Chapter 71 — You Don't Actually Think I'm the Dragon, Do You?
Chapter 71 — You Don't Actually Think I'm the Dragon, Do You?
Translation: GodTL
The moment they faced the sky densely covered with swarms of Wyverns, a considerable number of Elysium's soldiers were already psychologically overwhelmed, even before the full-scale battle had begun.
How many will bleed to drive those monsters away?
No—can we even completely repel them in the first place?
However, thanks to Min-jun's unexpected prowess, the tide of battle gradually began to turn.
At first, even Min-jun had clearly struggled under the Wyverns' relentless assault, but as if by some miracle, there came a point where he completely overpowered them.
Seeing the Wyverns falter, the morale of Elysium's forces soared, and they seized the moment to unleash a fierce counterattack.
From then on, the momentum never shifted back.
After a grueling battle, Min-jun and Elysium's army finally succeeded in pushing back the massive monster horde.
Though the damage was not insignificant—given that this was a large-scale monster invasion, the kind that might occur once every few decades—it was still, all things considered, a stroke of luck that the casualties weren't greater.
Everyone thought so.
After driving out the Wyverns and completely purging the remaining stragglers beneath the walls—
"Waaaaaah!"
"We won, we won!"
"I was worried today might be the day Elysium fell."
"Hey, you really think a place like this would crumble so easily? This is a city founded by the Dragon Himself, boasting tens of thousands of years of history."
"Exactly. Unless it's the day you drop dead, Charles, Elysium won't fall for another few tens of thousands of years."
"Kehahaha!"
While Elysium's forces celebrated their great victory, they also mourned the fallen and began recovering the bodies.
Given the scale of the battle, everyone moved swiftly to handle the aftermath.
Min-jun watched them, wondering how he could help.
As he pondered—
He happened to spot Estelle, who was assisting with the treatment of the wounded.
"Estelle. Is there anything I can do to help?"
When Min-jun called out to her, Estelle startled before shaking her head vigorously.
"Ah, n-no! You should go back and rest properly, Min-jun. Leave this to us."
"It's fine. I feel a bit awkward just standing around like a sack of rice... There's no need to feel burdened."
Thinking she might be reluctant to impose, Min-jun waved his hand and repeatedly assured her it was no trouble.
Yet, despite this, Estelle seemed extremely uncomfortable with his response.
'Why is she so hesitant?'
Anyone could see they were short-handed, so why refuse his offer to help?
But that wasn't the only strange thing.
For some reason, Min-jun noticed that the reactions of the locals toward him had subtly changed.
Not just Estelle—none of Elysium's soldiers could quite meet his eyes.
'Before the battle started, they were staring at me like I was some kind of novelty.'
What could possibly be the reason?
'Did I perform better than expected in battle?'
If that were the case, they'd be thanking him, praising him, lifting him up—not acting like this.
At first, he couldn't figure it out.
But it didn't take long for Min-jun to realize why.
A sizable group of soldiers, led by Estelle, began gathering before suddenly prostrating themselves in unison and shouting toward him.
"We lowly ones greet the Great One!"
"O Great One!"
"...Huh?"
Bowing in unison and calling him Great One—what kind of absurd situation was this?
Utterly unprepared for this turn of events, Min-jun stood there dumbfounded.
"Uh, I think there's been some misunderstanding here, I'm just—"
"We know of the unwritten rule not to disturb the Great One's amusement. But having received such immense grace, it would only be right to at least properly express our gratitude..."
"Wait, hold on. So you're saying—?"
Their expressions, caught somewhere between terror and awe, and the words they used—
This was unmistakable.
"—You think I'm a Dragon?"
It seemed they had mistaken Min-jun for a Dragon.
There was no other explanation for this reaction.
"...You are not the Great One?"
"That's... impossible."
"...Ah."
As his suspicion turned to certainty, Min-jun ducked his head, as if embarrassed by their misunderstanding.
"...Let me explain everything properly. For now, please, stand up."
Once everything had been settled, that very night—
A grand feast was held in Elysium to celebrate their victory in battle.
Most of those who had participated in the fight attended, and at Estelle's urging, Min-jun also found himself at a tavern where the festivities were taking place.
The moment Min-jun appeared, everyone inside erupted in cheers, chanting his name.
"Min-jun! Min-jun!"
"The miracle sent by Lord Bellium! The incarnation of Lord Bellium!"
"Min-jun, son of Bellium!"
"Wooooah!"
Amid the uproar, Min-jun squeezed through the narrow passageway and settled into an empty seat.
Whether by coincidence or deliberate arrangement, Estelle was sitting right beside him.
"O-oh, welcome, Lord Min-jun."
"Yeah..."
Though they had conversed easily during their first meeting, now both of them flushed red, as if too embarrassed to look at each other.
The reason was the misunderstanding Elysium's forces had about Min-jun just hours earlier.
After witnessing his performance in the battle against the Wyvern, many—Estelle included—had concluded that Min-jun was no ordinary man.
Not only did he possess an unusual number of rare artifacts—things no normal human should have—but he also wore two ornaments made from Dragon horns.
On top of that, the sword he wielded was a Dragon Bone Sword.
And when Min-jun unleashed Dragon Fear, they became certain.
Though he pretended to be human, his true identity was that of a Dragon indulging in amusement.
All the evidence fit perfectly.
So, they truly believed he was a Dragon.
And thus, they felt they had to show him the utmost respect.
Of course, Min-jun later cleared up the misunderstanding, but still...
"Earlier... you must have been really surprised, Lord Min-jun...?"
