Ancient Dragon Eruhaben who was heading toward Cale with a smile flinched after seeing Cale's expression.
Cale didn't care as he reached his hand out toward Eruhaben.
"…What do you want?"
Eruhaben didn't know what Cale wanted from him. Cale responded back.
"Oh, you're going to feign ignorance, Eruhaben-nim?"
Cale's tone was extremely curt.
Cale started to speak again as the ancient Dragon slowly started to frown at Cale's tone that was different than usual.
"Please hand over the ancient artifact."
It was an oddly rude tone. However, Eruhaben who made eye contact with Cale did not complain about the tone.
Instead, he answered back was a calm expression.
"Ancient artifact? Didn't you just hear it break?"
"Haaaa."
Cale let out a deep sigh.
Eruhaben had to force himself not to flinch after hearing that sigh. He could see Cale Henituse look up at the ceiling of the training ground before looking back at him.
"Eruhaben-nim."
Cale calmly continued on.
"Do I look like I fell for your trick?"
Cale stared right back at Eruhaben who was quietly observing him.
The ancient artifact.
The water coming from the jar that was full of vitality filled up to the user's desired amount.
It only filled up as much as the user needed. It would break if it could not meet the user's desires.
This was what the Mercenary King had told him.
"I have no intention on asking why you didn't use the jar properly."
Cale's expression continued to remain calm while Eruhaben started to frown more and more.
"Haaa, you-"
Eruhaben started to speak, but could not continue. It was because Cale cut him off.
"The jar supposedly fills up as much as the user wants."
One step, then another step.
Cale started to walk closer to the ancient Dragon.
"That ancient artifact will be useless in your hands right now, Eruhaben-nim."
One thousand years.
He was someone who had lived for such a long time. Cale was not that scared of this Dragon who was the longest living of the species known for being arrogant and independent.
"It is useless because you do not wish to live much longer."
One step.
Cale stopped just one step away from Eruhaben who started to speak.
"You're right."
He did not disagree with Cale.
"That jar will not fill with any water even if you put it back in my hand."
Eruhaben admitted that he did not wish to live much longer.
Cale saw that Eruhaben who had turned pale after the fight against the White Star looked fine again and asked back.
"Is it about one year?"
He remembered what a Wind Elemental had told him.
It said that Eruhaben had taken just one gulp.
Cale was asking how much vitality was in that one gulp.
"…Yes. I think I will probably live for another year."
One year.
That was similar to the amount of time Eruhaben had left before using up his energy to fight against the White Star.
Eruhaben had determined that it would be enough.
"We will defeat the White Star within that time."
The ancient Dragon sounded certain that they would defeat the White Star within that time. It was also his way of showing his will to make that happen.
"But how did you know?"
Eruhaben was asking the silent Cale how he knew about what he did with the ancient artifact.
He had not felt any type of magic spells or ancient powers outside the iron gate.
"Is that important?"
Cale bluntly responded back before continuing to speak.
"There is something I gained after fortifying the wind attribute ancient power."
Cale had told the others that he had fortified the wind attribute ancient power, but not what that fortification entailed.
The group had not been curious as they were more focused on making Cale rest and eat.
"I can listen to the voices of the Wind Elementals when I want."
"Ah."
Eruhaben nodded his head.
Hearing the voices of Elementals. That did not require magic nor ancient powers.
It was something that happened naturally.
"The Elementals must have told you."
"Something like that."
Eruhaben just sighed after hearing Cale's response.
The ancient Dragon tried to change topics to get past this situation, but Cale's hand was still reaching out toward him.
He looked as if he would continue to stay like this if Eruhaben did not hand the jar over.
The ancient Dragon started to speak.
"You should have realized it since you fought against the White Star as well."
He decided to be honest.
"I don't know how you would take a Dragon saying this, but the White Star is very strong."
He would know after facing off against the White Star a couple of times.
He would know just how strong the White Star is. He would know whether he would be able to win.
"And there are still many people who follow the White Star."
Arm, the Lion tribe, and the Bear tribe were among those who were subordinate to the White Star.
Cale's group did not need to just fight against the White Star.
"Then there may come a time when some people get injured during the battles."
Winning a war without having any casualties?
Eruhaben thought that such an idea was nonsense.
"That is why I decided that it would be better to preserve the ancient artifact for the what-ifs."
It was a simple decision for Eruhaben.
"I could use this and gain bonus time for my life."
He would live longer than he was supposed to live. That would be great.
"However, all of you have not lived out your full lives yet."
Cale, Raon, and all of the others. They all needed to live as long as they were supposed to live.
It would be sad if they could not live out their full lifespan because of a war. Even if they sacrificed their lives for the greater good, it would still be sad.
