236
Good atmosphere
Cassidy’s castle was quite useful for a frontier castle. This was because Pulpouts, who did not indulge in extravagance, had invested quite a bit in the castle.
However, those who visited recently could not hide their disappointment at the appearance of the castle.
This was because the exterior was so flashy and huge that the interior looked rather lacking.
However, no one said that now.
The reason is-.
Krrrrrrrrrrrr-!
Everyone shuddered slightly at the dragon’s mighty roar.
Even though I was more used to it than before, I couldn’t help but tremble every time I heard it. It was an instinct engraved in my soul. Even the mercenaries who crossed the line countless times and the knights who raised the aura would bow their heads involuntarily.
Now that the giant dragon was coiled around it, everyone unanimously praised it as the most magnificent castle.
The sudden appearance of a dragon caused a commotion once again. And since it was ridden by the king of demons who was said to destroy the empire, everyone was talking about him.
But there was a new story that emerged.
It was a story about the mother of dragons.
“BungBung! People are surprised!”
Pulpouts closed his eyes tightly at Vivian’s voice from above. He counted in his mind and opened them again, but the dragon’s huge legs visible through the hole were still there.
“······So this is the effect of someone who receives Mana’s love?”
Pulpouts pressed his temples and asked.
“If it was that size, it would have lived for hundreds of years at the very least. But since Vivian gave birth to it, doesn’t that make the timing wrong? It must have been influenced by the one who received Mana’s love. It seems that the dragon, who is still inexperienced, mistook Vivian for one who was overflowing with Mana.”
Pulpouts tried hard to hold back his urge to curse as he watched Swallows logically unfold his crazy story.
‘The inexperienced dragon made a mistake.’
What kind of nonsense is this? No, it could be true. All living things have a childhood. It was somewhat questionable that even the legendary dragons had such a time.
“You have to be quiet! Okay?!”
At that moment, Vivian came down through the hole. When her eyes met with Pulpouts’, Vivian smiled awkwardly.
Her smile almost made her heart melt, but Pulpouts tried to hold it together.
For an unmarried woman to be given the title of ‘Mother of Dragons’ was a serious matter.
“Vivian, why didn’t you deny him?”
No matter how much the dragon called him ‘Mom’, there was no need to accept him.
“······I thought it might help.”
“help?”
Vivian nodded. Pulpouts thought about Vivian’s words for a moment.
Vivian must know that the atmosphere at Cassidy is not ordinary.
If the dragon could help, it would certainly be a great help. It would have great symbolism, and its power was needless to say.
‘Why did it have to be my mom?’
No matter how positively I tried to think about it, I couldn’t accept that my unmarried daughter was being called ‘Mom’.
But that doesn’t mean that the rumor can be changed.
“Mom! Mom!”
I couldn’t stop it because the dragon would start crying even if I moved just a little bit away.
Vivian flinched with a stinging face at the dragon’s howl. Pulpouts shook his head, exhaling softly.
It wasn’t my fault. Strictly speaking, it was clearly my fault. I just feel bad because I’m a parent.
“It’s not your fault. You deserve praise. You did well. The dragon will be of great help in the future.”
Pulpouts changed his mind. The title of mother was jarring, but since it was a nickname related to dragons, it could potentially serve as an honorific.
And for such a lovely, beautiful, and kind child, why would a name be important? And if you’re the kind of person who judges people by their nicknames, Pulpouts would have rejected you from the start.
‘Still, Mom is a little······.’
Looking at Vivian’s bewildered expression, Pulpouts tried to shake off his thoughts.
“Yes, well done. Riding a dragon, you are a daughter who is braver than your son.”
Pulpouts smiled and patted Vivian on the shoulder. Pulpouts had originally wanted a son, but she was more like a daughter than a son.
Vivian smiled brightly. Pulpouts felt all the fatigue he had accumulated disappear.
‘It was just a lucky move.’
Pulpouts let out a deep breath and raised his head. The eyes of the giant dragon perched on the hollow roof were still not adjusted.
“Take good care of them. Even if they are not dragons, you have to take responsibility for what you have done.”
“···Yes! I will take good care of it!”
Vivian answered vigorously and stood up. Pulpouts asked Vivian as he passed by, as she headed towards the dragon.
“Is there anything else besides that?”
Vivian, who had been slightly frozen, smiled awkwardly and disappeared into the roof.
‘No, there isn’t. What else could there be?’
Pulpouts shook his head to shake off his thoughts and resumed the meeting.
At that moment, the door opened roughly and a man rushed in.
“Ma…Matap! The wizards have arrived!”
