Book 2: Chapter 398: You dare to smack me in the back? (1) |
<You dare to smack me in the back? (1)>
“…….”
“…….”
Cale quietly looked down at the small Dragon in his arms.
The small Dragon avoided Cale’s gaze.
“Do you want me to put you down?”
Nod.
Cale placed the nodding little Dragon on the couch.
Flutter flutter.
“Hehe!”
“Hehe!”
Hong was also smiling with sparkling eyes.
The little Dragon avoided their gazes too.
“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—”
“Light Dragon! Light Dragon! Light Dragon!”
The countless residents of Seventh Evil, who had yet to leave, were still cheering outside the window.
Cale looked up at the air.
[Birth Ceremony Progression 319%]
The Birth Ceremony had ended.
However…
“You were here, Cale-nim. Hoohoo.”
The aftershock of the Birth Ceremony had yet to end.
"The video of the Birth Ceremony is currently being spread to half of New World. The footage is also being uploaded to numerous user communities.”
Clopeh Sekka. He was serious when it came to legends.
“A legend does not simply place meaning on the phenomenon itself. When that phenomenon turns into a story that passes from one person to another until it eventually passes the present and is carried on by future generations… That is when it truly becomes a legend.”
[*The aftershock of the Birth Ceremony is exploding rapidly!]
[*The legend is being created beyond just New World to all of Earth 3!]
[*The determination of reward is being extended!]
Cale quietly looked at the quest window, which the system seemed to be messing with, before looking at Clopeh.
Clopeh bent down to gently speak to the baby Dragon who was born today.
“Congratulations on being born.”
Eden Miru sternly did not even give Clopeh Sekka a glance.
But Clopeh was not someone who would care about something like that.
He spoke in a voice that was full of joy.
“The Holy Evil, the Light Dragon. You have received an extremely wonderful nickname.”
The baby Dragon who was actually over 900 years old clenched his eyes shut.
“Eden Miru. Your days will be a flowery path for a legend.”
“…….”
Eden Miru just quietly looked up at the sky.
His pupils still seemed to be shaking.
“Hey Eden Miru!”
Raon moved toward him and…
“Let’s go!”
Suddenly grabbed Eden Miru’s small and chubby front paws.
“!”
Eden Miru became anxious.
However, Raon was in a rush right now.
“Let’s go to mommy!”
“……!”
Eden Miru’s pupils started shaking intensely.
Cale realized that Eden had not forgotten about Sheritt-nim. He knew he should go see her, but he was hesitating because he didn’t have the courage to do so.
“Let’s go!”
“We need to go, nya.”
Hong led the way and On nudged Eden Miru, something she would not normally do.
“…….”
Eden Miru looked at Cale but Cale just smiled. As warmly as he thought he could smile.
The little Dragon, the one small enough to fit in Cale’s hands, scowled significantly after seeing Cale’s smile.
“Let’s go!”
He was then dragged away by Raon like a paper doll fluttering in the air.
Of course, Raon’s hold was gentle.
That was why Eden Miru was just going along with it.
Flutter flutter!
Flap, flap-
One set of excited wings flapping and another oddly hesitant set of wings.
Eden Miru did a good job flapping his wings despite just being born.
Eden Miru looked at the excited Raon as well as his front paws that were currently being held by Raon’s front paws.
“Woooooooooooooooo–”
“Oh Light Dragon!”
“Our new liege!”
He could still hear the cheering directed at him.
“Mm!”
Raon stopped for a moment to think about something before grabbing Eden Miru with his two front paws.
“!”
Eden Miru became anxious.
Raon was a bit anxious as well.
‘He's small!’
Eden Miru was too small.
Raon felt an emotion he couldn’t really explain.
He knew that Eden Miru was over 900 years old and close to 1,000…
But black scales similar to his own…
White gold patterns on the body that reminded him of Goldie gramps…
Eye color that was the same as our human’s eyes…
And the shape of his eyes that slightly resembled his mom’s…
“Heh!”
Raon simply laughed.
Raon was great and mighty but too young of a Dragon to express all these emotions.
Raon addressed Eden Miru.
“Stick right to my back! Eden Miru!”
Raon placed Eden Miru on his back.
That was how small Eden Miru was right now.
