My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

"An ancient monster? What do you mean?" Zelda frowned in confusion.

Elina lowered her gaze and explained, "You might not know this, but the Dwarven race lives in Mount Durnhak. While we were there, we discovered that the Dwarf King had died and been replaced by something—or someone—pretending to be him. After that..."

Elina went on to tell us everything that had happened at Mount Durnhak, including Leon's journey to the mountain's crater to investigate the Dwarf King's death and the ancient monster mentioned in Dwarven legends.

Zelda, Malverna, and Astra listened intently. But the more they heard, the more shocked they became—especially Astra and Malverna.

"Astra, Mount Durnhak... isn't that where the Nine-Headed Hydra was slain by Amon?" Malverna turned to her with a grave expression.

"You're right! I just remembered—that's where the Hydra died!" Astra's eyes widened in horror.

The Hydra had once been the mount of the Evil God. It brought chaos and devastation to the racial alliance army back in the day.

But since the monster had long been slain, she had nearly forgotten it ever existed.

Just like her, Malverna had also forgotten—until now. Only the Hydra's corpse, left in Mount Durnhak where the dwarves resided, remained in her memory.

Noticing their reactions, Zelda furrowed her brows and asked, "You know something about this monster?"

Astra nodded slowly. "Yes, we do. The monster in question is most likely the Nine-Headed Hydra—a creature that doesn't belong in this world. It came from the heavens and once served as the Evil God's mount. Supposedly, it was slain seven thousand years ago by the Demon Emperor, Amon Crimson."

"The Nine-Headed Hydra?" Zelda's eyes widened in disbelief. "So that monster was real? What did it look like?"

"It resembles a dragon, but with nine heads," Malverna replied flatly. "But that thing died a long time ago. Ask Elina—confirm if the monster she's talking about is truly a hydra. If it is, then... the incident with the Fated One might be real."

Her words struck Zelda like a hammer, but she kept her composure. Turning to Elina, she asked calmly, "Elina, do you know what the monster looks like?"

"I don't, Sister," Elina replied softly, her tone tinged with sadness. "The Fated One didn't allow me to come along. He asked me to go with Morgrim, the prince of the Dwarven race, and the others to evacuate."

She paused for a moment, then continued hesitantly, "But I did ask Morgrim about the monster's appearance. He said... it looked like a dragon, and it had many heads. It was terrifying."

The moment those words left her lips, Astra and Malverna both rose to their feet.

Their expressions tensed, fear clearly written across their faces. Zelda felt it too.

Although Elina's description was vague, Zelda was nearly certain—almost without a doubt—that the monster she referred to was the Hydra her ancestor had just mentioned.

"Zelda, contact Athena Hellness immediately and inform her of this. Also, have her summon the Dragon Ancestor. Hurry—this is a disaster we must address at once!" Malverna ordered sharply.

Without a word, Zelda ended the communication with Elina and rose to her feet.

"Leave it to me, Ancestor."

With those words, her figure vanished from the room, leaving Malverna and Astra alone.

Malverna turned to Astra. "Astra, summon the Fairy Queen, along with the senior members of the Elven race. I want them all gathered."

"Understood. Leave it to me," Astra replied firmly before disappearing in a flash.

Malverna clenched her jaw, her eyes fixed on the painting of Amon that hung on the right wall.

"Amon... I pray the Fated One hasn't truly met an end. Please... watch over him."

***

"Hmmm..."

In the center of the flower bed, the Dragon Ancestor calmly watered the flowers, his expression filled with serenity—and just a hint of happiness.

If someone were to ask about his dreams, he would have named two: killing the Evil God and living a peaceful, comfortable life.

Since the first seemed out of reach for now, the second felt far more real—and far easier to attain.

"Phew." He wiped away sweat that wasn't actually on his forehead, then nodded in satisfaction. "That's it for watering. Now's the perfect time to lie down on the grass."

In an instant, his figure vanished and reappeared on the lawn at the southern side of the palace.

He lay back and relaxed, gazing up at the clear blue sky. A gentle breeze drifted in from the right, and before long, his eyes slowly shut.

"Now that the Fated One's gone, I can finally enjoy peaceful moments like this. If I had known it'd be like this... I might've done it thousands of years ago," he muttered with a long, contented sigh.

It wasn't that he disliked Leon's presence in Eryeuntium—on the contrary, he truly enjoyed it.

But the duty of training him had been a heavy burden. After all, Amon Crimson himself had once entrusted him with a mandate: to train the Fated One until he became strong.

It was a mandate that had burdened him for thousands of years. In truth, he had never been sure if fate would ever bring him face-to-face with the Fated One.

After all, the wounds on his body were only getting worse, and his vitality was slowly fading with time.

But in the end, those fears proved unfounded. Leon had come to him willingly, seeking training.

Although he had to sacrifice the dragon blood essence in the sacred pool, he didn't mind at all.

As long as that young man grew strong enough to one day defeat the Evil God, any sacrifice was more than worth it.

Just as he was enjoying his quiet, solitary moment, the sunlight above him suddenly vanished.

Startled, he opened his eyes—and saw a red dragon hovering in the sky above, circling as if preparing to land.

"Athena? What is she doing here?" The Dragon Ancestor's eyes widened in surprise as he quickly got to his feet.

Since the day he sent Leon away, his rebellious granddaughter had never once returned to see him.

As time passed, he began to feel forgotten—like he no longer had a place in her heart.

And yet, here she was, suddenly appearing in Eryeuntium... and with her arrival came a creeping sense of dread.

While the Dragon Ancestor was still lost in confusion, Athena landed in front of him. Her dragon form shimmered, then gracefully shifted into her human shape.

Without warning, she rushed toward him and shoved him to the ground.

Tears welled in her eyes, her face contorted with grief as she broke down and cried out, "Ancestor... Leon is dead!"

Dragon Ancestor: "..."

"Ahem!" He cleared his throat quietly and said, "Athena, could you please calm down and explain what happened? And... could you get off me first? I can't breathe."

Athena gasped as she realized the position she was in. She quickly stood up and stepped back from the Dragon Ancestor.

He let out a sigh of relief, slowly rose to his feet, and straightened the collar of his robe.

"Alright. Now tell me—what happened?"

Athena clenched her jaw. Her voice trembled with fury and pain as she repeated, "Leon... is dead!"

The Dragon Ancestor's eyes widened. His expression darkened instantly, shifting from confusion to intense seriousness.

"Explain everything. Don't leave out a single detail."