After meeting with Lark in the capital, Vulcan and Shahaneth returned to the dwarven kingdom. Upon reaching the Lair, Vulcan recounted to the other Fire Dragons the events that transpired during their visit to the Kingdom of Lukas.
"Father, are you sure about this?" said Agnus, the youngest dragon within their tribe. "An oath made of dragon blood for a mere human?"
Vulcan understood exactly where the young dragon was coming from.
Still, he couldn't help but be vexed regardless. Vulcan angrily spat, "Foolish child. Do you think I made this decision without thinking it through?"
"T-That's not what I meant, Fath—" "If you can win against that damn Scylla even once, I'll abdicate the position of tribe leader and let you lead !" snarled Vulcan. "Listen! King Lark! He is the same human who reared the Dragon Devourer!"
Under Vulcan's fierce gaze, Agnus cowered. Although he'd already heard the gist of what happened during their visit to the human kingdom, he still couldn't help but wonder what truly transpired for his father—the so-called Ancient Fire Dragon Vulcan—to become so submissive to a human.
"Now, now," said Vesta, the wife of Vulcan. "Calm down, dear."
Vulcan snorted, steam puffing out of his snout. Vesta affectionately rubbed her reptilian head against Vulcan's.
"The two of you have already made the oath," said Vesta in a sweet voice. "There's no going back. All we can do now is serve that human, King Lark, to the best of our abilities. Isn't that right, dear?"
Vulcan finally calmed down. He nodded. He said affectionately, "You're the only one who truly understands me. I'm really glad I have you with me, Vesta."
Vesta cast a glance at Agnus, wordlessly telling him not to babble and ruin his father's mood any further.
"So, what do you want us to do, dear? You said that King Lark gave you a task before you left the capital," said Vesta.
Vulcan recalled the conversation he'd had with Lark.
Before they parted ways, Lark asked him about the existence of powerful monsters around the dwarven kingdom. And upon learning that there existed several powerful species of monster within the dwarven mountain range, Lark requested Vulcan brought him the monsters' corpses.
According to Lark, the more powerful the monster was, the better.
Moreover, it did not matter if the corpses numbered in the thousands. The human king was willing to take all they could gather.
It was an odd request. Vulcan did not know why the human king was requesting the corpses of powerful monsters.
Well, at the end of the day, it did not matter. Vulcan already knew how to fulfill this task perfectly. As the absolute ruler of the dwarven kingdom, they could easily mobilize millions of dwarves to help procure the materials. Hundreds of thousands of dwarven warriors would march to the battlefield with a single command.
"Vesta," said Vulcan.
"Dear."
"I'll be gone for a while," said Vulcan.
Without waiting for his wife to utter a response, Vulcan activated the sigils within the heart of the Lair. The ground rumbled and rocks and dust started falling from the ceiling. Slowly, a two-hundred meter large entrance started opening above.
Vulcan flapped his wings, flew up, and went toward the Dwarven Royal Palace.
*** The Dwarven Royal Palace was in an uproar. The dragon had visited the capital of the kingdom. An extremely rare occurrence. It was a well-known fact that the Ancient Fire Dragon hardly left the Lair, even when meeting with the dwarves. Based on their records, the last time the dragon personally made an appearance was sixty years ago, a time when King Lerenon was still the crown prince of the kingdom.
"Where are the princes?" roared King Lerenon. His dignified demeanor was gone as he nervously paced back and forth near the throne room's entrance.
It had already been several minutes since the Ancient Fire Dragon arrived at the royal palace and demanded the presence of King Lerenon and his four sons.
"T-The princes have arrived, Your Majesty!" said the chamberlain.
King Lerenon's crumpled expression lightened somewhat upon seeing the four princes briskly walking toward him.
"What are you doing!" said King Lerenon. "The dragon is waiting!
Hurry!"
"Yes, Father!"
Nervously, the five of them entered the throne room. The colossal door opened, revealing the gold-embroidered carpet leading all the way to the throne.
All of the dwarves inside the throne room were looking down to the floor, unmoving, afraid to meet the dragon's gaze. Most of them controlled their breathing, terrified of making even the slightest unpleasant sound.
On the throne, Vulcan sat in his polymorphed state.
"King Lerenon and his sons humbly pay their respect to the Great Guardian Deity!" said King Lerenon.
The four princes uttered in unison, "We humbly pay our respect to The Great Guardian Deity!"
The hearts of everyone in the room thumped loudly. All of them anticipating what the dragon—the deity and the guardian of the kingdom— was going to say.
"Since this is a special occasion," said Vulcan in a deep, domineering voice. "Just this once, I shall allow everyone to raise their heads. All of you are granted permission to lay sight on my visage."
"This is the greatest honor!" said King Lerenon.
Everyone also followed suit, "This is the greatest honor!"
Slowly, the dwarves in the throne room raised their heads. They gazed at the middle-aged man sitting on the throne. His crimson hair was reminiscent of blazing flames, his red armor glistened from the touch of light. His slit-like reptilian pupils looked down on everyone as though they were ants.
"I came here in person today to make two important announcements," said Vulcan.
