Dragon's Poison.
Woojin examined the tributes offered by the Naga. Several items immediately caught his eye.
A mana core from a demonic beast, hides, medicinal roots, weapons and furniture crafted by the Naga themselves… and even a fully tamed adult drake.
"They're actually handing over a drake?"
It was an unexpected gain, and Woojin inwardly admired the gesture.
To the Mil Naga clan, drakes were exceedingly rare demonic beasts. Across their entire tribe, there were only six or seven—precious mounts. Yet the Naga king had readily gifted one to the Gnoll Queen.
However, Krnartash seemed more pleased at having broken the arrogance of the insolent Naga clan than at receiving such a valuable gift.
"Khihihihi! It feels like a century-old blockage has finally cleared. The looks on those slimy bastards' faces were priceless!"
Chuckling, Krnartash pulled out one of the mana cores offered as tribute and popped it into her mouth, chewing it as though unwrapping a piece of chocolate.
Accepting tribute meant accepting the Naga clan's request.
To hunt the Dragon Abomination.
In order to achieve that goal, the Naga had offered tribute and asked the Gnoll Queen to join the war.
For Woojin, it was good news. The prey he had already marked in his mind could now be hunted in a far easier and simpler way.
But the situation wasn't entirely positive.
The Naga bowed their heads too easily.
Far earlier than expected, they had brought a large amount of tribute and submitted themselves. That meant their circumstances were far worse than anticipated.
It was cause for concern.
Aside from the Ancient Ones, the Naga clan was the largest power in the Demonic Realm. If they were urgently asking for help… then the dragon's strength and forces must be that formidable.
How should we hunt it?
As he calculated in his mind, Cecilia, standing beside him, seemed to have reached a similar conclusion. She gestured in sign language.
—Why not go together with the Third Expeditionary Force?
Soon, the Order Alliance's Third Expeditionary Force was scheduled to arrive. Why not head to the Naga lands with them and subjugate the Dragon Abomination together?
It was a reasonable proposal, but after a brief consideration, Woojin shook his head.
"The Order Alliance's army won't be necessary."
Their manpower was already sufficient.
The Naga commanded countless warriors. With their numbers alone, there was no need to bring the Alliance's army.
Of course, more troops were usually better…
But while humans had numbers, they moved slowly. It would take considerable time for the Third Expeditionary Force to reach the Demonic Realm. Given the urgency, waiting for them would only be a loss.
The longer we delay, the more the enemy grows.
The mutated abominations possessed the ability to infest demonic beasts and increase their numbers. If the Naga suffered greater losses while waiting for reinforcements, the enemy army would only grow stronger.
And… ordinary soldiers can't possibly stand against a dragon abomination.
To hunt a dragon required a small elite force of the strongest warriors. The Naga king must have recognized this as well—that was why he had asked the Gnoll tribe for aid.
Though the Gnoll tribe's numbers were far fewer than the Naga's, their skill as warriors was vastly superior. Thanks to that advantage, they had withstood Naga invasions for generations.
In other words, what the Naga wanted was the very best warrior.
They wanted the Gnoll Queen Krnartash herself to come.
That had been the Naga envoy's request.
No petty tribute could move a tribal leader. That was why the Naga king had gifted his personal drake.
Krnartash readily accepted the request.
"Even if they hadn't given me the drake, I would've gone myself. I won't hand over the chance to hunt a dragon to anyone else."
As she spoke, she continued pulling mana cores from the chest and crunching them down. The queen was always stockpiling strength in preparation for hunting a dragon.
Woojin asked, "Who are you bringing as reinforcements?"
"Hmm…"
After a moment's thought, Krnartash replied,
"…Gar and Ulzog should remain here. If we take them too, the power vacuum will be too great."
Gar and Ulzog were the second- and third-ranked Great Warriors. If they left as well, the Gnoll tribe's strength would weaken too much. At worst, the northern defensive line could collapse.
The two highest-ranking Great Warriors would remain behind to care for the tribe in the queen's absence.
That left only one choice.
"We'll take Braknark and the elite warriors under his command."
The same force that had crushed humanity's Second Expeditionary Force in the past would head to the Naga lands.
When this was shared with those nearby, Roland pondered briefly before speaking.
"…We can't just sit back either. Shouldn't we at least dispatch some holy knights?"
As allied forces in name, it would be unreasonable to offer only material support.
Woojin nodded.
"We'll send reinforcements as well."
"Good. Who do you intend to send?"
He had already decided.
"Please summon the master craftsmen and laborers."
****
Ten days later.
The warriors of the Gnoll tribe departed for the Demonic Realm. Their total number was two hundred. Though not large, they were high-ranking elites.
"We take the shortest route!"
At the head, Krnartash shouted. In response, nine war rhinoceroses lined in a row charged straight into the forest.
Crunch, craaash—!
They trampled and shattered the forest of the Demonic Realm as they advanced. With every toss of their massive heads, trees caught on their thick horns were uprooted effortlessly.
Along the path cleared by the rhinoceroses, the drake strode forward with imposing dignity.
"Whoa!! This is insane—!"
Riding atop the drake, Roland cheered repeatedly. Perhaps the noise was too much, as Cecilia, seated beside him, covered her ears with both hands.
The Order Alliance had sent thirty reinforcements.
Woojin, Roland, twenty high-ranking knights, and eight priests brimming with powerful divine power. They were divided among rhinoceroses, the drake, and wolves.
