Chapter 70: A Master's Faith

The moment Kael dispelled the mental assault created by the hallucination with Grosolun's voice, he lunged forward without a moment's hesitation. The natural path formed by the mist had led him straight to that old mine in the valley.

When he reached the mine's entrance, Kael's steps slowed. Along the line extending from the cave's outer walls inward, dozens of people had turned to stone, frozen like statues. Some held pickaxes; others had turned to look back as they tried to flee, only to be petrified in that moment.

Kael flinched at the sound of scraping coming from the cave's dark depths.A massive shadow glided out from the entrance. This was Bamir, a creature known in the guild records as an A-Level threat.

The creature's lower body was shaped like a massive serpent. Its upper body, with its massive claws, had a human-like appearance, composed of gray, hardened skin. Kael had never seen or heard of such a creature before. Recalling some legends he'd read in books, he took great care not to make eye contact; for he believed the mist and petrification emanated from its eyes. Cautiously, he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

However, Bamir lunged at Kael with a speed one wouldn't expect from a reptile. Kael tried to block the creature, which was charging at him at full speed, by raising his sword in a cross-guard position, but Bamir's massive serpentine tail delivered a brutal blow to Kael's defense.

The force of the blow sent Kael flying through the air, crashing onto the stone floor. When he quickly regained his composure and stood up, he was struggling to breathe—Bamir's serpentine tail had struck his abdomen with such force that it nearly cut off his breath. Realizing he needed to maintain his distance, Kael extended his left hand forward.

"Flaming Bullets: Enhanced Salvo!"

Kael created dozens of flaming bullets in the air and fired them at Bamir in a barrage. However, despite its massive bulk, the creature possessed incredible flexibility; twisting left and right like a reptile gliding across the ground, it evaded every single flaming bullet.

Kael thrust his sword forward against the monster approaching him once more, but the gray mist Bamir had released began to turn his steel blade to stone the moment it made contact, starting from the tip and spreading within seconds. The petrification was spreading rapidly toward the hilt and then toward Kael's hand, but Kael let go of the sword with a sudden reflex and leaped backward.

The sword was now completely petrified. Kael had no choice but to fight with magic. He spread his arms wide to release his mana. A massive bow formed from fire between his right and left hands. As he drew the bowstring, he filled the energy he would use as an arrow with pure mana. The density of the mana had gathered at the tip of the fiery arrow

The moment the fire arrow struck Bamir's chest, an explosion occurred. The powerful shockwave created by the explosion completely dispersed the thick gray mist within a hundred-meter radius.

But from within the smoke, Bamir—İts scales slightly charred—roared with fury and lunged with such speed that Kael had no time to react. As the beast's claw neared Kael's throat. Kael felt the coldness of death seep into his very bones at that moment, just as Grimm appeared directly behind the beast with a vertical descent from the air. There was no exaggerated movement or unnecessary show; just a natural swing of the sword that sliced Bamir clean in two. The beast's two halves lay piled on the hardened ground

Kael froze in place. The owner of that claw, which had stopped just a few centimeters from his throat, now lay on the ground in two pieces.Grimm shook the black blood from his sword onto the ground with a single flick of his wrist, then sheathed it with a deliberate motion. When he turned to face the masked youth, his gaze was sharper than ever.

"Kael..."

"Didn't I teach you never to underestimate your enemy? Your focus still wanders too easily. Have you been neglecting your training since you left the manor?"

Kael flinched at his master's words and turned to him. Reflexively, he began to say,

"You're right, master—" but

"Wait a minute... Kael?"

"You seem surprised, son. Did you really think I didn't recognize you? Who do you think gave you that sword at your waist? There's only one Phoenix Sword in the world—you should have known that."

Kael smiled slightly at his master's words. He brought his hand to the mask on his face and pulled it down. His true face was revealed.

"Of course..." said Kael, scratching his head sheepishly.

"You were the one who gave me the Anka sword, Master. How could I have forgotten... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to try to deceive you. I was just—"

Grimm raised his hand to cut Kael off.

"It's no problem, Kael. I can more or less guess why you had to wear a mask or hide your identity. But there's no need to keep this from your master. I'm not going to expose you, after all."

Kael bowed his head gratefully. "You're right, Master Grimm. Thank you."
"Well... I can't believe a creature like Bamir has made its home in this remote village of the Eastern Kingdom. This creature must have been feeding on the souls of the people here for a long time."

