How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 54: Eldrin and Demir (3)

The Giant Magic Dragon Drughan—a being of innate evil that incited discord in the world. The restriction forced on it was akin to abstinence for such a dragon. Being unable to indulge in the carnage it had enjoyed for millennia was unbearable.

“Those damn bastards.”

The dragon seethed with rage.

It felt unfair. It wanted to vent its accumulated anger but couldn’t destroy anything. Most of all, the crucial point was:

“The ones I wanted to take revenge on are already dead.”

The dragon’s blood boiled. Its fury was directed solely at the Forest and Rock tribes.

“Did you think I would stay quiet? Your two tribes will tear each other apart forever. If I can’t kill you myself, I’ll make sure you kill each other.”

The dragon sowed discord. Using the shape-shifting magic ‘Polymorph,’ it posed as the high elf queen. It seized the position of the dwarven chief with its overwhelming power. These two absolutes were Vulcanus and Seraphine.

“Hear me, people of Rock Tribe! The elves have hidden our great Demir’s relics! Does this make sense to you? Look! This is what happens when you lack strength! Pick up your weapons! We must reclaim our rightful place!”

The Rock Tribe was the first to wage war. The deceitful dragon easily swayed the pure spirits who only knew how to craft. They were quick to anger. They cut off the supply of weapons to the elves. They armed themselves with even stronger anti-elven artifacts.

And of course the Forest Tribe did not stand by idly.

“Forest Tribe, prepare yourselves! The Rock Tribe is invading our territory!” the being masquerading as the high elf queen cried out. “Ah, those ungrateful creatures. How…! How could they betray us, the ones who played the most significant role in sealing the dragon? Was the ore from the rock lands not enough to satisfy their greed? Forest Tribe! There is no such thing as a permanent ally! Take up your weapons! Show them who the true rulers of this world are!”

After the Hundred-Year War ended, the Five Hundred-Year War began.

Even during this time, the dragon sought a way.

“This damn prohibition, I swear I’ll break it somehow.”

It used magic, performed rituals, and repeated its efforts over and over again.

“But there’s nothing you can do. This prohibition will not be lifted unless some being sacrifices themself. For all eternity, that is.”

Those were Demir’s words before placing the prohibition. The dragon focused on the keywords ‘some being.’

“‘Some being’?”

Who on earth could be the sacrificial offering? Was it a bluff? No, it was more likely a condition of the ritual because that’s how rituals generally worked. They were mysterious and profound with all kinds of methods.

The dragon believed Demir’s hint was a condition of the ritual. The more complex and powerful the spell, the more restrictions it had. It dedicated decades of effort solely to finding the solution.

Eventually, the dragon discovered who that ‘some being’ was. The answer lay in the black orb embedded in the altar.

[This is the ‘Orb of Restriction.’]

[Find a being from beyond this world and offer them as a sacrifice.]

[The seal of the Orb will be lifted.]

“Those crazy bastards.”

It cursed aloud.

A being from beyond this world didn’t simply mean someone outside the region. It instinctively understood that it referred to a being from out of this world, possibly even this dimension.

“But I will find one.”

The dragon did not know the meaning of giving up.

“I will find one, no matter what.”

It was relentless. It conducted rituals to summon a being from beyond this world. It gathered the energy for these rituals through war.

And so time flowed. Five hundred years passed.

* * *

Reaper Scans

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—Clap, clap, clap!

Seraphine, or rather, the magic dragon, clapped its hands. At the same time, it smiled brightly, enough to make its mouth reach its ears.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment. How delighted I am today.”

Seeing a high elf with pure white skin smiling viciously was beyond hideous; it was grotesque.

“…So it’s true?” Dagnar shook his head, disbelief clear on his face. “All this war… all this suffering… was the work of one deceitful being…”

“…”

He looked utterly defeated. At the same time, there was a resigned look in his eyes.

“To think that the leaders of both races were the Giant Magic Dragon. This will be a shame that stains our history forever. Or perhaps… it’s already too late.”

It was the muttering of someone who had encountered an unimaginable wall.

“No, it’s more accurate to say it won’t even make it into history. We’re already as good as dead.” Dagnar slumped to the ground.

“There’s no need to worry so much.”

“It’s the Giant Magic Dragon. It seems like it lured us here and now intends to kill us… Am I wrong?”

“Hey, what’s the matter? Weren’t you calling me a vile dragonborn earlier?”

“I was half-skeptical, but now I know it’s true.” Dagnar smirked. However, it was not a joyful smile. “Still, it was good to have met you. Thanks to you, I’ve learned the truth. Heh, yes. Knowing the truth and dying is better than living in ignorance.”

“Who said we’re dying?” We were just getting started. “If that dragon could kill us, it would have done so already.”

“Hm?”

“You know it can’t kill because of the prohibition.”

In fact, I felt at ease. Truthfully, up until now, anxiety had dominated my mind because of the ‘Immeasurable’ difficulty of this dungeon. So far, our progress didn’t seem to fit an immeasurable difficulty level. It felt more like an A-rank dungeon, at best.

But what if a dragon were involved in this quest? Not just any dragon but the magic dragon that had dominated this world?

This must be the real quest.

True fear comes from the unknown. If one could predict it, the anxiety lessened.

I glared at Seraphine. She stared back at me in silence. Amusingly enough, the emotion in her gaze seemed to be curiosity.

“Ah, so there really is a being from beyond this world. Do you know how excited I was when I first found you in Titan?”

