West Sea Dragon King (5)
West Sea Dragon King (5)
Reading the room...
I stared intently at the Dragon King, who was smirking with a look that said he'd just stabbed me in the back, and he was the first to avert his eyes.
Hoo...
I couldn't keep glaring at him forever just because he'd injected me with strange knowledge. Aside from his granddaughter's tastes and dislikes, the other information was actually very helpful, so I let out a sigh and looked away as a sign of forgiveness.
Leaving the awkwardly smiling Dragon King behind, I examined the various pieces of knowledge that had entered my head.
The first thing that caught my eye was the knowledge regarding spells.
Living up to the title of Dragon King, the knowledge of spells he passed on was so vast it was difficult to take in at a single glance.
And the largest portion of that was dedicated to spells that manipulate water.
From simple water manipulation to spells that could cause tsunamis capable of overturning the earth or waterspouts that reached the heavens.
Having the knowledge didn't mean I could use them immediately, but it seemed worth practicing whenever I had the time.
Since I couldn't start training here, I moved on. The next largest portion of knowledge, excluding the spells, was the usage of the Wish-fulfilling Jewel.
I thought knowledge about the treasures would be next, so this was unexpected.
Come to think of it, I received it because it looked like a precious item, but I had been wondering how to actually use it. He had kindly passed on all the knowledge regarding that as well.
The Wish-fulfilling Jewel.
A precious object no different from a second heart, containing the power of a dragon who had spent a lifetime in cultivation.
As long as one's power allowed, it could cause various miracles and be used to assist in spells.
And the method of storing it was...
"Swallow it?"
"Ah, the Wish-fulfilling Jewel. Well, is there any place more suitable to store such a treasure than inside a dragon's body?"
"That's true."
Hearing that, it wasn't exactly wrong.
You couldn't exactly entrust something that was like a second heart to someone else, so where else would you store it but in your own body?
"Then I'll swallow it?"
"Not now, but later in a safe and quiet place. Although it has been separated from me, the Wish-fulfilling Jewel isn't completely yours yet. It will take time to fully accept it."
"Aha."
I put the Wish-fulfilling Jewel, which I had taken out to swallow, back away.
I had to practice the spells later, and I had to swallow the Wish-fulfilling Jewel later, so all that was left was the knowledge about the treasures.
The number of treasures decorating the room the Dragon King decided to give me was eight in total.
All eight were treasures incomparable to the gold and silver outside, and each possessed a special power.
Two of them were items to be given to Shin Su-ah and Baek Yeon, who had passed the trials.
Seeing me checking the treasures, the Dragon King approached one of them.
"This is a spear made from the oldest pillar of the Dragon Palace. It is sturdy and has the function of adjusting its weight and length. You can give it to the lady who carries a spear."
A smooth spear that was overall bluish-silver in color.
It would be a good weapon for Baek Yeon, who usually made and used several spears out of monster materials.
"This is a sword made from none other than my own tooth. It would be good for the lady wearing armor to use."
Similarly, this was also an elegant bluish-silver sword with a classic design.
Shin Su-ah had recently changed her shield while going through Gates, but she was still using an ordinary sword, so it was an appropriate gift for her.
After that, I heard explanations for the other six treasures.
A Gourd Bottle that creates healing water in exchange for a massive amount of water.
An arrow said to have shot down the sun in the distant past.
The Qilin Horn, a holy object with the power of purification.
The Seed of Heaven's Peach, a fruit of the heavens with the power of eternal youth and long life.
A Talisman that prevents death just once.
A Scroll with the function of sucking in and trapping an opponent.
I already knew all their functions, but he looked so happy explaining the process of how he obtained them that I listened to the very end.
What stopped the Dragon King's unending boasting was a small mumble from the side.
"Uung..."
At that small mumble and tossing, the Dragon King and I stopped and turned our heads at the same time.
On the bed where the Dragon King's granddaughter had been sleeping with a peaceful expression until a moment ago.
The Dragon King's granddaughter was clutching the blanket with one hand and pushing herself up, rubbing her eyes.
"Hyaham... Grandpa?"
"O-Oh, oh. Haeryeong-ah..."
Seeing the girl wake up, the Dragon King couldn't approach her and was just overcome with emotion from a distance.
By the way, is her name Haeryeong?
It's a name that somehow suits her.
Haeryeong pointed her finger at me and asked.
"Who is that next to you?"
"This person is..."
Come to think of it, we hadn't even properly introduced ourselves, so we didn't even know each other's names.
Seeing the Dragon King unable to even properly explain who I was, I introduced myself.
"I am Nidhogg."
"Nidhogg... Ahjussi?"
Ahjussi?
I wanted to correct Haeryeong's words, but then I remembered that my age couldn't possibly be lower than that Dragon King's, so I decided to stay quiet.
Right, at least I'm not a 'Grandpa'.
Let's be satisfied with 'Ahjussi'.
"Is Ahjussi Grandpa's guest?"
"Yeah. I came because your grandpa said he had a favor to ask."
