RISE OF EROS

Despite their curiosity, they didn't dare ask any further questions, as they had noticed that Zaros was already upset by the attitude they had taken. Not only had they entered his territory unannounced, but he also seemed reluctant to talk about Andrew.

Moreover, Elder Lugia's attitude, ignoring Andrew and asking Zaros about him despite his presence, made it clear that Andrew wasn't pleased either, and both Elder Lugia and Vaelyra understood this. The dragon race is wise, there's no doubt about that. This is because they naturally live much longer than any other race, thus accumulating much more experience.

If you add to this the fact that they are powerful by nature, they are undoubtedly one, if not the most ancient and powerful race in this world. Unfortunately, with this power, they sometimes err on the side of arrogance.

Their wisdom should prevent things like this from happening, but they have lived in isolation for so long that some have forgotten to be humble. While they are powerful and ancient, that doesn't mean they are invincible.

This was what happened to Elder Lugia. She didn't feel the need to take Andrew into account, as in her eyes he was young and weak, although somewhat intriguing, so she let her arrogance cloud her judgment, and now they were in this situation.

Knowing that things wouldn't progress as she wanted, Elder Lugia looked at Zaros and said, "Are you sure it's okay to talk in front of them? It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I'm not sure if they have the necessary understanding."

This time her tone wasn't one of disdain or arrogance but of genuine concern. Everyone noticed that Elder Lugia was trying to amend her mistake, but no one said anything. Zaros, upon hearing Elder Lugia's words, responded, "Don't worry. It surely has to do with the fallen god, right?" Lugia and Vaelyra were surprised to hear Zaros mention the fallen god.

They weren't surprised that he knew a bit about their mission, but rather that he dared to say it in front of Andrew and his companions as if it were an insignificant topic.
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Andrew and his companions obviously noticed the change in expression of the two dragon women, and seeing their reactions, Andrew decided to intervene. "Elder Lugia, I am not ignorant of this matter, you may speak freely."

"How does a young man like you know about the fallen god?" Elder Lugia asked seriously. There was no intimidation or hostility, only genuine curiosity, but Andrew didn't need to answer, as Zaros said, "Young Andrew is special. Elidyr and I told him what we knew."

These words generated even greater surprise in Elder Lugia and Vaelyra, and now they wanted more than ever to know who Andrew truly was. Despite this, they didn't ask.

Elder Lugia let out a sigh and began to speak, "Well, since you already know, and Zaros allows it. We are searching for the remains of the fallen god, hidden by the gods after the war."

Everyone adopted a serious expression. Even Zaros, who had appeared relaxed until now, no longer had a smile on his face. "Why do you think they're around here?" Zaros asked seriously.

With two powerful legendary-level demigods like Zaros and Elidyr nearby, it would be impossible not to notice if the remains of the fallen god were close, so Zaros' question wasn't about them omitting something, but a direct challenge to Elder Lugia.

Zaros felt insulted and upset. Sensing this, Elder Lugia immediately clarified, "Zaros, we're not saying they're here. We're just passing through, we're heading to the Demon Wasteland."

Upon hearing this, Zaros, Andrew, and the others frowned. Andrew and the others because they were unfamiliar with this place. While they knew that to the far south of the continent was the demon kingdom, known to all as the Demon Wasteland, they had no information about that place.

Even Oliver, who is very knowledgeable about the affairs of different countries, didn't know what went on there. Although it's called a wasteland, in reality, it's not very different from other countries on the continent.

Certainly, there are strange regions that can be difficult for other races to traverse, but for the demons, it's easy. Their terrain has forests, mountains, rivers, and prairies like all other territories.

The reason it's called a wasteland is because it's constantly at war, frequently destroying the landscape. The demons are the race with the most ethnicities, even surpassing the beast-men.

Because of this, their community has many conflicts. In short, it's a chaotic place. That's all Andrew and his companions knew about that place. Zaros, on the other hand, was much more knowledgeable.

Vampires are one of the demon ethnicities, so he knows the situation well. That's why, with great seriousness, he asked, "Do you believe the remains are there?" to which Elder Lugia replied, "It's possible."

