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nAncient Dragon Eruhaben returned after meeting with the World Tree.

nThe ring, sword, and crown…

nThe three items were placed on top of the table.

nWhen they were in the Central Plains…

nThese were the items they found in the Sichuan Castle Lord’s secret area in his study, an arrangement left behind by Maxillienne, a Dragon from Aipotu.

nNext to them were the young monk statue with its cheeks even skinnier.

n“You were planning on giving this sword to Choi Han?”

nThe ancient Dragon’s face was calm as he tapped on the wooden sword.

n“Yes, Eruhaben-nim. I thought that it was the most fitting.”

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nThe sword used by the Elves who served the Dragon Lord for generations.

n“Mm.”

nHowever, Eruhaben’s face did not look good.

n“Is there a problem?”

n“The compatibility is not good.”

nCale looked confused and Eruhaben explained.

n“I can’t tell for sure because the seal on the sword is not fully removed, but-”

n“A seal?”

n“Ah, it is set so that you can know all of its abilities only once it has a master.”

nChoi Han had not become this sword’s master yet.

nHe needed to put his blood on it to make it official.

n“Anyway, this sword does not fit well with darkness. It is actually like the day.”

nCale’s eyebrows slightly rose up.

n“Choi Han is darkness.”

nHe understood why Eruhaben was talking about a compatibility issue.

n“This sword is full of liveliness and overflowing with energy. I can feel that it will instinctively follow some sort of light.”

nSheritt added onto the Ancient Dragon’s comment.

n“Elves have a tendency to worship Dragons. Dragons can definitely be considered a light for the Elves. I wonder if this sword was made with that in mind?”

nEruhaben nodded his head.

n“Yes ma’am. You can see this sword as the sword of an unconditionally devoted person for protecting their master.”

nThis sword for the Guardian Knight Elf to protect the Dragon Lord did not suit Choi Han.

nCale thought about Choi Han.

n‘Choi Han doesn’t have unconditional devotion.’

nHe would rather hide his body in the darkness and release a light himself.

nAnd that guy already-

n“Cale. Choi Han is someone who has already found his path and knows how to create light.”

nYes. As Eruhaben mentioned, Choi Han was someone who learned how to walk his own path and release it as an aura.

nThis sword did not suit someone like that.

n“But it seems like a good sword.”

nSheritt showed her disappointment as she mumbled.

n“What about giving it to someone else?”

nEruhaben and Cale made eye contact at that moment.

nSomeone fitting this sword…

nThe two of them subconsciously looked outside.

nBaaaaang!

nThere was a loud noise and a person was flung away to smash into the forest.

nThat person was still laughing.

nIt was Clopeh Sekka.

n“Cale.”

n“Eruhaben-nim, that seems a bit…no.”

nCale urgently answered but the ancient Dragon said what he needed to say.

n“But that guy is unconditionally devoted to you and to a legend.”

n“…….”

nThat was true.

nEven if Cale tried to avoid it, Clopeh Sekka was more crazy about a legend than anybody else Cale had met.

nHe wanted Cale to leave behind a legend.

n“I’ve never seen anybody so completely crazy about their conviction like him.”

n“…….”

n“He is probably extremely compatible with this sword.”

n“…….”

nThat did seem to be the case.

n“Furthermore, that guy doesn’t really see Dragons as great and mighty.”

n“…….”

nThis was also true.

nMaybe it was because this bastard had led the Wyvern Knights Brigade in the past, but while Clopeh Sekka acted as if he saw Dragons as great and mighty, he didn’t seem to have much respect or fear toward them.

n“Cale, he actually treats you like others treat Dragons.”

n“…….”

n‘Mm.’

nCale was getting a headache.

nThings were going differently from what he planned.

n“Cale, think about it.”

nHowever, Eruhaben was thinking that this was a good idea.

nIt felt that way the more he thought about it.

n“This sword was made to protect a Dragon, specifically, the Dragon Lord. When you go to Aipotu and use this sword, it might react when you potentially face the Dragon Lord as an enemy. If an Elf on our side happens to be holding this sword?”

n“Mm.”

n“Even if it is an enemy, Elves will hesitate when they see a Dragon. Do you think this sword will work properly as a weapon in that case?”

n“…Mm.”

n“Clopeh Sekka. That bastard will swing without any hesitation, even against a Dragon, if he thinks they are getting in the way of your legend.”

n“…….”

nThe more he thought about it, the ancient Dragon seemed right about how Clopeh Sekka would act.

n“This sword will definitely be quite valuable once the seal is removed. We need to make sure to find it a proper master who can use it effectively.”

n“Mm.”

