Episode 294
“Black Dragon, are you alive!”
The atmosphere in the shabby room changed distinctly.
In the old man’s gaze toward Hanbit, one could sense not so much surprise, but a sense of awe and sorrow blooming from deep within his heart.
“…….”
Black Dragon.
Called by that name, Hanbit could not answer.
It was because he had never once spoken it aloud since coming here.
In other words, the Black Dragon the old man was speaking of was not him.
“Black Dragon? Is there such a dragon? No, he’s a human to begin with!”
Belua also tilted her head in doubt.
It seemed she had never heard the name Black Dragon before.
Crunch—
the old man sprang to his feet and approached, leaning on his cane.
His shoulders, which had been hunched for so long, straightened, and his hands trembled faintly. His
gaze, seemingly tinged with heat, stared straight at Hanbit.
And when the old man had come within a few steps, reason returned to his eyes.
“You…….”
The old man lowered his hand as if sweeping the air, staggering as he regained his balance.
Deep wrinkles formed on his brow, and a short, sigh-tinged remark escaped his lips.
“Forgive me. You resemble that Black Dragon so much… I mistook you for someone else. I must have aged enough to confuse a friend who was once so close.”
“…….”
The old man seemed to have superimposed a figure from the past onto him.
Who could the Black Dragon he remembered be?
Such contemplation was unnecessary.
After a moment of silence, Hanbit looked at the dragon crest in his hand and spoke.
“The Black Dragon… was my father.”
“…What?”
The sudden words made the old man’s breath catch in his throat.
He slowly took a step closer and looked at Hanbit’s face.
His gaze, which had been wandering busily, stopped at his pupils before he knew it.
“The Black Dragon’s… child?”
“Yes. My mother was human, and my father also lost his memory on Earth and lived as a human until he passed away. However, it seems the power of his sleeping blood and soul has flowed into me.”
“Huh…….”
The old man was speechless for a moment.
Hesitating for a moment, he slowly extended his wrinkled hand.
The scales on his skin appeared to be mixed with some unidentifiable color.
Thump—
the old man carefully placed his hand on Hanbit's shoulder. It
seemed as though a mixture of bewilderment and trembling was flowing through his skin.
“You really… are you the child of the Black Dragon?”
The old man, his eyes wide, spat out the words as if exhaling a breath. He
tightened his grip on Hanbit’s shoulder slightly.
“Can you tell?”
“…Yes, of course I do. Within the power surging inside you, there is undoubtedly something of the Dragon Clan. And the spiritual energy bestowed upon one destined to be a Guardian…?”
Just then, the old man’s expression hardened as he continued speaking.
His eyes, which had turned golden at some point, were trembling as if they had seen something dangerous.
“Have you… been influenced by a god?”
“…Did you see it with those eyes?”
“Which god harmed you? Could it be Barcasia?”
The old man asked, his voice filled with blatant rage.
Meeting his gaze, Hanbit decided to explain the situation honestly.
“I will tell you everything.”
Beginning his sentence, he organized and unfolded the story of how he came to this place.
It didn’t take long to reach a conclusion.
“For that reason, I stand on the side of Serenia, the Goddess of Silence.”
“Serenia… I see.”
The old man nodded slowly.
His hurried expression seemed to have softened slightly.
Observing him, Hanbit brought up a question he had been curious about.
“I have almost no memory of my father. I believe you mentioned him as a close friend earlier; could I hear his story?”
“…Of course.”
The old man slowly turned his head to look outside.
In the dilapidated street, it felt as if ancient memories were being drawn.
“As you know, the Black Dragon was a member of the primordial dragon race and the leader of the Guardians. From a young age, he was famous for possessing a soul and talent so outstanding that he was hailed as the greatest of all time. It was expected that he would become the next Dragon King, but the Black Dragon left this place without hesitation, declaring that he would become a Guardian of the Otherworld.”
“…The next Dragon King? Then what was Father’s rank…”
“Since he was royalty, he was of the highest rank. But rank meant nothing to him. He was a peculiar fellow who came to this very spot every day to mingle. It is strange to think about it now, but I was drawn to his character and became a guardian with him.”
There was no trace of a smile on the old man’s face.
