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Chapter Text

Slap!

Cale's eyes widened in surprise as his father slapped his hand away.

The room fell silent and the servants stiffened. Not even the head butler moved from his post.

Deruth Henituse ran off in the direction of the estate's exit. Everyone else remained frozen in their positions.

Cale cradled his hand against his chest.

"Carry on with your activities."

After a hurried bow, the servants and guards in the room filed out in orderly rows. Only Ron, the butler, remained behind.

"Young master, allow me to check your hand."

Cale shook his head but held out his hand anyway, palm up.

He just wanted to comfort his father, where did he go wrong?

Ron's gloved hand was placed under his.

"Does it hurt?"

Ron asked as he saw the redness that had formed on his palm right where Deruth had struck earlier.

"It doesn't hurt."

It stung and tingled, but it didn't hurt. At least not physically.

Ron confirmed that his hand was fine and let him cradle it against his chest once more.

"Young master, the guests."

Cale's mouth was twisted.

"I'll go see them off."

If he wasn't mistaken, there should only be a few people left from the family branch.

"Don't make things difficult for your father."

"Seeing your hair surely affected him."

"Yes, it's red anyway. Just like hers."

What did it matter what color his hair was? Was it his fault that it was the same color as his mother's? Did that mean he could no longer talk to his father without him seeing his late wife instead of his son?

That was silly, wasn't it?

"Young master, the Count has left the estate."

Maybe it wasn't foolish after all.

"Hmm, well. You may retire."

"Yes, young master."

"What are you doing?"

Cale Henituse asked the servants as he watched them remove his mother's things from the shared room she had with his father.

The deputy butler who was supervising touched his nose awkwardly and replied.

"The master has sent a letter requesting that we move the late lady's things to another part of the estate."

His hands clenched in the fabric of his pants for a moment, then he relaxed his hands and nodded.

"Did he say they had to put them in a specific place?"

"He didn't."

Cale thought about a lot of things at that moment. Since his father was making an effort to get rid of the red, he shouldn't make it more difficult for him.

"Ron."

"Yes, young master?"

"... ha. Move my things to the west wing, arrange the best room for me and have my mother's things placed in another room."

"Understood."

Since it was his father's order, he would remove all the things that belonged to his mother from his sight, including himself.

It was cold in the west wing.

Ever since his mother died, it was always cold.

Cale didn't like the cold.

He left the estate and made his way to his mother's grave. The headstone still had remnants of the floral arrangements that were presented at her funeral, there were also traces of wax from the candles offered.

Cale wanted to go and sit by the headstone, but he was not strong enough to face his mother at this time. Like his father, he turned his back on all the red and instead sat by a sturdy tree that stood near the perimeter of the lord's grounds.

There was no one here.

"...hic."

The seven-year-old child's body huddled pitifully against the tree trunk, thick, pearly tears streaming down his smooth cheeks like two rows of spring water.

Even so, the child let out nothing but little hiccups and occasional sighs. His body seemed to avoid making any further movements or sounds that were unnecessary.

An inexplicable wind current shook the leaves of the tree as drops of saltwater hit one of the tree's roots sticking out of the ground.

The wind current was not perceptible to anyone.

"Wuuuuuuuu, I've never seen such a pitiful child."

"Mm."

"I'm serious! World Tree-nim, tell them it's true! Waaahhh—hic!"

"It's true."

"World Tree-nim, don't indulge it."

The Elementals gathered around the World Tree looked speechlessly at this Wind Elemental who was crying pathetically to the side.

This fool had really come all the way from who knows where just to come crying to the World Tree about a child who was sad and crying somewhere else.

Worst of all, the wise World Tree seemed to be enjoying himself, even though he seemed to be inwardly worried.

It was strange.

The World Tree was pensive. After hearing the cry of this cute Elemental who was only born fifty years ago, it was curious about the child.

But it found that it couldn't see much of his future.

It had been having problems with visualizing the future recently, but they were exceptional cases for the most part.

The child did not possess any Ancient Powers, but could not see the future other than some residual, blurry images.

For example, could see many images of the child crying alone in a room, of different ages, but nothing else.

Probing the future of the people on the estate, saw a brown-haired family sharing meals in the dining room, but rarely saw a glimpse of the other child.

What was blocking its power?

The World Tree couldn't think of anything, so it said to the Weeping Elemental.

"Why don't you tell the rude boy? You like him, don't you?"

The Wind Elemental glowed with energy.

"Right! Thank you so much for the advice, World Tree-nim! I'll come to visit you soon!"

"Travel carefully."

Like a semi-transparent white ball, the Elemental was gone.

The World Tree had to wait for the coming news.

"HEY! GREY DRAGON! I'M TALKING TO YOU! AHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Shit! Shut the fuck up and let me sleep in peace!"

"..."

"... ha."

"GOOD MORNING! I have something to tell you! You see, it all started when..."

"Arghh!"

Rasheel was very, very, extremely annoyed.

There was an Elemental that kept screaming in his ear.

He could ignore it with sound-canceling magic covering his ears, but the fucking Elemental had decided to blow the blankets off him with an icy wind.

Then he had no choice but to listen to the Wind Elemental ranting as he drank a cup of tea in an attempt to calm his anger.

Crash!

The cup in his hand shattered from the force of his grip.

"You woke me up over a silly thing! I thought the world would end because of your pig-in-slaughterhouse screams!"

"It's important! The World Tree told me to come with you!"

"You see me as stupid?! The World Tree isn't going to tell you something like that!"

"He did! And you look stupid! You haven't shaved your beard!"

Rasheel, bathed, shaved, and well-groomed, cast a teleportation spell with a frown.

He had been sleeping so comfortably that he couldn't help but give one last sad look at his padded nest. But no, now he had to go see why the fuck this Elemental was so squeaky.

The World Tree actually asked him to come along!

So he ended up in the corner of a rock-strewn kingdom in a territory that specialized in marble and wine.

His life was very unfortunate.

Rasheel followed the Wind Elemental. He couldn't see it, but he could hear it and the air current was guiding him.

"Don't scare him."

"You've told me that many times before."

He couldn't help but roll his eyes, were they going to face a frightened beast or something?

From what he could gather from the Elemental, they were coming to find a human.

That was the only thing he understood from the Elemental's crying and screaming mess.

Also that the human was crying.

Rasheel would rather be sleeping in the glory of his lair. Why should he come to see this weak human?

Rasheel was going to break his legs for causing them to disturb his sleep.

That was the plan.

It was.

Then he saw the child (CHILD) who was alone in a large, luxurious room.

They woke him up because of a crying brat!

Call the child's mother to take care of the problem!

The Wind Elemental must have sensed his silent rage, for it was quick to say.

"The child's mother has already died."

"And the father?"

"He left the estate on vacation."

It was all bullshit then.

"And what do you want me to do?"

Rasheel regretted his question as a rush of wind hit his side hard.

"Steal it!"

"I'm not going to steal a child."

"...Then, umm, comfort him!"

Rasheel wanted to return to his lair to sleep.

The Elemental had found the wrong person for the job.

How did he want him—a great and powerful Dragon—to comfort a weak child?

Stealing the child was easier, but he dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared. He wasn't going to get himself into any more trouble than necessary.

Rasheel entered the child's room through the window. He looked at the soft bed in the center of the room longingly before turning to look at the child emerging from the closet wearing pajamas.

The child looked into his eyes, his reddish-brown pupils serious. Then he lowered his head and his shoulders shook.

Rasheel would have thought it was because he feared his great Dragon aura, but he heard a strange snort that made him look at the child more closely.

Indeed, the child was laughing at him.

"You! How dare you laugh!"

The child shook his head and his blood-red hair fluttered.

"I'm not laughing."

When he looked up, the child had a serious look on his face again. Rasheel looked him straight in the eye.

Why wasn't this child shaking with fear?

"It's your hair!"

The Elemental's shout made him frown. He didn't understand what was so funny about his haircut, it flattered his figure.

"Who are you? Why are you in my room? Are you a pervert?"

"What! Of course not! I'm big and powerful!"

How could he be him, a pervert?!

Rasheel didn't forget to put on soundproofing magic before shouting.

"My name is Rasheel. I don't know why I'm here when I should be sleeping. Oh, wait, actually I do know why I'm here. Someone annoyed told me you were sad, and that's it."

The look the boy was giving him was the same look he gave the Elemental a few moments ago.

The Wind Elemental was making circles in the air, Rasheel could see the child's locks of hair moving.

The child also checked to see if the windows were open when he felt this strange wind surrounding him.

Then the child could not see the Elementals. Rasheel had expected it to be an Elementalist considering that, in addition to the weeping Wind Elemental, other Elementals were crowding nearby.

At the fire in the fireplace, there was also a Fire Elemental who was warming the room because he heard the child say he didn't like the cold.

The Elementals considered the child pleasant, but he could not see or hear them.

The child looked at the door out of the corner of his eye. Rasheel could feel the aura of an experienced assassin outside. Well, at least the child wasn't like those naive brats he had seen on his visits to human places.

Rasheel cupped the child's chin with his hand. The child's hands gripped his wrist and he tried to pull free when Rasheel's fingers tightened on his cheeks.

The wind in the room hit Rasheel's side and the fire in the fireplace crackled.

The vertical pupil narrowed. The child was not trying to scream, nor was he crying, but Rasheel could see a slight tremor in the reddish-brown pupils.

After teasing the child, Rasheel released him, watching with a grimace as purple finger-like spots formed on the child's pale cheeks.

He had either used too much force, or the child was weaker than he expected.

Pulling a healing potion from his space dimension, he sprayed it on the child's face.

The child, his hair dripping and his breath hitching, looked up at him with a scowl and angry eyes. Rasheel said to the boy.

"Nature likes you."

Rasheel, who had been ignoring the Elementals voice, finally heard them.

"AHHHHHHHH! YOU SH*TTY BASTARD—!"

The Wind Elemental wasn't saying anything interesting, what was the Fire Elemental saying?

"You suck at your job, you should let me incinerate you."

Nothing useful.

Rasheel looked at the child who was watching in amazement as his wounds healed in a small mirror.

He wanted to return to his lair, but the Elementals would continue to bother him if he didn't 'comfort' this child.

"Hey, do you want to go to a Dragon's Lair?"

Chapter Text

Rasheel was getting bored.

The boy didn't want to go because 'his father wasn't home' and 'it's dangerous to leave the county unsupervised'.

Child, if it were dangerous, your father wouldn't have left so easily.

So Rasheel didn't know how to convince the child to go with him. The Elementals also kept pestering him to steal him.

Then the child came and told him to beat the Knight Brigades as training.

