235
Bbung Bbung
‘That dragon cub dares to eat my garlic…’
My hands trembled involuntarily at the pungent smell of garlic that filled the cave.
I figured out through rational reasoning that BbungBbung was a garlic thief, but I was dumbfounded when I came across BbungBbung filled with the smell of garlic.
Are you saying that dragons eat garlic because they have nothing else to eat?
Not just one, but all of the garlic I planted. If I had left even a little bit, I wouldn’t be this angry.
He even ate all the garlic and planted a tree on top of it to mock it. He slept peacefully, the smell of garlic filling the air.
Bbung-Bbung let out a small breath. Then, the pungent smell wafted out, and strength was automatically applied to the club.
but-.
‘Why is this kid so docile?’
BbungBbung was watching me with his tail curled up and his head bowed. His appearance was just like a dog that had been in an accident.
Even though it was a baby dragon, it was still a dragon. It was four times the size of a wyvern, and its presence radiated even when it was still.
But what a cowardly sight-.
‘Did you feel it instinctively?’
I felt like I could sense the difference because unlike last time, he didn’t rebel. In fact, when I saw Bongbong, I also felt that he was younger than I thought.
But that doesn’t mean we can be at ease. The dragon was famous for its intelligence. It could have caused an accident and acted.
Earlier, when there was a small gap, he tried to jump out but got hit in the head and woke up.
Even now, he was avoiding my gaze and kept glancing sideways at the passageway. It was clear that he had not yet come to his senses.
“garlic.”
I said, pointing my club at the guy.
“······Good day!”
Let’s speak softly, the guy flapped his wings. The movement was so big that a small breeze blew. He seemed to know that his actions were wrong.
“Why did you eat it?”
He raised his club, positioning himself so that he could strike the bastard in the head at any moment.
The guy’s eyes grew huge when he saw him. The reptilian-like, slit-shaped pupils slid wide from side to side.
“Ugh… Ugh…?”
The guy tilted his head and made a strange noise. Why is he suddenly pretending to be awkward?
Bam-.
The guy’s head went down with a cool sound of impact. The guy’s head shook as if he wasn’t used to being hit. It seemed like he couldn’t believe that he had been hit.
The bastard looked down at me with his head tilted back. Judging from the way his body shook, it seemed like he hadn’t lost his wild side yet.
It didn’t matter. I was an expert at turning even the most ignorant of the Middle Ages into human beings. It was no different for a dragon.
“My garlic.”
He said this again, pointing the club at the guy.
“Ugh… I ate it!”
I moved slightly and the guy spat out Imperial German in a hurry. His pronunciation was even better than last time. I was dumbfounded by that sight.
Even though it was a baby dragon, it was very different from the red disaster.
If Red Calamity had seen this, he would have ripped out the guy’s head and chewed it up. He had a special pride in dragons.
“Why did you eat it?”
The guy shook his head at my question. It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling to have a giant dragon’s head moving right in front of you.
I counted to three in my head and swung the club. This time, it landed squarely on the guy’s jaw. The guy froze, as if he had nerves in his jaw.
The moment I tried to count to three in my head again, the guy’s mouth opened wide in panic.
“Human, since you didn’t come, the garlic has grown so much. It even sprinkled troll blood! If I left him alone, the mountain would be covered in garlic, so I took care of him instead. Then, I was curious about the taste, so I ate one, and I became addicted to it. I couldn’t help it.”
The guy’s pronunciation was very clear and he spoke quickly.
All the other uncivilized people were sticking out their tongues and criticizing garlic, but Yong praised it, and it made me feel better for no reason.
‘Yeah, there’s nothing I can do about what’s already been eaten.’
I took a deep breath and nodded my head slightly.
The action had already taken place. I couldn’t say, as the bastard said, that I had no share.
I couldn’t help it because I was busy with one thing or another, but it’s true that I planted it but didn’t take care of it.
I decided to think positively. It was a problem that I could solve by getting some garlic and planting it again. The important thing right now was to get a vehicle anyway.
