Chapter 232

Theo immediately stormed into the headquarters of the White Armored Dragon Knights.

Coincidentally, it wasn’t just Julius who was there. Maehwa Palace Lord and the Black Dragon were also present, all three of them enjoying a lively game of cards.

Julius greeted him with a raised hand, smiling brightly.

"Yo!"

"Yo? What kind of 'yo' is that?!"

"Seems like our Young Patriarch is really worked up, huh?"

"What’s going on here?"

"Oh dear! Have you already heard about the promotion exam? We were going to surprise you, but it seems you figured it out too early."

"Well, the surprise was successful already! But what is going on here?"

"Going on? You’re seeing it as it is... Aah! Hold it right there! You’re not trying to pull another fast one, are you?"

Julius was talking when the Black Dragon tried to secretly swap a card hidden in his sleeve. Theo grabbed his wrist firmly before he could pull off his trick.

The Black Dragon cleared his throat, trying to act nonchalant.

"Hmph! I don’t know what you’re talking about! Why are you suddenly aiming your arrows at me while chatting with Theo?"

"You’re still pretending?! Don’t you know that if you’re caught cheating, your hand could be cut off?"

"I wasn’t cheating!"

"Then can you guarantee your hand won’t get cut off?"

"No, why is this conversation turning so extreme all of a sudden?"

Theo looked at Julius and the Black Dragon, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Honestly, how is it that you’re both still acting like kids, even at this age?"

Maehwa Palace Lord shook her head and, with a swift movement, knocked the entire game board over.

"Ahh! My cards! My cards! I was about to win!"

"Little brother, how can you be throwing a tantrum like this when you’re losing?"

"I have no idea what you’re talking about. As an adult, I’m just trying to show Theo a good example. Theo, let’s go inside and talk."

Maehwa Palace Lord winked at Theo as she stood up and moved toward the door.

Theo watched as Julius and the Black Dragon continued to complain, feeling utterly defeated.

As he looked at them, he thought to himself: No matter what I do, it seems like I’ll never be able to beat Maehwa Palace Lord.

***

Drip—

"Here, try this. It's a rare tea I acquired from the East. It's quite different from coffee, and I’ve recently taken a liking to it. I hope it suits your taste."

"The aroma is deep."

"Isn’t it?"

The Maehwa Palace Lord smiled brightly, her expression radiant.

Across the table, Julius and the Black Dragon sat with sulky expressions.

The Maehwa Palace Lord had insisted on speaking to Theo alone, but the two men had stubbornly followed her, claiming they couldn’t trust what she might be planning.

"Who knows what tricks she might try?" they had said.

“Is it because of the promotion trial for the Lunar Sword?”

“I also wanted to pay my respects, so I thought I’d visit. I heard from the chamberlain that the three of you were together. What’s going on?”

“Surprise,” she replied with a playful tone.

“Well, since it’s already happened, would you care to change it back?”

“No.”

“...If I have to face all nine of you in a row, I’m going to collapse for real.”

“Do you really think we’d give it our all? It’s just a show,” she replied lightly. “The goal is to let the northern tribes see how much you’ve grown and how formidable Ragnar’s forces have become.”

“Your words say one thing, but I’m sure you’ll put your full strength into it once the trial begins.”

Julius and the Black Dragon exchanged glances.

“Caught, aren’t we?”

“Completely.”

“You see what I mean?”

“Hohohoho!”

The Maehwa Palace Lord didn’t bother denying it anymore. It was clear she wasn’t any different from the other two.

Even though her eyes were smiling, the gaze she fixed on Theo held a different emotion—one that hadn’t been there before.

Competitive spirit.

It was the desire to cross swords with Theo.

Originally, the three of them had created the peculiar rule of the Nine Dragons Battle just to tease Theo. The plan had been for one or two of them to test his skills, then end it.

The real purpose of the event was to show the northern tribes how much Theo had grown.

But it wasn’t just the northern tribes.

The entire Empire.

Theo’s reputation now reached beyond the North, shaking the Empire—and even the continent itself.

Despite the rise of countless talented warriors like the Three Generals or the Eight Talents, none could compare to Theo. This event was meant to solidify that truth.

However, seeing Theo in person changed their minds.

‘He’s become even stronger than the last time we met.’

‘He’s definitely at a level where he could stand as our equal.’

‘I want to cross swords with him.’

No longer were they elders guiding the young patriarch. Now, they regarded Theo as a fellow swordsman standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

Just meeting his gaze made their skin tingle.

At times, their fingers twitched, aching to reach for their swords.

It was already impressive they managed to suppress the urge to challenge him outright.

『Their eyes are practically on fire. All three of them.』

Lodbrok’s amused voice echoed in Theo’s mind through their pairing link.

『You’re not much different.』

“…Well, I can’t exactly deny it.”

The competitive spirit wasn’t exclusive to the three elders. Theo, too, wanted to test himself against them, to confirm that he could stand as their equal.

