Raon blinked his eyes.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
His wildly beating heart now calmed down. His heart wasn't going crazy anymore.
Even the pain that was making him struggle had disappeared.
"...I, I don't understand."
However, Raon was finding it difficult to understand this situation.
Raon could see a white Dragon that was the same size as him looking at him and smiling.
'Welcome, my child.'
Those words seeped into Raon's heart.
'My child? She said, 'my,' child?'
Although his heart understood, Raon's mind could not comprehend it.
The half-transparent white Dragon in front of him was small.
Raon's mind blanked out and he subconsciously started to speak.
"I am- Raon Miru."
My name is Raon Miru.
Raon had etched this name deep in his heart. He had an odd feeling that he should tell his name to this small white Dragon in front of him.
"I see."
The white Dragon started to smile.
"Your name is Raon Miru. It's a great name."
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Raon could feel his heart starting to beat wildly again. The words that he slowly started to take in were delivering the message to his heart and mind.
That was why Raon turned his head to look at, 'my human.'
"...What are you doing?"
He could see Cale, who was casually asking him a question.
His left hand was slightly shaking with the crown and slumped down on his side.
Starting from there, Raon could see the others looking anxious as well.
Even Eruhaben had shock and anxiety on his face.
A stoic voice made Raon turn his head.
"Come here."
He could see Cale approaching him through the ground that was full of white pebbles.
"Raon Miru."
Raon's wings started to flutter.
"Come here."
Raon quickly flew over to Cale after hearing him call for him once more. Cale moved Raon behind his back.
Raon's two front paws touched Cale's back.
Cale then changed directions and started to walk a little faster.
"...Cale-nim."
Choi Han quickly followed behind him.
"Will you enter right away?"
Choi Han was looking at the white castle.
His eyes were taking in the tall castle walls around the castle, the open castle gate, and the half-transparent white Dragon inside the gate.
He could also see the majestic white castle that was shining behind the Dragon as well.
Eruhaben had said that this was somewhere that no Dragons had been able to enter.
But the white Dragon that appeared there was inviting Cale and Raon inside.
'Will they be safe?'
Choi Han could not tell what dangers might be waiting for them inside. In addition, Cale had said something else about this place as well. He said that the Dragon Slayer village, the White Star's hometown, might be somewhere here.
They needed to be careful and be even more careful.
He then heard Cale's light chuckle. Choi Han could see Cale's expression.
"Do I have a choice?"
'What else can I do?'
Choi Han was at a loss for words after seeing the message Cale's gaze was conveying.
"You heard her too."
Choi Han then remembered how the white Dragon had called Raon, 'my child.'
He realized that Cale understood the dangers of this place as well. However, he also understood why Cale was starting to move.
"...Yes I did."
"Yes. Then we must go."
Choi Han did not say anything else and moved to stand behind Raon.
"...Human."
Cale patted Raon with his right hand and started to walk.
He could feel Raon's two paws shaking on his back.
The great and mighty Raon was still only six-years-old.
The young Dragon then suddenly heard someone say, 'my child.'
How could someone suddenly appear and say something so shocking? How shocked would a child be?
Cale could not understand why anyone would do that to a child.
That was why he had to step up as Raon's guardian.
Isn't that what the law says you should do?
Well, he didn't know if this world's laws worked the same way, but Cale decided to act according to his own philosophy. Trash never cared about the laws and did whatever they pleased anyway.
"Hooo."
The white Dragon looked at Cale who was walking toward her with a presence not fitting his small physique with interest.
She then casually made a comment.
"You have no fear."
That statement made Choi Han flinch. It made Mercenary King Bud come back to his senses as well.
The white Dragon.
Although she was small, this Dragon was most likely the owner of this white castle, the last Dragon Lord.
That Dragon was telling Cale that he had no fear.
Cale's response showed he really was not afraid.
"What are you?"
Another voice quickly chimed in as Bud flinched after hearing Cale's question.
"...It's an illusion! I, I know because I am great and mighty! That is magic! It, it's not real!"