“!”
Eden Miru seemed extremely anxious, but Raon had no idea.
He oddly felt energetic feeling the small weight and warmth on his back.
Raon clenched his two front paws after feeling this unexplainable emotion. He then thought to himself.
‘I will protect Eden Miru too!’
That conviction flowed out of Raon's closed mouth.
“Ha.”
Cale watched it all with a look of disbelief before scoffing and following the children averaging ten-years-old.
"Clopeh.”
“Yes, Cale-nim.”
“Good job.”
Of course, he had to say that to Clopeh who had worked hard for all of this.
Cale couldn't see Clopeh because he followed behind the children averaging ten-years-old.
“……!”
The smile disappeared from Clopeh's face.
He looked at the ceiling for a moment.
“…Good job-”
It was nice to hear.
However…
“All this is for the greater picture.”
Clopeh was more amazing of a bastard than Cale thought.
‘Eden Miru.’
The boss of the Seventh Evil.
In the end, he was also Cale-nim’s subordinate.
Whether it was the Miru Knights Brigade, the Third Evil, or the Eight Evils…
Everything will eventually end up under Cale-nim’s control.
The legend they create would just end up as the foundation for the greater legend that Cale-nim would create in the future.
“Hoo hoo.”
It would be enough to hear that he did a good job once all of that was completed.
Clopeh thought that Cale was such a simple person and slowly headed toward the window.
“Light Dragon! Light Dragon!”
The residents of the Seventh Evil who were still here cheering…
“…The name they will call out in the end has already been determined.”
Cale-nim.
Young master Silver Shield.
That great name would echo through all of New World, Earth 3, and all dimensions.
“Kekeke.”
Clopeh barely held himself back from laughing loudly and his eyes flashed.
* * *
“Hmm?”
As for Cale, who was following the children averaging ten-years-old, suddenly felt leery.
‘What is going on?
Ah.’
He suddenly had a thought.
‘Mm.’
The children averaging ten-years-old who were moving along while laughing…
Eden Miru who was stuck to Raon’s back…
‘Do I need to include that guy?
Nah. That’s a bit…
They are going to take a 900 year old dude as their youngest?’
‘…….’
Cale's face subconsciously stiffened.
It was because on the outside, as weird as it felt to say this, was really cute.
"So cute!”
“Our boss is so cute! But to give off such dignity despite looking so cute!”
Now that he thought about it, there were voices outside calling him cute as well.
Cale did his best to ignore it.
‘None of my business.
Yeah, this is something for Eden Miru to overcome in his life.’
Cale immediately stopped thinking about it.
"We’re here!”
Instead, he focused on Eden Miru and Sheritt's meeting.
“…….”
“…….”
The two of them were silent.
Cale noticed Sheritt's red eyes and realized that she must have been crying when she was alone, but he pretended not to see it.
“…….”
Eden Miru opened his mouth.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times but could not say anything.
Sheritt just smiled and patiently waited.
Shh.
Eden Miru came down from Raon’s back.
Flutter. Flutter.
His wing movements were still a bit awkward as he was just born.
“…….”
He stopped in front of Sheritt.
The portal.
The two Dragons could not get any closer to each other.
Eden Miru could no longer get through the portal.
While Sheritt was an existence who could not come through the portal.
“…….”
Eden Miru raised his head to look at Sheritt.
Sheritt looked mischievous but her smile was as gentle as her age.
“…Umm-”
Eden Miru finally started talking after a long while.
“I am back.”
Sheritt responded to him.
“Yes. Welcome back.”
Cale noticed a presence and turned around.
“Cale-nim.”
It was Choi Han.
In Clopeh’s original plan, Choi Han would have been using his aura along with Cale and the Heavenly Demon, but something came up that prevented that from happening.
"The Lan Kingdom contacted us?”
“Yes, Cale-nim.”
The wanderer, So Hee.
Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon had been in charge of interrogating her.
Unlike the Heavenly Demon who had returned to the Black Castle for Eden Miru’s Birth Ceremony, Choi Han had come back before heading back to the Lan Kingdom after receiving a sudden call.
“I think you need to go, Cale-nim.”
Choi Han had returned to take Cale.
The Devil’s Boundary.
The Holy Land of the God of Chaos, the Night of the Beginning.
