Ep.10 - The Cloak
***
It didn't take long at all for the noonas to stir awake. Each one rose calmly, naturally, as if nothing were amiss — like waking from a short nap.
But once they were all awake, a commotion was inevitable. Everyone raised their voices at once, clashing opinions with one another.
"This is absurd! How can this be? Borrowing the aid of a Dragon!"
"Forget all that — how are we supposed to trust a bastard who was trying to kill us just hours ago?"
Still, what we needed most was time.
Given how little room we had to spare, help that could shorten our journey was both desperate and urgent.
"...She said she'll help us, so let's accept it. At this pace, we won't make it in time."
"That's true, and Delin says he talked her into it and brought her back. It's already decided — is there really any need to get so worked up?"
So in the end, they all had no choice but to nod. Kaede and Riko didn't let it go easily, but once everyone else was willing to accept Revi's help, the two of them had no choice but to follow the majority.
"Hey. You. Spit it out clearly."
But Riko's suspicions didn't fade. If anything, the harder I tried to play it off, the more her sharp intuition viciously dug into the hidden secret of that single night.
"What did you do with that bastard? Tell me now. You were fighting as if you wanted to kill each other, and the next day she suddenly walks in holding hands with you — does that make any fucking sense? Even if you're going to bullshit me, there's a fucking limit..."
"I-it's the truth. Revi-ssi says she wasn't actually trying to fight us. So after all the noonas left, she secretly came down to L'Yune and..."
"Haah— this little shit, seriously."
Riko gritted her teeth furiously. In her head, all sorts of impure deductions kept forming whether she wanted them to or not.
"It is the truth. I could have killed you all, but I chose to show a Dragon's magnanimity and granted everyone a chance. Do not berate the boy so harshly."
The only one actively defending me was Revi. Everyone else could barely accept this relationship that had shifted overnight, and inwardly they kept their suspicions alive.
"Is it not obvious who would win if I faced you all in this form? Now, set aside your anger and make ready to depart. And lower your voices... I worry the dwarves might be startled."
"Right, that's exactly why it's suspicious — that someone so strong would suddenly do a complete about-face. What are you hiding?"
Chichi directed her question at Revi. Her tone was full of suspicion toward the Dragon. Rather than doubting me, Chichi suspected that Revi had bewitched me into messing things up.
"What would I have to hide? When one lives a lonely life, one comes to cling to fleeting connections that pass by, as I have. I merely took your man, briefly joined hands with him, received his mana in exchange, and found it so very pleasing that I wished to grant his desire."
But Revi, with her own composure, answered each question with care and attentiveness. She had no hesitation whatsoever. The seasoned poise born of long ages was enviable.
"...Anyway, sending us a long way off works to our benefit, doesn't it? Everyone, let's not be like this — let's just hurry up and pack...! I worked hard negotiating to get this!"
"Keheong! This humble one is most displeased!"
With my words, the argument came to an end.
Except for Riko, who was certain about that one night's indiscretion, everyone was able to let it slide one way or another.
"You truly worked hard. Delin-gun turned things in the best possible direction, so shouldn't we all be smiling rather than getting angry?"
Helen praised my actions, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. Her hand was quite large and soft, so the sensation of it resting there wasn't bad at all.
"However, I heard from the lord this morning that before we set out, we should stop by briefly and receive a token of gratitude before leaving. Why don't we say our farewells to the dwarves first? As for the Dragon over there... please wait here a moment."
Just as Helen had said, in the plaza of L'Yune, which was still in the midst of reconstruction, the dwarves had gathered in a circle and were waiting for us.
Their faces held youthful smiles, and the vitality of life had returned to them. Just seeing it was enough to make a smile come naturally.
"Aah, Dragon-nims!"
But our final farewells didn't end with just smiles from either side. The dwarves had something in their hands. Berial, the lord of L'Yune, was carrying it and trotted over to me.
"We agonized over how to honor the Dragon-nims' hard work and glory, and thought to offer you a secret treasure passed down through generations among us dwarves!"
Berial held it up high, her arms full of it. Her face and body were almost entirely hidden behind the offering.
"P-please take it quickly...!"
I reached out my hand for Berial, who was struggling because she couldn't see properly even while standing on tiptoe. Toward the soft, thick cloth-like thing she was holding.
"This is..."
"The Dragon-nims accepted it!"
The moment I lifted it, the dwarves cheered and applauded once more. In an instant, the plaza grew as noisy as a school sports day, overflowing with happiness born from everyone's pride and joy.
"Is it... silk?"
"Isn't it clothes?"
"No. It's a cloak."
