Water Dragon?
"Rooooaaar!!"
"Haaah!!"
Inside the ambitious centerpiece of the Wintervalt Hot Spring Resort, the sauna room—a sweltering inferno exceeding 80 degrees.
Sedric and Walter Knight bellowed their spirited shouts amid the murderous heat.
Lian Count clenched his jaw and endured in stoic silence.
Their faces weren't just flushed—they looked ready to burst. Yet not one of them made a move to flee.
Drip.
Drip.
Sweat poured down like rain. Towels and clothes could no longer stem the flood.
"Nngh...! This is a trial from our lord...! I cannot yield to mere heat like this!!"
First Knight Order Captain Sedric gritted his teeth, squeezing every last drop of aura from his dantian. True knightly training began only when one's aura hit rock bottom.
Sedric's mind burned with a single obsession: to live up to his lord's expectations, no matter the cost.
"Ha! Sir Sedric! You holding up? This old dog's still got plenty left in him!"
One-eyed guild master Walter Knight widened his remaining eye and hauled up his aura with a grin.
The real problem was Lian Count, the bureaucrat who knew nothing of knighthood or adventuring.
"Gaaah...! Air... air...! Huff... huff...!"
Lacking any aura to wield, Lian clung on through sheer willpower alone. Tears and snot streamed down his face, his pupils dilated—yet he refused to collapse.
'As the one responsible for Wintervalt's trade... if I drop here in a sauna... I could never face the lord or the duchess again!!'
Four hours had passed since the trio entered the sauna.
Merchants peering through the glass window gawked in horror.
"Weren't those guys already in there when I went in earlier? And they're still not out?"
"They're gonna kill themselves at this rate!"
Even the southern adventurers munching on onsen eggs in the cool lounge clicked their tongues.
"Northerners really aren't right in the head... You follow their lead like that, and you'll never live to see your natural end."
"Exactly... Even if you've hit gold-rank, bro, how could we keep up with those northerners?"
"......I never said we'd lose."
"Ooh... As expected of you, bro. I'll cheer you on from out here then!!"
Rick, slurping banana milk, got yanked by the scruff by Gail and dragged toward the sauna.
That was when it happened.
Rumble!
Accompanied by a billow of white steam, the three men staggered out.
"Huff... huff...!"
Rick and Gail moved to support their wobbly steps, fearing imminent collapse.
Whoosh!
A chill aura erupted from Sedric's entire body.
"Th-this is...?"
Sedric's voice trembled faintly as he stared down at his hands.
He'd thought his aura was utterly spent. Yet now, sharper than ever, it surged uncontrollably.
Endlessly circulating his aura amid the suffocating heat had yielded results. Decades of accumulated waste and blocked meridians had been blasted open by the sauna training.
"Ooooh...! M-my aura feels like it's back to my youth!!"
Walter clenched his fist, face alight with excitement.
He wasn't alone.
Lian Count, the furthest from martial prowess, gasped in fresh air after surviving death's door.
'...No! What is this...'
His chronic shoulder stiffness and headaches had vanished like they'd been washed away. His skin even glowed with newfound radiance.
The sauna's fuel? None other than solar soma stones. Heated by these, it purged deep-seated fatigue and toxins without taxing the body.
Thud!
Sedric dropped to his knees, tears welling up.
"Sob...! My lord! To think of even this old man's health...! This Sedric vows eternal loyalty, even in death, even as bones!!"
"Sir Sedric...! You're right! I must return to the guild and teach this training to the adventurers at once!!"
"Ooooh! Long live the Grand Duke!!"
Three middle-aged and elderly men, yang-mari towels on their heads, embraced and sobbed before the sauna.
The southern adventurers watching blankly let their eggs slip from their hands.
"B-bro... You think all that was for real?!"
"...Let's get in before the others swarm. Can't let the northerners keep lapping us—we're not here just to watch."
The sauna room was destined to become a new holy site for Wintervalt's adventurers.
"Those guys. Tough as nails. Sweating like they're dying... and they don't drop."
Crok, in green shorts with a scrub towel in hand, approached Kailan and offered a bottle of banana milk.
Kailan, briefed on the report, shook his head in disbelief.
"Guess I need to post some warning signs. Wouldn't want anyone keeling over imitating them."
"Strongly recommend hydration. Banana milk. I'll sell loads."
Crok, whose wits had sharpened lately, bowed his massive frame and departed.
"Won't disturb. Enjoy your time... Your Grace."
"Heh. Keener than some humans, that one."
Now, nothing disturbed Kailan's respite.
He carefully slid open the sliding door to the private outdoor bath annex.
"Eleanor. Kept you waiting?"
Moonlight and artificial sun mingled in the steam, scattering like jewels. And at the center...
Eleanor sat in her white robe, a shy smile on her lips.
"Not at all, Your Grace. I just arrived myself."
Was it the hot spring water? Her cheeks glowed pink.
Her damp platinum hair clung to her pale neck, shaking even battle-hardened Kailan's reason.
