Chapter: 941
– A dragon?
– A dragon? What is this?
A rumbling sound reached my ears.
Not just the sound, but gazes were also directed at me.
Everyone turned to look in this direction at the words Myeongsong blurted out in surprise.
It wasn’t merely a look; a whole cocktail of emotions surged forth.
There was anger, there was fear.
Along with that, resentment and confusion brewed as well. What’s important here is…
‘First of all, it’s definitely not a positive reaction.’
Whatever it is, all those emotions are filled with negativity.
I glanced down at my aching palm. It felt like my skin was nearly melting off.
After observing it, I turned my gaze to Myeongsong’s hand.
‘That’s it.’
The reason my hand ended up like this lay in Myeongsong’s hand.
The iron gloves he wore.
When I touched that, this happened to me.
‘…’
I quietly scrutinized it and then squinted my eyes.
It seems that must be it.
‘The reason I came here.’
The reason I deliberately sought out the Volcano Sect’s blacksmith shop. I realized that by looking at those gloves.
Knock knock.
I shook my hands off.
The burned skin was ripped apart and charred.
The wound didn’t seem superficial, but it wasn’t too wide either, so if left alone, it would quickly regenerate…
‘…hmm…?’
I thought that might be the case, but what I felt was pretty different.
‘Regeneration is slow.’
Compared to the usual rate I had experienced, it felt remarkably diminished.
To be precise, it had slowed down by half.
I tried hard to tuck my hands behind my back, but the gazes remained steadfast.
At that moment.
“…Are you a dragon?”
Myeongsong, who had been watching me, asked.
What should I answer?
It was a question, but it was more like certainty.
If so, what made him so sure?
‘That too must be it.’
The gloves Myeongsong wore.
And.
‘The sword that Gubong or Seol-yeong possessed.’
The sword held by the top disciples.
I still cannot forget the sight of him attacking Gubong.
When I think back to that time, I wouldn’t say it felt dangerous, but…
‘The sword that guy wielded was suspicious in some way.’
This is something I sensed during the fight.
The sword he swung felt terrifying for some reason.
Oddly enough, it was easier to deal with him when night fell and he put down his sword.
I was puzzled by this part and looked into it a bit.
Because it was such a strange sensation, it deserved investigation.
After a brief exploration, I gathered some information.
The first thing was…
‘Only the top disciple has a different sword.’
I’ve only met two disciples, but they both wielded the same sword.
This was something I learned through my encounter with the second top disciple in the Night Sky, or through separate sparring sessions guided by the third top disciple.
Gubong and Seol-yeong wielded the same sword, and I felt a similar sensation when looking at Seol-yeong’s sword.
So, I separately asked Gubong about it.
When I inquired where he got that sword, he told me it was made for him by the blacksmith working at the blacksmith shop.
Thus, the source of the sword is the blacksmith, and the forge is at the blacksmith shop.
As soon as I realized that, I wanted to learn more about this sword.
‘What could it be?’
What is it that gives me such foreboding vibes?
Also.
‘Is it a problem with the sword itself, or is the material strange?’
If it’s ominous, which part is ominous?
That’s what I was trying to figure out, but…
‘Now that I think about it, it’s clear.’
It’s not the sword; it’s the material itself.
That stuff was definitely not ordinary iron.
Even while I was trying to hide my still painful arm, I looked at Myeongsong.
He was eyeing me suspiciously.
What had he asked? Oh, he asked if I’m a dragon.
I quietly gazed back and asked him, “Is there a problem if I’m a dragon?”
“….”
Myeongsong didn’t reply.
In fact, it felt like he was becoming more on edge as he listened to me.
Silence, by its nature, amplifies the emotions contained within.
Just as Myeongsong reacted that way, those around him felt the same.
The atmosphere began to grow more and more tense.
Hmm.
I was pondering. What should I do about this?
To be honest, I wanted to try and avert this somehow.
‘But the eyes are already convinced.’
It was too late to back out.
Moreover, the fact that I was so sure of this implied that the iron was related to dragons.
“Hey, Myeongsong, what are you talking about? How can a noble being…?”
Seol-yeong chimed in with an anxious expression.
It looked like she was trying hard to ease the situation.
“Yes, well, that’s what they call it.”
“…!”
I interjected, dismantling Seol-yeong’s intent.
“…Huh…?”
Myeongsong gasped at my response.
Then.
Clank—! He grabbed a nearby hammer and aimed it menacingly at me.
“…A dragon? Are you really a dragon?”
“Oh, that’s not good. Let’s calm down first.”
“How dare you think you can just be here…!!”
The moment being a dragon was revealed, Myeongsong charged at me.
It seemed he had no intention of hearing what I had to say as he swung the hammer fiercely.
Bang—!
I dodged slightly, and the hammer crashed onto the ground.
Clearly, the floor cracked under its intense force.
“How did you escape…! Are you here to torment us again?”
“…No, that’s not it.”
“Die!!”
“Ugh.”
It seemed Myeongsong couldn’t hear what I was saying as he continued to attack relentlessly, fury dancing in his eyes.
He was smashing everything in sight with his hammer, and if it continued like this, I feared the blacksmith shop would come to ruin.
I figured it’d be best to first intervene.
So I stretched out my hand with that thought in mind.
“Eeeeee—!!”
Grabbing Myeongsong by the collar as he charged at me excitedly, I threw him to the floor with a firm push.
Bang—!!
“Gah…!”
Although Myeongsong fell to the ground, his excitement had not fizzled out just yet, and he tried to swing his arms despite being down.
So, I simply struck him under the chin.
Smack—!
“Gah…!”
Myeongsong, hit in the chin, promptly lost consciousness.
Only after knocking him out did he finally calm down.
“Phew….”
