Lord of Caldera - Chapter 177

Chapter 177: Chapter 177

“No one would suspect me of aiming for the throne,” Loghain replied easily. He had joined the trial not to compete for the kingship but to act as Ragnar’s support and to prevent the Northern nobles from interfering. Everyone knew this, and it was only accepted to avoid a scenario where every noble would openly challenge the Great Chief.

“These nobles are masters of political maneuvering. They probably figured out our intentions long ago,” Loghain added.

“There’s a vast difference between doing things openly and doing them in secret,” Ragnar replied.

“That’s like trying to cover the sky with your hand,” Loghain chuckled.

“A small hand may not deceive the world, but it can certainly fool the limited vision of others,” Ragnar countered, cutting Loghain off. As loyal as he was, Loghain was also rather simple-minded, and Ragnar knew arguing with him was pointless.

“Enough. Just tell me why you’re here.”

“To be honest, I’m curious as to why you’re so worried,” Loghain said.

“Worried?” Ragnar repeated.

“When the others went in, you quickly retreated to rest. But now, even after two hours, you’re still here, visibly unsettled.”

“I’m not worried,” Ragnar replied, though he felt his excuse was weak even to himself. “I just want to be here first when that fool fails.”

“Is that so?” Loghain asked, raising an eyebrow. Ragnar fell silent. The truth was, as much as he hated to admit it, he was indeed anxious. The idea of Sylas succeeding and returning so soon gnawed at him.

‘It’s foolish of me,’ he thought. According to ancient records, Godfrey would only grant the heart to someone who bowed a hundred times. The arrogant Sylas, who could barely bring himself to bow to anyone, would never lower himself to that.

“Perhaps you’re right, and I’m overreacting,” Ragnar admitted reluctantly. “There’s no point in exhausting myself over this. Soon enough, he’ll…”

“Rejoice,” a voice suddenly echoed around them, cutting off Ragnar mid-sentence. The dormant Valkyrie statue glowed, and her voice boomed through the camp.

“The trial has been completed. The candidate has gained the blessing of Godfrey and rightfully claimed the dragon’s heart.”

The announcement sent shockwaves through the gathered nobles. Loghain and Ragnar, whose turn had yet to come, stared in stunned silence.

‘Did I… did I just hear that correctly? That someone passed?’

What about me? What about my grand entrance? Ragnar thought, his mind racing. His jaw dropped as he saw the stone chamber’s door grind open, revealing Sylas striding out, dusting himself off.

“Cough, what a dusty place,” Sylas grumbled, casually waving away the cloud around him. He looked the same as when he’d entered, unchanged from his two-hour trial.

Seeing all eyes on him, Sylas straightened, dusted off his shoulders, and announced loudly, “Sylas Corleone has completed the trial of Godfrey!”

A stunned silence settled over the camp once more. Ragnar closed his eyes, realizing one painful truth amid the chaos in his mind.

‘I’m completely screwed.’

In his attempt to stage an impressive entrance, he had only succeeded in humiliating himself.

The nobles, expecting Sylas to be inside for a full day, stumbled out of their tents, some looking as if they had just woken up.

“He passed the trial!?”

“Can this be true? Maybe he just came out early, trying to fool us…”

“The Valkyrie statue itself announced his success. We all heard it.”

“So he really obtained the dragon’s heart?” murmured a noble, his expression conflicted. The rest of the nobles had stayed back in camp, relying only on the announcement. As they now looked at Sylas, doubt filled their gazes. The Marquis stepped forward, embodying the collective suspicion.

“Did you truly obtain the dragon’s heart?” he demanded.

“I did,” Sylas replied curtly.

The Marquis’s eyebrow twitched at Sylas’s casual tone. ‘This brat is truly arrogant,’ he thought, suppressing his anger. Though he felt his blood boiling, he forced himself to focus on the bigger issue.

“If that’s true, then show us the dragon’s heart so we can confirm it.”

The others perked up at this, greedy anticipation clear in their eyes. A treasure that put the elixirs to shame was too tempting to ignore. They clearly hoped to seize it if they had the chance. Sylas’s smirk grew as he saw their barely concealed desire.

“It’s gone,” he said.

“What?”

“I swallowed it whole as soon as I received it. Right now, it’s being digested in my stomach.”

Sylas’s nonchalant pat on his stomach sent waves of red across the nobles’ faces. Was he mocking them? The Marquis could no longer contain his outrage.

“Then I can’t accept this!” he shouted.

“Can’t accept what? That I obtained the dragon’s heart?”

“Exactly! Without proof, how can we acknowledge you?”

“But the statue announced my success, didn’t it?”

“Ancient magic left unchecked for centuries is prone to malfunction!” the Marquis argued, a flimsy excuse that nonetheless rallied the other nobles.

“Indeed, as the Marquis says. Even dungeon magic can misfire sometimes.”

“It’s possible it was just a random fSylas that mistakenly registered him as a success.”

The others nodded along, and Sylas chuckled bitterly. ‘These idiots, as expected, are shameless.’

They clearly wanted the dragon’s heart for themselves. While the heart was necessary to pass the trial, there had been no rule about consuming it. They had most likely hoped he would bring it back so they could take it from him.

‘Lucky for me, I ate it immediately,’ he thought. If they’d seen it even once, they would have done everything to keep it from him. Feeling a sense of satisfaction, he looked around at the skeptical faces.

“What would you like me to do to prove it? Do you want evidence?”

“What evidence could you possibly provide? You said the heart no longer exists,” the Marquis snapped.

“I did eat it, but I could still show you the results.”

With a swift motion, Sylas drew his sword, making a few nobles step back in surprise.

“Why are you drawing your weapon?” one noble asked, eyes widening.

“Just shut up and watch.”

Ignoring their protests, Sylas took a stance, preparing for the Corleone family’s secret sword technique: The Dragon Flame Slash.

‘This is the perfect chance to test it out,’ he thought. He had been curious to see what his sword technique could do now that his strength was amplified. Holding his stance, he began to move his sword.