Then I Must Be His Heir Too? (2)
Hezway's recommended dishes were truly one-of-a-kind. There was nothing exaggerated about how delicious they were. Though they looked similar to Earth-style food, they carried a completely different flavor. The unfamiliar spices and ingredients created something both strange and utterly satisfying. The entire Dohyun party enjoyed every bite without complaint.
After the successful mixer, Dohyun headed back to the lodging and began experimenting with the Dragon Emperor's Heir skill.
He raised mana from his palm, willing it to reshape into countless forms. Not a single mistake occurred. Shapes constantly shifted across his hand in real time.
Watching them, Dohyun scratched his cheek with a slightly embarrassed expression and thought to himself.
'Hm... This is incredible.'
Mana control had always been his strongest point. Thanks to Analysis and the Aether Heart, he understood mana manipulation better than anyone else. But since acquiring the Dragon Emperor's Heir, he felt an even greater mastery.
It wasn't just control. Sensitivity and affinity across every related stat had skyrocketed.
The Dragon Emperor's Heir skill, born alongside the Aether Heart, amplified mana's blessing without fighting for dominance. It allowed even more delicate and complex manipulation than the purebred Dragonoids like Hezway, who simply received the blessing.
Watching the flawless transformation of intricate multi-shape structures, Hana Rin, who had just stepped inside the lodging while sipping water, suddenly choked.
“Puuuuh! Gah... gah...”
“Ugh, clean it up.”
“Gah... gah... No, what... what was that?”
“Huh? Mana control confirmation.”
“I-I'm...”
Dohyun's casual display had left Hana Rin staring at him like she was watching some kind of monster. She had always known he was talented, but this level? She was stunned.
Still wiping the water from her chin, she stared at him in disbelief while Dohyun continued manipulating the mana with complete indifference, as if playing with it for fun.
Watching him train so effortlessly, Hana Rin thought to herself.
'How does this even work?'
She herself possessed excellent mana control and sensitivity. But this... this was on another plane entirely.
She tried creating shapes the way Dohyun did. Most of the time it worked, but never with that speed or precision. Imperfect spots appeared, shapes crumpled. It happened constantly.
And as she watched Dohyun, she thought again.
'If I just keep practicing...'
Unaware of her secret training, Dohyun noticed and smirked.
“You’ll get there too, Rin.”
“Huh?”
“Keep practicing like I do and your mana-related stats will rise.”
This wasn't just to reassure her. Analysis had already confirmed it. Of course. Even with the Dragon Emperor's Heir, she remained an Aether Heart user. With enough practice, she could reach his level in no time.
Hana Rin’s face hardened with resolve and she nodded.
After wiping up the last of the water, she returned to the bed and began practicing exactly as Dohyun had shown her.
'If I just follow Oppa’s method, I’ll be fine.'
She had always been a genius, but the casual hints from Dohyun constantly sparked brilliant new ideas.
Someone who already had the answer, but now chasing an even better one? The synergy was enormous.
Watching her, Dohyun felt the same competitive fire and kept manipulating mana himself.
Ji Yu-chan, who had just returned after preparing, entered the room and spotted them practicing. He blinked in surprise and reached for his sword.
Dohyun immediately shot him a glare.
“Crazy bastard.”
“...No, I was just watching for a moment.”
Ji Yu-chan had drawn his sword out of habit, thinking he might fall behind during training. Dohyun scolded him and he sheathed it, sitting on the edge of the bed like the others. Then he glanced at them and decided he had to do something too. He closed his eyes and began meditating.
The four members of the Dohyun party formed a perfect cycle of mutual influence and growth.
Even as the night grew deep, they trained without realizing how late it had become.
Dohyun suddenly remembered something.
'Hm... But I got the Dragon Emperor's Heir skill. Does that mean I'm actually his heir too?'
The thought made him chuckle and brush it aside.
Hezway had a trait that literally included the word Dragon Emperor. His own was simply Analysis. There was no real comparison.
Of course, getting a skill didn't automatically make someone the Dragon Emperor's heir. Dohyun dismissed the silly notion and continued.
'Anyway, let's just keep practicing mana.'
And he immersed himself once more.
* * *
The Dragonoids, known as the upper species.
They were extremely rare, known for their tiny numbers.
That rarity made them even more special.
Unlike Elves born and raised in the World Tree, Dragonoids were the ones who hatched from Dragon eggs with a full share of the Dragon's power.
In a world where Dragons had declined and become mere monsters, they were the ones who inherited the purest Dragon blood. Hence the unanimous title of upper species.
