"Would you like to hear a story?"
Kapak spoke slowly, looking every bit the exhausted old man.
"A story about a wizard who arrogantly pursued immortality."
"The beginning of everything dates back to that wizard's childhood."
"At the time, he was the only son of a tribal shaman."
"The shaman's family had neighbors—three vampires."
"Because vampires needed human blood to survive, they posed a serious threat to the tribe's safety. However, with a powerful shaman living nearby, they dared not go too far. They only took small amounts of blood each time and never caused fatalities."
"The shaman, meanwhile, was wary of the vampires' strength and never attempted to capture them."
"Thus, a tacit understanding formed between both sides."
"Occasionally, they even interacted."
Before he could continue, the old chief suddenly exploded.
"Wait!"
He jumped to his feet and pointed angrily at Kapak.
"You claim the vampires never killed anyone?"
"But for the last ten years, people have died in nearby tribes every single year!"
"Who do you think caused those deaths?"
The accusation immediately provoked a response.
Chavrina's usually broken speech became much clearer in her anger.
"Taking only what we need… has always been our rule!"
"We never killed them!"
"Then how do you explain our dead?"
The argument threatened to spiral out of control.
"Enough."
Lewis's voice cut through the air.
The chief instantly dropped back to the ground and shut his mouth.
Not another word escaped him.
Even Chavrina fell silent after glancing at the black cat in Lewis's arms.
Lewis looked toward Kapak.
"Continue."
Kapak nodded.
"The young wizard encountered the vampires by accident during one of his father's dealings with them."
"At the time, their strange appearance interested him for perhaps three minutes."
"Then he forgot all about them."
"But sometimes… childhood memories become the key turning point of a person's life."
"Years passed."
"The wizard grew into a middle-aged man, living an ordinary life in Britain."
"Then came news that his father was dying."
"He crossed the ocean, returned home, inherited the position of shaman, and accepted responsibility for protecting the tribe."
"With that responsibility also came the duty of dealing with the vampires."
"He followed his father's example and maintained the old arrangement."
"And then he met the vampire sisters again."
"Their appearance had not changed at all since his childhood."
Kapak's voice grew softer.
"The wizard saw that they remained young."
"Yet he himself was aging."
"As the years passed, his body weakened."
"His magic weakened."
"His vitality faded."
"At first he felt envy."
"Then jealousy."
"And eventually obsession."
"He became consumed by the pursuit of immortality."
"He did not wish to become a vampire."
"The inability to use magic was too great a price."
"But among all the creatures he knew, only vampires possessed true eternal life."
"So he began studying them."
"He hoped to uncover the secret of immortality."
"The three neighboring vampires were too strong."
"He dared not experiment on them."
"Instead, whenever he returned to Britain, he secretly captured isolated vampires and conducted research."
"Unfortunately, he wasn't a particularly talented researcher."
"After years of effort, he managed only one preliminary conclusion."
"Vampiric immortality seemed to stem from their ability to extract life force from blood."
The old man's eyes dimmed.
"So he began searching for a way to imitate that process."
"At first, he experimented on animals."
"But progress was slow."
"Eventually… he turned his attention to humans."
The atmosphere grew cold.
"Where could he find test subjects?"
"The outside world was protected by the International Statute of Secrecy."
"Attacking Muggles carried enormous risks."
"And traveling frequently from the jungle was difficult."
"So eventually…"
Kapak lowered his head.
"He chose his own tribesmen."
The surrounding natives exploded with rage.
The vampires looked ready to tear him apart.
Only Lewis's presence prevented violence.
Kapak continued.
"As shaman, he had endless opportunities."
"And the vampires provided perfect scapegoats."
"I'll kill you!"
Several warriors surged forward before retreating under Lewis's gaze.
Kapak paid them no attention.
"Unfortunately, the wizard's methods were inefficient."
"Each victim yielded less than one percent of their life force."
"He needed dozens of people just to gain a single extra year."
"So every year… dozens died."
His voice became hollow.
"But that wasn't the worst part."
"After a few years, the life essence became less effective."
"Each dose extended his lifespan by less and less."
"Calculations suggested that within ten years, it would cease working entirely."
"The old wizard became desperate."
"He searched endlessly for alternatives."
"He found none."
"Until the arrival of the Black Dragon."
Kapak looked toward the black cat.
For the first time, genuine emotion returned to his face.
"When I saw the dragon descend before me, I believed my death had finally arrived."
"But then she spoke."
"She promised me power."
"She showed me how dragon blood transformed beasts into dragonspawn."
"How ordinary humans became half-dragons."
"She told me of dragon longevity."
"I swore loyalty immediately."
"All I wanted was immortality."
"The dragon required a place to hide."
"She required supplies."
"She required captives from the nation that had driven her away."
"She wished to learn about her enemies and sever any attempts to track her."
"At that exact moment, I received notice from the British Ministry of Magic."
"So I seized the opportunity."
