"Me? No, I don't." Lloyd's blithe voice and shameless words rang aloud in the air. They pierced into the ears of Tyrannus, who was looking down the hole at the top of the ice wall.
"It's not you?" Tyrannus grimaced. His eyes shone like a raging avalanche. "Are you sure?"
"Quite sure. It's not me," Lloyd denied once again.
"Really?"
"Yes," Lloyd answered without even blinking an eye.
A look of dismay came over Tyrannus's face. "Hmm. I must have been mistaken. I'm sorry about that."
"I see. Farewell then." Lloyd waved his hand.
"Is that how you thought this would go?" Tyrannus sneered.
Boom! Fwoosh! His thundering voice made the hole in the wall expand, and the ice dragon crossed through it. Lloyd got a clear view of his gigantic physique.
This is nuts! He's so much bigger than Yong Yong!
Lloyd immediately turned on his surveying skill and scanned the dragon's entire body flying in his direction. The results made him gulp.
885 feet in height. 10,000 tons in weight.
They were frightening measurements. What was worse was his speed. Despite his sheer size, he was able to land with incredible ease and swiftness.
Boooom! However, despite his soft landing, the impact he caused was far from light. The entire ground shook, followed by the thundering sound of hundreds of exploding dynamites. A gigantic storm of dust emerged at the same time as well.
"Ack!!!"
Lloyd ducked down to avoid getting thrown away by the storm, and then he saw something. He saw the terrifying sight of the Ice Dragon raising his body right before his nose.
"Speak again, human. Tell me that you don't have the Heart of Winter," growled Tyrannus.
That was when Lloyd realized something. My plan to feign ignorance failed.
Lloyd's plan was to feign his ignorance and lie shamelessly. It was possible that the dragon would buy his words and leave him alone. That was the best he could do in this situation.
Of course, it didn't work. I don't know the identity of this dragon. However, he must have flown all the way here knowing that I have the Heart of Winter. He must want something from me.
Lloyd guessed as much. The dragon came here with a purpose in mind. And so, denial or deception would not work on him.
He also looks like no ordinary dragon.
Lloyd recounted some events from a while ago. He was about to deactivate his Time Freeze skill when a dragon appeared, and where he emerged from was entirely uncalled for.
The dragon flew here from outside the ice wall where time had ceased to flow.
What was more, he bore a hole in the wall, looked down, and entered inside.
That means the dragon was able to fly here and flap his wings even amidst the frozen state of time. In other words, he wasn't affected by Lloyd's skill. That fact made Lloyd tremble in fear.
This one is on a completely different level from the young dragon, Solitas, that I brought to my fiefdom in the past after much negotiation. I can tell just from his sheer size and immunity against my time freeze skill.
Lloyd concluded that he had to tread carefully. He could mobilize Javier and Yong Yong if things went sideways and lay an ambush, but...
I want to avoid that if I can.
Lloyd received a strong feeling that it might backfire to regard the dragon as their enemy. He had an unexplainable hunch that the menacing creature wouldn't lose even against a trio made up of a grandmaster, a strong skeleton dragon, and himself. Once he drew such a conclusion...
"My, my," said Lloyd apologetically, "I must have been mistaken." Lloyd put on a nervous smile, rubbed his stiffening hands, and bent over. "Please forgive me. My hearing has been off these days, and your voice was too loud. I thought you said the Heart of Winner. Not the Heart of Winter."
“...”
"Yes, if you meant the Heart of Winter, then I do have it," acknowledged Lloyd.
"Is that so?"
"Yes." Lloyd firmly nodded at the dragon. The best way to create cooperation and leave a good impression on someone was to grovel without showing any sign of reluctance. As such, Lloyd hurriedly glanced toward Javier, who rushed to his side, starting a silent conversation. "Stop there. Don't draw your sword. Don't run, either."
"But Master Lloyd," argued Javier with his gaze.
"Don't even try to touch your sheath. Slowly walk over to me. Come on. Relax. Don't glare at the dragon. Smile, you little bastard."
Understanding Lloyd's message, Javier nodded. He, too, could feel that the dragon was far from ordinary. But contrary to Lloyd, he realized this fact through his acute senses as a grandmaster and three-strand circles that had reached their maximum potential. Javier felt very clearly that the dragon was ridiculously powerful.
Even if I fight to the best of my abilities, I would only last five minutes.
That would be the limit of his endurance. This was the second time he received this kind of feeling.
I had a similar thought when I first encountered Dragon King Verkis. But this dragon seems slightly weaker than Verkis. Master Lloyd might have some time to run if Yong Yong and I fight against him with every bit of our strength.