‘This guy is hiding because of the empire anyway.’
How frustrating it would be to sleep hidden in a tiny hole.
It must be frustrating for BbungBbung to have to fly around the world and hide while keeping an eye on the Empire.
“Aaron! No matter how much of a dragon you are!”
At that moment, Vivian’s voice was heard from behind. At the same time, BoongBoong’s breathing changed and his shell shook as if he was breathing. His feet kicked the ground roughly. It was like a beast that had found its prey.
I clicked my tongue slightly and hit the guy’s front legs with my club. The guy’s center of gravity collapsed, but he regained his balance by spreading his wings long. The carapace was stronger than I thought.
I kicked the ground and ran. The guy was big, so he walked very fast. I grabbed the guy by the neck with my club. I pulled hard and the guy leaned toward me.
A rough force came crashing down on the club. I’ve caught trolls this way before, but this was nothing compared to that.
‘Is a dragon a dragon?’
He muttered curses and repeatedly struck the guy with his fist. Every time he did that, the guy shook. Even though his shell was thick, it seemed like the impact was going through him. When he twisted his neck in time with the shaking, the guy lost his momentum and fell forward.
I turned hard to avoid getting crushed. Kwung. The ground shook loudly with a heavy sound.
BbungBbung’s snout was barely lodged in front of Vivian.
‘Subjugation is more difficult than I thought.’
He muttered and held the club tightly.
at that time-.
Boom!
“···Ouch! I’m so surprised!”
Vivian swung her fist with all her might and hit BoongBoong on the bridge of his nose. The sound was so loud that it was painful for me to hear it.
‘He told me not to, but he hit me himself.’
I clicked my tongue slightly and checked BbungBbung’s condition.
It may be strong because it’s a dragon, but Vivian has no sense, so it could leave a scar. How sad it would be if it got scratched before you even got on it.
Contrary to my worries, BbungBbung was blinking his eyes as if nothing had happened. It didn’t seem like he had suffered much of a shock because his shell was so hard.
At that moment, BbungBbung’s eyes became moist.
Bbungbungi opened his snout carefully and muttered softly.
“······mom?”
It was so desperate in her voice that it was chilling to listen to her from the side.
I looked back and forth between BbungBbung and Vivian at the guy’s unexpected remark.
The species was different from Vivian’s. They were similarly stupid, but the timing was wrong.
‘Then why do you call me mom?’
Vivian had outstanding looks, but her opponent was a dragon. There was no way he would be attracted to looks. So what was left for Vivian?
‘The one who is loved by Mana. Is it because of Mana?’
Judging that, I looked at BbungBbung. It was a reptile so I couldn’t tell its emotions, but the voice that kept muttering was full of goodwill. Still, I had to make sure.
“Is that woman your mother?”
“······mom!”
At my question, BbungBbung cried out even more desperately.
I met Vivian’s eyes, her face red as if it was going to burst.
Vivian’s eyes, which were originally large, grew larger.
Vivian opened her mouth for a moment.
“······I didn’t give birth!!”
He shouted, pointing at the bung bung.
I let out a sigh at the sudden explanation.
“mom!!”
Then BbungBbung shouted even more mournfully.
“No! Sorry! I never gave birth! I’m not your mother! We’re different species! I don’t even have wings!”
No one would think that way, but Vivian’s head started to hurt as she explained everything diligently.
I couldn’t figure out why, but the emotion in BoongBoong’s voice was real.
“wait.”
I left BbungBbungi waiting and approached Vivian.
“wait for a sec.”
“···I didn’t give birth! Really!”
“Okay, just a moment. Take a deep breath and-.”
He tried to calm down Vivian, whose face was red as if she was going to burst at any moment.
Vivian, who had been glaring at me for a moment, followed me and took a deep breath. The Lamaze breathing technique was effective in calming down Vivian, who was very excited.
I looked at Vivian, who was biting her lip, and chose my words. I thought about what I should say so that Vivian would understand, and then I opened my mouth.