Since he was the only source of entertainment here, Rasheel hid his vertical pupils and swatted those weak flies for the next few months. Not even the old assassin elder and that old man's son were spared. All of them were hit correctly and all of them were made stronger by blows.

Rasheel had also gotten stronger by hitting things when he got bored of using magic to fight. It was better to hit things with his fists.

No one questioned Rasheel's appearance because the child said it was okay for him to be there. And Rasheel wouldn't have stayed so long if the child hadn't given him a room with a big bed and cushioned pillows.

It was better to miss his nest in a comfortable bed than to miss his nest sleeping on a tree branch.

The Elementals kept following the child. Rasheel explained to him that those unexplained drafts, the sudden heat, the flower buds in his path, among other strange things, were caused by those Elementals looking at him as an adorable kitten.

The child still couldn't hear or see the Elementals, but at least he knew he wasn't alone.

"Do you want to go to a Dragon's Lair?"

Rasheel asked again as the old assassin elder came to report that the Count was getting married in two weeks and was bringing a new child added to the mix.

"I'm not going to break the news."

Well, Rasheel could take care of that.

The Count returned to the estate a week after the news of his wedding was delivered. The new family had been accommodated in a few rooms on the estate without much fanfare.

The next day, the child was called to get acquainted with the new members that would make up the family before everything was official.

Rasheel decided to take advantage of this opportunity and walked beside the child to the gardens of the estate.

He had already grown bored of being in this place when he could be sleeping.

The middle-aged man was fairly average. Rasheel alternated his gaze between the man's sun-tanned face and the child's white little face. They looked almost nothing alike!

This child—though never as handsome as Rasheel—was quite cute and looked like a milk cat. Even the Elementals found him pleasant! But the man was... there was nothing nice about him!

Rasheel glanced superficially at the woman and the child. The woman was pregnant. It wasn't noticeable, but Rasheel and the Elementals noticed. That new child would be strong, it already had a good amount of aura even when it should be starting to develop nicely.

"Excuse me, are you...?"

The child's father, what was his name? Bah, what does it matter. The useless man, he asked hesitantly and cautiously. Rasheel straightened his chest and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Who are you to casually ask my name? But listen to me carefully, because I'm about to say something important."

The useless man closed his mouth.

"I'm going to take your son away."

"What! You can't do that!"

At the man's outburst, Rasheel folded his arms.

"I can, you want me to do it now?"

The man, who had stood up overturning the chair, clenched his jaw.

Rasheel had let out a bit of his aura just to scare him. But he only focused on the man, because he didn't want something to happen to the pregnant woman by accident. He had manners, thank you very much.

"The child can visit them if he so desires in the future, but he's leaving with me."

"For what reason?"

The woman asked as she saw that her future husband was still frozen in place while a guy claimed he was taking the young master of the family.

Rasheel waved his hand in annoyance.

"Nature likes it."

No one understood what he meant by that, but Rasheel didn't plan to explain either. So he looked at the child, who had been clutching his pants as he watched silently, and asked.

"Do you agree?"

The child looked at his useless father, then looked at the new family before his reddish-brown eyes returned to his father.

"I'm going to leave. It's safe."

It looked like the man wanted to talk, but Rasheel had already become bored and simply let his round pupils return to their vertical shape.

His vertical pupils met the man's brown pupils.

"Nothing is safer than a Dragon's Lair."

The inscriptions on the portal glowed and the light enveloped them. The two disappeared from that estate and when the child opened his eyes, they were in his glorious lair.

"I'm going to sleep now. Play with the Elementals or something. I'll wake up in a few years."

Rasheel, who had already done his part in stealing the child, yawned wearily and crawled into bed after changing into pajamas.

He had to make up for his lost hours of sleep.

Cale Henituse looked around the room. The whole place was decorated in different shades of gray and white. As plain as the owner of the lair.

A draft blew past him and Cale pulled out a box of sand and a tray. He placed some of the red-colored sand on the wooden tray and watched as the wind created patterns in the sand.

He had come up with this way of communicating with the Wind Elemental when Rasheel complained about how annoying and whiny it was.

The Wind Elemental couldn't pick up a pen to write, but it was able to draw patterns and words in the sand, so this was the best way for them to communicate.

Cale could see what was supposed to be the sleeping Rasheel figure. Then he saw a magic scroll.

He looked up and saw many such scrolls on a shelf. The wind tossed one of those scrolls, one that had a crude drawing of a tree on the seal.

A series of jumbled words appeared in the sand.

'Tear it up! See you on the other side!'

Cale did not doubt this Elemental and tore the scroll.

When he opened his eyes, many curious eyes were watching him, and many semi-transparent bodies floating around him.

Cale shuddered.

The Elemental brought him to visit the World Tree.

Cale would never trust the Elemental again after this. He didn't even pick up a magic scroll to return to Rasheel's lair.

Still, he kept walking until he reached the completely normal tree that gave life to the Elemental and was the pride of the Elves of the Lake of Despair.

The Tree only talked to him a little about trivial matters, Cale felt like he was talking to a granny.

When he told him he had no way to return, the Tree told him to stay with the Elves, they could teach him many things and take him to visit the Paerun Kingdom if he wanted.

He really had no choice, so he accepted.

Rasheel was going to be very angry about this.

As it turned out, he arrived just as a new priestess had just taken office. The little priestess looked at him curiously as he came out of his talk with the World Tree.

"My name is Adite, the Priestess. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Cale Henituse. Pleased to meet you."

Cale didn't have much to say, but the Priestess, as well as many Elves behind her, were still watching him intently.

"What's wrong?"

It was awkward being the center of attention when all he wanted was to be at peace.

"Oh! Sorry, it's just that no human has been able to talk to the World Tree in a long time. We're not used to seeing humans. And the Elementals are surrounding you."

Indeed, there were many semi-transparent figures nearby. Three figures were the closest to Cale. One was the weeping Wind Elemental. The other two were a self-controlled Fire Elemental and a shy Wood Elemental.

Those three had been following Cale for several months.

Adite was listening to the elementals' chatter about how cute and soft this kid with the blank face looked.

The kid couldn't hear the elementals, but they were still following him.

Too bad he wasn't an Elementalist.

Adite had heard that there was an Elf from one of the villages with the branches of the World Tree who couldn't see or hear the Elementals, that Elf seemed to have become a healer. The Elves were arrogant, so they never tried to seek outside help besides going to a Dragon.

If the chief of that village had brought the Elf, they could have helped him.

Adite showed one of the houses made out of tree trunks to the kid and left him there to acclimate.

The Elementals would take care of the kid while she searched for the artifact she was thinking of.

Cale couldn't believe that the Elves wouldn't eat a bit of meat - even the vegetables were boiled without salt!

Cale thought about the bag full of money in his pocket and then looked at the map the Wind Elemental drew for him in the sand.

He wanted to eat something decent.

He had already spent a week eating bland meals. He wasn't an ascetic monk or anything. He wasn't going to survive on vegetables alone.

Priestess Adite asked the World Tree if it was okay to lend the elemental listening artifact to the kid. This artifact was a small earring that allowed the wearer to hear and see elementals even if they were not Elves or Elementalists. He couldn't make a contract with any of them, but it was something.

The World Tree said yes, it also said an ancient Dragon was coming to visit soon.

So Adite just handed the artifact to the kid and nodded absently when the kid said something about taking a walk around.

She was to prepare for the arrival of the esteemed guest!

Cale Henituse looked at the earring in his hand.

His mother had put earrings in it once when he had fussed a whole afternoon because he wanted to wear earrings just like her. So he easily slipped the silver earring into his ear. It was small, just a little silver circle that glittered in his ear.

As soon as he did, he heard a shout.

"Hello! I'm the Wind Elemental! I can finally talk to you properly! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!"

What a screamer, Rasheel was right.

"I'll keep you warm."

"I... hic."

The Wood Elemental was timider now that Cale could see it.

The three Elementals were just semi-transparent balls at the moment.

Since he could communicate with them, the Elementals searched for information and found that a group of Elves would be leaving the village to go get supplies for a guest who would be arriving soon.

Cale went with them. The Elves had no trouble and the Elementals were still circling around them.

It was when the strong wind hit his face that he remembered not to trust the Elementals too much.

Fortunately, the wind didn't affect the Elves, they covered the blizzard until they were out of the Valley of Despair.

Cale would not question whether it was right to leave a child alone in unfamiliar territory. He couldn't question it now that he had crossed the border and arrived in the Paerun Kingdom.

It was a good thing his mother had taught him the basics of the languages of all the kingdoms on the continent. Just in case, she had said.

Cale bought a chicken kebab as soon as he saw a street stall in what appeared to be this city's market. The taste of the meat was welcomed by his sense of taste.

The trio of Elementals was chatting.

"Let's go sightseeing!"

"It's cold! Some of us are making an effort here!"

"Hmm, sightseeing sounds good."

Cale also thought sightseeing was fine.

He didn't need to do anything else anyway.

Adite received the esteemed Golden Dragon a week later.

The Elves in the village lost themselves and began to praise the Dragon. Adite would be in the same situation if she hadn't tempered her character to be a priestess.

Ignoring the feeling that she was forgetting something important, Adite led the esteemed Dragon towards the World Tree.

Unlike other dragons, this Golden Dragon seemed to be friendly and approachable, which added to its natural charms.

The kindly Dragon-nim spoke to the World Tree while Adite stood waiting off to the side.

Then the Dragon looked at her and said.

"The World Tree is asking about the child."

Adite's mush brain, which had been hectic from dealing with Dragon's welcome for the past week, took half a minute to process.

"He... he should be in one of the houses inside the village."

The Dragon shook his head.

"Says he's not."

Just as Adite was about to remember the last words the kid said to her, a rumbling came from outside.

"Where the hell is the child?!"

The Golden Dragon, who had nothing to do with this matter, could only place a shield around the priestess before stone debris shook the place.

'Ah, I should have stayed in my lair in the first place.'

That was the thought that hovered in the minds of the two Dragons.

Chapter Text

Rasheel awoke from his comfortable sleep because the feeling that something was wrong kept haunting his mind.

When he awoke, everything in his lair was still in its place. Rasheel, his brain addled from sleep, couldn't figure out what was wrong until memories of recent events quickly assaulted his head.

The child was gone.

The Elementals following him were gone too.

Ah, Rasheel had forgotten to attach a tracking device to the child!

Jumping out of bed with such force that he became dizzy, Rasheel wielded his mana to inspect the lair.

The remnants of a teleportation spell still hovered if he checked thoroughly.

If it was the Elementals... then they should have gone to the World Tree.

Rasheel looked at his bed sadly.

Finally! He had finally been able to sleep! And now he had to go find that child!

