Just by being alive in the Present, he is a Great Dragon.
While Cale savored Eruhaben's words, Raon approached with his eyes buried in his front paws.
"I am great!"
Although he seemed distracted while playing with Hong, he apparently heard the conversation between the Ancient Dragon and Cale. Therefore, Cale responded casually and lightly.
"Yes, yes. You're great, everyone is great."
He didn't want to burden this 7-year-old with unnecessary worries. Cale changed the subject.
"Eruhaben-nim, does that mean Raon can use magic now?"
After shedding blood earlier, is his body not under pressure anymore? Eruhaben seemed to have understood Cale's look carrying the meaning of whether that was possible.
"Raon's Plate is the Present where Raon exists. I said it was this world. What does that mean?"
Eruhaben looked around.
"A moment ago, Raon shed blood because he still doesn't understand this world well. It was because he didn't know the restrictions or what is happening in this world, and he used magic like in Roan Kingdom, causing him to bleed from the nose."
Cale understood what the Ancient Dragon was saying. The eyes of the Ancient Dragon were full of a world of snow and cold wind.
"Understand, accept, and live fully in the Present. As Raon understands this world and lives fully in the Present, Raon's burden towards magic will disappear."
In other words, as long as Raon lives in this world, completely Present, he will be able to shape this world according to his will.
"Cale, teach Raon about the world, make him listen, show him, and let him feel."
Poke~
Eruhaben poked Raon's cheek as he approached him with a finger movement.
"Don't follow, Goldie Gramps."
The Ancient Dragon smirked mockingly and looked at Cale.
"Teach Raon about this world, that's how this child will stay safe."
Raon stretched his belly forward. He always adopted this posture when making a solemn statement.
"Human! Anyway, if I had to shorten Goldie Gramps' words, it would be this!"
He demanded very energetically.
"Take me with you in the future! It's for my own good!"
Raon smiled and flapped his wings. Cale sighed.
"So, how far can you use magic now?"
At that moment, Cale heard a strange laugh.
"Hehe."
Raon laughed clearly like that. Cale was surprised. Did this 7-year-old really laugh like this? Suddenly, Cale remembered the description of how arrogant and selfish Dragons were in the novel "The Birth of a Hero."
'...He really is a fierce dragon.'
Cale worried about the moment when Raon would grow up.
"I can make the Dragon Half-Blood and the Black Castle invisible again!"
Soon, the eradication team sent by the Holy Empire would arrive. Cale applauded when he heard Raon's words.
"You really are a great dragon."
"Yes, I am great!"
Raon was able to show the most necessary magic. Cale continued applauding, and Raon continued flapping his wings to the rhythm. At that moment, others joined this scene.
"Cale."
It was Choi Jung Soo. Those who had gone to the village with the village chief had returned. Cale stopped for a moment.
"...Why that expression?"
"It's strange. He's coming over like the younger brother."
As Hong said, Choi Jung Soo approached with an extremely proud face, like the dazzling Raon. Even his steps seemed light.
"Why is he acting like that?"
He wanted to avoid it without reason. So, Cale avoided it. But soon, his gaze shifted when he heard Choi Jung Soo's words.
"Maybe we can use Magic and Aura more comfortably in the future."
Surprised, Cale looked at Choi Jung Soo, and Choi Jung Soo pointed at Choi Han.
Dragon Mila said softly.
"Choi Han-nim's hypothesis is quite interesting."
When everyone directed their eyes towards Choi Han, who felt uncomfortable, Cale immediately asked.
"What hypothesis?"
"Hmm."
Choi Han had not yet decided the name of the hypothesis. So, to satisfy the minds waiting for his answer, he simply laid out the main points concisely.
"The hypothesis is 'Dominating with Aura.'"
Cale's expression became strange.
- Huh? Are they calling me?
The Dominating Aura reacted.
"...Just say it."
Cale requested a more detailed explanation from Choi Han, and everyone else, including Cale, who heard Choi Han's words, focused their eyes on him.
"Oh."
The corner of Cale's mouth lifted. Choi Han concluded his words after seeing that.
