*Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The wyverns of the 5th squad unleashed a volley of mana projectiles from their built-in launchers.

Such a large-scale aerial bombardment would be nearly impossible to defend against unless it was a clan as formidable as Ragnar. For a mere trading company like Ceres, which wasn’t even a sword clan, there was virtually no way to handle it.

Explosions shook the buildings, flames erupted, and thick black smoke billowed into the sky as the entire area descended into chaos amid the deafening blasts and tremors.

"No, no...!"

To Quadrak Ceres, this scene was the end—the end of his family.

"Do these unbelievers dare to interfere with the will of the god?! They must be thoroughly tainted with demons! What are you all waiting for? Send them to the god’s embrace now!"

The diocesan bishop’s face contorted as he roared in fury.

The Blood Priests unleashed waves of strikes into the sky, but the wyverns danced through the air, dodging their attacks with ease.

Then—

*Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!*

The 5th squad launched their assault.

The wyvern bombardment was merely a cover.

The real death blow always came from the riders' sharp swords.

"Protect the captain and Theo above all!"

At Selford’s shout, the squad members scattered in all directions.

The battle had begun.

"We know we’re supposed to protect the captain, but why is Selford giving the order instead of the captain?"

"Huh? Good point. Does he want to be the captain or something? He’s not even a senior swordsman."

"Hey, wasn’t it Selford who ordered us to descend just now?"

"Yeah, I figured it was just protocol, but this guy’s something else."

"What’s this, is he staging a silent coup? Look at him trying to take the lead. Let’s not turn into power-hungry adults like him."

"Agreed. Let’s not."

Murmurs of discontent rippled through the squad.

"Shut up, you lot! If you wanted to be in charge, you should’ve been the ones to gather everyone in the first place!"

Selford yelled, slicing down an enemy as he frowned at the jibes.

He looked ready to charge at them, but the squad members remained unfazed.

"See, he’s definitely reacting because he knows he’s guilty. We’ve raised a tiger cub here. Better watch the captain’s back so he doesn’t get betrayed."

Their comments only irritated Selford further.

*Grit*

Realizing any more complaints would just circle back, Selford kept his focus on cutting down the foes in front of him.

Dealing with the Blood Demon March was no easy task.

*Clang! Clang!*

The area was soon filled with the sounds of fierce combat.

[Tracking residual thoughts using 'Skill: Hatchling Sync'.]

Theo opened his mind to its fullest.

His mind began to burn white-hot as he absorbed the surrounding information, picking up traces of Lily’s presence.

‘There...!’

As Theo prepared to use Gale Step again, the diocesan bishop appeared beside him, emanating a cold, deadly aura of blood radiance.

"The youngest unbeliever! The son of Kyle! I’ll start by killing you!"

*Diamond Armor*

A technique to harden one’s skin to the strength of diamond, as the bishop’s fist aimed for Theo’s temple. But Naban intercepted him.

*Clang!*

"Sorry, but I haven’t received my dues yet. If you want to kill me, do it after that."

"How dare you!"

*Bang, bang, bang!*

Naban and the bishop exchanged dozens of blows in rapid succession.

With every strike, Naban felt the painful shock as if he were hitting solid rock with his sword.

At this rate, his blade might break.

Just then, Evelyn joined in.

She swept in from the opposite direction, her sword strikes as sharp as the fusion of Wind’s Blade and Dragon’s Claw, showcasing how lethal their combination could be.

Caught between Naban and Evelyn, the bishop was unable to move.

His body began to accumulate injuries, blood seeping through the torn fabric.

"Aaaargh!"

The bishop struggled, but Naban and Evelyn’s relentless assault left him no opening.

Finally—

*Thud!*

The bishop’s head was severed by Evelyn’s blade, while Naban’s sword cleaved his torso in half.

An ignoble death for a figure as high-ranking as the bishop.

"5th squad, protect Theo!"

Covered in the bishop’s blood, Evelyn shouted, her words rallying the squad.

The 5th squad regrouped, driving out the remaining Blood Priests and Blood Demons, aiming to secure victory.

"Revenge for the bishop!"

"Kill all unbelievers! Tear them apart!"

The Blood Demons, far from retreating, fought even more fiercely.

"Martyrdom! Martyrdom!"

"Martyrdom! Martyrdom! Martyrdom! Martyrdom!"

"Annihilate the heretics!"

"Annihilate! Annihilate! Annihilate! Annihilate!"

They fought with nothing but pure insanity, mindlessly charging through the squad’s defenses toward Theo.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

Despite losing limbs and being thrown aside, they kept coming, eyes filled only with hatred for unbelievers.