Theo Ragnar (18 years old, Male)

Level: 83

Stats:

Strength: 251

Agility: 243

Vitality: 266

Mana: 316

Intelligence: 267

Luck: 255

Skills: [Access Restricted]

+

Though his level had only increased by eight in the past two years, Theo’s growth in stats was enormous.

He had focused less on accumulating experience points and more on honing his skills and perfecting his techniques.

This confidence in his abilities fueled his desire to test his limits.

The Nine Dragons, who had once seemed an insurmountable wall in his previous life, now felt within reach.

Just the thought of it made his heart race.

Thump, thump, thump.

“You’ve truly become one of Ragnar’s people. I’m not sure whether to be proud or worried,” the Maehwa Palace Lord said with a wry smile, shaking her head.

The Black Dragon chuckled.

“Truthfully, regardless of the trial’s outcome, your promotion is already guaranteed. What we’re really evaluating is whether the task we plan to entrust to you is suitable.”

“What task?”

“First, take a look at this.”

The Black Dragon placed a document before Theo.

Instantly, Theo’s expression hardened.

Evelyn’s Report.

The name on the document belonged to the First Sword, who had disappeared two years ago.

Stamped with the seal of Top Secret, the report sent chills down Theo’s spine as he flipped to the first page.

Summary:

Target: Former patriarch Hilda Ragnar confirmed alive.

Collaborators: Farell Ragnar and Wellington Narcio identified.

Encounter: Located at the lair of the Nagas.

“Hilda’s Transcendence Ritual!”

In his previous life, Hilda had sought out the Nagas’ lair to awaken a lost mystery, aiming to enter the Pantheon—a long-held dream of hers.

Her attempt had stirred chaos throughout the Empire and the Ragnar clan.

Though her goal was grand—to accomplish a feat no one had managed since the progenitor Sigurd—it ended in failure. Hilda perished, and Theo never learned the exact reasons behind it.

At the time, just discovering that the former patriarch was alive had been a shocking revelation.

But now, in this life, things were moving much faster.

The Black Snow had uncovered Hilda’s location, and Wellington was now entangled in the matter.

The scale of events was far greater than Theo had expected.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Even the Sacred Demon Cult’s involvement paled in comparison to the Imperial forces and the Elector Counts.

“We’ve been monitoring Hilda Ragnar through Evelyn. You’re aware of that, right?”

The Black Dragon’s voice was cold, filled with open hostility.

Theo nodded gravely.

“Do you know what Hilda’s goal is?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“Transcendence. She’s trying to escape this world, clawing for any way out.”

“And if she succeeds, will it be a bad thing?”

“Transcendence is a taboo.”

“Taboo?”

Theo’s eyes widened, and the Maehwa Palace Lord nodded, adding an explanation.

“Think of transcendence as a kind of deal. If it were simply about awakening a mystery and entering the Pantheon without causing harm, we wouldn’t care. But the problem lies in the cost.”

“Does it require sacrifices?”

Theo immediately recalled the Sacred Demon Cult’s resurrection ritual, which involved human sacrifices of countless hearts.

“Something similar. It draws life energy from the surrounding area.”

“...What?”

“The Transcendence Ritual feeds on the vitality of the region, forcibly elevating one’s divine rank.”

“And it also opens a path to the Pantheon, which is never a good thing,” the Maehwa Palace Lord added.

“...It would disrupt the balance of the lower world’s laws.”

“Exactly.”

The balance of causality was the reason the Pantheon and entities like Lodbrok’s Guardians avoided meddling too much in the lower world.

A deity’s presence could destabilize everything.

“If, for example, the God of Magic exerted their will through an opened ‘gate,’ what do you think would happen?”

“The Tower’s forces would gain an overwhelming advantage.”

“And if the God of Death appeared? The boundaries between life and death might collapse entirely.”

The divine hierarchy—the framework that governed the world—was like a set of gears.

If one cog were replaced with a larger piece, the whole mechanism could seize up.

“The gods we’ve identified aren’t friendly. Some harbor grudges against Ragnar, while others favor certain races. Each has their own desires and regrets, and if they act on them… Just imagining the chaos is horrifying.”

Julius scratched the back of his head, clearly agitated.

For Theo, the pieces were finally falling into place.

On a grand scale, the Pantheon was a force for good.

But on a smaller scale, it was no different from the Outer Gods—a group of selfish, destructive monsters shackled only by causality.

『The Pantheon, huh? Another headache to deal with.』

Lodbrok sighed.

“The Imperial forces and the Elector Counts want a piece of the Transcendence Ritual for one reason: to gain the favor of a god and receive their blessings.”

“That’s right. And the problem is that Hilda isn’t even trying to hide it. In fact, she’s subtly fanning the flames.”

The more chaos ensued, the greater the energy Hilda would gain from the ritual.

Theo clenched his jaw, realizing just how vast the scale of this game had become.

“Theo, you’ll need to stop her. This event will test whether you’re capable of taking on that responsibility.”