As Leopold's voice fell, the basement fell silent for a moment. Adele stood at the door, her brow furrowing slightly as her gaze instinctively swept over her surroundings.
Sure enough, a soft chuckle echoed from the shadows beneath the stairs.
“Truly a perceptive dragon.”
“Adele, you've colluded with the enemy, haven't you?” A figure slowly emerged from the stairwell.
The moment Adele saw the figure clearly, she took half a step back, her hand instinctively flying to cover her neck.
“L... Lord...”
“You did well, Adele.”
“I won't kill you—at least not for now.”
Adele did not look up, nor did she answer.
The Lord of the Black Tide tilted his head, his face shrouded in the shadows of his hood as he turned toward Leopold.
“A Night Black Dragon, a Grayfrost Blue Dragon, and the last descendant of the White Dragon Royal Family. What a rare combination.”
“You know who we are?”
“I know far more than you can imagine.”
The Lord of the Black Tide tilted his head slightly. “For instance—I know you just came up from underground, I know you've settled in Cabin Village, I know you've taken over Devon's patrol, and I know you came here today looking for clues about me.”
Leopold did not speak. His gaze quickly swept over the Lord of the Black Tide, attempting to read any information from the edge of his cloak, his posture, or even his breathing pattern.
“No need to guess,” the Lord of the Black Tide said. “You won't figure it out.”
“I really can't,” Leopold said calmly. “But you could tell me.”
The Lord of the Black Tide let out a sinister laugh. “You think I would tell you?”
“Then you wouldn't have said so much just to show off how good your intelligence gathering is.”
The basement fell silent for a couple of seconds before the Lord of the Black Tide clapped his hands softly.
“You really are a clever black dragon. Would you mind telling me your name? Compared to the Demon Race, a dragon's name is highly noble and proud.”
“Leopold.”
“Leopold...” The Lord of the Black Tide raised his head. “As a descendant of the House of Tann, you didn't even give your family name.”
“Since you know of the House of Tann, you should also know their current situation,” Leopold said. “Giving my family name doesn't make much of a difference.”
“It makes a huge difference.” The Lord of the Black Tide shook his head. “Giving your family name is admitting you belong to a family. Not giving it is admitting you are all alone.”
“You chose not to give it. Either you've been abandoned by your family, or your family has been completely destroyed.”
Leopold did not answer. He couldn't let himself fall into the other party's trap.
“You know us well,” Leopold said. “But we know nothing about you.”
“Then you can guess.”
“Are you from the Abyssal Demon Race?”
“I indeed come from the Abyss—the Abyss forgotten by the Primordial Race,” the Lord of the Black Tide said. “But I am not considered part of the Abyssal Demon Race.”
“Then what are you?”
“An exile.” There was no emotion in the Lord of the Black Tide's voice. “A failure exiled by the very Abyss I hate.”
“Just like those sorcerers you speak of, I am an outcast—perhaps even more pathetic than them.”
What should I do? Leopold narrowed his eyes. The demon before him was unfathomable. Judging by his mana perception, the opponent's mana was three times his own!
Although he couldn't see the demon's exact appearance, Leopold still noticed an old injury on his leg.
In any case, starting a fight right now was not a wise move.
“Lord Black Tide, may we leave first?” Leopold bowed slightly to him.
The Lord of the Black Tide sneered, studying Leopold's shadow with great interest.
“You certainly know when to back down.”
“However, you should be my enemy, right?”
“That depends on how you define it,” Leopold continued. “You want to summon something, don't you?”
“To summon something that can prove your worth, so you can return to the Abyss.”
The Lord of the Black Tide stood in the shadow of the stairwell, his hood lowered to cover most of his face. He did not respond immediately, only answering after a long pause.
“You are right.”
“But because of that, we are enemies. You want to save people, and I want to kill. That will interfere with your plans, won't it?”
The tense atmosphere in the basement was almost palpable. Leopold stood his ground, feeling the Lord of the Black Tide's gaze falling on him from beneath the shadow of the hood.
“You also need time to prepare to wage war. Starting a fight right now wouldn't benefit either of us.” Leopold closed his eyes, having already confirmed his theory.
“Oh?” The Lord of the Black Tide was clearly intrigued.
“I've always wondered why you hide in this cramped, narrow basement.”
“And why your appearance times are so fixed—arriving at sunset and leaving at sunrise.”
Upon hearing this, Isabella immediately looked at Leopold beside her, understanding his meaning.
“A creature of the Abyss fears the intensity of the sun...”
“Exactly. Lord of the Black Tide, you can't use your full power during the day, can you?” Leopold finally smiled.
“You're right. Sunlight is indeed my greatest weakness.”
He took a step forward, the hem of his cloak dragging along the floor.
“But what use is it to know this?”
“It's evening now, about two quarters of an hour until sunset,” Leopold said. “Once night falls, you can indeed use your full power.”
“But looking at it another way, we could easily destroy this entire cathedral right now, letting the last rays of the setting sun shine in.”
“With the old injury on your leg, even if we are only dragons who have undergone one slumber, the battle might not go in your favor.”
The Lord of the Black Tide stood in the shadow of the stairwell, seemingly lost in thought, weighing his options.
“You are indeed more interesting than I imagined, Leopold.”
“What would you do in my position? Kill us?”
“I won't kill you.”
The Lord of the Black Tide tilted his head slightly. “At least not now. You're right. Before sunset, I don't want to fight a Night Black Dragon and a white dragon to a bitter end. And you—”
He paused, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood turning back toward Leopold. “You don't want to risk your lives here either. Because you aren't sure if you can win.”
“Likewise.”
The Lord of the Black Tide did not reply. He merely stood in the shadows, silent for a moment, before slowly retreating deeper into the darkness beneath the stairs.
“Then let today's meeting end here.” As he spoke, he snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the magic brand on the back of Adele's neck vanished.
“And that girl—consider her a meeting gift for you!”
“I'll let you see for yourself how foolish and absurd that so-called 'Heavenly Kingdom' really is...”
Rate on N.U.
