Chapter 17 : The Dragon’s Judgment

Jonan resented the forest, which felt wider than usual. It was a place like another friend who had been indebted to him in many ways since childhood, but now he thought of it as a friend who was more like an enemy.

‘When the hell are we going to get there!’

Of course, there was a reason why their speed was slower than usual. The biggest reason was that the forest ground was muddy due to the storm that had occurred a week ago, which reduced their overall speed.

“Gasp… gasp…”

In addition, since he was moving with the village chief, the pace naturally slowed down. Of course, considering the village chief’s age, he was already pushing himself to the limit. Although there was a speed limit, the fact that he never stopped while moving through the forest was proof of his determination.

“Jonan, phew… you said the dragon was friendly to you, right?”

“That’s right! But if the Lester gang makes a mistake, I don’t know what will happen…”

“Still, there might be a chance… cough!”

“Chief!”

“Don’t stop! If what you say is true, the fate of the village is at stake!”

“…Yes!”

Jonan increased his speed according to the village chief’s words. The village chief did not scold Jonan for this, but let him go ahead. At the same time, he followed as quickly as he could, determined not to fall too far behind.

‘If the village head isn’t there, the village’s position may be misinterpreted.’

If the village chief were absent, no matter how much Jonan was favored by the dragon, things might not work out properly. Jonan was very skilled and excellent at hunting, but he was still a young man with limited life experience. Even if he fell short, he had to reach the cliff.

“Chief, we’re here!”

About 10 minutes later, a sign that they were close to the cliff finally came into view. The village chief, once again, gathered his strength and picked up speed.

Jonan thought that the scenery of the forest had changed somehow. And before he could dwell on that thought, he saw what had happened on the cliff.

The dragon was under attack.

“Stop!!!”

Seeing Lester rubbing his face and rushing, Jonan left the village chief behind and ran toward him. Before Lester could touch the dragon’s body, Jonan managed to knock him down.

“Dragon, I’m sorry! These guys are mercenaries hired by our village, but…”

Jonan, who was suppressing the struggling Lester and trying to make excuses to the dragon watching him, noticed something strange.

Lester was struggling—that was expected—but his reaction was different than usual.

“Ugh… ugh.”

A considerable amount of blood was flowing from his two eyes. And the one who caused that wound was none other than Lester himself. He was poking his eyes as if trying to gouge them out with his own hands.

“I… I’m not wrong. Why… me… hostility…”

“Gasp.”

Jonan was so horrified by the illogical sight that he stepped back. The other mercenaries around, besides Lester, were the same. In fact, they were all self-harming to the point that Lester’s case seemed the least extreme.

[Jonan.]

In that terrifying moment, Jonan dared to commit the rudeness of forgetting about the dragon. He slowly looked up, his face trembling.

There, two enormous eyes were staring at him. They were indifferent eyes, devoid of emotions like anger or joy.

“Dra… Dragon…”

Jonan naturally knelt and bowed his head deeply, as if to touch the ground. No action should be taken now. Listening to the dragon’s words was the only thing that mattered.

The words that came from the dragon’s mouth were enough to lead Jonan into despair.

[Is this the will of Estel?]

The dragon was judging.

No, that wasn’t it. The mercenaries who had provoked the red bear when Jonan had saved the dragon were not representatives of Estel Village. They were outsiders—mercenaries who had eavesdropped on Jonan and the village chief’s conversation. They were the worst among the mercenaries who came to the village. They were the ones who had tried to assault the village maiden. The reason they came here was to eavesdrop…

No excuses came out of Jonan’s mouth. The overwhelming malice surrounding him made it impossible for him to speak.

The young hunter froze in panic. If he stayed there any longer, he would face the same fate as the Lester gang.

Then, someone stepped forward.

“Dragon God!!”

A weakened but strong voice was heard from afar. Jonan instinctively turned his head to see who it was.

It was the village chief. At that moment, the hostility pressing down on Jonan shifted toward the village chief.

‘Chief!’

The wave of natural hostility hit the village chief instantly. But the village chief stood firm.

