265 The Blue Inferno

“The Dragon’s Flame!”

“The Heart has accepted him!”

Excited voices rose from the crowd as they witnessed the proof of the Heart’s power.

Like Ivar before him, Ainar’s body was surrounded by a flickering, azure aura—a fire-like haze that rippled through the air.

Ivar smiled faintly.

“Well done.”

Ainar dipped his head slightly in acknowledgment.

But he did not look pleased.

In fact, as he stepped away from the shack, his eyes avoided William’s.

William narrowed his gaze.

‘Strange…’

Why did he look like a man wracked with guilt?

William had no time to dwell on it.

Ivar had already called the next name.

“Brunda.”

“Yes.”

Brunda strode forward, expression resolute.

Perhaps it was because his older brother had already succeeded, but there was a newfound tension in his posture—a fear of falling behind.

Moments later, he too emerged.

And like Ainar, his body burned with the Dragon’s Fire.

“The Heart has chosen Brunda as well!”

“The chieftain’s sons have received the blessing!”

Excitement spread through the onlookers, but soon their focus shifted.

Now, only one candidate remained.

William.

Their gazes turned toward him, filled with curiosity—and doubt.

Ainar and Brunda had both succeeded.

But they were born of the North.

William was not.

Would an outsider receive the Heart’s power?

Or would it reject him?

“…Outsider.”

Ivar’s voice was filled with reluctance, as if he was being forced to acknowledge William’s presence.

William smirked at his tone.

He stepped forward.

As he passed Ivar, the chieftain muttered under his breath.

“There is still time to turn back,” he whispered. “A thief who tries to steal another’s treasure meets a terrible end.”

William let out a quiet chuckle.

“Well… I suppose we’ll soon see who the true owner is.”

Without waiting for a response, he entered the shack.

Time passed.

But unlike the previous attempts, William did not emerge.

Minutes stretched on.

Then—

BOOM!

A sudden explosion rocked the shack.

The ground shook, the structure shuddering as if it would collapse at any moment.

Ivar’s lips curled into a smirk.

“Behold!” he declared to the crowd. “The wrath of the Dragon has fallen upon the ignorant outsider—”

KRA-KOOM!

Before he could finish, the shack burst apart.

The explosion sent debris flying, revealing a lone figure standing amidst the wreckage.

William.

His body was wrapped in a towering inferno of blue fire—far greater than the meager flames that had surrounded the others.

He tilted his head slightly, meeting Ivar’s stunned gaze.

Then, smirking, he casually jerked his chin.

“You were saying?”

As William stepped into the wooden shack, the first thing he felt was suffocation. An oppressive heaviness weighed on his body, the dense, choking mana pressing down on him like a thick fog.

He had sensed it from outside already, but now, within these cramped walls, it was even more intense.

William exhaled slowly, as if breathing underwater, and raised his head. Given how cramped the interior was, it didn’t take long for him to spot what he was looking for. A crimson stone rested in the middle of the room, attached beneath it to a bizarre-looking contraption.

This had to be the Dragon’s Heart artifact he had heard about beforehand.

Surprisingly, the so-called “heart” looked entirely inert. William had expected something more alive, pulsing perhaps, but this resembled a smooth stone rather than a biological organ. It felt similar to ordinary ore at first glance, yet contained a sense of life utterly absent in typical minerals. If life ever chose to dwell inside stone, it would likely feel like this.

It’s tempting to study it further, but time is short, he thought reluctantly.

Right now, his priority was absorbing the immense power contained within the Dragon’s Heart.

Recalling Marius’s instructions, William’s gaze shifted downward, towards the artifact’s base. To successfully absorb the mana, he first needed to properly adjust the artifact.

He leaned down to inspect the device, and his eyes widened in surprise.

“This is exactly like the defensive array in White Fortress…” he muttered in astonishment.

The artifact was slightly different in appearance, yet undeniably similar—a sphere with intricate runes arranged like puzzle pieces. Even the runes themselves were strikingly alike, differing only slightly and obviously intended to pair with one another.

If that was the case, the method for operating it must also closely resemble the defensive array’s mechanism.

If this is true, it might even be possible to detach the Dragon’s Heart and repurpose it elsewhere, William reasoned.

Keeping a valuable artifact constantly attached and unused seemed an unnecessary waste. The tribe clearly didn’t understand alternate ways to use or detach it. But if William could remove the heart and integrate it into another device of his choosing, it would undoubtedly serve more flexible, powerful purposes—beyond a simple weapon.

After I’ve taken control of this tribe, I’ll summon Colin to conduct a thorough investigation, he decided.

Tempering his growing excitement, William began carefully manipulating the control mechanism, following the steps precisely as Marius had explained. Soon, the artifact emitted a faint flicker of light. Immediately afterward, the device beneath the Dragon’s Heart began slowly rotating.

William inhaled deeply once more, then firmly grasped the Dragon’s Heart with both hands.

The instant he did, mana flooded through him with an intensity he had never felt before. He gasped silently, eyes wide open in shock.

“Why on earth did they build their sacred place in such an inconvenient location?” Marius grumbled, lagging deliberately behind as he slowly climbed toward the tribe’s sacred site. The old man’s joints were aching; he gave his lower back a gentle tap.

He had intentionally delayed his departure, not wishing to attract Chief Ivar’s attention by accompanying William from the start. Once William emerged successfully, Marius would invoke prophecy and ritual, setting the proper dramatic atmosphere.

“My bones aren’t suited for climbing hills anymore,” Marius muttered bitterly. Yet despite his constant complaining, a wide smile remained firmly fixed on his lips.

William had agreed to absorb the Dragon’s Heart’s power, and now everything was finally going according to plan.

There was a moment when I wasn’t sure it would all work out. Thankfully, he fell for it. Soon enough, willingly or not, he’ll have no choice but to follow my guidance.