Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: The Hero Association Chairman's Hobby (3)
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The second dragon I'd met since being born.
Our first encounter had been pretty bizarre.
"I told you to be careful!! Why did you mess with Killer Bee's hive?! I yelled at you not to touch it!!"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I touched it by accident because I was curious!"
Bow—
Bow—
A woman in glasses, bowing her head vigorously in apology.
If the chairman was telling the truth, this woman was a dragon.
'But why is a dragon acting like that? And disguising herself as an F-rank hero, no less.'
I had wanted to meet a dragon.
Just not one like this.
"Sigh. Can't exactly turn back now without talking to her."
I had to meet her.
With a sigh, I approached the dragon who was still apologizing nonstop.
I turned to the F-rank heroes staring at me, having appeared out of nowhere, and spoke politely.
"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I need to talk to this woman for a bit. Mind if I take her?"
"Take her? Ha, you call that an apology?"
The red-faced bald man snorted.
"Please, take her. I can't stand the sight of her! Take her away right now!!"
He must have been fed up.
The bald man shoved the trash-rank dragon toward me.
The trash-rank dragon looked flustered and turned her head back, mumbling.
"Ah, mister..."
"Shut up! Get out of my sight! It was my mistake teaming up with you!"
The trash-rank dragon made a pitiful face as she was forcibly pushed away.
Watching the scene, I thought to myself.
'That dumb-looking act is all fake, right? Damn, gives me the chills.'
I had no idea why she stuck to that concept.
I checked out the overall impression of the trash-rank dragon standing in front of me.
'Black hair, black eyes. Plain-looking glasses. Shoulders hunched in a lack of confidence. Stooped posture. She'd pass for a timid, ordinary person.'
But I knew.
This woman in front of me was telling a blatant lie.
I pulled out my smartphone and showed her the message from the chairman.
"Mind if we talk for a sec? Got time?"
"..."
The trash-rank dragon's eyes sharpened for a moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she reverted to her usual timid gaze and replied.
"Y-yes..."
"Let's chat at a nearby café."
"O-okay... It was my fault for scratching the car... I'll pay for all the damages... I'm sorry..."
Bow—
The trash-rank dragon bowed to me in apology.
Seeing her stick to the act right up to the end, I couldn't help but think she was a real pro.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'll compensate for everything..."
"Lord."
I hoped my daughter never picked up a perverted hobby like this.
And so, I headed to a nearby café with the strangely evolved dragon.
***
We arrived at the café nearby.
I ordered iced Americanos for both of us, then sat down and questioned the trash-rank dragon.
"First off, let's exchange names. I'm Lee Ha-jun. You?"
"I'm Yunari..."
Wince—
Yunari answered while putting on her timid act.
I felt a slight frustration at the sight.
"You saw the message, right?"
"Yes, I did..."
"Then you know I know who you really are. Can you drop the act and just relax?"
Yunari stared straight through me.
Then, suddenly, she straightened her hunched shoulders and said to me.
"You think? Honestly, this feels more natural to me anyway."
Smirk—
Along with a smile at the corner of her mouth, her whole atmosphere changed in an instant.
Yunari took off her plain glasses and looked at me.
Unlike her timid facade from before, her face was now full of mischief.
"That's creepy compared to how you were a second ago."
"Of course. That wasn't the real me. It was just for fun—my kind of amusement."
"Amusement?"
"Yeah, call it that. Anyway."
Slide—
With her trash-rank persona completely gone, Yunari pierced me with a sharp gaze and asked.
"The chairman told you who I am?"
"Yes."
"Why the hell is that guy stirring up trouble without me asking? Annoying. Next time I see him, I'll give him a piece of my mind."
Yunari said that with a slightly wicked expression.
Her follower training must have been thorough.
Just then, a server interrupted us.
"Your coffee."
The coffee placed on the table.
Yunari reached for her cup to take a sip.
At that moment, the cup—filled to the brim—tipped forward and spilled.
"Huh."
"..."
Drip—
Drip—
Coffee flowing across the table.
My pants ended up soaked from the spill too.
Yunari clasped her hands together playfully and said to me.
"Sorry! The trash-rank habits are ingrained!"
"...It wasn't on purpose. It's fine."
"Sorry! This was really an accident!"
Sigh—
Meeting Yunari was making me sigh more than usual.
I did my best to wipe my pants with napkins.
It was sticky, but I opened my mouth to get to the main topic.
"I have a question."
"Ask away. I'll answer anything I can, especially since I feel bad."
"Well."