[Who are you?]

“I… am the village chief of Estel, O venerable Dragon God…”

A stream of blood flowed from the village chief’s mouth due to the sudden pressure. Still, he did not change his expression and continued to show respect toward the dragon.

“Great Dragon God, those who attacked you are not representatives of Estel Village.”

[…]

The dragon’s silence. The village chief, who had lived for nearly 70 years, knew that his silence meant the dragon was urging him to speak.

“They are outsiders who eavesdropped on me and Jonan’s words without permission and came to you. If we had known they were there, we would not have spoken.”

The village chief made a distinction between Estel Village and the Lester gang, announcing their innocence at the same time.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean we are innocent. We learned that you created a storm for us during the last red moon. But until then, we were unaware of your will, and we did not come to thank you because we were wary of the red demons.”

The village chief tried to avoid sounding like he was making excuses, while at the same time observing the dragon and gathering information.

‘It’s just as Jonan said… but it’s even bigger and more beautiful than expected.’

The sunlight reflected off the dragon’s blue scales, making them sparkle. The two feet gripping the cliff looked sharper and stronger than any creature’s. The face that looked down at him was more noble and venerable than any other being. The water droplets floating around the dragon and the natural hostility emanating from it made it feel sacred.

‘Like an incarnation of nature…’

There was no need for further speculation. The village chief understood. He had to serve the dragon. He didn’t even expect the dragon to take care of them—first, they needed to calm the dragon’s anger, and then everyone in the village would come forward to serve him.

To do that, they needed to fix the first mistake made by the mercenaries.

“If you give us one more chance, we will make every preparation and come to greet you again with the residents…”

[How do I believe that?]

“…”

The village chief felt like he would lose his mind from the intensified pressure. The dragon’s wrath, the wrath of nature, was greater than expected.

‘I have to hold on…’

If he couldn’t hold on, the village would be destroyed by the dragon’s anger. What’s worse, if the news about the dragon reached the Count’s family, they might form an army to subjugate it. If that happened, the Count’s family, and perhaps the entire Runan Kingdom, could be destroyed by the dragon’s wrath. The Dragon God was that powerful.

[How do I believe that these are not the will of Estel? Chief, how do I believe that you did not send those who listened to Jonan’s words to catch me?]

The dragon slowly approached the village chief, wrapping its long body around him and gently turning. The village chief’s eyes were beginning to lose focus.

“Dragon God…”

“Dragon! It’s my fault!”

Jonan, who had grown accustomed to the pressure, shouted.

[Jonan.]

“I was careless! I should have expelled these guys in advance so that they wouldn’t harm you…”

[Jonan.]

“…”

[You were the second human I met.]

“I know.”

[And I saved you.]

“…”

[I think I gave you quite a lot of favor. I left contact with humans to your discretion.]

“I’m sorry, I…”

[I’m disappointed.]

The verdict was handed down.

The dragon decided to be hostile to Estel. Jonan and the village chief were both panicking, trying to think of something.

‘What should I do? What now… how can I…’

‘I need to keep my head straight. If I falter now, the village is finished. I have to come up with something.’

But the old man couldn’t think of any answers. Keeping his sanity intact was the best he could do.

[Tsk.]

The dragon’s body began to rise slowly into the sky. At the same time, dark clouds appeared above it.

Rumble!

What an absurd natural phenomenon. The blue sky turned gray in just a few seconds, and lightning struck from all around.

The dark clouds of enormous scale began to rotate slowly.

A gust of wind brushed against the village chief’s cheek.

“…”

The village chief, who had a small scratch on his cheek, could only watch the dragon’s actions.

And then, an unexpected voice rang out.

“Huh? It’s Daddy!”

“…?”

“Grandpa is there too!!”

“…What.”

“There are strange uncles too!!”

The voice came from behind the village chief. Someone had appeared at the entrance of the forest. And that someone was very short. Like a child.

“And there’s the Dragon!”

[…]

Jonan’s daughter, Rachel, had arrived.