"I sent them false intelligence."
"And invited them here."
Kapak smiled bitterly.
"The wizard in this story is me."
"Everything that followed… you've already experienced."
"That is the whole truth."
Silence settled over the battlefield.
After a while, Lewis nodded.
"Other than the reason you followed the dragon, that's pretty much what I expected."
Then he asked:
"Where exactly did you hide her?"
"In the pyramid."
Kapak answered honestly.
"The dragon could transform into a pale-skinned black-haired woman."
"She was easy to conceal."
"Unfortunately, her appearance differed too much from the locals."
"She claimed that form was the only one she could take."
"So I hid her inside the pyramid."
Lewis blinked.
That meant they had unknowingly passed by her three separate times.
"So it's a female dragon?"
He nodded thoughtfully.
Kapak immediately protested.
"How can you speak of Lady Black Dragon like that?"
"Don't you understand how incredible this is?"
"This was one of the main reasons I followed her!"
"If she can maintain a human form indefinitely, doesn't that mean she's effectively a human with a dragon's lifespan?"
"It proved her promises could become reality!"
His eyes suddenly became fervent again.
"The great Black Dragon once slumbered beneath volcanoes!"
"She possesses immeasurable power and endless life!"
"If you release her now and beg forgiveness, she may reward you with eternal youth!"
He expected temptation.
Expected hesitation.
Expected greed.
Instead, everyone looked indifferent.
Kapak froze.
"You…"
"You don't desire a longer lifespan?"
Lewis casually produced a dull red crystal.
He tossed it into the air and caught it.
The black cat instantly locked onto it.
Like a kitten spotting prey, she tensed to pounce.
Lewis immediately pressed her back down.
"Philosopher's Stone."
He smiled.
"Also called a Sorcerer's Stone."
"I made it myself."
"It's roughly comparable to Nicolas Flamel's."
"It can produce rejuvenation elixirs."
"So honestly, dragon blessings don't impress me very much."
Kapak's body shook violently.
Then Lewis added:
"Oh, and turning her into a cat?"
"That was done using this."
"Most of its power is gone now."
"But it still functions perfectly as her prison."
Kapak nearly lost his mind.
"You…"
"How could you?!"
"That was a Philosopher's Stone!"
"A Philosopher's Stone!"
"You actually consumed it to defeat an enemy?!"
"What a waste!"
"What a tragedy!"
"What a crime!"
Tears streamed down his face.
He looked genuinely heartbroken.
It was understandable.
After all, he had spent decades sacrificing everything in pursuit of immortality.
Meanwhile, Lewis treated one of the greatest treasures in magical history as a disposable tool.
The contrast shattered him.
Then Lewis delivered the finishing blow.
"Come on."
"It's just a Philosopher's Stone."
"Why are you acting like someone died?"
"If I need another one, I'll just make another."
Kapak froze.
His life's ambition.
His ultimate dream.
The treasure for which he had sacrificed countless lives.
To Lewis…
It was a mass-produced consumable.
Something inside him finally broke.
Seeing the old man completely shattered, Lewis lost interest.
Still, venting several days' worth of frustration felt satisfying.
He waved a hand.
"Take him away."
"Chief, do whatever you think is appropriate."
The tribesmen immediately surged forward.
As they dragged Kapak away, the old man suddenly began struggling wildly.
"Wait!"
"One question!"
"Please!"
"Answer one question!"
Lewis raised an eyebrow.
"Bring him back."
The warriors stopped.
Kapak looked up with bloodshot eyes.
"Tell me…"
"How did you discover my plan?"
"At least let me understand that before I die."
Lewis considered the question.
Then smiled.
"Simple."
"I understand your tribal language."
"The moment that guide spoke, I realized he wasn't giving directions."
"The whole story about the dragon hiding in the jungle was fake."
Kapak stared.
"You understand our language?"
"You understood our language?"
"How?!"
He couldn't believe it.
All his schemes.
All his careful planning.
Defeated by something so absurdly simple.
Lewis nodded.
"And here's the funny part."
"You could have discovered that weakness long ago."
"On my very first day in the village, I privately questioned one of your tribesmen in your own language."
"That was actually my biggest mistake."
"If you had treated your people with the same sincerity your father did, someone would've mentioned it."
"They adored you."
"They trusted you."
"They would've told you everything."
Lewis's gaze grew colder.
"But if you'd treated your people that way…"
"You never would've ended up here in the first place."
The words struck harder than any spell.
As the tribesmen dragged him away, Kapak muttered endlessly.
"Was I wrong?"
"Was I truly wrong?"
"No…"
"I was right…"
"I shouldn't have betrayed my tribe…"
"But immortality is everything…"
"I shouldn't have abandoned my people…"
"They were only fuel for eternity…"
"Father… I failed you…"
"I am immortal…"
"I am immortal…"
His voice gradually faded into incoherent rambling.
The old shaman had finally gone completely mad.
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