Dragon Maken War - Chapter 107

Chapter 107

Chapter 107 – The One that Chose the Name Soaked in Sin (3)

There was a part of him that resembled Carlos .  It was undeniable .  Normally, Carlos possessed a very cold demeanor, but when he was with Azell, Carlos acted a bit dopey . Yuren, who was in front of him, gave off a similar impression .

However, from Azell’s perspective, Yuren was an amalgamation of very troubling elements .  He looked similar to Carlos, yet he used to be a Dragon Demon king worshipper .  Moreover, he took on the name Rizester as an act of betrayal… .

‘Is he really Carlos’ descendant?’

Unlike Azell, Carlos accrued fame even into his latter years as an Archmage .  It wouldn’t be weird to find out that he had descendants .

“However, Carlos didn’t have any children . ”

“He didn’t officially have any heirs .  However, in the nature of things, affairs happen . ”

“Mmmm . If that is true…… . ”

“What if it is so?”

“You’ll also go bald when you get old . ”

“…… . ”

Yuren had a dumbfounded expression on his face . Then his face reddened, and he started stuttering his words .

“T…that isn’t true!  My hair is very thick!  Moreover, even if I am Carlos’ descendant, there is a several generational gap between me and him .  How can you say I’ll go bald like him?”

“…it seems you’ve worried over this topic before . ”

Azell chuckled .  At the very least, this reaction proved that Yuren himself believed he was a descendant of Carlos .

“Well, the problem of authenticity can’t be determined right now, so let’s push that aside for now .  First, I would like to learn more about both of you . ”

“Hmmm . Doesn’t one normally introduce oneself when asking such a question?”

Leticia was a bit further away, and she asked in a cold manner .  Kairen, who had been quiet, stepped forward when he heard her words .

“You are being too harsh .  We rescued both of you . ”

“…we can’t deny what you did for us .  It is a bit annoying, but I guess we are at a disadvantage . ”

When Leticia grumbled, Yuren smirked .

“Well, I planned on revealing everything in the first place .  You don’t have to be so prickly, Leticia . ”

“That is your stance .  I don’t plan on taking the same approach . ”

“Well, you came along according to my will, so it is already a done deal .  Since you stayed silent on the issue, you’ve tacitly agreed to my agenda . ”

“Sometimes I have an urge to beat you, and I’m having a hard time holding myself back right now, Yuren . ”

“The fact that you are able to hold yourself back like this means you possess a sound mind .  Anyways… Mmmm .  If you don’t want to talk, you can give a cursory introduction .  I used to be a Dragon Demon king worshipper, and I betrayed them . ”

4

Yuren didn’t hide anything about his past .  He told them how he came to be a Dragon Demon king worshipper, then he talked about how he escaped from their brainwashing .  He spoke how he chose the road to being a traitor… .

Kairen, who had been listening to the story, furrowed his brows .

“That just sounds too absurd .  An unknown voice appeared suddenly in your dreams, and it started guiding you?  This was the reason why you betrayed the Dragon Demon king worshippers… .  Do you really want me to believe such nonsense?”

“I know it is a hard to believe tale .  However, it is the truth .  If it wasn’t for the dreams sent by my guide, I would still be a Dragon Demon king worshipper .  I was made to be loyal through the brainwashing, and I prayed each day for the revival of the Dragon Demon king .  Sometimes officers would come to speak to us about the Dragon Demon war, and I was moved to tears by the stories I heard . ”

“…does the Dragon Demon king worshippers really live like that?”

“Do you think I’m joking?  I’m not . This was especially true at these institutes, which fostered the children .  They were very thorough in observing these types of formalities .  Moreover, everyone considered it to be normal and natural .  From a very young age, we were instilled with the ideology of the Dragon Demon king worshippers, and anything that didn’t fall within this ideology was considered to be wrong .  Moreover…”

One could make a fanatic through brainwashing .  It was almost impossible to reverse this process, yet the Dragon Demon king worshippers weren’t satisfied with just that .

“There are tiers to being a Dragon Demon king worshippers .  In the end, Dragon Demons are on top, the Dragon Majins are in the middle, and the humans make up the floor .  However, they never fully trust a human .  This policy may have arose when they suffered defeat at the hands of the humans . ”

This was observed when Azell battled and ultimately killed Duran .  Duran had dedicated his life to the worship of the Dragon Demon king, and he had distinguished himself numerous times in battle .  He was a human, who was allowed to live inside the Plains of Darkness .  However, his advancement ended there .  He received very little support compared to the Dragon Demons and Dragon Majins .

“Currently, no ‘humans’ amongst the Dragon Demon king worshippers possess Dragon Demon Qi .  Humans aren’t allowed to go through Dragon Slayer’s Ritual . ”

Only humans and Dragon Majins could enter into a Dragon Slayer’s Ritual .  However, the Dragon Demon king worshippers refused to set up a stage where a human would be able to go through the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual .

“Our story strayed a little bit off topic .  Anyway, they weren’t satisfied with a thorough mind control regiment . ”

All their foods were drugged .  This drug was moderately addicting, and a specific smell could put the subject into a state of trance .  During the indoctrination of the children, the children was put in a trance state, and the worship of the Dragon Demon King was imprinted deep within their subconsciousness .

