The Guardian Dragon
The atmosphere grew heavy after Selena left. In that mood, the thought of drinking tea felt impossible. 'It's hot.' He'd grabbed the teacup by its body instead of the handle and burned his fingers. The fragrant tea, oblivious to Selena's turmoil, refused to cool.
Slurp! The burned finger didn't matter. What mattered was the unease in his heart. 'Let's finish this tea and head back.' That was what Bagan had been thinking.
In the quiet atmosphere, everyone sipped their tea with soft slurping sounds. It was a moment for deep thoughts. After a stretch of silence, Selena returned.
“Now let’s go, Bagan.”
She must have come back because she couldn’t return on her own. After all, they were twenty thousand meters deep in the ocean.
Cyron set down his teacup and spoke.
“Yes, there should be no further business here.”
Knowing exactly why Selena had stormed out, his words were rather cold.
“That’s right. No more business.”
'Has she calmed down?' Selena spoke evenly as she looked at Bagan. No—she was still clearly suppressing everything. It showed plainly in her eyes.
'This won’t do.'
“That won’t work.”
He addressed Selena first.
“What?”
“If you go back like this, you’ll work yourself to death without ever resting.”
He spoke loud enough for Razetta to hear.
“That’s…”
Razetta tried to respond but couldn’t finish. It was clearly weighing on her. Of course it was. De Marinda couldn’t function properly without Razetta, no matter how capable Selena was.
'Not like Razetta.'
After all, it was Razetta’s skill that had elevated De Marinda to its current prominence. Her insane workload and talent for pursuing profit were unmatched. Selena might have sharper judgment, but thinking ahead had always been Razetta’s role.
'It might hold up for a while if left to Selena, but it’ll only get harder as time goes on.'
The more he thought about it, the more pathetic it seemed—Selena stuck behind a desk in a position that didn’t suit her at all. No matter how he looked at it, her place was on the deck, not at some stuffy office desk.
“Cyron, you might not know this, but…”
“You wretch! Show proper respect to the Master!”
It was Protavist. The octopus-headed guardian really had no sense of when to speak and when to stay silent.
“Enough. This fellow may not know much, but he possesses the abilities of our kind. Continue, Bagan.”
“Razetta is the woman who turned De Marinda into a city greater than any other port on the continent. It’s no wonder you fell for her. Without her, the city will collapse in no time. You’d be destroying her masterpiece.”
Bagan pointed out the practical reality with blunt precision.
“Hmm. Is that so?”
As expected, Cyron hadn’t given much thought to that aspect. And just as predicted, Razetta answered.
“Wouldn’t it be fine with Selena there?”
Exactly the response he had anticipated—and the one he wanted.
“Sure, it’d be fine. For a very short time. But do you really think she can bury herself in documents the way you do? She might have good judgment, but Selena is a soldier.”
“T-that’s true, but… if it’s her…”
Razetta seemed to regard Selena as some kind of machine. Since she performed well at whatever she was given, Razetta had begun making unreasonable demands without hesitation. When had their trust become so absolute? It might have been Selena’s own fault for being too accommodating.
To Bagan, the two trusted each other far too much. And because they trusted each other so completely, they had been struck by the very axe they relied on.
Watching Razetta struggle with an uncertain expression, Cyron revealed unexpected insight.
“You are called Bagan, yes? What would you suggest?”
He was a more thoughtful dragon than he appeared.
'I only knew he was eccentric.'
After that brief reflection, Bagan spoke his mind plainly.
“Razetta is essential to De Marinda. So the idea of her leaving the city to live elsewhere doesn’t make sense. But the two of you want to stay together…”
“We’re not at that level yet!”
“Nonsense! We have become friends!”
Cyron and Razetta looked at each other and blushed.
'How pathetic.'
No wonder Selena had stormed out. For Bagan, who had been single his entire life, watching other people’s romance wasn’t particularly enjoyable.
