A Dragon's Resolve
As the first light of dawn broke and I arrived at the cliffside, I found Jonon bowing his head deeply toward me.
Watching Jonon pay his respects, I found myself at a loss for words.
Wait, so what exactly was that power?
It was true that I had saved him from danger, but the blue energy he had used to repel Justron's holy knights was something entirely unknown to me. It seemed to have originated from my own power, yet not knowing its underlying principle left me utterly frustrated. I needed to understand how it worked if I ever hoped to use it again.
And honestly, I feel a twinge of guilt for casually naming a weapon just because I had my eye on it...
Earlier, after witnessing Rachel's healing ability, I had resolved to make her an ally no matter what. That determination had not changed, and the same applied to Jonon.
Last night, I had hidden among the trees and secretly observed the battle between Jonon and the holy knights. The level of combat prowess he displayed was so overwhelming that even an outsider like myself could only think, This is absolute dominance.
After unleashing that initial tidal-wave-like technique, he had charged alone into the shattered formation of holy knights, swinging a sword wreathed in two streams of blue energy. The image remained vividly etched in my mind.
If they were truly trying to eliminate Jonon, who had once risen to the rank of knight commander, they would have sent warriors of comparable strength.
Against such opponents, he had fought while freely wielding a power that even I didn't fully understand. There was no way anyone could call him weak. That was precisely why I had decided to bring him into my camp as well.
Fortunately, Jonon already held favorable feelings toward me. No—judging by the way he gazed at me with such reverence and longing, it would be more accurate to say his feelings ran even deeper.
Receiving such a look wasn't an entirely unpleasant sensation, but from my perspective, it felt awkward since I hadn't really done anything to deserve it.
I responded telepathically.
[What do you mean?]
Jonon glanced briefly at his left arm, which still faintly glowed with blue energy, before continuing.
He went on.
[...I see.]
Jonon spoke with quiet conviction.
............
In truth, I had been thinking about something entirely different.
I was human. Even though I now possessed the body of an Azure Dragon, I had lived my previous life as an ordinary man. It was impossible for me to fully embody or think like a true divine dragon. Even if I had reincarnated as something other than an Azure Dragon—or even if I had lived an entirely different human life beforehand—the result would likely have been similar. What I was truly familiar with was life as a man in his twenties in 21st-century South Korea.
That was also why I had used the battle with the whale as an excuse to avoid investigating the inland regions. Everything around me, even my own body, felt unfamiliar. That was why I had been so cautious with every single action I took in front of Rachel and Jonon.
Yet Jonon had still managed to pinpoint the differences between me and the gods that existed in this world. I had expected a reaction laced with wariness or suspicion. But he had done no such thing.
Rachel, when she first saw me, had reacted the same way. Both people I had become entangled with didn't care what form I took or what thoughts drove my actions. Even though they had every reason to fear me, they had instead expressed gratitude and approached me first.
It felt... like acceptance.
I could never become a complete Azure Dragon. But that was enough. You may be strange, but you are not out of place as one of the beings who belong in this world.
The moment I realized I had been acknowledged, the anxiety that had lingered somewhere deep in my heart completely melted away. It gave me a profound sense of stability—something I had always lacked, whether consciously or unconsciously, while living in the position of an outsider.
I am allowed to exist here.
That reassurance finally led me to a single conclusion.
I will grow stronger.
Strong enough that no one could disregard me. Yes. I would obtain power befitting a true Azure Dragon. And in the end, with that power, I would help those who had helped me.
This was the first goal I had ever pursued with my whole heart since falling into this world.
[Jonon. Can you answer a question of mine?]
And to achieve that goal... there was something I needed to settle right now.
"Jooonoooon~!!"
Rachel came bursting into the cabin with tears streaming down her face, rushing straight toward Jonon. Having just returned from answering the dragon's questions, he gladly caught the now-awake princess in his arms.
"Ugh! Hic! I was so scared... that something bad would happen to Jonon... Hic... Waaah."
"I'm sorry. It was my fault."
So the dragon said that Her Highness healed me. And the sleep that followed as a side effect has only just ended.
Rachel had been unconscious for nearly a full day. Thanks to that, they had been able to quietly deal with Justron's underlings, but as someone who had taken it upon himself to protect her, Jonon couldn't help but worry about the aftereffects of the ability the dragon had mentioned.
"I didn't even sleep because I was waiting for Jonon... Hic... Even though I was so sleepy when I tried to help you, I held it in..."
...So it really was just the side effect of staying up all night?
Well, that wasn't important right now. What mattered was calming Rachel down. In the end, Jonon spoke the name he had repeated to himself countless times in his heart.
"Ra... chel."
"!!"
"...Miss."
"Aah!! Just Rachel! Call me Rachel!"
"I'll... I'll try harder to do that later."
"And no honorifics!!"
Fortunately, it seemed to work. Rachel flipped her emotions as easily as turning over her palm. Thanks to that, her tears finally stopped flowing—a very good thing for Jonon.
More importantly, what the dragon asked earlier...
The dragon had posed three questions.
First: By what name do humans call this sea?
Since there were countless nations and peoples, each used different names. However, most added a common word when referring to the sea east of the Arteria continent—First, or Primeval.
'It is called the First Sea, or the Primeval Sea.'
The reason for that name naturally came up when answering the second question.
Second: Does any myth related to whales exist about this sea?
The First Sea had surprisingly few widespread legends despite its grand title. Only a single tale took this sea as its subject, yet that story's immense value had earned the sea its name.
'It is the sea where the Water Spirit King, Nuru, was born.'
Opinions differed on Nuru's exact appearance, but it was certain that Nuru had indeed taken the form of a whale, just as the dragon had implied. When Nuru was born, the First Sea came into existence, and from there, the surrounding seas and rivers began to form. This was the story widely known across most religions and nations, including those of Justron and the Evantium Empire.
The Nuru's Forest that Jonon wished to reach was said to be the very land where the Water Spirit King Nuru first set foot.
Up to this point, I could more or less figure it out on my own...
Since the dragon resided there, he must have wanted to learn about the origin of that place. However, the third question was much harder to decipher.
Third: Do you know anything about red eyes, or red energy?
It was an unknown power with no distinguishing traits other than the color red. Jonon had racked his brain desperately to answer the dragon's question, but he could not produce any relevant information. Nevertheless, the dragon had seemed to accept even that as an answer. After pondering for a moment, the dragon left one final message before returning to the sea.
Every time Jonon recalled those words, he felt as if his left arm resonated in response.
Several days passed like that.
That day had begun as an ordinary one, marking the transition from winter to spring. The eastern forests of the Arteria continent, which had basked in peace for eons, were the same as always.
But when the sun reached its zenith, the weather began to change drastically. The sky had been perfectly clear without a single cloud, yet in an instant, hot and humid air enveloped the area, rapidly forming massive clouds. The dark storm clouds, heavy with unstable energy, gathered and spread until they blanketed the entire sky.
This sudden shift in weather affected the forest as well. The trees trembled at the change and began to clash violently with the wind. The forest, which had stood firm even in the face of disasters or human wars, was now stirring uneasily.
Jonon, who had been staying temporarily in the cabin at the heart of that forest, realized that this was the day the dragon had spoken of. He instructed the bewildered Rachel not to go outside, then firmly locked the cabin door.