n“Also, to be completely honest with you, Choi Han is now growing in his own path. He should be able to fight against Dragons to some degree. But Clopeh Sekka is too weak to fight against Dragons in Aipotu.”

n“…That is true.”

n“Yes. We need to give that bastard a weapon as well.”

nBaaaaaang—!

nThere was another loud noise.

nCale watched as Clopeh got beaten up. Why was Choi Han teaching him how to use dead mana by beating him? This did not seem to be the way that the Heavenly Demon taught him.

n“For now… Please let me think about it.”

nCale postponed making a decision.

n“I will ask Choi Han since he is the owner of this sword.”

nHe needed to hear Choi Han’s opinion on the matter first.

n“Then what about this ring?”

nThe Dragon Lord’s ring.

n“You said that you saw purple eyes through this ring? You also heard a voice?”

n“Yes, Eruhaben-nim.”

nPurple eyes.

nThey were definitely Dragon eyes and Cale believed the owner of those eyes to be the Dragon Lord of Aipotu, the leader of the Purple Bloods.

nHe presumed this Dragon to be the final boss of the Purple Bloods.

n“It is just a ring right now.”

nEruhaben shook his head. He seemed frustrated.

n“This ring also requires you to go to Aipotu to use it properly. And I will keep it.”

n“…….”

nEruhaben noticed Cale’s gaze and sternly answered.

n“I can’t give this to Raon. If it is as you said, it is connected to the Dragon Lord. I absolutely cannot give such an item to Raon.”

n“If I hold onto it-”

n“Not you either. It is dangerous for you as well.”

nEruhaben spoke with a stern look on his face.

n“Yes, Eruhaben-nim.”

nCale quickly agreed.

nEruhaben felt it was suspicious that Cale agreed so easily, but his face became extremely unsettled after seeing the crown on the table.

n“Hey, this young monk statue said that he will do his part as the seed of a World Tree as well. The World Tree confirmed it.”

n“I see.”

nHe now had a lead to completely take care of the World Tree issue in Aipotu.

n“Yeah. Also-”

nThe ancient Dragon’s face was still unsettled.

n“How did you end up creating a monster like that?”

nThe red crown.

n“Why?”

n“This is a bit…leery.”

n“Really?”

n“Yeah. It is not dangerous. But I feel an instinctual repulsion toward it?”

n“Hoooo.”

nCale’s eyes sparkled.

nEruhaben scowled even more after seeing Cale like that.

n“Why do you seem so happy about that?”

n“Haha, it is nothing, Eruhaben-nim.”

n“It’s not nothing. Tsk.”

nThe ancient Dragon clicked his tongue and continued to speak while looking unhappy.

n“Dragon Hunters, imugis-”

nEruhaben looked extremely repulsed, just like Choi Han when he was facing off against Clopeh, who laughed as he charged toward him.

nThe smile grew bigger on Cale’s face.

nThe red crown.

nThis item was the combination of Cale’s crown that desired Dragon blood and the Dragon Hunter Emperor’s crown that Maxillienne left behind.

nThis was possible thanks to the power of the cintamani the imugi that could not become a Dragon left behind.

nThat cintamani did not contain nature.

nThe warmth of a person…

nThe imugi had placed his relationships with humans within it instead of nature. As a result, the red crown-

n‘It is possible that this item is an antipode to the Dragons.’

nCale thought that he gained a useful item but suddenly thought of something.

n‘Raon didn’t seem to feel this repulsion?’

nIn fact, Raon had only looked at the red crown with eyes full of curiosity.

n‘Is it because he is still young?’

nCale did not pay it much attention.

nIt was because the biggest issue was still at hand.

n“Sheritt-nim.”

nFormer Dragon Lord Sheritt.

nHe still had to chat with her.

nHowever, she shook her head.

n“Not there.”

nCale and Eruhaben held back sighs after hearing that.

n“I couldn’t find any attributes related to time or tense.”

nThe few things Cale knew about the Dragons in Aipotu…

nThe Dragon who left that arrangement for them, Maxillienne, had the attribute of Future.

nIt was also hypothesized that Aipotu’s Dragon Lord’s attribute was Time while there also existed a Dragon with the attribute of Past.

nOf course, this hypothesis was basically confirmed.

n“The records left in the Black Castle… And the recent records I researched with Mila… We looked through everything but there has never been a Dragon with a similar attribute.”

n“It makes sense since Raon was the first time I ever heard of an attribute like the ‘Present.’

nThe ancient Dragon nodded his head at Sheritt.

n“Mm.”

nCale crossed his arms.

n‘I wanted to have at least a sense of those attributes before we went there, but is that too hard?’

nHe looked at the dark expression on Sheritt’s face as he spoke.