I took a moment to collect myself, leaving the sprawled-out Myeongsong behind.
But.
“…”
“…It’s a dragon….”
“A dragon again…? Why…? I just barely escaped…”
It seemed that everyone around still appeared terrified, as if they believed it wasn’t over yet.
My action of subduing Myeongsong seemed to have only aggravated the situation further.
“No… that’s not it…”
I was trying my best to make excuses.
“Eek—!!”
“I’m going to be eaten…!”
Oddly enough, it felt like this was having the opposite effect.
What do I do with this? I felt stumped without a solution in sight.
“Your Majesty… Let’s step outside for now.”
Seol-yeong urgently grabbed my arm.
Then, she set down the basket she was holding on the floor and shouted.
“I—I’ll come back for the needles later! I’m sorry!”
After shouting that, she pulled me along outside.
I was reluctantly dragged out.
*
Being pulled along by Seol-yeong’s hand, I started to feel a bit dazed.
Despite the fact we hadn’t been moving long, it felt like we had already traveled quite a distance.
Bam—!
The grip on my arm suddenly loosened. It was not Seol-yeong who had let go; it was Cheon-ma, who was following us, that had yanked it away.
“Let go. Don’t look at me anymore.”
Cheon-ma said while keeping her eyes on Seol-yeong.
Indeed, judging by the aura, I no longer sensed any prying gazes.
Meanwhile, Cheon-ma was looking at Seol-yeong with an oddly wary expression.
Ignoring that, I asked Seol-yeong, “…What’s going on here?”
What in the world was this situation? I asked out of curiosity.
“Your Majesty.”
Seol-yeong replied to me with a somewhat serious expression.
“Are you really a dragon?”
“That’s what they say?”
If everyone is calling me that, wouldn’t it be right? I thought so as I answered and saw Seol-yeong’s eyes widen.
Looking into those eyes, I asked her another question.
“Why? Is it such a big deal that I being a dragon?”
I wondered what the big problem was that was stirring all this commotion.
They say that Man-gye is a place where all races gather, so wouldn’t that be rather standard?
‘Of course, I’ve heard that dragons can no longer come to Man-gye because they have all gone extinct.’
Could that be the issue? Still, the little old men shouldn’t be so scared of me for that reason.
“…If you are indeed a dragon… then it’s a problem.”
“What’s the reason?”
“Are you truly unaware of the reason?”
“If I knew, would I be asking?”
I sighed in frustration and Seol-yeong seemed hesitant to continue.
“I don’t know the specifics, but I heard that dragons disappeared due to events from the past and can no longer set foot in Man-gye.”
This echoed what I had heard earlier.
“So, is that why those old folks have a grudge against dragons?”
“No, we need to dive deeper into that side of the story….”
Deeper than what I was grasping right now.
“Then why on earth is that the case?”
“…That.”
Seol-yeong appeared to hesitate in her speech. She was reluctant to spill the details.
I needed to hear it no matter what.
So, I remained quiet, waiting for her to clarify.
“…I heard that Myeongsong’s lineage used to be enslaved by dragons before they vanished from history.”
Seol-yeong spoke. Upon hearing that, I had to scratch my furrowed brows.
“…slaves?”
Slaves? The kind I’m familiar with?
“Yes. They were slaves.”
“… Um… so that’s not just a euphemism? It’s quite direct….”
“They were said to have been treated like actual servants.”
“This …”
They had kept other races as slaves. Only after hearing this could I somewhat grasp their fearful reactions.
– “How did you escape…? Are you here to torment us again?”
That was what Myeongsong said.
I wondered why there was such a violent reaction the moment they heard the word “dragon.”
‘If what Seol-yeong said is true…’
Perhaps they had suffered greatly? How much had they endured to arrive at this point?
Those eyes truly reflected…
‘It was like looking at people I’d seen in dire situations.’
If not, it reflected encounters from a past life that were certainly antagonistic.
I felt that describing it that way was most fitting.
“Hmph.”
I thought to myself, rubbing my chin. So, what should I do now?
Even amidst all this, Seol-yeong kept trying to speak with me.
“Your Majesty… I don’t know how the old man managed to bring you here.”
Her tone was rather cautious.
“I believe there’s a reason for you being brought here by the Sect Leader.”
Hearing that, I glanced at Seol-yeong.
“However, considering Myeongsong’s perspective… I hope you won’t view him too negatively….”
“Why would I view him negatively?”
If that was the case, Myeongsong’s stance made total sense.
“Oh.”
Seol-yeong’s expression brightened upon hearing my response. She must have predicted I would perceive it negatively and become upset.
“Thank you for understanding… I will do my best to pacify him. I’ll do it in such a way that Your Majesty doesn’t even notice….”
With a relieved expression, Seol-yeong continued, but I had to cut her off after hearing that last part.
“That won’t do.”
“What?”
Seol-yeong looked shocked.
What wouldn’t do? She stared at me, confused.
“I can’t go unnoticed. I have business here.”
“What is that…? You’re not seriously planning to see Myeongsong again, are you?”
“Does it have to be Myeongsong specifically…?”
Given how things unfolded, he did seem to be the one in charge.
“For now?”
“But….”
Seol-yeong hesitated to continue, but I had already gathered what she was implying from her reaction.
It would be challenging to interact with them as long as I was known as a dragon.
That was the clear vibe.
“It’s fine.”
I really didn’t care either way.
From the beginning.
“Anyway, I’m not good at being overly kind.”
If they fear me, then that’s how it’ll be.
Sadly,
‘This side also isn’t in a very relaxed position, either.’
There’s no leeway to consider the other’s perspective.
Are they frightened of me? That’s good.
Let’s consider history as well.
There’s nothing easier to manipulate than fear.
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