Dancing with the Dragon
"...!"
Apparently, I'd hit the mark too perfectly — both of their faces froze in shock.
"H-how did you know that?"
"Yeah. Something happened to Eve, and the 1st Legion Commander and Vice Leader told us to find you right away…"
What the hell kind of nonsense was this?
"What am I, her babysitter? Why are they making a fuss with me? Seriously, those old men need to chill."
I gave a brief glance to Kals and Tyrbaen, then strode over and yanked the reins from their hands.
The horses we'd tied earlier seemed perfectly content, quietly grazing on grass.
But the moment I placed a hand on one's mane—
Prrrhhhhh!
The horses snorted and jerked around, trying to back away from me.
"Whoa, whoa!"
I tried to calm them down, but they wouldn't listen at all.
They must have sensed the aura emanating from the dragon egg I was carrying.
Now what?
"Uh—! I mean, Shan!"
Kals, ever the quick improviser, rushed over pretending to be one of the Alledro brothers.
"What's wrong with the horses? Should I hold the reins?"
"No. You go talk to those two over there. They're staring at me like desperate puppies about to burst if they don't explain everything, and it's stressing me out."
"..."
The Dragon's Nest quest was over, but my work wasn't done yet.
So I decided to postpone listening to Elaine and Hekster's story for now.
I already have a pretty good idea what they're going to say, anyway.
Tap.
I placed my hand on one of the horse's heads.
Then spoke softly.
"Hey, easy there. You don't really want to end up as horse steaks, right?"
To my surprise, the horses immediately stopped fidgeting.
They even took a few hesitant steps backward, watching me nervously.
I smiled faintly.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The horses froze completely, then obediently lowered their backs.
Once I mounted, I took out the red dragon egg from my inventory and placed it carefully into the small cradle fixed to the saddle.
A system message appeared at once:
['Small Red Dragon Egg' has begun incubation.]
[Current progress: 1%...]
Eggs kept inside the inventory don't hatch — they just rot.
So to trigger hatching, you had to create a suitable nest environment like this one.
It absorbs ambient mana and probes its surroundings, deciding if it's safe to emerge.
During that process, the egg will sense my mana most intimately.
The moment it hatches, the hatchling will recognize me as its guardian.
And that's when I'll finally be able to use Dragon Riding.
***
"Shan."
Kals, who'd just climbed onto his horse, gave me a grave look.
"I talked to them… and apparently Lady Regal is in serious danger."
Danger, huh…
"What? Her carriage got hijacked or something? The driver replaced and she vanished?"
"...!"
Elaine's face went stiff as a board.
"H-how did you—!"
Predictable reaction.
Of course I knew.
I was well aware of what kind of man Terion Wyler, Eve's eldest brother, really was — which meant I could easily guess his schemes.
An insider swap.
Or a planted spy.
Both were classic tricks straight out of Terion's playbook.
So no, I wasn't surprised in the least.
The only thing I don't get is why he's resurfacing now, after becoming the Grand Duke and taking control of the duchy.
That part, even I couldn't answer.
The Wyler Duchy scenario had probably changed since Eve defected to the Revolutionary Army.
So I couldn't make assumptions too soon.
But one thing was certain.
"Eve's probably already at the main Revolutionary base by now. So stop worrying over nothing."
Both of them blinked at me in disbelief.
"Already at the base? What are you talking about?"
"She's missing! She was supposed to go to Harenx Port!"
"I know that. And I'm telling you—she's probably back by now."
"...?"
Good grief.
Why was it so hard for people to follow logic?
"It took you two about two days to get from Aurux to here, right?"
Nod, nod.
"And the report about her disappearance came roughly a day ago?"
Another nod.
"So her trail went cold about… three days ago. Sound about right?"
"Y-yeah, I guess?"
"Exactly. Then it all fits."
She probably lost her means of transport, so Eve Wyler and her knight companion must've been walking back the whole way.
"And since assassins were likely still tailing them, they couldn't take any easy routes."
So, naturally, the return trip would take longer.
Still, she'll be fine.
I'd assigned Senis Edryn to her — a knight more seasoned than Kals himself.
"She's probably tired as hell, but by now she should be back. So just go home already, and stop pestering me."
I made myself perfectly clear.
Then, just as I turned my horse—
"Hey, you heartless bastard!"
A sharp shout pierced through the air behind me.
"You don't even care that a girl's gone missing?!"
"..."
I turned around.
Elaine was glaring daggers at me, her eyes blazing with anger,
while Hekster looked caught between shock and panic.
"What the hell's your problem?"
"He's the problem! How can he act like that? Even if she's not his lover, a person's gone missing and he's just sitting there, calm as ever!"
When I still didn't react, Elaine began hurling words like knives.
"She's probably already back? How the hell would you know that?! You think you're some kind of clairvoyant? Stop spouting random nonsense!"
"..."
"She might look fine on the outside, but she's been through so much. She's got secrets, burdens… When she left, she looked terrified — like someone was chasing her!"
"..."
"Something definitely happened! So please, help her! I heard what the others said — you're part of the secret task force, right? You're strong, aren't you? Please! Help us!"
