Chapter 8

＝Louis' Perspective＝

After about 300 years of being trained by Tese and Rio in the Infinite Prison, I finally received all the magic and qigong techniques they could teach me.

The next morning, I woke up to a searing pain, as if a branding iron had been pressed against me.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!!!"

My scream echoed through the Infinite Prison. Hearing my voice, Tese and Rio rushed over.

"What's wrong, Louis!?"

"Is it an enemy!? I'll kill them for you!!"

When I told them, "M-my chest hurts..." they quickly stripped off my clothes to expose my chest.

"Wh-what is this...!!"

They were shocked by what they saw. What's going on? Curious, I looked at my own chest and saw a small, unfamiliar emblem glowing there. It was slightly smaller than my palm and emitted a faint blue light. It looked cool, but what is it?

"What is this...?"

When I asked, Tese, with an unusually serious expression, explained to me.

"It seems the time has finally come. This is called the 'General Emblem.'"

"General Emblem? What's that?"

"The General Emblem appears on those who have reached a certain level of strength, those known as masters. Congratulations, your training is complete. You did a great job."

Tese gently patted my head. It was warm, gentle, and ticklish, making me feel happy.

"Thank you, Tese. By the way, does this emblem have any meaning?"

"Yes, this emblem is inscribed with the title or profession given to the person, written in ancient language."

Tese lifted her shirt to show me the emblem on her waist. Unlike mine, which glowed blue, hers glowed golden.

"For example, this is the 'King Emblem.' It's the strongest title, only given to those worthy of being a king, above the General Emblem. My King Emblem says 'Demon King' in ancient language."

Next, Rio opened his mouth to show a golden emblem on his tongue.

"Mine is this. As you might guess, it says 'Dragon King.'"

I remember hearing about this. In human countries, 'King' refers to someone who governs the country, but in the demon and demi-human realms, it means something different.

In their world, 'King' refers to an absolute powerhouse. I see, only those with a King Emblem can become a king.

"Hey, hey, what does my emblem say?"

I can read a bit of ancient language, but I can't see the emblem on my chest clearly. What profession do I have?

"Let me see."

Rio examined my emblem closely. What profession could it be? I'm getting nervous.

"Hmm, what's this... Huh!? What the...!!"

Rio exclaimed in surprise after looking at my emblem. What, what!? What's going on!?

"This emblem is the 'Dragon General' emblem!! I didn't think it actually existed!!"

Dragon General? What does that mean? When I looked at Tese, she also had a shocked expression.

"The title 'Dragon General' means you can freely use the powers of both demons and dragons. It was thought to only exist in legends, but you, Louis, have become one...!! That's amazing!!"

Tese hugged me tightly. It seems my profession is pretty impressive. Yay!

"So, does that mean I'm a Dragon General now?"

"No, the emblem's glow is still faint, so you're at the level of a 'Dragon Knight.'"

Oh, that's a bit disappointing. But I'm happy to have received both the Demon King and Dragon King titles. Plus, I have a new goal.

"Then, if I train more, I can become a Dragon General, right? Alright, I'll work hard!"

However, the two of them fell silent when they heard this. Huh? Did I say something wrong?

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Rio hesitated before answering.

"Listen, Louis. Your power can't grow any further in the Infinite Prison."

"..."

The words from Rio were shocking. Why?

"At your current age, this is your limit. To become stronger, you need to leave the Infinite Prison and grow physically."

"..."

In the Infinite Prison, you don't age. This was a disadvantage for me, who was in the middle of my growth period.

And I understood.

I can't get any stronger here. That means...

"I have to leave the Infinite Prison, don't I?"

They nodded sadly in response to my words. The time to part has finally come.