Chapter 170 (1/2)
Act 8
The dragons discussed what do to for Karne’s punishment.
His actions had definitely insulted the red dragons who had sacrificed themselves for their kin. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t devoted himself to the well being of his race, either, so not many opinions favored his execution.
Of course, that also didn’t mean he could be let off the hook.
“Fifty thousand years.” Once Karne’s judgment had been decided, Blanc came to visit Su-hyeun and informed the latter of the punishment. “Karne will pay for his crimes with fifty thousand years of imprisonment in the punishment room.”
“Fifty thousand years, is it…”
“I’m sure such a length of time feels alien to a human being like yourself. The average lifespan of orange dragons is around one hundred thousand years, which means… It’ll be no different than him spending the remainder of his life in the punishment room.”
No matter how long one could live, fifty thousand years was just too long to feel real. For one, it was half of the incredible lifespan of a dragon.
When viewed from a human’s perspective, then it’d be like spending fifty years in jail.
Most importantly…
“The new generation of your kin to be born in the future won’t know about Karne, won’t they?” Su-hyeun asked.
“Correct. Even if they learn about him in the distant future, they’ll all think of him as nothing more than a convict emerging from the punishment room after committing a crime a long time ago.”
Such a thing would be the worst possible punishment for Karne, who sought to elevate his own status by turning the red dragons from heroes into traitors.
In the blink of an eye, the dragon race’s leader and most respected elder had fallen to the level of a convict.
Blanc asked, “Are you satisfied with this?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t be like that. Didn’t you warn us that if we don’t properly punish Karne, you’d personally take his life?”
“Ah, that. Well…”
“You weren’t bluffing, were you?”
Su-hyeun nodded his head. Sure, he did say something a bit over the top out of sheer anger, but, regardless of that, he was being serious back then.
“In that case, it’s fine. Initially, I wondered why a human was claiming to be a dragon’s parent, but now I know for sure. You are certainly qualified.”
Indeed, no dragons looked down on Su-hyeun anymore because he was ‘merely’ a human. No, they praised him and saw him as an extraordinary being, instead. They acknowledged the strength he possessed and no longer found it strange that a red dragon was following a mere human around.
Su-hyeun was a man who possessed both the worth and qualifications for the role.
He asked Blanc, “What will happen to Miru from now on?”
What part would Miru play in the dragon race in the future—that was the most important question for Su-hyeun.
<< I can’t stay with Miru for the rest of his life, after all. >>
He’d like nothing more than to stay by his red dragon’s side for the rest of their lives, but that was simply not possible. Su-hyeun was a human, while Miru was a dragon. A human’s lifespan was short enough to be nothing more than a passing moment for a dragon like Miru.
That was why he needed to think about the future after he said goodbye to Miru. He needed to find a ‘real’ family for the red dragon—to find another who could spend the rest of Miru’s life with him.
For that purpose, Miru’s position within the dragons would play a critical role.
“What do you mean, what? Of course, he’ll lead our race after a few thousand years,” said Blanc, as he shifted his gaze over to Miru, snoring loudly near a window with sunlight pouring in. “He’s no longer the descendant of a traitor, but a hero, after all.”
“The descendant of a hero….”
The ‘hero’.
Su-hyeun wasn’t a fan of that label.
Even then, being the descendant of a hero was much preferable to that of a traitor. Also, he felt rather satisfied when thinking about how the one he cared so much about, Miru, would be referred to with such a title.
<< At the very least, Miru won’t feel lonely anymore. >>
The red dragon was capable of entering and leaving different dimensions. Miru returning to the embrace of his kind shouldn’t pose any problems.
<< Of course, that’s only if this world is actually the real thing. >>
Even now, he hadn’t figured out whether the worlds found within the trials actually existed or were something illusory created by the trial’s system. He just had plenty of hypotheses, that’s all.
Meaning, he wasn’t confident Miru would be able to return to its kin again.
<< Even then, if it’s at all possible…I hope this world is real. >>
It’d be better for Miru to live with his kin rather than living with him and get too used to the ways of the human world.
“What will you do now?” Blanc asked, and Su-hyeun nodded his head without a shred of hesitation.
“Continue with what I was doing, of course.”
“Are you talking about helping us fight the demonic beasts?”
“Yes.”
“I see. That’s why you were making such big claims back when you arrived. Honestly, I was really surprised. I never imagined that there would be a human capable of beating up Karne with his bare hands, you see.”
Blanc must’ve recalled the scene from back then, because he was clearly suppressing his laughter. Su-hyeun too grinned, somewhat awkwardly, inwardly thinking that maybe he went a bit too far when he fought with Karne.
Somehow, it felt like the gazes of the dragons looking at him had changed from that point onward.
<< It feels like they’re avoiding me a little, too… >>
Then again, he did beat up the biggest dude in the dragon race, Karne, with his bare hands, so it made sense that they would refrain from getting too close to him.
<< Still, the gazes looking at Miru have changed a lot. >>
After the ‘misunderstanding’ was undone, the way the other dragons looked at Miru had changed so much that it now bordered on being a bit uncomfortable at times.
Some lowered their heads as if they were praying whenever Miru went by, while others approached with great difficulty, only to start sobbing uncontrollably to say how sorry they were.
Sure, it was better than before, but Miru was, unsurprisingly, not a fan of such reactions. So, whenever other dragons approached them, Miru would duck behind Su-hyeun’s back.
“Well, I feel reassured with your cooperation, but, more than anything, I believe this war will soon come to an end now that we have recovered the Cintamani.”
Blanc smiled happily, thinking that they could finally regain their homeworld once and for all.
Su-hyeun, still making an awkward expression, asked a question, hoping to change the topic. “Do the demonic beasts attack this city regularly?”
Blanc nodded at the question and replied, “With irregular timing, yes they do.”
“Where do they appear from?”
“….Wait, are you thinking of making a move by yourself again?”
Su-hyeun shrugged his shoulders and asked something else, “Can I ask you for a map?”
“A map?”
Blanc tilted his head this way and that at the meaningful question. And, when he brought out a map, Su-hyeun began explaining several things.
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After Karne was imprisoned in the punishment room, Blanc was discussed as a potential candidate to lead the dragon race. His bloodline might not have been the highest grade, but he was the oldest among their kind.
And so, Blanc became the elder who would lead their race until the next most suitable candidate was ready. Meaning, until Miru was old enough.
There was just one thing Blanc had to do first and foremost.
“We will start subjugating the demonic beasts.”
Gya-ong-!
Dragons had gathered in a big plaza. Blanc and Miru were in the center.
The latter was biting into the Cintamani. The power of the dragons would double just by having that item near a red dragon.
“We shall regain our world. This land, occupied by the demonic beasts for the longest time….”
Blanc’s speech rambled on.
Miru next to him split open its maw wide and yawned. Even at a casual glance, one could tell the red dragon was pretty bored right about now.
Blanc studied Miru’s mood, and had no choice but to cut his speech by some margin.
“….And that’s why, our first destination will be the Cintamani Forest.”
“Is the Titan Turtle really dead?”