Chapter 182 – Dragon (2)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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…What?

‘Something terrible happened to Hon?’

I stared blankly at my phone for a moment. Then I left the dormitory at once and headed to Choi Seol-ah’s place.

The Hoakin instructor residential block.

I knocked on Choi Seol-ah’s door. It felt as though I could sense some sort of movement from inside, but there was no response.

I pressed the doorbell. It was still quiet.

‘I’m forcing the door open and going in.’

I always carry a master key with me. Something on the level of a door lock’s security was insignificant.

Sreureung.

The instant I drew out a sashimi knife, the sound of stumbling chaos rang out from inside.

Then the door flew open with a bang. Choi Seol-ah sprang out at once, looking flustered.

“M-my liege! Wh-what brings you here!”

“You said something happened to Hon, so I came straight away. No more preamble, what happened? Did someone find out you were raising a dragon nearby? I warned you over and over to be careful.”

“N-no. It’s absolutely nothing like that! It’s just……”

Choi Seol-ah trailed off. I grabbed the door, which she had only opened about a handspan, and yanked it wide.

“Aghk!”

Choi Seol-ah, who fell flat on her backside, hit the floor. Stepping past her, I immediately entered the room.

“Wait just a moment, my liege! I have privacy too!”

“Get lost.”

I was about to look around the room while ignoring her plea. Then it happened.

A presence from the kitchen side. Still wearing my shoes, I strode straight into the kitchen.

“……?”

The first thing that met my eyes was the kitchen, all messed up. Then I discovered Hon, sitting on the floor with a chair standing perfectly fine right beside her.

The sight of her chewing on a sausage. My expression turned strange. Hon, whose eyes met mine, sprang up to her feet.

“Eh, eh? Why are yooou here?”

I manifested the Blessing of Communication.

And began speaking with the dragon, who had little bits of meat stuck all around her mouth.

Tasty?

“……”

Nod… nod……

* * *

Dragons were portrayed, wherever one went, as overwhelmingly powerful and mysterious beings.

Benevolent existences who bestow blessings upon humans, or lend their backs to the protagonist and weave legends.

Or unknown creatures described as beasts of calamity that bring about ruin. That was what dragons were.

Then in this world, built on the framework of Miracle’s Blessing M, which of those two camps did they belong to, good or evil?

On that point, there was no choice but to give an ambiguous answer.

To begin with the conclusion, dragons were classified as part of the demon race.

It wasn’t difficult to understand why. Their home was in the Demon Realm.

However, it was too much to flatly assert from that one fact alone that `dragons are enemies of humanity!`

Because there had been almost no cases of people actually being harmed by them.

There were even rumors that if they happened to come across a human, they would simply pass by pretending not to have seen them.

A member of the demon race without aggression. In that respect, they showed a clear difference from other demons, who killed humans without much thought.

‘There’s a reason those pigs who participated in the auction had no fear of trying to take in a dragon.’

To begin with, dragons were extremely few in number and disliked exposing themselves.

They simply lived their own lived in leisurely peace.

A truly powerful being had no need to deliberately show off its majesty.

Even during the First Great War between humans and demons seven hundred years ago, they had not gotten involved.

They merely observed the war from afar.

There was even an opinion in some circles that the reason they lacked aggression was because they were simply too overwhelmingly powerful.

With no force out there capable of threatening them, there would be no need for them to assert their strength.

But the whole world knew this.

That they were by no means a species that was only peaceful.

That was something the Legion Commanders certainly understood as well.

Each Legion Commander was a transcendent being.

And yet dragons gathered on a racial level were comparable even to them.

If those two forces were to collide, the result would be mutual annihilation.

Thus the Legion Commanders never approached the dragons’ territory.

And as if in response, even while the Demon Realm fell under the control of the Legion Commanders, the dragons merely stayed silent.

That was how a kind of natural nonaggression pact had formed between the two sides.

However, the end of that uneasy coexistence was slowly approaching.

Another Great War between humans and demons, set to break out three years from now.

It was because no one knew which side the dragons would join.

It had been the same back when I was playing. If Leon built up goodwill with them, the dragons would lend their strength to humanity.

In the opposite case, the outcome was obvious. They would turn against humanity and join the Demon King.

Or there was also the possibility that they would simply stand by like they had seven hundred years ago.

Whether the dragons would stand with the demons or with humanity in the future, no one knew. Not even the dragons themselves.

However, the uncertainty alone made it obvious that they would overturn the balance of the war.

* * *

“…So the terrible thing is just that the food bills got high? Are you kidding me?”

When I frowned, Choi Seol-ah quickly thrust out a receipt. With a miserable face, she insisted:

“It’s not just `high!` Look at this. The money that got sucked into that dragon-ear brat’s stomach in just one week!”

One million won……

It certainly was a lot. And not a bit of greens either, just meat all the way down.

I turned my head toward Hon. She was hanging her face low like a criminal. Looking at her, I felt a strange twinge of sympathy.

I turned my head back and looked at Choi Seol-ah. As my brow furrowed, she flinched.

‘Penny-pinching over food, huh.’

If she had been poor, then fine, that would be one thing. But Choi Seol-ah was overflowing with money. All of it dirty black money, at that.

And a person like that couldn’t even buy this much for a hungry kid? Compared to burning three billion won at the auction house, money spent on food was much better.

If you had the means and still skimp on food, you just look petty.

‘Of course, spending a million won in one week is impressive in its own way……’

Hon was a dragon. Right now she looked like a slim human girl, but her true nature was a magical beast that floated across the sky.

