Beacrox raised his head and looked around.
The kitchen he was in – it was the kitchen in the Super Rock villa, the one Freesia and her subordinates had been cooking in. The vast kitchen was actually pretty clean, yet the cook and greatsword-wielder couldn't bring himself to actually speak his mind and compliment it. After all, nothing was clean enough if Beacrox was the one looking at it.
Freesia who was standing behind Beacrox cleared her throat to gain the man's attention.
"You know, I've noticed how you seem to care about the young master a lot."
Beacrox raised his eyebrow and snorted. She noticed it just now or what? And why did someone like Freesia even bring that up in first place, huh?
"I wonder, why did you and your father leave him in first place?"
Freesia's friendly expression turned cold just like her eyes. Beacrox frowned upon seeing that, yet he didn't say anything, nor did he answer her question. What Freesia mistook as him feeling guilty was actually Beacrox thinking about his situation.
Why did he and his father leave?
It was such a simple yet complicated question that was a bit too difficult to give a proper answer to. It was because the answer was just a lame excuse.
A lame excuse wasn't quite the right word; the answer, that he and his father had wanted to protect Cale from Arm, was a confession – a confession that he and his father didn't know Cale as much as they thought they did. The more Beacrox thought about it, the angrier he got.
"So you aren't going to answer my question, huh?"
Beacrox lifted his head and looked at Freesia. For some reason he got a bad feeling, and not soon after he understood why. The room got a bit colder as Freesia showed her intention of killing the man in front of her through her eyes. Beacrox got the chills, yet he stayed very calm.
"You and that old assassin that is your father, both of you hurt the young master. And not just a bit."
Truth to be told, they didn't actually hurt the Cale Henituse that was formerly Kim Rok Soo. They hurt the Cale Henituse that was now Kim Rok Soo. But as the current Kim Rok Soo who was formerly Cale Henituse had gotten used to it and the current Cale Henituse and former Kim Rok Soo wanted the Molan father-son duo to accompany Choi Han on his own way to defeat the White Star without his help that statement wasn't quite true at all.
But neither Beacrox nor Freesia knew that.
The cook had his head down and didn't dare meet Freesia's cold eyes but the elderly woman did not care in the least bit.
"Listen carefully. I do not like you. Even if the young master-nim choses to forgive your deeds, I will not. Just as much as I will not forgive that weak-ass swordsman-thug for beating him! If you want the young master to be well, you should go away and leave him alone."
Upon hearing that last part, Beacrox was finally able to look the old assassin who was older than himself but younger than his father in the eyes. A certain unusual fire was in there which Freesia chose to ignore.
"I will not, never again, leave the young master-nim's side, even if that means that you or be it he himself, will hate me."
Freesia was just about to answer as both of them felt a strange smell in the air. They didn't actually smell it; it was more like an instinct.
"Blood...?"
As soon as Beacrox said that, Freesia was quick to exit the kitchen, quickly followed by the cook.
"It can't be-!"
Her pace quickened and just as she was about to exit the underground villa, she was met with her loyal subordinate Paul who looked just as confused as she did.
"Master, what is happening?"
Freesia shook her head and shrugged her shoulders but quickened her pace even more. A few minutes of a long sprint across the forest of darkness followed until the three of them arrived at a small village that was half-burnt and half-new established. It looked quite fancy, the new part I mean.
It didn't even take the three assassin-related people a second to notice the many dwarves and few people being in the middle of that old yet new village. The stench of blood got stronger and it didn't take Freesia long to know where it came from. With a frown on her face she walked past Beacrox and through the many dwarves. Without any hesitation, Paul followed her and after a few seconds of consideration Beacrox did too.
"Cough!"
"Cale-nim!"
'Ah.'
It was something like that.
Beacrox was definitely not prepared for the scene in front of him. It honestly, horrified him. There stood, in the minds of those many people, a certain redhead continuously vomiting red liquid while being supported by not just Choi Han but also the ancient dragon whom he was practically using as some sort of supporting wall.
"...Father?"
Beacrox couldn't turn his face away and continued to look at the horrendous scene in front of him, yet he still managed to ask for his father's explanation. Ron, noticing and immediately comprehending his son's mental state, couldn't help but feel useless. What had he done besides destroying things? What had he done to help this puppy like young master of his?
"...Why are all of you standing here so uselessly?! Huh?"
Suddenly a loud yell came from the north and all eyes turned to the unfamiliar voice. It sounded a bit childish, yet at the same time not. It sounded inexperienced yet at the same time not. It sounded worried, yet at the same time held a certain anger within.
