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chapter 33
The dragon rolled its eyes and looked at me.
“If Carseira had seen me like this, she would have surely hated it. I’m supposed to be a strong, majestic dragon.”
“Still, it was the right choice. Because you gave up your magic, you were able to meet your master safely.”
“That’s true. If I had gone berserk, the monsters in the mountain range would have lost their minds too and rampaged… and then… then my master would have lost an arm because of me…”
Tears welled up in the dragon’s big round eyes.
Seeing the dragon on the verge of crying, I reached out and picked up its small body, awkwardly stroking its back.
So that little creature was the cause of all the chaos in the original story.
Still, it was fortunate in every way. You didn’t go berserk, so you survived, and Arban didn’t lose his arm and was safe.
“Don’t cry. That won’t happen anymore. Your master is standing right here, safe and sound.”
I even turned the dragon’s body so it could clearly see Arban.
The dragon looked at Arban with teary eyes and said,
“Even though I’ve become small, if I’m next to a human like this, I can recover quickly.”
Arban opened his mouth.
“So you gave up your magic and became smaller… does that mean you lost all your power?”
That was an unbearably cold question.
‘…Now isn’t the time to ask what you’re curious about, you cold-hearted man! You should comfort him!’
Still, the dragon obediently nodded and replied.
“Yes… but I still have some divine power left, so I’m not completely useless. I lost quite a lot of it when I gave up my magic though…”
“Why did you lose your divine power as well?”
“I originally only intended to give up magic, but while asleep, it was hard to control… so some of the divine power left too…”
The dragon no longer sniffled, but it kept glancing at Arban sadly. I shot him a sharp look out of pity.
Receiving my glare, Arban glanced away briefly and fell silent.
I forced a smile and tried to distract the dragon with a question.
“You said this mountain range is unstable due to excessive magic. But you’ll be leaving with us, right? So what happens to this place?”
“It’ll be fine. I stayed here for a long time and absorbed magic, so it’s mostly stabilized now. Before, the area was unstable, and earthquakes happened often, but nowadays, it’s much less frequent.”
“Earthquakes happen here often?”
“Yes, a small one caused a landslide recently.”
So this area really was dangerous.
‘No wonder the duke was late to his appointment with Arban—there must have been a landslide somewhere around the Esit Mountains.’
“When I first settled here, it was really severe. I never imagined an earthquake strong enough to destroy a temple while I was asleep…”
“….”
“If I had seen that future, I wouldn’t have come here in the first place. Sigh.”
Seeing the dragon sigh as if the earth itself were heavy, I stayed quiet for a moment.
Unsure what to say, I forced an awkward laugh and spoke to Arban.
“Haha… I see. Ah! Your Excellency, we agreed to keep the existence of the Holy Sword secret. How should we take the dragon out?”
I realized that this was more important than the dragon’s feelings.
Taking the dragon, which would draw attention by itself, would spread rumors in an instant.
“Hmm, can you hide your form?”
The dragon still glanced nervously at Arban before answering.
“I could, normally… but I don’t have enough magic now to use any spells.”
“….”
Arban fell silent, seemingly deep in thought, at the dragon’s timid reply.
“…And my name is Yullen!”
Reacting to Arban’s attitude, the dragon finally introduced itself.
Still in my arms, it tilted its head upward to meet my eyes, so I introduced myself too.
“Yullen? Alright, I’m Rieli Robel. You can call me Rieli.”
“Okay, Rieli!”
It seemed like this small friend’s emotions changed rapidly.
During the introductions, I glared at the one person who hadn’t said a word.
This one is paired with the Holy Sword—you better get along with him!
Under my silent pressure, the previously tight-lipped Arban finally spoke.
“…I’m Arban Kanellwell.”
Yullen, the dragon, cocked its head at the name ‘Kanellwell,’ then nodded and said,
“Even though I look like this now, if I absorb magic near Rieli, I’ll regain my strength and be able to help my master.”