If anything, this was a rather small amount for a dragon. If Hon had really put her mind to it, an entire supermarket meat section would have vanished.

A dragon’s appetite was commonly compared to that of an elephant.

Before long, I let out a sigh. I was in no position to scold Choi Seol-ah too much.

She might complain plenty, but in any case she was still looking after Hon for me. And……

Overall, Hon’s condition had become much better. The flesh that had come back to her sunken cheeks and the great improvement in her hair quality reflected her nutritional state.

She might whine, but it looked like Choi Seol-ah had in fact been taking pretty decent care of her. Throwing her one carrot in return wouldn’t be such a problem, would it.

I said to Choi Seol-ah:

“I know you’ve been working hard. To be honest, it can’t be easy looking after a kid when you can barely even communicate with her.”

“M-my liege is… praising me?”

A spark of life entered Choi Seol-ah’s gloomy eyes. I kept praising her.

“You even bought her new clothes.”

“How did you know that?!”

“The tag is dangling right there. Take it off already. Anyway, I get that you’ve spent a lot of money on one thing and another. But it’s not like I’m telling you to keep her for life. At most it’ll be one month. After that, I’ll take responsibility and figure something out somehow. Until then, keep doing it like you are now.”

“Yup, understood!”

A bright smile spread across Choi Seol-ah’s face. Seeing her smiling like that made her look awfully annoying. Maybe it was just because she had that kind of face to begin with.

“And I told you to call her Hon, didn’t I? Why do you keep calling her dragon-ear brat instead of using her good name? You don’t insult people over what they look like, that’s childish. How would you feel if someone called you Teletubby? Use her name from now on.”

“Hehe, yep!”

Just a few minutes ago she’d been whining her head off, and now with a single compliment she was all smiles.

‘Simple, or stupid.’

I considered giving her the stick next, then gave up. She’d gotten motivated, so she would probably treat Hon even better from now on. That was enough.

I walked over to Hon and sat down in front of her. This was a chance to continue the conversation we’d been unable to finish.

A clue about the fourth fragment. The status window had said I’d be able to learn it through Hon.

Hon, you could lift your head now.

“Yeees……”

Since I was still manifesting the Blessing of Communication, I spoke without any filter.

I gave her a proper scolding, so don’t feel burdened and just eat. If she says anything again, tell me directly. If that happens, I won’t stop with words next time. She tends not to listen now and then, but if you hit her at those times, she listens.

At my completely serious words, Hon finally covered her mouth and started to giggle. On the other hand, Choi Seol-ah tilted her head with a baffled expression.

Talking behind someone’s back while they’re standing right there in front of you was fun in its own way.

About what you said before, `you’ve come back.` You still didn’t remember anything about that?

“No, to be honest, those words just came out unconsciously at the time. But I do remember how I felt then! How should I put it. It felt incredibly wistful, I guess?”

That aside. I’ve been curious about this from before. Dragons are supposed to stay only in the Demon Realm, so how did you end up coming to the human world in the first place? You would’ve had to pass through the Gehenna Gate.

Hon nodded and answered:

“Ah, so you didn’t know. We dragons can cross the Gehenna Gate whenever we want!”

…Dragons could? Why?

I didn’t show it outright, but I couldn’t help being deeply surprised.

Dragons were among the strongest beings in the world. And yet those dragons could move freely between the Demon Realm and the human world.

Put differently, humanity was exposed to the threat of dragons at all times. Without even knowing it.

“Seven hundred years ago, our clan leader made an agreement with the Hero of Origin. On the condition that we would not take part in the First Great War between humans and demons.”

It was a wise judgment. No matter how much of a monster the Hero of Origin had been, even he would never have been able to handle a demon side that also had dragons.

Hon continued:

“Our side accepted that proposal, and we became the only species allowed to pass through the gate.”

This was only possible because dragons were a neutral-leaning race. It was also a moment where one could glimpse Balor Hoakin’s intent.

The resolve not to turn dragons into enemies, even while taking on that risk.

“Of course, because our power is greatly reduced compared to the Demon Realm, in the human world we have to borrow human forms instead. Not completely though, so we do still have to be careful with our behavior.”

Ah, so that was how dragon-brat had become pointy-ears. Understood.

So I get how you came to the human world. Then what about the kidnapping?

Hon’s body suddenly twisted like a pretzel. With her head drooping low, she answered as though squeezing the words out:

“…They said they’d give me food if I came with them, so I followed them, and then……”

“…….”

To think she’d fall for such an old trick that even a preschooler wouldn’t fall for. It was the moment my illusions about dragons, creatures of fantasy, shattered.

“I-it was because I’d gone hungry for two whole days back then! I-I’m not some foolish dragon who just goes along all dazed like that!”

As if embarrassed, Hon hurriedly waved her hands. It was the textbook attitude of someone with a guilty conscience.

`…All right.` Then lastly, what business did you have in the human world? Even if you could travel back and forth freely, it’s not like you came here for a stroll. From what you’re saying, it sounds like the dragon side had procedures of its own too.

“That is.”

Hon’s expression hardened like a sheet of ice. She opened her mouth heavily.

“I came here to personally destroy my younger brother, Basilisk, who has fallen into corruption.”

At that moment.

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[NEW! Sudden quest generated.]

Try defeating the Corrupt Snake, Basilisk, together with Hontail!

[※ You can obtain the fourth memory fragment of 【???】. Total obtained so far (3/7)]

[※ Additional reward – Fallen Dragon Mana Stone.]

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