How a Two-Life Scoundrel Lives - Chapter 82
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 82】
“I did not realize you were such a noble person. Please, please forgive my rudeness.”
Having come to his senses, Borodin treated Carlisle with an even more respectful and cautious attitude.
‘Tsk.’
Carlisle honestly found it somewhat absurd.
It was Maranello who had defeated Gorgonne, and it was the baby dragon that the dwarves feared.
Yet he was the one receiving all the treatment, making him wonder if this was what it meant to use a tiger’s authority.
“Forgiveness? You were never rude to begin with.”
“However…”
“I’m fine with it, so don’t worry about it. You tone it down too.”
Carlisle spoke to the baby dragon.
“Even if dragons and dwarves are natural enemies, I have my dignity too. How can you torment them like that?”
“What did I even do?”
“Tone it down, I said tone it down.”
“Anyone watching would think you asked me to build you a nest or something.”
“What nest would a tiny thing like you need, you little runt.”
“What? Are you done being a butler?”
The baby dragon growled.
“Dragons need big and magnificent nests, you know?”
“Build one when you grow up then. When will you ever grow big enough to build a nest.”
“I’ll build one when I grow up! When I grow up!”
“Then build it when that time comes. Why are you going on about nests already.”
Watching Carlisle and the baby dragon bicker, Borodin felt like he was dying inside.
Still, it was fortunate that Carlisle gave the baby dragon some discipline and reproach as its master, otherwise the Ironhammer Tribe might have been dragged away by the baby dragon to spend their lives building nests until they died of old age.
‘I must serve Young Master Carlisle even more devotedly. The only way for our tribe to survive is to receive Young Master Carlisle’s protection.’
Hadn’t it always been said that one must choose the right side?
For Borodin and the Ironhammer Tribe, they absolutely had to stay in Carlisle’s good graces.
Why?
Because no matter how terrifying the baby dragon was, Carlisle was ultimately its master.
“For now, rest well today. Relief supplies and people to help should arrive from Decaron tomorrow.”
“I am simply grateful for Young Master’s consideration.”
Borodin bent his waist 90 degrees to express his gratitude to Carlisle.
That night.
Crackle crackle!
Carlisle’s group sat around a blazing campfire and had a simple meal with light refreshments.
“Young Master, you are truly amazing.”
“What do you mean.”
“You discovered the mine in the Merel Mountain Range and liberated the dwarves. Thanks to this, Decaron will become even more prosperous, so His Grace the Grand Duke will be greatly pleased.”
“Well, I suppose so.”
Carlisle nodded readily.
“But it’s not that amazing. It was him who discovered the ore vein, and it was Maranello who defeated the ancient demon.”
“Young Master.”
Maranello said with a smile.
“It was you, Young Master, who commanded us to make that happen.”
“Commanded…?”
“Look here.”
Maranello picked up a tree branch.
“If we assume this tip here is a spear point, what would it be?”
“In war?”
“Yes.”
“Well… probably the strongest knight fighting at the front lines.”
“Correct.”
Maranello nodded.
“Then what would this be?”
Maranello pointed to the hand gripping the tree branch.
“Command headquarters?”
“You understand quickly.”
Maranello smiled.
“No matter how famous a sword may be, without someone to wield it, it’s nothing but a piece of metal. The key is who wields it and how.”
“Hmm.”
“Young Master wanted to examine the Merel Mountain Range, instructed Evangeline to find ore veins, and commanded me to eliminate the ancient demon. Without Young Master’s command, today’s achievements would not have existed. That is the role of a commander. As a leader, guiding the group down the right path and utilizing everyone according to their abilities in the right places to achieve good results.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“That’s why a commander’s responsibilities and duties are so heavy. Since Young Master will soon become a commander as well, please don’t dismiss this as an old man’s nagging, but I hope you’ll think about it carefully at least once.”
“I understand what you mean.”
Carlisle nodded.
That wasn’t a perfunctory answer.
Helen, Grand Duke Guntram, and now Maranello too.
Having heard so much lately about the responsibilities and duties of a commander, he seemed to understand what they meant.
Carlisle himself had experienced, seen, heard, and felt many things through war.
“But you know.”
“Please speak.”
“How strong are the barbarians?”
“Very strong.”
Maranello shook his head as if the mere thought was terrible.
“The martial prowess of the great chieftains who lead massive tribes and the great generals who follow them is unimaginably strong.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“But why do you ask?”
“It seems like I have a long way to go.”
“Hehe.”
“Watching Maranello defeat that ancient demon earlier made me think. If I encounter guys who could face Maranello, I’d die without being able to do anything.”
“Oho.”
Maranello smiled broadly as if he’d heard something pleasant.
“Are you finally thinking about getting stronger?”
“Not really.”
Carlisle shook his head.
“When would I ever get that strong. I’d die of old age first.”
“Young Master has talent.”
“What talent. Not someone like me.”
“This old man may be old, but I have an eye for these things. Young Master has talent. If you train diligently, you’ll become stronger at a remarkable speed.”
“Forget it. I want to get moderately strong and live moderately. I don’t want to fight those terrifying guys. That would be a dog’s death.”
Carlisle waved his hands dismissively as if the mere thought disgusted him, then wrapped himself in a blanket and lay down in front of the campfire.
“Forget it, I’m going to sleep.”
