Chapter 33 : The Dragon’s Call

“I know a way to cure Lady Aria’s illness.”

Even some of the priests of the Rehel Church and the Justron Church could only partially treat it, and even the wizards of the Magic Tower could barely achieve a cure with the by-products of a sacred beast. For a mere hunter to claim he knew a cure…

That statement instantly filled Failer with rage.

“······Jonan!”

Thud!

Failer’s fist slammed onto the table. Even without Aura, his strike was powerful enough to make the wooden table creak ominously.

“You say you know a cure that even the Justron Church and the Rehel Church rejected? Do you think I’m a fool?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what is it? Petrification is a disease that even the arrogant Magic Tower doesn’t fully understand! Even the wizards there say they need a sacred beast to create a cure, and a mere hunter claims he knows the method?”

Failer’s hand trembled as if it would crush the glass. He glared at Jonan, consumed by anger, without even properly listening to his words.

But Jonan understood him.

‘He said that many quacks and swindlers had come in the past two years.’

Jonan was being treated the same as those frauds. It was only because of their past acquaintance that this situation hadn’t escalated, but if it had been someone else, Failer’s sword might have already been drawn.

‘······I have to retreat for now.’

Jonan had expected this reaction, but persuading Sir Failer was not going to be easy.

They hadn’t even had a proper conversation yet, but Failer was already preparing to leave.

“···I’m leaving.”

There wasn’t much time, but Jonan knew he needed to approach the situation carefully.

That’s why he didn’t try to stop Failer by grabbing his pant leg.

However, there was one thing he needed to clarify.

“······It’s true that it’s not a sacred beast.”

“Shut up!!”

Thud!!

“He is greater than a mere sacred beast.”

Failer stormed out angrily, leaving Jonan behind. Next to a man who was quietly chanting stood a sword wrapped in a white scabbard, its blade glowing blue.

As the sun set and the moon rose, the noisy city gradually began to settle into sleep.

Jonan had been away from his daughter for about four hours. Realizing this, he quickened his pace toward the Red Inn.

Ring~.

“Uncle! Our daughter······.”

Oink!

Tweet! Tweet!

“Honey pot! You’re playing the flute so cheerfully! You can become a minstrel later!”

“Uncle, you’re good at making chick sounds too!”

“This is not a chick sound, it’s an eagle sound! The noble ruler of the west wind! Honey pot, you need to clean your ears!”

“Uncle needs to clear his throat!”

“What? Hahaha!!”

“Hehehe!!”

“·········.”

Jonan’s arm, which had been raised pathetically in the air, lost strength and drooped.

His daughter and Rendel’s behavior was vibrant and colorful.

They were wearing strange, colorful necklaces around their necks, and each held an instrument similar to a flute.

Rachel, Jonan’s daughter, wasn’t just that—she was also wearing something made of wood that looked like a scholar’s glasses.

The lenses of those wooden glasses were star-shaped, with black-dyed cloth attached to the star shape.

‘······She’s getting along better than I expected.’

Jonan felt a pang of sadness when he saw his daughter getting along so well without him.

“Huh? What, are you here now?”

“Huh? Uncle, I was here originally.”

“Honey pot, try speaking after taking off your glasses.”

“······? Oh! It’s Daddy!”

Jonan’s daughter recognized him later than Rendel did, which made him feel even greater sadness than failing to convince Failer.

“······You were playing well, daughter.”

“Uncle said we’d play in the market!”

Rachel shrugged her shoulders proudly, looking like a squirrel that had collected a lot of nuts.

‘This is also God’s will···.’

Jonan, who wasn’t sure if he was feeling resignation or prayer, expressed his gratitude to Rendel for taking care of his daughter.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“Huh? I didn’t do much. The others helped too.”

“If you mean the others…”

“The guests.”

So several of the Rendels had played with Rachel. Jonan looked at his daughter’s spectacularly changed appearance and nodded.

It was clear they had bought her things because they weren’t afraid of her appearance.

“I almost had to pull out my favorite sword because she wouldn’t take out the money. Hahaha!”

‘······They did play voluntarily, right?’

Jonan gave up thinking any further. The fatigue from dealing with Failer also played a part.

The Aura he had unconsciously radiated in his anger had tensed his body. The recoil was starting to affect him now.

“Rachel, let’s go to bed now.”

