soon as Bikros nodded understandingly at the Crown Prince's words, the happy child flew up to him and began whining:
- Me too! Me too! I'm with you!
Bikros, who had a soft spot for children, looked back at the others. Torture was not something a child should see.
The looks were completely skeptical, and only Eruhaben nodded his head. Dragons are not such weak creatures. Even children. He probably needed this to continue living peacefully.
Looking at the baby again, he nodded.
- Of course, whatever you say.
The child's joy knew no bounds. His wings fluttered and his tail moved from side to side. Well, at least he didn't jump or scream. His voice was surprisingly loud. Choi Han could vouch for that. His ear was still ringing.
After the plan of action had been generally drawn up, the Crown Prince addressed his comrades:
"I think we'll see Venion again in the capital. There may be other things that we can latch onto. If we're going to investigate Marquis Stan's actions, we need to know where to dig."
It was a logical conclusion, and everyone nodded.
Mary nodded along with the company, knowing that, being in the City of Death, she wouldn't be able to help them anyway.
Choi Han considered the justice of such actions for a moment, but quickly pushed the thought away. Venion Stan did not deserve an ounce of good treatment. He would answer for every second of the little dragon's suffering, if Choi Han had anything to say about it.
As soon as Alberu finished writing something down, he asked:
- I think we can continue?
Rosalyn answered him:
- I think you are right, Your Highness. We have nothing to add to this plan now.
After some discordant nods and attempts to seat the child somewhere above, a voice was heard, still indistinguishable, but now clearly calm:
-Then I'll turn on the next fragment.
And while the Black Dragon was settling into his chair and resting his head on the armrest, the wall melted away.
"Chapter 21-25. Paying for food"
- This seems to be quite a large fragment...
Choi Han and Locke tensed up when they saw the chapter titles. As payment for the food, Cale sent Choi Hane to get Rosalyn and Locke. The black dragon was saved. So, Choi Hane had to go after the people on the leaf. And while Rosalyne seemed to be out of danger, the assassination attempt had already happened, this did not apply to Locke.
He turned his cautious gaze to the teenager.
Although he looked a little scared, he was generally calm. He was completely focused on the screen, on which Cale and Choi Han appeared in the former's room early in the morning, apparently the next day.
- Kayle-nim. In a few days, we'll reach that city. Will that really be enough?
The time has almost come for Choi Han to pay Cale back in full, just as Cale said.
This also meant that Cale was getting closer to obtaining another Ancient Power. Originally in the novel, the son of the Marquis Stan family, who was undermined by Venion, found this Ancient Power, and it was supposed to happen in about a month. This was his last glimmer of hope, but unfortunately, this power was useless to him. He simply could not use it.
Choi Han, who had not forgotten to keep track of the "uselessness" of the Ancient Forces, frowned. And the familiar surname bothered him. The fact that Venion had undermined his brother did not make him a good person. Especially if these were normal educational practices in the family. Plus the words that Cale reminded Venion of his older brother.
Cale simply nodded casually to Choi Han and took the glass of cold water that Ron had prepared for him, and immediately remembered the words the servant had spoken earlier. The youth immediately felt the cold water flowing down his body.
"Young Master, it is not good to take such long walks at night. This old man was very worried about you."
-Ho-ho-ho...It seems that the other "I" guessed that this was not an easy walk.
Choi Han thought that this was probably the case. If Cale had returned normally, then he himself had managed to get covered in blood. The old butler couldn't help but feel it.
This made the young man's mind, even without the cold water, clear for some reason. Cale carefully put the water down and spoke to Choi Han:
- Did you take care of everything properly?
- Yes, Cale-nim.
After Choi Han brought Cale back to the hotel, he immediately returned to destroy the tracks and create a network of fake tracks heading west.
- Well done, Good Choi Han!
- Thank you, Dragon-nim.
- Meeeeeeee!
Cale looked at the kittens, who were eating in snatches, yawning constantly, and began to tell Choi Han about the city they would soon reach:
— The name of the next city is "Puzzle". This is the turning point of our journey.
