Chapter 76: The Red Dragon and the Dragon Orb (5)
El found the elder of the Black Dragons among the group.
‘As expected.’
A dragon who could talk sense, someone capable of clearing his name from this absurd accusation.
Everyone El had been waiting for had now gathered.
The elder of the Red Dragons, Dedank, appeared from the sky and shouted at El, Rurin, and the Red Dragons with a voice full of fierce authority.
“Stop at once! Don’t you all know that a ceasefire agreement is currently in effect between the Black Dragons and the Red Dragons?”
Seeing Elder Dedank shout angrily, El thought, as expected, this wasn’t a plot by all the Red Dragons. It was the work of one who was determined to frame him as the culprit.
All the Red Dragons turned to look at Dedank. Then, Veint flew toward the elder.
In the midst of this, the elder of the Black Dragons, Medidana, opened her mouth towards Rurin.
“You fool! Why are you fighting the Red Dragons? And you too! You and Rurin are directly involved in the ceasefire agreement, no matter what anyone says! This is forbidden!”
To El, this sounded absurd. He wasn’t the one who attacked first—it was the Red Dragons, and they had done so by framing him with false accusations.
But based on Medidana’s words, El confirmed that the Black Dragons were not involved in this situation either.
With mana of this magnitude clashing, it was only natural for the relevant parties to show up because of the ceasefire.
Since fighting was forbidden, it made sense for the elders to appear and punish such foolishness.
This was exactly the situation El had been waiting for.
‘It’s time to shut the mouth of that Red Dragon who’s been barking like a mad dog. If the elders are uninvolved, no one will be able to act up in the face of clear evidence.’
With that thought, El shouted at Medidana, the elder of the Black Dragons.
“That’s a false accusation, elder. They were the ones who attacked first.”
“They did? What do you mean?”
“More importantly, how did you come here?”
When El asked for final confirmation, Medidana was puzzled. They attacked first? That would mean the Red Dragons violated the ceasefire first.
Finding the situation strange, Medidana thought it was necessary to investigate further and answered El’s question.
“There’s no way we wouldn’t notice when Dragon Fear clashes and vast amounts of mana are in turmoil! What on earth is going on here?”
At that moment, Veint reached Elder Dedank and began slandering El, just as he had done with the other Red Dragons.
“Elder Dedank! That bastard attacked Serena and drove her to her death. Everyone here witnessed it. Taking revenge on a murderer has nothing to do with the ceasefire!”
“Is that true?”
Elder Dedank was shocked. Even if the human had the Heart of the Lord, for him to have the audacity to kill a Red Dragon, that was certainly something beyond the ceasefire.
And his voice was loud enough to be heard even by the Black Dragons in the distance.
Hearing this, Rurin was infuriated, stomping her feet on the ground. She then shouted at Medidana.
“No, elder! They attacked El! The Red bastards are cunning. I cannot forgive them. They must not be allowed to live!”
Watching Rurin’s passionate outburst as she stomped her feet, Medidana tilted her head, knowing Rurin’s personality well.
After hearing Veint’s explanation, Elder Dedank pointed at El again and asked for confirmation.
“You hurt Serena? That human?”
“Yes! Everyone here saw it!”
“No! That Red Dragon suddenly started bleeding and came to the restaurant!”
“Is that Black Dragon involved too?”
“She’s in league with that human, so I can’t say she’s uninvolved.”
Veint slyly implicated Rurin as well.
Watching this absurd scene unfold, El shook his head. He hadn’t yet figured out what kind of grudge Veint held against him, but his plan was to reverse this unfair situation and get to the bottom of it later.
But just as El was about to do so, an unexpected variable appeared. Nies, the Black Dragon standing behind Elder Medidana, stepped forward to support Veint.
“Elder! That human has finally gone mad! To prevent the Black Dragons from being dragged into this because of Rurin, we must sever all ties with that human. It’s best to return Rurin and hand over the human to the Red Dragons!”
Watching Nies suddenly side with Veint, El furrowed his brow. Of course, Rurin couldn’t tolerate such nonsense and glared at Nies.
In fact, Nies was the dragon Rurin hated even more than the Red Dragons.
Not just dragons—he was the one being she hated the most in the entire world. That dragon who now stood there, slandering El.
Rurin felt her blood boiling as she shouted back.
“Nies! El has never done such a thing. What nonsense are you spouting?”
Seeing that, El was momentarily taken aback. Judging from how she called his name, it seemed she knew this dragon.
But that wasn’t what surprised him. What worried him more was Rurin’s condition. Her hand, resting by his side, was trembling.
El immediately grabbed her hand and asked about her condition.
“Rurin, are you okay?”
To El, Rurin’s state was a hundred times more concerning than this ridiculous farce.
“I’m fine! Not really, but I’ll be okay. But I hate that bastard! Since childhood, he’s tormented me by constantly mentioning my mother.”
