Chapter 93
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: Something More Precious Than Gold (2)
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- Rumble rumble rumble...
Inside the Immigration Control Office after sending everyone else away, dozens of desks and chairs slowly floated up into the air.
Me, Incansus, and Haillin watched Elaine's gentle telekinesis in silent admiration.
"Wow. So this is telekinesis. It really looks just like invisible hands moving things."
But Elaine didn't stop there. She gave her right hand a slight shake.
- Click, click.
Suddenly, the cube on the floor began rotating slowly, matching its colors one by one.
An action requiring the utmost delicacy and precision.
The telekinesis Elaine once wielded—made only of destruction and brutality—was no more.
"...Minister Carton Grayson's report was true after all."
Incansus, having witnessed it all, tapped the floor with his tail.
"We've confirmed it sufficiently. Please withdraw your power, Princess."
He took a step toward her and spoke politely.
"...Ugh."
But as soon as Elaine lowered her arm, she stepped back to stand beside me, her expression wary as she floated word cards in the air.
- Palace. Return. Refusal.
She shook her head furiously, thinking they meant to take her away.
Yet there was one thing different here too.
Elaine wasn't recklessly using her power.
Noticing this, the proxy paused for a moment before shaking his head.
"We're not here for that purpose, so don't worry. The royal decree still stands firm—you cannot return until your exile ends."
"...Hmph."
Only then did Elaine narrow her eyes and slip behind my back.
"Central Officer."
"Yes."
He looked down at me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You've truly found the way. You've accomplished what even we could not."
Come to think of it, that's exactly what the proxy had said when he suddenly bound me with that oath.
Entrusting me, asking me to find the path.
'Back then, I had no idea what he meant... but it was this.'
I shook my head as I replied.
"I didn't do anything. It was all Elaine herself who— Ah."
Oh, damn.
In my familiarity, I'd called the princess by her name right in front of the proxy.
"..."
"Ho ho..."
The two of them stared at me, having caught it.
"P-Princess, you did—"
As I hurriedly tried to correct myself,
- Poke.
Elaine suddenly jabbed my side with her fingertip.
"Princess? What's that all of a sudden?"
[Elaine.]
She spoke in a small voice, sounding somehow aggrieved.
"No, but right now the proxy and Director are here too..."
[Elaine.]
There was no helping it.
"...Forgive my rudeness, Proxy. As you've seen, Elaine now wields her power perfectly. She achieved all this on her own."
I squeezed my eyes shut and boldly called the princess by name right in front of the proxy.
Incansus and Haillin exchanged glances simultaneously.
"Things seem to be getting interesting, Proxy."
"We'll have to add this to the matters for later discussion."
I could practically hear my list of infractions growing.
But my ordeal wasn't over yet.
"By the way... there's more than just this, isn't there?"
Haillin wore an expression that said she knew everything.
There were indeed things I hadn't reported yet.
"Well... Recently, there was an attempt to smuggle an unauthorized artifact. It had been modified into a bomb. Fortunately, thanks to Elaine and the Border Guard..."
- Poke.
"...we prevented a disaster from exploding."
I hadn't reported it yet, but since people were on the scene, rumors must have spread.
But Haillin tilted her head instead.
"Oh? Was there such an incident? I hadn't heard about that. Thanks for letting me know."
I shouldn't have said anything.
"Could you tell us what news brought you here?"
"I wish to meet the ghost fugitive known as Lady Mnatsil Terenas."
Ah.
So that was the real purpose.
"You came knowing everything?"
"..."
"..."
The two didn't answer.
But that was answer enough. I could instinctively guess who had told them.
Melani Lacrua.
'She must have heard from the Intelligence Bureau.'
I understood.
A dragon was impossible to hide completely.
'No matter how much we protect her identity, concealing it fully from the capital was never going to work.'
Moreover, Melani had mentioned before that the king's proxy visited the Intelligence Bureau often.
'The silver lining is that the proxy didn't come alone.'
Bringing the director meant they intended to discuss this with the Immigration Control Office before reporting to King Leo.
That's why they'd come to confirm it themselves.
Incansus was a dragonkin, after all.
As if reading my thoughts, the king's proxy said,
"Lead us to your home."
There was a mix of faint hope and anxiety in his voice.
