Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods
Chapter 97: The Day the Bells Fell Silent

Chapter 97: The Day the Bells Fell Silent

The trees were tall and quiet.

Well, they were, until Elysia started talking.

"I-I wasn’t looking! I swear! It’s just—you were—I didn’t expect—clothes! You always wear clothes when you’re outside and I—it was an accident!"

Bel was facing her, arms crossed, completely unbothered by the fact he was, in fact, totally naked.

He blinked at her slowly.

"Why are you here?"

Elysia, meanwhile, looked like her soul was trying to flee her body.

"I wasn’t LOOKING for you! I-I was just... walking! Yes! A simple walk! You know, like how people do! Fresh air and such! Then—THEN I saw this rift and the power was just—so huge! I thought, ’Oh my, that must be at least—at least—’... I don’t even know anymore!"

Her fingers covered her eyes, but she still peeked through the gaps.

"Do you always do dungeons like this?! Why can’t I remember if you EVER wear CLOTHES?!"

"Stop worrying about that," Bel muttered. "Just answer. Why were you walking in the only spot I happened to be in? This place is far from the ci—"

Whap!

Something hit his face.

Clothes.

Elysia threw them at him with the force of a furious housewife.

"Just wear something, you nudist!"

Bel sighed, long and hard.

Birds chirped again. The wind shifted gently. The rift behind them swirled and shrank into itself.

A vortex of faint blue and white spiraled inward until it vanished with a soft snap.

Elysia, now much calmer, was sitting on a fallen log watching the air settle.

"You weren’t kidding... you really did clear it alone. A high-ranked dungeon."

Bel adjusted the clothes she had given him. They were a little too short.

The sleeves hugged his arms too tightly, and his pants ended awkwardly above the ankles.

He looked like someone who outgrew his own body.

"Good thing I was carrying men’s clothes," Elysia teased, resting her chin on her palm. "But wow. You’re a powerhouse now. Aren’t you maybe a little too strong?"

Bel rolled his eyes.

Elysia stood up, then paused.

"Hey... you got taller. Look at that. We’re almost the same height now."

She leaned closer to his face, inspecting him like a curious squirrel.

"You’re even more handsome than before," she said, almost whispering.

Bel shifted slightly.

"What are you doing?"

She laughed and backed away, waving her hands.

"Nothing! I swear! I’m just saying you’ve... changed. In a good way. I mean... you showed me a lot today."

Bel stared at her blankly.

She chuckled, scratching her cheek. Then she brought her hands to her cheeks and let out a breath.

"Those muscles... that stance... those wonderful hair... that, uh, other thing..." She briefly glanced beneath. "Truly become a wonderful man."

"You’re insane."

"I’m not the one doing dungeons butt naked!"

Bel tugged at his collar. He was about to retort, but then paused.

Elysia wasn’t reacting like she was shocked.

Just... calm. Reassured.

"You don’t seem really surprised to see me here," he said.

Elysia caught his gaze. Her smile softened. She walked closer.

"To be honest," she said, voice quieter now, "I am surprised... but more than that, I’m relieved."

Bel blinked. She stepped forward, voice gentler now.

"I knew how talented you were," she continued. "When I heard you left New Horizons, I got worried for them. I was sure the reason they could handle so many dungeons was because of you. But then they kept up the same pace after you were gone. People started saying it was always a team effort. That it wasn’t just you."

Her eyes glimmered as she smiled again.

"I refused to believe it. I wanted to talk to you... but you never came back to the guild."

Bel looked away, frowning.

It was true. For days, maybe longer, he had forgotten his human’s side.

He had buried himself in dungeons, chasing evolution. Chasing numbers and gold.

He needed the guild before because he needed to reach the highest rank to enter the best dungeons, but now? With his own dungeons...

He didn’t need people’s autorisation. Not anymore.

Elysia turned her gaze to where the rift had closed.

"So I’m glad you did this. It means I wasn’t wrong. You’re still growing. Still improving. It’s really a miracle... that someone like you appeared for us."

She smiled again.

