Chapter: 643
I found myself visiting Atelius’ cave every three days or so.
Each time, I couldn’t lift my head due to the complex gaze Atelius directed at me. It’s true that I said I would come to visit occasionally, but I certainly hadn’t expected to come this often.
And definitely not with a group in tow.
“Hello, Uncle!”
“…Yeah. Welcome.”
The Crown Princess waved majestically at Atelius. He nodded slightly at her gesture.
‘Looks like even a dragon can’t handle the stamina of a child.’
I felt a sudden pang of empathy. The slow nodding and drooping tail were strong signals of Atelius’ fatigue.
It’s understandable. After losing his family, Atelius had spent centuries in solitude. He was taking care of rabbits, but how loud can one be when they can’t even talk? For hundreds of years, there’s been no one to physically or mentally wear him out.
“Hello!”
“You’re here too. Feel free to play.”
Despite being exhausted, Atelius didn’t push away the Crown Princess and Pedi. Even though he was subject to the enthusiasm of two energetic kids, he never got angry or cast spells to shoo them away.
Having already developed a bond with silent rabbits, it made sense that he could connect more deeply with children who could actually talk.
“A gift! Here!”
“A gift?”
The Crown Princess, after receiving Atelius’ greeting, rummaged through her clothes and produced something I instantly recognized.
“Chocolate! Black like you!”
It was the signature treat that the Crown Princess liked to share with people she wanted to befriend.
Caught off guard by this sudden dessert, Atelius fell temporarily silent.
‘Will he even be able to see it?’
A cute little chocolate, smaller than the Crown Princess and nearly the size of a rabbit’s eye. To someone as enormous as Atelius, it was like a pebble rolling on the street.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
After a brief moment of silence, Atelius cautiously reached towards the Crown Princess.
“Here! Enjoy it!”
With a big grin, the Crown Princess placed the chocolate on Atelius’ claw.
I knew it was rude to think this way, but with such a drastic size difference, it looked more like dirt under his nail.
“This is your gift, so I’ll take good care of it—”
“No way! If you don’t eat it, it’ll melt!”
“A smart kid…”
At the sudden demand for immediate consumption, Atelius bitterly popped the chocolate into his mouth.
Honestly, I’m not even sure if he really managed to put it in or just let it drop on the floor; it was so tiny it was hard to tell.
“Is it tasty!?”
“Of course. Thank you for this lovely gift.”
The Crown Princess shrugged her shoulders proudly at his compliment. After all, in her innocent mind, she had no idea about schemes like ‘pretending to eat to stash it away.’
“Uncle!”
“What is it?”
“I have a gift too!”
With that, Pedi lifted a small pouch he had been carrying at his waist.
“Mom gave this to me. A gift for you!”
The continuous stream of gifts caused the corners of Atelius’ mouth to twitch upwards slightly.
A very slight movement, but it was definitely an upward curve.
“Alright. I’ll enjoy it. Thank you.”
Once he had taken the pouch Pedi was holding, Atelius extended his other hand towards the Crown Princess and Pedi.
“Shall we ride again today?”
“Yeah! I want to!”
“Me too!”
“Carl, you should come up as well. Isn’t it dangerous to leave just the kids alone?”
“Yes, Elder.”
The dragon hoisted the children onto his massive hand, showing them a bird’s-eye view.
It was a magical sight right out of a fairy tale.
Sitting atop Atelius’ palm, the kids explored the cave while using the nails on his hand as a slide and running across his tail like a playground.
“Woo….”
“I’m sleepy…”
Exhausted from their energetic play, the two kids eventually collapsed.
Right among the rabbits that Atelius took care of.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen those kids pass out.”
Surrounded by the rabbit herd, the kids were fast asleep.
As a father and a guardian, it was heartwarming, and Atelius, now free from the kids, murmured softly.
“Those little ones were too young and naïve to commit such a great offense towards the elder.”
“It’s fine. Kids grow up like this at that age. If they’re too quiet for their age, that’s a problem too.”
I offered my apologies, and Atelius shook his head, suggesting that it was perfectly natural for kids to be rambunctious.
What a relief. Just as Rod had said, it seemed Atelius, who had grown attached to small animals, was beginning to take an interest in human children as well. The overwhelmingly powerful dragon showed no signs of anger towards the kids and seemed perfectly content with them being around.
Besides, the fact that the Crown Princess and Pedi weren’t afraid of Atelius also played a significant role in this. If those little adorable kids had started crying, it would’ve been a different story, but our fearless kids were having a blast right in front of the dragon, completely at ease.
‘Is it similar to how kids love dinosaurs?’