Home sweet home.
"This is my house."
"Ho ho. The south really does have cheap housing prices."
Coming home in broad daylight felt refreshingly different.
Especially bringing two guests for the first time.
"I'm back."
No sooner had I spoken than a reply came.
"Is that the Central Officer? Coming home so early—must mean you missed me."
A familiar voice echoed from the second floor.
- Clack, clack.
Soon after, Mnatsil in her red dress descended to the first floor.
"Hm? You brought more guests."
The moment he saw her, Incansus's entire body stiffened.
- Shudder shudder shudder...
His scales trembled.
"Are you... Mnatsil Terenas?"
Seeing the unfamiliar dragonkin, Mnatsil narrowed her eyes.
"Quite rude for a guest. A shallow-blooded child."
Shallow blood.
Hearing those words, Incansus drew in a sharp breath.
He immediately cast off his veil and knelt on one knee.
- Thud.
"I pay respects to the great ancestor and master of the volcano."
"..."
"I am one who inherited the blood of the ascended Armless Dragon."
"Armless Dragon... Bernoulli's descendant."
"...!!! Yes! Truly so!"
His voice trembled with emotion.
Hearing the ancestor's name unbidden, he bowed even deeper.
"It's a great relief that you live! We feared some misfortune had befallen you after you vanished from the volcano."
"Rise. You're troubling the nest's master."
"...The nest's master?"
"It's unseemly to make such a display in front of the Central Officer."
He turned to look back and forth between Mnatsil and me.
Here, playing along was the right move.
"...The nest's master."
Hearing my words, the proxy rushed right up to me.
"Central Officer. I need to hear the circumstances."
- Crunch.
He gripped my shoulder hard enough to crush it as he said,
"Explain how the ancestor came to be in your home. From start to finish, leave nothing out."
"Well, you see..."
It's a long story. And I'm the victim here.
It took about 30 minutes to convey the tale simply.
Having heard everything about Mnatsil, Incansus muttered in shock.
"The final ancestor and the egg to continue her line... This goes beyond a grave matter—it's something that could shake the entire continent."
Mnatsil, who had fetched the egg from upstairs, now cradled it.
Gazing at her, the proxy spoke to me with resolve.
"Central Officer. You've done us a great favor. This is something not just I, Incansus, but all dragonkin must be grateful for."
"You mean..."
"From now on, I will serve the ancestor."
Behind his veil, his eyes gleamed with conviction.
But before I could reply, Mnatsil spoke first.
"No. That's fine. I'll stay here."
She cut him off flatly.
"Ancestor, this place is not safe. If the world learns of your survival and the egg's existence someday, it won't be too late to act then."
Incansus countered calmly.
"This is for the final ancestor and her lineage."
Mnatsil eyed the dragonkin steadily at his final words.
"Incansus Vermotem, was it."
"Yes."
"'Rock of the Barren Lands'... A name that suits you well. Unshakable like a rock, yet solitary."
A bitter tone.
"Incansus, do you have something more precious than gold?"
Something more precious than gold.
Hearing that, I immediately grasped its meaning.
To dragons, gold and treasure were second only to their lives—wealth hoarded for a lifetime.
For one to ask that meant: Do you have a value as precious as your own life?
Incansus understood and nodded.
"...An oath."
"What oath did you swear?"
"In the distant past, I vowed to my heart to give everything for this nation and King Leo."
"Yes. I can see your soul bound to this land—firmly so. You've likely spent nearly half your life with that oath."
Mnatsil narrowed her eyes and continued.
"But there's one more thing."
She pointed at me with her fingertip.
"You seem to have made a promise with the Central Officer too."
"...How did you...?"
"I can see your souls faintly connected. Tell me."
"...'I, Incansus Vermotem, trust Central Officer Nathan Kell.'"
"There's your answer. Then trust him."
"Ancestor!"
For the first time, Incansus raised his voice in agitation.
"This isn't about trust! It's directly tied to the survival of our race! This place isn't safe. Why on earth?"
I agreed with that.
For now, the secret held, so no issues.
But if word leaked—even slightly—with the border's nature, we'd face endless threats.
Why was Mnatsil rejecting Incansus, who shared her blood and sought to protect his kind?
"I asked the Central Officer. If he could protect my egg, I'd give him everything."