“Oh, does that mean your magic will recharge if you’re next to me?”
“Yes. Normally, magic regenerates on its own, but the magic you absorbed was inside the Dragon Heart, so it’s different from human magic or ambient magic.”
Yullen wagged its tail and snuggled closer into my arms.
“If I stay close to you, I can quickly absorb more magic thanks to the magic you hold.”
It looked as if it would purr happily if I scratched its chin.
‘In other words, it’s a human magic charger.’
“Because you absorbed my magic, it’s mixed with Rieli’s own magic… but I like the scent.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You’re the first human I like besides my master.”
Yullen acted exactly like Deokchun, a dog-cat my friend had raised.
Deokchun was adorable… I visited their house just to see him.
The old nostalgia made my hands move instinctively to stroke Yullen like I used to with Deokchun.
“Since it’s not good for your dragon form to be seen, we should go upstairs and dismiss the knights first.”
Arban, usually expressionless, seemed displeased with the situation, giving off a slightly different vibe.
But why was he upset? Isn’t having a dragon an advantage?
Even if it’s powerless now, it’s a strong ally later. It could also earn immense support from the empire as a war hero.
“That’s true… but if Yullen is with us, won’t it be hard to keep the Holy Sword a secret?”
“Even if it’s difficult, we must keep it hidden.”
“….”
“If the royal family finds out about the dragon, what do you think they’d do?”
Arban frowned slightly, brushing back his bangs, troubled just imagining it.
“They’d try to take Yullen… yes, the royal family would want to take him.”
I’d been thinking too optimistically. Now it was obvious.
The Holy Sword and dragon, lost for hundreds of years, had been discovered.
Originally, I just wanted to care for Amone at home after finding the sword, never thinking about other problems.
In the original story, the Holy Sword was merely symbolic.
‘Perhaps that’s why the emperor never tried to retrieve it in the original story…’
No, given the current situation, it’s clear that’s the reason.
“Hmm? Why? We’re going to the palace, aren’t we? Can’t we go?”
Seeing Arban and I both confused, Yullen tilted his head repeatedly, clearly not understanding the problem.
That innocent face left me speechless.
Why is he so sure he’s going to the palace?
“You didn’t assume you’d go to the palace just because you were with the first emperor, did you?”
“…Well, yes?”
“You can’t go to the palace with your master.”
“Why? My master is royalty too. Why can’t we go?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“….”
“You said your master is royalty! So why can’t you go to the palace?”
Yullen poked my arm impatiently, pouting.
I instinctively glanced at Arban—he had a subtle expression—and alternating looks between them left me feeling strange.
‘I didn’t mishear, did I?’
I asked Arban in disbelief.
“Your Excellency, are you royalty?”
“Yes. My bloodline is royal. The late Grand Duke Kanellwell was the full brother of the current emperor.”
“….”
That was a setting never mentioned in the original story.
‘Why does this original story keep revealing hidden details no matter how much I read!’
Judging by his gaze, it seemed like a fact any noble would know.
‘Right. All other nobles would know, only I didn’t…’
It was maddening.
“Since I’ve mostly stayed at home, I didn’t know any of this information.”
Trying to brush it off with my secluded lifestyle, Arban caught me off guard.
“To have accurately traced the Holy Sword’s location and come here, and yet claim no information…”
I wanted to immediately shut Arban’s mouth.
Why are you acting like this? You’re not that type of character! Let’s just move on…
I awkwardly smiled and changed the subject.
“Ha… ha, haha. Well, that’s due to circumstances… Anyway, Yullen, how did you know my master is royal?”
Tell me quickly, save me from this awkward topic, Yullen.
Fortunately, Yullen answered willingly.
“Only Carseira’s descendants can wield the Holy Sword. Ordinary humans can’t even touch it.”
So the first emperor’s name must have been Carseira.
Wait… didn’t I just…
“…I touched the sword earlier when I thought you were a statue?”