Eruhaben saw that Cale still had his hand reached out toward him and took out the jar.
Cale immediately put that jar into his spatial pocket bag.
Eruhaben sighed as he watched Cale's actions.
The jar did not fill up with water even while Cale was holding it.
It didn't fill even though Cale looked pale and must be struggling physically.
Furthermore, it didn't fill even though Cale needed a stronger body than anyone else because he may end up using his ancient powers frequently.
Yet the jar did not fill while in Cale's hand.
It was because Cale did not wish for it to fill.
'Yet he treats me so rudely?'
That was why Eruhaben was full of disbelief, but also the reason that he did not use the jar on himself.
"Eruhaben-nim."
It was at that moment.
Eruhaben could see Cale looking at him after putting the jar away in his spatial pocket bag.
"I believe a day will come when I hand this ancient artifact back to you."
Smirk.
Cale started to smirk.
"I think the jar will be full of water at that point."
Eruhaben let out a sigh.
The jar filling all the way would mean that Eruhaben would wish to live longer.
"… Such a day will never come."
However, he had to hear Cale's stern voice.
"It will."
Cale believed that such a day would come.
He was thinking that people wished to live longer when they were facing death or when they were extremely happy.
The moment they defeat the White Star.
The moment when everything ends.
The moment peace returns, they could relax and their lives would start to fill with happiness.
"I'm certain that such a day will come."
Cale was planning on making sure everybody lived to see that moment.
"I don't know about that."
Eruhaben, who couldn't read Cale's thoughts, just answered back before walking toward the gate.
He needed to show the others standing outside the gate that his complexion had returned to normal.
"Eruhaben-nim."
However, there was someone who did not wish for the conversation to end yet.
"Why don't we chat a bit more since we are here anyway."
Cale wanted it to be just the two of them for a little longer.
"What do you want to chat about?"
Cale pointed to the gate after hearing Eruhaben's question.
"Please use soundproof barrier magic just in case."
"Soundproof barrier magic?"
"Yes sir."
Eruhaben could finally see that the smile had disappeared off Cale's face.
The ancient Dragon already knew that nobody outside was using any kind of spells, however, he cast a soundproof barrier spell as Cale wished.
"Now nobody outside will be able to hear our conversation."
Eruhaben could see Cale finally slowly opening his mouth.
"Dragons."
Cale thought about the World Tree.
He recalled what it had told him.
Find the Water of Judgment.
There is someone with three ancient powers.
None of them were things that he could ignore. That was why Cale had no choice but to keep thinking about the last remaining thing the World Tree told him.
'Find the traces that the black Dragon's parents left behind.'
The black Dragon. Raon Miru.
"Dragons, how do Dragons find their parents?"
Cale was thinking that he needed to find Raon's parents, or at least the traces that his parents had left behind.
"…A Dragon's parents?"
Yes sir."
Eruhaben's expression turned odd.
This was something he had not expected.
However, Cale was not done yet.
He also had something else to ask.
"Do you know about the Castle of Light?"
"…One of the Three Restricted Areas?"
Eruhaben's expression turned even odder after hearing Cale suddenly bringing up the Castle of Light.
Cale continued to speak. He had not told the others about what happened in ancient times yet. However, it was time to reveal part of it now.
"The Dragon Slayer village is apparently in the Castle of Light. Did you know about that?"
Cale could see Eruhaben's eyes opening wide.
"…That is where the Dragon Slayer village is located? Really?"
He suddenly got the chills after seeing the completely shocked ancient Dragon. The reaction was greater than something he had expected from someone just finding something out.
Cale slowly nodded his head thinking about what the Scary Giant Cobblestone told him.
"…I'm not sure about it, but the chances of that being the case are very high."
"Ho."
Eruhaben let out a gasp.
Cale got even more chills after seeing the ancient Dragon rubbing the back of his neck.
Something was odd about the ancient Dragon's reaction.
The ancient Dragon started to speak as if responding to Cale's thought.
"The Castle of Light."
Now that Wind Island was gone, the Castle of Light was one of the Two Restricted Areas.
Eruhaben was very familiar with that location.
"That place, although humans probably don't know much about it…"
Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and all other races probably did not know.
However, Eruhaben knew something about that place.
Cale and Eruhaben were looking at each other.
"That is where the final Dragon Lord's grave is located."
'What?'
Cale's eyes opened wide.
The Castle of Light.
The most probable location of the Dragon Slayer village.
That was the location of the final Dragon Lord's grave.
"The final Dragon Lord was someone who experienced the ancient times and the world after it."
Eruhaben recalled the information he had heard from other ancient Dragons in the past.
The final Dragon Lord who was born near the end of ancient times.