While Cale was thinking about the territorial and economic layout of the Hanityuz lands and the degree to which this layout was related to the quality of the local roads, everyone was estimating their location relative to Puzzle City. It was now the largest geographical landmark for everyone.
"It took a while to get this far because our territory is surrounded by many mountains, but from here the road will be much easier and take much less time.
Puzzle City was not the middle of the road in terms of distance, but in terms of time.
- But, Cale-nim.
- What?
- On the way back I visited the Viscount's villa to check it out.
- AND?
Looking at Cale's calm face, Choi Han felt a slight sense of bitterness before he replied,
"They all seemed to be in chaos. There were soldiers and knights leaving the village. I'm sure they went to report what had happened."
After they came to their senses, people were probably sent to Venion and to investigate the area around the cave. However, it seems that it was not Choi Han's report.
- However...
- Just tell me already.
Cale began to frown as Choi Han paced around, but the latter still seemed worried and spoke slowly.
- Part of the secret path leading out of the cave was blown up. Even the trees, grass, earth and everything around were in complete disarray.
- And yet he has a very strange concept of the word "quiet."
Vitira shook her head.
*Splash*
The kittens dropped the pieces they had in their mouths at the time. However, Cale was still relaxed.
- I'm sure the Dragon did it.
Choi Han just stood there silently. Cale, seeing this, began to smile, then stood up from his seat.
Even if he was only four years old, the Dragon was still quite smart. He knew that someone might come through the same escape route and probably decided to blow it up. Since Dragons are also very sensitive to mana, this was probably done to destroy all magical tools in the area.
The said Dragon turned to his older comrade, seeking confirmation that he had done everything correctly.
Seeing the nod and laying his head back down, he felt his insides warm up. After so many years of insults and bullying, hearing compliments and seeing confirmation that he was right warmed the little Dragon's soul greatly.
— It's good enough that he didn't kill all the unconscious people. He probably held back because he's still young and still afraid.
- I see. I felt a strong amount of mana.
- Don't look down on the Dragon because he's small. You might regret it.
The Sword Master thought to himself that it would be very useful to receive such a warning before going to save the Dragon.And then it dawned on him that it was most likely the ignorance of this fact that helped "him" not to regard the wounded dragon with suspicion. His primary concern was protecting the red-haired aristocrat. And instead of viewing the Dragon as a potential threat, he saw him for exactly what he was. A child who needed to be saved.
Dragons were said to be large creatures, making the one they saved seem incredibly small. Cale again congratulated himself for leaving the Dragon behind instead of bringing it with him before asking Choi Han a question:
- You can go now. Are you going to sleep until we leave?
- No, I need to help Bikros.
- What? Bikros?
Cale gasped in shock and quickly asked:
- Oh, I guess you two are pretty close now?
At this moment, Cale saw Choi Han put on an impenetrable mask for the first time. He replied very sternly:
- No. We are not close at all.
- I... I see... Good.
- You shouldn't scare my Young Master so early in the morning.
Ron looked at Choi Han with a friendly smile, causing him to gulp.
He wanted to say that it wasn't him, and in general, that Young Master wasn't "his" Young Master, but he didn't. Cale was right, don't mess with the mentally ill.
Meanwhile, in the room, among the majority, one thought was wandering:
"Are you saying that only you can do this?"
And they'll probably have to adjust the unspoken rule of the room. They haven't considered options for action when the butler turns to you himself.
Cale responded with a similar expression on his face, and Choi Han bowed silently before leaving his room. Cale's next order caught up with Choi Han as he opened the door to leave.
- Ah, tell Hans to prepare the drinks.
- Again?
- Sorry?
Choi Han's eyes widened as he looked at Cale. He looked back and forth between Cale's relaxed expression and the clock that read seven in the morning. The boy chuckled as he asked him another question.
- Have you never heard of a hangover?
- So alcohol does affect him after all...
Choi Han had no choice but to remain silent, but Cale didn't care. Even He and Hong looked at him and seemed to ask if he would really start drinking at such an early hour, but the young man ignored them as well, looking in the mirror.
- What a wonderful expression...
- You have an extremely dubious sense of beauty, Young Master Cale.
