---

Chapter 180

Even after that, Yeon-woo remained seated. Various thoughts swirled in her mind.

‘The dimensional mark of the Sword Saint is indeed a dimensional mark, but…’

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Looking as cheerful as a child who just secured a promise to play, Moon Gi was right in front of her. When Yeon-woo turned her head, she noticed there was ‘one more’ Moon Gi, who was conversing with Je Gal Seong-ryong.

“It’s a clone technique.”

“Haha, it’s fun, isn’t it? It feels different from the mirror image used by wizards. The fact that it has a physical presence is what sets it apart.”

Though it’s rather tricky to utilize in battle because of that, Moon Gi casually admitted. Is it really okay to disclose this about the technique that easily?

“If it could be easily imitated just because one wanted to, it wouldn’t be called studying.”

“That’s true.”

Even while looking through the dragon’s eye, it felt like reality was slipping away. It was an incredibly unique sensation. No mana seen before ever exhibited such properties.

Like a hazy fog, it seemed both clear yet obscure—this must be the characteristic of the technique.

“If I learn the technique, will I be able to understand it?”

“Strictly speaking, it’s more about learning the path. The technique is merely a byproduct of the path itself. However, will you be able to understand it? That would be another question entirely. It’s like the saying, ‘The path that can be spoken of is not the true path.’”

“It sounds like a headache of a study…”

“Haha, you’d be surprised at how many times I wanted to give up.”

As Moon Gi joked around, Yeon-woo quietly whispered. She figured that it was nice to be invited, but she definitely needed to clarify that part.

“By the way, is it really okay to invite them? Isn’t it from the beast clan?”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Moon Gi’s eyebrows shot up. After glancing around for a moment, he closed them again. A bit creepy…

“How did you know? I thought I had hidden it with the technique.”

“I could see it.”

As Yeon-woo spoke, she flicked her finger as if to point at her eyes. Looking at the golden glint in her pupils, Moon Gi sighed, “Ahhh.”

“This is precisely why you shouldn’t face dragons directly. But since you know, it’s actually a relief. It’s fine. The Sub-Lord asked to be found within the Stellar Capital.”

“Moon Gi oppa, do you want to eat this!?”

“Stellar what? Shar, why are you suddenly trying to feed him sweet and sour pork? Aren’t you talking about dad?”

When Yeon-woo saw Shar waving her chopsticks to block Moon Gi’s mouth, she curiously asked. Meanwhile, Shar had stuffed a piece of sweet and sour pork into Moon Gi’s mouth and whispered in his ear.

‘Don’t tell him yet! I’ll be the one to say it first!’

“…What?”

As Shar backed away, Moon Gi, with his mouth full of sweet and sour pork, smiled brightly.

“I was just saying it’s no big deal! Haha!”

At those words, Shar let out a sigh of relief. As Yeon-woo was about to probe into this suspicious reaction, Moon Gi let out a deep sigh as he muttered contemplatively.

“But to recognize me as a beast clan, then you must also see through my identity… Yes, I am indeed the descendant of the Silver Tae-sa and a member of the Mun-jung…”

“Oh, oh, the Mun-jung!?”

Yeon-woo responded with just the right reaction as she secretly operated her smartphone under the table with her right hand. She was searching for who the Mun-jung was.

‘Tae-oh! I’m sorry, but could you read this for me?’

[Oh no! Dad is asking Tae-oh for help!]

A shadow sprang from her wrist, starting to read the words on the smartphone. Mun-jung… the divine bird of the Silver Country…

“Could it be the Mun-jung from the Divine Chronicles!?!? That explains it!!!”

“That’s right. I couldn’t use the golden jade this time for fear of being discovered.”

Seemingly satisfied with her exaggerated reaction, Moon Gi grinned. Even though he was a fictional character, how could he have descendants? It hinted that he must be based on a real historical figure from that dimension.

But on another note, it made sense. If there were restrictions against using treasured artifacts, then it was reasonable for Bailey to hit hard back on him.