It felt as if he were digging up a painful memory to recall.
‘So that was the kind of person he was.’
Hanbit pictured his father’s shadow in his mind.
The information heard from the old man began to gradually fill in the hazy outline.
“Several members of the Dragon Clan, including myself and the Black Dragon, left Dracones and became Guardians. It had been less than three years since the Black Dragon rose to the position of leader. His talent was truly absurd.” “
…That’s impressive.”
“What was even more impressive were his actions afterward. The Black Dragon poured all his strength into protecting the realm of darkness that filled the space between worlds. It must be said that he possessed not only a powerful soul and talent, but also an extraordinary will. As a result, he accomplished things entirely different from the previous Guardians.”
It is said that the role of the Guardians of the Otherworld was originally to attack and obliterate all kinds of things flowing into their domain.
However, when Hanbit’s father took the leadership, that flow changed.
“The Black Dragon found a way to return the lives and souls flowing into the Otherworld to their original places. Although it was an incredibly cumbersome and difficult task, he accomplished it without a single complaint. But… that incident struck.”
Darkness settled in the old man's eyes.
His voice was tinged with pain, as if recalling a nightmare he had tried to forget.
“One day, countless souls and crystals of life poured into the Otherworld. The Black Dragon used all its strength to block them and send them back to their original places. When this had been repeated a few times, that terrible goddess appeared.”
The old man’s hands were trembling before he knew it.
Lowering his gaze, he caught his breath and continued speaking.
“The Goddess of Turmoil, Barcasia. That being denied every order of the Otherworld as we knew it and tore apart its boundaries. All the Guardians fought against it, but they were helpless. But the Black Dragon was different.”
“Different means…”
“He feared that harm would befall the beings of the Otherworld, including Dracones. So he declared that he would sacrifice his body to sever the very edge of Barcasia’s soul. I did not see what happened. By the time I emerged from being buried among the corpses, Barcasia had already left the Otherworld. And the Black Dragon’s soul and body as well… were gone without a trace.”
Having finished his story, the old man could not meet Hanbit’s gaze.
He must have felt responsible for the loss of the Black Dragon.
However, the one who should have been held accountable was Barcasia.
“Father was resurrected as a human by Serenia. Although he lost his memory and could not completely shake off the curse of misfortune, I believe there is certainly meaning in me standing here now.”
No matter what story he heard, his father remained a distant figure to Hanbit.
What had changed was that his past, plagued by debt, was not his father’s fault.
And that fact, above all else, was the most significant factor.
“Barcasia likely intends to destroy all worlds. I don’t know if it is due to the influence of the soul and blood my father gave me, but I want to stop it. If all worlds are destroyed, the Otherworld will not be safe either.”
“…I suppose so.”
The old man nodded and turned his gaze to Belua.
The dragon girl with short red hair was intently concentrating on the conversation with her eyes closed.
Seeing her furrowed brow, it seemed to have been a bit difficult for her.
“…I learned about the god Serenia belatedly. But I didn’t know she was pouring such effort into fighting against the Goddess of Turmoil.”
His golden eyes met Hanbit once again.
That piercing gaze continued.
“Did you say you came to awaken?”
“Yes. It is absolutely necessary to stop Barcasia’s forces.”
“It truly… will be an unprecedented awakening, but I cannot deny it.”
The old man slowly nodded.
Then, erasing the golden light from his eyes, he continued speaking.
“The power of the primordial Dragon Race and the Guardian is condensed within your soul and body. It has matured into a completely different crystallization through the repetition of 55 lives. If the Goddess’s divine power is added to the mix… it is difficult to even imagine the situation after awakening.”
The old man let out a small sigh.
It seemed impossible to envision what would happen after Hanbit’s awakening
, a situation that was unpredictable even to the point of being hard-pressed. “You said there is no precedent; is it certain that you can awaken if you visit the Dragon King? I get the feeling that even a half-breed might somehow reject humans.”
“From the moment you entered Dracones, it wouldn’t be strange if an awakening occurred at any moment. However, if you meet the Heavenly Dragon, you will certainly be able to complete the awakening. And he probably won’t reject you. After all, your father was also his younger brother.”