That Dragon was someone who had experienced both the ancient times and the world after it.
"And the Dragon Lord position ended with that revered Dragon."
Nobody could take on the title of Dragon Lord afterward.
"That is why we say that Dragon Lords disappeared after ancient times."
It was because no Dragons who could become Dragon Lords appeared after ancient times.
Cale recalled what Eruhaben had told him in the past.
'Ah, the Dragon Catcher is said to have been the Dragon Lord's only friend.'
Cale had thought that the Dragon Lord position had carried on for generations along with the Dragon Catcher line and remained friends.
However, he now realized that was not the case.
Something was weird.
The final Dragon Lord who was born near the end of ancient times.
And the first Dragon Slayer who was the only child to survive the final battle during ancient times.
Something that happened approximately 10,000 years ago.
Cale realized that there was more to this story.
'Maybe.'
Regarding what Eruhaben told him in the past…
The story about how the Dragon Lord and the Dragon Slayer were friends…
'It could have just been about two individuals.'
The final Dragon Lord and the first Dragon Slayer.
The story about these two could have been misunderstood after 10,000 years.
10,000 years was a long time even for Dragons.
The Castle of Light.
Cale started to speak.
"Let's first head to the Castle of Light."
And one more thing.
"I wish to look for traces of Raon's parents."
Cale could see the expression on Eruhaben, who had been nodding his head, turn odd.
He seemed to be full of disbelief.
"Cale."
"Yes sir."
"You don't know how Dragons are born, right?"
"Excuse me?"
"You don't know, do you?"
'…How they are born?'
Cale calmly responded to Eruhaben who was looking at him in disbelief.
"From an egg."
Dragons were born from eggs.
Eruhaben sighed before starting to speak.
"Apparently I took fifty years to hatch from my egg."
"Excuse me?"
'What is he suddenly saying?'
Cale's expression continued to turn odd.
This sudden question was odd, but saying that it took him fifty years to hatch from his egg? Did that make any sense?
'Is that possible even if this is a fantasy world?'
"You remember Olienne? He took five years."
Now he was saying that a different Dragon only took five years.
Eruhaben continued to speak while looking at a confused Cale.
"You see, Dragons. We all have different hatching periods."
Some Dragons hatched in a day, some in a month, some in a year, and some even took tens of years.
Eruhaben could not be certain as he did not know about all of the Dragons on the Eastern and Western continents, however, he was pretty sure that all Dragons had different hatching periods.
"Of course, there is a reason for that. The Dragons with longer hatching periods are the stronger Dragons."
Cale thought about what he had just said to Eruhaben.
I wish to look for traces of Raon's parents.
"The little kid is someone who will become a very, very strong Dragon."
Eruhaben continued with certainty.
"You might need to go back at least 100 years to look for the little kid's parents."
He then continued on in a cold voice.
"There are pretty much no chances of them being alive as well. Even Dragons who are extremely self-centered treasure their children."
If even one of Raon's parents were alive, they would never let him suffer in that cave like that.
"That is probably why you are saying you want to find traces of the little kid's parents. However, that will not be easy either."
The majority of Dragons returned to nature after death.
If that happened, it would be very difficult to find any traces.
Cale brushed his hair back with one hand before starting to speak.
"Let's do all we can first."
Cale's desire to become a slacker had become a bit stronger after the Sound of the Wind's test.
The Super Rock Villa had to be filled with living beings.
"One at a time."
That was why they would do it one by one.
"Let's take it one step at a time. We'll do it together anyway, right?"
Cale smiled at Eruhaben who started to laugh as he responded back.
"You're saying something I agree with for the first time in a long while, you unlucky bastard. Of course, we will do it together."
Cale waved his hand after hearing that response.
A whirlwind knocked on the iron gate.
Click!
The large iron gate opened wide.
The children averaging nine-years-old ran toward Cale and Eruhaben.
"Gramps! Human!"
"Grandpa, your complexion looks good!"
"You look better! Wow!"
Cale walked past the children averaging nine-years-old who were approaching the ancient Dragon with joyful expressions and walked out through the iron gate.
"Hmm?"
"Human?"
Raon, On, and Hong looked at Cale, but he was already putting his hand on someone's shoulder.
"Secretary-nim."
"…Hmm?"
Bud responded back to the suddenly warm Cale with a suspicious expression. Cale smiled brightly at that moment.
"Gramps! The human is smiling like the crown prince!"
Cale ignored Raon's comment and continued in a gentle tone.
"Hand over the directory."
The Mercenaries Guild's record of strong individuals. The Directory.
And then they would visit the Castle of Light.
The ancient times and the White Star. The truth about all of that.
Cale was heading toward all of that, as well as the moment he could smack the White Star from behind.