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Chapter 8
Staring blankly at his arms and legs moving without any sensation, Rian once again sensed death approaching. A greater sense of emptiness came over him than when he had faced death during his time as a servant.
Though it had only been a short time, he had felt the warmth of family for the first time.
The kind face of his mother and the adorable face of his younger sister came to mind. The thought of dying, leaving them behind, filled Rian with deep regret and frustration.
He had just become a lord. He had just started pursuing what he wanted. He had just begun to adapt to the life of a noble…
The world felt unbearably cruel toward him. It would have been better if it hadn’t given him this chance at all.
Rumble rumble rumble.
It was then.
Rian, moving his limbs mechanically without even consciousness, accidentally stepped into a depression in the ground. The cliff trembled slightly with a heavy sound.
Dust and small stones fell, sticking unpleasantly to Rian’s wet body.
Spitting out the dust that had gotten into his mouth, Rian looked around, wondering what had happened. At that moment, his eyes widened as if a lamp had been lit in them.
“……!”
About two meters away, a large hole had suddenly appeared in the middle of the cliff—large enough to fit four or five grown men.
The shock hit Rian’s entire body like a hammer smashing the back of his head.
“……You can never enter without risking your life……”
The words slipped out of his mouth before he realized.
Rumors among soldiers said that the entrance to the lair discovered by the herbalist could only be entered by risking one’s life.
Everyone knew of the lair, but everything about it was top secret. Countless rumors circulated about it, none of them trivial.
Rian had never cared and thought it irrelevant to him, but seeing the cave appear in such a dramatic moment, he was certain this was the entrance to the lair.
Dragons that could teleport at will likely used this cave as a passage for their guardians.
Summoning the last remnants of his consciousness from the brink of despair, Rian moved his body with all the strength he had left.
“Ugh…”
It was good that his will to survive returned, but the pain that accompanied it was unwelcome. Extreme pain surged through him, shaking his small body as if it would shatter.
“Just a little… just a little more…”
He kept muttering to himself, afraid that if he didn’t, the pain would choke him to death. His fingertips trembled.
When the urge to give up rose to his throat, the end finally appeared. Just one last reach, and he could safely stretch both legs and rest.
His swollen, bloodied hands gripped the edge of the cave entrance.
“Argh!”
He screamed, gathering every last bit of strength to pull his body into the hole.
The moment his feet touched the wide, flat floor, Rian lost consciousness and collapsed.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the incredibly high ceiling. At the same time, the events from just moments ago flashed vividly in his mind. His body sprang up like a coiled spring.
“Ugh!”
The wounded body cried out as he used strength, letting out a harsh groan. Despite the intense pain, Rian focused on surveying his surroundings.
The cave’s four walls, including the floor, were perfectly even, as if someone had cut them with precision. Crystals embedded at regular intervals along the side walls emitted light, illuminating the cave.
‘Did I really find the entrance correctly?’
Even though he had been confident when hanging from the cliff, now his confidence wavered.
It didn’t feel real.
It was hard to believe he had survived, or that he had discovered the entrance to the lair.
His life, once simple, had suddenly become a series of miraculous events, making him anxious. Though he was happy, he was a suspicious and fragile person, afraid that everything could vanish in an instant.
When would he be able to shake off such uneasy thoughts…
Returning to the past and unexpectedly living his master’s life, Rian considered this a challenge.
He must have been unconscious for a long time; it was already dark outside the cave.
His stomach growled.
Despite the situation, Rian suddenly felt hunger. He was also thirsty.
‘Will there be food in the lair?’
Filled with anticipation, he slowly walked further into the cave.
For a long walk, the cave seemed empty, stretching straight ahead without any turns.
After walking a considerable distance, Rian finally reached an open space.
“Wow…”
He couldn’t help but marvel.
The size was immense, but what captivated him more were the countless jewels embedded across the ceiling, floor, and walls.
He reached out and touched each one. Some were larger than a human head, while others were as tiny as grains of sand.
Everything seemed arranged according to a certain pattern, so it didn’t dazzle or overwhelm the eyes.