Raon was shouting.
"Ah."
Bud finally realized that the half-transparent Dragon was made from magic. It had happened so suddenly that he had not noticed it.
Pat, pat.
Cale patted the shouting Raon's body once again. It was because Raon's voice was shaking a lot.
Cale had realized that the Dragon was an illusion even before Raon.
It could not be helped.
This white castle was the last trace that the Dragon Lord left behind.
It was the Lord's grave.
Cale started to speak.
"Are you the Lord?"
Ooooooooong.
The crown was still weakly vibrating.
"Yes."
Something happened the moment the small white Dragon responded.
Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-
A strand of wind surrounded the white Dragon's body.
"Open it."
That was all she said.
The wind left the white Dragon and started to move.
Baaaaang!
Cale frowned after hearing the bang.
The main entrance to the white castle opened wide.
That was the first.
Baaaaang! Bang! Bang!
After that...
The door behind that door.
All of the doors started to open one by one.
These doors that were in a row slammed opened one by one.
The wind that brushed past the white Dragon opened all of these doors that had been closed shut.
Baaaaang!
And once the final door opened...
Cale could hear Eruhaben's shocked voice.
"...What the..."
Cale didn't even have time to look at the ancient Dragon.
The last Dragon Lord was said to have been protecting something inside the large castle.
However, the inside of the castle that became more visible with each opened door was very different than what they expected.
It was destroyed and broken.
The internal walls of the castle, the floor, everything was destroyed or broken. The outside was shining, but the inside was in ruins.
Squeeze.
Cale could feel Raon's paws squeezing his clothes.
He made eye contact with the white Dragon at that moment.
"The former owner of your power did that."
'What?'
Cale could see the white Dragon's pupils slowly turn vertical and sharp.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Cale's heart started to beat wildly.
The Dominating Aura.
That power suddenly started to roar inside of him. However, before he could even realize what was going on...
"I have something to show you."
The white Dragon said that before causing a gust of wind.
Shaaaaaaaaaaa-
The white snow mixed in with the wind and covered Cale's face.
"Ugh!"
Cale blinked at the sudden small blizzard.
Once he opened his eyes again...
Less than five seconds must have passed.
"Gasp!"
"This place!"
Cale heard the shocked voices of the others as he looked around. He looked behind him.
He could see the open doors and a path heading out of the castle.
The moment the blizzard hit them, Cale and the others were teleported into the castle.
'The Emperor of Magic.'
Cale recalled the nickname for the Dragon Lord. However, he had no time to pay attention to that.
The place he was teleported to was the last room they saw once the doors opened.
It was the center of the white castle.
Cale started to frown.
"Oh my."
Eruhaben brushed his face with one hand.
It was a small room.
The room had high ceilings, but it was small.
There were many items inside the room.
A carpet, books, toys... There were a lot of items.
The beds were very small beds.
They could see a carpet with cute pictures on it, as well as many books. There was even a book on, 'Learning the Continent's Common Language.'
There were many toys as well.
All of them were broken.
"This room was for birth to one year old."
They heard the white Dragon's voice.
"The next room is until two years old."
The clear and calm voice pointed to the path heading out of the castle. You needed to pass through many doors to get out.
"The next room is until five years old, and the room after that is until fifty years old. Rooms like that exist until the first growth phase room."
The first room was the smallest and the rooms grew bigger as you headed toward the exit.
The rooms became larger and larger, similar to how someone's world would continue to grow.
"I wanted this Castle of Light that was far from the sun, moon, and everything in the world to be the shield to protect them until the end of their second growth phase, the umbrella to block the snow and rain, the fire to keep them warm."
The white Dragon headed behind Cale's back.
"That was my hope when I created this."
Raon looked at the half-transparent white Dragon that was the same size as him. He looked at that illusion.
The two of them made eye contact. The white Dragon continued to speak.
"I then made, 'me.' "
Her voice was calm.
"So that they wouldn't be lonely."
She had a bright smile and a warm gaze.