Basically.
"What the hell is a dragon?"
What was a dragon?
Compared to humans, what kind of existence were they?
Yunari gave a simple answer to the fundamental question.
"A dragon is a dragon."
"So, blending in with humans, doing trash-rank stuff for amusement—that's a dragon too?"
"...You could say that. But that's not the answer you want. You're asking because of the dragon scent lingering around you. Those green, immature ones, right?"
Not only could she smell dragons.
She could even tell their age.
I nodded vigorously at Yunari's question.
"Yes, I want to know about my pups. Specifically, how to raise them and what they're like."
I was curious about dragon parenting methods and their basic traits.
Yunari seemed to grasp my intent, closing her eyes and nodding deeply.
"I get it. I haven't lived that long, but I'll tell you specially for the sake of my junior dragons."
"How old are you?"
"Only about 500. I'm still young."
Pretty old, but calling herself young.
Dragon time must flow differently.
Anyway.
Yunari began lecturing me on dragons.
"First things first, Lee Ha-jun. What kind are the dragons near you? For reference, I'm a Yellow Dragon."
"They're Red, Blue, and Green Dragons. And for reference, I'm the one raising them—their dad."
"Hmm, so you know their personalities roughly?"
"Yes."
Yunari pondered my answer.
She looked like she was choosing her words carefully.
After a moment, she spoke as if something had occurred to her.
"You said you're their dad?"
"Yes."
"Then I can't tell you what you should do. But I can tell you what you shouldn't. Want to hear?"
"Of course."
Finally, some helpful advice.
Yunari held up one finger.
"First: Dragons in their growth phase can change. For example, I'm a Yellow Dragon right now."
"Yes."
"But suppose I go through an overwhelming experience during growth that I can't handle. I could turn into a Black Dragon instead."
"Hmm, basically, they evolve wrong."
"You could put it that way. We dragons call it blackening."
Not super specific.
But it matched what I'd heard from the kids.
"Black Dragons get hunted by other dragons we designate. If left alone, they'd lead dimensions to ruin."
"Ugh..."
"So be careful. Unless you want to see your kids turn into Black Dragons, destroy a dimension, or get hunted by other dragons."
I engraved Yunari's words deep in my mind.
She held up two fingers to continue.
"Second is about nests. You know about dragon nests?"
"I've seen one, so yeah. They had tons of stuff piled up."
"You know those items are all a dragon's memories?"
"Yes."
They say dragons take the most memorable item from their amusements back to their nest when it's over.
I knew that firsthand.
Yunari looked at me seriously and said.
"Do you know why dragons do that?"
"No, I'm not a dragon. How would I?"
"As a dragon, I'll tell you: It's because of our unique 'possessiveness.'"
Possessiveness.
Dragons have stronger possessiveness than any other being.
And it's beyond imagination.
"Dragons are greedy. They want to own everything they like. And they never let go until they get it."
"...So, what are you getting at?"
"Simple."
Yunari slurped her fresh coffee and said.
"Make sure you don't become the target of that possessiveness."
"Pardon?"
"Dragons include living beings as targets too. Even me—if I thought my follower the chairman was following another dragon, I'd rip that dragon apart."
Yunari's eyes held killing intent as she spoke.
It was the truth.
"So be careful. Don't become that target. Don't get dragged to a nest by a dragon who's done with her amusement."
"..."
"Still not getting it? Humans and dragons are totally different when it comes to possessiveness. You might understand if you experience it yourself today."
Smirk—
Yunari grinned mischievously, then suddenly reached out and grabbed my collar.
She pulled me in by the collar...
Smack—
"That's all I'll tell you. Figure out the rest on your own."
She planted a playful kiss on my lips and flashed a devilish smile.
I was flustered by the sudden turn of events.
'What just happened? A dragon suddenly kissed me...? A 500-year-old dragon...?'
Absurdity mixed with a strange feeling.
It felt good, but thinking about it—a kiss with a 500-year-old dragon.
"..."
"If you have more questions, contact me through the chairman. Bye."
I couldn't sort out my thoughts even after parting with Yunari.
What did that dragon's action mean? What was the warning about?
"...In the end, nothing got resolved."
Thinking that, I left the café.
And the meaning of her words only hit me after I got home.
"Dad, whose scent is that? That's not our scent. Another dragon? Where is she? I'll kill her!!"
"...I want to destroy this rotten world."
"Guess I should go throw out the trash. The environment doesn't matter anymore."
To the point where I felt my life was in danger.
Very viscerally so.