"Cool my ass! Please turn me back!!! I don't want to be a fricking vampire!!"
"Hey. Don't use that 'V' word; to us Blood Tribe, that's an insult." I don't know why, but Lan Xin suddenly glared at me.
"Um… sorry." I don't know why I have to. "Can you please turn me back to normal?"
Just two seconds later, he was grinning again."Of course not! Ke ke ke!"
Of course not; what the hell was I expecting? Sigh...
But that doesn't mean I absolutely can't go outside, right? After all, I just need to wait for nightfall, and I can move normally, can't I?
I took a breath to calm myself. "So when is nightfall?"
Then, for some reason, Lan Xin glared at me again. Wait, maybe I am being a bit rude; after all, he saved my life, and demanding to leave right away is indeed strange. Perhaps I should find a way to repay him—
"Follow me." Yet suddenly he stood up, extremely seriously and looking quite terrifying.
"Yes..." I immediately stood up straight as well.
Sometimes I don't know if he might suddenly change his mind and punch the life out of me.
...
Lan Xin led me out of the dining hall towards a seemingly endless corridor. Although I heard this place was built a few thousand years ago, seeing it still pristine and brand new made me wonder if it was due to the material or his servants working efficiently. I tried tapping on the wall, and it was as hard as normal stone. However, I felt the material that built this castle was not just ordinary brick and stone.
Anyway, I followed behind the Great Demon King without asking any questions. He didn't say anything the whole way either. When encountering servants or guards, he didn't bother to respond but just kept moving forward, occasionally turning at a junction without stopping for even half a second.
Finally, we reached a spiral staircase, quite high, seeming completely impossible to see the top even though it was lit evenly by torches. That was also the only place Lan Xin stopped, albeit briefly, but I could sense a bit of annoyance radiating from the man.
"With recent days, sunlight doesn't terrify us Blood Tribe like the Sea Folk fear the lack of seawater," Lan Xin suddenly spoke up and started gliding up the stairs. "Although it will make our skin hot as if dipped in boiling water, our regeneration ability will keep us from dying."
I just listened and followed behind.
"However, there are many reasons why I haven't left this place for a very long time."
And he began to tell his story while walking on that seemingly endless spiral staircase.
He is the Great Blood Demon King Lan Xin, one of the five Great Demon Kings under the Demon Empress Kishirika who participated in the First Great Human-Demon War more than seven thousand years ago. He was defeated by the human hero Arus and took a thousand years to restore his body.
However, just as he woke up from his sleep, an earthquake occurred and buried his castle under the ant nest labyrinth. That was one of the aftershocks created by the divine strike of the legendary human hero, the Golden Knight Aldebaran.
So the Great Demon King was hit hard twice by two human heroes. However, Lan Xin is quite... comfortable with humans. I also don't understand why, even though most of his race was wiped out in the war many thousands of years ago.
As recounted, Lan Xin began to grow tired of war and thought that 'perhaps the best way to live happily is to get along together'. Yeah, the Demon King who needs to drink blood to live thought so. So he decided to live in seclusion in the castle bearing his name underground for many thousands of years.
However, that wasn't the only reason he didn't want to step outside.
Actually, it was because he 'couldn't'.
"About a thousand years ago, a guy with green hair appeared right at my castle gate. He called himself Laplace."
Demon God Laplace appeared and called on him to join the fight against humanity once again. Lan Xin flatly refused, even intending to oppose Laplace to prevent another meaningless war from breaking out. However, he was defeated and once again beaten to the brink of death, just like in the war years ago.
"However, as you can see, I cannot die, mostly. Because Blood Tribe seems to be immortal, like that immortal race of Necross. The only difference is that as long as you still want to live, you cannot die. Ah, this only applies to pureblood Blood Tribe; you can still die, baby dragon named Atur."
"I see."
Actually, I'm not that keen on immortality anyway, so I'll consider it a blessing.
Then finally, we reached the highest point of that endless long staircase. Although I was quite proud of my stamina, I was starting to feel out of breath. How long had we been walking? An hour? This tower must be a hundred floors high!