"I think if you can take control of the energy around you, you can break free the power that's being held back in the world."
The Ancient Dragon commented.
"...Is this possible?"
And then, Cale slowly took out a red crown from his chest.
In the white snow, the red crown, both the jewels and the body of the crown, gave off a magical, no, beautiful light.
* * *
Har Kingdom rules the land where Cale appeared.
In comparison to the time of the Empire, Har Kingdom's territory was reduced to a third, and that territory consisted of arid lands far from fertility, so the glory of the past could no longer be imagined.
In the heart of the city, a very important and secret place, sat a man with white hair. His hands were tightly gripping the sides of his chair, and his eyes were closed shut.
"...Prime Minister."
His hands were full of tension.
The eyes he opened after closing them were visibly tired.
However, his appearance was young enough to be called a young man. A 17-year-old young king.
Dennis.
"Will the Holy First Division arrive soon at the Erghe Mountains?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Like the 17-year-old white knight king, the 80-year-old elder Prime Minister also had gray hair.
"...Is the Holy Empire determined to completely eradicate the Wolf Tribe?"
"It seems so, Your Highness."
"Sigh."
King Dennis let out a deep sigh.
He spoke to the Prime Minister with a self-deprecating smile.
In the dark room, aside from the dim light of a candle, there was a dark air.
"If I tell the Holy Empire that there are no more Beast People in the Erghe Mountains, will they go back home?"
"..."
The Prime Minister did not respond, but the king knew the answer.
"Damn."
Thud!
In the King's lowered arm, there was frozen anger.
That anger was directed at himself.
"We can't help the wolves, but at least we shouldn't let them die!"
After Dennis became king at the age of 12, Har Kingdom had always officially said that.
That they had never found Beast People in the Erghe Mountains.
Despite that, the Holy Empire occasionally sent expeditions, and on each occasion, some wolf Beast People died.
Regarding that, the Holy Empire accused Har of lying, and Har said.
'We were too weak to venture deep into the dangerous Erghe Mountains. Besides, we didn't have the ability to discover the wolf Beast People.'
On the surface, it was an excuse that dishonored the kingdom.
But that was the truth, so the Holy Empire did not blame Har for it.
"...Prime Minister, is there any way to help the wolves?"
Har knew about the Wolf Tribe, but he didn't know much about them.
Especially since Dennis became king, he had been paying attention to the northern lands.
Otherwise, how would he have obtained information about when the northern expedition would reach the small northern village?
Informants, including the village chief, could claim they had discovered the information themselves, but that was possible thanks to Dennis's inadvertent help.
But what he could do was limited.
"...I'm sorry, Your Highness."
"No, no. It's not your fault, Prime Minister."
Danis endured the pain and spoke calmly.
"Still, thanks to the Prime Minister's efforts, didn't the movement of the eradication team get delayed? I know you went through a lot to catch those vicious bastards."
"How can that be my strength? It's thanks to Your Highness's efforts."
The eradication team that set out from the Holy Empire crossed Har Kingdom and headed north.
And unnoticed, they delayed the steps of the eradication team and, at the same time, had to work quite a bit to transmit the information north without Holy Empire noticing.
The king hoped the Beast People would hide deep in the Erghe Mountains or flee.
"...Do we send someone in secret?"
"Yes. I sent the commander of the guard and some members."
"I've heard that those from the First Division are truly ruthless. They say their arrogance knows no bounds."
The young king, Dennis, remembered the representative of the eradication team who passed through the capital and greeted him. Courteous, but with a look that did not hide his disdain for him. A look that belittled a human like him. Although he showed respect in front of him, the notoriety of those individuals, who were Dragon Half-Bloods, resonated throughout the continent. Dennis was worried that they could destroy Erghe, not only the mountains but also the villages.
"We must avoid the worst."
"Yes."
The determined look of the tired king reflected the determination of the Prime Minister. The white-haired elder was barely containing the anger within him.
"Hoo."
Dennis turned his head. A wall shrouded in shadows loomed before him.
"...Once again, we lose the kingdom's power like this."
