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Chapter 326

“What’s up? You seem to be in a really good mood lately.”

“Really?”

Nea opened the conversation noticing Yeon-woo’s cheerful demeanor, which had been brightening all day long.

Yeon-woo awkwardly tried to hide his smile with a cough, but his lips just wouldn’t stop curling up.

Of course, it was understandable; he had discovered a way to actively challenge the Demon King. Although he didn’t have the exact location of the Demon King’s lair yet, it was still worth celebrating.

‘Because the location of Saturday’s lair is narrowing down even now.’

Sure, other Demon Kings might be figured out at some point, but it was crucial to quickly find and eliminate Saturday.

Not only did Saturday frequently show up around here, but the impact of his existence on humanity was downright severe.

Just imagining it made waves of disgust and anger rise up, but currently, even the thought of that face made Yeon-woo want to laugh.

He couldn’t even picture what it looked like, but just thinking of that bewildered, crumpled face made him feel great.

“You’ve got a nasty look on your face. I know you’re happy, but try not to go around looking like that.”

“Wow, is it that bad?”

At Yeon-woo’s embarrassed voice, Nea glanced over at Shar. Yeon-woo’s gaze inadvertently shifted to Shar as well.

“Um… you probably don’t need to show it off!!”

“You understand?”

“I understand.”

Nea lifted her chin as if asserting dominance to Shar’s words. Well, Shar… though trying to soften the words with inner kindness, to Yeon-woo’s ears, it was interpreted as, ‘I’m glad it’s not my face you have to see!’

Oh boy… Is my internal translator too good? Honestly, it kind of hurt a little…?

Nea poked Yeon-woo’s side, who was feeling quite burnt out from Shar’s considerate remarks. Coughing was her way of signalizing that she had something to say.

“What’s going on? I’m currently dying of happiness here…”

“That polite speech.”

“Huh? Oh, do you want me to say ‘What can I do for you, Your Majesty…’?”

“Ah, no! It’s the opposite! Speaking politely all the time makes me uncomfortable… it feels like you’re drawing a line…”

“Ah-ha.”

Yeon-woo grasped the situation quickly in response to Nea’s whining. In an instant, he transformed from a white ash back to human form, his eyes rolling playfully.

In that brief moment, with a face full of mischief, Yeon-woo leaned in close to Nea’s ear and said in an unembellished tone, “Are you okay, sis?”

“Uh-huh!?”

Yeon-woo’s sudden whisper caused Nea to shiver in shock at his husky, boyish voice, untainted by the changes of his age.

Typically, he purposely adopted a slightly more mature tone, but he was still at an age that hadn’t gone through puberty yet.

Above all, since Yeon-woo often acted grown-up without much thought, it was easy to overlook that he hadn’t finished growing up yet.

He’d grow several centimeters between now and just before reaching adulthood, but for now, he was at a relatively short height in the mid-160s.

Thanks to that, compared to Nea’s adult female appearance, he appeared a bit shorter. That’s why he looked more like just a little brother to her, not a romantic interest.

“You, you you…!!”

“Is this enough? Are you okay, sis? Your face is all red.”

Yeon-woo’s cheerful smile left Nea in a daze as she stared at him.

Though she usually didn’t pay much attention to appearances, even Claire, the meticulous elf regarding looks, acknowledged Yeon-woo’s appeal. At that moment, he was well beyond a mere attractive boy, already qualifying as handsome.

Self-deprecatingly, he thought he had received just two gifts from his parents: his looks and the fact that they left him in such a wonderful orphanage.

“Wait, hold on, hold on…! Please stop!”

“What’s wrong, sis!!”

Had her piercing gaze been too much for him? Nea flailed her arms like a madwoman, desperately trying to hide her face. Min-ji, watching from across the room, cheerfully shouted out.

“Sister!! Is your brother a femme fatale!?”

“A femme fatale…? Where does that come from…?”

“I saw it on the internet!”

Claire, facepalming at Min-ji’s bold proclamation, thought, “Well, I guess it does seem a bit femme fatale-ish.”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh….”

Nea took a deep breath, clutching her chest. Yeon-woo chuckled at her antics. Was this really the same sister who’d been around for a thousand years?

“How cute.”

“Ah, ahhh…!!”

Observing the brother-sister exchange from a distance, Dang Sa-ryeon wore a disgusted expression.

*

After their break from the orphanage, Yeon-woo’s family returned to Harmony City. The makeup of the group seemed a bit changed yet quite the same, but there was one key difference.

“Enough with the surprises. Even for me, it’s my first time seeing a living dragon up close.”

With a thump, a small fist pressed down on Yeon-woo’s crown. The strength behind that tiny fist was enough to embed Yeon-woo into the floor.

“Hahaha.”

Stuck up to his ankles, Yeon-woo merely laughed and scratched his head at the remark. It hurt a bit, but it was just like being playfully pressed by a nun.

If he were expert-level, he might’ve been in real trouble, haha.

“W-welcome….”

“Welcome! I thought this could happen, but I never expected you’d introduce the exact same person twice. Our Harmony Academy welcomes you.”