“It’s a heinous act .  However, it doesn’t end there . ”

All children went through a monthly verification process to see if the ideology had taken hold .  In the process, the children’s minds were thrown open to be manipulated by magic .  Childhood are a time when these children are supposed to develop self-identities .  However, they were already in the inescapable grip of the madness .

“I was like that .  When I first dreamed of my guide, I wanted to kill myself . ”

“Why?”

“Guilt was the main reason .  As a Dragon Demon king worshipper, I thought I had committed an egregious sin .  I believed I was being successfully tempted by an evil being . ”

This was why he told no one about the dreams .  In the end, it had been a wise decision for him to do so . If he had told the instructors, Yuren would have immediately been labeled as a failed product .  He would have been transferred over to a division where they would have experimented on his body .

“When I had the dream for the first time…  It was weird .  The things I considered to be obvious no longer seemed to be so obvious inside my dreams . ”

As he kept having these dreams, the ideas put into his head was accepted as being illogical .  This was the effect of the dream .  The ideology ingrained in him felt natural as breathing .  However, the ways of the Dragon Demon king worshippers felt weird inside his dream .

A fissure appeared inside his mind .  As he kept dreaming about the guide every night, Yuren started to see the madness that was slowly eating him alive .  He shook from fear .

“It took me 10 years for me to bring myself to escape that place .  As a Dragon Demon king worshipper, I was already a broken product .  However, my guide inside my dream gave me methods, which allowed me to hide this fact . ”

At an early age, Yuren was classified as a candidate for becoming a magician .  He learned magic from childhood .  His instructors were thorough in teaching Yuren about practical Black Magic .  There were also children, who were taught traditional magic, since they would be sent to infiltrate the outside world .  However, Yuren wasn’t part of that group .

During all of this, Yuren was simultaneously being instructed by the guide inside his dreams .  He learned magic that weren’t taught by his instructors .  After 10 years, Yuren far outstripped his instructors .  He developed into being a magician able to rival the Dragon Demon officers from the Plains of Darkness .

“I never found out the identity of my guide .  I still do not know .  In truth, I am not totally comfortable with the guidance I received .  The guide taught me how to call and control a Demon .  However, at the very least, I don’t think the guide is a Demon . ”

“It is still a possibility .  The Demon race possesses knowledge of unknown origin .  Their goal is to lead humans to destruction using this knowledge… . ”

Azell spoke .  Not many people knew about the Demon race .  Unless one was a Black Magician, there was no need for one to approach the Demons .  However, during the Dragon Demon wars, Carlos had approached the Demon race to gain a power that’ll destroy the hopelessness hanging over the world .  The knowledge he had gained had been worth the risk .

Yuren let out a bitter laugh .

“Still…  If it wasn’t for my guide, I would have never found myself .  I would have wasted away as a tool for the Dragon Demon king worshippers .  This is why I trust it .  Even if my guide was a Demon working towards my destruction, I am still thankful .  I was given an opportunity to perish as a human . ”

After he spoke, Yuren hesitated before he put a disclaimer to his statement .

“…Ah .  Of course, if it is really leading me down a path of destruction, I’ll direct my hatred and resentment towards it with my last breath . ”

“Pfft . ”

Azell let out a laugh at those words .  Yuren clear his throat before he spoke again .

“Hmm hmm .  The guide inside my dream said I’ll meet the man of my destiny here .  It said that this person would remind me of Azell Karzark, who had defeated the Dragon Demon king .  It seemed my guide was right . ”

“Azell Karzark…… . ”

Azell let out a bitter laugh .  If Yuren found out he was the actual Azell Karzark, he was curious as to what kind of expression would appear on Yuren’s face .

Azell spoke .

“In truth, your story is highly suspicious, and it has a lot of holes .  The only part that is trustworthy is the fact that you opposed the Dragon Demon king worshippers . ”

“I know my story is hard to believe . ”

“I don’t particularly like conspiracy theories, but…  This might have all been scripted by the Dragon Demon king worshipper .  Isn’t that so?   You opposed Niberis, and you almost died in the process .  However, that can be faked . ”

“However, the Dragon Majin officers were almost wiped out by you .  I’ll point out that fact as a point in my favor . ”

“Maybe, they underestimated me .  Moreover, during the Dragon Demon war, the Dragon Demon king even threw his children away as bait if the battle was important enough .  It isn’t too farfetched to think that the Dragon Majin officers were used as baits . ”

“If you are so highly suspicious…  Mmmm .  There is no way I’ll be able to earn your trust .  In the first place, I knew the story of a guide within my dreams sounded baseless . ”

Yuren let out a bitter laugh .

After staring at Yuren for a brief moment, Azell asked a question to Laura .

“What do you think, Laura?”

“…you are asking for my opinion?”

Laura was taken aback .

Why would he ask for her opinion in such a situation?

The reason being Azell could now tell if Laura was speaking a lie or not . Her words would give another data point, which Azell could use to come to assess the situation .