He shook his chin briefly, as if to convey it wasn’t just because Glenn was strong.
“Then?”
Raon gestured for him to keep talking.
[His eyes.]
“Eyes?”
Not understanding, he tilted his head in confusion.
[Glenn Zieghart’s eyes. The eyes of a conqueror, understanding all things under heaven and placing everything beneath him. He, to me. To the king of dragons! Looked down on me from above.!]
The Dragon Lord ground his teeth, as if claiming that Glenn’s eyes sneered at him.
[Those eyes are only suitable when I look at filthy humans. There’s no way a mere human should dare to look at me like that!]
He snorted furiously, saying he hated nothing more than Glenn looking down on him like he looked down on humans.
[As the Dragon Lord….]
“Ah, so….”
Raon twisted his lips and cut off the Dragon Lord.
“You always looked at humans like insects, but when a human looked at you the same way, you got angry? So you got all petty and jealous, and even tried to make a spell to kill all humans.”
His words were so ridiculous, he couldn’t help but laugh—or rather, sigh in disbelief.
[Don’t mock me! Unless you’ve experienced it yourself—]
“Been that way my whole life.”
Raon raised his fist and struck the Dragon Lord’s rolling eyeball.
[Graaagh!]
The Dragon Lord screamed in agony, his whole body trembling from the pain of his bursting eye.
“Mockery, contempt, and gazes filled with disgust like I’m an insect—I’ve received those all my life.”
Raon swept back his blood-soaked hair and frowned.
“And I turned those twisted gazes into my own strength. I never once thought of killing everyone like you.”
He shook his head, saying he was nothing like the Dragon Lord.
“Glenn Zieghart is the same. He’s been through so many ordeals, but overcame them by his own strength and reached where he is now. No one has ever thought of borrowing someone else’s power to kill everyone like you did.”
He snorted, saying the Dragon Lord was not only unqualified as a lord, but not even fit to be a mediator.“It’s also probably a mistake to think that Glenn Zieghardt was looking down on you. He’s not that kind of person.”
Remembering the warmth Glenn showed earlier, Raon closed and then opened his eyes.
[You, you wouldn’t understand! Glenn Zieghardt’s eyes….]
“You haven’t even had a proper conversation with him, have you? You just assumed things on your own and fell into a victim complex.”
There’s no way Glenn would look at a dragon with disdain for no reason. There had to be another reason.
[Lo-Lord….]
[To think he was jealous of humans….]
[We must immediately strip that one of the title of Lord! So many of our kin have died because of him!]
[I can’t believe it even after hearing it with my own ears.]
[That’s not the way of a dragon, but the mindset of a human!]
[Let’s go back. There’s no reason to fight anymore.]
[A new Lord. No, that’s something to consider later.]
The dragons who had come to rescue the Dragon Lord slumped their shoulders and folded their wings, as if they no longer had the will to fight.
“Lord….”
Bartius glared with beast-like fierceness in his eyes, filled with hatred toward the Lord who was of the same kin.
“So this is where the real madman was hiding.”
Red Dragon Balasiur returned to human form and let out a dry laugh.
“I don’t even know why I feel sorry for the Lord.”
Blue Dragon Sirtyren shook their head.
“Feel sorry? I’d rather melt him with poison right this instant!”
Black Dragon Dariauran ground their teeth, saying they wanted to kill the Dragon Lord themselves right now.
“Well, at least the matter has been resolved.”
White Dragon Bursiarabi nodded slightly, as if relieved that things had worked out.
[Kkuuhh, I, I….]
“Enough about jealousy. Let’s move on to what really matters.”
It seemed clear now why the Dragon Lord hated humans and sided with the archangel, so there was no need to waste any more time.
“You know where Derus Robert is, don’t you?”
Raon shook his blood-soaked hand while shaking his head.
[I-I don’t know.]
The Dragon Lord regenerated their burst eyeball with magic and shook their head.
[They always contact me first, so I can’t know.]
He gasped, saying it had been a long time since Derus last reached out.
“So you don’t know yet.”
Raon gently extended a hand toward the Dragon Lord.
“If the Soul Sword is stuck in your soul, every lie shows right through you.”
With the Soul Sword’s resonance, it was possible to discern truth from lies. That’s how Raon instantly knew that the Dragon Lord was lying.
[Ughhh….]
The Dragon Lord trembled, as if he hadn’t considered that.
“Besides, someone as scheming as you wouldn’t just blindly trust Derus Robert.”
Raon sneered and stretched out his hand.
“Fine. We have plenty of time. Let’s see how much you can endure….”
[Bo, Borren!]
The Dragon Lord parted their trembling lips and shouted the word “Borren.”
[In, in the north, I picked up a signal in a place called Borren! Every time he contacted me, I secretly traced it, and the signal always came from there!]
He let out a breath, saying it was clear Derus Robert was in a place called Borren.
“Borren?”
Raon furrowed his brow deeply.
‘That’s not far from Zieghardt, is it?’
Borren is a snowy region to the northeast, adjacent to Zieghardt. It was hard to believe that someone as cautious as Derus Robert would be somewhere that close.
‘But it’s not a lie.’
The Dragon Lord’s soul didn’t waver. It meant he was telling the truth.
‘I’d better check it out.’
And as covertly as possible.
If the information about Derus Robert being in Borren was real, it would allow for a perfect ambush. It seemed best to prepare thoroughly before investigating.
“Bartius.”
Raon nodded and gestured to Bartius.
“It’s your turn now.”
Having obtained all the information needed, it was now time to hand the Lord over to the dragons who had become allies.
“Haa….”
Bartius approached, grinding his teeth as if barely able to contain his excitement.
“Raon Zieghardt. It seems I’ll need to have a word with you later.”
He looked back and forth between himself and Envy, narrowing his eyes into thin slits. As a mediator, he seemed eager to clear up questions about his conversation with Envy.
“Fine. I’ll explain later.”
Raon nodded calmly. Even in this situation, thinking first of a mediator’s role, Bartius could likely become a good Lord.
-That one is not a lizard, but could truly become a dragon.
Ras nodded as if acknowledging Bartius as well.
“Now then….”
Raon curled his lips into a smile as he approached Envy.
“Hmm….”
Envy furrowed her brow deeply, as if her mood was unsettled.
“There are two conditions. The first is you joining the war against the archangel. And the second….”
Raon turned and pointed at Burren, who was blinking absent-mindedly.
“To transfer your Authority of Jealousy to that human over there.”
Burren had been jealous of Raon ever since their trainee days. Since that feeling likely still lingered somewhat, Raon chose him, believing he could absorb at least part of Envy’s authority.
“Joining the war is fine and all….”
Envy looked at Burren and tilted her chin.
“But why am I supposed to give my authority to that human? There’s almost no jealousy there. On the contrary….”
She glanced and smacked her lips, pointing to Martha standing beside Burren.
“She’s much more attractive, don’t you think?”