Rasheel had left everything well stocked so that the child wouldn't starve and wouldn't need anything, he had even reinforced the barriers and had placed spells that would alert him if the child went outside the safe boundaries. But no! The child was gone! With one of his teleportation scrolls!

Reluctantly changing his clothes, Rasheel teleported to the Valley of Despair.

He had only met the World Tree once, now he regretted turning down that token the tree offered him. Placing a shield around him, he crossed the Lake of Despair. The strong winds blew and crashed against the shield, emitting a strange sizzling sound.

When he reached the Elves' Village, he asked for the child but received only astonished looks and trembling bows. The Elves were so useless when he needed them. It was the Elementals who said that the child had left a week ago because he wanted to eat meat.

Rasheel couldn't help but get angry and lash out.

He knew those Elementals following the child were trouble! He shouldn't have left them unsupervised!

They had taken away his sleep again!

Rasheel stood rigidly at his post.

In his anger, he hadn't noticed the strong aura standing next to the World Tree.

The Golden Dragon, which seemed to be extremely strong, bound him with mana restriction ropes. That Dragon was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You took a human as your child?"

"I didn't. I only borrowed him from his family because the Elementals were bothering."

"You... can you hear the voice of the Elementals?"

"Unfortunately."

The Golden Dragon was still looking at him like he was a funny guy, Rasheel looked at the priestess instead. She started to rant as soon as he did.

"I'm so sorry, I was distracted and didn't pay attention to the kid, I already sent some uncontracted Elementals to look for them and some Elves! Don't worry!"

He wasn't worried. He was just upset because the child was very weak and small and something could happen to him without his supervision. What if someone hurt him? How would the child defend himself?

Rasheel looked at the Golden Dragon and said petulantly.

"Let me go."

The Golden Dragon, still with one hand resting on the trunk of the World Tree, waited a few moments before saying.

"The World Tree says to look for the festival."

Fuck that old tree and its riddles! Rasheel didn't have time for that!

The Golden Dragon laughed at his annoyed look.

"Kid, you're so impatient."

"I'm not a kid!"

"No?"

The Golden Dragon seemed to be amused, then his expression turned expressionless and he turned to look at the tree.

"... I don't want to."

A few hours later, Rasheel and the Golden Dragon who went by the name of Eruhaben, were in Bago City with hoods on. Eruhaben had refused to change his elven form to something more human, and Rasheel had no desire to change.

Rasheel also talked to the World Tree. Apparently, he thought it was fun to send them together to search for the child. He said that Rasheel's tactlessness complemented well Eruhaben's gentle demeanor and they would make a good team for the search for the child.

It was no fun.

The other Dragon was scary. Rasheel had faced many dragons throughout his life, but none of them had an aura as heavy as this Golden Dragon.

For that reason alone, Rasheel didn't complain. The other one didn't seem too happy to join him either. That's what he gets for teasing. Karma.

"What does the kid we're looking for look like?"

Rasheel stopped playing with the toe of his shoe in the snow and looked at the Golden Dragon.

"He's about eight, no, I think he's nine now. Red hair, reddish-brown eyes, weak as a rat. There's always a draft around him, inexplicable warmth, and flowers bloom when he's around."

"That's... That's a very particular description."

"He's a strange child."

They continued walking through the streets of Bago City, paying attention to all the children running through the streets to find the right one.

Rasheel wondered if he should teach the child to use mana, it would be easier to find him by following the mana.

A voice shouted in his ear as he was thinking about it.

"Grey Dragon! The kid is in the north of the city!"

Then came another voice.

"They're looking at him like he's an angel or something! It's because the flowers won't stop blooming around him! Even though it's winter!"

That child was a source of trouble. Elementals were the water in that source.

"The white-haired boy is crazy, he says that kid will be the hope of Paerun. 'The God is sending his people, this must be a sign.' That's what he said."

"The kid is just eating a pancake!"

Rasheel pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to the Golden Dragon.

"He's in the Lake of God's Tears."

As the Elementals said, the child was eating a pancake while sitting on a white divan covered with skins of different animals. The child also had a cape with fox fur over his good-quality clothes.

A small current of wind kept away those who tried to get too close, the inexplicable warmth had melted the snow around the divan and flowers were blooming in the arid earth.

The warm and lively atmosphere attracted the attention of the beasts of the forest. There were a pair of deer lying on one side of the divan, a rabbit was lying on a pillow and a white wolf cub had lain on the child's lap.

"That's... that kid is your child?"

Rasheel didn't answer the Golden Dragon's words, his gaze roamed the empty lake behind the divan and the adoring look people were giving the child.

A white-haired boy was blocking the people from approaching. The wind wasn't pushing the boy, so he should be considered trustworthy.

The child, who had finished his pancake and was drinking the hot chocolate the white-haired boy passed him, looked like a child blessed by god or something. He could even be mistaken for a real god!

Rasheel took long strides and took the child in his arms.

"I have a lot to talk to you about when we get back to the lair."

The child had the nerve to smile and take another sip of his chocolate.

"Elves don't eat meat."

Before he could respond to that nonsense, the white-haired boy unsheathed a sword and pointed it at him.

"Who are you? Where are you taking Paerun's hope?"

Rasheel sneered at the boy.

"I'm taking him back home, do you have a problem?"

Why did humans always have to question everything? And what's this about 'Paerun's hope'? This child had no divine power.

The child in his arms stirred and made a strange face that seemed very soft and indulgent, a honeyed and harmonious voice came from the child.

"As I said before, my body is weak, this is the person who takes care of me. I will be back soon if fate permits. Thank you very much for everything."

Very opportunely, specks of white gold color were blown by the wind surrounding the child. The child's eyes showed no confusion, but curved like two crescent moons, he looked enigmatic and distant.

Rasheel looked up at the Golden Dragon, though the hood hid his face, he knew the other was laughing. He heard Eruhaben's voice in his head.

"Your child is good at adapting to unexpected situations."

Taking advantage of the stunned people, Rasheel stepped out of the crowd.

The child pulled up his hood to cover his hair and avoided Rasheel's eyes.

"Who are you?"

The Golden Dragon looked at the kid when he heard his question.

"It's rude to ask someone's name if you haven't introduced yourself first."

The boy snorted but answered anyway.

"I'm Cale Henituse, I'm nine years old now. May I know your name, Dragon-nim?"

The Golden Dragon chuckled.

"I'm Eruhaben. The World Tree was right, you are interesting."

"Ah, you must be the esteemed guest the Elves were expecting. It was thanks to your arrival that I was able to come all this way."

Oh? Rasheel didn't know about this.

"Yes, so the World Tree told me, that's why he sent me to help look for you."

It didn't help much either, the Elementals were the ones who found the child. Of course, Rasheel would never tell the Golden Dragon that. He could only swallow his complaints.

"Why did you say you were coming again?"

The Golden Dragon asked curiously. Rasheel had planned to ask that after scolding the child for leaving without his supervision.

"Because they gave me free food."

"That's smart."

"Thank you very much."

Rasheel couldn't scold the child immediately, the Golden Dragon, who did use mana, taught the child to use a minimal amount of mana.

Dragons were not kind, why was this Dragon kind? Is it because of old age?

The Golden Dragon had come to the Elf Village to place a barrier around the village. Rasheel got a token to go through the storm. Then the Dragon resumed his little lessons until he had to leave.

The child did not have the necessary mana skills but with that little he was able to use, he was able to turn on an emergency device that Rasheel had just made to always walk him.

Now he could get lost and become the hope of the villages without any problem.

Then...

"You didn't even leave a note! How was I supposed to find you? If it weren't for the Elementals, you'd still be in that crazy town! And those Elementals following you, don't even think they're safe!"

Rasheel took the child into the lair and scolded him. The Elementals were also harshly rebuked.

After venting his anger by shouting, Rasheel took out a cake he had bought in Bago City and placed it in front of the child.

"What is this for?"

Rasheel lit a candle on the cake and shrugged.

"Aren't you nine years old now? I heard humans eat cake to celebrate their birthdays. This is your cake."

The child's eyes curved as he smiled.

As he watched the child eat the second piece of cake, he asked.

"Why did you decide to come with me?"

The child raised his head and spoke earnestly.

"You looked like you needed company."

There were no lies in his words.

"Hmph, then don't go away again."

"Only if you take me sightseeing."

"Deal."

Chapter Text

A couple of months later, Rasheel took the child sightseeing in the Land of Death. Specifically, to the City of Death which belonged to the Dark Elves.

It was a safe place for the child to run free, some Elementals could inform him of the child's location if he lost him.

Mayor Obante almost fainted when he saw him, but it seems his niece was there and she held him. The two Dark Elves were shaking, but Rasheel could see the elven woman's gaze stray to the child from time to time.

"Why are you looking at him so much?"

The woman shuddered, her brown eyes settling back on the child as she spoke.

"Are you Cale Henituse?"

The child's eyes showed no reaction, but the small hand grabbed Rasheel's pants.

"It's me, what's up with that?"

Any other child would have asked how the woman knew that or something, this rude child wasn't just any child.

"Nothing's wrong, I was just surprised. Your father said someone had taken you against your will and is offering a large reward in exchange for news of you."

"Are you going to take the reward?"

"I dare not."

Rasheel watched the interaction between the two people and a brilliant plan came to his mind at that moment.

"Child."

"What."

"You're sightseeing now."

The child looked at him with confusion.

"I'll go to sleep, you go sightseeing. We both win and we keep the deal."

The child understood his plan and nodded.

"Don't sleep too long or I'll get bored sightseeing here."

Rasheel looked at the woman when he heard the child's words.

"Take care of my child, don't let him out of your sight. You can take him sightseeing."

The best thing about taking care of something was when he found someone else to do the job.

Before the woman could speak, Rasheel teleported back to his lair. He jumped into bed and crawled into his nest of blankets. It really was nice to be able to sleep without worrying.

Cale had expected this, that Rasheel guy really hated having obligations and preferred to spend his time sleeping.

But, he said 'my child'.

He looked at the woman who was still watching the teleportation spell fade away and said.

"Auntie, you know my name, what's yours?"

The woman finally reacted and answered.

"Tasha. I am 281 years old."

The woman looked at Mayor Obante with a frown.

"I have to go now, what am I supposed to do with him?"

Cale could see the mayor slowly coming to his senses, the old man had turned into a mass of jelly since he saw Rasheel, but he looked better now.

"Take him with you."

Cale hadn't expected the woman to bring him to the Palace of Joy.

Wordlessly, he sat down under a tree in the garden. There was no one here at the moment, and Tasha said she would go talk to her nephew, but left her Wind Elemental to keep an eye on him.

"Is the Crown Prince really Aunt Tasha's nephew? So he's a Dark Elf?"