Upon turning to the owner of that voice, most people's libs froze. It was because of the incredible pressure emitting from the not one, but two new people approaching. Eruhaben was the only one who truly felt who that was. His limbs shook uncontrollably as he stared at the two new people appearing.
One of them seemed to be an other-worldly creature with sharp ears and pale skin. His light purple eyes seemed surreal while his long, grey hair almost reached his hips. Eruhaben was certain that that person was a hiding species just like the Dark Elves, so it could only be a vampire. And not just some vampire, but a damn powerful one. He wasn't too sure whether he would win if he fought against that person right now.
Yet, the one who truly gave him the chills was the person next to that man. Dark crimson hair which was almost black and looked like dried blood in combination with scary, light blue eyes which were almost silver – that person was without further question a dragon.
And not some dragon, he was a very strong dragon. Even though he didn't seem to be quite old but rather young Eruhaben knew with a certain certainty that if he were to fight with that dragon – no, if he with the help of Choi Han, Rosalyn, Lock and every other person here were to fight that dragon even at half his strength, they would still lose.
Eruhaben's shaking made Cale cough up – no, vomit – more blood and it wasn't until the new dragon laid eyes on Eruhaben did he finally let go of Cale. Choi Han who was distracted as well let go of Cale's arm and with both of his supporters now gone Cale had no other choice but to fall down on the floor and being in pain due to the sudden impact.
As soon as Cale's limps touched the ground, panic broke lose once again. Ron was the first to arrive next to Cale and help him carefully up. He was also the only one (not including Cale's people) unaffected by the appearance of the two new people. Maybe it was because his full concentration was on Cale and Cale alone without room for anyone else. The looks he gave Choi Han and the ancient dragon were...let's just call them vicious for now.
The person standing next to the vampire stared at Cale. Cale still hadn't noticed him and the vampire due to his current state; which was even worse!
Cale always noticed him!
The new dragon's eyes widened as he looked at the person who had saved him even before his younger brother had seen the world. He looked at the person he had seen at its worst.
Cale Henituse, no, it'd be better to call him Kim Rok Soo, had transmigrated into this world six years ago after reading the novel 'The Birth of a Hero', and ever since then he had started building up plans on how to not get involved in the plot-line, yet help the heroes in order to live a peaceful live. While doing that, he stumbled upon a cave where this back then young dragon had been tortured while protecting the black egg that was his younger brother.
He and his younger brother had then been rescued by Kim Rok Soo.
That was why, for this still young dragon, it was the absolute horror to see his human in such a state.
His hands where slightly shaking, yet the vampire held them gently and shook his head – the message he sent was clear: Do not make things any worse.
This young yet already teen dragon had been with the vampire for almost three full months. It was because Cale gave him a certain mission. No, it was more accurate to say that he asked him to rest while he was the one who suffered the most.
And now, that the dragon was finally allowed to return home, he was faced with this ugly and terrible sight in front of him.
"Cough...ugh..."
Not able to contain his anger any longer, especially after seeing his younger, five year old brother tear up, the dragon pulled his hand back from the vampire's grip and approached Cale with slow yet steady steps. By now, Eruhaben was almost kneeling while Ron was faced with Dragon Fear that was even stronger than Eruhaben's. Yet, the old assassin-butler was determined to support that puppy-like young master of his and not let him fall again.
The vampire shook his head, concealing his worried expression behind a carefree smile.
'That son of mine sure loves pain. He certainly is a masochist.'
He then followed the dragon's path.
Raon, who finally noticed that something was odd, looked up from his human and into the direction of the two newcomers and his eyes light up, yet his crying did not stop. His relationship with Cale Henituse was the closest, after all.
Knowing that person ever since he had first opened his eyes...Cale Henituse wasn't just his guardian, he was his father.
"Hyung!"
Cale, whose hearing was still perfectly fine, finally looked up after hearing Raon's shout. And sure enough, the very next second wasn't exactly pain-free for him as he was embraced by Raon's older brother. Even though it wasn't pain-free, his heart suddenly felt at peace and the pain that had been unbearable until a second ago, was fine. And following that peace of mind, a genuine smile appeared on his lips without him knowing.
"You fucking donkey!"
Cale shook his head and patted the dragon boy's head. He had seemed incredibly big and tall just now, yet he was a few inches smaller than Cale. He was indeed still a young dragon.
"Yes, yes, don't cuss so much. I'm fine."
The dragon didn't let Cale go, even after Raon attempted to make him forcefully let go. While the little family still had this dilemma go on, the other people were stunned. That newly appeared dragon- he knew Cale?