“…Yes?”
“Didn’t you say he was royalty? The worrying point is that the current Dragon King opposed the Black Dragon becoming a Guardian to the very end. Honestly, I have no way of knowing what he thinks of you.”
The Dragon King’s younger brother.
The fact that past conflicts seemed unresolved was not even good news.
“You don’t have to worry too much. The Heavenly Dragon is authoritarian, but if you face him honestly, he can be sufficient…”
Bang!
At that moment, a loud roar rang out from the suddenly opened window.
The old man snapped his head and frowned.
“This is…”
Ta-!
Belua hurriedly approached the door and looked out the window.
Then, raising her voice, she said,
“Grandfather! The Tier 3 Enforcers are here!”
“…This is troublesome.”
The old man’s expression hardened in an instant.
It was clear that something was seriously wrong.
“Come over here!”
Belua returned and urgently grabbed Hanbit’s hand and pulled her along.
“If the Enforcers catch you, you’re dead! They don’t spare any intruders!”
The girl pushed Hanbit into a small room in the corner.
Just before the door closed, her face was filled with terror and fear.
Crash!
As the door slammed shut, the sound of something breaking was heard.
Soon after, a sharp voice rang out.
“There was information that those filthy things have brought in the foreign creatures known as humans.”
Through the small gap in the door, one could see the
figures. Red scales were visible on the bodies of the four armored dragons.
Just as Belua had explained, it was a characteristic of Tier 3 dragons.
“It seems some incorrect information has been leaked.”
The old man calmly blocked their path and spoke.
Displeasure instantly filled the executioners' faces.
“How dare you, a filthy blood that should be crawling on the ground, block the executioners?”
“It must be because you’ve been neglected for so long. I told you, periodic training is necessary.”
“Then I suppose it would be best to destroy the entire city until a human appears.”
“No, we go first.”
Just then, an executioner stepped forward.
*Swoosh!
* Drawing his sword, he aimed it at the old man’s neck.
“This is a sword bestowed upon the executioners by the Heavenly Dragon. It possesses the power to sever souls and inflict eternal torment.”
“…Yes, I know it better than anyone. It was the weapon used by the Watchers.”
“Watchers? Aren’t they just a collection of losers who couldn’t live here and fled? What truly outdated knowledge.”
The executioner snorted and let out a mocking laugh.
That was not the proper behavior to exhibit in front of the old man.
“How dare…!”
The old man, his eyes flashing, bared his claws and attempted to transform into a dragon.
But someone blocked his path.
“They escaped the city!”
With her arms spread wide, Belua cried out, her voice choked with tears.
“Belua…”
The old man, consumed by rage, momentarily stopped his transformation.
“Hmm.”
The Executioner quietly lowered his gaze.
Then, raising the corners of his mouth slightly, he spoke.
“It is all treason, including the lies. I will execute both of you.”
Whoosh!
It flew toward the black girl’s neck, which she had swung without hesitation.
At the same time, the door behind him shattered.
Bang!
Hanbit burst out from inside and rushed toward the Executioner in an instant.
A black and white haze, never seen before, was rising from his body.
Bang!
“Ugh!”
A kick to the chest sent the Executioner flying back with tremendous force, slamming him against the wall.
A faint black and white haze flowed from his body as he took the hit.
“What…!”
“That… is a human?”
The other Executioners opened their eyes wide in surprise.
Their minds seemed unable to process the situation.
“Ah…”
Belua, who had been standing with her arms outstretched, slumped to the ground.
The old man, observing the girl, spoke in a low voice.
“…I have never seen a color like that before, but the heat haze is a sign of awakening.” A
sudden sign of awakening.
The dragon crest on her hand had vanished without her noticing.
Had it been absorbed into her body?
“Can you win without killing anyone?”
The old man asked,
raising his gaze. Hanbit nodded.
“Yes. Somehow, I think it will work.”
“…Then I leave it to you. I’ll take care of the rest somehow.”
“Understood.”
Nodding, he turned his gaze toward the executioners.
He looked as if he were seeing something that should not be there.
Hanbit let his sword hang down and took a step forward, saying,
“What are you doing? You have to execute me too, don’t you?”