Javier made his resolution as he calmed his nerves. Meanwhile, Lloyd, who this time gestured to Yong Yong to calm down, looked up at the Ice Dragon.
"Anyhow, if the Heart of Winter is what you are looking for, then I have it with me. But may I ask what the purpose of your visit is?"
"It's simple. I'm here to take back the Heart of Winter," announced Tyrannus matter-of-factly.
"Excuse me...?"
"Did you not understand what I said? I'm here to take back the Heart of Winter."
The corners of Lloyd's lips crumpled slightly.
Ah, I had a feeling that it'd be this way.
This was a sticky situation. The reason was simple.
"Please forgive me for saying this. But you are correct, I do have the Heart of Winter..."
"So?"
"If I give it to you, I will die." Lloyd's voice broke.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. I didn't mean for this to happen, but the Heart of Winter was absorbed into my manaheart and became a part of it. I can't disintegrate the two even if I wanted to. If I force it, my manaheart and heart will get destroyed."
"So?" It looked like Tyrannus wasn't interested in whether Lloyd died or not.
"So, please forgive me for saying this, but I don't think I can give it to you..."
"Really?"
"Yes. Moreover, your excellency..."
"It's Ice Dragon Tyrannus."
"Oh? I see... Great Ice Dragon Tyrannus. Please forgive me for asking this, but you said you want the Heart of Winter back. Does this mean that it was once yours in the past?"
"No."
"Then-"
"I'm the one who made it."
Lloyd's was out of things to say. Tyrannus's eyes grew icy.
"I don't know if you know, but I created the Heart of Winter and gave it to my human friend Mikael Magentano a few hundred years ago when he founded the kingdom."
Lloyd gaped.
"I still remember the moment," went on Tyrannus. "How joyful he was. So was I. Even though I suffered a cold from overworking myself to create it, I figured that my gift would provide my friend and his descendants with eternal prosperity."
“...”
"Yet, you appeared and absorbed the Heart of Winter a few months ago," snarled Tyrannus.
"D-Did you feel it happen?" Lloyd could feel that things were going very badly for him.
"Yes, I did."
“...”
"And yet," continued Tyrannus. "I let you be because I believed that the Heart of Winter followed where destiny guided it. But this wasn't the case. As if it wasn't enough for you to absorb the gift, you abused it for your own benefit. Like now."
Tyrannus scanned the sky with his cold eyes, surveying the ice wall and the frozen scene outside. At last, his stringent gaze came back and fixed on Lloyd.
"The moment I realized it, I figured I shouldn't let you be. That's why I flew all the way here to get the Heart of Winter back."
"Um..."
"Speak if you have something to say."
"Please, f-forgive me," Lloyd spoke sulkily. "But as I have told you, I'll die if I give it to you."
"So? Does that mean you can't give it to me?"
“...”
Tyrannus bent over closer to Lloyd. "Do you dare think that I came all the way here to receive your permission?"
At the cross warning, Lloyd's voice broke further. "N-No, but-"
"I could have decimated all life here, including you, if I wanted to. That way, I would have been saved from this cumbersome conversation and retrieved the Heart of Winter with much more ease."
“...”
"But I kindly extend mercy by saying only your life will be sacrificed. Do you still feel wronged?"
"Yes."
"What…?" Tyrannus frowned. "You feel wronged?"
"I do." Abruptly, Lloyd lifted his chin and stood confidently in spite of the dragon's icy gaze. He spoke in a clear voice and widened his eyes. But not because he suddenly had a surge of courage or gave up under the immense pressure on him. In fact, he was on cloud nine inside.
Nice. It's actually a good thing if he came here not to steal the Heart of Winter but to kill me!
This was it. This was it! Right before the dragon could give any reaction, Lloyd immediately and preemptively said, "I am under the sponsorship of the Dragon King."
"Hmm...?"
"I am the patron of the great king, Dragon King Verkis. That being said, you cannot thoughtlessly kill me. That would be even more improper for a civilized dragon like you, Lord Tyrannus." Lloyd's voice turned more lighthearted as he reasoned with him.
This time, Tyrannus was the one left speechless. Lloyd puffed up his chest proudly and flashed a wide smile.
Yes! This is what I'm talking about!
Lloyd exclaimed happily. His heart had dropped when the terrifying dragon demanded him to cough up the Heart of Winter. Lloyd was scared that the divine item would be confiscated from him regardless of his will. But come to think of it, there was a way out.
If I give the Heart of Winter, I'll die. And if this dragon kills me, he'd be directly opposing a sponsorship of the Dragon King.