“That’s kind of creepy.” I shivered.

As soon as Vulcanus sent me away, it turned into Seraphine to greet me. That was something only a complete two-faced psycho would do!

“In fact, I have nothing against you. I just despise those damn dwarves and elves. I actually feel grateful.”

“You’re grateful to me?”

“Yes, you’re the one offering to break my restrictions. Fufu.”

Why did covering her mouth with her hand while laughing make her seem so aggravating? It was probably because it was a grotesque and massive dragon on the inside.

Seraphine quietly raised her hand.

—Vwoom!

An immense amount of energy gathered there.

—Rumble…!

The dragon’s seal shook as if it might collapse, and dark blue energy flowed across the altar’s surface.

“D-Damn it all! That wretched dragon really plans to sacrifice us! What should we do?” Dagnar, who had been sitting down, jumped up in a panic.

He seemed to have given up everything just a moment ago, but now that his final moment had arrived, he seemed to want to live.

“Just wait.”

“Wait…? What on earth do you have to believe in to stay so calm?”

What did I believe in?

“Your ancestor.”

“What?”

—Rumble!

Massive energy flowed from the dragon’s body.

“Demir was a wise dwarf.”

It engulfed the space.

“Why would such a dwarf have mentioned ‘some being’ as a hint for no reason?”

“That’s…”

The altar was shrouded in dark blue energy. It looked like some sinister, dark ritual was about to unfold. And eventually, that energy reached the pitch-black Orb of Restriction.

“Please, be a good offering…” Seraphine’s lips curved upward.

But I wasn’t worried because I already knew.

[This is the ‘Orb of Restriction.’]

[It temporarily awakens the power of deceased souls.]

This black orb wasn’t here to sacrifice me. It was merely here to awaken the power of the deceased temporarily.

This is the power of the system, punk.

And it was apparent who the deceased present in this place were.

—Fwoosh!

The black orb shone, and the mana accumulated on the altar for centuries surged like a flooding river.

[The spirits contained within the ‘Orb of Restriction’ are temporarily awakened.]

[Searching for the corresponding bodies.]

—Thud! Thud!

Two skeletons stood coming out of thin air—the familiar forms of Boney 3 and Boney 6.

I knew it was you two.

I smiled. It was as I had guessed. Eldrin was Boney 3 in a past life, and Demir was previously Boney 6.

[‘Bonehead 3’ is temporarily awakened as ‘Eldrin.’]

[‘Bonehead 6’ is temporarily awakened as ‘Demir.’]

“What is this…?”

The magic dragon realized something was wrong, but it was too late.

“Y-You are…?”

Because the two beings were already summoned before its eyes.

“You bastards!” the dragon roared. Its face twisted grotesquely, distorting the visage of the high elf.

Tremendous malice filled the space.

“Haha, dragon. So you managed to do it after all.” Boney 6, or rather, Demir, laughed.

Eldrin also nodded in agreement. “It was painful to watch helplessly for 500 years. But you’re quite something, aren’t you?”

“Indeed, quite impressive. You deserve respect, even as the enemy. It was a feat to have pulled a being from beyond this world into this one.”

The two heroes returned to the world casually bantering.

Veins bulged on the dragon’s forehead.

“How dare you.”

—Vwooom!

An immense force gathered once more.

“You toyed with me not once but twice!”

It felt like an earthquake was imminent, and the world shook.

“That’s funny coming from someone who can’t even break a pebble on the roadside,” Demir chuckled. Then he raised the hammer that had been on the altar. “Oh, this is still here.”

Eldrin, as if it were nothing, picked up her bow. “True to your talents, it’s as sturdy as it was 500 years ago.” Then she looked at me. “Hmm, are you truly a being from beyond this world?”

The two skeletons completely ignored the dragon.

And the dragon, despite its bluster, couldn’t do anything to us.

“…”

Dagnar’s eyes widened as he struggled to grasp the situation.

“Nice to meet you,” I greeted the two heroes, the absolutes of this world.

Demir swung his hammer and said, “First, let’s deal with that lizard. We can have a proper chat later.”

“I agree. That foolish dragon has gathered so much energy over 500 years… so it should be easy to seal him again.”

“How long do you think you can hold him?”

“A week, maybe? I can’t guarantee beyond that.”

“Even a week is remarkable.” Demir nodded.

Considering the immense power of the magic dragon, even a week of sealing was terrific.

“Even a minute would have been a luxury if it were the old days.”

“You damn bastards!” The dragon turned away.

Unable to kill due to its prohibition, it now sought to escape.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

—Clang!

The dwarf struck the ground with his hammer. And amazingly enough, that simple action produced a scroll. He caught the scroll that bounced up like a ball and tore it apart.

[‘Energy Barrier’ (Rank A) is deployed.]

A white light blocked the dragon’s path.

“Go on, try to break it. Oh, you can’t do that because of the restriction?”

“What are you doing?!” The dragon dodged the white light.

It would have easily broken this barrier in the past, like snapping a twig. But now, even that was beyond its power.

“There’s nowhere for you to run.”

—Swoosh, swoosh!

Moonlight arrows flew from Eldrin’s bow. They soared, and the moonlight rained gently down around the dragon.

“For at least a week, that is.”

“Grahhh!”

Eldrin absorbed the dragon’s roar with her entire body.

“Let’s enjoy our reunion after 500 years.”

But contrary to her words, her eye sockets were filled with anger—the anger of a mother against the being that had caused her children suffering for centuries.