Crown Prince Alberu Crossman couldn't help but laugh. How on earth- What in the heaven's- Why the fuck-
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
He honestly wanted to cry. There was so much about that mysterious person called Cale Henituse he didn't know and his guts were telling him it was impossible for him to find out everything. Alberu was feeling utterly frustrated and somewhat crushed. And not just that, but also a bit...envious? Yes, that was it. He wanted Cale to look at him the way he looked at that dragon. He wanted him to embrace him like that dragon.
Before his thoughts could get out of control, Alberu shook his head and looked at Cage who was holding the two kittens. Both of them had gentle expressions on their faces and respectfully held their distance.
Contrary to the dragon-siblings, they had met Cale just a little bit over a year ago. Of course, it didn't lesson the love Cale felt for them, yet the two of them noticed that the two dragon's affection towards the redhead was by far greater than theirs; not that that was possible, but somewhat it felt like that.
On shook her head at her brother wanting to go get a hug from Cale as well and held him back, observing the situation with her cold-turned eyes. The vampire with which the new dragon had arrived here, ah, it was that douchebag...
"Miss Cage...may I ask what is happening?"
Cage, contrary to Alberu's expectations, had no idea as well. It was her first time seeing that redheaded individual that had similar, yet darker hair than Cale. And she knew Cale for a bit longer than a year. So, she just shook her head. Hell, she didn't know that other person (the vampire) who was smiling so carefree as well!
And that person had then turned around and started approaching them.
"Noona, it's the douchebag, nya~"
"Don't call him that to his face nya~"
'Douchebag? They are calling that person a douchebag?'
Both Alberu and Cage were left speechless. And they weren't the only ones. Beacrox who had now arrived at the scene and stood behind them as well as Eruhaben and Choi Han who had made a certain distance between themselves and the new dragon were shocked. It was because they felt the power that so called 'douchebag' possessed.
"Haiyaa, don't call me douchebag, my dear grandchildren."
"HUH?!"
"What?"
Somehow, that 'douchebag' calling On and Hong his grandchildren really made him seem like a douchebag. And not just that, but extremely strange as well?
"I am hurt! Wait until my dear son hears of this!"
On rolled her eyes while Hong sneered at the vampire's attempt to be dramatic.
"Cale is not your son nya~"
Hong nodded at his sister's words and elegantly jumped over on Alberu's shoulder. Alberu was getting confused. Were Cale's people doing this on purpose, I mean confusing him? Was that Cale's grand master plan?
"Of course he is my son!"
The discussion of whether Cale was that person's son or not continued between him and the silver kitten; but the answer was obvious.
"Human! Human! He has hugged you enough already! Hey! Human! Hug me if you want a hug!"
Raon's cute voice disturbed the discussion, well, rather the laughter that followed it and the grumbling of the obviously annoyed dragon.
"I was here first anyways!"
"Human! Human! He's making fun of me again!"
For some reason, Alberu found the scene in front of him somewhat wholesome. And he wasn't the only one to think so; especially the assassin father-son duo thought so. Furthermore, not even once in their almost ten years of serving Cale did they see him sound or look like now.
But that wholesome sight was quickly interrupted by Cale coughing up blood. Contrary to the red blood he had been vomiting until now, it had a darker, almost black color. Furthermore, this time he really coughed.
"Human!"
"Cale!"
The only one who remained calm was the dragon hugging his dear guardian as if his life depended on it. To him, it actually did. Cale was his life. Cale and his younger brother Raon.
"Dodam, let go now. You've made fun of Raon for long enough already."
The new dragon – Dodam – reluctantly let go of Cale but continued to hold his left arm to give him some support. The very moment he did let go, Raon practically threw himself against Cale's chest and snuggling against it just as hard. The smile on the redhead's face got wider and he patted the young dragon with his free hand.
"And Dodam,"
Cale looked at the definitely not crying dragon whose eyes were wet just because of some allergy or something.
"I do like you cursing like that."
Dodam, for once, looked like he regretted something. Cale's gaze that stared at him was firm, and it also looked not angered but disappointed. If there was one thing Dodam didn't want Cale to feel towards him, then it was disappointment.
"...Yes, old man."
The smile on Cale's lips got a bit wider. He was only nineteen years old, seven years older than the twelve-year old Dodam who appeared to be older than he actually was. Seven years – that was not that much. Yet, he preferred that nickname to the previous 'fucking donkey'.
"Hey, don't call the Human old! You are so stupid! I already forgot how stupid you are! Hey Human, let's send him away again!"
Cale chuckled and shook his head, yet he did not forget to pat the young dragon's head. He then looked around and finally noticed the nuisance that had accompanied Dodam here.