"Hello. My name is Haeryeong."
Haeryeong hopped out of bed and gave a polite bow.
The Dragon King watched that scene with a proud smile.
Though it didn't last long.
"Grandpa. Where are Mommy, Daddy, and Oppa?"
"Haeryeong-ah..."
At Haeryeong's innocent question, the Dragon King was at a loss for words and couldn't even answer properly.
According to the Dragon King's past story I heard earlier, Haeryeong's parents and her older brother dragon were all killed by Monsters in the distant past.
The Dragon King was the only family the girl had left.
And even that Dragon King didn't have much time left until his life ended.
"Haeryeong-ah."
"Yes? Grandpa."
"I have hidden it until now to protect you, but I ended up ignoring the fact that doing so might hurt you even more."
"Huh? I don't really understand difficult words."
"I'm sorry for being such a pathetic grandfather."
Whether he used the same spell he used on me, a fluffy energy formed at the Dragon King's fingertips and flew out to touch Haeryeong.
Then, Haeryeong, who absorbed the energy, fell asleep on the spot as if collapsing.
"Kkeung..."
Haeryeong was frowning and tossing and turning, perhaps having a nightmare.
He probably passed on the memories of her family's death.
"Is it okay to do that?"
"This is for the best. It's already a memory that's hard enough to accept, and I don't want to show her the sight of her last remaining family member dying..."
"I see."
Interfering in someone else's family affairs is something one shouldn't do, but as for me, I had no room to change the final choice of the Dragon King, whose life was nearing its end.
Still.
"I don't want to end it like this."
I took out the Wish-fulfilling Jewel I was keeping.
The Wish-fulfilling Jewel, which should hold massive power, had already used a significant amount of its strength to maintain the seal for a long time, so its internal power had decreased considerably and needed time to recover—but I could supplement that much.
Woong!!
Should I call it a second heart?
Or did it understand that this was for its former master?
The Wish-fulfilling Jewel, sensing my power and will injected into it, vibrated briefly, and soon a brilliant light burst forth.
Paaaaat!
"You?"
"The end should at least be decent, shouldn't it?"
The light emitted from the Wish-fulfilling Jewel, which had accepted my power, was absorbed by the Dragon King, and soon a miracle occurred.
From the Dragon King's body, which had voluntarily accepted the power of destruction and become corrupted, the murky and dark power of destruction washed away like filth, and for a moment, his body returned to its original state.
Being his own body, the Dragon King, who realized the change instantly, looked at me in surprise.
"What are you doing? It won't last long, so go and hug her quickly."
"Kh-huk, th-thank you."
The Dragon King, bursting into tears, walked over with heavy steps and picked up Haeryeong, who was moaning from the nightmare, with trembling hands.
"Haeryeong-ah."
"G-Grandpa..."
Haeryeong reacted to the call as if she were listening.
The Dragon King patted his granddaughter's back.
"Haeryeong-ah. My Haeryeong... you, at least, must be happy."
"Don't let anyone discourage you wherever you go."
"Eat lots of delicious things."
"Make lots of friends."
"See lots of precious things."
"And live happily for a long, long time."
The face that had been frowning from the nightmare gradually relaxed into a peaceful expression at the Dragon King's patting, and Haeryeong fidgeted with her hands and grabbed the Dragon King's finger.
"Ung..."
"Yes. That's enough."
It was the same answer as before, but it held a completely different meaning.
After holding Haeryeong in his arms for a while and wiping his tears, the Dragon King gently laid her down on the bed.
Was it the reaction to forcibly driving out the power of destruction?
He had become able to touch Haeryeong, but as a result, the Dragon King's body began to crumble even faster.
"Nidhogg... was it?"
"Yeah. That's my name."
"Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I can leave without any regrets."
"Whatever. I got these treasures thanks to that."
I held up the Wish-fulfilling Jewel and shook it so he could see it clearly.
"Heh. Wasn't that given as payment for taking care of Haeryeong?"
"Let's just say the reward was a bit excessive for taking care of one kid."
"Is that so? As I thought, I'm glad I entrusted Haeryeong to you."
Sareureuk—
The Dragon King's body, as he continued to speak, was gradually turning into light and disappearing from his toes up.
It was now time to leave.
"Since there is nothing more I can do for you, I pray that your future will be full of luck."
"Don't worry and just rest now."
"Yes. I should. It's time to go meet my family..."
His body disappeared more and more rapidly.
Until the very end, he looked at Haeryeong and smiled as he accepted death.
The room where the Dragon King had vanished, leaving only me and the sleeping Haeryeong.
I could hear voices calling me from far away.
—Nidhogg-ni-i-im!!
—Where are you!
At the voices of Shin Su-ah and Baek Yeon, who had passed the trials and were looking for me, I went out of the room and answered so as not to wake Haeryeong.
"Over here! There are lots of things to pack, so bring a box!"
I could feel the two of them approaching this way in response to my voice.
Now it was time to pack the treasures and the spoils (Fiends) and go back.