69. After Rain Comes Fair Weather


    <strong>69. After Rain Comes Fair Weather</strong>


    The scenario quest disappeared from the sky as if it had never existed, and only the blue sky was visible.


    If Yong-yong wasn''t by my side right now, I might have thought it was a dream.


    "Kyuung."


    As I handed a magic stone to Yong-yong and was spending a peaceful time, I had an ominous feeling.


    Is this what they call a woman''s intuition...?


    No, surely not. What could possibly happen?


    However, I didn''t know at the time.


    That this was a cliché.


    *


    *


    *


    It was a gathering where all Frey Guild members were having a meal together after a long time.


    As I was filling my stomach with the steak Rea unni was cutting for me in the noisy atmosphere, Sasha unni spoke to me.


    Her beast-kin ears twitching.


    "Youngest! Have you heard the news? They say something appears every night these days?"


    "Huh? What appears?"


    "A dragon!"


    With those words, I choked and nearly died.


    And when I looked at Yong-yong in my arms, he was looking at me with an aggrieved expression.


    "It''s not you, right?"


    "Kyuuung!"


    He says it''s absolutely not him on his honor, but wait a minute. Why are you putting your honor on the line...?


    "It''s not Yong-yong! He''s shown himself to users several times, right? They say the dragon that appeared this time looks different."


    Then she showed me a YouTube video, and it really was a dragon.


    Yong-yong started throwing a fit after seeing that video.


    "Kyuuung!"


    He says this is disgracing dragons and if I give him one day, he''ll catch it and take responsibility, but it was hard to calm him down.


    After barely pacifying him with a magic stone, I checked the YouTube video, but something seemed off?


    "It looks a bit strange to be called a dragon."


    "Right? It looks more like a Western dragon."


    As I was pondering its appearance closer to a Western dragon than an Eastern one, a thought crossed my mind.


    Come to think of it, there was one dragon I didn''t know about?


    It''s definitely rted to the Dragon King, but I''m not sure of its identity.


    Thest time I met her was a year ago.


    Well, I''ll worry about it slowlyter, and just as I was about to put a piece of the steak piled high on my te into my mouth at that moment.


    ''Beeeeeep!!''


    An rm went off and chaos ensued.


    "Emergency situation! We ask that guests please evacuate safely!"


    After telling the clerk it was okay, I went outside the store and saw the form of a huge dragon in the sky.


    "It''s definitely not Yong-yong. He''s right beside me."


    "Kyuung!?"


    As I stroked Yong-yong who was looking at me with a dumbfounded expression, I stared at the dragon''s form, but something felt strange.


    It''s as if it''s asking for help?


    "It seems like it''s asking for help?"


    "Hmm? How do you know that?"


    "I''m not sure. I just feel it."


    I don''t know why, but I could just tell.


    I asked Yong-yong for help and flew up to the sky, slowly approaching, and saw the dragon in a serious condition.


    But is it just my imagination that it looks familiar?


    At that moment, our eyes met and it spoke to me.


    [Help me.]


    With those words, its transformation was undone and a woman with ck hair fell towards the ground, which I barely managed to save.


    Checking up close, it''s a face I''ve seen somewhere before.


    Ah, it''s the face I saw on the evaluation panel back then.


    She was naked, so I hurriedly took out a nket from my subspace to cover her body and opened a gate to return to the hideout. When I entered my office, Rang and Ran, the Silver Fox n twins, looked at me with surprised eyes.


    "You''re back already? No, more importantly, who is this?"


    "Is she a new member of the harem?"


    With those words, Ran, who now had a bump on her head, whined and was chased out by Rang, who then helped mey the woman on the bed.


    "She seems to be in bad condition, so please call a doctor."


    "Understood."


    With those words, she disappeared and after waiting a bit, a doctor arrived and started treatment.


    "I''ve treated all the wounds, but her magical power ispletely empty."


    I thought a dragon''s heart generated infinite magical power...?


    "It''s amazing she''s alive. It''s as if she died once and came back to life."


    "Kyuuung."


    With those words, Yong-yong remembered who she was and told me.


    He says the copsed woman is the Dragon King''s only daughter.


    The Dragon King had a daughter!?


    My head hurts from all this new informationing in at once.