‘···Why is the magic tower here?’
Pulpouts frowned at the unexpected word.
***
I swirled the glass of beer I had just finished drinking. The ice left in the glass swirled around the glass.
Since there were so many people gathered at Cassidy, everyone was extremely busy. Not to mention Hannah’s bar and the guards, even Kanna was busy running around, saying she was building a second outer wall.
I, who was actually at the center of it all, was relaxed.
“Aren’t you busy?”
“The most important thing is Aaron.”
Selena answered, raising the corners of her lips. Her smile was a bit heavy, so I clicked my tongue.
‘That’s right.’
Because I was the king of demons and defeated the master of the sword, they gathered in such a heap.
“We have received contact from the Noble Alliance. We will gather in the capital at the appointed time.”
Selena tilted the fancy bottle toward my glass. The reddish liquid flowed and filled the air with a fragrant aroma.
I drank the entire glass. I drank it all at once, and it didn’t taste any different from what I had drunk before.
Selena refilled my glass again, and I emptied it again in one go. Now there was no more news.
‘I can’t get drunk.’
At that moment, Selena’s hand, which was filling the beer glass, trembled slightly. Her ears also lowered slightly.
‘You’re scared.’
It seems that hypocrisy is stronger than I thought. I didn’t ask questions and just sipped my beer.
Selena, who had been hesitating in an uncharacteristic manner, slightly lowered her head and opened her mouth.
“······There is no need to go to the capital. Hyeseon cannot come out of the capital. If you stay in the eastern outskirts, you will not be able to exert any influence.”
His expression was hesitant, but his voice was still clear. It was quite sweet.
I stared at the beer glass. The ice in the fragrant red liquid was my shape. It was me, smiling in an uncharacteristically gentlemanly manner.
‘I wonder why I brought it to the refrigerator…’
I laughed out loud as I recalled the first time I teased Kanna.
It was one of the few things he did well.
“···Information has come in. The hypocrisy is not hiding, but is completely exposed. This is different from what I expected. Did something happen in the meantime, why all of a sudden···.”
Selena’s voice became quieter and quieter until it was barely audible at the end. It seemed as if the situation was serious.
I held out my empty glass. Selena filled it. It wasn’t a big bottle, but it contained a lot. It was clearly a magical item.
‘I wonder how much it will cost.’
I emptied my glass, whetting my appetite.
Selena’s suggestion might have been the right answer, but I just didn’t feel like postponing it on the assumption that he couldn’t leave the capital.
I didn’t want to live in a bad mood. I stared at Selena. Selena opened her mouth as if she had something to say, but she swallowed it and waited.
“He is not a god.”
I said, holding out the glass.
If he was a god, he couldn’t be here. But he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly either. I was the same way.
Although her face seemed to have a lot to say, Selena nodded and filled her glass.
Then suddenly a question occurred to me.
“When you sent your arrogance at me, did you think I would win?”
Selena’s eyes widened slightly, as if the question was out of the blue.
“Oman is a difficult person. If there is someone he doesn’t like, he doesn’t give them strength, but rather plays with them and then throws them away. ···I calculated that Aaron would be to Oman’s liking.”
“Because you’re arrogant?”
Selena smiled slightly without answering.
I suddenly wondered how far this woman could calculate and know. She knew quite a lot through her arrogance, but it wasn’t perfect.
‘I guess it’s better to show you.’
I grabbed the seam of the breastplate and unfastened it. Selena’s eyes widened a little. I put down the heavy breastplate, which was like a shell, and took off my top.
“······Proof?”
Selena, who was about to take off her clothes, opened her eyes wide. It was a face she was seeing for the first time. It seemed like she didn’t recognize it.
“Oman disappeared when he got promoted.”
“······promotion?”
Selena carefully touched the spot where the mark had been. A cool, soft sensation came over her.
“Without a sign, it is similar to divine power or magic. The prevailing opinion is that the two can handle the power of a god without a sign because the god who gave it is dead.”
Selena explained with a slightly trembling voice. I nodded, knowing that I had heard the story that Mana was the corpse of a dead god.
“The Empire has tried to control the magicians for quite some time, but has failed. Magicians are not a realm of calculation. However, the Church has been able to control them to some extent, if not perfectly.”
Selena took a deep breath. The fresh scent of the forest made her head feel clear. Selena, who seemed to be thinking, opened her mouth.
“Hypocrisy killed my mother and absorbed her power. I think the remaining power of that mother is called divine power.”
“Absorbing the mother’s power······. Then it makes sense that one can control divine power to some extent.”
