The Three Guardian Magic Dragons
When the red-haired man, Abalatron the Magic Dragon of Death, snapped his fingers, a fine house appeared in the barren wasteland where there had been nothing at all.
“This isn’t my territory, but... I suppose a cup of tea should be fine?”
He was clearly speaking to Zigritria, but his eyes were fixed on Yoon Sang-hyuk. The light in those pupils was so deep it seemed bottomless. Yoon Sang-hyuk met the unreadable dragon’s gaze and let out a faint snort.
“Start by telling me why you’re here.”
Zigritria growled. His voice was packed with immense rage and a thick, murderous intent. If there was no proper explanation, the mood suggested he might tear the newly arrived dragons apart before he even got to fight Yoon Sang-hyuk.
Even in the human realm, dragons did not trespass into one another’s territory. In dragon society, that was a grave insult.
The black-haired man, Grandeerria the Magic Dragon of Darkness, spoke quietly.
“It’s about face.”
“What did you just say?”
Zigritria glared at Grandeerria.
“What if that human comes here after defeating you? No matter who he comes to see first, he’ll have to cross the Demon Realm’s territory, and by then the news will already be everywhere. It means my dignity as one of the dragons guarding the Demon Realm takes a hit.”
“Hmph! You think I’d lose to a human? Isn’t the very idea of that insulting?”
“We leave room for every possibility. That’s the first rule a Guardian Magic Dragon must keep in mind.”
No one could invade the Demon Realm. That was obvious. Unless the Demon King permitted it, or a direct war with the Divine Realm broke out, the Demon Realm would never be violated.
But the Guardian Magic Dragons left every possibility open, no matter how close to impossible it seemed. They handled every situation with a thoroughness that went beyond careful and bordered on obsessive. That was why, until now, the Demon Realm had never once been invaded by outsiders.
Grandeerria glanced at Yoon Sang-hyuk.
“In the first place, that human should never have made it here at all. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Zigritria couldn’t find a rebuttal, and his face twisted even uglier.
“For now, why don’t we have some tea, just as Abalatron suggested?”
“Hmph!”
Zigritria gave a cold snort and strode into the house. Grandeerria shrugged at Yoon Sang-hyuk and followed him inside.
“Human... what’s your name? I’m not particularly curious, but I can’t keep calling you human.”
“Masked Lord.”
“Oh? A striking name... or is that a title?”
Abalatron also carried the epithet of the Magic Dragon of Death. He stepped aside and bowed playfully at the waist.
“Will you accept the invitation?”
“Gladly.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk followed Abalatron inside.
In the center of the room, which was spacious enough without being large, stood a round table, surrounded by four luxurious chairs. The first two who had arrived had already taken their seats, one each.
No sooner had Yoon Sang-hyuk sat down than Abalatron began preparing tea. For a brief moment, he felt a little envious of dragons, who could make anything happen with a mere snap of the fingers.
“I’m not sure whether it’ll suit your taste. I’ve never given much thought to human preferences.”
“I’m not exactly expecting much from tea brewed by a dragon, either, so don’t worry about it.”
“Heh-heh, you do speak amusingly. Ah, right. This human is called the Masked Lord, I hear.”
“I don’t think you went to all this trouble just to exchange names. Why not stop with the pointless chatter and get to the point?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk set down the teacup he’d been holding. The tea was honestly terrible. He had no idea what kind of effect it was supposed to have, but the smell alone was enough to kill any desire to drink it, no matter how effective it might be.
He pulled a kettle from his subspace, boiled water, then took out some instant coffee and made four cups before sliding them toward the dragons.
“This is what humans drink.”
The murky coffee, more like sludge than tea, drew curious looks from the dragons.
“The aroma is certainly distinctive.”
Abalatron was the first to show interest. He took a sip, then let out an impressed “Oh!” Grandeerria followed suit, and he, too, gave a surprised exclamation. Zigritria shot Yoon Sang-hyuk a glare, but eventually took the cup and drank. Unlike the other dragons, however, he didn’t voice any admiration.
Still, judging by the way the fury on his face softened for a moment, he seemed to like the coffee quite a bit.
“So why did you come?”
After taking a sip of coffee, the stale, bitter smell of the tea the dragons had served vanished from his mouth.
“Didn’t I just say?”
“Because of face?”
“Naturally. We are Guardian Magic Dragons. The Demon King may effectively rule the Demon Realm, but we are the ones who protect it. We are respected by every being in the Demon Realm.”
“Didn’t I already tell you I had no business coming to you?”
Zigritria snapped, outraged.
“That’s something we can’t know.”
Grandeerria smiled in a way that made his meaning impossible to read.
“Before coming here, I met with the Demon King. The fact that a human has stepped into the Demon Realm means he’s involved in it somehow. I went to the Demon King’s castle and heard something very interesting.”
“......”