'Ah fuck, I knew something was strange. They were too quiet!'
Cale sighed and slowly let go of Dodam's hand to walk freely. The black he had coughed up earlier was indeed different from the red one he vomited. It was the Vitality of the Heart's work that was a sign that the pain was subduing.
"..."
Cale didn't know what he should say to a person who called him his son while he was clearly not. Yet, that person also acted like he was his father and handled him like he would handle his son. It was strange and he knew it, he also always got a headache.
For some reason though, if Duke Fredo van Ejellan stopped calling him his son so shamelessly, it was nice that someone really cared. Count Deruth didn't seem like a real father to him in that aspect, even if he showed his care and support just as much. It was a bit strange and too complicated to think about it.
"Hello to you too, my precious baby-"
"Oh shut the fuck up!"
'Ah, I've already forgotten how annoying this bastard can be.'
Cale rolled his eyes and sighed while trying to avoid eye contact with Duke Fredo. The vampire looked like a kicked puppy but quickly recovered from his "pain".
"It hurts so much, you know?"
Cale pitched the bridge of his nose while shaking his head. He was starting to get a headache again. He looked back at Dodam who had turned his back to him – probably because that young dragon knew exactly what he had done by bringing Fredo here with him!
"Haaa, not here, not now. I'm busy right now. If it isn't something important go back."
Duke Fredo looked hurt once again.
"But-"
"Oh please! Then stay if you have nothing better to do!"
Cale was getting annoyed and frustrated at the same time just by Duke Fredo being present.
Just as the redhead was about to head to the Super Rock Villa, he remembered something. He quickly looked around until he spotted the still shocked Eruhaben and Choi Han. Cale let out a sigh and approached the two of them with Raon flying next to him.
"Sorry for the late introduction, but that's Dodam. He's Raon's older brother."
Choi Han opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, unable to properly form any words. His mind was chaotic with various thoughts spinning around. 'Dodam' – that was pure Korean for a child playing well and not being sick [referring to chapter 744]. He had had his suspicions when hearing Raon's name. Raon meant joyous in Korean while Miru stood for dragon. It was too strange as to simply call it a coincident.
While that was on Choi Han's mind, Eruhaben hesitated saying something because of Cale's casualty while introducing Dodam. His mind spun a theory, a theory that sounded absurd yet possible if it was Cale.
"Y-you...just how many dragons do you know, huh?"
It explained it all – Cale's casualty when speaking with an ancient dragon such as Eruhaben and simply not really caring whether he was a dragon or a highest grade mage. Him downplaying the ancient dragon's might, him just doing everything so strangely... It would all be explained if it was for this unlucky bastard to know other dragons. But the chance was slim, and probably humanly impossible, especially if that punk was only nineteen years old.
"A couple more I guess."
The smile on Cale's lips was a mischievous one. It signaled to Eruhaben that the young noble didn't think it was too grand of an achievement. Meanwhile to Eruhaben, it was, it was...he wanted to cry and laugh at the same time! No, he suddenly felt dizzy, was he fainting? His vision was blurry!
Wait...was he about to die from shock?!
"Heh."
Cale scoffed and shook his head while Raon continued to make comments about how the ancient dragon looked funny.
'If this unlucky bastard knows so many dragons, why ask me to teach the little kid?'
Eruhaben recalled Cale asking him to teach Raon. He would have understood it as he was a senior dragon with lots of knowledge to pass down. Yet, if there were other dragons, why not simply ask them to do it?
Eruhaben got a headache.
"Ho, I'm too old for this!"
Cale's smirk got a bit thicker and he shook his head before he headed towards Dodam again. He had missed that little rascal too. To Cale, Dodam seemed like a troublemaker that always made a big deal out of little things. If asked to bring back a single coin, he would bring you the whole treasury and take care of all the bad guys as well on his way.
Of course, from the side it was obvious whom he went after, after all Dodam's greatest idol was Cale. Cale was more like his older brother that taught him stuff. Maybe it was because Cale found him when he had been thirteen while Dodam had been six years old. Yet, he was too young back then, even if he acted like an adult. It was probably due to his child-like appearance.
To the six-year-old Dodam, Cale had looked like the only sunshine in the darkness. Cale was the only person to care for him. His back then always stoic expression wasn't half as serious as now and Dodam could always see the love behind the ice. Maybe that was the reason that he wanted to be like his guardian, maybe it was because he simply thought that Cale was cool.
"You little rascal sure look well-rested. Did you have a good time?"