“Let’s say you’re the mother.”
“······Huh?! I told you I didn’t give birth! Seriously!”
I tried to induce Lamaze breathing again on the excited Vivian. She calmed down, but her eyes were sharper than before. They were sharper than usual.
“We need that dragon.”
Let’s speak seriously. Vivian’s eyes crinkled slightly.
I could have trained him by beating him, but my opponent was a dragon. If I had just watched him and then run away to the sky, there would have been no answer.
Vivian, who had been chewing her lip, closed her eyes tightly. After a while, Vivian opened her eyes while taking Lamaze breaths. Soon, she nodded.
“But there is a condition.”
Even if stupid Vivian sets a condition, how sweet could it be?
I nodded at him and Vivian smiled brightly.
It was the same smile as usual, but strangely cold.
***
“hmm······.”
Swallows blinked, letting out a low moan.
Even though I was clearly seeing it with my own eyes, it was difficult to understand the situation.
The opponent was a dragon, although it was smaller than what was written in the book. However, Aaron beat the legendary dragon like cattle. It was similar to how he beat people in Cassadic.
As if that wasn’t enough, the dragon suddenly called Vivian “Mom.”
And now-.
“Okay, here’s Daddy! Daddy!”
Vivian’s teeth-gritting voice filled the air. Aaron’s face crumpled slightly as he was pointed out. However, he quickly smiled and stroked the dragon.
Kanna, who was being held by Swallows, pushed away the hand and ran away.
“No! It’s dangerous!”
All the stories written about dragons were horrible.
The dragon was a vicious creature that loved to gather people and swallow them in one gulp or trample them to death. How dare you approach such a dragon!
Swallows, who had been following along hurriedly, saw the dragon purring at Vivian’s touch and quickly withdrew its outstretched hand.
Vivian and Kanna climbed on top of the dragon’s head and played, laughing. Dylan, who saw him, ran over and tried to get between them. When the dragon gave a small growl, Dylan stepped back with a look of resentment.
“So the young lady gave birth to a dragon, and its father is a dragon leader?”
Swallows pricked up their ears to the conversation they heard behind them.
Then, Aaron gestured to the Swallows.
“Is there a relationship between the one who is loved by Mana and the dragon?”
Swallows’ eyebrows furrowed at Aaron’s question.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t the right time for Vivian to have given birth to that dragon.
“Dragons have long been called the creatures closest to gods. Since the Empire has publicly declared all dragons, there are not many opportunities to observe dragons, so there are no proper stories about them······.”
Swallows slowly unraveled what he knew about dragons. No amount of imperial prohibition could stop a wizard’s curiosity.
It was extremely difficult to find a dragon hiding from the empire, and even if they were found, they were killed by the dragon. Still, there were records left.
“Starting from the bones to the skin and internal organs-. All parts of the dragon have extremely high mana conductivity. In the case of a staff made from dragon bones, it is priceless. Now, they are too rare to obtain, but I heard that they used to be available often.”
Swallows have pieced together everything they know.
The fact that the conductivity of mana was high meant that it was sensitive to mana. In fact, the nest itself was so full of mana that it was hard to breathe.
“Since the mana conductivity is high, the dragon must be sensitive to mana. To such a dragon, Vivian, who has endless mana-.”
“It must seem like something bigger than me.”
I nodded at Aaron’s muttering.
“I never thought of something like this.”
Swallows’ eyes lit up at Vivian, who was hanging out with the dragon with a trembling face.
It’s incredible that someone who is loved by Mana can act like that on a dragon.
“Anyway, that’s not acting.”
Aaron, who was holding the club and licking his lips, felt strangely cool.
***
‘Vivian has a mother…’
Things turned out better than I thought.
I lost all my garlic, but it didn’t matter because I knew I’d get it back somehow.
but-.
“Crow!”
“···cute.”
Vivian looking at me with a strange look in her eyes, Boongboong nodding, and Kanna stroking Boongboong with sparkling eyes, it was a truly peaceful yet disturbing sight.