Zigritria shot a look at Grandeerria. If the rest of the explanation didn’t justify why they’d come, he looked ready to explode.
“Human... no, Masked Lord. Is it true that you came here after failing to settle your fight with the Demon King?” Grandeerria asked.
Yoon Sang-hyuk answered with a slight smile instead of words. That smile seemed answer enough, and Grandeerria and Abalatron both gave a small nod. Only Zigritria’s face turned bewildered.
“Ridiculous.”
Who was Baal?
He was the one who had defeated Satan, the former Demon King who had instilled fear even in the dragons, and ascended the throne of the Demon King himself.
“Whether it’s ridiculous or not doesn’t matter. The Demon King said it, and Vassago, that scheming little mind of his, said nothing to contradict it. That means the Demon King’s words were true.”
Zigritria glared at Yoon Sang-hyuk. He looked ordinary enough, or rather, extremely strong for a human, but that was all. Zigritria had watched him fight his guardians all the way through. So he knew Yoon Sang-hyuk was strong. But even so, he hadn’t felt a strength that suggested he could battle the Demon King to a draw.
“Ah!”
As if struck by realization, Zigritria let out a small exclamation. There was no need for Yoon Sang-hyuk to show everything when dealing with his guardians; he would have used only the force necessary to handle them. A being strong enough to stand against the Demon King would naturally restrain himself in a fight. Zigritria had simply never imagined such a thing.
“I can’t accept it.”
His voice turned cold.
He understood the situation, but he still didn’t want to acknowledge Yoon Sang-hyuk.
“I didn’t come looking for your approval. I thought I’d made it clear what I wanted?”
“Isn’t this because of your contract with Atram and the other divine races?”
“That was true until recently. Now I’ve got one more goal.”
Yoon Sang-hyuk smiled thinly and slowly brushed a finger around his own neck. At the sight, Zigritria’s face twisted grotesquely. He remembered Yoon Sang-hyuk saying he’d put a collar around his neck and drag him along.
Just as Zigritria was about to say something, Yoon Sang-hyuk spoke first.
“Fine. I went and met Baal. So what?”
“It means we confirmed you’re strong enough to challenge us. If you were just a reckless fool with no skill, we’d simply press down and crush you.”
“Let me say it again. I didn’t start this because I wanted your recognition. If we’re only going to keep talking like this, finish your tea and go back to your own nests. I’ll come find you soon enough.”
Abalatron shrugged.
“No need for that. Since we’re all gathered here, let’s get this done quickly.”
“Done quickly? Now that’s music to my ears, at least...”
“Our abilities are all much the same. There may be slight differences depending on compatibility, but in terms of raw strength, we’re all roughly equal. In other words, if you defeat one of us, you’ll have to defeat the other two as well.”
“So one of you plans to step forward as the representative and fight me?”
“Correct. If you win, we’ll break the contract we made with the divine races.”
“Hmm. What should I do?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked at Zigritria and idly stroked his own neck.
“Don’t try anything clever.”
“I haven’t said anything.”
Abalatron lightly tapped the table, drawing everyone’s attention back to him.
“Isn’t that a reasonable method? I can roughly guess why you came to visit us in the first place. If we can save even a day, that’s better for you too, isn’t it?”
“That much is true. But I don’t like the method.”
“And what do you mean by that?”
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked at the three dragons with a meaningful smile.
“I’ll fight all three of you at once.”
For a moment, silence fell over the room where conversation had been flowing steadily. Nearly at the same instant, all three dragons unleashed their aura. It was a killing intent so sharp it felt as though it could cut flesh apart, a pressure even Yoon Sang-hyuk rarely felt so plainly.
Bang-!
Grandeerria, who had been cordial until now, slammed his fist down on the table. Unable to withstand the force, the table crumbled into dust and vanished.
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked at the remains of the teapot and teacups that had been on the table, now ground to dust along with it, and muttered, “That was really expensive.”
“Cut the nonsense. The Demon King acknowledged you, so we acknowledge you as well. That is why, with a sliver of goodwill, we offered you a good chance first.”
“A good chance...”
Yoon Sang-hyuk murmured softly.
He crossed his legs and leaned back in the chair, looking lazily relaxed. Beneath the mask, his face was smiling brightly. That was exactly why the mask was useful. He could hide his expression from whoever stood before him.
Yoon Sang-hyuk looked Grandeerria straight in the eye and said, “Sorry, but let me say this again. I don’t need your recognition. And make sure you understand this clearly. I wasn’t planning to kill you just because of Baal. But if you keep spouting pointless nonsense like this...”
His atmosphere slowly changed. He hadn’t released his aura the way the dragons had. Even so, the air turned cold under the pressure of a space beginning to distort.
Lowering his eyes, Yoon Sang-hyuk met the dragons’ gazes one by one.
“You’re making me want to kill all three of you. I’m really curious how much experience you’d give me.”