The cooking competition, filled with chatter and chaos, finally came to a close. What followed was the Racial Alliance meeting. Delegations began to arrive one by one the day before, with their arms full of gifts.
Is it courtesy or sincerity? Though it seems trivial, each one reflects the dignity of the kingdom. Especially since they all received help from the Royal Knights.
In other words, the Royal Knights could be considered their benefactors. Yet, they brought no gifts? Putting aside the loss of dignity, it could provide their opponents with ammunition to attack.
It’s a fact worth emphasizing again. The Racial Alliance came together not out of friendship, but to oppose a common enemy. Essentially, it was a discomforting coexistence.
Providing the opponent with any opportunity to attack in such a situation must be avoided at all costs. The first delegation to arrive was from the Human Kingdom, represented by Duke Kontras.
He was adorned in flashy jewelry and neatly tailored clothes. Though he carried a sword at his waist, it was more for decoration than practical use. It was the epitome of nobility.
“Nice to meet you, I am Duke Kontras.”
“Pleasure. I am Commander Hans of the Royal Knights.”
“It is an honor to meet the famous Sir Hans in person.”
Duke Kontras’ words were not empty flattery. As a representative of the noble faction, he’d wanted to see the Commander directly placed by the King’s faction. To Kontras, Hans felt as solid as a rock.
‘I’ve got no clue what he’s thinking at all.’
Duke Kontras had been active in the kingdom’s noble faction for decades. Naturally, he prided himself on his extraordinary ability to gauge the thoughts of others.
However, even Kontras could not fully read Hans’s thoughts. If there were a gap, he would have tried to draw him into the noble faction. But messing with this type would only cause more trouble.
‘I have no thoughts. Because I have no thoughts.’
The fact that Hans truly had no thoughts would likely remain a mystery to Duke Kontras until the day he died. This was Hans’s chosen method—greeting guests without a thought.
One might get snagged if thoughts reveal themselves on one’s face. Especially since the delegations were composed of those who prided themselves on political savvy from their respective nations. They would easily gauge the situation.
“But why didn’t the leaders of the races come in person this time?”
“That’s natural.”
“Huh?”
“The leaders are currently swamped with things to do.”
Both the Human Kingdom and Dwarf Republic were about to start a new expedition to reclaim lands from the Demons, not to mention the Twelve Tribes and Orcs who had many tasks to maintain their cooperative relations.
Thus, they decided to conduct the Racial Alliance meeting via a crystal ball this time. From Hans’s point of view, that was even better. Gathering the leaders would create quite the atmosphere.
As expected, Ambassador Viral arrived from the Dwarf Republic. After exchanging familiar greetings, Hans welcomed the rest of the delegations. Just then, a massive shadow suddenly loomed overhead.
Wondering what it was, Hans looked up and saw a colossal dragon. It was even bigger than Yuren. A truly sky-covering dragon.
“What, what is that?!”
“Oh my… Father seems to be overdoing it.”
“Oh my, overdoing it? I’m being serious!”
“…??”
The gigantic dragon that had overshadowed the sky vanished in an instant. In its place stood someone Hans had never seen before. Not in the form of a dragon, but a woman with lush golden hair.
“I heard you were my father.”
“It’s a hobby of his. He always takes on different forms to understand humans. He even changes his name daily.”
“What’s the name now? Hmm, Yurenne sounds good.”
“Father, can’t you at least fix the gender?”
“Why would I bother with something so trivial?”
Overwhelmed by the surreal appearance, Hans felt his mind clouding. Is this what a Dragon Lord is like? Just as that thought crossed his mind, he locked eyes with the Dragon Lord.
Her beauty was undeniable, ranking among the finest even among humans. But her eyes weren’t smiling. The cold, deep gaze of the Dragon Lord was upon him.
“By the way, I had something to ask that girl.”
“To the Commander? You’re not planning something strange again, are you?”
“Not at all~ Not at all~ The Commander probably knows too. Right?”
“…Yeah, I’m willing to comply.”