Lan Xin stood in front of a metal door, pitch black just like the rest of the castle. He seemed to hesitate a bit, then extended his slender hand. Without needing to touch the door, it automatically opened, letting a blinding light shine on both my and his feet.
It was sunlight; it had been a very long time since I could see it. But there's something I can not describe about this sun light, it's kinda weird. Maybe it shines too much? Or being a Blood Tribe makes me afraid of it by instinct?
I intended to step out because I heard Lan Xin say that Blood Tribe aren't really afraid of the sun, but he stopped me with his right hand.
"However, while I was recovering, Laplace did something to ensure I wouldn't disturb his war." Lan Xin extended his left hand, as if to catch that sunlight. The sizzling sound of meat frying in oil rang out eerily. The Great Demon King's hand simply turned into ash.
Yet he didn't seem to show any pain. The tall, thin man withdrew his dissolved hand, showing it to me as if to ensure it wasn't a magic trick.
"That guy called by the world as the Demon God created a God-tier magic circle to envelop this entire castle." Lan Xin said in an indifferent voice and looked down at the black stone floor beginning to melt. Although not touching it, I could feel the terrible heat radiating from there.
Seeming to have shown me enough, Lan Xin raised his right hand, and the metal door immediately closed, ending the tiny connection between this place and the outside world.
"That is also why for a very long time, no Blood Tribe could leave. Even other races approaching would have to endure terrible heat so no one dares to come near this castle for a long time."
"Then how could I get here?" I asked. "Is the path under the labyrinth direction not sealed?"
Although I didn't think there was any good news, I still tried to hope.
"No, it was covered completely." Lan Xin replied nonchalantly. "The reason you got here is because every hundred years, the magic circle will be deactivated for five minutes to recharge. And those exact five minutes were when I intended to take a walk, but I met you instead, baby dragon named Atur."
Wow, talking about coincidence huh. What is the chance for meeting someone in your five minute walk after 100 years?
And it seems the mana supplying that magic circle comes from the magic crystals of the ant nest labyrinth system. Demon God Laplace utilized that natural mana source to seal Lan Xin and this castle here forever. And that magic circle not only covers the top but also the bottom; even the passage under the labyrinth is blocked.
With that magic circle, a normal race can't even get near this place, it's like walking into a thousand degree heat. And since I am already a Blood Tribe, sensitivity to the sun will increase a thousand times; stepping out means I will evaporate immediately.
Hearing this, I started to sweat bullets.
"Does that mean I will have to stay here for another hundred years?"
Based on what was told, if I want to escape, the only way is to wait another 100 years to utilize those short 5 minutes to run away. I don't know how far that magic circle's influence reaches, but it seems to be the only way. Ah no, I hope not.
"Correct." But opposite to my expectation, Lan Xin winked; it seems he has returned to his cheerful mode. "But don't worry, for us Blood Tribe, a hundred years is just like a blink of an eye, baby dragon. Keke. Let's come back to the castle and enjoy your days here."
"No no no! Absolutely not!" But I couldn't be cheerful like that Demon King guy. Hearing that information and laughing, one must be crazy. So I immediately protested. "What can I do here for a hundred years!?"
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of things to do. Like cooking, for example. I see you seem to be a food lover; I will specially teach you how to cook Vasile dishes. Or maybe even playing chess? It's a very good device to pass time. And do you know it could make you feel a little bit smarter?"
"I really appreciate that, but I have to return home; my friends and family cannot wait a hundred years!"
I might live another hundred years thanks to this guy's blood, but that doesn't mean the people I know will still be alive. I don't want to become Urashima Taro!
"From now on, this place will be your home. I will allow you to stay in my son's room." Lan Xin extended his hand towards the bottom of the castle and declared solemnly. "My place has many people ready to be friends with you, rest assured. As for family, you can call me father if you want, keke."
"It's not like that! You don't understand!" Why do I feel like I'm talking to a lifeless rock!? "I also have a fiancée; I promised to marry her! And I even named my child already!"
"Hmm, that's a pity, but you don't need to worry; this place has many beautiful women for you to create new baby dragons."
"That's not the problem! Aaaaaaaa!" So I collapsed on the ground and banged my head against the wall.