“Yes, Young Master. Sleep well.”
A smile still lingered on Maranello’s lips as he watched Carlisle.
‘Your thoughts have changed a little, haven’t they, Young Master.’
Maranello didn’t miss the change in heart that Carlisle was experiencing.
* * *
The next morning.
Carlisle’s group, who had risen early, headed to the deeper mine shafts together with Borodin, the chief of the Ironhammer Tribe, and the dwarf elders.
There stood a building resembling a small temple, with a completely open stone coffin sitting alone in the very center.
“This is the temple and coffin that our tribe discovered while excavating the ancient ruins buried in this mine.”
“So that ancient demon came out from inside there?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Hmm.”
“We had no idea that an ancient demon was sealed inside the coffin when we first excavated it.”
“Why are you showing me this?”
“There’s no particular reason. I simply wanted to show it to you.”
“I see.”
“The ancient language written on the temple and stone slabs here cannot be interpreted even by us dwarfs, so we can’t even begin to guess what it says.”
“As if I would know something like this.”
Carlisle was thoroughly ignorant when it came to ancient languages.
“I have no idea either, Young Master.”
“Me neither.”
Even Maranello, who was supposedly learned, couldn’t interpret the ancient language written on the stone slab at all, and Evangeline, who was currently studying magic, reacted as if it was writing she’d never seen before in her life.
“As expected, none of you know either.”
Borodin spoke as if he hadn’t held much expectation anyway.
“I only asked out of curiosity about why such a temple could be buried within solid rock layers. Please don’t take it to heart.”
“You’re right. That is a bit strange.”
Carlisle also agreed with Borodin’s question.
According to the Ironhammer Tribe, even they didn’t know about the existence of the small temple.
They had simply discovered the temple buried within solid rock layers while digging mine shafts to extract minerals as they always did…
“Either someone sealed it here, or maybe the entire Merel Mountain Range is an ancient ruin?”
“Our tribe’s thoughts are similar.”
Borodin nodded as if in agreement.
“If only we could interpret the stone slab, that would be wonderful, but it’s regrettable.”
“Nothing to regret.”
Carlisle turned around as if he’d lost interest.
Unless he was interested in this world’s history or archaeology, or was a treasure hunter, there was no reason for him to be interested in such ancient ruins.
“And just forget about it. You might wake up something even stranger if you mess with it carelessly. What popped out of the coffin wasn’t exactly good either.”
“Now that I hear it, you’re right, Young Master.”
“Too much curiosity gets you killed quickly.”
The Baby Dragon suddenly interjected.
“Geez. How ignorant. This is Hadiyat Script.”
“Hadiyat Script? What’s that?”
“The magical civilization Hadiyat, don’t you know?”
“How would I know that?”
“Butler, study a bit. How can you not know about the Hadiyat Civilization?”
“Then how do you know? You’re just a newborn.”
“I’m a dragon, you know?”
The Baby Dragon spoke while proudly lifting its head high.
“You’re still a newborn though, aren’t you?”
“Butler, you’re really ignorant.”
“…?”
“Dragons know about the world as soon as they’re born. We’re born with tremendous knowledge even without anyone teaching us.”
“You expect me to believe that now?”
Maranello sided with the Baby Dragon.
“It’s likely true. According to history books, there are multiple records stating that dragons are wise beings from birth.”
“I-Is that so?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Though it was hard to believe, Carlisle just accepted it.
This world itself had more than one or two aspects that didn’t make sense logically, and arguing about it would only tire him out.
“Dragons share and inherit knowledge from the past. We don’t know everything though.”
“I see.”
“Hadiyat was a magical kingdom that existed in ancient times. About 5,000 years ago?”
“5,000 years?”
It was an unimaginably distant past.
“I don’t know the exact details either. Let’s just say around 5,000 years ago.”
“So?”
“Hadiyat was a civilization where magic was highly developed. Until it was destroyed by the Dragon God.”
“What are you talking about? Speak so I can understand.”
“Geez.”
The Baby Dragon let out a deep sigh as if frustrated, then spoke.
“You at least know that dragons are divided into various clans, right?”
“I know that much.”
“Each clan is ruled by Dragon Lords, and the one who rules those Dragon Lords is the Dragon God.”
“The god of dragons?”
“Since that being is practically no different from a god, you could see it that way.”
“But?”
“The king of the Hadiyat Civilization stole the dragons’ knowledge. The reason they could achieve such a highly developed magical civilization was because they stole the dragons’ knowledge.”
“Don’t tell me… they destroyed Hadiyat as the price for that?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
The Baby Dragon nodded.
“Hadiyat crossed the line. Not content with just stealing the dragons’ knowledge, they tried to artificially create dragon slayers through research.”
“Haha… Hahaha…”
“They paid the price. Not content with just stealing knowledge, they tried to create dragon slayers to hunt us.”
“That’s understandable.”
“As far as I know, this area seems to be where the Hadiyat Civilization once stood, so that would explain it.”
“So you’re saying there are ruins of the Hadiyat Civilization in the Merel Mountain Range?”
“Probably.”
The Baby Dragon nodded.
“Then can you read this stone slab too?”
“Let me see.”
“Here.”
“Hmm.”
The Baby Dragon’s gaze swept over the stone slab that Carlisle held out.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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