Cale needed to go there now.
Choi Han knew that Choi Jung Gun's life was on the line with this trip, so he would not delay it if it was not serious.
“…I need to go.”
But Choi Han was still saying that Cale had to go to the Lan Kingdom.
There was really only one thing that could make him say this.
“Did another wanderer show up?”
Choi Han slowly lowered his head.
“Yes, Cale-nim.”
Cale immediately found the answer.
“If it is another wanderer, it is probably the wanderer who originally threatened the Lan Kingdom?”
“Yes, Cale-nim. That guy is supposedly coming tomorrow.”
The Lan Kingdom's Queen Tamahi did not know So Hee.
The wanderer who threatened her was someone else.
He, along with Hin Pao, who was a believer of the God of Chaos, had threatened the Queen.
"I guess it would be weird if a wanderer didn't show up at the Lan Kingdom.”
Currently, the Lan Kingdom had changed its Kingdom’s political stances to follow Cale and the Kingdom of Darkness.
“So Hee. Prince Consort Hin Pao. They’ll need to check on the two of them too.”
“Yes, Cale-nim. That is the reason the Queen is looking for you.”
“I guess I have to go.”
A wanderer was coming to meet Queen Tamahi tomorrow.
Cale had to move quickly before that.
“I'm sure So Hee told the other wanderers that what happened to her is the God of Chaos’ fault.”
“Yes, Cale-nim.”
The Tournament Stage…
Cale purposely let So Hee contact her allies.
So Hee thought at the time that Cale was a part of the God of Chaos' faction.
“And then they lost contact with Hin Pao.”
"That is correct.”
Hin Pao was dead.
However, the Five Colors Bloods shouldn't know that.
His death was thoroughly concealed.
That was why, after receiving contact from So Hee and then her disappearing… Followed by the sudden loss of contact with Hin Pao…
They should have looked into the God of Chaos to find an answer.
‘It's very unlikely that they would contact the Church of the God of Chaos right away.’
They would first come to the Lan Kingdom to investigate.
There was something Cale had to do before that happened.
"We need to hide So Hee.”
“Yes, Cale-nim. That is correct. I think that is why the Queen is looking for you.”
The wanderer, So Hee.
They needed to move her out of the Lan Kingdom's underground prison to somewhere else.
“The Queen is not confident that she will be able to prevent the wanderer from looking through the palace. She thinks that the wanderer will end up searching the underground prison as well.”
“Probably. The wanderers will probably think that if the Lan Kingdom has sided with the God of Chaos, the only place they have to imprison So Hee would be the underground prison.”
It was obvious where you should imprison a mid-level NPC.
“That seems to be what the Queen is concerned about.”
“Okay.”
Cale started to think.
His lips soon curled up to a twisted smile.
“Let’s first go see the Queen.”
Once Cale and Choi Han stopped walking…
Ooooooooong.
Rosalyn had already cast a teleportation magic circle for them.
Paaaat!
Choi Han and Cale disappeared with the light to the Lan Palace.
* * *
“Your Majesty.”
“You’re here!”
Queen Tamahi greeted Cale with an urgent look on his face.
“The wanderer originally said that he was going to come today, but I was barely able to push it back until tomorrow!”
She started by letting Cale know that she only had about half a day left and that she could not push it back any farther.
Martial Scholar Cha Run was by her side as well.
“Your Majesty. Please calm down.”
Cale started to smile.
“I'm assuming moving So Hee is the problem?”
“That is correct.”
“Your Majesty is probably also worrying about how to handle the wanderer?”
“That is correct!”
Honestly speaking, the Lan Kingdom was more worried about how to deal with the wanderer.
She was sure that the wanderer already knew that the Lan Kingdom was going in a different direction.
Queen Tamahi had to protect the kingdom from a wanderer in such a situation.
“I will give you the answer to both of them.”
“…Do you mean that?”
As if to make her concern meaningless, Cale had already come with the answers.
Queen Tamahi stopped feeling nervous and felt a sense of anticipation after seeing his smile.
The Kingdom of Darkness.
The large power protecting New World from the shadows…
The person at the center of that power…
Tamahi waited for Cale's response with a shaky heart.
Cale gently addressed Tamahi and Cha Run.