“Okay! Bear uncle, see you tomorrow!”

“Hurry up and go to bed, Honey pot.”

‘Honey pot and bear······.’

Hearing the strangely fitting combination of the two, Jonan entered the room with Rachel.

The room assigned by Rendel was a little farther from the other rooms and was quite large.

It seemed that Rendel had considered Jonan’s arrival with his daughter.

Jonan let Rachel fall asleep first, then gazed at Haeilgum for a moment before finally going to bed.

“······It’s warm.”

The blade of the blue wave felt like warm water. The warmth transferred to his palm helped Jonan, exhausted from the day, find some peace.

Jonan prayed to Haeilgum and then went to sleep with Rachel.

Later that night…

“Daddyyyy······.”

“······.”

“Daddyyyy······.”

“······? Rachel?”

“Ugh······.”

Jonan, who had fallen into a deep sleep, woke up to the sound of his daughter calling him. He turned his body and saw Rachel, who couldn’t open her eyes properly, tapping his back.

Looking out the window, he noticed it was still dark, the middle of the night before dawn.

“What’s wrong? Do you want to go to the bathroom?”

Though he asked, Rachel had never whined in the middle of the night before. Jonan gently touched her forehead, wondering if she was sick.

‘She doesn’t seem to be sick.’

“Daughter?”

“Ugh······. Out··· Dragon···.”

“Outside? What?”

“Yes······ I’ll sleep···.”

“??”

Rachel rubbed her eyes with one hand and pointed toward the door with the other. Then, she went back to her bed and fell asleep. Jonan was left wondering what she meant.

“Daughter?”

“Zzzzzz···.”

“Is she sleepwalking?”

Jonan, unable to understand what she wanted to say, was about to go back to sleep. But suddenly, the door Rachel had pointed to came to mind, and he decided to check.

‘I’ll just check.’

He wasn’t planning to sleep right away, so with that thought in mind, Jonan slowly opened the door.

When he stepped into the hallway, there was nothing in front of him.

“Nothing, as expected······?”

But then, Jonan noticed something strange about the floor. The wooden boards were soaked.

A salty smell wafted through the air.

‘If it’s salty······.’

There was seawater in the middle of the city, far from the sea? This could only mean one thing.

The Dragon God was calling him.

The traces of seawater led down the hallway, toward the bottom. Jonan checked it and then went back to his room to get his belongings.

Finally, Jonan, now holding Haeilgum, glanced at Rachel as she slept.

“······Did you know the Dragon God was calling?”

But there was no answer. Jonan gently arranged Rachel’s hair and quietly closed the door.

He slowly descended the stairs, where the fire on the first floor of the inn was still burning.

But Rendel was nowhere to be found, so Jonan left the inn quickly.

“He’s calling me, as expected.”

The traces of seawater continued outside the inn.

Jonan moved swiftly, trying to avoid being seen by anyone in the middle of the night.

He navigated through several houses and shops before reaching the corner of the city.

Two ramparts met right in front of Jonan, stretching up high.

Even with footholds, it was a height that could not be easily climbed.

The traces of seawater stopped just before the ramparts.

“······Dragon, your first knight has come.”

Jonan whispered quietly, not wanting to be heard.

“···Did I speak too softly? Dragon, your first knight has come to this place!”

Perhaps because he spoke too softly, the Dragon God didn’t hear him, so Jonan spoke louder.

Still, there was no answer, so Jonan took a deep breath.

“Dragon! Your first knight answers the call······ Ugh?!”

Before he could finish his sentence, a powerful wind suddenly enveloped his body.

The strong wind, sweeping along the alley, instantly lifted Jonan into the air.

The winds, powerful enough to carry him above rooftops, raised him to the top of the rampart.

Jonan’s body, light as paper, was carried on the wind’s touch, rising into the sky.

As the city grew smaller beneath him, Jonan felt his consciousness slipping away.

And just when he resigned himself to losing consciousness, the wind stopped lifting him.

“······?”

Jonan found himself floating in the air, surrounded by cool wind and stepping on the clouds.

‘It feels like I’m in the middle of a field.’

The sensation of walking between moonlit clouds was enchanting. Jonan savored the feeling, then slowly knelt, facing the moon.

“Dragon···. Your knight has answered the call.”

Under the moonlight, in front of Jonan, the blue dragon with blue eyes glowed brightly.