"Just don’t forget to come home sometimes. Some people... really care about you."

Bel sighed.

"Got it."

He turned.

"Anyway, I have something to do."

Then paused.

The shop.

He glanced at the sky. With all this chatter, it should have cooled down. He’d missed the good items.

Plus...

"Would it be a bother to come back to the capital for now?" Elysia asked.

Bel looked at her sideways. Of course, she wouldn’t leave him alone anyway.

He considered.

Why not?

He had planned to take a break anyway, so maybe it was worth the trip.

He turned again to agree, but this time he caught the shift in her expression.

Her smile had faded. She looked both relieved and incredibly sad.

He frowned.

"Why do you want me to go back?"

Elysia bit her lower lip.

"Because some people need to hear you were here... far from the city. That you couldn’t have been there."

Bel’s brows knitted.

"There? What are you talking about?"

She looked him straight in the eyes.

"You weren’t there... right? Last night, in the city."

Bel narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. I’ve been here for days. What’s going on?"

Elysia exhaled. Like a weight had been lifted.

They stood facing each other. Wind rustled the leaves.

She looked at the ground, then back at him.

"Something terrible happened."

She took a shaky breath.

"Someone from the previous Hero’s party... was murdered by a demon. Last night."

Bel’s eyes widened.

His heartbeat slowed, and the woods suddenly felt a lot colder.

Further away, the capital was different that morning.

The bells rang, but the sound was heavy, like echoes through water. A baby cried, and its mother didn’t shush it. A baker forgot to open his stall.

Even the cats stayed hidden.

The streets moved in slow motion. For the first time since everyone could remember, the city had become dead alive.

There was absolutely no sound, no activity. It was as if the city had forgotten how to be loud.

All the tension and life converged in one alley, where a crowd stood still, barely held back by city guards.

No one spoke loudly. Whispers passed from time to time. No one moved closer. No one dared.

It wasn’t fear. It was disbelief, because what they had witnessed was impossible to be true.

Then, footsteps, hard, heavy, unstoppable.

The Guild Master walked like a storm. His face burning, his fists clenched.

The crowd parted on his way as if pushed by an invisible force. Heads lowered, voices died. It was as if they were silently apologizing.

Two guards stepped up, arms raised to stop him.

"Sir, please, you can’t—"

They reached him, but he was barely held back.

"Move."

"But Guild Master—"

"I SAID MOVE!"

He grabbed both by the chest and shoved them aside like leaves. The two guards staggered back, and he pushed through.

Then stopped.

There, in the center of the alley, the reason of the silence: a body, lying in a pool of blood, half dried.

A sheet covered it from head to toes.

The Guild Master stopped, his eyes trembling.

He dropped to his knees beside the sheet.

His hands trembled as he reached out.

"No..."

He touched the fabric.

"I don’t believe it..."

He pulled it back, just enough to see the face.

And then the world stopped.

It was Darwin.

His expression was frozen in a twisted grimace, like he was fighting even at the end.

The Guild Master felt the world hitting him on the head.

His hands slipped, but at least the sheet dropped back to cover the face.

He sat there, on the cobblestone, as if his bones had forgotten how to hold him up.

His shoulders shook, and his breath came in shallow, broken pieces.

One knight stepped forward, reaching for him.

"Sir, please—"

But he didn’t hear him. He couldn’t anymore.

"What... happened?" he said, barely a breath. "What... happened to him?"

No one answered. There was a moment of silence, then he gritted his teeth and raised his voice.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!"

His cry echoed off the walls. It bounced through the streets and it seemed like the whole city could hear him.

"WHO DID THIS?! HOW?!"

But the crowd had no answers.

Faces pale, eyes red. No one knew what to say. Some had tears. Others had silence.

Time itself felt like it froze.

No one dared move. No one could make sense of it. The sun felt cold, too cold.

It was a day that forgot how to go on.

On that morning of cold and sorrow, the city held its breath.

For on that day, Darwin Lancefield, one of the last heroes who once stood against the Demon King, had died.