"Correct! He's only a quarter Dark Elf though! He can't hear or see the Elementals!"

The Elementals, as usual, had no filter in their mouths and blurted out all sorts of information with ease. They all seemed to be interested in the kid who 'looked like a kitten'.

Cale decided to sleep for a while when a fluffy dog came out of the bushes and curled up next to him.

"Aunt, is everything okay? You're distracted."

Alberu Crossman looked worriedly at his aunt.

The poor woman had been looking up at the windows every time a draft of wind hit the glass.

Tasha sighed and told him.

"Yes. It's just... an esteemed individual asked me to look after his child. He's outside now."

A child?

His Aunt Tasha then looked at him seriously and whispered.

"It's the firstborn Henituse."

Alberu's eyes clouded over.

"Take me to see him."

Alberu went blank when he saw the red-haired boy sleeping in the soft grass of the garden. One of the King's canines was lying beside the boy, and the most aggressive horse in the stable, one that Alberu had not yet managed to tame, had crouched down on the other side of the boy.

A familiar current of wind surrounded Alberu and his aunt. This was his aunt's Wind Elemental.

Another wind current moved the boy's hair, waking him up.

The child's reddish-brown eyes showed confusion. Then he sat up and absently stroked the horse's muzzle.

Alberu, who came knowing that the other had surely already guessed his Dark Elf blood, was watched from top to bottom by the boy.

Alberu was also watching the boy.

Count Henituse, though he had performed the wedding anyway, seemed to genuinely care about his lost child.

This child appeared to be fine. He wore simple clothes, but they looked like quality clothes. His skin appeared to be naturally pale, but there was a healthy blush painting his cheeks.

He did not look like someone who was being held against his will.

Alberu sat down to tea with the boy at a table in the garden. The dog and the horse had been chased away.

Cale Henituse asked him.

"How have things been at my house?"

"The Count remarried as planned, then offered a reward. Though I suppose you know that already, hmm, oh yes, the Countess is due to give birth in the next trimester and..."

Alberu cut off his words when he saw the boy stiffen.

It can't be... he didn't know about the Countess' pregnancy?

The Count should have gotten together with the new Countess months before the wedding, they should also have known about the pregnancy before the wedding, why didn't the child know about it then?

Alberu resolutely changed the subject. It was not his place to ask.

After borrowing one of the Crown Prince's carriages, one that looked like a rich merchant's carriage, Cale headed for the Henituse Territory.

Tasha accompanied him, naturally. The Crown Prince could not come, Cale did not plan to bring him either.

The journey continued in silence.

Cale had decided to enter the County in a public manner because that would prove that it was his own decision to leave home and that he was not kidnapped.

The Knight Brigades were meant to protect the city. Sending them out to search for a young master, knowing he was safe, was foolish.

That's why he wasn't hiding his hair when he stepped down from the carriage at the entrance to Rain City. The guards and knights guarding the entrance recognized him immediately and let him pass unceremoniously.

Through the gaps between the curtain, he could see that people were looking curiously after a knight shouted to make way for the young master. He had really done a good job of attracting attention. What was this knight's name? Hilsman? Well, Hilsman deserved a promotion.

When Cale arrived at the entrance to the estate, his father, who should have been at the Lord's Castle, was waiting at the gate. Beside him stood a boy with brown hair and a stoic face.

He was the son of the new Countess, he was the second young master Henituse.

Cale wondered if the familiar branches had not disturbed the boy.

His father would not notice if anyone was bothering the second son by keeping an eye on the Countess's pregnancy. The man was too pacifistic and absent-minded.

Cale saw his father's gaze drift slightly to Tasha when he saw her walking behind him, but his attention was drawn back to Cale when he spoke.

"Father, second young master. I hope my visit is timely."

Even when he addressed the other as his father, the formality of his greeting caused the man to grimace slightly before he smiled awkwardly.

"I was caught off guard by your visit, but you know you are always welcome in your home. Besides, there's no need to call so formally on your brother."

Cale glanced at the boy standing silently to one side and then met his father's brown eyes.

"I'm afraid I don't know a name I should call."

He was gone before they could introduce themselves anyway, and he hadn't asked Tasha.

His father seemed to choke on air at the memory of that day, but the boy stepped forward and said with determination.

"My name is Basen, does the young master have any preference as to what he wants to be called?"

Well, he had good manners. He'd probably be good at administration.

"None. Basen can call me whatever he sees fit."

Off to the side, Tasha watched the two boys exchange with interest. Why were these young masters speaking with more manners than the count? The boys with baby fat on their cheeks were putting all their effort into looking like two experienced nobles.

Cute.

Basen's brain was still processing the events when he took his older brother to find his mother.

The Count, his father, had come to pull him out of his study hour by saying that his older brother was visiting the county.

As he walked quickly to keep pace with his father to the door, he remembered the day he met his older brother. They hadn't really met, but he had seen the red-haired boy for a few minutes.

The firstborn of the house didn't look much like his father. There were similarities, yes, but nothing like the resemblance he himself bore to his mother. Perhaps the other one also looked more like his mother.

The last few months had been full of changes in Basen's life. His mother fell in love again, she started seeing a man, the man took them to live with him at his summer villa, and his mother and the man began a relationship. Later, they said they would get married and soon, Basen would have a new baby sister.

Basen then accompanied his mother to the Henituse Estate, because the man turned out to be the Count. Basen, who had just begun to write difficult new sentences, had not been prepared for so many sudden changes.

Then he was told that he would have a step-brother. The Count told him that his step-brother was cheerful as his mother had been and that he had plenty of energy to play with. But the boy Basen met that day did not seem cheerful or energetic.

The other had avoided looking toward Basen and his mother, hadn't even looked much at the Count, just stood behind the man with the funny haircut. He looked hurt and tired.

The man was a Dragon, and he took his step-brother with whom he couldn't even speak.

Even with the knowledge that the other was fine, the Count, his father, still sent people out to look for his oldest son all over the place.

That was a waste of resources. He wasn't saying that because he didn't want to meet his older brother, but they were talking about a Dragon. There was no way they would find his lair, and no one would believe that a Dragon showed up to take the young master of an average house.

But, as the Dragon-nim said, if his step-brother wanted to visit them, he would. There was nothing more to be said there.

Basen hadn't expected the other to visit them so soon.

But then he found himself greeting his older brother at the entrance. Finally introduced himself.

And now they were here, entering the chambers of his mother who could no longer get out of bed much because of her large, round pregnancy belly.

Earlier, his older brother had told their father that he was coming to visit the Countess after learning of the pregnancy.

Basen had thought the other already knew, considering there were many months from the time they told Basen himself until they moved into the estate.

"Countess. I apologize for not visiting sooner, I was not aware of this happy news."

You don't look happy at all. Basen thought as he looked with interest at the toe of his shoe.

"...Basen, you."

When he looked up upon hearing his mother, he met the woman's incredulous gaze.

Realization clicked in his mind and he covered his mouth with his hand.

He was in trouble.

Cautiously, he looked to his side, the young master had twisted his lips into a grimace. But he didn't look angry.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

Basen made a hasty bow, but the other shook his head softly.

"You're right. Hmm, how did you feel when you were suddenly told you would have an older brother?"

"Strange. Awkward."

"It's the same now."

"Oh, I see."

The six-year-old thought this was reasonable and nodded seriously. He doesn't know why, but the young master, his older brother, laughed.

"If the family bothers you, beat them. Father has enough money to fix the problems."

"I won't do that."

"Then tell others to beat them in secret. Then pay them for their silence."

"Money can't fix everything."

"It can't. But it is useful if you know how to use it."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the advice... hyung-nim."

"Whatever. Countess, I brought some gifts."

Basen looked at his older brother's back as he approached Violan. He no longer looked tired.

His gaze then shifted to the windows. They were all closed.

Where was the wind coming from?

Chapter Text

Rasheel woke up again because the Dark Elf woman sent an Elemental to tell him that she had taken the child to the Palace of Joy and now they were traveling to the Henituse Territory because the child discovered the Countess' pregnancy.

Rasheel had left this child in the other corner of the continent. He really could not neglect it for a second.

That Elemental also brought a message from the child.

Hmph, that Count had better prepare his estate well. A Dragon's standards weren't low.

Deruth Henituse was happy.

His son had returned home after his tantrum. Deruth had sent people to look for his son because he thought he had stayed near the county. After all, the boy had never left the county, had never been separated from Deruth and Jour, he would hardly decide to go far away.

So when he couldn't find him, Deruth knew he should wait for his son to return alone, which proved to be the right choice when he was informed that the firstborn of the household had entered the county in a luxurious carriage.

He remembered when his son left that day, the boy only let the other man do the talking and left with him. The man was a Dragon too, Deruth's legs had softened as the cold aura had surrounded him.

His son was gone, but Deruth had lived a year without his son's presence nearby, so he focused on the new family he was forming because he knew his son would return.

He hadn't expected his son to return so distantly. The boy had always been glued to Deruth's side with his bright smiles and childish play. The returning boy had drawn a line from when he got out of the carriage and didn't give Deruth a bit of time to chat.

Although it was good to see his son arrive to visit his new family, Deruth felt the boy was avoiding him.

The day after Cale's arrival, they were all eating breakfast together. His son was sitting on the opposite side of the table from Deruth, still putting distance.

The servants arrived with plates and placed a wide selection of food in front of the boy. Those were not the same dishes Deruth had received, but he said nothing when he saw his son take a piece of steak without hesitation.

It was when he finished his breakfast that he dared to ask.

"Cale, how long will you be visiting?"

Reddish-brown eyes met his from across the table.

"Deruth! Look at this!"

He looked down unconsciously as memories of the past surfaced as he looked into his son's eyes. His first wife's voice echoed in his head. He could never forget her.

"I'll be leaving today."

"So soon?"

"Yes, I prefer a more peaceful life. I'm sure you understand."

As Golden Turtles, they always sought to live as peacefully as possible. But wasn't the county peaceful? Here, Cale didn't have to worry about anything, he didn't even need to think about inheriting now that Basen could take that place, what was he worried about?

Deruth didn't have time to ask when a voice echoed in his head.

"You humans seem to have lost respect for the great beings, why is there no one welcoming my arrival?"

The familiar voice of the man who had taken his son spilled into Deruth's mind. He didn't know the man was here as well.

"Ah, looks like it's time for me to go."

Cale said after the current of wind that always appeared out of nowhere blew over the table.

Deruth and Basen followed him outside. Violan couldn't go for obvious reasons.

The woman who came with Cale was shivering as she stood outside the carriage. The man with the buzz cut was standing to the side, his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face.

When the man saw Cale step out, the man motioned to the brunette woman, who immediately left in the carriage.

