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Chapter 6
In this world, there were only about thirty dragons in existence, and Ishid was the youngest among them—yet also the Black Dragon born with the strongest power.
Unlike humans, who had a lifespan of about a hundred years, Ishid had a lifespan close to eternity from a human perspective.
Even five hundred years, long enough for all his friends to have already returned to nature, was only a small part of Ishid’s life.
So it was only natural that I was looking for Ishid.
He was the only friend I had left in this world, having been dropped alone into a future five hundred years later.
But even a wind spirit, skilled in tracking, had failed to find even a trace of Ishid for years.
There was only one meaning to that.
Ishid was hiding his own location.
And when a dragon hides its presence for such a long time, it is usually because it has fallen asleep.
“…What is this, sleeping for fifty years or something?”
In the end, I tucked the unfinished book under my arm and stood up with a sigh.
Even if I couldn’t find Ishid’s whereabouts like this, there was still a way to meet him.
I had made some kind of promise with Kael, who would have become emperor after I died. Ishid, who became the empire’s guardian dragon, was said to appear every fifty years and circle above the empire.
It was clearly an act of marking territory, while also strengthening the faint protective barrier surrounding the empire.
‘You acted like you wouldn’t do it to the end…’
They said he had never once missed it so far, so I would be able to see Ishid when that cycle came.
However, the important fact was that there were still twelve years left until that fifty-year cycle.
“That’s way too long…”
I was sighing as I left the library when—
“What’s long?”
A low voice dropped from beside me.
“Eek!”
Startled, I jumped up in shock.
Clutching my chest, I turned my head, and Kizef, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened up.
“…Kizef hyung?”
“Sorry. I didn’t think you’d be this surprised.”
“I was just thinking about something for a moment… But why are you here? Were you going to the library?”
As I quickly regained myself and fired off questions, Kizef gave a small laugh.
“I came because I heard you were here, Lowell.”
“You came looking for me?”
“I came to ask if you wanted to read together after a long time, but it looks like you were just coming out.”
“Ah…”
Unlike Berner, who hated books, Kizef enjoyed reading. Before he went to the academy, we used to read together often.
Kizef was a kind older brother and a fairly good conversation partner.
Berner sometimes complained that it was unfair… but whenever I asked if he wanted to read together, he always made a disgusted face.
It was strange. He could read complex magical books full of difficult formulas just fine.
“If you have time, want to take a walk?”
Before I could suggest going back inside, Kizef spoke first.
“A walk?”
“The weather’s nice. And I also wanted to spend some time with my younger sibling after not seeing you for a few months.”
“Okay!”
I agreed without hesitation.
Walking was part of my daily routine that I never skipped.
As a spirit user, I naturally liked nature, and the Valentine dukedom’s garden—designed with minimal artificial elements—was perfect for my taste.
Of course, I also agreed because I liked spending time with Kizef.
“That book—should I take it for you? I’ll have it sent to your room.”
“The book? Ah, this…”
I looked down at Allen’s memoir for a moment, then casually handed it to Kizef.
I hadn’t decided yet whether I would read it.
If I kept it with me, I might decide eventually.
For a brief moment, Kizef’s eyes brushed over the book cover, but I didn’t notice.
We left the main building through the side exit near the library entrance and walked toward the garden.
The Valentine mansion was the largest estate in the capital, aside from the imperial palace.
It was said that it was granted to the family for their great contributions at the founding of the empire, meaning it had nearly a thousand years of history.
‘Thinking this was Jin’s house makes me feel a little strange…’
After being reborn as a distant descendant of Jin, I almost felt relieved that I never ended up accepting Jin’s invitation in the past.
If I had come to the Valentine mansion back then, I would have seen too many memories in every corner of the house.
“Lowell, what are you thinking so deeply about?”
“Hmm? Ah, it’s nothing…”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. By the way, I heard my little brother said he’d spar with you. Did you see him?”
I changed the subject and asked casually.
Kizef, who had been making a slightly odd expression, shook his head.