What the hell is this!? I just went through a hellish experience for months, got resurrected just to be locked in a castle for a hundred years? Don't joke with me!
"Keke ke! Too happy so you're testing the durability of my castle? Rest assured it won't break, baby dragon named Atur!"
And this demon king guy doesn't understand the problem at all. Ahhhhh! I'm so desperate now!
What will happen in a hundred years? I suddenly asked myself. If everyone is still alive and safe, I think Sylphiette and Rudeus will get married? Since Sylphiette is an elf... ah, half-elf, she might still be alive. At least I will still have a friend.
But what about Eris? Urg... will my fiancée be able to wait for me and then pass away like a faithful wife? Only heaven knows for sure, and I don't know what right I have to expect her to wait for me until she dies of old age. Maybe Philip will wait too long and marry Eris off to some guy.
I don't want to return just to meet my fiancée's great-grandchildren! Why is my fate so miserable? And Ken too. Although there is a possibility he really lost his life, I haven't seen the body so I still don't believe it. I still have to leave here to find his body to believe it. Now having to wait 100 years means he is definitely dead, aaaaaaa!!!
Utterly despairing, I lay flat on the stone floor, right next to the tiles melted just now. I think tears have started welling up.
"Is there really no other way, Lord Lan Xin? I really can't wait a hundred years..." I cried outright. "I want to go home... Please let me go home."
What the hell? I had to suffer that torture, put one foot in the grave, then get resurrected to suffer this situation? I want to live, that is true, but living is to achieve a purpose, to meet the people I care about and love, not to be confined in a place like this…
"I am afraid that I can not help you in this case my dear baby dragon."
"Well if it's not possible then... just kill me."
I can't believe I could say this. But really, what's the point of living when everything I care about no longer exists?
"Kill you?" Lan Xin stared at me, his grinning face vanishing, replaced by a flood of tears. Wait, what? I'm the one who should be crying here! "I see. My castle is so boring that you'd rather die than spend even a single day enjoying it. I truly am a failure. I prepared such a delicious meal, and even let you stay in my son's room. To treat you like that only to be rejected... Ku ku ku..."
Did I just hit a nerve? And who on earth cries with a 'ku ku ku' sound?
"That's not what I meant. I'm incredibly grateful to you for saving me, but what I need to do isn't here."
"I understand, ku ku ku. All children are the same when they grow up. Friends and lovers are all that matter. Blood relations mean nothing. Eventually, everyone in this house leaves. First, one wants to be a hero, and now the boy I just picked up wants to run away too. It gets lonely living here, you know?"
"Yes, yes, I know. I understand, truly understand."
How did I become the one doing the comforting? I should be the one in agony! But thinking about it, the Great Demon King's life really does seem filled with tragedy. I probably shouldn't have reacted like that.
But what now? I don't want to stay here forever. If only there were a way to send a letter back home. Specifically to Rudeus—he's reliable, and if we could coordinate, we might find a way. But right now, sending a letter or finding any way to contact the outside world is impossible.
"It's fine. I'm okay now, ke ke ke." The Demon King suddenly grinned again and slapped my shoulder heartily. "Anyway, I know you don't really want to die, baby dragon. So don't try to lie to yourself."
"Um... perhaps so."
Maybe I didn't truly want to die, but I was definitely in despair.
"However, if you wish, there actually is a way for you to leave."
"...Huh?" I froze, looking at the Great Demon King. "There's a way?"
"..." Lan Xin suddenly paused, staring at me before shaking his head. "Ah, never mind. That method is too painful; I don't think you can handle it. I'd rather not have you complaining and begging for death again, it's a hassle."
What is this? Are you Doraemon? Preparing to bring out a new gadget only to realize it's a bad idea and retracting it?
"Please!" I immediately dropped to my knees in a Dogeza. "No matter how painful or grueling it is, I can endure it! Please help me! I'll work like a slave to repay you!"
"Fine, fine, alright! I don't need you to repay anything! I am the Great Blood Demon King Lan Xin after all! Ke ke ke! But to explain it clearly, follow me."
Without waiting for a response, the Great Demon King grabbed me by the collar and jumped straight down a lightwell. I screamed all the way down, and when we landed, Lan Xin touched down silently without a sound. Meanwhile, I was left dangling from his grip like a lantern.