Kael asked in astonishment, "Did you say 'souls'?"

"Yes,"

"Bamir can only feed on people whose minds he can manipulate—those whose souls he catches in a weakened state. That mist he created was actually an illusion and a soul-draining field"

Kael's heart sank when he saw the lifeless, stone-turned villagers around him.

"So many people... All turned to stone by Bamir. Master, do we have any chance of saving them..."

"It's impossible, Kael..."

"Restoring them to their former state without shattering their stone bodies is nearly impossible. We don't even know how long they've been like this or how much damage their souls have sustained."

Just as Kael was about to give up all hope, that voice echoed from the depths of his mind.

"If you want, you can save these people, boy!"

Kael shouted inwardly in shock:

"Grosolun! Are you really saying I can save them?"

"Yes. With my power, I can break the stony shells around their bodies. But I can't help with their damaged souls."

Kael said resolutely, "That's fine, Grosolun. I want to help them as much as I can."Grimm looked at him in astonishment, seeing Kael talking to himself and his eyes shining.

"Who are you talking to, Kael? Has the mist clouded your mind?"

"Ah, no, Master!" Kael said excitedly.

"I was talking to my Contracted Spirit Grosolun. He's telling me we can save the people who've turned to stone!"

"The Contract Spirit ? Kael, I know you feel sorry for the villagers, but curses like this—"

"Master Grimm, please trust me. I can truly save the people in the village!"

Grimm sighed deeply,

"Ahh, well... What does this Pact-Bound Friend say we should do?"

"First, we must gather all the petrified bodies in the town square, at a single point."

Kael and Grimm carefully gathered all the petrified people from the mine and the village entrance into the town square. By this time, the fog had completely cleared, so the villagers who had been hiding and the town mayor had also gathered at the edge of the square, watching with curious and fearful eyes.

The mayor approached Grimm and asked:

"Mr. Grimm... Can that young boy really save our people who have turned to stone?"

Grimm answered without taking his eyes off Kael for even a moment:

"I don't know... But I trust that boy. We'll watch and see."

In the center of the square, Kael took a deep breath. He was waiting for Grosolun's instructions in his mind.

"Stretch both your hands forward, boy!"

Kael stretched both his hands out parallel toward the large pile of petrified villagers. A faint warmth began to radiate from his palms.

"Now repeat after me!"

"In the name of the Lord of Night and Darkness! May the cold crown of the curse be shattered!"

"Awaken!"

The moment Kael finished speaking, a black dragon aura burst forth from his body. A dragon's head materialized in the air and blew a hot breath toward the petrified people.

The gray layer covering all the petrified people in the square suddenly began to crack. As the stone fragments fell away, the people's normal skin and clothing emerged from beneath. Within a few seconds, the villagers, who had been petrified for weeks, began to slowly come to their senses in astonishment.

Grimm and the village headman stared at each other in utter disbelief at the miracle they witnessed. The curse, known to be unbreakable, had been shattered by a single spell cast by a child. Concerned for the survivors' well-being, Grimm sent an urgent report to the guild, demanding that the kingdom immediately dispatch healers to the region.

At that moment, the village mayor knelt before Kael, tears streaming down his face.

"Young man... No amount of thanks would be enough. I don't know how I could ever repay you for this great kindness!"

Kael immediately bent down, took the old man by the arms, and helped him to his feet.

"I only did what I had to do. I don't want anything from you; it's enough for me that everyone returns safely to their families."

The mayor wiped his eyes with his handkerchief, moved by Kael's tender-heartedness.

"What a pure-hearted child you are... We will never forget this kindness for the rest of our lives, my son."

Just then, a middle-aged man rose from among those who had been freed from the stone. Grimm recognized him the moment he saw him. It was Pier.

"Pier! Are you okay?" Grimm asked.

Pier blinked and looked at the swordsman standing before him.

"Grimm?! You... Is it really you? What are you doing here?"

"Your wife came to see me. She said you hadn't come home in weeks and was very worried about you. I thought I'd check on you, and it turns out you've turned into a stone statue here."

Pier brushed the dust off himself and grumbled.

"Oh, Grimm... This is no time for jokes... Do you have any idea how hard it was to stay inside that dark stone for weeks on end!"