I nodded at Selena’s muttering.
“Then is Oman dead too?”
I shook my head at the subsequent question. It was very brief, but I could clearly hear the bastard’s voice. He was just moving away, not dead.
“The mother of hypocrisy may not be completely dead. I don’t know what the boundary is, but… If so, then Brighton’s combining the pagan scriptures and the sect’s scriptures to create a heterogeneous divine power….”
Selena’s eyes narrowed. As she listened to the muttering, a question suddenly occurred to her.
“If you cut open that guy’s stomach, will a god come out?”
It seemed like quite a bit of time had passed, but it seemed like it hadn’t been fully absorbed, as the divine power still existed separately.
“I don’t know about that. I’m sorry.”
Selena bowed her head and apologized. I clicked my tongue and shook my head. Her excessive attitude had been quite burdensome to me from the beginning.
“Considering that he planted a separate sign on the Pope, it is clear that he has not yet completely absorbed them. Most of the demons he collected have gone into the ship of hypocrisy······.”
There was a commotion as the door opened roughly.
“Aaron!”
Vivian’s face, which had been smiling brightly, hardened subtly.
He pushed Selena’s hand away.
“Aaron! The Bbung Bbung is ready!”
Vivian, with a face that looked like she had been swindled out of money, said through gritted teeth.
“Let’s talk about it when you come back.”
I shook off the remaining ice and got up to grab Selena’s bottle.
Selena waved at Vivian, who nodded.
“Haena is Kanna, Vivian is Yong···.”
The three left, and Selena muttered as she took Aaron’s glass.
***
It’s become quite inconvenient to go to the castle lately.
Because their faces were sold out, they would make a fuss just by passing by. Of course, most of them were outside the city walls, so we didn’t encounter them inside Cassidyk-.
“Can’t you give me a ride just once? Aren’t we the light and shadow of our Cassidy!”
‘The ones I knew were more problematic.’
I pushed away the Scar that was desperately clinging to me. The bastard did not give in and instead clung to me even more. I had to hit him in the head to get him off.
“I’m sorry-.”
“It’s so sad, it’s a disease···.”
Scar grumbled, blinking his big bear-like eyes. No one was as openly attached as Scar, but they all seemed to be hoping for it.
In a way, it was natural. Dragons were the epitome of a man’s fantasy. When I heard that someone I knew had pulled out a dragon, I couldn’t help but turn my head.
“Ahem!”
“I am fine, my lord.”
Ben and the five eldest sons pretended not to be the ones holding the weight, but they secretly looked hopeful. Not to mention the guys in charge. They had already decided their order among themselves.
However, it could not be burned now.
Because I had to take a long-haul flight.
“later.”
Scar smiled broadly and boasted that Aaron was the only one.
Then a few more guys came rushing in. I had to swing my fists to chase them away.
Inside the castle there was originally a space for carriages and luggage, but now it was all empty.
The reason is-.
“mom!”
BbungBbung landed with a heavy thud. The flying dirt hit my face. I clicked my tongue slightly and shook him off.
“I told you to come down slowly.”
As the saying goes, a place makes a person, Vivian, who had been acting clumsy, consoled BbungBbung.
Boongboongi, whose eyes met mine, lowered his head. He exhaled deeply and climbed onto Boongboongi’s head. Boongboongi moved his shell to create a backrest and handle.
Vivian sat in front. I tied Vivian tightly with the leather belt I had brought. Vivian shrank down slightly.
At BbungBbung’s request, he had no choice but to take Vivian with him. At that time, the soldiers loaded the luggage onto the back of BbungBbung.
“Let’s go.”
When he finished speaking, Vivian nodded and cut her hair short. Her voluminous blond hair was held in one hand. It had a strong Rider vibe.
Vivian, her hair tied tightly, gently patted her shell.
Boongboongi, who received the signal, let out a deep breath. The people around him coughed harshly at the spicy smell. Those uncivilized people who didn’t even know the taste of garlic.
The loud rumbling of the bell rang out softly. It was truly a noisy start.
BbungBbung lowered his posture like a cat before jumping.
Kwung-! With a heavy sound, Boong Boong roughly kicked the ground. The force was so great that the ground moved away in an instant.
At that moment, the wings spread left and right like sails. The fully inflated wing membrane pushed out the air. Whoosh-. With a heavy sound, the large body rose slightly. A huge flow of power could be felt beyond the carapace.
I looked at him carefully. He would definitely be helpful when dealing with the Red Calamity.
The wings moved up and down greatly. The surroundings were filled with the sound of rough wind, as if a typhoon had occurred.