    As I was sitting in the chair ced beside her, looking at the Dragon King''s unconscious daughter, her eyelids started to tremble?


    Then her eyes opened and she looked around nkly before meeting my gaze.


    "Hello?"


    "......"


    She didn''t say anything.


    But tears started to well up in her eyes and then she began to cry.


    I hurriedly took out a handkerchief from my subspace and wiped her tears, and a picturesque smile formed on her lips.


    "Yuna is always so kind, no matter when I see you."


    "But I only saw you for the first time on the evaluation panel?"


    "That''s right. You ran away before that, so I couldn''t even greet you."


    She finally introduced herself.


    She introduced herself as the Dragon King''s only daughter and sole survivor.


    Wait a minute. Sole survivor...?


    "What about Dragon King Ernia...?"


    "Mom is..."


    She couldn''t continue her words, and I don''t know what on earth happened during that time.


    After a long while, she seemed to have calmed down and started talking again. No, ''Arnia.''


    She said that when the Arcana continent integrated with Earth, Ernia, known as the guardian of the middle world, stood up against the enormous power but it was useless.


    She said her mother evacuated her but couldn''te along.


    "I want to believe she''s alive, but herst condition..."


    "......"


    What words can I offer here?


    There are none. I can only hug her tightly.


    After crying in my arms for a long while, she finally seemed to calm down and separated with a blushing face.


    "S-sorry..."


    "It''s okay. We''re supposed to help each other in tough times, right? And I have some good news."


    I took out an item from my subspace.


    ?Ne of the Dragon King?


    When equipped, greatly increases the summoned creature''s stats.


    A ne that the Dragon King Ernia received as aing-of-age gift.


    If Ernia discovers this ne, your rtionship will turn hostile and she will pursue you until she retrieves her ne.


    If you die to Ernia while wearing the ne, it will disappear and Ernia''s curse will decrease all your stats by 50%.


    When I put on the ne, it glowed red, which means she''s still alive.


    "How about it? Do you believe now?"


    Arnia, who had been silent for a long time, mumbled thanks and cried until she copsed from exhaustion. I covered her with a nket and left the room.


    As I nkly looked up at the sky, I wasn''t sure what existed behind all this, but one thing was certain.


    "Remember what Judge Nia said before? That there''s a being called the Beginning?"


    "Kyuung."


    The root of all troubles.


    I can''t understand what they''re thinking.


    How could we know when they''ve never revealed themselves until now?


    But one thing is certain.


    That they''re my enemy.


    "You dare make my friend cry? I won''t let this slide."


    "Kyuuung!"


    Then first we need to investigate this being called the Beginning, but Judge Nia doesn''t seem to have crossed over yet as she''s nowhere to be seen.


    Who on earth should I ask in this situation?


    Would the World Tree know?


    As the life form that''s been in the middle world the longest, it might know something.


    "I need to go to the Arcana continent."


    "Kyuung!"


    Yong-yong created a gate right in front of me.


    As I passed through the gate, I saw a lush forest - it''s the forest where the Forest n lives.


    And in the distance, I could see the huge World Tree, so I headed in that direction when I heard a voice.


    "Stop! If you take one more step, I won''t let you off!"


    When I looked in the direction of the voice, I saw an elf aiming an arrow at me from up in a tree. It was Mellin unni.


    "Mellin unni!"


    "Oh? Yuna!? What brings you here in the middle of the night!?"


    "I have some business with the World Tree!"


    She lowered her bow and weed me, saying she''d guide me to the World Tree.


    As we headed towards the World Tree, talking about what had happened in the meantime.


    In the dark night sky, beings shining like mes appeared.


    Two of them, at that.


    "What are those!?"


    "Ah, they''re the phoenixes that have been appearingtely."


    They flew towards us in the middle of the forest, pping their huge ming wings, but strangely, nothing caught fire even when touched by the mes.


    The two phoenixes greeted us like that.


    "Peep!"


    "Peep! Peep!"


    The two phoenixes were crying like chicks.


    Wait a minute, chicks...? I feel like I''ve seen this somewhere before, but my memory is hazy.


    Surely it''s the chicks that protected me from the suspicious cult... no, demons when I first visited the Forest n!?


    "The chicks from back then!?"