As usual, Woojin rode the red wolf, Rex, glancing up at Roland and Cecilia above.
I hadn't planned on bringing Cecilia.
If she were to die, the Alliance's morale would plummet into the ground. Woojin had intended to leave the Saintess behind, but…
…She's surprisingly stubborn.
Despite her gentle nature, her stubbornness was unyielding. In the end, Woojin had no choice but to bring her along.
It was an unexpected accompaniment, but it didn't seem likely to become a problem. Roland and the high-ranking knights were personally guarding her, and the Saintess herself possessed considerable combat ability.
Thus, the Gnoll tribe and the Order Alliance's reinforcements raced toward the northwest.
They were unlikely to encounter enemies during their march. Few demonic beasts were bold enough to block war rhinoceroses and a drake.
How boring.
He had hoped to enjoy some hunting for the first time in a while… but the nearby demonic beasts had all fled. Only mutated abominations occasionally rushed at them.
These persistent creatures brought no real satisfaction even when hunted. Woojin yawned repeatedly, longing to reach their destination as soon as possible.
…Several days later.
Woojin suddenly sniffed the air. A sharp, salty scent pricked his nose.
The sea is nearby.
That meant they were close to Naga territory.
Before long, a massive barricade made of piled boulders came into view in the distance. Seeing it, Woojin turned to Krnartash.
"Since when do the Naga use walls?"
"Indeed… This is my first time seeing it as well."
When efficiency is pursued long enough, methods begin to resemble one another. Like the Gnoll tribe, the Naga had begun erecting walls and holding out against the abominations.
They approached the barricade. When the Naga envoy stepped forward and shouted something, the gate was soon lifted upward.
Woojin examined the gate carefully. It had been carved from a single enormous slab of stone.
The Naga must have built this themselves.
The Gnoll tribe had settled into fortresses once built by ancient humanity, but the Naga had constructed a new defensive wall within their original homeland.
The effort was commendable… but the wall was not very tall, and its craftsmanship was crude.
The city within, however, was quite impressive. Buildings of identical size and shape stood neatly in clusters. Compared to the haphazard layout of the Gnoll city, this place looked orderly and refined.
At the center stood a large structure—a temple built from pure white bricks. Roland whistled in admiration.
"That's rather splendid. Compared to the Gnoll Queen's chambers, it's practically a palace."
"It certainly looks more impressive."
The bricks were made by compressing dried coral and molding it into shape, giving them a brilliant white color reminiscent of fine marble. Fossilized seashells were embedded throughout the bricks.
This was the palace where the Naga king resided. As the humans openly admired it, Krnartash's expression darkened slightly, her pride seemingly stung.
"…Once this is over, I should build myself a palace like this."
Muttering to herself, she strode toward the palace. The Naga envoys guided the way. With the Gnoll Queen's long strides, it did not take long before they were granted an audience with the Naga king.
An enormous seashell, almost unbelievable in size, rested in the chamber. Within the gaping shell, coiled upon itself, sat a Naga clad in dark bluish scales.
Like all Naga they had seen, its lower body resembled a serpent, while its upper body resembled that of a human.
But its size was extraordinary. The serpent's lower half was thicker than a log, and its human torso was broad-shouldered and muscular—like a cobra expanded to its fullest.
Naga King, Veshkan.
The Naga called him the King of the Scaled Ones. His gaze locked onto Krnartash.
"…You've grown stronger since last time. I'm not sure it was wise to invite you into my own chamber."
Veshkan spoke with a hissing undertone. A nearby attendant translated his meaning through sign language.
Krnartash replied coolly.
"And you seem weaker than before. Did something happen?"
The Naga king's aura had indeed diminished. At her words, Veshkan answered readily.
"I inhaled the poison exhaled by the Fallen Dragon. It was… quite agonizing. You would do well to experience it in advance."
He gestured toward an attendant, who slithered away and soon returned with a large seashell filled with green venom.
Veshkan extended it toward the Gnoll Queen.
"Drink."
The Naga king was offering poison.
Krnartash frowned.
"…This is far from the hospitality I expected. Why should I drink this?"
"To build resistance. Without it, you cannot stand against the Fallen Dragon."
If a weak being were exposed to the dragon's poison, they would either die from intoxication or transform into an abomination.
But once the poison was overcome, resistance would form. Even if struck again, one could shake off its aftereffects more easily. To face the Fallen Dragon, this trial was essential.
"A weakling would die from it… but you should be able to endure it, should you not?"
Veshkan's tone was provocative.
But Krnartash did not take the bait. The Gnoll tribe had suffered too much at the hands of the Naga in the past.
Instead, she casually pushed the shell toward Woojin.
"Guardian. You try it."
"What am I, a royal food taster?"
Woojin replied incredulously—yet he accepted the shell without hesitation.
Roland cast him a worried look.
"…You're not actually going to drink that, are you…?"
But before Roland could finish speaking, Woojin acted.
Gulp.
He swallowed a mouthful of the poison as if it were nothing, then smacked his lips a few times as though tasting wine.
"It's pretty harsh… but manageable."
He handed the shell back.
Krnartash smiled, reassured.
"Seems weaker than it looks. That sly bastard wasn't trying to poison us after all."
As she laughed, her eyes caught the Naga king's expression.
Veshkan was staring at Woojin with unmistakable shock.
The Gnoll Queen tilted her head slightly.
"…It wasn't an assassination attempt, was it?"
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