"And your reasoning?" Zaros continued to ask. He wasn't upset that the demons were suspected, being a demon himself, but was genuinely concerned. If the remains of the gods who perished in the war gave them such advantages, the remains of a fallen god would be the opposite, and he wanted to know more.

The reason he didn't stay in the demon kingdom and came here to find this duchy was precisely due to this constant conflict. He was tired of endless battles and wars without purpose.

"As you know, one of our own allowed himself to be corrupted by the greed and power of the fallen god. He has now formed an alliance with a strange organization that worships the fallen god," Elder Lugia began to say.

Zaros, Andrew, and the others nodded, indicating that they were aware of this information. Zaros had told Andrew about this, so he knew. Moreover, with all the rumors circulating, even if Zaros hadn't told him, Andrew would have found out soon.

Seeing them nod, Elder Lugia continued, "In the Chaos Region, there were remains of the fallen god, which they took." Zaros and the others nodded again, this wasn't new information.

"Although we arrived too late, we learned a few things," Elder Lugia continued, pausing briefly as if to build suspense, then added, "The remains protected by the dragons are hermetically sealed, and the seals are reinforced periodically, so we never noticed anything, but the remains hidden by the gods are different."

Elder Lugia paused again before continuing, "Perhaps the gods thought that hiding some of the remains without anyone knowing would prevent greed, but they didn't account for the passage of time."

"While the gods' seal won't break in just a few millennia, the fact is that it does allow some of the fallen god's corrupt divinity to seep through. Maybe in the grand scheme of things, this isn't dangerous, but now there are people trying to revive the fallen god, so that's a problem," Elder Lugia concluded.

Frowning, Zaros said again, "You still haven't told me your reasoning for thinking that there are remains of the fallen god in the demon kingdom," to which Elder Lugia replied, "Patience, Zaros, I'm getting to that."

"What do the Chaos Region and the Demon Wasteland have in common?" Elder Lugia asked, and then Zaros' eyes widened as he exclaimed, "You mean...?" to which Elder Lugia nodded gravely while saying, "War.

It's true that in the Chaos Region, those countries are always in conflict, and so are the demons, but don't you find it strange that it never stops?" Elder Lugia paused and added, "No matter how warlike they are, fighting for decades and centuries is strange."

"Certainly. At some point, I thought the same thing, but I decided to leave," Zaros murmured as if speaking to himself. "That's right. What we learned upon arriving at the place where the remains of the fallen god in the Chaos Region was that the fallen god's corrupt divinity intensifies unrest, especially grudges."

"I see, just like the abyssal ones can't control their impulse for destruction when bathed in the fallen god's corruption, on a smaller scale it generates a similar impulse," Andrew suddenly said, as if finding the reason why Elder Lugia was suggesting that the constant war among demons could be an indication that the fallen god's remains were there.

Elder Lugia looked at Andrew in surprise and nodded, confirming his words, "That's correct. Currently, on the continent, everyone considers the demons a plague, but all those from the Old Continent know that the demons also helped in the war, so it's strange."

"You've got a point there," Zaros said thoughtfully, adding, "So, you're moving in secret so that the corrupted dragon and his organization don't track your movements?" to which Elder Lugia replied, "Yes."

"I see, I apologize for doubting your intentions," Zaros said sincerely, to which Elder Lugia simply nodded. At that moment, Andrew, who had been deep in thought, suddenly came up with something and asked, "Elder Lugia, isn't it possible that there are remains of the fallen god in the kingdom of Galicia?"

At this question, everyone looked at Andrew with curiosity, and Zaros was the first to speak, "Well, it's true that Galicia has always been at war with Dunnas, but it's due to a resource issue, I don't think it's the same case."

"At first, I thought the same, but then I wondered, wasn't it the power of the fallen god that initially caused the destruction in the Lost Continent? What if the scarcity of resources in the kingdom of Galicia is due to the influence of the fallen god's leaked power?" Andrew speculated.

This question made everyone's eyes widen, and Elder Lugia immediately said seriously, "It could be possible, it's worth investigating."