“Thank you. Ah, you said you’re Yeon-woo’s master, right? What should I call you?”

“Call me whatever you like. Old man, master sword, whatever; I won’t mind much.”

“I understand. I shall address you as such then.”

“Haha, what’s to acknowledge? As long as those in the relationship are happy, that’s enough.”

Nea’s face flushed at Yu-ri’s old man-like statement. My, what a bashful dragon you are. What kind of grand thing did you hear to feel so shy?

“Yep! I’ve just sent a kiss!”

“You better be quiet.”

Yeon-woo’s body sank into the ground like a screw burrowing into a wall. Ouch, this is starting to hurt. What did I do to deserve this punishment for saying something normal?

“Well, I suppose we don’t need to reset any registered individuals. It’s probably best to maintain the status quo for a while. Unless you’d prefer otherwise, that is.”

“I think it’s fine as it is.”

“You shouldn’t be so polite; just speak frankly, sister.”

“I’m not being polite. I just want to follow the path my clone has taken while I adjust.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

If that’s the case, then Yeon-woo probably didn’t need to add anything else. Yu-ri raised an eyebrow at “sister,” but that didn’t bother him; he truly looked like a sibling.

“Then I’ll send letters in advance to the head of the Magic Tower and the mayor. Please understand if they show a little extra interest this time.”

“I understand.”

When Yu-ri was a clone, even as a dragon, he couldn’t bring out his full capabilities; thus, he had poured interest into people to prepare for when the real one emerged.

In other words, it was now time for them to get to work. Well, no matter what, it would still be a simple physical examination to see what a dragon was capable of.

The upper echelon of the Magic Tower typically avoids stirring up trouble with good judgment.

Meanwhile, Yu-ri, scribbling something on pristine white stationery with a quill, placed it onto a sort of printer beside him and pressed the seal down hard.

Once finished, the letter disappeared into mana. It was a magical tool used for urgent dispatches.

“Done. With this, there’s no issue, so please enjoy your time freely and happily afterward. Do you have any other matters?”

“Nope! Ah, any news from Noel?”

“I’ve heard whispers that he’s nearing the Demon King’s territory, but nothing concrete since then. I’ve told the others to keep a close eye on things, so it shouldn’t be a major concern.”

“Fast, huh… Got it. If anything comes up, make sure to let me know?”

Seeing Yu-ri nod silently, Yeon-woo and Nea left the Department Head’s Office.

Regardless of others’ situations, they should check in on Noel. After all, he was the only one in this world with whom they could share their burdens.

‘I feel like having a hero show up in the martial arts world would make things a lot easier.’

After all, they hadn’t heard news of a hero appearing before the regression either. Back then, it seemed like Noel had succumbed to the demonic plague, as they hadn’t heard a word about him.

Thinking back, it made sense that the Demon Kings had eradicated any seedlings of heroes beforehand.

“Sigh, I was really on edge….”

“Is there really a need to be on edge? It’s just a grandpa.”

“Sometimes I want to rip my hair out wondering how you can be so carefree. Yu-ri isn’t just a strong old man; he’s your master, right? How can you treat him so lightly?”

Is that really the case? Come to think of it, in the martial arts world, the term ‘master’ carries the nuance of a father figure, so he might even be akin to a father-in-law in that sense.

‘Since the stepmother is the nun… ew, marrying the master and the nun? The nun is too precious to waste on that kind of thing.’

It may sound like that, but they had no one else quite like her. At least, you’d want a couple that could stand up to each other in a spat, right? In that context, he was the perfect father figure.

But when did the concept of a marital spat become such a deadly term? It seemed like one needed to reach mastery to split even water with a blade. I guess it isn’t entirely wrong.

[Hello, can you hear me, junior?]

As Yeon-woo pondered over the overwhelming destructiveness of marital squabbles, a familiar voice echoed in his mind. It was Lucrecia, the Dragon Knight working with the Ice Palace in the North Sea.

[Ah, yes. I can hear you clearly. Communication is good. What’s the matter?]

[Well, I’m wrapping things up. I plan to head back soon. Just giving you a heads up since I get paid first.]

[Oh, did you find it?]

[Um, unfortunately, not quite. I don’t think it’s going to be in the North Sea.]

That was a bit disappointing, but you can’t have full satisfaction in one go. Although they had searched as per what they sensed, Lucrecia said she hadn’t found it yet, aside from some remaining areas.

[Still, since you’ve picked up some tips, it shouldn’t take too long. If by chance it’s over the sea, it’ll help to narrow down the possibilities.]

[Understood. Please contact me right before you depart.]

The sooner they wrapped it up, the better, but it’s true that just preventing the corpse war would save countless lives. Before the regression, there were four years until the period of the graveyard war.

If they launched a full-scale attack, the other side would prepare for all-out war too, so they couldn’t prevent the recurrence of the graveyard wars, but just accelerating the timing would reduce their strength by more than half.

“Ugh, looks like I’m going to be busy for a while.”

“…Don’t forget to play with me?”

At Yeon-woo’s murmured stretch, Nea’s eyes brightened. Where do you even find a big sister in her? She’s more like a little sister!

(To be continued in the next part)

 

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