The Dragon Lord seemed to understand everything already. That was why he specifically pointed Hans out. In the past, he would’ve trembled in fear. But now, he felt surprisingly calm.
Next to arrive was the delegation from the Twelve Tribes. The representative was a woman with white hair, sporting fox ears. She lowered her head and exclaimed.
“It’s an honor to meet you! I am Yubaek!”
“Yubaek?”
“Y-yes! I come from the Bear Tribe! But now, I handle various duties by Lady Yuyoung’s side!”
“I see. You’ve done well.”
“Yes!”
Only after receiving the Orcs did all the delegations finally arrive at Lionheart Fortress. Hans stuck out his tongue. Before catching up with the delegations, there was something he needed to do first.
*
“I never imagined you’d be waiting here.”
After letting all the delegations into the fortress, Hans tried to head to see the Lord, but it wasn’t necessary. The Dragon Lord was already waiting for him.
She—no, he leaned against the castle wall, waiting for Hans. Upon confirming Hans’s arrival, he detached himself from the wall. His gaze was icy.
“Shall we get straight to the conclusion? Why do you possess the Dragon Heart?”
Just speaking felt like thunder rumbling. An existence shaking heaven and earth. Facing such a dragon, Hans surprisingly spoke as calmly as he could.
“I obtained it by killing the Black Dragon Zairkan.”
“You killed Zairkan?”
“Yeah. He tried to seize the Orc’s territory for his nest. Plus, he was conspiring with the Demons.”
“Conspiring with Demons too? He?!”
The Dragon Lord shouted in genuine surprise, not knowing this information. Hans simply nodded slowly. Seeing Hans like this, the Dragon Lord felt a sense of admiration.
‘He remains remarkably composed in front of me. Is it the influence of the Dragon Heart? No… If he were under its influence, he wouldn’t be able to stay this calm in front of me.’
Before the Dragon Lord, who commanded all dragons, the Dragon Heart wouldn’t remain idle. Still, he remained calm. This meant this was his capacity.
Though he had heard that Hans was rebuilding the Royal Knights, he never expected him to be such a broad-minded man. Hans himself felt nothing though.
To put it simply, it was like a cow stumbling upon a rat. The higher the level, the more one can gauge the strength of the opponent. Conversely, when the level is low, one cannot even fathom the opponent’s power.
Of course, Hans had not remained stagnant. However, regardless of how much he’d grown, the disparity between him and the Dragon Lord was overwhelming, thus he felt nothing.
But how would the Lord know? After all, this was the guy who saved his daughter Yuren and rebuilt the Royal Knights, but in reality, he felt nothing at all.
“My apologies~ I’ve been on edge lately due to recent events. I ended up taking it out on you.”
“That part is true; you did kill your kind.”
“That’s true, but if you conspired with Demons, I have no further words.”
“Surprisingly, you welcomed that easily.”
“That’s a regrettable fact. Just recently, two of my comrades departed from us.”
“Two? Besides Zairkan, another dragon has died?”
The Lord nodded. Hans clicked his tongue. Now he understood why the Lord had reacted so sensitively. Apparently, he assumed Hans was responsible for the kill.
“But regardless, compensation for your rage is necessary. Is there anything you desire?”
“What exactly is the Dragon Heart?”
Hans couldn’t help but blurt out what had been gnawing at him. He wanted to know more about the Dragon Heart, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Yuren. So, he sought answers.
“The Dragon Heart? In simple terms, it is the soul of a dragon.”
“The soul of a dragon?”
“Correct. It engraves upon you like a soul, gradually transforming you. And one day, a time of choice will come.”
“A time of choice? What is it that I’ll have to choose?”
“Whether to remain human or become a dragon.”
He wondered why it would be that way, but the Lord wouldn’t divulge any further. It wouldn’t be fun if everything was revealed. And he mentioned that the remaining compensation would be paid in gold.
Curious about many things, Hans found it hard to refuse the money.
The Dragon Lord’s treasures were surely substantial.
