Chapter 229: Ignisia the Elder Dragon (8)

The next morning arrived quietly in the dragon’s lair.

Ignisia began the day by giving Ketal a thorough examination. Her keen gaze swept up and down his frame, and her hands hovered close, searching for any sign of trouble.

“Hmm... There really aren’t any problems,” she observed with a hint of surprise in her voice. “The Myst has settled inside your body. It’s... fascinating, actually.”

What struck her as odd was that the very same Myst, which had tried so violently to consume Ketal during his first attempt to use Dragon Tongue, now sat quietly within him. It seemed utterly docile, almost as if the entirety of the Myst was wrapped in chains, subduing the unruly force. It was peculiar, but since there were no issues, Ignisia had no complaints.

She looked up and spoke decisively. “It seems the Wandering Merchant was right. You should focus on mastering swordsmanship or magic first, using Myst as your foundation. Dragon Tongue can come later, once you’re fully ready.”

“I understand,” Ketal replied, bowing his head. “Thank you, truly.”

Ignisia waved a hand dismissively, but she was smiling. “Don’t mention it. I enjoyed this, too.”

With that, their business seemed finished. All that remained was for Ignisia to return Ketal to the Denian Kingdom. However, just as she prepared to do so, she paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

“Oh, right. There’s something I forgot to ask you,” she said.

“What is it?” Ketal inquired, his tone polite but curious.

This was the question she had meant to ask earlier, before the Wandering Merchant’s interference. In truth, it was perhaps the most important question of all. Ignisia met Ketal’s eyes, her expression serious.

“You are the ashen-haired barbarian of the White Snowfield. You’ve spent many years there, haven’t you?”

“It was no short time,” Ketal agreed quietly.

“In that case, let me ask: just how strong are you, inside that place?”

Her voice was calm, but there was a gravity to her question.

Ketal didn’t hesitate to answer. “In the beginning, I suffered a lot. I was tossed around by monsters stronger than I could imagine, toyed with like I was nothing more than a plaything.”

His people, he explained, were forced to live in hiding, always evading the monstrous rulers of the White Snowfield. For most, survival meant avoiding detection and eking out a life in the shadows. However, as time passed, Ketal had grown. Each passing day, he had become stronger. Eventually, he had become a force to be reckoned with, even among the dreadful denizens of the White Snowfield.

“There were still a few I struggled with,” he continued honestly. “Some, I’ve never really fought to the end, so I can’t say for sure who would win. But whenever I fought with everything I had, I never lost.”

His words were simple, almost understated, but Ignisia understood their weight. Her eyes became pensive as she regarded him. The man before her was, by all measures, the mightiest being within the White Snowfield. She had suspected as much. Long ago, even the ancient emperor had declared that the ashen-haired barbarians of the White Snowfield were the most dangerous beings in the world.

More than anything, Ignisia had faced Ketal herself and knew firsthand the overwhelming might he possessed. If someone like him wasn’t the strongest, the truth would be too frightening to contemplate.

Having confirmed his strength, Ignisia moved on to her next question. “You are one of the beings that have emerged from the Demon Realms. So you must know the difference in strength between the Inside and the Outside. How big is the gap?”

She wanted to know how the monsters of the Snowfield compared to the strongest of the outside world. Ketal thought it over for a moment. Then he spoke.

“The powerful warriors of the Outside aren’t weak,” he began. “Those known as Transcendents could probably survive within the White Snowfield.”

He was honest: if one was called a Transcendent Outside, they could probably avoid dying easily in the White Snowfield. However, that was the extent of it. Survival didn’t mean victory.

“They would have to hide from the real predators, burrow underground, and prey on the weak. They would live like animals, not as true rulers,” Ketal explained.

He thought of his old foe, Whitie—a beast that had nearly killed two highest-level Transcendents, a mage and an Inquisitor, with terrifying ease. Whitie was a top predator of the deep snow, but in the grand scheme of the White Snowfield, it was far from the most exceptional monster.