Every hunter has a trump card to exploit their weaknesses.

At that moment, Yeon-woo noticed someone approaching from the Safa side. The long, red robe that obscured the physical silhouette was adorned with golden dragons. It was easy to infer their origin from that appearance.

Moon Gi whispered to Yeon-woo, “It’s the Sub-Lord of the Golden Dragon Gate. They hold significant power in the world alongside the Hao Clan. Getting close could be quite beneficial. But if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave. They’re a bit unsettling.”

“Oh, then we’ll meet later.”

Seeing Moon Gi prepare to leave, the Sub-Lord of the Golden Dragon Gate politely bowed their head. With a rare male beauty and refreshing looks, they were undoubtedly someone who would attract the attention of many.

“Oh dear, I seem to have interrupted your conversation, Choi Yeon-woo. You look a bit lonely suddenly; would it be alright if I kept you company?”

“Oh, yes. And your name…?”

“Forgive my rudeness. I am Lee Seol. The Lady of the Gate named me so because the Lord found me on a snowy day.”

“Ah, I see… I’m Choi Yeon-woo. Nice to meet you.”

The heavy topic right from the first greeting was rather unwelcome. For a man like Yeon-woo, it felt more like a protective instinct would kick in if this handsome man revealed a tragic backstory.

‘Looks like a swallow’s child. I can’t let someone like this sit next to Shar.’

After exchanging polite greetings awkwardly, Lee Seol sat across from Shar as Yeon-woo guided him. The flowing robe spread out, releasing a slightly sweet fragrance.

Did he even wear perfume? It could be assumed to make a good impression for business, but thinking of him as a swallow left an unpleasant taste.

‘Hang in there, Yeon-woo. You’re handsome too. It’s not the same as before the regression. If you let jealousy get the better of you over a pretty face, it would be like aiming a gun at yourself.’

Thinking that eased her feelings a bit. It always tingles. Being handsome is the best! As Yeon-woo regained her confidence, Lee Seol smiled brightly.

“You really must be recognized by the Lord! While it was a business approach, I personally wanted to build relationships as well. With you at this level, the Lord won’t have anything to say.”

“You seem to be the type who would criticize if I made friends who don’t match my status?”

“Haha, you’ve seen it accurately. The Lord is quite particular. Since they can’t kill their Sub-Lord, they’ll attempt to assassinate anyone they deem a threat.”

“…I feel like I just heard something quite creepy.”

“It’s fine; no matter what, they wouldn’t involve themselves in matters that could escalate to war. Choi Yeon-woo, I believe you’d make the Lord nod in agreement.”

“Tonight, I must pray that no one in black will be standing at my bedside.”

At those words, Lee Seol burst into a refreshing laugh, wiping away the tears that hung like dew on his long eyelashes. He was frustratingly handsome. It felt like the average looks in the Safa were higher than those in Zhengpai.

Namgung Seong and Seong-ryong are indeed cool, but the standard for good looks is different…

‘Still, that friend might be a bit above average in looks.’

While watching someone behave cheerfully among the Zhengpai friends, Yeon-woo briefly thought about that. Well, honestly, it’s not Yeon-woo’s job to decide who is handsome or not.

“Well then, shall we talk business, Lee Seol? Is it alright if I call you Lee Seol?”

“Actually, I’m not comfortable with the term ‘little sister’ either. Please call me as you wish.”

That part might be a thing they absolutely synced on.

*

‘Beauty’ is a highly ambiguous and unclear value.

Some admire specific physical features, others the beauty of the face, while some consider balance beautiful. There are also peculiar preferences, making it a truly elusive concept.

In that sense, Claire felt a bit unfair. What exactly is she? It isn’t an exaggeration to say she’s assaulting people with her beauty—it’s almost violently beautiful.

What puzzled her the most was that she was a dragon. Claire had witnessed the polymorph of another dragon with her own eyes, but even then, it didn’t come close to this standard. At best, it was an average-looking elf level.