“Bungbungah.”
“Crow! But why?”
As he fixed his club, Boong Boong started talking to people.
Vivian stretched out both arms and covered BoongBoong. It seemed like she was taking care of the dragon who called her mom, even though it was burdensome. BoongBoong blinked.
I have a rough idea of how to cook it.
“Do you know how many garlics you ate?”
“Two hundred and fifty-four.”
BbungBbung quickly answered the question.
‘You ate a lot.’
I was once again angry at the clear numbers, but I tried to suppress them.
“Normally, one garlic costs 15 silver. However, the garlic you ate was specially airlifted by me, planted in the Kirton Mountains with good energy and clean air, and grown with great care, even sprinkling troll blood on it. So, if you roughly calculate it, it would cost five times as much.”
I calmly calculated the value of the garlic. It was just a rough estimate, but it seemed to make sense.
BbungBbung, who had been tilting his head for a moment, glanced at the club and nodded hurriedly. It seemed like he was slowly learning.
“Even if you roughly calculate it······. Anyway, you have stolen a huge amount of money. No matter how much of a dragon you are, that fact won’t change.”
BbungBbung, who was startled, nodded his head.
“There are two ways. The first is to pay it back with its equivalent value. If you don’t have it, don’t worry. Your carapace and bones are sold for a high price.”
BbungBbung shook his head violently. Vivian took a step forward and put strength into her eyes. Her eyes trembled a lot because it was so awkward.
“The second is to repay with labor. For example, if I need it, you can give me a ride.”
As she said that, Vivian grabbed BbungBbung and whispered softly. BbungBbung quickly nodded.
Things ended up being easier than I thought.
He nodded, caressing the club that he had not used for a long time.
At that moment, BbungBbung opened its mouth.
“I won’t be separated from my mother.”
I let out a small sigh at the voice that was filled with such sadness.
The crew and the other guys who had come in before we knew it covered their mouths in tears.
In a touching atmosphere-.
“······I didn’t give birth.”
Vivian’s muttering went unheard by anyone.
***
“A month.”
Pullputs muttered, trying to keep his heavy eyelids open.
I couldn’t even remember when I last slept. The pile of work was growing instead of decreasing.
Fortunately, a new command center was recently established and full-scale management began.
I didn’t necessarily group them together. If I tried to group them together, it would only make things worse. In addition, the maximum period was one month. I decided that it would be more efficient to use each of them as one organization rather than worrying about their unity.
Of course, that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be problems.
“Those who followed the Demon King from the capital are still obedient, but those who came after hearing rumors are suspicious of his qualifications.”
It was an expected situation. I don’t know what they did in the capital that made those who followed them stay silent, but no matter what excuse they made, they had no choice but to show their greed.
“···What should we do about it?”
Pulpouts pressed his temples and asked.
“The simplest thing would be for the king of demons to take on the demons.”
Proof of duel. It was the most familiar and popular method. In some kingdoms, they even chose a king through duels, so it was a proven traditional method.
In fact, Aaron might have welcomed it. The image of Aaron grabbing Dylan while he was naked was still vivid in his mind.
but-.
“He is a legendary figure who inspires faith. Proof through duel is not a very good option.”
Fullfoot flatly refused. Aaron was no longer just Aaron, but the legendary king of demons prophesied to be the king of demons.
Even if you win by an overwhelming margin, proving the duel is not a profitable method.
In addition, if you choose to prove your identity through a duel, an unexpected accident may occur later.
“The only thing left is to show your presence as before. That alone will be enough to maintain discipline.”
He nodded at the words that followed. If Aaron were to unfold the sunshade that had been visible before, the commotion would die down.
Even for Fullfoot, who knew Aaron, it was an incredible sight.
However, that alone was not enough.
“Those who cause trouble will be sent to the guillotine. We will make sure to notify them thoroughly.”
Pulpouts knew that if he punished one properly, he could prevent a hundred crimes. That was his experience as a lord.