The Wolf Tribe in the Erghe Mountains. Dennis considered them beings that needed to be protected for the kingdom's future. But what more could he do? He felt powerless.
'Useless.'
How to overcome this powerlessness? Did he have to keep watching like this every time? With closed eyes, Dennis, engulfed in darkness, clenched his teeth.
And the elder Prime Minister bit his lips as he looked at the young king.
'This intelligent young man cannot fulfill his will…'
If the Prime Minister had a wish, it would be to fulfill the wish of this intelligent and young king. But to achieve that, Har Kingdom had nothing.
'It's falling apart.'
Within the kingdom, there were many traitors. People who were not loyal to King Dennis or to Har, even among the leaders. They had not yet been discovered. Therefore, both the king and the Prime Minister, who were almost equal in status, had to hide in this narrow and dark room to discuss.
"...Prime Minister."
Dennis's closed eyes opened. Although tired, his eyes shone in the darkness. He hoped even in the darkness. If he waited long enough, maybe he would find a small light, a hope he could grasp, even if it was small.
"Continue monitoring the north."
And he was preparing even to grasp that hope.
"What about the rumors about the poison that makes the Beast People violent again? How is the investigation going?"
He continued with a calm voice.
"And also, the Blue Wolf. Have they found any clues?"
Dennis knew very well what to do in this situation. How to address this crisis.
"Prime Minister, there are rumors that a Dragon can be killed. Did you find out who said that?"
And the Prime Minister responded.
"I found the tail."
The two white-haired individuals continued the conversation in the darkness, trying to shed a little more light on the future of Har Kingdom.
* * *
The center of the Holy Empire.
Instead of a grand palace, there was an immense temple in the center.
The most prominent place among the numerous temples that revered the 'Dragons,' the Grand Temple.
The epicenter of the Grand Temple.
Drop by drop, water droplets falling in the air gathered to form a small pond in the prayer room.
A woman who was there opened her eyes.
The Pope, Casillia.
As soon as she opened her eyes, the Bishop beside her approached and spoke.
"What's happening?"
"In the north."
Her eyes turned toward the continent map drawn on the floor of the prayer room.
"It seems that the laws in the north have distorted."
Curiously, as soon as she finished speaking, the north of the continent, near the Erghe Mountains, distorted as if it were enveloped in a storm.
This meant that a variation had occurred in the laws of the world created by the Dragons.
And this situation implied two things.
The Bishop spoke cautiously.
"Which Dragon is having fun?"
The only people who could break the laws of the world were the Dragons who created the rules.
Therefore, sometimes Dragons ventured into the world for fun, broke the rules, had fun, and then returned.
"Maybe yes, maybe no."
"Do you have anything else to say?"
"Yes."
As the Pope had not heard any specific indications, she gave an order.
"Contact the eradication team that went to the north."
If this were just a game of the Dragons, there was no problem.
But if not, if a real variation in the laws of the world had occurred...
The Pope spoke without emotion.
"Since the laws have distorted near the Erghe Mountains, find the reason and correct it."
"Understood."
The Pope and the Bishop did not think this mission would fail.
The expedition was composed of people who were practically Dragon Half-Bloods.
"The laws of the world must be upheld."
The Pope spoke kindly.
"For the sake of all."
The Bishop responded to those words.
"For the sake of all."
Drip, drip~
With the sound of water droplets falling, the surface of the small pond trembled.
* * *
A few days later.
The leader of the eradication team, Jenyu, saw in the distance a landscape that an ordinary human would not have seen from such a far distance.
Beyond, a snow-covered impoverished village could be seen.
Behind it, the rugged landscape of the Erghe Mountains stood out clearly even amid the snow.
"Captain, can we just kill them all?"
He nodded at his subordinate's words.
"Yes."
An indifferent tone.
At that moment, the village chief, who had been holding his breath, knew that the eradication team would arrive soon and could not hide his anxiety. His gaze moved to the side.
There was Choi Han cleaning his sword with a cloth.
* * *
If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.
Thank you for reading!
[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]
[Translator – Anowa]
[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]