"No, it was just... a little shocking. And fascinating."
It was fascinating to think that even Sia might have received such treatment from non-Dragon beings.
Moreover, the thought that he, too, might one day be treated this way if he achieved his dream of becoming a Dragon felt strangely refreshing.
But that aside—
The sheer awkwardness and embarrassment of suddenly being bowed to by countless people was indescribable.
His face had burned so hot he thought it might melt.
"Ah, what's the big deal? It just means your performance left that much of an impression. And Estelle, why are you so embarrassed about it?"
"Ugh..."
Estelle hung her head without retorting, and Min-jun coughed awkwardly, equally mortified.
Seeing this, the dwarf Kutan, seated across from Min-jun, burst into hearty laughter.
"Just laugh it off! Min-jun, can't you see how red this one's face is? Kkhaha!"
As if the whole situation was simply hilarious, Kutan kept laughing uproariously before thrusting a drink toward Min-jun.
"Here, take a drink."
"Thank you."
The moment the cup was handed over, Kutan immediately raised his own in a toast, and Min-jun, caught up in the moment, clinked glasses and took a sip.
He had wondered if alcohol from another world would be much different from Earth's, but in terms of color and taste—
"...Beer, huh?"
This was definitely beer.
"Of course it's beer. But how do you know about beer? You said you're from another world."
"We have beer in my world too. The taste is almost the same."
"Kkhah! Guess people everywhere live pretty similar lives, eh? Or do you have dwarves over there too?"
"No dwarves, no."
"Well, well. Humans may not be as good as us, but they do love their booze."
Laughing heartily for reasons Min-jun couldn't fathom, Kutan drained his cup before refilling it and asking,
"By the way, how is it that you, a human, can wield a Dragon's power?"
"Right. I was so curious about that too. It's not completely unheard of, but it's definitely not common."
Estelle chimed in at Kutan's question.
"Right. Since it's such a rare case, that's why you, Estelle, mistakenly thought Min-jun was a Dragon, isn't it? No wonder your face is still beet red."
"W-Will you stop teasing me already?!"
"Kehahaha! See, this is exactly why Estelle here is so fun to mess with. Anyway, care to share the story? Or perhaps, Min-jun, is there some secret about the world you came from? Maybe in your world, this kind of thing is actually common?"
Kutan urged Min-jun on with a face full of curiosity, clearly eager to uncover the secret.
"Maybe the secret isn't in the world, but in his girlfriend. Didn't you say the artifact and even that ring you're wearing now were given to you by her?"
When a burly human man interjected from the side, Kutan nodded in agreement and added,
"Or maybe the girlfriend you're dating right now is a Dragon. Isn't that right?"
Kutan burst into a hearty laugh as if joking.
"How did you know?"
"...Wait, seriously?"
Kutan looked genuinely startled, as if he hadn't expected his offhand remark to actually be true.
As a result, the half-filled mug in his hand slipped and crashed to the floor.
Clang—!
"Good grief, you old fool. Getting drunk already? What are we going to do with you?"
"What?! How could that be? I've only had one drink—does it make sense to be drunk already?"
When the fox beastkin from the table behind them, Lance, snickered, Kutan bristled, as if his pride had been wounded, and shouted back.
"Anyone would've fainted from shock hearing that, not just me!"
"What kind of news has you making such a fuss?"
"This outsider here—his girlfriend is a Dragon."
Clang—.
Hearing that, Lance was so startled he dropped his own mug.
"Kutan, you're exaggerating. At least make it believable."
"It's the truth! He just said so himself!"
When the others around them pressed for details, Kutan bellowed indignantly.
Seeing such an extreme reaction, it was clear Kutan wasn't lying.
Which meant—
"Y-You're really dating a Dragon?"
"How is that even possible? Did the Dragon accidentally reveal her true identity while you were dating?"
"That can't be. Even if she was found out, maintaining a normal relationship would be nearly impossible."
"Are you saying they kept seeing each other even after knowing?"
Soon, everyone at Lance's table stood up and began gathering around Min-jun in small groups, eager to hear his story.
Then, even those at other tables started making their way over, ready to listen.
In an instant, the lively tavern fell silent.
More than half the eyes in the room were fixed on Min-jun.
Under the weight of all those gazes—
"Hmm... Where should I even begin?"
"Whatever world you're from must be an enlightened one! Not all Dragons are the same, huh? To think a Dragon could date a human even after their true identities were known."
"Shh. Be quiet, will you? Min-jun is about to speak."
Min-jun hesitated—should he tell the truth? But then he figured since this wasn't Earth anyway, there was no harm in sharing.
He told them how they had originally been an ordinary human couple, but after an unexpected accident, she was reborn as a Dragon, and they reunited through Dimensional Movement Magic.
However, he left out the part about Sia being a Red Dragon named Shasha from this world, as well as his own plans to change his race to Dragon for certain reasons.
When Min-jun finished his story, the once-rowdy atmosphere grew solemn.
"Everyone, a toast—for Min-jun and Lady Sia."
"A toast."
As Kutan quietly raised his glass, everyone in the tavern stood up and clinked their mugs together.
"Feels like I just listened to a moving novel."
"A heartbreaking story you can't hear without shedding tears."
"...That's right. I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to Sia."
Not to mention, though he hadn't told them, they couldn't even meet often due to the clash in their energies.
"But, by the way—I think someone mentioned this earlier."
When Kutan dropped his mug earlier, hadn't that fox beastkin sitting behind them teased him while saying something?
"What exactly did you mean when you said, 'Even knowing each other's true identities, a Dragon can date a human'?"