The man looked Cale up and down before nodding to himself with satisfaction.

"You made me come all this way to pick you up. Don't keep me waiting."

Cale smiled at the man's words and turned to look at them.

"Father, Basen, I'll find another date to visit, but I can't promise much."

"Hyung-nim shouldn't worry, take good care of yourself on the way."

Seeing the two children saying goodbye, Deruth felt that they would be fine. Then he looked at his eldest son and was speechless.

He was really leaving again.

"Why don't you want to stay in the county? Would you really rather go with a stranger than stay at home with your father?"

His son, who had already started walking toward the Dragon, stood still halfway and turned slightly to look at him.

"You know, father. I thought we would always have each other. Even when you pushed my hand away, I expected you to trust me as I trusted you. Lately, however, I've come to realize that I don't know you at all."

Deruth had waited until the last minute to tell his son that he was getting married again, delaying the inevitable because he feared that seeing the red hair would cause him to collapse back into mourning. His son did not seem to have taken that fact well.

He had pushed his hand away in a cowardly move. He didn't even have any justification for his actions, so he never attempted to apologize and instead ran away.

His son seemed to be satisfied with what he replied, looking at the flower that sprouted near his feet with amusement. He seemed to have set himself free.

"See you, father."

As he was speechless as always, the boy took the Dragon's hand.

The man seemed to want to say something, but decided against it in the end and began to cast a spell. Cale remembered something at that moment and said to Deruth.

"And Rasheel is no stranger, he's a great and powerful being who has heard the call of nature. He's also super handsome."

The Dragon, Rasheel, puffed out his chest and chuckled at the boy's words. The spell glowed and Rasheel's normal pupil eyes looked at Deruth directly.

"The new child will be good at martial arts. You better not mess up another child."

Then the two disappeared with a flickering light.

He really was gone.

"You're not mad?"

Cale asked Rasheel when they returned to the lair. The other looked at him in confusion.

"No, why would I be?"

He didn't know either, he just wanted to confirm.

"I'm sleepy now."

"At last, let's go to sleep."

As he hugged Rasheel's arm, which dropped like a log as soon as he touched the bed, he thought about how cold he felt when he was at the estate.

Here, surrounded by the warmth of another body and the Fire Elemental that always followed him, added to the light wind of the Wind Elemental and the lullabies sung by the Wood Elemental, he wasn't cold at all.

It was warm.

In summer, it was too hot. Cale, who had already read the books on magic that Rasheel had given him, was bored and too hot. Even with the Wind Elemental creating wind currents in his face he didn't feel any better.

Cale walked over to Rasheel's bed and poked him with his finger on the arm. Rasheel didn't move.

"Rasheel. What do I do if the treasure scrolls are burning?"

Vertical pupils greeted him as the Dragon abruptly opened his eyes.

"What's burning? Why can't I smell anything?"

Cale touched the bridge of his nose when he saw Rasheel sit up so fast that he got dizzy. Oops.

"Uh, nothing, I just wanted to wake you up."

This method was effective because Cale had accidentally burned the stove when he tried to make the same cookies he always made with his mother at the estate. The Fire Elemental thought they would bake faster if they had more fire. The result was not pretty.

"Ugh, what do you want?"

"It's summer, it's too hot."

"There's already enough magic for that."

"I want to go somewhere cold."

"Paerun?"

"Yes."

Since that first time, he hadn't been to Paerun. Now three years had passed.

"Do you want dye magic for your hair?"

"No need."

"Okay."

Clopeh Sekka, who was training on the mountain that was still snowy even in summer, was notified by one of his subordinates that a red-haired boy, along with a man with a buzz cut and gray clothes had broken through the city walls.

Clopeh's heart beat faster with excitement.

Three years ago, a boy had appeared out of nowhere on the streets of Paerun. Some hunters said they saw him coming from the Valley of Despair.

Who was this child?

When Clopeh first saw him, the boy was looking at the Lake of God's Tears with a blank expression, but many people were watching the boy. Why? Because the flowers were sprouting under his feet and the snow was melting in his wake!

They were in January, there was a lot of snow at this time, there was always a lot of snow in Bago City. So it was shocking to see that scene.

Oh yes, there was also wind blowing away those who tried to approach the boy.

Clopeh decided as soon as he saw him.

This child would be the Paerun's Hope.

Even if he had no real divine powers, painting him as hope would enliven the spirit of the people. It was all the more beneficial because they were celebrating the annual festival to ask for blessings for the crops.

Clopeh had helped the wind to protect the boy from others, and the wind recognized it.

Unfortunately, the boy left quickly. A man in a gray hood had picked him up and carried him away. There was also another man in a white hood accompanying them. Both men appeared to be strong and the one in white had a bearing that easily surpassed royalty.

Again, who was this child?

Now he had returned.

Clopeh mounted his white horse and rode swiftly into town.

He had to leave the horse at the edge of the forest because the city streets were very slippery and the steed might fall off in his run. Clopeh liked that horse very much, he had even given it a name, Raspberry, it was its name because he hadn't thought of anything else when his father asked.

Leaving Raspberry with one of the guards on duty, he ran through the snowy streets of Bago City. It was summer, but there was still a light layer of snow covering the streets.

Clopeh followed the murmur of the crowd as he ran, he made it to a good quality restaurant near the Lake of God's Tears.

People were gathered outside, but Clopeh went straight into the restaurant and went up to the second floor when directed. His heart was definitely beating too fast as his hand rested on the doorknob and he pushed.

A current of wind greeted him.

Peering inside, he saw the red-haired boy. The boy watching from the balcony turned to look at him with a smile.

"Young master Clopeh, it is a pleasure to see you again."

Clopeh only bowed slightly after closing the door.

"Immortal-nim, welcome back."

"...Why immortal? You must know that I do not possess any divine powers."

Clopeh of course knew this. He had just confirmed his suspicions.

"I don't think you prefer 'Saint', 'Angel', or 'God'. So Immortal."

The boy looked at him incredulously, but waved his hand and motioned for him to sit down.

Clopeh wasn't looking at the buzz cut man anywhere, but he was definitely close, so it was best to be cautious. So he sat down with his back straight in the chair.

"What do you want?"

Straight to the point, fine.

"You said you have no divine powers, but snow melts and flowers bloom in your presence. I was wondering if you could help improve Paerun's crops."

He was asking for something big and he knew it, but he couldn't give up on this. He had to at least ask.

The boy fell silent and closed his eyes, Clopeh stayed in his place.

At that moment, the buzz-cut man came in through the balcony and looked at Clopeh slightly before sitting down next to the boy.

When he properly removed his hood, Clopeh was able to see the slightly pointed ears and reptilian-looking pupils.

Elf or Dragon?

The heavy aura suffocated him. Dragon it was.

Who was this child?

Clopeh couldn't help but wonder again. He hadn't wanted to seek information, because that would mean that others would also have access to the information and could dismantle the whole Paerun's Hope thing if the boy's lack of divine powers were discovered.

But this child had a Dragon behind him... Was the guy in the white hood from earlier also a Dragon? So the child had two Dragons?

Clopeh's pupils dilated.

Then the reddish-brown eyes opened lazily. The boy looked at the Dragon next to him and asked.

"Which one seems like a better option to you?"

At what point did they talk? Did they communicate by magic? But the boy barely had a shred of mana.

"The river must flow."

That sentence hit Clopeh squarely. The river must flow. Were they talking about returning the Lake of God's Tears to a river? Everyone would know that Sekka Household was just a bunch of phonies if that happened. But--

"Here's the plan. You'll go home and..."

It was the way to create an even more glorious legend.

Alberu Crossman had not paid much attention to the first report on the Paerun's Hope some years ago. Those believers had strange practices that did not interest him.

But it was different when a second report on the same subject came with a book about the legend of God's envoy and a picture of the main character of the legend.

Curiosity always wins. Alberu took the report and moved the documents he was working on to have more space.

A bad feeling came to him when he read the first lines of the report.

<In this report, the exploits of God's envoy are presented. A red-haired child who could make the snowmelt in the middle of winter and get flowers to sprout in the arid ground.>

He considered closing the report, wondering who wrote it or why he made it sound like he was narrating a story. In the end, he read on.

<The first time God's envoy arrived in Paerun, he did so mysteriously. He appeared from the Valley of Despair in a white suit that blended in with the white of the snow. The storm that no one dared to cross had not harmed the child.>

Really, who wrote this? Are you making a report or telling a fairy tale?

Alberu not only read the report, but he also read the legend about 'The river must flow, and the red flowers must bloom'. It was a narrative about the whole journey of the red-haired child, from his first appearance in Paerun to his second visit, where he blew up two sides of the Lake of God's Tears to turn it into a river.

The God who took the water was pleased and the river was filled with water that would not freeze.

Clopeh Sekka, the young master of the Guardian Knight's family, was the one who carried a divine object that God's envoy sent him to fetch and contributed greatly to the whole legend.

The legend ends with this sentence.

<Even among the white snow and the barren land, a red flame will come to thaw the winter.>

Alberu clenched his jaw. He didn't want to admit it, but the story, though exaggerated in some parts, was quite good.

He looked at the author's name and dismissed his earlier thought.

<Author: Clopeh Sekka (Next Guardian Knight who will guard the river under the grace of God's envoy).

Maybe... maybe it's not the same child.

Hesitantly, he opened the envelope containing the image. He discovered that it was a painting that came with the first hundred purchases of the legend.

Fluffing his blond hair, he looked at the image of the red-haired boy he knew. The reddish-brown eyes curved like two crescent moons and the softness of the gaze rivaled the warmth of the smile. The white clothes fluttered in the wind and the animals conglomerated near the boy, where the red flowers sprouted and the snow had melted.

That boy...

(Alberu would never admit it, but there was a book of a legend and an exclusive painting locked in a secret compartment next to his bed.

The legend was read every night).

Chapter Text

Rasheel took the child to celebrate his 15th birthday in the Caro Kingdom. He took him to Vegas City. 

The child, who had grown into a teenager, discovered that he had very good resistance to alcohol when he visited his family for New Year's and drank several bottles without getting drunk.

If it weren't for the fact that he was busy seeing that the young miss of almost six years old could already exchange blows with the middle-grade knights, he wouldn't have let the child drink a single drop of alcohol. That was very irresponsible.

But the child wanted to continue drinking alcohol.

And, much to his chagrin, Rasheel had been unable to do anything about the puppy dog eyes the damn child had decided to use against him.

Following the child to the Golden Tree Casino, Rasheel sighed to himself and wondered why he hadn't sent the redhead with a scroll instead of coming himself.

The atmosphere inside the casino was as lively as ever, with women in light clothing serving wine or ale to patrons and a musical ensemble playing their instruments in the background. Nobles and merchants alike were taking out their gold coins for betting.

