The sun is hot.
The scorching sunlight blazed down on the ground from a sky devoid of clouds. It was a typical midsummer day.
“Ugh, it’s hot.”
Even though I was wearing a flowy dress, sweat was dripping down my body. The heat was unbearable, even for me, who was accustomed to it.
Flap, flap.
I lightly waved a fan as I strolled along the sandy beach, careful to avoid letting any grains get into my slippers.
Looking up at the sky in a daze, the sea breeze tousled my hair. The refreshing feeling wrapped around my face along with the uniquely salty scent of the beach.
“This is it!”
This is exactly what I wanted. I smiled contentedly as I laid myself down on the sunbed in the middle of the sand.
Lying on my back, the clear and dazzling sea filled my view, stretching endlessly.
How could it be so blue and beautiful?
The long horizon, the sunlight sparkling on the water, and fish occasionally leaping out of the sea – they all looked like scenes ripped straight from a masterpiece.
I took a moment to soak in the scenery before quietly mumbling, “Truly magnificent, Young Dragon.”
“Right?”
No sooner had I spoken than a dragon appeared out of thin air.
With scales as dark as night and tiny wings, it had fierce-looking pupils and adorably protruding teeth. Its slightly rounded belly suggested excessive snacking.
“This is but a trifle for me, Hekatrith!”
Our Order’s guardian dragon, Hekatrith, flapped its tiny wings proudly.
“This kind of illusion magic is just basic-level! If it weren’t for the constraints you placed, I could have created a beach a hundred times more beautiful!”
This isn’t a real beach. It wasn’t even a real place.
A kind of virtual space created by distorting reality with magic and deceiving the senses. In reality, I was just in my room, but this place felt like a vacation spot.
To be fair, Liam could manage something like this too, but the quality and stability of Hekatrith’s work were on a whole different level due to its superior magical prowess.
“Thank you. I’ve been troubled by various things lately, but thanks to you, I can finally relax.”
“You needn’t thank me. Do you feel satisfied killing a tiny bug? In comparison to my skills, this is merely trivial overtime work for me.”
A haughty and arrogant remark devoid of humility. Still, I couldn’t help but smile. It was like it was trying to ask for more with those sparkling eyes.
It was just ridiculously cute.
When I stared silently into its clear eyes, Hekatrith tilted its head, looking at me like a confused puppy wondering about its owner’s actions.
‘The kids must really love it.’
Recently, Erina and Ibailla had been totally engrossed in playing with “pet dragon Young Dragon.” They were ignoring even the flashy idol anime they had been so interested in lately.
According to my daughters, just the existence of Young Dragon itself was entertaining.
It seemed that the intriguing combination of its cute appearance and arrogant speech caught the interest of children.
Even Rohan, when near our guardian dragon, would behave completely calmly without any fuss. With a look of someone observing a strange toy, he would become obedient and quiet, as if proving his worth.
“I’ve proven its stability, so I would now like to show it to your children. They are sure to adore it!”
It was fortunate that Hekatrith also seemed to have no hatred towards children.
In other words, Young Dragon was truly the best nanny.
“Young Dragon, I am always in awe of your great magical prowess.”
Even handling it was exceedingly simple.
“Liam, in terms of magical talent alone, is far behind you. It’s like comparing an eagle to a chick.”
Saying this with a smile made Hekatrith laugh heartily, opening its mouth wide.
“Hahaha! Do not say such obvious things, O Pope! For me, magic is as natural as breathing and sleeping! An inevitability that cannot be separated from life. So, it is only natural for me to possess ‘transdimensional explosive magical talent’ that none can rival!”
Transdimensional… whatever? I had no idea what that meant, but it sounded like it meant they were pretty incredible.
I watched the excited Young Dragon quietly before gently speaking up.
“Please take good care of our kids from now on. It shouldn’t be too much trouble for you using magic, right?”
After giving a push once they’d had lots of fun. It was a simple strategy that even an elementary student could devise, but the impact was tremendous.
“Of course! I shall generously provide continued entertainment for the children!”
Our guardian dragon quickly nodded in agreement. It was a reaction that didn’t stray from my expectations at all.
‘Is this supposed to be an Evil Dragon?’
Honestly, I was cautious about inviting it home, worried it might rebel, but it turned out to be an unfounded concern.
The Evil Dragon, which had once plunged a world into chaos and death, turned out to be rather tame.
It initially acted wildly.
But Young Dragon grew calmer and was obediently accepting lessons to become a guardian dragon.
At this point, it was practically a talking, winged, magical large dog.
Could it be that some small remnant of its good nature remained deep inside, having chosen to become an Evil Dragon to prevent the world’s destruction?
“O Pope, may I teach your children the aesthetics of destruction and corruption?”
“…Absolutely not.”
It seemed this gentleness did not stem from goodwill.
“Tch. You sound like a saint!”
This is why I couldn’t let my guard down. Though it had been behaving obediently, its nature was still that of an Evil Dragon.
Perhaps its innocent demeanor was all an act. Quick Eagle even warned me to be careful, calling it a “deceitfully cunning lizard.”
‘It might just be building up to stab me in the back.’
But still, I wasn’t particularly worried. As long as there was a demigod former hero around, any scheme would be powerless.