Dodam snorted and shook his head. While he couldn't lie to Cale's face and say he wasn't well-rested, he had anything but a good time. The time he spent away from Cale was guaranteed to not be a good time.
"Haaa, you're just like always. Let's go home then."
Dodam's eyes light up in excitement and he looked at Cale only to notice that his guardian wasn't even looking at him. The side of Cale's face was incredibly pale and feeble. Now that Cale stood so close to Dodam, the young dragon was able to hear his guardian's fast heartbeat. He could also see that Cale seemed to have lost weight since the last time he had seen it.
He would have to ask someone about what had happened while he was away.
Quickly returning to the here and now, Dodam looked back. There were many dwarves kneeling on the floor, many of them had already passed out due to stress and fear. A smirk appeared on his lips that was too similar to Cale's. He then looked at those new people who were standing behind Cale and looking at him. As soon as he laid eyes on a certain raven-haired thug though, his good mood dispersed and he felt hate swipe over him.
He found a new punching bag.
Choi Han, not aware of the dragon's thoughts, couldn't help but shiver upon that vicious look he received; it was worse than the old butler-assassin's.
"I think he doesn't like you very much?"
Choi Han turned to look at the now benignly smiling old butler who seemed content. He would have loved to punch him in the face, yet he didn't want Cale to think badly of him – or to remind him of the...past.
"Tsk."
So, the swordsmaster just clicked his tongue and tried his best to ignore the old butler's obviously good mood.
'Does he know of me beating Cale-nim?'
Indeed, and it wasn't that Dodam only knew. A year ago, back then when Choi Han had encountered Cale and beaten him to a pulp, Dodam had been present. He had seen it all happen.
Back then, in the morning, Cale had acted very strangely. He was a bit nervous, yet he tried to play it cool. (Honestly, who would be completely calm when he knew he was going to get beaten up good?) He had then, for the first time ever, asked Dodam and Raon, as well as the cat-children to not accompany him for the day.
Dodam had still followed Cale while being invisible while leaving Raon and Hong in On's responsibility.
It was a good decision and he would do the same thing all over again. Seeing his guardian get beaten up like that – it made him feel powerless and useless. Yet, he still set up some secret shields for Cale to not get hurt too badly without him noticing. Cale still didn't know of Dodam's interference and that was a good thing. Especially since he wanted the children to not see too bad things.
"Did you know that Raon missed you?"
Dodam immediately turned his head to look at Cale who had a gentle smile on his face while speaking to him. Raon was on his slightly shaking arms while being patted on the head. While he had a pout on his cute chubby face, he didn't look displeased or angry with Cale.
"He wanted to see you again dearly, at least for the time that I was with him."
Dodam, immediately noticing Cale's mistake, turned sharp. So did his demeanor.
"...What do you mean?"
Cale, who intentionally said that, let out a tired sigh and finally started walking towards the Super Rock Villa without seemingly a care in the world. He knew that Dodam would find out the kidnapping incident sooner or later, so it was better to just tell him now.
"A few weeks ago, the White Star got me."
Dodam, immediately understanding what that meant, stopped in his tracks and stared at Cale, checking whether he had sustained any other injuries. Luckily, there were none. Cale shook his head at the young dragon's foolishness and simply continued.
"I'm telling you this because the others always exaggerate things."
'It's not that they exaggerate, it's just that you don't think that the situation is that serious if it's about you! If it were someone else who had been kidnapped- You'd have flipped the whole continent over and found them without any hesitation!'
Dodam didn't say his thoughts out loud and continued to listen to Cale's cool yet gentle voice. It calmed his nerves like it always did.
"It wasn't too bad, it's just that I was there for about a month and-"
"A WHOLE FUCKING MONTH?! WHAT THE FUCK DID THE OTHER MOTHERFUCKERS DO?!"
Before Cale had a chance to calm the furious dragon down, Dodam had already turned and sprinted towards Freesia, holding her in place. Cale rolled his eyes as he watched Dodam jump at Cage next while yelling curses that are better off not mentioned here. (I'd say he was worse than the Sky Eating Water, BUT Cale doesn't have it yet...)
Cale sighed and exchanged glances with a nonchalant looking Raon.
"Hey Human, I think this is the only great thing hyung has ever done."
Cale shook his head and continued to walk forward as if nothing was the matter. Meanwhile Alberu stared at Dodam in shock, unable to think of what to do. Follow Cale and manage to get through this crazy dragon bastard or just wait? But if he was to wait, would he be attacked out of nowhere next?
He decided that, for now, it was better to just wait while hiding behind the 'douchebag'-vampire that this crazy dragon bastard came with. In case of emergency he would push him forward and run.