The people who came in here were mainly nobles or wealthy merchants, some important figures came to the Golden Tree Auction in February.

But that was not the case now. In early January, the place was packed for a different reason.

Crown Prince Valentino's twenty-first birthday.

The child knew that the prince had a birthday, but even so he decided to come to this place to enjoy the worldly pleasures the casino had to offer. Rasheel didn't understand much about the fun of these things, he would rather beat others to get what he wanted than risk his money on a bet. So he just followed the child as he disguised himself as a guard.

Due to the stupid nonsense of the white-haired boy from Paerun, they had stayed in the lair for a while as the excitement over the legend died down.

Cale didn't want hair dye magic on his way out, but Rasheel felt more comfortable when he saw that not one person in the casino looked at him differently because of it.

Rasheel just pulled a cap over his head and hid his vertical pupils and pointed ears. Unlike the child, who wasn't doing anything to disguise himself, he looked much better.

The child's hair had also grown, now reaching almost to his waist. Rasheel believed that the special spring in the lair had something to do with the child's rapid hair growth.

The child had only donned a black mask with gold accents to cover half of his face, like many inside the casino, he didn't look out of place at all.

Rasheel tuned out as he followed the child through different games, he stood watching the details of the place with boredom when he heard a series of exclamations.

"This is the strongest alcohol! Do you really think you can handle it?"

"Why don't we try it?"

The child scoffed as he leaned forward from the chair he was sitting cross-legged in. Rasheel frowned as he watched the shorts the child wore ride up too high for his liking. It wasn't right to show too much skin.

The man, who was getting annoyed that a scrawny kid was telling him that he could drink a bottle of the strongest alcohol in the place with no problem, scoffed.

"Since you insist."

A few minutes later, a clear bottle was deposited in the man's hands. The carmine liquid swirled inside the bottle with movement. The man boasted about the potency of the alcohol and earned a round of applause.

According to everyone, no one had ever managed to drink a whole bottle without passing it out first.

Cale said he could do it, so the man bet a large amount of money saying it wasn't true.

It was when this happened that Rasheel finally returned his attention to the problem. He frowned but did nothing because the Elementals were saying there would be no problem.

He didn't quite trust them, but they wouldn't lie if it had to do with the child's safety.

So now, a crowd had gathered around the table, many of them also betting on the man's side; a delicate kid couldn't handle the alcohol.

Then a man with a golden mask covering the upper half of his face and with some feathers sticking out of the side of the mask came to Cale's side and slid a golden card.

'Golden Tree Auction'.

The masked man bid a ticket for the auction that would occur in a few weeks, that fact earned many exclamations of surprise.

Not just anyone could enter the auction.

Many of the people here had missed the opportunity to get a ticket for the auction because the people with more influence had already finished with the tickets.

This man, this young man according to his physical build, had just bet it on a case that seemed lost.

Everyone's gaze lingered on the ticket.

They couldn't see the seat number because it was flipped over, but it was a ticket.

"Sir, are you sure you would bet something like that?"

The boy's voice echoed in the silent space, but the other people's gaze was alternating between the entrance to themselves, wondering who would get the ticket. No one paid attention to the exchange.

"I'm too young to be called sir. And I'm sure, I've had a hunch."

Rasheel couldn't understand how this guy could be so laid back. Who was he?

"What if I lose?"

"I still have another one, you might as well keep it if you win. I was planning on giving it to a friend, but I have no problem giving it to you if you manage to win."

Ah, okay, so I had another ticket. Then it was more reasonable, but who makes a random bet on a guy who seems like he has no chance of winning on a hunch?

"Okay."

The child uncorked the bottle at that point, diverting attention back to him again. He sniffed the liquor before steeping the bottle.

The contents steadily drained.

The man's face made an ugly grimace when he saw that the child did not flinch.

The people who had bet on the man began to lose confidence and their faces began to pale.

Finally, as Rasheel expected, an empty bottle landed on the table. The bottle rolled until it landed in front of the man from before.

"...This no—Impossible!"

Cale stood confidently, his stride not faltering as he took a step forward and bent to pick up the golden ticket.

Rasheel got a glare from the child, so he grunted internally and stowed all the money on the table in a space storage bag. This would come in handy.

"You! You can't take the money! Surely you did something! Yes! That's the only explanation for why a kid like you managed to empty the bottle!"

Before Rasheel could send the man flying, the masked guy spoke up.

"He won fair and square, we've all seen it here. What's the point of continuing to cause trouble just because you lost?"

The angry man left after that, probably many would be just as angry at him for making them lose money, but that was none of Rasheel's business.

"What's someone so young doing in the casino? Did your parents permit you?"

Cale looked at the masked guy, there was a smile on the man's lips, he could also see the curiosity in the glowing pupils.

"There's no better place to celebrate your birthday than at the casino, don't you think?"

The guy nodded at his answer.

"You're so right."

Cale looked at the auction ticket in his hand and asked.

"Can I really keep it?"

"Of course. I wanted to invite my friend, though I doubt he'd come anyway. He thinks bidding and auctions are wastes of time and would rather stay doing paperwork, he doesn't know the fun."

Cale snorted, but a slight headache started to come on at that moment, causing him to pucker his lips and close his eyes. The heat, coupled with the effects of the strong alcohol, was coming on strong.

"Are you all right? You took all that in one go, even I passed out before I got halfway through and didn't wake up for three days."

"My head hurts a little, but it'll be fine."

He couldn't see the other because he had his eyes closed, but he could definitely feel a hand gripping his shoulder and fingers massaging his scalp. The massage helped his headache immensely.

The hand on his shoulder guided him forward until he had his chin resting on a firm shoulder. The guy had to bend over a bit so he could do this.

Cale could hear an angry voice in his head.

"Don't let others touch you so casually! What if it's dangerous? What if it has other intentions? Don't be so careless!"

Ugh... Rasheel wasn't helping his headache.

Just because he liked to tease Rasheel, he raised his hands, placing one on the visible skin of the guy's chest, the other he placed on the other's hip.

Flexing his fingers over the other's smooth but firm skin, he sighed. What I wouldn't give to have at least a third as much muscle as this guy, but no, he's got a slim build and still looks like a stick.

Cale whispered.

"You said you're too young to be a sir, are you my hyung then?"

The guy chuckled, leaned in a little, and spoke right against Cale's ear.

"Yeah, hyung I like better."

They stayed in the City of Death with the Dark Elves because Cale liked the calm atmosphere and the Elementals were friendly.

A month later, Cale entered room A-3 of the auction site. This was Crown Prince Valentino's room.

A black robe followed him inside as his guard. Rasheel didn't want to come this time, but there was a Necromancer living in the City of Death who always wanted to leave. Under the Dragon's gaze, Mayor Obante allowed the girl to come out.

Although she was standing motionless behind him, she was certainly a threatening presence.

He should tell Grandpa Eruhaben about this.

Looking at the person seated on a plush and comfortable two-person couch, he bowed in greeting.

"Crown Prince Valentino."

Valentino had already seen him, nodded in acknowledgment, and waved.

"Don't worry about etiquette, I'm not interested in such things. You'd better get over here, the auction will start soon."

Relaxing his posture, Cale sat comfortably on the couch. He accepted the glass of wine the other handed him and looked down curiously.

Royalty really did have the best seat. From here, he could see everyone down and there was no obstacle to visualizing the stage clearly. There was also no limit of people as restrictive as other seats, that was why he could be here.

"I have a question to ask you."

He had been waiting for this since he decided to come.

"I'm listening."

"Umm, are you the Legend of Paerun?"

Cale couldn't help but laugh, it still gave him a good laugh to think about that event. He had just wanted to play around a bit and try his luck, he hadn't expected to be able to fill the lake with water after blowing it up.

"Your Highness shouldn't call me that, it's strange."

"Will you tell me your name then?"

The reddish-brown gaze drifted from the stage to the person sitting next to him.

"Only if you promise not to say it."

"I promise."

Cale had never really hidden his identity, so he found no trouble telling this carefree prince.

"Cale Henituse."

"From the Roan Kingdom?"

"Yes."

He couldn't believe the news from back then made it this far, but oh well.

Valentino nodded.

"It's a pleasure, Cale. You can also call me Valentino, or hyung."

"Hyung then."

Just as Valentino was about to say something else, the auction began.

This year's theme was 'Precious Gems'. There were many accessories made from different gems and some rough products that could be used for alchemy. They had also included some magical stones.

Nothing had caught his attention until they displayed a short sword that had a hessonite stone on the hilt.

Long ago, his mother had sketched a sword she owned before she left her family home to marry his father. The sword had been lost when something happened to the family. Why had it ended up so far away?

He had forgotten there was a person with him when he heard Valentino's next words.

"Do you like that sword?"

Cale nodded.

"I'll get it for you then."

Valentino dropped his head on the table, startling Adin, who was sitting across from him.

"What happened now?"

"...Nothing."

"No?"

Sighing, he sat up in his seat and looked straight into Adin's eyes.

"There's someone... a boy—"

Understanding filled Adin's brown eyes. He nodded slowly and cocked his head to one side.

"So...? No offense, but you've had a lot of experiences since you were old enough, what's the problem now?"

"There are two problems."

When he saw that Adin was really paying attention, he continued.

"One; I really like him. Two; he's fifteen."

Adin covered his eyes with his hand and leaned back in his seat. Yes, Valentino had a similar reaction.

"Is that why you didn't invite me to the auction this year?"

"Yes. I gave him the ticket I had for you."

"You bought him something?"

"Uh-Huh."

"What did he do?"

Valentino's hand went up to his cheek as a blush crept up his face. He could still feel the warm breath on his skin and the soft lips on his cheek.

"Thank you, hyung."

Valentino's head fell back against the table.

Adin, who didn't know what to say in this situation, blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

"You can always wait for him to grow up."

From the trembling in Valentino's shoulders, he knew he said the right thing.

Surely, Valentino would soon forget this. There was nothing to worry about.

Nothing.

Chapter Text

"Sorry, can you meet me up later? I have something to do right now, see you later!"

Adin was dumbfounded when Valentino ran off and didn't hear him. This had never happened before, what was Valentino going to do?

He asked one of the servants, this was the answer he received;

"Your Highness has been leaving the palace more frequently in the last few days."

That was unusual.

Valentino always went out to the casino on weekends, but the rest of the time he spent working on his duties as crown prince. Today was Tuesday, could it be that he didn't go to the casino, but somewhere else?

Adin repressed his curiosity for the moment.

On Adin's next visits, the routine was the same. He would arrive, but Valentino would either be gone or leave in a hurry.