Moreover, I had directly placed various constraints on Hekatrith’s body and sealed its power, so there was no need to fret further.
Once I organized my thoughts, I took my smartphone out of my pocket.
“Oh! Is it finally time for iTube viewing?”
The young dragon, who had been frolicking in the air, flew over and perched on my body as if it had been waiting for this moment.
I gently stroked its smooth scales with one hand while using the other to navigate the screen. Once I entered the iTube app, its chubby black tail started to wildly wag side to side.
“Show me that parrot animal from yesterday! It’s so fascinating when it shows off its tricks!”
Did it think I was going to watch some cute animal video like usual? Sorry, but the video I was about to play was far from that sweetness.
– Grrr!
A deafening ferocious roar echoed through the speakers, a sound that could scare off the faint-hearted with a mere listen.
On the screen, a massive black dragon was shown howling, its head protruding into the air.
“This, this is…!”
Was it finally realizing what video it was? The young dragon’s tail, which had been flailing around madly, came to a halt. Instead, its body began to tremble.
It was only natural for it to react this way.
[The Evil Dragon Subjugation of a Former Hero]
This was our Order’s promotional video featuring Liam taking down Hekatrith.
The blonde heartthrob swiftly defeated the suddenly appearing Evil Dragon. The entire process of him dominating the giant dragon was presented in a clean and stylish editing style.
And at the end of the video, Liam, having subdued Hekatrith, muttered:
-“O Evil Dragon, as long as the Nuset Order exists, this world will never fall into evil hands.”
“Wow.”
My husband, while he might be mine, was undeniably cool. With such a handsome face, he looked downright noble.
While I was in admiration, the subtitle “The Nuset Order protects everyone’s daily life” filled the screen. And then the video ended.
“What do you think? It was just completed yesterday, and I wanted to show you.”
“…….”
Hekatrith answered by turning its head toward me. Its expression was a mixture of dissatisfaction and anger.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“…Are you really asking that? With this, aren’t countless people watching the moment of my pitiful defeat?”
“That’s right. That was the aim.”
Aiming to create an image in people’s minds that no matter what threat came, the Order would protect them.
Thanks to the vibrant and action-packed visuals, the reaction was quite good, and the views were skyrocketing.
[52,000 views · 4 hours ago]
It hadn’t even been half a day since it was uploaded, and it had already surpassed fifty thousand. At this rate, hitting five hundred thousand would be quick. Perhaps hitting ten million wouldn’t be impossible?
“The promotional effect is quite significant. All thanks to Young Dragon making its move at the perfect timing.”
“Ugh! This is so humiliating! Turn it off at once!”
“No way.”
I chose to rewind the video and played it again.
-“O Evil Dragon, as long as the Nuset Order exists, this world will never fall into evil hands.”
No matter how many times I watched the hero’s magnificent performance, I couldn’t get tired of it. I loved it so much that I kept playing it over and over.
“Yikes!”
Young Dragon desperately thrashed about in an attempt to snatch the smartphone away, but it couldn’t overcome the limits of its short stature.
Ducking away from its flailing paws, I continued replaying the video until our guardian dragon finally collapsed on my body in defeat.
Still, it didn’t stop grumbling.
“Seriously, this is too much! Is it really okay for someone your age to act so immature?”
“Yes.”
“Ugh…!”
The ferocity of its furious glares was striking but more amusing than frightening.
Just as I was about to sneakily record this moment for my daughters, Hekatrith suddenly grinned.
“Heh, O Pope. How many views did ‘that performance video’ of yours get?”
“…….”
What a despicable thing to bring up someone else’s weakness…
“Let me see. I suddenly want to watch it.”
As an unpleasant past rushed back to my mind, I became momentarily careless, allowing Young Dragon to swiftly snatch the smartphone.
Then, this vengeful little monster secretly edited and uploaded a video of me!
[The Secret Hobbies of the 30-year-old Pope♡]
[2.66 million views · 3 days ago]
Seo-yoon, just wait.
– “I was walking in a snowy white expanse.”
Just listening to it sends a chill to my hands and feet, makes my breath hitch, and warms my face. Desperate, I closed my eyes. It was an emergency measure for my mental health.
But blocking my sight wasn’t enough to cut it.
– “Today too, alone, time flows lonely.”
How could someone sing so awkwardly? I felt like the emotional damage would go deeper if I listened longer, so I finally raised both hands.
“I’m sorry….”
“Haha! It’s already too late! I’ll play it ten times in a row, so brace yourself!”
Young Dragon truly replayed that ‘cursed video’ ten times. What a wretched creature.
Exhausted from this visual and auditory torture, I sprawled out and stared blankly at the sky.
“O Pope.”
But just then, Young Dragon, who was browsing for other iTube videos with a grin, suddenly called out to me with an unexpectedly serious tone.
“What is it?”
“Wait a minute, you should see this. You really need to watch it.”
Its usual haughty demeanor had lost all arrogance. What could possibly be so important?
It felt ominous. My rapidly developing intuition as a superhuman was ringing alarm bells.
I cautiously sat up and looked at the smartphone screen Young Dragon was holding out to me.
[“Condemning the False Savior Pope Clitia Eluke”]
– Burning Association Korean Branch
‘…False Savior? Burning Association?’
It was clearly an ominous video.
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