"It was because a beautiful death didn't matter to me. I cared more about the life to come."
Eruhaben brushed his eyes with his hands again.
The life to come.
He was certain that the life the white Dragon was talking about was not her own.
She had made the decision to forgo a beautiful death for the new life that would appear in the world.
The ancient Dragon bit down on his lips and spoke to Cale using magic.
– Cale, I think Raon really might be the last Dragon Lord's child.
He found it hard to believe even as he said that.
– ...Of course, I can't believe that it took over 9,000 years for an egg to hatch.
The last Dragon Lord was born at the end of ancient times.
The ancient times were 10,000 years ago. That meant that Raon must have stayed as an egg for a minimum of 9,000 years.
He wondered if something like that was possible.
Dragons were stronger the longer they took to hatch.
That was why Eruhaben had expected that Raon would have spent a long time inside his egg.
However, Raon was not strong enough for him to have expected close to 10,000 years.
– It looks like we need to chat with the white Dragon some more. The White Star seems to be the one who destroyed this place.
It was obvious.
Cale assumed it was the White Star's doing as soon as the white Dragon said that the, 'former owner of your power,' had caused the damage.
– Don't you think it would be better to discuss after sending Raon out-
However, Eruhaben had to stop speaking to Cale.
"...Human."
It was because Raon started to mumble.
Raon turned away from the white Dragon and squished his face on Cale's back as he continued to speak.
"...Human, I don't think I am smart. Human, human. I am great and mighty, but I don't think I can look."
Eruhaben found these words and actions to be odd. The others felt the same way.
'Why is he acting like this?'
It was at that moment.
The white Dragon watched as Cale moved Raon from his back and hugged him in front and then looked at her. Raon squished his face on Cale's chest this time.
Cale started to speak.
"I don't know magic, so I can only ask out loud like this."
Cale asked in a slightly sad voice.
He knew why Raon was acting like this.
"Why are there two beds?"
There were two small beds in this small room.
The second bed was probably not for the white Dragon.
There were two of every book.
Two of every toy.
There were two of everything in the room.
Cale could see the white Dragon start to frown. The illusion made of magic looked at the back of Raon's head that was buried in Cale's chest and continued to speak.
"One black egg. And-"
Eruhaben cut the white Dragon off at that moment. He had not planned to do it. He was just so shocked that he subconsciously started to shout.
"Unbelievable! Dragons can only lay one egg!"
Only one egg at a time.
That was the law of nature.
However, Cale could see the white Dragon start to smile again and continue to speak.
"And one red egg."
Cale looked down at his left hand.
The crown was shaking weakly and not trying to suck Raon's blood out even though they were touching.
Ooooooooong.
That crown started to shake vigorously again.
– ...Dragon......
The crown was full of fear and anger as it continued to speak.
– ...Dragon half-blood......
'Dragon half-blood?'
Cale flinched after hearing the crown look for an unexpected person.
The information about the Dragon half-blood gathered in his mind at the same time.
He thought about how they first met in the Caro Kingdom and fought against him. He went all the way up to that piece of information.
He recalled something that the Dragon half-blood said during that battle.
'This is really weird. What is this odd scent of a Lord?'
The Dragon half-blood clearly had said, 'lord.'
'Are you a Dragon?'
'You're a Dragon. Hmm? Are you a Dragon that came out to play? Is it you? Or is it that thing next to you? Hmm?'
In the end, he had mistakenly believed Cale was a Dragon half-blood.
Cale just put those memories in the back of his mind. However, he got the chills after thinking about something else the Dragon half-blood had said.
He clearly remembered what the Dragon half-blood had said.
'...I smell a Lord. That power from earlier was definitely a Dragon Lord. I know it was. I've smelled it before.'
He had said that he had smelled the Lord's scent before.
How could the Dragon half-blood who had lived for about 900 years have smelled the scent of the Dragon Lord who had disappeared for at least 9,000 years?
How?
Cale subconsciously hugged Raon a little tighter.