"What are you doing!?" I think I just wet myself a little. "We could have just walked back down!?"
"This is faster, ke ke ke!" Lan Xin burst out laughing. "A dragon afraid of flying? Now that's a novelty!"
"I told you... Ah, fine, this really was faster. But if there's a next time, could you please warn me so I can prepare myself?"
"Ke ke ke! Where's the fun in a warning?"
I really wanted to punch this guy. But I had to restrain myself; he was the only one who knew how to get me out of here without the sun burning me to a crisp.
"Alright! Let's get going!"
He hoisted me by the collar again. From his back, a pair of bat wings start to flap and glided through the hall like a gale. He must have been moving at a hundred kilometers per hour.
I think I'll need a heart check-up after this.
...
Finally, after five minutes of flying around the castle, I was brought to a place I didn't expect to be.
The kitchen.
It was a bit ironic, but this was probably the most legitimate-looking kitchen I'd ever seen. It was twice the size of the kitchen in the mayor's mansion in Roa. There were so many spices and fresh ingredients that I was shocked Lan Xin could have such wonderful things despite being underground.
"I have an entire garden for cultivation," Lan Xin explained. "It seems I have almost every type of vegetable in existence, ke ke ke."
This was one thing I could understand him being proud of. It was truly impressive.
"Just how big is this castle, Lord Lan Xin?"
"In terms of size, it's second only to that of the Empress's castle. Mine is as big as Necross's, ke ke ke."
I wouldn't know how big those two castles are. But based on what I could guess, this place had to be as large as a fortress city. In fact, while flying with Lan Xin, I saw several residential areas with people walking about.
Maybe someday I'll try wandering around to get a full grasp of how massive this place is. But for now, I had to focus on leaving!
"But why are we in the kitchen, Lord Lan Xin?"
"To help you."
I knew that, but what exactly were we doing here to help me? Cooking and eating first to build up energy?
Lan Xin ignored me and walked over to a furnace in the corner of the kitchen. He grabbed a few chunks of jet-black wood and tossed them inside; the flames immediately roared to life.
"There. Get in." Lan Xin looked at me and said it nonchalantly.
"Come again?" I thought I had misheard, so I asked again. "What did you mean by 'get in'? Do you mean putting in more wood or something?"
I think my Demon God Tongue is bad so I misheard something.
"Put yourself in there, baby dragon named Atur."
But it seems like I listen to it quite well huh. Good good. But…
"Why!?"
"Because it's what you wanted."
"I did say 'just kill me,' but there are plenty of ways other than roasting someone alive! You could just use a weapon and end me in one strike! Wait a minute! I don't want to die anymore! Fine, I'll stay here with you for a hundred years, just don't kill me, okay?"
Alright, I admit it—I don't want to die. Even though I was miserable about the situation, being burned alive? This is as brutal as a medieval execution!
Wait, this is the medieval era... but that's not the point!
"What are you rambling about, baby dragon Atur? Why would I kill you?" Lan Xin raised an eyebrow at me as if I were insane and grabbed my collar again. "Ah, enough talk. Get in."
And then I was thrown into the furnace.
"Aaaaaaaa!!!"
The moment I fell into the sea of fire, heat wasn't the first thing I felt. It was the sensation of suffocation from lack of oxygen. Chest pains immediately surged, causing my body to convulse. Right after that, the skin-scorching heat arrived. Hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows were the first to char, popping like mini fireworks—a damn trailer for the catastrophe to come.
Flesh was next to burn.
"Aaaa!!! Aaaaaaaaaa!!! Let me out! Please! Let me out!!!"
Exquisite agony was all I could perceive. From my heels to the top of my head, every part of me screamed in pain. I could see my own body melting through the reflection in the red eyes staring at me from outside.
"Stay calm, baby dragon Atur," Lan Xin said calmly, gently closing the furnace door, blocking my only exit. "With the blood of our tribe, you won't die."
Who cares about dying or not!? I'm burning to death right here!
"Aaaaaaaaaa!!!"