Plus, showing blood was a crowd favorite.
at that time-.
A loud cry was heard from somewhere. It contained something that evoked instinctive fear. The conference room was instantly turned into chaos.
“Are you okay?”
Adela asked, pulling Pulpouts back. Pulpouts swallowed at the tension on Adela’s face.
‘···Is this the royal family?’
He was relieved to hear that the sword’s master was dead. Since the capital had collapsed, he judged that the empire, preoccupied with recovering him, had no room to attack first.
It was a painful carelessness. It seemed that I was relying more on Selena than I thought. She was a woman of unknown origin.
Then, in the midst of the chaos, Selena got up nonchalantly and headed to the window.
Krrrrrrrrrrrr-!
The source of the howling was visible through the open window.
A giant dragon was showing off its presence by opening its snout wide. Just seeing its majesty was enough to make my heart race.
‘······dragon?’
Pulpouts blinked, forgetting the situation.
Why did the dragon appear here?
It was a famous story that the empire publicly declared and hunted dragons. Why did the dragon that had disappeared suddenly-.
“Ah… the king of demons?”
Someone’s small murmur was dissipated by the swirling wind. Standing tall and proud on top of the dragon’s head was clearly Aaron.
His majestic appearance, combined with that of a dragon, made him look like a legend. Everyone was left gaping in amazement at him.
Pulpouts was surprised for a moment, but nodded after confirming that it was Aaron.
After all the work I’ve done, coming back riding a dragon is nothing.
‘I guess no one will object now.’
It was, above all, proof of perfect qualifications.
The story of dragons being hunted by the Empire was a famous one, so the return of the Demon King riding a dragon had special meaning.
At that time, everyone was frightened by the dragon getting closer and ran to the side.
The dragon flew straight towards the castle. It was a rough flight, as if it would crash at any moment.
Adela and Delfran blocked Pulpouts’ path. Unlike the others, Pulpouts was not nervous.
The castle shook violently.
It seemed as if a dragon had landed on the roof.
The ceiling collapsed a little, perhaps unable to bear the weight. Through the gap, the giant figure of a dragon was visible.
“Ugh… Ugh! The castle is collapsing!”
Baron Fener of Bolt Castle had a seizure and ran away. Not only Baron Fener, but everyone else was in panic.
However, Fullfoot remained steadfast.
‘It’s like a dragon sitting on a roof and the roof collapsing.’
Pulpouts nodded, muttering in vain.
I could laugh it off to this extent now.
At that moment, Aaron’s voice was heard through the hole.
“Parking is in the rear.”
I didn’t know what that muttering meant, but it made me strangely angry.
at that time-.
“mom!”
The voice that resonated deeply was clearly that of a dragon. But, mother-.
The dragon moved slightly and carefully put someone down. The woman who was rubbing her face against the dragon’s, mumbling repeatedly that she was his mother, was-.
‘······Vivian?’
Pulpouts’ thoughts stopped as he saw Vivian stroking the dragon with a big smile.
No, I just lost my mind.
***
‘What is this···.’
Gesher Wind gulped at the cold sensation on his back. Gesher Wind was lucky enough to escape the chaos.
Although the capital had only recently fallen, the buildings were already rising again, stronger and bigger than before.
There was one reason why that was possible.
‘An angel.’
Gesher Wind poked his head out to check the distance. There, winged imperial knights were walking around at a steady pace.
Although it had a pious appearance, Gesher Wind felt an instinctive repulsion.
It was strange that they suddenly called the royal knights angels and that those who walked around wearing veils turned inside out referred to themselves as subjects.
They were constantly moving, never stopping.
What they had in common was that they all had no face to show. They didn’t even speak. With so many of them moving around, the only sound was the sound of footsteps.
‘What on earth is going on…’
Gesher Wind took a deep breath and adjusted his grip on his staff.
I felt something was off, so I ran away from the imperial knight, but now I had no plan for what to do. But I couldn’t go back to the imperial palace.