When I glanced down, it was a great height. The whole of Cassadic came into view. From the dazed faces of the Pulputs through the gaps in the roofs, to the people gathered like ants.
‘There are a lot.’
As she was giving a calm impression, Vivian pushed the shell. The bubbly moved accordingly. Since there was no windshield, she had to face the resistance of the strong wind with her whole body.
“······song?!”
Vivian’s shout was heard from ahead. I nodded to her. Vivian, who understood the meaning, touched her shell.
Krul-ra-ra-!!
Perhaps because he had never left the Kirton Mountains since birth, Bbung Bbung was very excited about flying. He kept screaming and shaking his shell.
‘They’re still gathering.’
Flying above, I could see a group heading towards Cassidy. There were quite a few of them. It was too far away to see clearly, but it wasn’t a military movement.
Contrary to expectations, the flight did not last very long. It was because Boongboong, who had been stuck in the mountains and had only flown short distances, was not very accustomed to flying.
As if it had encountered turbulence, BbungBbung’s body shook violently and his breathing became ragged. He felt like he would crash if he went any further, so he ordered an emergency landing.
It soon sat down on a suitable mountain. It seemed that it didn’t care if the tree pricked it because its shell was thick.
The landing wasn’t so smooth. I hit the ground so hard that it almost felt like a crash. The impact through the shell was quite severe.
After I picked up Vivian and got off, I looked at Boongboong. Boongboong was lying down like a dog that had been on a long walk. He was breathing heavily, and I could tell that he was excited.
Despite its imposing appearance, the driving range was not very good. It seemed like it would take about three breaks in between until the red disaster.
Vivian checked BbungBbung. I checked my body condition. I had a drink, but I didn’t feel any alcohol at all. It was just right.
After a short rest, I started flying again. Perhaps flying was ingrained in my instincts, and I kept increasing my speed. The speed was quite fast.
However, it was not enough to reach the red dragon in one day. Since the sun had set, I stopped the plane at a suitable place. The city in the distance was quite sparkling.
‘This is… the end of the East.’
There were fewer than initially expected, but considering BbungBbung’s flying skills, it arrived quite quickly.
I’ll probably be able to face him before tomorrow ends.
“It’s beautiful!!”
At that moment, Vivian screamed. When I turned my gaze, Vivian was staring at me with her blue eyes.
Judging by his quivering mouth and tense shoulder muscles, something seemed to be bothering him.
The place where the gaze was directed was a city located somewhat far away. The night view was quite nice because the torches and lanterns were shining brightly.
“okay.”
As I said that, I found myself laughing. I guess I had been there too long, becoming so sentimental.
The cool breeze made me close my eyes. Ironically, there were more good memories. Even if the ending wasn’t good, the essence didn’t change.
At that moment, I heard breathing right in front of me. I opened my eyes to that-.
“···What are you doing?”
Vivian was sticking out her lips awkwardly. Her flawless, transparent skin sparkled in the moonlight.
Vivian opened her eyes wide and let out a series of strange exclamations. Then, all of a sudden, she screamed.
“You sent the signal first!”
“When did I send it?”
“Stop in such a beautiful place!”
“That’s to check the terrain.”
“You closed your eyes with that wonderful smile!”
“What the hell is that?”
“Anyway, take responsibility! You’re a useless person! You even got a tattoo on that face! And···”
He swung his fist at Vivian, who was trying to take off her clothes because she was showing off her exhibitionism. He picked up Vivian, who had passed out, and pressed down on her shell.
The little resistance from the bungee slowly descended.
The craftsmanship was much smoother than before.
I used magic to light a small fire and placed Vivian around it.
‘The red disaster…’
Remembering that guy-.
He habitually handled the sword he took out of his right hand.
***
“This is a terrible sight.”
Alaina, who had crossed the northern wall, wrinkled her sallow eyebrows and clicked her tongue.
A young man, pale and gaunt as a corpse, opened his gray hood, which was covered in blood. He coughed repeatedly, and his whole body shook with each cough.
“Is there anything that prophecy cannot tell us?”
“That’s right. Oh, could you please give me a cup of warm tea?”
Alaina muttered curses in a manner that sounded like she was acting, and handed me the teacup on tiptoe.
“I would have warned you that ancient magic is tedious and not suitable for us today.”
“Oh, I couldn’t help it. I’m not a genius like you.”
“You’re not a genius, but you became the youngest Gray Tower Master?”
“Because it was decided that way.”
“What an unlucky guy.”
Alaina jumped up onto the chair. Until last year, she could touch the floor with her feet, but now it was difficult to climb up.