His face looked very tired and still slightly drunk. Cale nodded in satisfaction before heading down to the first floor.
"As I expected."
Seven in the morning. It was still very early, but for some people the day had already begun. The vice-captain stood there, looking as if he hadn't even had a drink the night before, and was talking to someone.
Cale could see Choi Han nearby, who was tense. This was because the person the vice-captain was talking to was one of the knights that Choi Han had defeated yesterday. It would be normal to be tense in a situation like this.
Cale walked up to Choi Han and kicked him.
- Why are you so tense?
- Ah...
Choi Han instantly flinched at Cale's quiet whisper before smiling awkwardly and calmly replying,
"I thought I used enough power to keep them from fighting for about a day, but they started moving much earlier than I expected. I guess I thought the human body was much weaker than it actually is. I think I can use more power against humans in the future."
- So...v-vicious...
The Sword Master was looked at with shock in his eyes. And he didn't know what to do with himself. He wasn't really used to people's looks, and here it happened too often for his peace of mind.
Moreover, the spiritual face of his double did not help him either. He looked as if he had solved a great mystery. He himself, in the previous fragment, came to a similar conclusion, but did it much more calmly.
Cale turned away from Choi Han. Choi Han really fits the mold of a normal protagonist who would happily destroy everything in his path to justice. There were other beings who were beyond Cale's expectations.
He and Hong followed them down, the kittens had grins on their faces as they wagged their tails and looked at the knight, anyone could see that they were enjoying the situation.
"...Am I the biggest coward here?"
"You can't talk about cowardice. You still haven't escaped from your butler."
Eruhaben didn't even bother to remember that going into a guarded cave to save a dragon also takes a lot of courage, even if you have the Sword Master's protection. There were threats worse than a couple of knights.
While Cale praised the trading skills of the old man he had saved earlier, the action at the door and at the table was gaining momentum.
*Pong!*
The bottle of alcohol was opened with a refreshing sound, and Cale immediately poured himself a cup and grabbed it. His face turned red almost instantly. Cale purposefully closed his eyes and looked up from under his eyelashes at the vice-captain. The vice-captain was still talking to the other knight.
"From sober to drunk in 3 seconds. Ho-ho... Young master, when did I stop paying attention?"
- Yesterday we had a party, organized to relax after a long journey, while we are here. Everyone drank and relaxed. No one left the inn. But I still do not understand why anyone from the Viscount's estate would be interested in this.
The knight from the Marquis's estate seemed to introduce himself as someone from the Viscount's estate. The knight smiled at the Vice-Captain's suspicious look, but still answered with a serious expression:
- Yesterday, a thief appeared and broke into the Viscount's villa. A couple of other knights and I were on guard, but we still allowed the thief to take away several valuables. Having learned that people from the estate of Count Hanithuse were here in the village, we came to see if anything had been stolen from the descendant of the count.
"It's pouring! Well, I guess the thief who stole theDragon is still considered a thief."
The Black Dragon, who still thought that stealing was bad, turned around in shock and asked:
— Have I been kidnapped?
A crack appeared in his worldview.
After patting the child on the back, Eruhaben decided to explain, since although this could be considered a burglary or even an armed robbery, if we recall Choi Han at the entrance to the cave, it was still better not to traumatize the child:
- You weren't kidnapped. You were freed. That's a big difference.
The reassured cub nodded his head very importantly, causing smiles from those present.
Cale took a sip straight from the bottle, thinking about it. At that moment, he saw the knight who had been at the Viscount's villa yesterday looking at him:
- What are you staring at?
The knight immediately bowed and turned away. The vice-captain glanced awkwardly at Cale before letting out a mock cough and then answered confidently and loudly:
- Hm... Our Young Master drinks because his day goes better if he drinks in the morning. Besides, it's the best cure for a hangover. He's the type of person who drinks to cure his hangover from drinking too much yesterday.
Cale glared at the vice-captain because he couldn't tell if the vice-captain was making fun of him or making up an excuse, and then took another swig from the bottle.
Rosalyn and Vitira laughed at the Young Master's suffering. They were actually enjoying themselves more than they should have.
- I see. What an interesting Young Master.