Staring at the multicolored, unnamed jewels, Rian simply stood in awe.
“Hmm?”
When had this feeling started?
Just as curiosity about the dragon who had lived here began to arise, Rian stopped in surprise. A strange sensation from his hands drew his gaze downward.
His hands, still bloodied moments ago, were now completely healed. The swelling and pain were gone.
Even more surprising, moving his fingers caused no pain at all. The injuries that should have caused intense suffering were entirely gone.
Rian lifted his hands closer to his face, bewildered.
“……!”
Looking more closely, he realized something even more astonishing: although his clothes and skin were smeared with blood, there were no scratches, not a single mark. Everything was perfectly clean.
What in the world… could this be?
Rian’s astonishment was brief.
He was in the dragon’s lair.
The domain of dragons, the pinnacle of magic.
He speculated that perhaps this place had been created by its original owner to heal injuries.
Dragons had perished mainly due to internal conflicts within their species.
Who could dare to destroy a dragon? Rian didn’t know the details, but he had heard that dragons fought amongst themselves until just before their extinction.
Perhaps this place had been built during such a time.
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t felt pain since entering.
His attention had been so captivated by the rare scenery that he hadn’t realized his injuries had healed.
It also seemed that his body felt lighter.
“Could this cure Mother’s illness too?”
Once his body healed, he thought of his mother at the castle. But even seeing his hands fully restored, he couldn’t be certain.
He knew her illness was more mental than physical, but it couldn’t hurt to try.
Determined to bring his mother here soon, Rian refocused and continued exploring the lair.
The hallways leading outward from the main chamber were numerous. He began with the leftmost path to avoid confusion.
The first room he reached was a comfortable library. Its atmosphere and furniture were inviting, though its size was immense.
Even the imperial library could not compare. The walls were filled with countless books, as if he had gathered every book from the continent.
Wide sofas were placed throughout, allowing one to read comfortably anywhere.
There was no need to buy any more books; the collection here was enough for a lifetime.
It felt inadequate to call it just a library. Walking toward the next passage, Rian decided to name this the library.
But when he entered the next room, he realized he would need to add numbers to the library’s name. There were three more libraries, each large enough to deserve the title.
Scanning the titles, he saw books categorized by magic, swordsmanship, literature, arts, society, history, and more. Dozens of books caught his eye immediately.
But his priority was to learn about the lair. Reluctantly, he tore his gaze away from the books and moved on.
The next room was a magical laboratory, befitting a magical species. Rian, unfamiliar with magic, couldn’t understand much, but the room carried a solemn atmosphere.
There were numerous tools, and thick magical tomes so heavy one hand could barely hold them.
Everything in the lair was pristine, as if freshly cleaned.
Had some cleaning spell been used?
Rian chuckled to himself at the thought.
The magical tomes were written in a language unfamiliar to the continent, likely the runes of magic. Rian eagerly opened one.
After the dragons’ extinction, the study of magic naturally declined. Rian knew that even combining all remaining wizards on the continent, there weren’t more than a thousand.
The level of magic had dropped significantly; even the empire’s top royal wizard was only about five circles in mastery. Most remained at one or two circles, despite intense study. Consequently, the number of magic students decreased day by day.
“Could I learn magic too?”
As he wandered the lab, Rian muttered this quietly, shaking his head immediately. If reading alone could make someone a wizard, magic would not have declined.
He knew a teacher, talent, and intelligence were all necessary—and he possessed none of these. For now, this lab was beyond his reach.
Turning decisively, Rian left the lab.
The lair was hidden within the mountain, making it hard to gauge its size, but one thing was certain: it was enormous.
Rian got lost dozens of times and had to sit and rest on the floor more than a dozen times.
Dragons, enjoying human forms, had left spaces reminiscent of human homes throughout the lair: bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms, playrooms—all decorated differently, delighting Rian’s eyes.
His previous worries vanished.
He had feared encountering something dangerous left behind by the dragon, but the lair was peaceful beyond expectation.
