The cause of the Eight Greed Kings' deaths had always been a favorite topic of discussion, with countless versions of the story circulating over the years.
The most widespread account in the New World claimed that they eventually built an enormous harem. Their endless struggles over power and women caused internal tensions to escalate until they finally erupted into a bloody bout of infighting that wiped out every last one of them.
In other words, their boundless desires became the catalyst for their own destruction.
However, as firsthand witnesses to that era, including the Brightness Dragon Lord and several other True Dragon Lords, eventually submitted, that version of events was thoroughly disproven.
There was no denying that conflicts and disagreements had existed among the Eight Greed Kings.
But their brutal and merciless conduct had also provoked the entire New World into fighting back.
The surviving Dragon Races, the descendants of the Six Great Gods, and the Alliance of All Races joined forces to launch a massive campaign against them.
The fierce war dragged on for a long time, yet the Eight Greed Kings, entrenched within their Guild Base, were as unshakable as gods.
As the allied forces gradually lost ground, defeat seemed inevitable.
Then, just when all hope appeared lost, something completely unexpected happened.
Near the end of the war, an unknown powerhouse suddenly appeared and wiped out the Eight Greed Kings in one decisive strike, instantly reversing the course of the battle.
The identity of that mysterious powerhouse remained an unsolved mystery to this day.
The only clue Nazarick possessed was the faint trace of a dragon's aura that the Heavenly Dragon Lord remembered sensing at the time.
Yet the information relayed by the NPCs of the Floating Castle now directly revealed the culprit's identity.
It was an answer no one would have expected.
"Kuyō…"
Naohara's lips moved slightly as he quietly spoke the name.
The existence that had single-handedly slain the Eight Greed Kings five hundred years ago and stripped them of any possibility of Resurrection.
Like Enhela, it possessed countless ties to Kuyō and was likewise one of Kuyō's creations.
That information came from the unwilling final cry of the last surviving Forest Elf Player among the Eight Greed Kings as he lay dying.
The sheer amount of information revealed by the Floating Castle NPCs was far beyond Naohara's expectations.
Although these revelations made the situation even more mysterious, they also neatly explained many of the inconsistencies that had troubled him before.
Wiping out eight Players in a single attack was already difficult enough. Killing them by force while they were inside their own Guild Base was practically impossible for any native of the New World.
But if Kuyō was involved, then everything suddenly made sense.
Recalling the dragon-like aura that the Heavenly Dragon Lord had described, Naohara fell into thought.
Could it be similar to Enhela, who had descended in human form? Had another creation of Kuyō descended into this world in the form of a dragon?
If that was true, then an even more important question arose.
If one of Kuyō's creations had already quietly arrived in the New World five hundred years ago, why had it vanished without a trace after destroying the Eight Greed Kings?
As one of Kuyō's creations, there was no reason it should have been capable of peacefully coexisting with this world.
So what exactly had happened?
Naohara frowned deeply and sank into contemplation.
Granted, there was a possibility that the Floating Castle NPCs were deceiving him, but after thinking it through, there did not seem to be much reason for them to do so.
After all, aside from what they had already revealed, they had also explained a number of their other plans in detail.
Why they had loaned out the Guild Weapon, for example, and why they had remained secluded for five hundred years.
They had also explained the purpose behind raising the Clear Light Dragon Lord.
[Descendant of the Twin Kings?]
There had been eight Players among the Eight Greed Kings, seven male and one apparently female.
Why only apparently?
The reason was simple. In YGGDRASIL, a Player's chosen gender was not completely rigid.
With certain special methods, a male Player could obtain an account with a female appearance.
And when historical records of the New World spoke of enormous harems, that did not necessarily refer only to men. Women could have them as well.
There had undoubtedly been decadent relations between the Players themselves too.
So under those circumstances, it was only natural that a descendant carrying the bloodlines of two Players could eventually be born.
Compared to the Elf King, whose children had been born with natives of the New World, or someone like Zesshi Zetsumei, whose divine-human bloodline had manifested through Ancestral Blood Awakening, a descendant who perfectly inherited the bloodlines of two Players undoubtedly possessed a far higher ceiling.
They might even be capable of touching the realm of Level 100.
In an era when the Eight Kings were dead and could no longer be resurrected, this descendant of the Twin Kings had naturally become the new spiritual pillar supporting the NPCs of the Floating Castle.
