Yuren’s age was like history itself for mortals, but compared to dragons, she was quite young. She knew that among dragons, there were unique breeds.
Normally, other races were nothing more than pets to dragons. Vampires had a rough relationship with dragons, but they were still regarded as mere nuisances.
Unique breeds refer to those who hold excessive affection for such pets. Even elves, who live in harmony with nature for a long time, eventually face the end of their lifespan.
Among the races on the continent, only dragons could be considered immortal beings. Thus, they could not give their hearts away to other races more than necessary—nor could they.
However, there were dragons who genuinely loved other races. It might be manageable if the other was a long-lived race like elves or dwarves, but loving a human dragon was different. Humans didn’t last long enough to be loved, even by the standards of other long-lived races. One of those unique breeds was one of Yuren’s close friends.
[Why did you love a human? It only brings you wounds.]
[That’s true. Humans… are endlessly weak beings.]
[Just give up now. It should bring you some peace.]
[But that’s precisely why I loved a human.]
At that time, Yuren could not understand the feelings of her friend who was foolishly longing for a deceased lover. But now, she understood even beyond that. Yuren slowly began to think one by one.
‘First, why did I suddenly hide away?’
Dragons were always proud. Sometimes their pride was so immense that they were criticized for being oblivious to situations. Yuren had even intervened when her comrades were forming relationships.
However, that was not intentional. She had barged in due to an urgent matter and was half-forced into the situation. At that time, seeing her flustered comrades honestly didn’t make sense to her…
Now, acting nonchalantly was impossible. Something weighing down on her chest prevented Yuren from functioning. Had it been just a mere sensation, or did her lower half actually feel like it was burning?
“…For some reason, I’m angry.”
Yuren hurriedly left that place. It wasn’t just out of embarrassment. Annoyance surged from deep within her heart. Dragons were known as the Race of Benevolence to other races.
In reality, there wasn’t much difference; but one thing that pushed them into fury was the feeling of having something taken from them. A dragon’s possessiveness ran deeper and fuller than one could imagine.
It was just that they thought they could retrieve anything they wanted anytime, so their possessiveness didn’t trigger easily. But if a dragon’s possessiveness were provoked, an entire nation could be wiped out.
It was the same just now. For a brief moment, Yuren had barged in and had even thought about ripping Cluna’s neck off—the neck of a comrade and fellow warrior she had been with until now…!!
‘What on earth was I thinking?’
Self-loathing and disgust. However, what made her more nauseous was the fact that a considerable part of her mind was affirming that feeling. Yuren left the place before she could commit any actions.
…But what if…
What if I actually killed Cluna?
…Then would the Commander punish me?
*
Ugh…
Hans opened his eyes with a sound that made no sense. He felt like he had been lying in bed for a long time. Hans slowly sat up. It felt quite refreshing after just a short nap.
Not just empty talk; it truly felt like he had taken a shot of tangy fresh fruit juice on a tiring day. The taste was that of pure health. Hans felt puzzled but soon found the answer.
He spotted Cluna nursing him nearby. Hans forced a bitter smile. He said he wouldn’t push himself, but he never thought he would collapse in front of Cluna.
“Cluna, did you carry me?”
“Yes, I did.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think I would faint.”
“It’s okay. I’m here.”
“…??”
Hans was momentarily taken aback. Her reaction was very different from before. He wondered if she was angry and watched closely, but she didn’t seem angry. Instead, she appeared somewhat shy.
Well, what on earth happened while I was asleep? It felt a bit suspicious, but he couldn’t pry further. After all, she stayed by his side to help him.
Cluna smiled slightly and offered him a bowl. Inside was gruel made with flour. He took a spoon and tasted it. Surprisingly, it had a refreshing fruity flavor.
“What did you add?”
“I put in special elf honey.”
“Elf honey, huh? It’s better than I expected.”
It had a slightly sweet taste, so it must have been made with fruit and honey. No, it might actually be real honey harvested from flowers. Hans gulped down all the gruel.
“Thanks, I feel energized now.”
“I’m glad it matched your taste.”
“Alright, now let’s take care of all the remaining tasks.”
“Ah, if it’s that, I’ve already finished everything.”
“You’ve finished? That much?”
“Everyone helped out.”
After Hans collapsed, the other members visited him, and he soon found out the reason he had collapsed. Surprisingly, the members gathered here were quite capable.
There was no need to mention the former Commander Yuren. Cluna and Ruby had received higher education in their childhood, and Bayard had also been properly educated since he was young.
Moreover, Helia had unexpectedly become a dark horse. Despite her young age, she absorbed all the knowledge like a sponge and ended up completing the most tasks.
“Thank you, Helia.”
“It’s my duty as your teacher. I was always ready to help.”
“Y-Yeah, I owe you my life.”
“Speaking of which…”
“Huh?”
“Never mind, it’s nothing.”
Helia smiled while shaking her head. It didn’t seem like it was stemming from a teacher’s intentions. If so, then the source of the tantalizing aroma that had been vibrating since earlier…
Her red pupils shifted from the teacher to where her gaze wouldn’t reach him. Once she confirmed that the teacher wasn’t watching, her gaze began to gleam coldly. At the end of it was Cluna.
Even in front of the cold glare, Cluna wore a relaxed smile. It irritated Helia. That damned girl… Did she jump the queue first?
But she couldn’t let her feelings show here. The already weak body of the overly demanding teacher had been greatly worn down. Besides, it was that girl who had been assisting the teacher the most.
‘I’m annoyed, but… I have nothing to say right now.’
Of course, Helia wasn’t slacking off either. To be of help to her teacher, she had trained with everyone during the day and learned writing and how to handle work at night.
If it were up to her, she wanted to tear that girl apart immediately. But she wanted to avoid gaining her teacher’s dislike. Although Helia didn’t care one bit about the other members.
What she truly couldn’t bear was the fact that there was a scent of another woman on the teacher. It felt like the teacher was drifting away from her, which only further irritated Helia.
‘I never thought I would feel superior over something like this.’
Giggling while gazing at Helia with a chilling gaze, Cluna was slightly surprised by her own transformation. But it wasn’t a bad feeling. On the contrary, it was positive.
Come to think of it, it was the same back then. After not realizing her first love, she had pushed it away by denying it, only to end up having that love taken by another woman. The pain from that time…
Having memory of such a heartbeat, she promised never to let such a thing happen again. Of course, she knew it was a terrible thing to wish on a child. But as a mother, she could simply love that much.
“Commander, we received a letter from the Human Kingdom.”
“A reply has come? What does it say?”
“First, they said we should meet and talk.”
“At least it’s not a rejection, so that’s a relief.”
While Helia and Cluna were having a stare-off, Hans was receiving an official report from Yuren. It wasn’t a complete yes, but there was certainly room for negotiation.
The expedition that would commence after the Royal Knights were somewhat reestablished had to succeed without fail. And Hans was somewhat confident about it. After all, he had knowledge of the original story.
Of course, if he were just a gamer, it would be filled with holes and unreliable. But Hans had not only read the lore books, but he had also attended events hosted by the game company; he was a huge fan.
Moreover, he kept track of all the settings and story interpretations posted on the bluebird announcements and community pages, which was why he planned this expedition. Hans opened his mouth.
“Then shall we set off right away?”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Of course, this much is nothing.”
“……”
In that moment, Yuren almost let slip what happened with Cluna.
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