Moreover, wasn’t it clearly written that it was a dangerous creature designated by the nation? Jerian had said so. Dragons probably hadn’t gone completely extinct, but the remaining Dragon Tribe would be living quietly without revealing themselves due to their original nature.
From a human standpoint, there was no reason for the Knights to voluntarily provoke the Dragon Tribe that was staying docile. Then this meant it was an existence that the Knights absolutely had to capture.
“But they said that dragon was subjugated and killed by the protagonist…”
Just then, the door burst open.
“Naro, I caught a lot of prey today.”
Ray entered the house carrying prey on his shoulder. Naro bit his lip hard and dry-washed his face.
“Naro, look. I caught a big one.”
“Ah, yeah. Seems like it…”
“You’re not praising me today? What are you looking at instead of me?”
Ray slowly approached Naro’s side with a somewhat dissatisfied face.
“A picture?”
“…”
“But Naro, how fascinating. This looks very much like my egg. Did you draw it yourself?”
How could it just look similar? Naro wanted to tell him that this was definitely his egg. But he couldn’t.
Naro stared intently at Ray. The information from the original work, the picture before his eyes. When he pieced all of this together, there was only one implication.
He might have to accept it now.
“Naro, why are you looking at me like that?”
The dragon that attacked the Empire’s capital dozens of years ago and was subjugated, the mastermind of the original work. The fact that it might be Ray.
Naro flipped over the wanted poster so Ray couldn’t see it in detail. At that moment, Ray’s eyes, which had been looking at Naro, narrowed slightly.
“It’s nothing.”
For now, it seemed better to keep this fact from Ray. If he suddenly told Ray, who had no memories, that you’re the dragon who did such things in the past, he would obviously be confused.
“Ray, let’s hurry and eat lunch.”
“Okay.”
Naro forced a smile.
* * *
“Here, Naro-ya, have some cookies too.”
“Thank you, Ahjumma.”
Naro visited Garnet’s house with Ray today. At Garnet’s words to come over for lunch, Naro had accepted without looking back.
“Now that I think about it, what did I say earlier? Ah, that wanted poster, right?”
“Yes.”
Garnet had occasionally invited Naro to make him lunch. Naro also accepted the invitations unless there was something going on, but today he had a different purpose.
Garnet took a sip of the tea Eila had served and nodded.
“A member of the Imperial Knights came a few days ago. He said there was an official document to be distributed throughout the Empire and asked for cooperation.”
As village chief, Garnet then received the wanted poster from the knight and said he faithfully distributed that wanted poster in the plaza since it was almost forcibly ordered by the nation.
“I was quite surprised that the Knights came even to this small village.”
The Imperial Knights. A group gathered with the mission to protect the heart of the Empire—the Imperial Palace—and the Empire’s citizens. People casually called them the Imperial Knights for convenience, but the actual name was the ‘Erwin Magic Knights.’
In this world, the concept of magic studies existed, and there were also real magicians who handled strong magical energy and possessed power that ordinary people could never have. And the place where such talented magicians longed for and gathered was precisely the Erwin Magic Knights.
In the Erwin Empire, the Knights’ reputation was very high. They had a strong image of protecting the nation and actually had the power to achieve it, so they received not only the respect of the Empire’s citizens but also the trust of the Imperial Palace.
Actually, until Naro heard Garnet’s words, he had hoped this might be someone’s prank. But as expected, such an absurd possibility didn’t exist from the start. He’d heard from Garnet’s own mouth that he’d received the wanted poster directly from a knight.
“Um, did the Knights say anything else when they gave you the wanted poster?”
“Hmm, no. I did ask what happened at least, but they said the related information was classified so they couldn’t tell me anything.”
Naro barely swallowed the sigh that was about to escape. If he showed a troubled appearance now, there was a high possibility Garnet would notice and ask what was wrong.
He couldn’t answer that question by saying the egg on that wanted poster is actually Ray.
Naro unconsciously turned his head. In the living room, Ray was playing with Garnet’s daughter Nepi. Nepi’s giggling laughter didn’t stop, showing how excited she was. Ray had been continuously playing with the child since finishing lunch, but there was no sign of annoyance on his face at all.