When he was at a loss as to what to do and just opened his mouth, two imperial knights approached him.
The fluttering wings behind the imperial knight felt like a controlling insect.
Gesher Wind held his breath and adjusted his grip on his staff.
I stopped in front of the pieces of corpse rolling on the floor.
Although invisibility magic can hide his appearance, it cannot hide his unique sweat smell, so Gesher Wind deliberately hid around the corpse.
Even though he was a horrible corpse, they carried him onto the cart without any hesitation. There was not a single complaint. It was a strangeness that no matter how great their loyalty was, it could not be explained.
The cart was piled high with similar corpses. It was so horrible that it was hard to bear to look at.
Harvesting and managing was the job of the Gesher Wind, the management office. However, when I actually faced the reality, I felt sick. I was so disgusted that I broke out in a cold sweat.
I tried to hold it back by covering my mouth and nose with my hands, but the nausea that had started to rise did not subside easily.
At that moment, the imperial knights who had quickly collected the corpse began to move away.
When the distance became a certain distance, I couldn’t hold it in any longer and vomited. A bitter taste flowed out from the corner of my mouth.
The movements of the royal knight suddenly stopped. It seemed as if the world had stopped.
‘shit···.’
Gesher Wind muttered a curse and grabbed his staff. Even a simple imperial knight would be difficult to deal with, and he even had wings.
In the blink of an eye, the two imperial knights disappeared from their seats. They were already right in front of me. The thick darkness between their helmets looked just like death.
At that moment, someone pulled me roughly from behind. I almost screamed in surprise, but someone’s hand covered my mouth.
“···Stay still. Do you want to die?”
At the voice that contained a lot of anger, Gesher Wind shook his head slightly. Although he didn’t know why, it was clear that he was trying to save himself.
Caw-.
The imperial knights who had come close turned their heads at the sound of a crow being heard from somewhere.
Ta-da-dak. The crows cut in half fell like corn. Once again, the imperial knights moved away.
“You little shits. How dare you touch my crow······.”
The man swore harshly and threw his hand away. Gesher Wind squatted down and poured out everything that had come up.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Gesher Wind, who had barely come to his senses, looked at the man and expressed his gratitude.
The man was quite large, but his face was as pale as a corpse. His sunken eyes were gleaming with anger. An indescribable tenacity was felt from the man.
“Gesher Wind. Eastern Management Bureau. Is that correct?”
At the man’s cold voice, Gesher Wind tried to grasp the staff, but there was nothing in his hand.
“I am the king of the crows.”
Gesher Wind’s eyes widened at the words the man spoke.
‘···The King of Crows!’
He was quite famous in the management office. He was a person of interest who strangely offended the management office, but was not caught. If he was the king of the crows, it made sense that he knew about him. They said that his information power was real.
“You should go to the youngest. No, now you are the king of demons.”
The man spat out the words. Gesher Wind squinted his eyes. If there was a king of demons, it was Aaron.
“That devil···.”
The king of the crows pointed to one side. When I turned my gaze to him, I saw an unrealistic sight.
A giant wing was rising above the original imperial palace. It seemed as if something huge was finally about to rise.
It was hesitating as if it was caught by something, but its height was gradually increasing.
“I plan to eat the continent.”
Gesher Wind swallowed at the words that followed. Since he was from the administration, he could tell what was going on.
Of course, I didn’t know that the emperor was a demon.
“Tell him about the situation in the capital and the existence of the apostle.”
The man’s breath was full of the smell of ash. Gesher Wind nodded without realizing it.
“···Aren’t you going over there?”
At Gesher Wind’s question, the King of the Crows raised the corners of his mouth. His long, yellow fangs were visible.
“Do you know why I held that bastard’s hand?”
Gesher Wind shook his head, wiping his lips. Then the king of the crows clicked his tongue and held out a thick clump of feathers.
The feathers were full of incomprehensible language.
“Either he or she is the type of person who can’t live without being treated well.”
The eyes of the king of the crows who spoke thus were red with burst veins.