She stopped stroking the egg and looked at me.
"If he wanted riches, I'd tell him my nest's location and give him treasure."
"If fame, I'd let him kill me and claim the title of Dragon Slayer."
"If wisdom, I'd teach him all the world's magic and show the path to grand sorcerer."
Mnatsil recounted our conversation from that day upstairs.
"But do you know what he said?"
Incansus stared silently at her finger pointing at me.
"He said he needed none of it. Not a fortune, not great fortune, not a thousand knowledges—all of it. The Central Officer asked for one thing only. To complete entry procedures. That's all he demanded."
"..."
"With just that, the human called Nathan Kell swore to protect me and my egg."
I remembered.
What I'd said to her, who offered all sorts of rewards.
- My only request is this one thing. If you seek aid, become an entrant.
- If you sincerely undergo entry inspection, I will do everything in my power to ensure your safety and that of your egg.
She murmured with a faint smile.
"Over a millennium, no kin of mine ever said what this short-lived one did upon our first meeting."
Incansus fell silent for a long while.
"My time left is short anyway. At most... a human lifespan. And you're bound by oath already. Caring for me too would be excessive."
"...We'll support you. That's our racial duty."
"Don't act like a child. No compromising on oaths already sworn. If you pledged loyalty to the nation, forget about dragons."
Her words struck home; the proxy stared at her in stunned silence.
"Lady Mnatsil Terenas. That's my name now. Another life given by the Central Officer and his women."
Mnatsil turned to look at me as she spoke.
"I'll savor this and live out my remaining days. Believing the Central Officer's promise to protect me."
Thick trust emanated from her.
- Swish.
The lady gently—and firmly—took my hand.
"Central Officer. Don't worry. I won't go anywhere. I firmly believe your side is the safest for me."
"Lady Mnatsil..."
Something welled up from deep in my heart.
This hot emotion I hadn't felt in ages.
I spoke, pouring it in.
"Why don't you go?"
"...Huh?"
Mnatsil nearly dropped the egg in her shock.
She gaped at me.
"C-Central Officer? What do you mean?"
"No, why not go? The nation—not me—will protect you."
"Eh? Eh?"
But Mnatsil wasn't the only one surprised.
"C-Central Officer. Are you saying now that you... don't want that...?"
Incansus gawked at me for the first time.
"Sorry, Proxy. But Lady Mnatsil's been nothing but trouble."
"T-Trouble? How could I have wronged you like that?"
"You deny it? Shall we review?"
I had plenty to say.
"That dawn, when I was exhausted to death, you popped out and wrecked the road again—how do you explain stopping the Border Guard Captain?"
"Urk."
"And the food costs? You eat four portions per meal, do nothing but fiddle with the egg. Hanna's got chronic muscle pain in her right arm because of it—aren't you sorry?"
"I-I said I'd give you treasure!"
"You left all treasure in the nest, and the volcano collapsed—how were you going to find it?"
"..."
Thinking about it, I was pretty angry.
"Incansus agrees to secrecy, the capital's safer than the border, and they'll protect your ghost identity. Why not go?"
A 'dragonkin' should feel safer than me, right?
The Immigration Control Office is just that—an office. We can't wield force proactively, and I lack the power to protect her and the egg in a crisis.
The capital's different.
Passing up this once-in-a-lifetime chance made no sense.
I told Incansus firmly.
"Take her. I absolutely approve."
For safety, ethics, racial ties—every reason pointed to going.
"Y-You're too much!!! Were all our times together meaningless!?"
"How many times did I tell you not to sneak into my room at night? Sexual favors like that would be a huge scandal!"
"Urk."
With all arguments exhausted, Mnatsil turned to the dragonkin.
"Shallow-blooded child. Say something!"
"..."
But no reply came.
"You spent time with the ancestor...? A human...?"
Because the proxy's face mixed shock, horror, and bewilderment.
"No, before that—the ancestor tried to seduce a human...?"
I never knew a veiled face could show such varied expressions.
After about 15 seconds of heavy silence.
"...I'll step out for some air."
With that, the proxy left the house.
Just before closing the door, he muttered lowly.
"Ancestor Bernoulli... the dignity of dragons crumbles..."
That day, I saw every human side of Incansus.