When the twelve dimensions of the Elf world connected to Black Gates, the Dragonoid dimensions numbered only three.
Other upper species had more than twenty connections. The Elf and Dragonoid dimensions were exceptionally rare.
Upper species could freely travel between dimensions because they were grouped together. Not so for the Dragonoids.
Of the three Dragonoid dimensions, the one known as Dracion was the birthplace of Hezway.
In Dracion lived the Great Mother, the Dragon Emperor of Crimson Flame—Belmut Paraxar.
Though a Dragonoid who could transform into a Dragon with age, Belmut now spent most of her time in her majestic Dragon form. Her thick, powerful red scales and mighty body were so tough that no blade or spear could pierce them.
She suddenly lifted her head and sensed something.
A new awakening stirred in the air. She closed her eyes slightly and deepened the sensation.
“...”
When the Great Mother opened her eyes, her attendants rushed forward in alarm, bowing deeply to prepare her for whatever was coming.
Even with the utmost respect, Belmut accepted it as natural and continued focusing on the faint but powerful sensation of movement.
Soon she felt the massive fragments of that movement. She opened her eyes and looked at the attendants bowing before her.
“The seed of the Dragon Emperor will be born soon. Perhaps it has already been born. With such a powerful awakening, it must have happened already.”
Her words left the attendants stunned.
The seed of the Dragon Emperor.
In other words, a Dragon Emperor's Heir had awakened. A great celebration for Dracion.
Just the birth of a new child was reason enough for festivities, but this child was the seed of the Dragon Emperor? Nothing could surpass such joy.
The attendants bowed low and cried out.
“We will identify which child it is at once!”
Belmut nodded, and the attendants vanished from the room in an instant.
Alone again, she smiled with satisfaction.
'It's been twenty years since my granddaughter was born.'
A Dragon Emperor's Heir had awakened. An auspicious occasion.
It couldn't be from another dimension. The Dragon Emperor's Heir existed only in the Dracion dimension. Dragonoids from other dimensions had their own seeds. She hadn't even considered the possibility.
'A new child.'
Belmut smiled happily and curled her body, already imagining passing everything to her granddaughter.
For some reason, when she appeared as a Dragon, her senses became transcendent. Yet sleep weighed heavily upon her. She decided to rest, ready to stand the moment the attendants brought the Dragon Emperor's Heir.
Days passed.
One day, while the Great Mother slept during a time she wouldn't notice, one of the attendants approached her cautiously.
Belmut's eyes opened slightly at the disturbance. She saw the attendant's uneasy expression.
The attendant looked deeply apologetic. When Belmut fully opened her eyes, he bowed deeply.
“...What is it?”
“...I dare to report... it is highly improper... but...”
The attendant hesitated, terrified to speak. Belmut looked down at him with narrowed eyes.
'Why does he hesitate to speak to me?'
Curious, she tilted her head. The attendant still couldn't open his mouth.
Unable to wait any longer, Belmut spoke.
“I won't scold you. Speak freely.”
Knowing how grave it was to stay silent before the Great Mother, the attendant trembled, swallowed hard, and finally spoke.
“Y-yes... it is most improper... but... no child has been born in the past few days, no, the past year... And no child is even scheduled to be born...”
“??????”
Belmut's face twisted in disbelief. The attendant couldn't say another word.
At that moment, the Great Mother transformed. Her body changed into a towering two-meter-tall mature woman with a voluptuous figure. Her lush, full red hair framed several prominent horns. She was a breathtakingly beautiful maiden.
She looked at the attendant and said in a voice that brooked no doubt.
“I will investigate myself.”
“Forgive me.”
The attendant bowed his head repeatedly. The Great Mother swept through the entire Dracion dimension. When she returned, she reached the same conclusion as the others.
The powerful awakening she had felt earlier was nowhere to be found in Dracion.
“...???”
Scratching his head while trying to make sense of it, one attendant suddenly spoke.
“Ah, forgive me... perhaps I sensed it wrongly?”
“Hmph, are you saying this old Dragon is mistaken?”
“Th-that age... has passed...”
The attendant couldn't finish his sentence. Belmut's tail flicked and he flew several kilometers away. He wasn't dead, but he now bore a huge lump on his forehead. The other attendants simply bowed their heads.
Belmut had been furious enough to give the tail-flick, but she was genuinely bewildered.
'Hmph... did I really sense it wrongly?'
She couldn't even imagine it.
A human had somehow obtained the same Dragon Emperor's Heir that her granddaughter possessed.