The knight responded positively to the vice-captain's words before bowing respectfully to Cale.
"I suppose that should reduce their suspicion of us."
Cale felt that the knight of the Marquis, who had arrived at the inn since early morning, no longer had any reason to suspect them. The dragon had disappeared, and Cale's party was here, and although they were about to leave these lands, there was nothing to suspect them of.
The rest of Venion's subordinates would ponder over the six stars on the attackers' outfits, they seemed to belong to a certain organization, and there were also traces leading to the west. The most important thing, however, was that they would never think that someone like Cale, who was called a nobody, would do something like that.
His Highness, having calculated something in his head, nodded and said with satisfaction:
- That's really clever. And I think I understood what he meant by "quietly."
When all eyes turned to him, he continued:
— In fact, all the noise yesterday was what provided them with silence. The attack itself was unexpected. And given all the noise that was there, the guards paid even less attention to details. The dragon was saved. Not only was the village unharmed, but given the remoteness of the villa, the locals most likely don't even know that anything happened there. And thanks to Young Master Cale's unrivaled talent for pretending to be drunk, the knight, if he had thought to suspect them, abruptly changed his mind. It's unlikely that anyone would have suspected Cale himself, but his reputation as a drunken brawler actually covered for his escorts. The knight will most likely believe that those of the escort who weren't drinking were supposed to ensure that their master behaved more or less decently on foreign soil. So it really was a rather "quiet" rescue operation. After all, there are no questions for them.
- Well, if you look at it that way, then it is true.
Meanwhile, the action on the screen continued.
It was indeed good to be a nobody. Cale continued drinking with complete satisfaction.
"I'm sure Venion won't suspect us even after he finds out what happened."
Venion and Marquis Stan were probably the people who knew best that there was absolutely no relationship between Count Hanithuse and the secret organization. This was especially important when it came to the Dragon.
"It's good to know for sure."
Cale watched the knight leave the inn before drinking the lemon and honey tea Ron placed in front of him.
- Ron.
- Yes, Young Master?
- Honey tea does seem to be the best hangover cure.
- Really?
- Lemonade is much better suited for these purposes.
"We knew it!"
The next destination was the city of Puzzle. This was a city that was the center of transportation of goods to the east, and it was quite famous for the large number of stone towers around the city.
Cale was supposed to find an unfinished stone tower in Puzzle City.
— Are we resting today?
She tore off a piece of dried meat before asking Cale. The boy nodded.
- Yes, starting from today, we will be resting here for some time.
Cale had set a fairly tight schedule again. This was because he wanted to reach Puzzle City as quickly as possible. He turned away from the kittens, who were quietly whispering to each other, and looked out the carriage window.
"Living Heart".
This was the name of the Ancient Power that would strengthen his Indestructible Shield. It was a power that focused on restoring vitality.
Alberu picked up the piece of paper with the description of the Ancient Forces again and wrote down a new point.
"That's why the Marquis's eldest son was looking for her."
Taylor, the Marquis's eldest son who lost his position as heir. He was the only good man in the Marquis's family, but the lower half of his body was paralyzed due to Venion's set-up.
The list of Venion's crimes grew by leaps and bounds. The Crown Prince once again thought that he needed to conduct a thorough check. Venion was most likely not the only one. Even if the crimes of the others were not so serious.
Taylor dug through all sorts of texts to find the power that would heal him. In this process, he finds an ancient text in an old bookstore, and although it was difficult to decipher the ancient text, he manages to make out a few words after much hard work.
Restoration. Stone Tower.
These two things became the key for Taylor, who immediately went to Puzzle City, which was also known as the "Stone Tower City." He was probably in Puzzle City right now. In the novel, Taylor would find the Ancient Power in about a month.
"But it will be completely useless for him."
The Viable Heart could not restore an already injured organism. It could only restore any injuries sustained after the power was activated. There was also a limit to how much could be restored, and any restoration required a certain price.
Taylor fell into despair after learning this. He didn't have time, and this Ancient Power was his last hope. This was because Taylor didn't know when Venion would come to kill him.
"He will die within a month after he discovers the power."