If the creature under his nose was a different monster, none of this would have mattered. But since he was a dragon, it did matter. After all, the Dragon King was the representative and leader of every dragon. Even the most reckless, wild dragon would not so thoughtlessly hurt him. That was why Lloyd went for this plan, and it had an immediate effect.
"Is it true that you're a patron of the Dragon King?" asked Tyrannus.
"It is the truth," emphasized Lloyd.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Let's see." The dragon's gaze on Lloyd changed meaningfully. Something must have been detected. A glow soon appeared in his eyes. "It's true."
"Thank you for acknowledging it." Lloyd was relieved that his random attempt to save himself worked.
"Tsk," grumbled Tyrannus, "I didn't know it was a human that received that brat's support."
Just then, Lloyd wondered if he had heard it right. "Pardon? A brat...? Do you know the Dragon King?"
"I do."
"May I ask what your relationship with him is...?"
Lloyd wondered from the address, "brat," if they were on bad terms. Perhaps that was why Tyrannus was bent on killing him? When Lloyd's nervous question was spoken aloud, Tyrannus snorted and spoke.
"He's my enemy."
"Enemy...?"
"Yes. He's my son."
"Eh...?" Lloyd's mouth slightly opened.
"Verkis is my son."
"Ahahaha. My, the King of Kings!"
“...”
"I was completely foolish not to have noticed such an honorable being! Allow this menial human to introduce himself to you once more."
This was a complete surprise for Lloyd. Dragon King Verkis was related to Tyrannus? What was this? A soap opera? Lloyd bowed down to the floor without hesitating as soon as he heard him.
"Are you trying to flatter me?" Tyrannus's voice signaled that he wasn't liking the kiss-my-ass at all.
"Yes..."
"Do you think I will let you keep the Heart of Winter if you do that?"
"B-But as I have told you, my life will be-"
"That's not my problem." His voice and gaze were now adamant. "Your sponsorship from Verkis is important, but the promise I made to my friend is equally important. Moreover, my promise existed long before your sponsorship did."
"Yes, so that means-"
"You catch on quickly. I like that. It means that my promise with Mikael has more precedence and significance than yours."
“...”
"And I cannot even feel a drop of Mikael's blood in your body. I take it that you are not one of his offspring. Am I right?"
"Right," Lloyd replied softly.
"Then you do not have the qualification to own the Heart of Winter. You have even less of a right to misuse the Heart of Winter."
“...”
"So, I shall take it now-"
"Wait!" Lloyd shrieked. "I am a faithful subject of Alicia Termina Magentano, the offspring of the heroic king Mikael!"
"That doesn't make you a part of his bloodline," Tyrannus reminded.
A sense of panic rushed through Lloyd.
"Do you have any plans to marry anyone from the royal family?"
"Th-that's..." Lloyd's face turned crimson red.
"You do not."
Thousands of alarms went off in Lloyd's brain.
"Then I will take the Heart of Winter. I hope for you to rest in peace before then. Your death is a pitiful one. But at the same time, it is inevitable, so do not be too sad about it."
“...”
"You won't feel a thing."
Grrrr... A frightening volume of frigid air began to spill out of the dragon, and he easily turned the Heart of Winter into a broken air conditioner. The solemn gusts of wind reflected that his death sentence was non-negotiable.
What should I do?
Lloyd gulped dryly.
Should I fight him together with Javier?
Lloyd quickly stole a glance to the side. He saw Javier's hand getting closer to his sword. Yong Yong, too, crawled its body to charge at the dragon at any moment. One signal, and they were ready to charge at Tyrannus. But Lloyd shook his head.
No! We can't outpower that thing. We'll all die if we try to fight.
That'd be the worst possible outcome. Javier dying was the absolute worst thing that could happen.
He's the main character of this world.
Lloyd couldn't imagine what this world would be like without its main hero. And besides that, he simply didn't want Javier to sacrifice himself because of him. Surely, the knight wanted to avoid his own death as well.
Think! Rack your brain! There's got to be a way out!
Lloyd desperately racked his brain. The deathly Ice Dragon Tyrannus. Chaotic centaurs. Javier and Yong Yong are ready to charge. As he looked at everyone, Lloyd pondered what he could do.
He reviewed all the excuses he could use, a variety of different scenarios, and potential outcomes he could think of. Anything. He examined, analyzed, and predicted everything he could until something popped into his head.
Just then, he raised his head. This was it. This was the surefire way to trigger the dragon and bait. Feeling confident that he'd win with no doubt, Lloyd screamed at the top of his lungs at Tyrannus, who was seconds before casting a magic spell at Lloyd.
"Tell me something! Want to see if a punch from me will make you vomit?"
