The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 147

As the Serpent Fang group moved deeper into the Ice Crystal Mana Mines, their numbers had thinned. Only the true core devotees remained, cloaked in black and silence, their boots crunching softly over frozen stone and snow.

The torches barely lit the walls anymore. The air was dry, cold, and heavy.

Then, the narrow path opened into a strange chamber.

Unlike the rest of the mine, this place felt untouched by time. Smooth walls of ice rose around them, and in the center stood a giant seal carved onto the ground. Strange symbols and patterns spiraled outward like veins from a beating heart. The light from the crystals above flickered as if afraid.

Everyone entered slowly. The silence was thick.

Kael stopped at the entrance of the chamber. His wild eyes widened, and his jaw slightly dropped as he stared at the symbols etched into the floor and walls. They weren’t just markings. They were written words—clear and deliberate. Kael’s mind raced as his eyes traced each curve and swirl.

He muttered under his breath, "No... no way."

Turning, he looked at Lyria and Handel, who stood behind him.

"Do you know what’s written on all of this?" he asked, voice low but tense.

Handel shook his head, brows furrowed. "No, My Lord. It looks like ancient writing, but I don’t recognize the language."

Lyria didn’t respond at first. Her cold eyes moved over the symbols with no expression.

"No idea," she said blankly.

Kael’s face twisted in frustration. He turned to a few of the other cloaked figures who had entered beside him and grabbed one lightly by the shoulder.

"Hey, man. Can you read those things on the floor and wall?" he asked with a crooked grin.

The man turned, startled. He blinked at Kael as if he was looking at an idiot.

"What are you talking about?" the man said.

"You okay in the head? Those are ancient glyphs. No one can read them except the language decoder!"

"Seriously!Is it that hard?"Kael asked in shock.

"Of course it is."

Another nearby man snorted and added, "Seriously, what’s wrong with you? Do you think anyone can read this?Do know how many years of research is required to master this field."

Kael stood there, staring at them, lips twitching. A strange expression crossed his face—one of confusion, then sharp realization.

His eyes narrowed. He slowly turned back to the large crafted seal that spread across the chamber like a giant spider web. The carvings shone with a pale blue light, each letter glowing softly.

Inside, he screamed.

’Since when did the common draconic language become some highly mysterious ancient glyphs?’

His teeth clenched as he stared harder at the writings, his mind running in circles.

He could read them.

Every word. Every single line.

In fact, it was nothing fancy.

Most high ranking people of his time know about this.

The Bishop talked about sacrifices.

Power. Blood offerings. They described the summoning of something... old. Something hungry.

He thought that some kind of serpent god locked beneath the frost, waiting to be fed.

Kael’s fingers twitched. He didn’t speak. He didn’t explain. But the shiver that ran through him was real.

This wasn’t just going to be a ritual is it?

This was something much worse.

"Master, can you read this?"Lyria asked curiously, whispering slowly.

Kael stood frozen in place, eyes flicking across the glowing glyphs that wrapped around the icy walls and floor. Every line etched in that chamber whispered secrets to him—secrets no one else could hear. The light shimmered softly, but the air had turned heavier, as if the chamber itself was holding its breath.

More of the cloaked devotees stepped forward, some lighting more torches, while others chanted under their breath. The eerie hymns echoed in the chamber, a slow rising melody that sent a chill down the spine.

One of the senior figures among the group stepped to the center of the seal and knelt down, raising his arms high.

"The offering shall begin," he declared with a cracked voice. "Let the gate to the Abyss stir!"

More cloaked figures began placing strange objects around the seal—skulls, bone totems, jars filled with red liquid. A thick smell of herbs and rot filled the air.

Kael walked slowly forward, still scanning the symbols.

Handel leaned in slightly. "My Lord... what’s written there?"

Kael didn’t answer at first. His grin returned,slow, creeping.

"It’s talking about an ancient nest of someone, probably a dragon.I need to see further up ahead."

Just as he thought of pushing and squeezing his way out,the chants grew louder now.

"Hail the Serpent who Drowns the Sun!"

"Hail the Fangs of Night Eternal!"

"Hail the One Beneath!"

From behind, another pathway opened—a creaking stone passage sliding aside to reveal stairs descending into even colder darkness.

The same old man from before—Bishop Polly—raised his staff, his serpent tattoo glowing faintly. His voice boomed.

"To the inner sanctum! Let the blood flood the ice!"

As the group began to move, following the chants and the bishop, Kael stayed a step behind.

He turned his gaze back one more time at the glyphs. His pupils had dilated. He felt the buzz beneath his feet, the silent throb of something waking.

Something hungry.

He whispered under his breath.

"We’re not in a mine anymore..The area up ahead might be dangerous or fill with traps."

Lyria gave a faint nod. "Understood."

Handel shivered despite the cold. "This... this may be beyond us now."

Kael chuckled softly, eyes gleaming with madness.

With that, they stepped forward—into the deeper depths following the others into the belly of the frozen beast.

The ground under their feet began to shake slightly, as if something deep below was moving. The glow of the ice crystals flickered like a candle in the wind. Kael didn’t move. His wild eyes were fixed on the strange runes before him. His fingers gently traced the edges of the symbols, ancient and powerful.

The letters weren’t common. They were twisted, sharp, curling like serpents themselves. An ancient form of draconic writing, one that most men wouldn’t recognize. But Kael did it easily.

He narrowed his eyes, whispering slowly, "Σπηλαιοϲ του Δραϰοντα... Απαγορευεται..."

A moment passed. The message became clear in his mind:

"Here lies the resting of Ice Dragon Viserion.

Beware of trespassing or you will be dealt with severely."

Kael’s face went pale for a second.

"What?" he whispered.

His breath caught in his throat. He stumbled a step back.