The noonas who had gathered near my shoulders each gave their impression in turn. Among them, the dwarves cheered especially for Chichi's observation.
"A cloak!"
"You recognized it right away!"
Amid their cheerful clapping and praise, I opened up the cloak. Woven in red, it bore black patterns of unknown meaning, and its stylish decorations shone without being excessive.
"But why give it to me...?"
If it's equipment, most of the time it would have stat boosts or something special granted to it.
In that case, it'd be better for the other noonas who participate in combat to wear the cloak.
"It's a man's Dragon cloak. A cloak you wear to cover your body as you move about."
Chichi explained the reason to me. So this isn't a cool cloak like the ones heroes such as Superman or Batman wear — it's more like a hijab, the kind of cloak women in the far-off Middle East use to conceal their bodies.
"Ah... I see..."
"But it seems quite large for something made for dwarf Dragons. Is it truly your secret treasure?"
Neva asked the dwarves. If it were a dwarven secret treasure, it would have been made for dwarves to wear, so naturally it shouldn't fit humans.
"It really is a secret treasure! It's super precious!"
"It's a cloak for the peerless beauty of prophecy, who will change the world!"
The dwarves, unable to hide their pride, chattered away. To sum up what they were saying, it was a cloak crafted for a man who appears in a certain prophecy.
"Ah, ahaha..."
In a way, you could call it a symbolic artifact. A bit like Excalibur, isn't it? Whoever it is, if your proportions are right for wearing this cloak, you'd be revered as a peerless beauty — that kind of feeling...
"Put it on! Put it on!"
"It really does seem like it would suit Seobang-nim well!"
Somehow... it felt like the mood would deflate if I didn't put it on right then, so I forced a smile and spread the cloak out wide. From within its antique atmosphere, an indescribably beautiful aura wafted out. The kind of aura that seemed to beckon and tempt me.
"Do you know how to put it on?"
Chichi stepped forward as the representative, took the cloak from me, and sized me up with her eyes, preparing to drape it over me.
"Eva, support it from the back. Now then, like this..."
"Ah, yes...!"
The two witches, accustomed to wearing cloaks, wrapped it around me. Starting from the shoulders, the sensation of it generously draping over the lines of my body wasn't bad. The feeling that I had become someone very precious...?
"Wonderful! It suits you perfectly!"
"Ooohh!"
Embarrassing reactions fit for kindergarteners burst out from here and there. For a moment, it reminded me of when I'd been half-dragged by girls and forced to crossdress, which briefly turned my mood bitter — but seeing the looks in the other noonas' eyes as they gazed at me, even that bitterness faded.
"Ohh, Seobang-nim!"
"It really suits you, huh?"
"I-it looks great... yeah..."
Even Eva blushed and gave a good review. Helen-ssi also smiled brightly and nodded to show it suited me, and even Riko's glare, which had been fixed on me from a distance, softened slightly.
"Yeah, well... does it suit me...?"
"It is beautiful. You have grown even more noble."
Neva carefully smoothed out the cloak's wrinkles and showered me with praise until her mouth was worn out. It was my face that turned red instead.
"That cloak is the pride of us dwarves, and a cloak made according to prophecy! Surely now is the time of the prophecy, surely!"
The dwarves grew excited again and danced merrily. They looked like little kids doing wiggly dances, but anyway, they were cute, so my heart grew calm.
"You've been talking about a prophecy since earlier — what kind of prophecy is it?"
My mood had improved quite a bit, so I casually asked Berial. Had I become the protagonist of a prophecy?
"A man chosen by God will descend and bring great benefit to the world!"
"They say the man is super cool and cute!"
Berial and the dwarves said, grinning broadly.
This prophecy of theirs, coming from these small and cute ones, was even lovable.
"They said he'd travel all over, saving the world!"
"And then doesn't he get eaten by a snake?"
"Nah, I think it was a crocodile, not a snake."
"And then he resurrects three days later!"
"And after that, does he become a ninja or something?"
...Except the plot development was a bit strange. It seemed the dwarves had scribbled all kinds of delusions as they pleased and woven together a legend.
It seemed better to just take it all with a grain of salt.
Anyway, savoring the feel of wearing the cloak they had given us this way and that, we left L'Yune.
Past the small dwarf kingdom,
our next destination was
the southernmost edge of the continent, where the Elf Kingdom lay!
And
the enormous Whale Yop would linger for exactly three days.
Until Yop's arrival, the time remaining was only one week.
Add three days to that week, and it was ten days.
Therefore, the time remaining was precisely ten days!
Within ten days, we had to climb onto Yop's back.