‘…Hmm, hard to put into words.’

Dragons are still creatures. Even though they’re the masters of magic, the emotions inside them must have been projected while polymorphing. In their nests, they are truly god-like.

Simply thinking about it reflected their will instantly in the world.

However, Claire felt slightly, just slightly, uncomfortable. The woman gazing out the window as if she might stick her face out, looked almost as if she would lick the glass.

‘…Ugh, I’ve never been treated like this before! I’m a clergy member, and I’m thinking such things!’

Though she usually didn’t pay attention, she was somewhat bothered that all eyes in the vehicle were solely on that woman.

Feeling somewhat irritable, Claire pressed a button on her seat to separate the cabin from outside views and let out a sigh.

“Well then, shall we have a chat, Alkeinea?”

“Ah, um! I understand!”

Startled, Alkeinea straightened up from kneeling on her seat and sat properly.

She might be better described as beautiful rather than cute, but Claire found her adorable due to her resemblance to Shar and the innocence that emerged from everything being so novel to her.

“First, I’ve heard the basics. You lived near the Gate by our orphanage. You said your egg was stolen, and after many experiments, you were able to come out.”

“That is correct. I spent over ten years researching. If I weren’t a dragon, I might have given up from the hopelessness.”

“…Ten years? That doesn’t make sense. Yeon-woo signed the contract only about six months ago?”

“That’s because your world and my nest exist in different dimensions. Is it strange to think the timelines would be the same when the dimensions are different? My focus on research was possible because I understood that dimension’s time. Moreover, without me, Shar would not have been able to hatch.”

“…But Shar was walking around perfectly in human form, right? Isn’t she really the child of another dragon?”

“W-well, I don’t know that. But I’ve insisted on naming my child Arkisha, Shar, for hundreds of years. The nest was so lonely that if I didn’t echo my own name, I might lose my mind…”

As Alkeinea spoke, she lowered her head, looking utterly sorrowful.

Unknowingly staring into that face, Claire shook her head. This is truly not sane. When getting off, I must ask her to transform into a different appearance.

“Hmm, this is difficult…”

Overall, the pieces of the story didn’t fit together. Too many impossible elements. From stealing the egg across dimensions to Shar hatching, among other things.

“So, how did you come out of the Gate? In this world, we call beings like you the rulers of the Gate. The general belief is that the ruler of a Gate can’t come into the outside world unless the Gate explodes or uses special means.”

“Well, that’s true. It wouldn’t make sense for a soul that didn’t exist in this world, and one as powerful as mine, to come out. An explosion of the Gate would be an event that adds a line to the world’s principles.”

“Could you not say it in such a complicated way?”

“Sorry about that. Simply put, I used a special means. One that allows me to come out while leaving my main body behind.”

“…Huh? What do you mean…?”

“If the body and soul are too large to come out, wouldn’t it be possible to reduce the size? I basically tore apart my own body to create a clone in order to find Shar. It was quite a painful process.”

“…Ahh.”

Only then did Claire understand how this dragon before her could possess such a small aura.

It was genuinely hard to believe it was a dragon… the energy was not more than that of an intermediate monster. Yet it could still be seen as a dragon due to that aura.

‘Thinking it was a side effect of tearing apart dimensions, to think she even had the capacity to create a clone after that… then what on earth must her main body be like…?’

Questions kept flooding in, giving her a headache. As Claire rubbed her temples, Alkeinea looked at her, puzzled.

Claire breathed a sigh and opened her mouth.

“…For now, could you transform into a less conspicuous form? You must know that everyone’s been staring intensely since a while ago?”

“Ah, I apologize for the trouble. I will do so…”

No matter how much of a clone she was, seeing such a powerful being feeling diminutive was somewhat amusing, hence Claire couldn’t help but smile.

‘I should call once we arrive…’

It was time to receive the repercussions for neglecting to update regularly.

(Continued in the next episode)

 

---