“No. I had something to talk about with Father, so I was on the third floor until just now.”
“Ah…”
Then Berner was probably in knight training right now. He said he was going to test a newly improved spell…
I glanced toward the back of the main building, where the knights trained, then looked back at Kizef.
“Hey, hyung. Is academy studying hard?”
“Hm… objectively speaking, it’s on the difficult side.”
“And for you?”
Kizef thought for about three seconds.
“Average. Neither easy nor hard.”
His tone was calm, without any pride or boasting.
If Berner heard that, he would probably sulk and make a face.
Just imagining it made me laugh.
“Are you interested in the academy?”
“No, not really. I was just wondering if Berner hyung could graduate early. Honestly, our oldest brother is super smart, but early graduation is still really hard…”
“Haha. If Berner heard that, his pride would be hurt.”
“…Ah. Then please keep it a secret from him.”
“Alright. It’ll be our secret.”
When I smiled brightly, Kizef gently adjusted his grip on my hand.
As walks usually went, we strolled through the garden without a fixed destination, following wherever our feet led.
Then a black bird cut across the sky above us.
Watching its path disappear quickly from view, I spoke without thinking.
“Hey, hyung. About the guardian dragon…”
“The Black Dragon Ishid?”
“Yeah. They say the black dragon appears every fifty years. There are still twelve years left until the next cycle.”
“Right.”
“…Do you think he could appear sooner?”
I asked casually, pretending it was just curiosity.
Kizef thought for a moment before answering.
“Highly unlikely. The guardian dragon always appeared on different days, but the fifty-year cycle itself was always maintained.”
“Ah…”
I already knew that asking Kizef wouldn’t give me any useful answers. I had just asked out of frustration, hoping there might be another way if I couldn’t find Ishid’s traces.
But hearing such a negative answer still made my mood sink.
“You suddenly lost your energy. Do you really want to see the guardian dragon that much?”
“Yeah, well… I guess it’s just interesting…”
I nodded vaguely, and Kizef let out a small chuckle.
“Come to think of it, Lowell, you’ve always been interested in guardian dragons since you were little.”
“…Me?”
“Even when reading fairy tales, whenever the black dragon appeared, you would stare at that page for a long time. And if you liked a book, you’d keep it by your bed and touch it until the pages wore out.”
“Uh…”
That’s because that black dragon was Ishid…
“And Berner even said you seemed to like the black dragon more than him. He even cried once.”
As I listened to Kizef, memories slowly surfaced one by one.
I averted my gaze slightly and muttered,
“I don’t remember that…”
“You were about two years old.”
Two years old.
I had barely accepted the fact that I was reincarnated, but I was still unable to fully leave my past behind, lingering in memories of a time already gone.
“…I actually remember some of it.”
“What do you remember?”
“The black dragon toy my brothers made for me… and my father wearing a black dragon costume while my mother cast illusion magic…”
Each of those memories was one of the reasons I decided I had to live in the present instead of sinking into the past.
Whenever I thought about that time, I still felt sorry toward my family.
Especially toward my mother, Yuneus, who had received so much love from me before I left them too soon.
As I murmured, Kizef gave a soft laugh.
“Our youngest has a good memory.”
“I don’t remember everything. Just a few things.”
“Still.”
We walked a few more steps.
Then Kizef suddenly spoke.
“The first time I saw you…”
“Hmm? Me?”
“You were just born, in Mother’s arms. I thought you were a fairy.”
It was a sudden remark.
If he was talking about when I was first born…
“Of course, your skin was red and wrinkled, so objectively you looked kind of strange… but still, you were so beautiful.”
“Wrinkled… strange…”
I had seen newborns a few times back in my old life, so I knew Kizef wasn’t lying.
Newborn babies were adorable in their own way, but objectively, they weren’t exactly “beautiful.”
‘Even so… I guess I should say thank you for seeing me that way…’
I must have made a slightly awkward expression without realizing it, because Kizef, watching me, laughed lightly.