“Nepi, Ray oppa is tired, so let’s stop now.”
“I’m fine. Playing with this small human is quite enjoyable.”
Eila tried to stop them, but Ray shook his head. Watching the two play together, Eila swallowed a pleased smile.
Naro stared at Ray like that. Could that being who was enjoying playing with a child really be the dragon that attacked the Empire 25 years ago? He couldn’t believe it at all.
When Ray had just humanized not long ago, he’d once shown strong hostility after misunderstanding Garnet trying to touch his head. But after that, Ray started studying, saying he needed to learn more about humans. Ray’s notebook was full of traces of study, and even now after adapting to some extent, he hadn’t let go of studying.
While saying things like humans are difficult, humans are complicated, he didn’t neglect his efforts to understand humans.
During the incident related to Anton, Ray did show a side different from usual, but ultimately didn’t kill any humans. With Ray’s power, he could have easily taken lives and more, but he restrained himself from killing by his own will.
Could such a Ray have attacked a human settlement dozens of years ago for no reason, just because of problems arising from differences between species?
Just then, as if sensing Naro’s gaze, Ray raised his head. When their eyes met, he tilted his head.
Ray had mentioned a ‘previous life.’ Then it meant that in the past he attacked the Empire but ultimately wasn’t killed after being subjugated and returned to an egg state for some reason. He hatched from the egg, lost part of his power and all his memories, was in that cave, and was picked up by me.
“Ahjussi.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think one’s innate disposition can change easily?”
Garnet tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand why Naro was suddenly asking such a thing.
“Well. That’s quite a philosophical question. Hmm… But I think one’s innate disposition doesn’t change easily.”
“I think so too.”
Naro had seen in Ray a desire to change, curiosity, and an aspect of trying to get along with humans albeit clumsily. He didn’t think that was simply his disposition completely flipped due to the influence of losing memories and being reborn.
Naro had also experienced death once in his previous life. And even though he’d started a new life here, he was living in a way that hadn’t changed at all from then. So Naro wanted to believe more in the aspects of Ray he’d seen. No, he believed them.
“We’ll be going now. Thank you for the hospitality.”
“Alright, come eat again next time.”
Leaving behind Garnet’s farewell, Naro headed home with Ray.
“Ray.”
“Yeah.”
“No matter what happens, I’m on your side.”
Ray slowly turned his head. Naro’s face was no different from usual, but somehow he looked refreshed and also seemed to have firmly resolved something.
“You know that, right?”
Of course, it wasn’t like he had no anxiety at all. But that wasn’t a reason to give up on his trust in Ray, the relationship they’d built up.
Even at Naro’s question, Ray was quiet. Normally he would have said something like ‘Yeah, I’m on Naro’s side too,’ but somehow it was strange.
“Ray…”
Just then, Ray slowly reached out his hand, lifted Naro’s hair, and kissed his straight forehead. The sound of a smack echoed pleasantly. Naro was dazed for a moment.
Ray wasn’t usually lacking in skinship, but this time was different somehow. It was much more ticklish and his heart beat irregularly. Above all, the corners of Ray’s mouth curved upward in an arc. Ray was smiling. Facing Ray with a subtle smile on his lips that was different in texture from the smiles he’d seen before made him feel even more embarrassed.
“Naro, let’s go home.”
“Ah, okay.”
Naro fiddled with his bangs for no reason and returned home with Ray. But he saw a single figure standing in front of the house. At first he didn’t recognize who it was, but when he got closer, it was Jerian.
“Ah, Naro-ssi, Ray-ssi!”
Jerian waved his hand happily toward the two as if he’d been waiting.
“Seonsaengnim, what brings you here? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
As a pharmacy owner, Naro habitually asked visitors like this if they were feeling unwell somewhere.
“No. I just wanted to have tea with you two. It seemed you weren’t home so I was about to leave, but I’m glad we ran into each other. I brought good dessert from the capital—do you have time? I also have something to tell you.”
“Then please come in.”