Adin, someone who was used to having everything under his control, could no longer suppress his curiosity for long. So he secretly followed Valentino as he left.

He finally found out what was going on for Valentino to leave him alone in the palace.

Or, rather,  who  was making Valentino decide to leave and leave him alone.

Adin couldn't see much of the other person from his place, but he could visualize Valentino's nervous smile and the twinkle in his eyes. Who was the other person?

The two were sitting under a tree in one of the private gardens behind the palace. Adin's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Valentino leaning toward the person and making him lean back against the grass. Surely he wouldn't...

Not wanting to risk seeing something he could not erase from his mind, Adin decided to leave.

In the afternoon, Valentino approached him and stood hesitating.

"What's wrong?"

Valentino had seen him?

"Hmm, you see, will you be my best man?"

What.

Adin clapped mechanically as the happy couple kissed at the altar.

He really hadn't reacted yet.

How had this happened?

"...ha."

Adin sat up with a start. The sunlight was shining directly into his face. He took a couple of breaths as he ran his hand through his hair. Why had he dreamed that?

Maybe it was because he was in Caro's Kingdom right now, that his brain was showing him related images.

But Valentino wasn't seeing himself with any person. Not since that crush, he'd had a year ago with a younger boy.

Valentino didn't mention that boy again, though.

Shaking his head, he got out of bed and began to get ready. Today, he would go with Valentino to the Golden Tree Casino because the other one had insisted that they go for his birthday. Adin really didn't like wasting time at those places, they were too hectic, but he had already said he would go because it was less annoying than Valentino's insistence.

So, a few hours later, he was sitting on a couch in the casino with Valentino next to him. There was a platform in front of them, where several artists had made their presentations.

Adin was getting bored, but a worker approached Valentino at that moment and whispered something to him. Valentino then said to him.

"Don't go yet. Let's just watch the next one, okay?"

"Okay."

It seemed like it would be interesting if it had Valentino's attention.

As a person who is always on the lookout for casinos, few things could surprise Valentino if we were talking about betting and presentations. So Adin decided to stay and watch.

He would leave after this, he could already feel the alcohol starting to creep up in his head, and he didn't want to wake up with a headache.

As he thought about that, the lights dimmed. Reddish lights illuminated the platform as a figure slowly walked up, the small amount of clothing made Adin decide not to look too much at the exposed skin, but as he looked to his side, he could see that Valentino didn't think the same as he did.

Valentino's gaze was bright and loving as he looked straight ahead, a big smile was plastered all over his face, and his sighing in love reached Adin's ears even with the cheering.

Then Adin looked at the person dancing on the platform. Ribbons fluttered around the figure, had a good build: starting from the ankles to the curve of the calves, good-sized thighs, wide hips and round butt, slim waist and marked collarbones, the arms were also slender and that pair of hands looked delicate from a distance. The red hair was long, looked silky, and well-groomed. Adin could not see the person's face because he was wearing a veil, but he did manage to visualize the neck when the person turned around and the cloth was lifted.

There was Adam's apple there. Was it a man?

"..."

Was it the boy who had hooked Valentino?

Adin was shocked and looked at Valentino. The guy still had a smitten look on his face as he stood there watching the boy dancing for him.

In those seconds when he looked away, the boy had moved closer to them, who were in front. There was a refreshing draft of wind that followed the boy's arrival, the smell of flowers rushed in as well.

Adin watched from his post as the boy reached out to comb a lock of Valentino's hair, the veiled boy left a kiss on Valentino's cheek, and then...

Then he sat on Adin's lap with his legs draped over Valentino's lap.

Not knowing where to place his hands, Adin sat very still.

Again, Valentino was not having the same thoughts, he began to run his hands unabashedly over the boy's smooth legs, the lack of fabric to cover them was definitely taken advantage of.

Before he could frown at the brashness, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck. He looked down and instantly regretted it.

The boy, who had planned to leave a kiss on his chin, collided with his lips when Adin looked down.

Even veiled, the contact sent electric currents throughout his body, one of his hands found its way to the boy's waist and the other pressed into the other's thigh.

Adin moved his mouth instead of pulling back.

"Adin!"

He jerked back when he heard Valentino's offended voice. He also noticed that the place was silent now. Before he could say anything to Valentino, who looked annoyed and disappointed, a shudder caused both he and Valentino to stiffen in their seats.

Bang!

"Get your hands off him."

Following the rumbling, a voice echoed in his head, when he looked to his side, he knew the other heard it too, as the hands that were on the boy's legs withdrew. Adin pulled his hands apart as well, just as the boy stood up.

"Sorry about that, that's my... tutor."

A hooded man stepped onto the platform with heavy steps, he had a white mask covering his entire face, only leaving two slits for eyes. Extremely angry eyes, from what I could see.

The boy turned to Valentino.

"Hyung, I'll give you a proper gift later."

He then walked towards the man, who pulled out a long white cloak from a space bag and placed it around the boy's shoulders. The man was still looking at them in great anger.

It was when the man left with the boy that the music resumed, Adin looked to the side and met Valentino's narrowed eyes and pursed lips.

"What was that?"

He shrugged at the question.

"I got caught up in the moment, sorry."

Valentino folded his arms and leaned back on the couch.

"I haven't even given him more than two kisses on the cheek, how come you beat me to it?"

Adin laughed at Valentino's dramatics, it seemed like things were already good, but then he thought...

"Hey, don't you think that was his first...?"

The horrified look Valentino sent him made him shut his mouth.

"...Then that would mean that you were—Adin! But, there was fabric involved! Yes! That's right! It doesn't count!"

Ignoring the conflicted Valentino, Adin touched his lips.

At that moment, he had been able to glimpse a little more of the boy's face thanks to the closeness. The boy's pupils had widened, but his arms had tightened around Adin's neck.

He was truly charming.

No wonder Valentino was hooked.

"Do you want me to be your best man?"

Adin asked Valentino, who opened his mouth in surprise before nodding.

"Of course, you're my best friend!"

Adin laughed.

"Fine, but don't blame me if I end up stealing the groom."

"Adin, stop bothering!"

Cale sat in silence as he watched Rasheel pace back and forth in the living room.

"That was... What happened? You said they would only kiss on the cheeks! Why did you have to give your first kiss to that shitty guy?

The plan was just to kiss on the cheeks, Cale also didn't expect the Imperial Prince to suddenly put his head down and they ended up kissing on the lips, even with the fabric, but...

"Uh, I hadn't told you, but that wasn't the first one."

Rasheel stopped his spiel abruptly and looked at him with intensity.

"What? Then who...? The one with the white hair?"

"Ugh, clearly it wasn't that crazy guy."

"...The Dark Elf?"

"Mm, him."

Rasheel sighed.

"Thank goodness."

Then he frowned.

"Wait! When did that happen? That bastard!"

Cale lit a candle in his heart when he saw Rasheel teleport away.

Alberu had been drunk when he kissed him, only that was why Cale hadn't said anything to him when the other woke up with hazy memories the next day. It seemed he would realize that now.

The Elementals, who had been silently watching the exchange, finally spoke up.

"Now you were kissed by two princes! And you left three in love! Let the whole continent know how handsome you are!"

"Those men, I want to burn them."

"There's also the knight."

Cale laughed at the Elemental's words as he changed his clothes and removed all his accessories.

It really was fun to travel.

Bonus.

For the twentieth birthday of the Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom, there was a celebration at the palace.

Alberu was not interested in ostentatious parties, but he smiled in a fabricated way to please his father and to maintain his facade in front of the nobles.

Fortunately, he managed to retire early to his rooms because it began to rain and the guests left before it turned into a storm.

When he reached his room, he saw the boy with blood-red hair sitting on his couch.

"Your Highness, happy birthday."

Alberu locked the door and took off his heavy suit jacket, remaining in his lightest shirt. Then he sat down next to Cale.

"Where did you come from dressed like that?"

The boy was wearing a black mask with gold accents and dressed rather casually. He smelled of alcohol and cologne, a cologne Cale would never wear.

"Why do you care?"

Alberu frowned but didn't answer. The boy shrugged and pulled out a selection of bottles of alcohol after removing his mask.

"We'd better drink to celebrate."

Knowing he would get no answers, Alberu began filling a glass and drank in one gulp. He repeated the process until his head clouded.

"You never tell me what you do."

Alberu, with more confidence gained from the alcohol, slipped an arm around Cale's shoulders and pulled the other closer.

"What do you want to know for?"

He looked down and met the reddish-brown pupils. Cale had already entered his flushed state from the alcohol and had rested his head on Alberu's shoulder.

"I'm possessive of what's mine."

Cale raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? You're claiming me as yours?"

"I can give you anything you want."

Cale laughed at his words.

"Do you really think that...? Hmm—"

Alberu moved his lips softly, enjoying the other's lips in the short time he had. Cale didn't pull away, so they ended up lying on the couch.

It was when Alberu's hand went to the other's belt that the smaller hands pushed him away.

"Alberu, ha—wait."

Alberu sniffed at Cale's neck. The smell of cologne had been replaced by his own scent, good.

That was his last thought before he fell asleep.

Alberu hadn't really remembered that the next day, it was only a few days later that the memories came, but he also couldn't find a way to bring it up without it being awkward, so he left it in the corner of his mind, until now...

"You really have the guts to touch my child! And here I thought the white-haired one would be the problem! But it turns out it's the princes who can't stop drooling over him!"

His brow furrowed.

"Princes?"

Rasheel stopped tugging on Alberu's ears and tapped his forehead with his index finger.

"Truth be told, it's a good thing you went first. I wouldn't like that imperial prince to have been first, the one in the casino isn't too bad, but those two have more advanced thoughts than yours."

Imperial Prince Adin and Crown Prince Valentino?

"What did they do?"

If there was one thing Alberu had discovered over the years, it was that Rasheel liked to share his life misfortunes.

"That Valentino has been trying to make advances on my child for a year now. Today, Cale went dancing in the casino, that guy didn't control his hands and touched Cale's legs. Prince Imperial kissed the kid in front of everyone, even though he was wearing a veil, which was nice."

Those two...

"Thanks for telling me, Rasheel-nim. Good thing you were there, Cale never tells me what he's doing, I wasn't aware."

"I know, thank goodness for me... Don't think you're saved! You brat! You're still only a little better than them! But that doesn't mean anything!"

Well, they still had to wait for Cale to grow up.

Chapter Text

As Cale Henituse was riding in his carriage in the direction of Henituse County, the Wind Elemental shouted.

"The nearby Elementals say a Dragon-nim is being tortured in a cave! It looks like he's a (powerful) baby!"

Cale's eyes, which were closed at the time, opened slightly. Who had a Dragon in captivity?