Thinking that, I found it to be a pretty plausible hypothesis. Kids adore anything, even the gigantic lizards that went extinct from a meteor strike, so how much more would they adore a dragon with intelligence and speech?
“Carl.”
“Yes, Elder?”
“I’m aware of both you and Rod’s feelings. Even if I didn’t have to say it, I will keep my word. Just try to reduce your visits a little.”
His words made me giggle awkwardly. While Atelius never showed anger or annoyance, he certainly had felt overwhelmed by their frequent visits before.
But it was an unreasonable request. If the kids only did what grown-ups wanted, would they still be kids?
“They just adore you too much. It’s impossible to stop them.”
“Ah, I see.”
Though I knew it would never happen, Atelius didn’t push the issue further. He simply clicked his tongue in resignation while watching the two kids.
“Dragons become lazier as time goes on. Unlike humans who become busier with each passing day.”
“Humans, unlike the great dragons, have a lifespan. Therefore, we must not rest but continue to advance, right?”
“Exactly. It’s because it’s limited that we can burn with passion, and because we have passion, we move forward.”
The low chuckle from Atelius, as he looked at the sleeping children surrounded by rabbits, showed his belly was grounded in the earth.
“The day will come when those children won’t be able to visit often. So I’ll bear with this as a preemptive experience.”
Though it sounded like he was offering to endure, you could hear the deep loneliness in his words.
He had already grown fond of the kids and was worried about the day they would part ways. How could such a delicate being, who had lost his family, ever bear the nickname ‘horrific dragon’? Just days ago, he had nearly fully resigned himself to eternal rest?
‘Damn those Apels.’
They belong to a country that should be destroyed.
“But, Carl.”
“Yes, Elder. Please, speak.”
“I sense various energies from those two kids. Spirits and even divine energy. It’s truly curious.”
At Atelius’ words, I recalled the sacred beings and spirits still roaming around the mansion. Given that I lived with those being every day, it was only natural for me to feel their energy.
But I didn’t bring that up. Showing Atelius that the world had gone crazy while he was finally starting to find a reason to live again would be—
“Maybe my energy will also rub off on those kids.”
?
“Isn’t that a good thing if your energy influences them?”
Given the worried tone, I couldn’t help but question it.
The children were already infused with the energy of spirits and former deities. Adding dragon energy into the mix shouldn’t create such a big difference or be a bad thing. In fact, it seemed rather commendable.
“Well…”
At my question, Atelius hesitated for a moment before finally continuing.
“Before I started a family, I had fought with the Spirit King and various deities. It was a long time ago, so they may have forgotten me, but you never know.”
“Really?”
“I was quite young back then, full of reckless energy.”
His excuse felt more like an explanation, leaving me a bit dazed. How could fighting against the Spirit King and deities be explained as just being young and spirited?
‘Horrific dragon…’
The nickname Rod mentioned suddenly came to mind.
I had assumed it was a title he earned after losing his family and succumbing to rage, but maybe he had been labeled that before even then. Perhaps after he found a wife and child, a calmer nature emerged only to explode again at the hands of the Apels.
“While I’m at it, I should erase my traces. He’s sleeping, so I’ll deal with it now.”
“Ah, yes.”
Nodding dazedly, I watched Atelius as he prepared to use magic on the Crown Princess and Pedi.
‘Other deities…’
All I could think of were the spirits that now felt like pets rather than divine beings.
Perhaps those spirits also knew a thing or two about Atelius.
As soon as I returned to the mansion, I grabbed Humility as it was passing by.
“Do you happen to know the name ‘Horrific Dragon’?”
I asked bluntly if they had heard of that name before.
“…How does the master know that name?”
‘Great.’
Humility’s answer made me secretly sigh.
It was clear from the reaction that it wasn’t just a name they knew casually; they were either well-acquainted with Atelius or had some deep connection to his infamous past.
“Master. How do I look?”
“A chick.”
“Right, a chick! But I wasn’t always this way.”
Suddenly taking to the skies, Humility began to release its pent-up feelings.
“I was a colossal phoenix! With a single flap of my wings, I could scorch the earth and carve a crimson trail across the sky as the supreme phoenix! But that damned horrific dragon…!”
Humility ranted like a child complaining to their parents.
Original magnificence and greatness turned into snippets of being a nuisance while peacefully flying through the skies until the horrific dragon ambushed him. All the while, claiming the ambush was because he had been too noisy while sleeping and declaring how such a nutcase could exist.
“If it wasn’t for that guy, the sun wouldn’t be able to hold me down!”
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s true! After being gravely injured by the horrific dragon, I was still considered one of the seven deadly sins!”
“I got it.”
Watching Humility flap its wings endlessly, I envisioned Atelius at that moment. I could hardly believe those two had once fought against each other.
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