“Compared to the busy Razetta, the relatively free Cyron can settle down in De Marinda. You’ll also get to watch the magnificent big sister Razetta at work.”
“Why the sudden change in tone?”
“Anyway, it’s simple. The only one who can solve everything is…”
“By becoming a guardian dragon?”
Bagan nodded. Communication was smoother than he’d expected.
Cyron looked ready to answer immediately but fell into surprisingly serious contemplation.
“No matter how much you love a woman, that cannot be allowed, Master!”
Protavist, who had been listening quietly, suddenly flared up in fierce opposition.
“How dare a mere insignificant creature attempt to toy with the great Lord Cyron! What a foolish being!”
Bagan had been patient long enough.
“By the way, why has this bastard been calling me ‘hyung-nim’ since earlier?”
“Bagan?”
Sally expressed confusion at the odd tone, but Bagan didn’t hold back. To instill some fear, he prepared Aqua Cutters—eight of them.
“Should I cut off all those octopus legs on your chin?”
“……”
When Bagan came on strong, the creature shrank back and couldn’t speak.
“Enough. Stop it, both of you. The decision has already been made.”
At Cyron’s mediation, Bagan finally withdrew the Aqua Cutters.
“Master, as expected! You won’t become a guardian dragon, correct?!”
“I will.”
“What?!”
Splash! In his shock, Protavist released a cloud of ink. The floor turned pitch black.
His extreme reaction was understandable. Becoming a guardian dragon was no simple oath.
If the Blue Dragon became De Marinda’s guardian dragon, he would have to swear in the dragon language—using the proud name Cyron—to protect the city. From then on, Cyron would have to safeguard De Marinda until his death. He could not allow it to fall. Even a dragon’s favorite pastime of play would be forbidden. When the city prospered, he must bestow blessings. When it declined, he must actively intervene to restore its strength. Finally, he would have to relocate his lair somewhere within De Marinda.
That was the weight of a promise made in the dragon language, and the original relationship between the first humans and dragons.
“Reberion did it. What could I possibly be unable to do?”
The Reberion Cyron mentioned was the Red Dragon, guardian dragon of the Bolton Empire.
“It cannot be allowed!”
Protavist despaired, but Cyron had clearly made up his mind.
“I will move my dwelling to De Marinda soon and swear the oath in our language. Know that, and leave for today.”
“Cyron, are you sure this is okay?”
Razetta asked worriedly, wondering if the decision was too hasty. Even if they were fond of each other now, they might simply remain friends forever—yet he was moving his home and declaring he would live in De Marinda for eternity.
“If not for you, I would not even consider it. As you know, this body has never once engaged in play. This will be my first and final time.”
Having made that firm resolution, Cyron brought the conversation to a close.
Bagan looked at Selena. She still seemed stunned, opening and closing her mouth without sound.
Then Razetta, who had risen with Cyron, spoke.
“Ah, Selena. I’m truly sorry for not paying attention to you. Once we return, rest properly. The documents piled in my study can be handled anytime from two weeks from now up to several months later. I’ve already taken care of the ones with urgent deadlines.”
At those words, tears welled up in Selena’s eyes. She had finally heard what she desperately needed to hear.
Bagan was more impressed by Razetta’s efficient handling of work than by the tears, but Selena’s reaction was different.
“Huuuung! Sister~~!”
She threw herself into Razetta’s arms. She must have wanted rest more than anyone realized. Razetta hugged her back, patting her gently as if she understood completely, then sent her off.
After seeing Bagan and Selena’s group off, Razetta couldn’t hide her troubled heart. She felt guilty that everything had turned out this way because of her.
When she learned that Protavist had struggled to stop Bagan’s invasion and that several of his kin had been injured or killed, her heart sank.
“Razetta, you don’t need to worry. Am I not the Blue Dragon? I can create such things anytime.”
Cyron no longer used his strange speech pattern when speaking to Razetta. After she suggested they get to know each other as friends, the first thing she had asked him to fix was not looking down on others.