“Really? So he’s the one behind it all?”
Rurin nodded firmly and gripped El’s hand even tighter. Her trembling hadn’t completely stopped, and El felt a deep sorrow.
Then he looked at Nies. At that moment, Nies exchanged glances with Veint, who was hovering in the opposite sky.
‘Hmm?’
Seeing that exchange of looks, El realized something else. It wasn’t just one person framing him. The Black Dragon, Nies, and the Red Dragon, Veint, were colluding.
Although he didn’t yet know the exact reason, he now had a solid suspicion that the two were conspiring together.
With a heart full of anger, El glared alternately at the two dragons.
Yes, he couldn’t forgive them.
There was no reason to forgive those who were unjustly trying to frame him and have him killed.
Moreover, this was the very dragon who had tormented Rurin. Just seeing him made her tremble with fear.
He was the reason young Rurin had secluded herself in the lair.
How badly must he have tormented her in her childhood to cause such a reaction just from seeing him now?
Rurin was usually so lively.
But among the dragons, she seemed so pitiful.
That’s why El’s rage toward Nies only grew. He didn’t care much about what happened to him personally, but Rurin…
How dare they torment Rurin?
Whatever plot they were concocting, whatever reason they had for trying to harm him—it no longer mattered.
El gently stroked Rurin’s head and whispered softly into her ear, ensuring no one else could hear.
“It’s okay, Rurin. There’s no need to tremble anymore. I wasn’t there back then, but now I’m by your side.”
At those words, Rurin’s trembling instantly stopped. She quietly looked up at El, and in her eyes, a powerful resolve was evident.
In those eyes, there was a deep emotion beyond trust—absolute faith.
“You…!”
“Let’s deal with this situation first.”
The real problem was those two culprits. They couldn’t be left alone.
There were now over 40 dragons gathered here.
Even though his mana had grown stronger thanks to the **Dragon Orb**, there was no way he could fight them all.
An all-out battle to annihilate the dragons through brute force was impossible. From the start, he had planned to use strategy rather than strength.
And the method was quite simple, really. A very primitive solution.
The logic behind the Red Dragons attacking El was based on the premise that one of their own had died.
But if there was no dead dragon, it would become nothing but a farce.
So, El looked back and forth between the two dragons who were framing him and opened his mouth.
“You two really are something else.”
“What?”
Even Rurin looked up at El, puzzled. But El just smiled and started glaring at Veint. Then, loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted.
“Hey, dragon! You claim I killed one of your own?”
“That’s right! Everyone here is a witness!”
Veint flapped his wings vigorously as he replied, glancing at his fellow Red Dragons. The other Red Dragons, receiving his gaze, all turned to Elder Dedank and echoed his words.
“That’s right, elder. We all saw him do it to Serena.”
Even though none of them had seen the actual killing, they all gave one-sided testimony. El scoffed but kept his composure.
They had clearly come here to present such testimony, and there was nothing that could be done about that now.
El, maintaining his calm, approached Elder Medidana, the one who seemed the most reasonable among the Black Dragons, and asked.
“Elder, do you believe that Rurin and I killed a Red Dragon?”
“With so many witnesses, I…”
“That’s not true, elder. I can easily disprove what they’re saying by directly asking that Serena.”
“What do you mean? They said she’s dead.”
There was just one uncertainty. The Red Dragon called Serena.
If she was also in league with Veint, then things would get complicated. It would become a serious problem.
‘But that’s unlikely. Her wound was fatal. She was on the verge of death, so the idea that it was all part of a scheme doesn’t make sense. If Elena hadn’t used a Grand Heal on her, she would’ve already died. And even with the Grand Heal, it’s just keeping her alive temporarily. She’ll die soon enough. Her wound was that severe. So, there’s no way she would’ve participated in this at the cost of her life.’
Although he couldn’t be completely certain, El was 90% sure that Serena wasn’t involved with Veint.
Especially when he remembered the bitter, self-deprecating smile she had when she spoke of love and betrayal. It was clear that she had been stabbed in the back by her own kind.
In that case, reviving her and having her point out the culprit would be the best solution.
He had originally intended to save her anyway. Now, he had an even stronger reason to do so.
“Is that true?”
When El confidently assured him, Medidana, who had been grimacing, was relieved inside. It would’ve been troubling if what the Red Dragons claimed was true. So, with a hopeful expression, he asked again.
But Nies, who couldn’t tolerate anything El did, sternly interjected and began speaking to Medidana again.
“What are we supposed to confirm with a dead dragon? Are you trying to disgrace the Black Dragons along with the Red Dragons? This human has done something that could reignite the war between the Blacks and Reds. Elder, you must not forgive him!”
At that moment, El began to suspect that Nies might be the true mastermind behind all of this.