'Haa... I live for Eleanor. Just live.'
How many approval stamps had he slammed to claim this vacation?
Kailan eased into the bath. Warm waters melted his weary frame.
"Come here. Brought your favorite banana milk."
"Heehee, thank you, Your Grace."
Eleanor splashed over into his arms. Their breaths mingled as distance vanished.
Kailan gently tucked her wet hair behind her ear, slowly leaning toward her crimson lips.
At last, the moment he'd craved.
Rumble—!!
"...!"
The entire resort trembled faintly.
Kailan scanned sharply.
"Your Grace...? Was that an earthquake?"
"Felt it too."
Eleanor looked around in alarm.
Not just tremors. The bath's water level was dropping.
"The spring water's draining somewhere!"
Kailan's brow furrowed. The mood shattered.
No time for leisurely kisses now.
'Why do things always happen... right at times like this?'
He smacked his lips in irritation.
"Kyaaah!!"
"D-dragon!!"
"W-water dragon! It's here!! Run for your lives!!"
Screams erupted from the men's bath.
"Your Grace! Evacuate the citizens first!"
Eleanor hurriedly rose, straightening her damp robe.
But Kailan stayed seated, narrowing his eyes.
'Water dragon...? No way it's here.'
Per the original story, water dragons dwelled on southern coasts. Creatures loving warm, humid climes wouldn't nest in the eternal blizzards of the north.
"Your Grace...?"
"Nothing. Let's go."
They quickly dressed and rushed to the men's bath.
Chaos reigned. Merchants in waist towels bolted for the exit, faces pale with terror.
Knight enjoying leave grabbed stored weapons, converging on the scene.
"Everyone, stay calm! Don't provoke it!!"
"D-dragon...! A real... dragon...!"
Facing a legend head-on crushed them under its presence. Knights trembled, legs buckling.
Kailan, however, stared unflinchingly.
'...What the hell?'
Something felt off. Scales should bear intricate patterns—here, they looked smudged. The snout was oddly pudgy.
No draconic dignity in that roar—not a shred.
Crucially, no vast mana expected from a legendary beast emanated from it.
"Huff...! My lord!!"
Sedric, facing the dragon, spotted Kailan and shouted urgently.
"We'll hold here—please retreat with the duchess!!"
Sedric and Walter emitted serene auras, confronting the beast.
Kailan pressed his throbbing temple.
"You two, rally the knights and adventurers. Eleanor and I have this."
"B-but... Your Grace. We trust you're the continent's strongest, but... it's a dragon!!"
As Sedric hesitated, the beast gaped wide.
Whoosh!!
Breath blasted out.
"Gah!"
Vice Captain Cez of the First Knight Order, shielding the front, got blasted by the water cannon and slammed into the wall.
Other knights flew back too.
But for direct hits from a dragon? They seemed remarkably unscathed.
"Grrr...! You vermin...! Dare invade this one's domain without knowing your place...!"
The intimidating bellow echoed everywhere.
Then.
"Everyone, stand back."
Kailan pushed past his retainers, stepping forward.
'Whatever it is... can't let it rampage anymore.'
Shing.
He slowly raised Frost Fang.
Hummm—!
Cold aura rippled along the blade.
Whiiir!
An absolute zero aura that could freeze the entire bathhouse solid.
"G-grk...?!"
The dragon flinched.
Water dragon eyes met Kailan's gaze head-on.
"Eek!"
The next instant.
Gurgle—!!
Its massive watery form whipped into a vortex, sucked wildly into the drain hole at the bath's bottom.
"......"
"......"
The knights and retainers left in the men's bath stared blankly at the drain.
"The d-dragon...?"
"......Fled?"
Knightly murmurs of bewilderment rose.
Sedric just blinked dumbly.
"Your Grace! No major injuries reported so far!"
"Truly a relief, Your Grace."
Walter and Lian, scrambling to restore order, approached panting.
"B-but a dragon... Why would a monster from legend appear in Wintervalt? It's beyond comprehension."
"It might return. We should assemble the knights for a pursuit team...!"
Retainers poured out urgent suggestions.
But Kailan offered no reply.
He merely scanned the swept-through area with impassive eyes.
'...As I thought.'
Banana milk canteens, once neatly stacked in the lounge corner, lay empty and lidless, rolling on the floor.
The mountain of onsen egg baskets beside them? Same story—contents gone, only brittle shells scattered.
"M-my goods...! Sob sob, I bought them cheap to sell at the next market...!"
A merchant who'd returned from evacuation wailed, clutching an empty canteen.
"Your Grace!"
Sedric gripped his sword hilt, calling out.
"I'll form a pursuit team right now and hunt it down! If it raids the village unannounced, the damage could be catastrophic!"
Kailan nudged an empty banana milk canteen at his feet and smiled coldly.
"No. It's fine. No need."
Sedric looked puzzled, but Kailan issued no further orders, slowly sheathing Frost Fang.
'If it's who I think it is... no point chasing now.'
Its destination's obvious, after all.