And yet, Outside, even the weakest monsters of the White Snowfield would be considered exceptional. That contrast told Ketal everything he needed to know about the difference in power. Ignisia listened, her gaze darkening with understanding.

“So it’s true, then,” she murmured.

It was as she feared. The beings of the Demon Realms were making their way into the world. If the monsters of the White Snowfield, the most dreadful region at the continent’s heart, began to emerge one by one, the consequences would be dire.

Each of them possessed a power that, by the standards of the Outside, was extraordinary. The potential devastation was almost enough to make her head ache.

“It’s a nightmare,” Ignisia said, rubbing her temples.

“For both you and me,” Ketal replied, giving a wry smile.

He had finally escaped the Snowfield, only for its horrors to follow him into the wider world. For him, too, it was something out of a nightmare.

“And it won’t stop with the White Snowfield. Monsters from other Demon Realms will start to pour out, too. This will be a real headache,” Ignisia muttered.

“Not every Demon Realm seems to be equal in strength, though,” Ketal noted, sounding thoughtful. “So far, the others I’ve seen are far weaker compared to the White Snowfield.”

Ketal recalled the primates that lived in the Deep Sea—creatures that were also products of a Demon Realm. However, a single Whitie had wiped them all out, without effort. That, in itself, proved there was a vast gulf in power even among the Demon Realms.

“There will be Demon Realms you could handle alone,” Ketal said. “Not all of them are threats at the level of the White Snowfield.”

Ignisia let out a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s something, at least.”

“Are there any more questions?” Ketal asked her.

“One last thing,” Ignisia said, her tone becoming almost personal. “It’s a bit of a private question.”

Ketal nodded, listening attentively.

She began to recite, almost as if from a legend: “The monsters of legend. White Serpents that devoured glaciers, White Bears that caused earthquakes, and Ugly Rats that polluted the sea... If those creatures fought me, what do you think would happen?”

Can an Eder Dragon like me stand against such fabled monsters?

she wondered.

Ketal fell silent, reflecting. Ignisia waited patiently, giving him all the time he needed.

Finally, Ketal spoke. “You are strong enough. But if you ask me who would win... I can’t say.”

Ignisia’s Dragon Tongue could twist space itself into chains, even binding Ketal. It was a level of power he had never seen in the White Snowfield.

However, the legendary monsters of the Snowfield had their own powers, just as unique and terrifying as Ignisia’s. Their strengths were too different to compare directly. In a contest of raw power, there might be little difference. However, their abilities, their

authorities

, were so unique that the outcome would be unpredictable.

Ignisia’s eyes narrowed. “So... it’s uncertain?”

“In terms of sheer strength, it’s close,” Ketal replied. “But when you take their unique abilities into account, I really can’t say who would win.”

Ignisia frowned, clearly unsatisfied. “So even I can’t be sure of winning, then.”

She seemed displeased by that answer, but she managed to accept it.

“Well, if I’m nearly the strongest in the White Snowfield, that’s enough for me,” she said, with a touch of pride.

Ketal blinked, feeling a flicker of confusion at her words. There was something not quite right in what she said, but before he could point it out, Ignisia continued.

“All my questions are answered. Thank you. I hope we’ll meet again.”

“Of course. I enjoyed our time together,” Ketal replied.

“Then, until next time—as an ally.” She uttered a word, “

Farewell.

”

At her command, Ketal’s body vanished from the lair. He was transported instantly back to the Denian Kingdom.

Ignisia stretched and yawned, a look of annoyance crossing her face. “Now I have to organize all this information and send it in. What a pain...”

Dragons were solitary by nature, but that didn’t mean their society was nonexistent. Among the oldest dragons were the elders, beings whose role was to maintain the balance of the world. These elders formed what was known as the Dragon Council, and it was on their orders that Ignisia had been sent to capture a young dragon in the first place.

“I’m going to get an earful,” she grumbled. “They’ll probably throw a fit over me teaching Dragon Tongue to an outsider, especially to a barbarian from the White Snowfield. From their perspective, that’s as good as a crime.”