The Ancient Fire Dragon paused, arrogantly gazed at everyone in the room, and said, "From today onwards, this nation shall be allies with the Kingdom of Lukas."
Those words stunned everyone in the throne room—King Lerenon included. For centuries, the dwarven kingdom had kept to itself. It was regarded as the strongest nation in the entire continent. A nation that surpassed even the Great Empire, not only in technology, but also military might. They couldn't believe that a time would come when the dwarven kingdom would ally itself with another kingdom, moreover that of humans.
King Lerenon opened then closed his mouth. He almost blurted out questions regarding the dragon's decision. Thankfully, he managed to rein himself in at the last moment. Among everyone in this room, he knew the most that the dragon's word was tantamount to law.
It would be too far foolish to question the dragon's decision.
In the end, King Lerenon said, "Your will shall be done, Great Guardian Deity. From today onwards, the dwarven kingdom shall be allies with the Kingdom of Lukas."
The Ancient Fire Dragon was satisfied with this answer.
"Lerenon," said Vulcan.
"Great Guardian Deity."
"I shall alter the entry conditions of the barrier. In order for us to become a haven for the residents of the Kingdom of Lukas in times of peril, we shall be opening the gates of our country to our allied nation."
Vulcan knew that he should do this much, if he wished to gain King Lark's trust.
"As you wish, Great Guardian Deity," said Lerenon.
King Lerenon knew the characteristics of the barrier. Altering it to allow entry to the residents of the Kingdom of Lukas would end up letting other humans—even those from the Great Empire—enter the dwarven kingdom.
Still, Lerenon readily accepted the words uttered by the Ancient Fire Dragon, Vulcan. The only reason they'd managed to advance their kingdom this far, despite the rugged and dangerous terrain of the dwarven mountain range, was due to the protection of this mighty being.
Opening their barrier to the humans from the Kingdom of Lukas was a small price to pay in comparison. King Lerenon knew that they couldn't afford to lose the dragon's protection, at all cost.
"M-May I speak, Great Guardian Deity?" the third prince said in a stuttering voice.
King Lerenon glared at him. If looks could kill, he would have already cut the third prince into a thousand pieces.
Did he forget what he told them before?
The words of the dragon were absolute!
This foolish son… Shivers crawled down King Lerenon's spine as he thought of the repercussions.
The Ancient Fire Dragon stared at the third prince.
"I remember," said Vulcan. "You're the pathetic dwarf who fell unconscious back in my Lair."
The third prince's face flushed red.
"Speak," said Vulcan.
"T-Thank you, Great Guardian Deity!" said the third prince. He hesitated for a moment, mustered up his courage, then said, "R-Regarding the barrier! Please reconsider, Great Guardian Deity! If we alter it to allow the Lukasians entry to the Dwarven Kingdom, won't we—" "You fool!"
The third prince stopped midway through his speech when a hand suddenly grabbed the back of his head and pushed it toward the ground. A loud thud sound reverberated in the throne room.
King Lerenon had just knocked his son unconscious before everyone.
King Lerenon kowtowed before the Ancient Fire Dragon. He said in a heated voice, "I apologize for my son's foolish question! Just this once, please forgive us!"
The dwarven king's face was more pallid than usual.
King Lerenon had noticed before everyone else. While the third prince was speaking, a sinister spell was being cast. Judging by the flow of mana, it was a spell meant to kill its target in a single strike.
Had he not stopped the third prince from speaking, the Ancient Fire Dragon would have blown his head off with that spell.
That damn fool! Had he forgotten? Never question the words of the dragon!
"Lerenon," said Vulcan. "You are wise, unlike your children. It's a real pity that none of them seems to have inherited your wisdom and strength.
Very well, for your sake, I shall let this grievance slide. Just. This. Once."
King Lerenon inwardly sighed in relief. He'd seen the dragon mercilessly kill his uncle. This creature treated not only humans but also dwarves as nothing but mere ants.
"I am forever grateful!" said Lerenon, his head still kissing the ground.
Vulcan stared at Lerenon for several seconds. "The second reason for coming here today is this: I shall now declare the trial the princes must undergo for the competition for the throne."
The princes became excited.
"A long-standing tradition of this kingdom," said Vulcan. "Only those who receive my blessing can ascend the throne and become the king of the dwarves."
Vulcan released his fire aura, and a heat blaze swept through the throne room. The dwarves found it hard to breathe, but they endured regardless.
Vulcan declared in a domineering voice, "The prince who manages to complete this task to utter perfection shall obtain my blessing. The task is simple! Slay powerful monsters! Present me their corpses! It does not matter what method one uses. The results matter most! Show me your worth!"
The princes' hearts thumped even louder.
The Ancient Fire Dragon's words ignited their competitive spirit. They couldn't wish for a more appropriate competition. After all, slaying powerful monsters would enable them to show the entire kingdom how powerful they were. They'd been compared to their father, King Lerenon 'Blood Mithril' Rugard, their whole lives. The princes wanted to show everyone that they held strength tantamount to their father. And this competition was the perfect chance to prove that.
"Two weeks," said Vulcan. "The one who manages to slay the greatest number of powerful monsters will become this nation's crown prince. Slay the monsters and bring the corpses to me."