There were two reasons they had loaned out the Guild Weapon.
The first was to conceal the existence of the Twin Kings' descendant.
The Elf King was merely bait they had deliberately placed in public view.
The second reason was Riku, captain of the Thirteen Heroes.
Although his identity was different, the NPCs of the Floating Castle believed there was a strong possibility that he was also one of their Kings, in other words, a Player from their Guild.
That was also the fundamental reason Fluder had been turned away while Riku had been allowed to borrow several precious items.
Loaning out the Guild Weapon had been a carefully considered decision.
The NPCs understood the Platinum Dragon Lord's character very well. He was a rational True Dragon Lord.
Rather than destroying the Guild Weapon, using it to threaten them was far more consistent with his personality.
The Platinum Dragon Lord wanted to make use of their combat strength, while they wanted to use his identity as cover, presenting themselves as harmless and reducing the attention directed toward them as much as possible.
In other words, Riku had become a disposable pawn in their struggle.
Even though they knew he might very well have been one of their Kings.
Three hundred years was enough to change many things.
Unlike when they had merely existed inside the game, the NPCs were now living beings of flesh and blood. Their outlook had inevitably changed over time.
Unless the matter concerned their own creators.
With the Eight Kings now gone, the descendant of the Twin Kings held the highest status of all. Even the other Kings could no longer compare.
That was also why the Clear Light Dragon Lord had been raised.
Escape this dangerous world.
Under the threat posed by Kuyō's creations, that had become the goal of the Floating Castle NPCs.
If Wild Magic could bring them into the New World, then by the same logic, it should also be capable of taking them away.
With that in mind, the NPCs decided to cultivate a special True Dragon Lord.
That was the fundamental reason the Clear Light Dragon Lord's class structure was so severely specialized.
He had been developed from the very beginning around one central purpose, breaking through the barriers of the world and traveling to another one.
The NPCs had put a great deal of effort into making that possible.
"You can use Super-Tier Magic, and you can even manipulate the Power of Faith?"
Naohara looked at the Clear Light Dragon Lord, narrowing his eyes slightly.
To improve the Clear Light Dragon Lord's mastery over space, the NPCs had attempted to use World-Class Items to force him to learn spatial Super-Tier Magic.
The process had been anything but smooth, but in the end, they had succeeded.
The same applied to the Power of Faith.
That also explained why a religion worshiping the Clear Light Dragon Lord as its supreme deity had spread so widely among the desert nomads.
"I… know a little. I'm just not very skilled with it. Is something wrong?"
The Clear Light Dragon Lord shrank back slightly, looking somewhat nervous.
He was already prepared to flee at a moment's notice. Staying here was simply too stressful. This situation was asking far too much of him.
"No, nothing's wrong. I'm just surprised. You're even more capable than I expected. Even among the True Dragon Lords, you're one of the very best."
Realizing that his tone might have sounded a little strange, Naohara immediately smiled as he spoke.
He sat up and pulled the Vampire girl beside him into his arms. Keno cooperatively shifted around until she found a comfortable position.
These topics were far too complicated for her.
Better not to interrupt and simply enjoy watching.
Is he praising me?
Whoa~
The Clear Light Dragon Lord sucked in a sharp breath. The unease in his heart quietly faded, replaced for some inexplicable reason by an intense feeling of satisfaction.
"So, how about continuing to work for the Sorcerer Kingdom? As long as you don't break the law, I won't interfere with you. You can do whatever you want."
"I've kept your mentor position open this entire time."
Naohara extended the invitation at an unhurried pace.
The Floating Castle NPCs intended to take the Twin Kings' descendant and leave this world. When that happened, aside from a few essential belongings, the Guild Base and the World-Class Items stored inside it would be left behind as compensation.
It was not as though they could take them along anyway. After all, the Guild Weapon was in the Sorcerer Kingdom's hands.
The Clear Light Dragon Lord was also part of that compensation.
The NPCs had no intention of taking him with them. Even if they did, the Clear Light Dragon Lord probably would not agree to go.
To the NPCs, his purpose was simply to use Wild Magic and his extraordinary mastery of space to establish a connection with other worlds.
So the Floating Castle NPCs had not hesitated in the slightest to sell the Clear Light Dragon Lord off as a bargaining chip.
Sending him to the Sorcerer Kingdom this time had partly been so Naohara and the others could inspect the goods.
