Chapter 302: The Honcheon Sword (1)

“Ah…”

Genelocer’s shoulders trembled violently. The hand that had been gripping the old man’s collar went limp.

“Uwaaa…”

As if unable to believe it, or perhaps wondering if it was all a dream, Genelocer reached out a shaking hand and cradled his son’s face.

His beloved son, the one he had loved more than anyone else in the world—the one he would have given everything for without hesitation—had departed for a place from which he could never return.

When Genelocer heard the news, his heart shattered into a million pieces. He wanted to rush out immediately and tear Kaiders, the bastard who had driven his son to his death, to shreds. But he couldn’t.

His son was gone, but Genelocer still had another to protect. So he suppressed the boiling rage within him, enduring it with unwavering resolve.

Someday, the day will come when I can finally unleash this fury.

I must prepare for that day.

Genelocer, his heart sharpened with the blade of vengeance, scoured the land for the perfect dagger to plunge into Kaiders’ heart. He vowed that one day he would burn his enemy’s heart to ashes, avenging his son’s death.

But then…

“Louis…”

He was alive.

The son he thought had perished.

“It’s our Louis…”

The warmth seeping into his fingertips extinguished the burning fury in his heart.

“He’s our son…”

His regained clarity of mind allowed him to realize that the figure before him was no illusion.

A single, clear tear trickled down Genelocer’s cheek—a tear of joy and relief.

For a long moment, Genelocer cradled Louis’s face in his hands.

“Child…”

Grasping Louis’s shoulders, he smiled the warm, welcoming smile he had always reserved for his son.

”…You’re late, aren’t you?”

He didn’t ask what had happened. He didn’t scold him. Just a playful tease, as if this moment was all that mattered.

Louis scratched his cheek and chuckled softly.

“Yeah, I guess I am. A little late.”

And so, father and son gazed at each other and smiled.

After their brief reunion, Louis quickly summarized his experiences for the twins and Genelocer:

• Kaiders’ resurrection.
• His transportation to another dimension.
• The fact that seven years had passed upon his return, despite spending only a few days there.

“I see… That explains why I couldn’t sense your presence,” Genelocer nodded, finally understanding.

The twins’ eyes sparkled at the mention of another dimension. Knowing they would soon bombard him with questions if left unchecked, Louis quickly took the initiative.

“What happened to Kaiders?” he asked, the question that had been burning in his mind since arriving in Evan.

Genelocer’s face hardened as he answered his son’s question. “Seven years ago, on the day Headman Bartholomew informed us of the situation in Maha… all the Elders flew there immediately.”

“So?” Louis asked.

“We couldn’t enter the Maha,” Genelocer replied. “We tried our best to breach its barrier, but it wouldn’t yield.”

”…”

“After that, we issued a mobilization order. All dragons, except those with legitimate reasons, are now guarding the Maha. Yet, there’s still no sign of Kaiders emerging from it.”

“Hmm…” Louis stroked his chin.

What on earth is he doing? he wondered.

What had Kaiders been doing for seven years that he hadn’t shown himself?

The most plausible explanation…

”…He’s preparing to conceal a weakness,” Louis muttered.

“What do you mean?” Genelocer asked, puzzled.

Louis explained the connection between the Mahyeol and Kaiders to him.

Louis further elaborated on his theory about the relationship between Kaiders and Lotberia.

He explained that Kaiders was the true instigator of the True War of the Gods, while Lotberia had attempted to prevent it. The history known to the world had been distorted by Kaiders himself.

The gravity of his words darkened Genelocer’s expression.

”…I must report this to the Elder Council.”

Kaiders, capable of eternal resurrection as long as his Mahyeol remained, and whose ultimate goal remained unknown, would undoubtedly act in ways detrimental to the world.

Perhaps the world will once again be stained with blood.

There was a real danger of chaos engulfing the world, just as it had during the War of Light and Dark.

As an Elder of the Dragon Race…

As a father of two, Genelocer felt it was his duty to protect the world his children would inherit.

As he pondered this, Louis cautiously asked, “But… what’s that human over there?”

Louis’s gaze drifted to a corner where an old man sat hunched over, knees drawn up to his chest.

Genelocer sighed softly at Louis’s question. “That’s Guffran Zada.”

”…Guffran?” Louis tilted his head slightly, the name sounding vaguely familiar.

Amused by the boy’s reaction, Genelocer replied with a gentle smile, “He’s not human, you know. He’s a dwarf.”

The twins gasped in unison. “A dwarf?”

“Wow! I didn’t know there were dwarves as big as Pablo!”

“Is he a half-dwarf too?”

Genelocer shook his head at their question. “No, he’s said to be a pure-blooded dwarf.”

“But how can he be so tall?” The twins’ eyes widened at the sight of someone whose height defied everything they knew about dwarves.

Louis, meanwhile, was equally astonished.

Dwarf Guff…?

In the original work he’d read, there was only one dwarf who went by that name. Eager to confirm his suspicions, Louis quietly waited for Genelocer to continue.

“Guff van Demischte. The last king of the ancient dwarves, and the one who bound the Dwarf Clan to the Blood Bonds.”

”…”

“As punishment for his actions, he was cursed to live an endless life as a monster.”

Genelocer’s story convinced Louis.

That’s him!

Guff, the dwarf who appeared in the latter half of the original work to remove the rust from the Dragon-Slaying Sword and sharpen its blade.

In the original work, Dwarf Guff was depicted as an enigmatic figure.

His background was never revealed; he simply appeared one day to aid the Dragon Slayer Party and then vanished without a trace.

That was the Dwarf Guff Louis knew.