n“We will confirm those things once we go to Aipotu. If we use the information gathered there to look into attributes, we might earn some useful things for Raon as well.”

n“…Yeah.”

nSheritt answered but her heart was heavy.

n‘She wants a little seven year old child to save the world? She wants him to fight against the Dragon Lord?’

nThere were quite the distinctions between a young Dragon and an adult Dragon.

nLooking past size and Dragon’s Breath, the experiences from having lived a long life turned a Dragon great and mighty.

n‘…If I was still alive-’

nIf she was not tied to the Black Dragon but could stay by Raon’s side…

nHer heart would not feel so heavy if that was the case.

nShe heard Cale’s voice at that moment.

n“We got permission to move the entire Black Castle.”

nHer eyes clouded over.

nShe made eye contact with Cale.

nHe smiled at her. Raon had said that she should be cautious when Cale smiled like this.

nHe apparently smiles like this when he is about to put you to work…a lot of work.

nHowever, Sheritt smiled.

n“I guess there will be a lot for me to do.”

n“Sheritt-nim.”

nCale honestly asked the former Dragon Lord, Raon’s mother.

n“Aipotu is a world ruled by Dragons. Those Dragons are our enemies.”

nThe World Tree and the world itself had been consumed by the Dragons.

nBecause of that-

nUnlike how it had been in Xiaolen or the Central Plains…

n“I’m certain that the world will try to kill us.”

nThey needed to go there with at least that level of pressure on their mind.

n“It is possible that we might not be able to relax anywhere in that world.”

nThat was why Cale wanted this.

n“Sheritt-nim, I want a sturdy resting place that the enemies can’t even dream of infiltrating.”

nSheritt’s attribute was protection.

nAlthough she was tied to the Black Castle…

n“Sheritt-nim, you must create that for us.”

nWouldn’t it be possible for her?

nEven if the entire world was their enemy, this castle would be an unbreakable shield for their allies.”

n“Yes.”

nThe former Dragon Lord’s answer was refreshing.

n“I will create a place that nobody can even think about taking over.”

nShe couldn’t help but be certain.

nAs her attribute was protection, the more individuals she had to protect…and the more precious such individuals were to her… Her attribute would shine bright.

nRaon, Cale, Dragon half-blood, and the others…

nAs someone who spent over 10,000 years alone in the middle of a desert, this Black Castle was more than just a resting place.

nIt was like paradise.

nShe could never allow the enemies to take this place.

nRaon.

nIf she could not be by her child’s side as he faced everything…

nShe at least had to create a warm embrace for that child to return to or for that child to escape to in case of danger. A place he could be without any fear.

nA small fire started burning in Sheritt’s eyes.

n“This Black Castle will absolutely not crumble.”

nBecause of that…

n“You can plan with that as a guarantee.”

nSheritt would absolutely protect this Black Castle no matter what.

nCale started asking her something else.

n“There will be a minimum of fifty and a maximum of one hundred individuals staying in this Black Castle.”

n“It is doable. It looks like I will need to clean inside the castle.”

nCale’s smile became even wider after hearing her answer without any hesitation.

nHe used the power of the Indestructible Shield.

nThat was the reason he was famous as Young Master Silver Shield, but in his eyes, Sheritt was the existence that used the shield in its most proper way.

nWhat would happen if she fully finished her preparations and started defending at full power?

nCale was looking forward to what this Dragon, who said that the greatest defense was offense, would create for them.

nShe was an extremely reliable ally.

nKnock knock knock.

nThey heard someone knocking on the door.

n“Young master-nim, Lock and Gashan-nim have arrived.”

nIt was now the Beast people’s turn.

nCale’s smile became even bright as the door opened and a slightly clueless yet somewhat focused eyes of a young boy, no, Lock had grown enough to be called a young man now, appeared in front of him.

nLock hesitated after seeing that smile.

n“Hmm?”

nRaon, who was coming over after finishing his sparring, saw what was going on and shouted.

n“Human! You can’t scam good little Lock!”

nCale started to frown.

n* * *

nClack clack.

nCale got on a carriage for the first time in a long while.

n“Meeeeeow!”

n“Meeow!”

n“I like cookies more than candied fruit!”

nThe children averaging ten-years-old were sprawled out on the couch.

nLock, who was stuck in between them, asked Raon with an awkward look on his face.

n“Do you want a cookie?”

n“Give it to me! I can even eat 100 of them!”

nClack clack.

nCale sighed while watching the interaction.

nThe Duke’s House of Henituse.

nHe could see the Henituse Residence.

nThis was his other home.

nIn a few days, Cale would need to give a speech in front of a countless number of students.

n“…….”

nHe clenched his eyes shut.

n—

nTranslator’s Comments

n100 is too much, Raon…

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