Choi Han silently apologized for his previous prejudice against Taylor Stan. He also tried to imagine himself in his place.
The Dark Forest was hell for him. He lived in hope that someday he would get out of it. And when he saw the stone wall, he could not believe his happiness. When he walked along the wall, found the gate and saw people behind it, he was overcome by a feeling of unreal happiness and satisfaction, even though he, an outsider, was looked at with suspicion. All his efforts, decades of trying to become stronger, all of it paid off.
But what if the same forest had been behind the gates? Would he have lost hope completely?
Perhaps if Taylor doesn't find the Ancient Power, he'll have a better chance of surviving.
Taylor ended up dying from the actions of a secret organization, this happened during the chaos that erupted in the capital during the terrorist attack. Of course, Venion was responsible for sending the organization to Taylor.
Bikros added a couple more things to the existing list of items he wanted to test on Venion. Experimental.
The reason Cale remembered this minor character, who seemed to have an even smaller role than the original Cale in the novel, was because Taylor had a strong friendship with one person.
The Mad Priestess. She was Taylor's friend and the only person to survive Taylor's murder. She killed half the assassins in a fit of rage, and would eventually be excommunicated from the temple. The Priestess would end up with a severe back injury from the incident, and would confidently tell the temple what she had done.
"I acted as a human being, not at the behest of a master. I believe it was right."
Then she continued:
"Now I'm free!"
It was then that she began to be called the "Mad Priestess". Her specialty was using the power of the God of Death to curse. The Temple excommunicated her, but the God did not turn away from the priestess.
The adults raised their eyebrows in surprise. The gods usually did not single out their priests.
When the war broke out in the novel, she became famous, although she was not a hero. And all because the priestess helped heal the wounded.
"I think this time it will be different."
There was a good chance that Taylor wouldn't die in a month. Venion was going to cover up the Dragon incident, so he had to suck up to the Marquis. He would probably need to focus on his younger siblings instead of his paralyzed older brother to maintain his status as the Marquis's heir.
"If everything goes according to plan, Young Master Taylor won't be in any danger at all."
Everyone nodded. It's always nice when there's a clear example of how your actions saved someone.
If there was anything that was bothering Choi Han deep down, it was now completely at peace.
"And since I'm going to take away Taylor's last hope, I'm going to have to give him new hope."
— Does he know how to cure Mr. Taylor's injury?
Rosalyn couldn't help but be surprised. Even with magic, this was very, very difficult.
The Crown Prince began to suspect something.
While the Living Heart was an Ancient Power that Taylor had no use for, Cale wasn't such a bad guy that he would take away his last hope.sword master quietly added another plus to Cale's piggy bank. He was diligent. He hadn't forgotten.
Cale was also curious to see what this combination of Taylor and the Mad Priestess could achieve if they managed to live longer. He thought that these two could change the Marquis' family. If that could happen, it would be better for Cale in the long run.
Bikros thought about it:
"From what we've heard, Young Master Taylor is quite a determined person. If he has the motivation, he can really achieve a lot if he survives."
And with them he will survive.
However, what he suddenly thought of made Cale freeze with a tense expression on his face.
"Even Bikros could fight under her curse, couldn't he?"
When Cale thought about what a battle would be like between a torture expert like Bikros and the Mad Priestess, he immediately stopped thinking about her. He decided to stop thinking about the kind and noble nobleman Taylor.
Bikros was very interested to meet this Crazy Priestess. She sounded like a very interesting person.
And they had a great purpose for practicing curses.
"They have nothing to do with me."
These people were completely different from Cale. They were good people who were loyal to each other and trusted each other. Cale would have chosen Ron or Bikros over one of those people.
"... No, how can I allow such terrible thoughts?"
Cale quickly stopped thinking about Ron and Bikros.
- Aiya...Young Master, your words hurt this servant worse than any curse.
Although judging by his smile, it looks like he's dropped ten years.
At that moment, the young man looked down, feeling someone tapping his leg. He saw the kittens' golden eyes shining. After he paid attention to them, the kittens spoke:
— I heard from Hans before...
- Hans said...
The Whale Princess and the Princess of the Breck Kingdom immediately went into cooing mode:
- What lovely children!