But now…

Why does he look like that?

The original work’s description of him was so vague that Louis wouldn’t have even known he was a dwarf if it weren’t for a passing mention.

Still, at least in the original work, Guff had been portrayed as relatively normal.

Now, however, Guff’s condition was anything but normal.

Khan voiced the question on Louis’s behalf.

“Um… well… for someone who was supposedly the King of the Dwarves, he seems… remarkably lacking, doesn’t he?” Khan said.

“That’s unavoidable,” Genelocer replied.

“Huh?”

“He’s a relic from the Kaiders Era.”

“Holy crap… how old is he, then?”

“Good question. I don’t know exactly, but he’s ancient. And all those years have… changed him.”

“What do you mean…?” Khan asked, bewildered.

Genelocer chuckled. “He has dementia.”

“Dementia? But…?”

“They say he has moments of clarity every few days, but most of the time… well, as you can see, he’s half-mad. Still, old habits die hard. He’s holed up in a cave beneath the mine, like always. Dwarves…”

The Twins blinked at Guff.

At that moment, Louis interjected, “But why did you bring this man here?”

”…It was because of you.”

“Huh? Because of me?” Louis’s eyes widened in surprise.

Genelocer offered a bitter smile. “My son was murdered. How could I, as a parent, simply stand by?”

”…”

“When Ariana awakens, I intended to sever the head of the man who killed you… or rather, nearly killed you, to appease your spirit.”

As Genelocer continued his story, the fog in Louis’s mind gradually began to dissipate.

“But what does that have to do with this senile dwarf?” Kani asked.

Genelocer calmly replied, “This man knew the location of the sword that could behead Kaiders, so I brought him here.”

“Huh?”

The twins continued to tilt their heads, still puzzled by the lingering question.

In response, Genelocer spoke in a calm voice, like a grandfather telling an old tale to his grandchildren.

“Do you know why the dwarves bear the Blood Bonds?”

“Why?”

“Because they created something that should never have been made.”

”…”

“A sword that houses a soul. We called it the Honcheon Sword.”

“Is that the problem?”

“It might sound like just a sword with a special ability, but the Honcheon Sword’s power grows in proportion to the nobility of the soul it contains.”

Before Genelocer could finish, a lightning bolt of realization struck Louis’s mind.

Of course!

A sword that houses a soul. Wasn’t such a sword lying dormant in his pocket dimension?

The sword was called the Dragon-Slaying Sword.

As Louis’s heart pounded, Genelocer continued his story.

“If that were all, it wouldn’t have mattered. But the ancient dwarves and Guff crossed a line they should never have crossed.”

”…No way.”

“Yes, Kani, you’re thinking correctly. They imbued the Honcheon Sword… with the soul of a dragon.”

”…?!”

“And the tip of that Honcheon Sword was aimed directly at our dragon race. According to the records, a Honcheon Sword containing the soul of a fellow dragon was the perfect dragon-slaying weapon. Many dragons perished by its edge.”

“Ah, so that’s why you were… trying to obtain the Honcheon Sword…”

“Exactly. With the Honcheon Sword, we’d have a formidable weapon against Kaiders.”

A brief silence hung in the air as Louis calmly observed Genelocer.

Piecing together the information he had gathered, it became clear that the Dragon-Slaying Sword’s true name was the Honcheon Sword.

This situation is truly ironic.

Originally, Genelocer was destined to have his neck severed by the Dragon-Slaying Sword’s blade. But now, Genelocer coveted that very sword—to behead other dragons with it.

As Louis inwardly clicked his tongue, he suddenly sensed something amiss. He urgently voiced his thought:

“Wait a minute… who was it that placed the Blood Bonds on the dwarves?”

“That… I’m not entirely sure myself. All I know is that they were cursed with the Blood Bonds as punishment for the sins they committed with the Honcheon Sword.”

“Could it be…?”

Louis had a sudden realization.

Just as he was about to speak, a raspy chuckle echoed through the hall:

“Heh heh heh heh…”

All eyes turned toward the sound.

There stood Guff, his head bowed, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

“Heh heh heh!”

Guff suddenly burst into mocking laughter.

As he lifted his head, a flicker of surprise crossed Louis’s face.

That bastard… his eyes are back.

The vacant, irrational gaze from moments ago was gone. Guff’s eyes, brimming with clear intelligence, shone through his shaking shoulders.

“Heh heh, ha ha ha!”

Guff’s loud laughter abruptly ceased.

He swept the room with a ferocious glare.

“No wonder I smelled something disgusting and fishy—I’ve stumbled into a reptile den.”

King Guff of the Dwarves.

He was unlike any other dwarf.

Even surrounded by dragons, he showed no trace of fear. Instead, two emotions burned deep within his eyes:

One was rage.

And the other…

Hatred.

Guff glared at them, his gaze tainted with loathing and venomous hate.

He slowly raised his upper body, letting out a low growl.

“I wondered which bastard dragged me out of that tunnel, and for what purpose…”

Guff’s gaze locked onto Genelocer.

“You brought me here to slit Kaiders’ throat?”

”…”

“Then you’ve come to exactly the right dwarf for the job.”

Guff’s gaze shifted to Louis.

“Did you ask who shackled us?”

”…”

“Do you know why the Honcheon Sword was originally forged? To slit the throat of a certain dragon.”

“No way…”

“Heh heh, you’re right.”

Guff’s eyes flashed.

“The Honcheon Sword was a weapon created to kill Kaiders.”

”…”

“And it was that damned Kaiders and you dragons who brought our clan to this wretched state!”

Guff’s voice boomed, thick with loathing and bitter resentment.