But I couldn't talk back; all this body could do was emit blood-curdling screams and pound desperately against the glass.
"Normally, for our kin in ancient times, the sun was indeed the most terrifying natural enemy. Because upon contact, our bodies would ignite just like yours is doing now. The skin peels off first, then the flesh, burning right down to the marrow. Just like you now."
Lan Xin stroked his chin, commenting as if he were discussing the weather rather than a person in total agony.
"Usually, that isn't enough to kill one of our kin; well, if we want to die, we have to be staked through the heart. Even a decapitated head can be reattached, ke ke." He clicked his tongue, ignoring my frantic scratching at the door. "But the sun is different; if the fire of that ever burning monster reaches your heart, you die. That is exactly how nearly the entire kin was wiped out. Humans found a way to resist our peerless strength, and all they did was stall for time, waiting for the sun to rise and let nature do the rest."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
He paced around the door. My pain began to dull as my nervous system simply shut down from the shock. But the chest pressure remained, making my head spin, gradually paralyzing me just like the poison had.
"But in that despair, we learned something from you Dragon Tribe warriors—something they call Battle Aura. We mastered it and created a new version that can envelope the body to resist the sun's heat; we call it Blood Tribe Battle Aura. That is why our skin is white. And that was when we ruled nearly the entire world. Well, until that hero Arus appeared and once again nearly wiped out the race."
My vision began to blur. The pain had vanished, leaving behind a broken body. Lan Xin stood before the furnace, looking at his fingernails and clicking them together like a cat sharpening its claws.
"And then, as I told you, I got stuck here because of Laplace. He created a magic circle with the power of a hundred suns, something the Battle Aura of nearly any of our tribe couldn't resist. Well, I had no desire to go outside anyway, so I didn't care. But there was someone in the castle who wouldn't accept that."
I could hardly breathe anymore; more than half of my body was charred black.
"That was my son, Lan Xian. A boy with too many dreams. Just like you, baby dragon Atur. He wanted to adventure, to fight. So he began to find a way to resist that horrifying heat. And do you know what he did?"
He looked into the furnace again, tapping on the glass with his index finger, a wide grin on his face.
"He decided to crawl into a furnace just like this and try to use Battle Aura to resist the heat, like a fool. He used the hottest flames to melt himself, turning into ash and then regenerating, over and over again."
I knew that name. For a fleeting second, I recalled the story of a historical figure named Lan Xian—the Demon Race Hero. He was a character who appeared at the middle of the Laplace War and didn't truly take a side, appearing occasionally to slay monsters and achieving many great feats. However, at the end of his life, he was killed at the hands of the Emperor Dragon King Kajakuto. Despite being a demon, his achievements were so illustrious that even humans sometimes praised him.
So Lan Xin was Lan Xian's father. I didn't realize that until the moment I was burning to death.
"..."
Strangely enough, I felt like I could breathe again. Even as the flames grew larger. The charred layers of flesh cracked open, revealing a glimpse of snow-white skin for a split second before it charred black again.
I could see my body regenerating, then being destroyed once more. My very body became the fuel for the fire, which flared higher and higher.
"And before anyone knew it, the door leading out of my castle was thrown open, and my son stepped out into that world. Sounds grand, doesn't it, baby dragon Atur?"
The furnace door opened, and Lan Xin grabbed me, pulling me out. I didn't have an ounce of strength left to answer that question. I didn't even know if I should feel lucky to be alive.
"Well, anyway, I'll help you reach the level of my son's strength. But if you want to stop, just tell me and we can go back and live the peaceful life I promised. So, what ya say?"
I think I was starting to understand why he had intended to hide this method from me. It truly was an insane training regimen.
But...
"No..." I forced my weak breath into a sound. I gritted my teeth and continued. "I won't… give up."
I had come this far. I couldn't let a little pain stop me. If someone else could do it, then I could too, right? I will surpass that demon hero and walk under the sun once again!
So there's no way I will give up!
"Very good. I knew I wasn't wrong about you."
I could see Lan Xin looking at me with a wide grin.
Then he threw me back into the furnace.
"Baby Dragon named Atur, I, Great Blood Demon King will make sure that you can get out of Vasile alive and well!"