- I feel bad, help me.
— Would you like some lemonade?
—…
—…N-no..Thank you very much, Mr. Ron.
Hans still didn't know that the kittens were Cat Tribe, and he kept saying all sorts of things in front of them. The kittens seemed to want to tell Cale something they had heard from Hans.
"A perfect disguise. And I'll have to tell Hans to keep his mouth shut if we ever meet. I taught him better than that."
- What then?
The siblings seemed to have gotten used to Cale's rough voice, because they spoke calmly:
- If you make a wish on the stone tower, it will come true.
- He said that the stone towers were very good.
- I want to go, but it's okay if it's too much trouble.
- I want to go with you, but it's okay if it's too difficult.
Cale stared blankly at the fussing kittens before asking indifferently,
- What wishes would you like to make?
Hong smoothed his fur, now looking healthier and stronger thanks to the excellent care Hans had taken of them, and cried out in excitement:
- Everyone. Including my new little brother...
— Must be free!
Cale immediately began to ignore the kittens and turned away from them. The carriage stopped at that moment. They had arrived at their lodging for the evening.
The Black Dragon looked at this with a strange look. On the one hand, the Strange Man was right. He himself had told him that Dragons should live freely. And that "he" clearly treated people worse than he did. On the other hand, he felt a little sad for his other "I". The Strange Man was smart. And the cats were very cute. He had never seen cats.
- This is so damn cute!
— By the way. They say that cats love those who ignore them the most.
- Really? I haven't heard about it! I'll keep that in mind.
Why Vitira needed to know this if she lived in the ocean, no one understood, but the God of Death told them to study, so she studies. Even if it's just little things.
While Choi Han was wondering whether this statement also applied to the seals, the procession had already arrived somewhere, set up camp and went to bed.
The next morning.
- Young Master.
- ... What is this?
Cale stared at the dead deer that was on the edge of their camp. It had apparently been killed recently. Hans informed Cale, who was still staring at the deer.
- Someone left it here in our camp.
Hans pointed to a spot near the deer. Cale looked at the spot too. There was a drawing of a fork and knife on the ground.
It seemed as if someone had left a deer there to be eaten. A thought suddenly occurred to Kayla... He then looked at his companions. The brother and sister were sitting in Choi Han's arms, and Choi Han himself continued to smile as he looked at the young man.
- They conspired against their lord...
This brought another burst of laughter from the women's side of the table.
Choi Han covered his face with his hands. But even he admitted that this was probably true.
"...I have a bad feeling about this."
He had a very bad feeling.
The man who could speak but could not write left a deer for them.
Moreover, this was a person that Choi Han, who was in charge of guarding the camp last night, clearly knew and knew that he was there, but pretended not to notice.
"... I have a bad feeling that literally screams that it was the Dragon."
The black baby raised his head again.
- I?
He turned his head to look at Choi Han, On and Hong who were still looking at him and warned them seriously:
- We're going to pretend we don't know anything.
- Meowoooo!
- Meow!
- Stupid Strange Man!
The siblings seemed to be mocking him, but Cale pretended not to understand. Still, new ingredients were delivered to them every day when Cale and his party camped outside. Wild pigs, rabbits, all kinds of fruit. Cale was now completely sure that the Dragon was following him.
The dragon child could not understand why his other self not only followed the man, but also tried to feed him. He knew that this man was interesting, but his double did not know this.
He had only one working assumption. He turned to Eruhaben:
- Goldie, uncle!
- Yes, baby?
- I'm not a baby!
- And I'm not Goldie's uncle. I'm Eruhaben.
Puffing out his cheeks with indignation, but suppressing it, the Black Dragon still asked his question:
— Do they add bread to the highest quality healing potion?
Everyone looked at the Dragon with extreme surprise. Where did he get that idea from?
But deciding that this was just childish curiosity that had nothing to do with what was happening, the Ancient Dragon graciously replied;
No. Bread is not included in healing potions. Regardless of their quality.
The youngest of those present seemed to be thinking about something even more deeply.
While the Dragon was pondering the strange behavior of himself in another world, Cale arrived in Puzzle.