"We just need to move So Hee to a different underground prison.”
“…A different……?”
Cha Run sounded confused but Tamahi's eyes clouded over.
“Are you thinking about moving her to a different kingdom’s underground prison?”
“You truly are wise, your Majesty.”
The Queen continued after hearing Cale’s answer.
“…Do you have connections to other kingdoms besides ours? Or maybe the Kingdom of Darkness-?”
“It is not a kingdom.”
"Then what prison-?”
Cale shook his head. Unlike the once again confused Cha Run, Tamahi immediately figured out the answer.
“Is it perhaps an Empire?”
“!”
Cha Run’s eyes opened wide.
The Kingdom of Darkness.
That place had connections to an Empire as well?!
“The underground prison of the Eastern Empire’s Imperial Palace should be safer than this place.”
Cale calmly stated where he was planning on moving So Hee, but Tamahi and Cha Run started rattling off with excitement.
“How, the Eastern Empire, a connection-, ah, never mind!”
Cha Run had shouted without thinking before urgently closing his mouth. Cale just smiled and looked at him.
Silence often gave a lot of answers.
‘Ahn Roh Man.’
President Ahn Roh Man.
Ahn Roh Man, the top ranker.
He would soon be officially crowned as the Imperial Crown Prince of the Eastern Lienti Empire.
‘The Emperor of the Eastern Empire is Ahn Roh Man's friend.’
The AI that Ahn Roh Man's parents created…
Cale had already contacted Ahn Roh Man before coming here.
Naturally, he would cooperate with Cale.
It would be good to meet with the Emperor while putting So Hee in the underground prison as well.
“And please do this once the wanderer shows up.”
Cale also advised them on how the Lan Kingdom should react to the wanderer.
“Get down on the ground and lower your head.”
“What?”
Cale explained for the confused Queen Tamahi.
“Tell him that you had no choice but to betray him because you were being threatened.”
The Kingdom of Darkness could not be revealed yet.
It would be bad if they figured out that Cale’s people were in New World doing things.
“And all those things-”
The greatest shield for them right now…
“Just tell him that you were threatened by the God of Chaos’ people and had no choice.”
“!”
Choi Han, Cha Run, and Tamahi's eyes all clouded over.
"And tell the wanderer that Sir Hin Pao took So Hee to the Night of the Beginning, the Holy Land of the God of Chaos.”
“Ah.”
Choi Han gasped.
The Night of the Beginning.
That was the Holy Land of the God of Chaos.
It was a place Cale had to go flip over.
He needed to steal a divine item and do all sorts of things.
But as the Holy Land of the God of Chaos, the security around that place would be tight. Cale's group may have had to shed a lot of blood as they fought.
‘But mentioning The Night of the Beginning to the wanderer?’
A wanderer from the Five Colors Bloods should know the location of the Holy Land.
Maybe they-
‘They may visit the Holy Land in our place and cause a fight.’
If that happens-
‘Then we could steal everything and smack them in the back without a single drop of blood!’
Choi Han could not hide his look of admiration as he looked at Cale.
The Queen also couldn't help but nod her head at Cale saying blame it on the God of Chaos.
"That is the most realistic option. I think the wanderers will accept it as well.”
“That is the case, your Majesty.”
Cale smiled gently and the Queen smiled back.
The anxiety was visibly less on her face now. She happily continued.
“I will immediately start creating some evidence that would make the wanderer suspect Sir Hin Pao and the God of Chaos.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
“I'll make him think that the reason I delayed his visit for a day was to hide the traces of worshiping the God of Chaos.”
“That sounds perfect. You are truly wise, your Majesty.
Haha-”
“Haha-”
Both Cale and Tamahi laughed out loud.
* * *
“Long time no see.”
Cale warmly waved his hand.
“You’re looking good, So Hee?”
So Hee turned pale after hearing Cale's greeting.
It was currently past midnight.
Everybody guarding the Lan Kingdom's underground prison had disappeared and only Choi Han and Cale were looking down at So Hee, the only prisoner here.
The Eastern Lienti Empire…
It was time to go there.
< I've informed them. >
It was after they had received confirmation from Ahn Roh Man.
—
Translator's Comments
Cale, are you flirting with the enemy?!
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