Kael let out a deep sigh as he watched these joyful reunions. To himself,

"Grosol, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save all these people—"

But Kael couldn't finish his sentence. The immense burden the dragon's magic had placed on his body suddenly made itself known. As dizziness set in, the sounds around him slowly faded away.

"I... I can't keep my consciousness clear, Groso..."

As Kael's body began to collapse to the ground, Grimm leaped from his spot in the blink of an eye and caught him before he fell.

"Kael!"

"Kael, are you okay! Can you hear me?"

But no response came from Kael; his consciousness had been completely engulfed by darkness.When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the infirmary of Graystone Village, lying in a clean bed. And Grosolun's voice echoed in his mind:

"Are you okay, kid? I transferred a bit of my dragon magic to you, but it seems your body couldn't handle even that much—you passed out immediately."

Kael sat up slightly in bed, seeming to have shaken off his fatigue.

"So I fainted... No problem, Grosolun. I feel much better now; I feel great."

When he got out of bed, opened the infirmary door, and stepped outside, Kael noticed it had already grown dark. Grimm was leaning against the wooden wall right next to the door, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for him.

"Are you awake, Kael?" Grimm asked, turning his eyes toward him.

"Ah, Master Grimm... Did you carry me to the infirmary? I told you I wouldn't be a burden, but I've become a hindrance again—I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal. That power you were using... You called it Grosolun, didn't you? Was that his power?"

"Yes, Master. He transfers an energy he calls 'dragon magic' to me, allowing me to use it."

Grimm's eyes widened suddenly,

"Dragon magic?!"

"Kael, this 'contracted friend' of yours... exactly what did you say it was?"

"He is a... Black Dragon...."Grimm was experiencing such profound astonishment for the first time in his life.

"A Black Dragon?! What kind of creature did you make a pact with? Ah... This kid... Does nothing normal ever happen in your life?"

Kael grinned at his master's rare display of astonishment.

"It all happened so suddenly..."

"Just then, Kael heard the cheerful music, laughter, and singing rising from the village square.

"By the way... What are those sounds coming from the village square?"

"The village is holding a feast because they've finally been freed from that cursed mist and the creature. Come on, let's go."

When Kael and Grimm arrived at the village square together, the villagers dancing there greeted them enthusiastically. At that moment, Otmar—a massive man who had been turned to stone in the mine and saved by Kael—saw Kael standing next to Grimm and walked straight toward them.

"Hey Grimm! Is this the kid you were talking about—the one who saved us from that curse?!"

"Yes... Kael, this man is Otmar, one of the village guards who was turned to stone in the mine."

Otmar let out a booming laugh and, before Kael could even process what was happening, grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him onto his shoulder in a single swift motion.Though Kael called out to Otmar in shock, Otmar ignored him and carried him straight to the center of the bonfire, up onto a high platform. Raising the large goblet in his hand, he shouted to the entire village:

"Hey, everyone! Listen up! If we can breathe today and embrace our families, we owe it to the legendary Master Grimm and this brave young warrior standing on my shoulder! This boy risked his life to save us from that curse! We raise our goblets in the name of our village's true hero, Kael!

"ALL HAIL KAEL!"

"ALL HAIL KAEL!" the entire village shouted in unison.

Kael had spent one of the most beautiful and heartwarming nights of his life as the people cheered him on with love. The sorrow he had long carried because of his mixed blood... had completely melted away in the face of the villagers' pure joy.

After midnight, when the feast had ended, the villagers had gone home. Kael and Grimm, having completed their mission, left the village in the silence of the night and began walking side by side along the forest path.

"You did a fine job, Kael. By saving those people today, you didn't just complete a mission—you demonstrated the greatest virtue and mercy a warrior should possess."

"I couldn't have completed this mission without you, Master. Thank you for everything..."

After a brief silence, Grimm turned to Kael and asked,

"By the way, Kael, what are your plans? Have you set a goal for yourself?"

"My mother..."

"My mother is currently under the grip of a heavy curse. My greatest goal in this life is to save her. No matter how strong I need to be, I'll learn to control this hybrid power flowing through my veins to the very end. I won't stop until I've freed my mother from that curse and reunited my family."

Grimm smiled slightly when he saw the conviction in Kael's eyes. He placed his hand on Kael's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"I have complete faith that you will overcome that curse. You are no ordinary child. No matter how great the darkness that stands before you, you possess the power to break through that wall. Never stop believing in yourself, son."

Kael seemed comforted by his master's stern yet supportive words.