“If you came to talk about ancient magic, my answer is the same as before. That is not the magic we are allowed to use. Excessive power will bring ruin, just like you.”
“Isn’t it my place to talk about others? I don’t think I can even touch the chair with my feet anymore.”
“You spoiled brat.”
Alaina chuckled. That was true. It wasn’t her place to point a finger at the guy.
“Stop beating around the bush and get to the point. As you said, we don’t have much time.”
This time the young man laughed as if he was coughing. He was still unlucky, but it felt strangely different from before.
“Hypocrisy will break the karma.”
Alaina’s face hardened at the young man’s continued words.
“Breaking karma-. That’s ridiculous! That’s a stupid thing to say because you’re ignorant of karma!”
The young man snickered at Alaina’s shout. Alaina, who felt offended by this, clenched and unclenched her small hands into fists. The young man’s words were somehow irritating.
“There are people who actually broke karma. I can’t believe it. Oh-! Who would have expected that! Overcoming karma!”
Alaina felt uncomfortable with the young man who was admiring her like a poet. He had been strange before, but now he seemed to have completely lost his mind.
“Hypocrisy has found a clue. Hypocrisy has one head that works properly. He can pass the karma on to others! But is there anyone else like Aaron?”
The young man was talking nonsense, his spit flying out. His sharp eyes grew bigger and bigger like sparks on dry firewood.
“So hypocrisy finds a way. If one won’t do it, then a hundred—. If a hundred isn’t enough, then a thousand—. And if that’s not enough—.”
The young man suddenly stopped talking. He casually brought the teacup to his lips and blew on it. Of course, the tea wasn’t hot.
Alaina watched the scene quietly.
“Because we can share it across the continent.”
It was quite a terrible story, but the young man was truly calm. Like a prophet.
“That can’t be possible.”
Alaina shook her head. Karma wasn’t something you could force someone to do.
“That’s correct. It’s not possible. If it were possible, I would have become a god long ago.”
The young man nodded surprisingly calmly. This annoyed Alaina even more.
“But Hypocrisy is a state of being very excited about the fact that the one you looked down on has risen first. Even if you can’t actually rise, you can at least break the karma.”
With those words, the young man closed his mouth. He just sipped his tea. As if he was waiting for something.
at that time-.
Squeak!!!
A harsh sound echoed from afar.
“···Wyvern?”
Alaina muttered softly and shook her head.
Wyverns could not come to the cold north. Even the north where Alaina was staying was not an environment that wyverns could endure.
Alaina’s eyes widened as she hurriedly opened the door.
The sky beyond was filled with black dots. They were clearly wyverns, but unlike before, their fur was pure white and lush. The knights above them were wearing white armor, not gold. Just like the troops of God.
I was embarrassed, but not flustered.
She was the one who crossed the wall. She was Alaina, the winter of the North.
“I guess I looked funny.”
Alaina’s hand reached out into the air, and a giant staff appeared.
He roughly struck the ground with his twirling staff. The thick pile of snow was pushed aside, forming a huge magic circle.
“Freeze.”
As Alaina spoke softly, the snow around her began to gather rapidly and form a magic circle. With a heavy sound, the magic circles responded to each other and grew in size.
Eventually, the magic circle reached its peak and emitted a huge amount of energy. Alaina held onto the shaking staff tightly and guided the energy.
Then the shapes of the falling snowflakes changed. Spears of ice began to pour down from the sky.
It was a disaster of sorts, beyond mere magic.
The Wyverns that were impaled by him fell down, spraying blood. The Wyverns retreated. They seemed to be waiting for another opening, but there was no opening in the magic of the Northern Winter.
The guys who had been wandering around for a while seemed to have given up and turned back.
“You should bring the master of the sword to be of the same level.”
Alaina smiled like a fox, saying,
At that moment, the cabin door opened and a young man came out. The young man was yawning slightly. As I was about to say something to him-
“I will live longer now.”
The young man prophesied. His gaze was on Alaina’s shoes. Shoes that had grown slightly larger.
Alaina looked back.
The great northern wall was sturdy, but without her, the empire wouldn’t last three days. They had no means of stopping the Wyvern Knight.
“···So what are you trying to say?”
“Go to the King of Demons.”
The young man was smiling brightly.
I didn’t like the look in his eyes that seemed to confirm that he would follow his words-.
“Fucking toddlerhood.”
Alaina fell into a deep sleep, muttering curses.
Hans picked up the girl with one hand and carried her on his back.
“I said I needed a teacher. I think my brother will like it.”
I hummed a little tune.