Theo gritted his teeth, frustrated at the slow progress.

"Move, you pests! Theo Ragnar is on his way—make way!"

Erica’s siblings charged forward, with Erica covering Theo’s back and Hulcus clearing the path.

"Go! Quickly! Weren’t you chasing someone?"

"Thanks…."

Hulcus gave him a thumbs-up and a grin.

"If you’re grateful, never, ever forget this favor!"

"...?"

Theo had no idea what Hulcus was babbling about.

[Don’t mind him. That idiot’s always spouting nonsense. Just go.]

Hearing Erica’s telepathic message, Theo shrugged and took off.

As his dragon heart beat wildly, he poured all his mana into his legs.

Just then—

[Agility increased by 1.]

The moment he’d been waiting for finally arrived.

[Your Agility stat has exceeded 100.]

[A hidden ability is unlocked, allowing for temporary acceleration.]

+ 

**[Acceleration]**

- **Type**: Special Ability  
- **Effect**: Temporarily increases movement and attack speed when activated.

+

*Boom!*

Theo’s step left a deep footprint, the ground scorched with heat as he surged forward.

---

Finding Lily wasn’t difficult.

Following the residual traces of her thoughts through the maze of buildings, he finally spotted her.

Lily, standing in front of a run-down warehouse, froze as she sensed Theo’s presence.

"You…!"

‘What’s that?’

Theo ignored her, his attention fixed on the blue light spilling out from a crack in the warehouse door.

The same blue glow found on artifacts of the Ancient Dragon.

‘So, Ed Troiban’s storage is here.’

Given Ed’s long history of collecting artifacts, it wasn’t surprising that this might be one of them.

"Theo Ragnar, I’ll kill you. After everything you’ve put me through…! Thinking about the humiliation I’ve endured…!"

Lily gritted her teeth, raising her sword, blood radiance glinting along its edge.

Holy Demon Sect magic.

Not having participated in the recent opening ceremony, she was forbidden from using this magic, but she didn’t seem to care.

Her only thought was revenge against Theo.

*Slash*

Without any effort, Theo decapitated her with his drake blade.

If he’d taken her right arm before, this time, it was her head.

The heat from his blade quickly incinerated her corpse.

*Crash!*

He shattered the warehouse’s lock, swinging the door open.

Inside, rows of decorated swords encrusted with jewels lined the walls, and shelves and cabinets were filled with documents.

*Glint*

Among them, Theo spotted a ring emitting a faint blue glow.

It was an unadorned, rust-tinted ring, almost shabby in appearance.

But its placement in a magically-protected glass case indicated its value.

Furthermore—

*Buzz, buzz, buzz*

Both the Moonlit Sword and the drake blade were vibrating.

And so was the ring.

They were resonating with each other.

There was something else as well.

In a separate glass case, there were earrings adorned with twin butterfly charms, also glowing blue.

"Two artifacts? If I take all of this, Ed’s going to lose it."

Imagining Ed’s fury, Theo couldn’t help but smile.

Drawing his Moonlit Sword, he broke the security spells on the glass cases and stored the artifacts in his inventory.

[Congratulations! You successfully foiled the plot of your adversary from a past life and acquired two Ancient Dragon artifacts, completing Scenario Quest #2.]

[Rating: S]

[You’ve earned 10 coins as a reward.]

[Additional reward based on rating: +5 stat points.]

After securing everything, Theo checked for any other items of value and stored them all in his inventory.

Some of them gave off an unsettling aura, similar to the items he’d sensed before.

‘Items related to dragonslaying and its legends… Ed must have been collecting them in secret for a long time. He’s definitely up to something.’

As he swept through the remaining items, Theo’s steps halted.

It was an old, worn ledger.

The title on its cover caught his eye.

**- Rose Palace Artifact Report.**

‘Rose Palace….’

The mystery of his past life’s death and Cecilia’s false accusations might be connected to them.

It felt as though he was finally closing in on the truth he’d been seeking for so long.

A chill ran down Theo’s spine.

Skree?

Umbra sensed his unease and asked if he was alright, but Theo barely registered it as he opened the ledger.

And then—

“...!”

Thump, thump, thump!

Theo’s hand, clutching the ledger, trembled with anger.

The pages contained old records, written long ago:

"…It is necessary to acquire the artifact while evading the Black Dragon’s watch…"

"…Currently, the most troublesome individuals are Cecilia and her son, Theo… The plan to eliminate them will proceed as follows…"

‘I found it. At last.’

Theo’s grip on the ledger tightened.

He had finally uncovered a part of the truth he’d been searching for so desperately.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!