"Well, maybe I should still…"
Before the Clear Light Dragon Lord could finish, Naohara slapped a Divine-class Item down onto the table.
When that produced no reaction, two more slaps followed.
Three dazzling Divine-class Items now sat before him.
The Clear Light Dragon Lord's throat bobbed, and whatever he had been about to say instantly died on his lips.
"These are only your sign-on bonus. Do a good job, and there'll be plenty more benefits for you~"
Naohara unleashed the devil's whisper.
For a special draconic talent like the Clear Light Dragon Lord, he did not mind being a little more patient.
After all, if the dragon decided to run, even Naohara would have to put in some effort to catch him.
"Ahem. No problem. I think I can return to my post immediately."
"My Lord, from now on, I'm your man… No, I mean, your dragon!"
What else could he do?
The offer was simply too generous!
The Clear Light Dragon Lord eagerly put away the Divine-class Items, unable to keep a blissful smile off his face.
He felt as though he would wake up laughing if he hugged them to sleep.
"It's good to see you motivated. Oh, right. I arranged a guide especially for you. The Sorcerer Kingdom changes every day, so I'm sure there are some places you no longer remember clearly."
"Of course, of course. I'll get to work right away."
The Clear Light Dragon Lord nodded repeatedly.
Naohara watched him leave, the corner of his mouth curling upward.
Hopefully you'll still feel that enthusiastic in a little while.
"Let's go too. What should we do next~?"
Naohara organized all the information he had just obtained and sent copies to Momonga and Herohero.
If the Floating Castle NPCs' plan succeeded, that would actually be a good thing.
As long as they recorded the coordinates, Nazarick would gain another option besides the Demon Plane.
Naohara lifted Keno with one arm and began considering what to do next.
There was still a little over half a month before the three-month deadline for the assault on the Demon Plane.
They could enjoy some free time until then.
[Message]
A familiar magical fluctuation rippled across his Soul.
Naohara paused and accepted the connection.
[My King.]
A familiar voice came through.
There was no need to ask who it belonged to. The only ones who addressed him that way were the True Dragon Lords.
[What is it? Did something happen in Sea City?]
Not long ago, Naohara had given the Brightness Dragon Lord, the Heavenly Dragon Lord, and the Vampiric Dragon Lord a mission.
Investigate Sea City.
Or more specifically, search for signs of a Player.
When Naohara had left the Roble Holy Kingdom, the Platinum Dragon Lord had revealed a piece of information to him.
A young girl was sleeping within Sea City in the south. She was extremely powerful and was very likely a Player. The Platinum Dragon Lord had once made a deal with her.
Naohara had told Momonga and Herohero about the matter, and in the end, they decided to test the waters first by sending the True Dragon Lords to investigate.
Everyone knew that Players and Dragon Lords were mortal enemies.
With three True Dragon Lords together, even a World Champion would end up bleeding.
If they encountered the Player, there was no need to overthink it. Fight first and try to capture her.
Even if they were unlucky and she escaped, Nazarick could immediately distance itself from the whole affair.
After all, the True Dragon Lords were the ones who attacked her. What did that have to do with Nazarick?
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Who knew? She might even come to the Sorcerer Kingdom herself to ask them for help.
[Nothing like that. This subordinate has already found a clue regarding the Player. It's just that the situation is somewhat…]
The Brightness Dragon Lord's voice came through slowly.
After hearing the explanation, Naohara froze for a moment.
His eyes flickered, and after a brief silence, he finally replied.
[Don't do anything rash. I'll go there myself.]
Naohara raised a finger to the center of his forehead.
A faint light instantly bloomed from his fingertip.
The next moment, as the light faded, both he and Keno vanished without a trace.
Half an hour later, the door to the reception room opened once again.
Renner glanced around the empty room. After confirming that no one was present, she began searching every inch of the place, picking up the watermelon seeds one by one.
Watermelon seeds spat out by Naohara-sama and coated in dragon saliva were rare treasures.
If she soaked them in water and had Climb drink it, the effects would probably be quite good.
Renner carefully calculated the possibilities.
After all, she was not like her best friend Keno, who could casually drink dragon saliva every day and suck milk every few days.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The Clear Light Dragon Lord had only just stepped out of the palace when, before he could even begin looking for his supposed guide, a figure charged at him with an axe and swung.
"You disloyal bastard! Eat my Spatial Slash!"
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