“Yeah, but… Selena looked so pitiful.”
While reflecting, Razetta vowed never to burden Selena with such tasks again.
“Then, what shall we play now?”
Cyron spoke to Razetta, who seemed to have recovered.
“Play? Should we read books? Or do arithmetic?”
Being a workaholic, Razetta didn’t truly understand the concept of play. For her, rest and recreation meant studying to gain knowledge or reading books.
“Not that. There are fun things, you know.”
“Fun things? I don’t know. What should we do?”
Razetta lowered her head as if the question troubled her.
Then Protavist, who was clearing the table and tea set, offered help.
“Unfortunately, there are no suitable games in the lair, Master. If you are truly troubled, why not take her out to the open sea?”
“The open sea? What is there?”
“Everything. The clacking of shells on seaweed becomes harmony. The sight of fish swimming in schools becomes a work of art. The joy of finding small tropical fish hidden among colorful corals is quite rewarding. The open sea is filled with such wonders.”
In truth, as Cyron himself had admitted, he was nearly a recluse who had never gone out to play. So he knew nothing of these things, and Protavist had to explain.
“Cyron, I want to see it. What the sea is really like.”
Razetta pleaded with earnest eyes.
She had lived with the sea right in front of her but, buried in work, had never even gone swimming once. It was only natural to be curious.
“Very well. As Protavist suggested, I will take you there. Just follow me.”
With those words, he bestowed the Blue Dragon’s blessing upon Razetta. Now she could breathe underwater and swim freely.
As the master of the oceans, there was nothing water-related that Cyron could not do.
The pair quickly left the temple pillars and swam freely through the vast sea. There was no need to paddle; they could move simply by willing the currents aside. Razetta adapted quickly and soon displayed graceful, flexible movements.
“Hoho!! This is thrilling!”
Previously Cyron had carried her, but now she roamed the wide ocean without restraint. Watching her, Cyron couldn’t help but smile.
With a warm, satisfied grin, he followed after her. Soon the surroundings changed, and a school of swift fish appeared.
“So all of those are fish?”
“Yes. That is their way of survival.”
Watching the school of fish flash their brilliant scales in every direction, Razetta murmured in awe.
“It’s mysterious.”
“Yes. Even more mysterious things will happen from now on.”
Seeing her fascination, Cyron told her this was only the beginning and guided her elsewhere. Though he rarely ventured out, a dragon’s exceptional memory let him know exactly where everything was located.
The place he brought her to was the largest coral reef in the area. Vibrant corals bloomed like flowers across the rocks, and small fish darted between them—speeding up, stopping, hiding, then shooting toward the next coral. Razetta was utterly captivated.
Thump. Thud. She could even feel her own heart racing like that.
“To think there was a place like this and I never saw it. I’ve wasted my life.”
“Now that you’ve become my friend, you can see it whenever you wish.”
Like an excited child, Razetta chased after the fish weaving through the corals. At one point she touched an octopus hiding with camouflage and received a face full of ink.
“Whoa! It was an octopus.”
It had happened when she reached toward a particularly beautiful coral.
“Hahaha! You got fooled.”
Cyron couldn’t hold back his laughter. As time passed, their feelings for each other only grew deeper.
***
One week later.
The day Cyron moved his lair to De Marinda.
Razetta, having made up her mind, spoke to him.
“Cyron, I think I’ll need to go out to the sea with you from now on. There are still so many areas I haven’t seen. I’m dying of curiosity.”
Her curiosity and scholarly passion had activated. She was essentially asking him on a proper date.
“Once a week?”
“Hmm, since I have work too, that seems appropriate.”
Razetta had reached a reasonable compromise on their play dates.
Seeing her excitement as she looked forward to that day made Cyron’s heart pound fiercely.
'Becoming De Marinda’s guardian dragon was the right choice.'
He could only think that. As long as he could be with her.