At that, I could feel Kals and Tyrbaen's gazes boring into the back of my head.
They already knew the truth about what I'd done—
so of course, they were curious what I'd say next.
Quietly, I opened my mouth.
"I understand your concern for your friend…"
But even so, I had to set the record straight.
"Stop barking nonsense."
"…What?"
"If you're going to yap like that, do it at a dog café. You're giving me an allergy."
Elaine's eyes flared like she wanted to rip me apart.
Four-star? Maybe five?
The pressure in her aura pricked against my skin—sharp, instinctive, fierce.
But I stared straight back, drawing out my own power.
From my restored mana heart, the zero-attribute mana began to surge outward.
Originally, the energy of zero was calm, balanced, and neutral—
a tranquil force by nature.
But that didn't mean it ignored the emotions of its master.
In fact, its very purity made it burn all the fiercer once anger took hold—
like a wildfire across a dry field.
KWA-GA-GA-GA-GA-GA…!
My mana crashed down mercilessly upon Elaine.
"Ghh—!"
Her face went pale under the pressure.
Ah, magic—such a convenient thing.
Keeping the weight of my mana firmly on her, I spoke slowly.
"I said it clearly. I'm not her babysitter.
So I have no duty to help her, and no obligation to worry about her.
Stop deluding yourself."
…Even though I'd already helped her, technically.
"And what does my strength have to do with helping you anyway?
Where did you even get that stupid logic from?"
A world where the strong protect the weak exists only in fairy tales.
In this World Forsaken by Gods, the only law was that of tooth and claw.
If you fall behind, you die.
If you're young, you die.
If you're weak, you die.
"Hell, even if you're just unlucky, you die too, kid."
"...!"
"Unfair? Then get stronger."
My own voice sounded cold enough to surprise even me.
The young swordswoman held my gaze until, finally, she broke eye contact.
I gave her one last line before turning my horse again.
"So go tell her this—
that she should be grateful I saved her.
Even if it bruised her pride."
***
We rode back into the forest trail.
With me leading the way, Kals and Tyrbaen chatted behind.
"Your Highness, why were you so harsh?"
"Indeed. Why pretend to be so cold? Why act with such false bravado?"
…Seriously, these two.
I sighed.
"I just didn't like it. The way they talk as if I'm responsible for everything."
But what bothered me even more—
"They still haven't learned a damn thing from that last disaster."
That was what truly irritated me.
It had only been a few days since the Revolution Army almost got wiped out
because they couldn't even manage their own internal security.
And now another crisis?
They let an assassin from another faction infiltrate and get close to a key figure?
…Fine. Let's say that's somewhat understandable.
Maybe Terion Wyler's assassin was just that skilled.
But even then—
They shouldn't have brought this problem to me.
I was an outsider.
Even if I had the credentials of a "Special Task Force Operative,"
I was still an Imperial.
So, sure—they could try asking me for help. But this? Sending kids to guilt-trip me?
No.
If it was that dire, they should've come to me directly and triggered a quest.
Who thought it was a good idea to send these brats to appeal to my sympathy?
Whoever it was, it sure didn't sound like the brain of a Grand Mage.
Probably that damn 1st Legion Commander…
Palamir Sodin.
In the original storyline, players called him "Cancer-mir,"
a corruption-inducing, rage-triggering nuisance of a man.
The perfect picture of a greasy, shameless bureaucrat.
Just remembering that oily face made my stomach churn.
...Yeah. I'm definitely opening his scenario later and thrashing him for it.
Anyway. Back to business.
['Small Red Dragon Egg' is incubating.]
[Current progress: 7%...]
As we followed the forest path, the incubation rate kept steadily rising.
At this pace, the hatchling would emerge before we reached Aurux.
Better move fast.
I still had one task left to finish in this forest—
securing food for the hatchling.
As mentioned before, young dragons loved to gnaw on rare metals.
I still had a few chunks left from melting down the vengeance blade from the Aeolem Order,
but that wouldn't be enough.
It takes about six months before a hatchling can mine for itself.
In the meantime, the amount of ore it devoured would be enormous.
Sure, I could feed it something else…
But the quality and type of metal consumed at this stage
would determine the future strength of the grown dragon.
Feed it nothing but meat, and you end up with a pig-dragon instead of a dragon.
That was why I had to stockpile high-grade metals now.
Luckily, near this very lair was one of the rarest veins in the world—
an Eresnium deposit.
"Oh, there it is. Right up ahead."
A cliff towered before us like a stone giant.
Eresnium ore was sealed within it.
"Uh… Your Highness?"
Kals, staring at the cliff, blinked uncertainly.
"How exactly are we supposed to mine and carry that out?"
That anxious look—like he was afraid I'd hand him a pickaxe—made me chuckle.
"Relax, man! I'm not gonna make a royal knight swing a pickaxe."
"…Honestly, I think I've already done plenty of things unfit for a royal knight."
Ignoring that jab, I reached into my inventory and pulled out an item.
'Miniature Seismic Bomb.'
This would do nicely to loosen the ore from the cliff.
['Small Red Dragon Egg' is incubating.]
[Current progress: 19%...]
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