It had been a necessary risk, but she dreaded the lectures and reprimands she was sure to receive from the more hidebound Elder Dragons. With a heavy sigh, Ignisia gathered her notes, determined to minimize the fallout.

Even as she worked, her mind kept returning to Ketal. His power was undeniable; he could hold his own with the strongest monsters of the Snowfield. However, that very fact made her uneasy.

Why was that power limited only to his physical body?

she wondered.

With such strength and presence, Ketal should have been able to develop some special authority, some unique ability. It was as if he was deliberately restraining himself, holding his own potential back.

“How strange...” Ignisia murmured, but she let the thought go for now. She had too much work ahead of her, and no time to dwell on mysteries she couldn’t solve.

***

Meanwhile, Ketal reappeared in the Denian Kingdom. He walked cheerfully toward the Akasha family home, a lightness in his step.

Milayna greeted him warmly as soon as he arrived. “You’re back! I was starting to worry, since you were gone for so long. I wondered if something had happened.”

She knew Ketal was extraordinarily strong, but the involvement of the Wandering Merchant, a being who seemed to warp reality itself, made her uneasy.

Her relief was evident as she continued, “So, what were you up to? Did you achieve your goal?”

“I did,” Ketal said, his tone as casual as ever. “I went dragon hunting.”

Milayna’s smile froze, her expression going blank. “Excuse me...?”

“The Wandering Merchant gave me a quest to hunt down a dragon that was collaborating with the demons. So I hunted one.”

He spoke as if he’d just gone for a walk in the park, but Milayna was clearly struggling to process his words.

“Are you... are you serious?” she stammered.

Ketal nodded. “Of course. It was a great experience. I met some interesting people, too.”

“People? Who did you meet?”

“Spellweaver and Bloodedge. And Seraphina.”

Milayna’s eyes widened even more. “You mean... one of the headmasters of the Mage Tower, the Mercenary King, and the Chief Inquisitor of the Sun God?”

Ketal grinned. “You know them well.”

“Oh... wow. You actually hunted a dragon with those three?”

Ketal nodded. “I also met Ignisia, the Elder Dragon.”

“The architect of the Mage Tower...?”

Ketal’s admiration for Milayna’s knowledge grew. “You really do know everything.”

Milayna, on the other hand, looked completely overwhelmed. In just a few days, Ketal had hunted a dragon, met an Elder Dragon, and fought alongside the most influential people in the land. For someone like Milayna, who considered herself just an ordinary person, it was hard to take in. Before she could ask anything more, a servant approached her discreetly.

“My lady, there are matters requiring your attention.”

It was the middle of the day, and she had plenty of work to do.

Milayna glanced at Ketal, torn between curiosity and duty. “Let’s talk tonight, all right? Please explain everything to me then.”

“Of course,” Ketal said, giving her a reassuring nod.

With a determined expression, Milayna hurried off to handle her responsibilities. Ketal returned to his room and threw himself onto his bed, a contented smile on his face.

That was fun,

he thought.

He had gained Myst, met an Elder Dragon, faced off against the most powerful figures from each faction, and hunted a dragon—everything he had wanted to experience in the outside world. He replayed the memories in his mind, savoring every detail.

Then, Ignisia’s words came back to him.

“Well, if I’m nearly the strongest in the White Snowfield, that’s enough for me.”

At the time, Ketal had found her words a little odd. He had wanted to correct her, but she had ended the conversation before he had a chance.

That’s not quite right,

he mused. Now that he thought about it, Ignisia wasn’t the only one who was mistaken. Most people from the Outside made the same assumption.

White Serpents that devoured glaciers, White Bears that caused earthquakes, and Ugly Rats that polluted the sea—they were all mighty beasts, rulers of vast territories within the Snowfield. Each one was powerful enough to be remembered as a legendary monster.

However, that was not the end of it.

“I never once said they were the strongest monsters in there,” Ketal murmured to himself.

He smiled, wondering what the world would think if they knew the truth.