instant.

A moment later, the flames stopped. The dragon looked around, saw that its targets had vanished, and contentedly closed its eyes. Its head sank underground once more.

Shane and Frieren hardly dared to breathe. They waited inside the barrier for a while, and only after all sound from below had died away did they finally let out a sigh of relief.

It had all happened so suddenly. Thankfully, the barrier had protected them; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The two of them quietly backed toward the entrance, but no matter what they tried—pushing or magic—the door simply wouldn't open.

"Maybe it has some bizarre [can't be opened from this side] setting."

Shane couldn't help complaining.

Frieren frowned and began looking around for another exit...

Upon the throne.

The Dwarf King was still repeating the last words he'd spoken before his death: "You man-eating beasts, go to hell with the [Dark Dragon]!"

Just like the puppet they had seen in the Celebration Hall.

Repeating them in vain.

Frieren watched the scene, feeling a little moved.

"The dwarves never believed that the souls of the dead went to heaven. Eze once told me that, according to their traditions, they believed souls returned to nothingness after death."

"But the Dwarf King was able to remain here as a soul. It seems his resolve to protect the dwarves was so strong that even death couldn't break it."

Frieren's words deeply affected Shane.

He sincerely admired the tragic resolve of someone who would give his life for his country.

At the moment a kingdom fell, how many kings or emperors could have shown such courage?

Without thinking, he walked over and patted the Dwarf King's shoulder, though his hand passed through the air.

"Rest in peace, old friend. The Demon King has been defeated, the world has found peace, and the dwarves haven't been wiped out. Everything you did wasn't in vain."

He had spoken from the heart, never expecting that the Dwarf King's soul would begin to grow transparent the moment his words left his mouth.

Until it vanished completely, without a trace.

Frieren was astonished.

"You can soothe souls? You really do have a talent for being a Monk!"

Shane was speechless.

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

"And could you stop bringing up this talent for being a Monk? I've told you, I'm not joining the clergy. Absolutely not. There's no way I'll become a Monk in this life!"

Frieren shook her head, looking regretful.

Shane was furious.

As they were talking, they heard the dragon snort underground.

The two of them immediately fell silent.

They searched the surroundings again, but still couldn't find a way out. Their eyes turned to the abyssal crack in the center of the hall.

"We'll just have to go down into the abyss and see if there's an exit on the dragon's side," Shane suggested.

"Okay."

Frieren grabbed Shane and used Flight Magic to carry him down. Holding their breath, they quietly and slowly landed deep underground.

Then they were stunned by the sight before them.

Countless thick, long chains coiled around the Dark Dragon's entire lower body. They were buried deep in its flesh and bones, and their other ends disappeared underground.

It had been imprisoned here.

Behind it stood an enormous, magnificent furnace.

A thought came to Shane unbidden: Had the dwarves chained this fellow here to use it as a "lighter"?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the dragon, which had been dozing, suddenly opened its eyes.

It immediately spotted the two uninvited guests, Shane and Frieren, and without a moment's hesitation, breathed fire in their direction.

Frieren reacted quickly, instantly spreading Defense Magic around them both.

Taking advantage of the flames obscuring its view, Shane swiftly opened the [Goddess's Barrier], and the two of them vanished from the dragon's sight once more.

When the flames stopped, the dragon tilted its head and searched around. Finding its targets gone, it closed its eyes again and went back to sleep.

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

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

"Maybe we shouldn't..."

"Why not?"

"From the looks of it, the dwarves imprisoned the Dark Dragon here to guard the ruins. If we kill it, who'll guard them from now on?" Shane hesitated. "Wouldn't it be better to leave things as they are, with the dragon locked up here? We can sneak away."

Frieren frowned at Shane's words.

"Demons are demons. They can't be tamed or civilized. The dwarves chained the dragon underground and sealed it away, only bringing it out to take their enemies down with them when their race faced extinction. That proves they understood this, too."

"Demons can never be companions."

As she spoke, she resolutely raised her staff and aimed at the dragon's head.

"We can't let a single demon go. What if someone wanders in here someday? They'd become the dragon's next meal. Anyone who gets hurt because of it will have suffered because of our false mercy."

Frieren's words left Shane rooted to the spot.

He suddenly realized what a foolish thing he'd just done.

He had actually felt sorry for a demon dragon.

The Dwarf King had just said before his death that the demons should go to hell alongside the Dark Dragon.

And Shane had thought the dragon could be tamed as a pet. It was absurdly naive.

His expression turned serious. "Frieren, forget what I just said. The dwarves were right. Showing mercy to the enemy is the height of foolishness."

Frieren smiled, relieved, and unleashed a full-power magic attack.

Whoosh—

The dragon disintegrated into ash in its sleep and slowly faded away.

After dealing with the dragon, the two of them made their way to the furnace.

Thousands of years had passed, and the once magnificent furnace had completely decayed. Its operating handle crumbled at the slightest touch.

Shane looked up. Written on the furnace in dwarven characters were a few bold, powerful words: [Black Iron Legacy].

He looked at the iron handle he'd broken off and then at the coded message in his hands, utterly disappointed.

Seriously? The treasure in the coded message was this giant furnace?

What a rip-off!

All the strength drained from him. His mental energy had already been depleted, and now he wished he could simply pass out.

After all that work, all they'd found was a rusty old furnace???

As he sighed, Frieren pointed behind the furnace, where there was a small hole like a ventilation shaft.

With no other choice, Shane grumbled as he followed Frieren and tried to crawl out through the vent. They crawled through the cramped tunnel for so long that Shane thought his knees were about to give out. At last, they emerged into the open air.

They had come out onto a high cliff in the Neck Mountains.

From here, they could look down over all of Blackstone Mountain.

The fissure in Blackstone Mountain had closed, as if nothing had ever happened.

The dwarves' buried history had been covered over once again.

Frieren glanced at Blackstone Mountain, then looked past the Neck Mountains toward the far north. A gentle smile appeared on her face as she said, "We can bring Eze back here someday. He'd definitely be interested."

Shane couldn't help replying, "We'd have to bring a powerful demon here and kill it on the spot."

"Hmm... All right. We can tell Eze about it."

Shane followed Frieren's gaze northward, in the direction of the [Central Nations].