It was in the Tolz Territory currently, but such a mediocre viscount shouldn't have enough power to get something as valuable as a Dragon, then it should be...

"Which faction does Viscount Tolz belong to?"

Cale asked Alberu, who had been more clingy lately.

"Marquis Stan."

Then the marquis and Venion Stan. Cale had heard that the eldest son of House Stan had lost his legs in an attack. It was probably Venion Stan, but no one could say anything.

Cale looked at Alberu. The other was in his Dark Elf form at the moment, a perfect 'disguise'.

He didn't understand why the other had started to stick to him more a few months ago, but he didn't pay attention to it because Rasheel didn't do anything to get rid of Alberu, so he should be fine.

Unlike the Elves and Dark Elves, Alberu didn't seem to have any problems when facing a Dragon. The Elves idolized them and the Dark Elves feared them, but Alberu was not like them.

Alberu was the only one who managed to hold a conversation with Rasheel without flattering or fearing him, nor did he mind giving his honest thoughts in front of the Dragon.

Hmm.

"What are we doing?"

Cale placed his index finger over Alberu's lips to shut him up, it worked quite well.

The Fire Elemental did its job and began to set the cave on fire, the wind fanned the flames and the vines tripped the knights running out of the place.

"We're going in now."

"...What."

Cale entered the cave and avoided everyone's view, a creeper reaching for a key after reaching the bottom of the place.

There was a locked cell, a small figure lay in a pile of hay, and torture tools were displayed on the wall.

"Who did this?"

He heard Alberu's angry voice, but he did not answer. Instead, he unlocked the cell with the key and picked up the little Dragon. The Dragon's eyes opened and looked at him angrily.

"Hit that wall over there."

Ignoring the Dragon, he pointed with his chin at the wall that the Elementals said was an exit.

Alberu did as he commanded and a passage revealed itself from the rubble.

Cale was about to enter the passage when he felt the weight in his arms disappear, he looked down and saw that Alberu had taken the Dragon from him.

"It's heavy, I'll carry it."

"As you like."

The dark passage ended with another wall that Alberu destroyed with a single arm. In the night sky, Cale finally got a good look at the Dragon's condition; it was terrible. There were many lacerations on his back and he looked too thin. Unfortunately, the Dragon had restricted mana, and Cale didn't know how to get rid of the thing.

"We have to visit Grandpa."

After saying that to warn the Elementals, he pulled a scroll out of his bag and tore it up.

They appeared in the lair of the Golden Dragon, Eruhaben.

"Kid, what are you...? Who did this?"

Unlike Alberu's angry voice, Eruhaben's voice did send a chill down their spines. Dragons were not to be underestimated. Especially ones like Eruhaben, who cared about the rest of the dragons and the weak creatures.

Eruhaben took the little Black Dragon from Alberu's arms and got rid of the collar that suppressed his mana. The Dragon's blue eyes alternated between the careful treatment of the Golden Dragon and the humans who had freed him.

Cale knew the Dragon would be fine, so he decided to leave at that moment. He couldn't suddenly disappear from the inn after setting fire to a cave. The knights would surely arrive to look for those responsible and he would have to pretend.

It was when they returned that Alberu noticed something.

"You only booked one room."

This was clearly for a reason.

"What's the problem? There's enough space in the bed."

Cale knew space wasn't the problem, but he wouldn't explain himself to Alberu just yet, surely the other was already picking up on the plan anyway.

"No problem."

Humming in acknowledgment, Cale was the first to lie down, he stared at the wall and it wasn't long when Alberu lay down behind him.

He giggled when he felt Alberu's arms curling around his waist, the other only snorted, but gave no indication of moving away.

Without any complaints about the position, Cale fell asleep.

The next day, Alberu was no longer in the room when he awoke.

"The knights have arrived."

Cale listened to the Elemental's words and got out of bed, changed into a set of casual clothes before heading down to the first floor of the inn.

As he suspected, Alberu was chatting with the Marquis' knights.

"What were you doing last night?"

Alberu hesitated.

As Cale had hoped, Alberu had understood the plan.

Before the knights could get suspicious, Cale approached Alberu, rubbing the corner of his eye with the back of his hand and walking with shuffling feet.

"Honey, what's going on?"

Cale slipped his arms around Alberu's waist and rested his head on Alberu's firm shoulder. Automatically, Alberu's arms went around him as well. One hand brushed aside a lock of his hair before a pair of lips landed on his forehead in a small kiss.

"Finally you wake up, you see, the knights say there was a robbery of the viscount's estate, so they've come to ask what I did last night."

His gaze shifted to the knights and he said shyly.

"We simply passed in our room, I'm sure the knights won't force us to give any more details."

The shirt Cale was wearing was Alberu's, when he wore it to cover the lower half of his face, it was obvious that the sleeves were too big for him. The knights blushed instantly.

"Ahem, I see, thank you so much for your cooperation."

They removed suspicions towards them effectively. Cale was guided by Alberu to one of the tables where breakfast was already ready.

Alberu was really playing his role well.

A few months later, for the celebration of the king's birthday, a series of interesting events occurred.

Important people, who had always declined the invitation issued by the Roan kingdom, had appeared this time.

Imperial Prince Adin, and Crown Prince Valentino.

The two had been given a place next to Crown Prince Alberu, seated one place higher than the rest of the nobles and lesser princes and princesses.

It was interesting how the three princes kept looking towards the entrance of the plaza every time a carriage arrived. It was strange too, who were they waiting for?

The celebration would begin soon, the nobles settled into their places and noticed that someone was missing. The young master Basen had not arrived, he had attended the banquet held by the Crown Prince a few days ago, but he was still not here.

"It looks like the first young master will be coming today."

Amiru Ubarr informed the nosy nobles who were still looking in that direction. They all understood then, but they also frowned.

That young master had never appeared in public, he was rarely spoken of and it was only known that he did not live in the Henituse Household, but lived with a tutor elsewhere. Now the young master was the last to arrive, did he not know the etiquette?

It was a few minutes before the King's entrance, it was at that moment that the rhythmic sound of horses' hooves began to sound from the entrance.

There were two horses, the one coming in front was pure white, the person coming on top of him also possessed hair as white as snow and green eyes shining in the sunlight.

Clopeh Sekka of Paerun?

The heir to the Sekka duchy got off his horse at the entrance to the plaza and turned to the person coming on the horse behind him. He held out his arms to help him down.

The other person had blood red hair, his black suit contrasted well with his white skin. His hair fluttered in the wind and a small bird circled him as it chirped.

It was the young master of the Henituse Household.

The nobles watched with interest as the young master stepped onto the platform with Clopeh Sekka behind him. According to their ranks, Clopeh Sekka, belonging to a duchy, should be the one walking in front.

"Young master Cale."

The three princes looked at each other after they spoke at the same time. But Cale Henituse spoke at that moment.

"Your Highnesses, how good to see you again. Your Highness Alberu, I'm sorry I'm late, I ran into an altercation on the way."

Cale's gaze shifted to Clopeh Sekka as he said the last sentence, the knight in white simply smiled at the princes.

"I have come without an invitation, I hope Your Highness will allow me to be here."

"I suppose we can accommodate a seat for you."

Alberu looked around the tables, looking for the best place to put this important character.

The best place was...

Next to Cale Henituse.

At the only table without a high-ranking noble, with a family influential enough to bring order, and with families neutral in the struggle for the throne.

Alberu looked towards Clopeh again, the bastard was smiling with a mocking look in his eyes.

"Since you are also a guest, we have no problem with you sitting with us."

Valentino smiled politely when he said that, Adin nodded behind him.

"That would be the proper thing to do."

Now, three princes and a ducal heir were seated at one of the best tables. Clopeh Sekka stood with his arms folded in his seat, with no intention of starting a conversation with the guys who ruined his plan.

Someone had to protect the legend!

Clopeh looked at Adin with narrowed eyes, Adin just smiled when their gazes met.

Unlike Paerun, which had gotten an endless supply of water that wouldn't freeze, Norland and Askosan hadn't found a way to improve their crops, and bringing water from Paerun was impossible for them, which were kingdoms that focused on military strength instead of thinking about mages.

An organization had approached those two kingdoms and allied a few months ago to start a war against the southern kingdoms and claim fertile lands. The Empire was also on good terms with this organization. Clopeh knew this thanks to his Askosan informants.

After searching for information, he learned of the plan the organization would carry out today. Adin should also know about it.

Clopeh's gaze shifted to the legend, the eighteen-year-old was chatting with a nobleman who wore glasses, and they seemed close.

The legend, Clopeh had not had such a high expectation when he asked the boy to help Paerun, but the boy managed to get the lake to fill up again after turning it into a river.

The boy, who had been playing around, really became a beacon of hope for Paerun.

But he was still weak.

The boy was too weak to protect himself, Clopeh had come and told the Dragon about the organization's plan and the Dragon had really felt the mana of magic bombs all over the plaza.

That was why Clopeh was sent by the Dragon to protect his child.

It wasn't Clopeh's fault those jealous bastards wouldn't let him sit with the legend!

The princes were too territorial and possessive, they didn't deserve the legend, hmph.

Surely those princes wanted to monopolize the boy and have him on a nice throne all to themselves, showering him with jewels and giving him everything he wanted, that was ridiculous! It was obvious that the legend would enjoy traveling freely and spending time with the Dragon more.

Well, the Dragons.

Clopeh had seen the Dragon who had platinum blonde hair and a Black Dragon when he went to look for the angry Dragon.

Maybe he should have a code word for each; the grandpa Dragon, the single father Dragon, and the baby Dragon. Yes, that was right.

So, the single father Dragon always took the boy to visit various places, the grandpa Dragon seemed to have enough money to give the boy strange artifacts and the baby Dragon was a storm of trouble.

The princes didn't stand a chance. Maybe.

Clopeh focused on the event again and noticed that the king was already starting to give his speech. Then the people in black suits appeared above the bell tower.

As the red mana balls left the mage's hands, Clopeh looked out at the crowd in chaos.

The bombs did not explode.

The red mana balls disintegrated midway with a sizzling crackle.

"Hmm? Why isn't it working?"

The mage cocked his head and snapped his fingers, then two men with backpacks appeared and ripped some scrolls. They were two bombs; one of them was going towards the royals and the other...

"Cale-nim!"

The bomb was approaching fast.

The reddish-brown eyes looked up and smiled.

Ah... there was nothing to worry about.

A transparent shield surrounded the two incinerating men.

There was a small sound as the bombs exploded inside the shield, then there was nothing because the bombs disintegrated everything.

"Dragons really are powerful."

Clopeh whispered, in a voice so small that only Alberu standing next to him heard.

They got rid of the problem quietly and without exposing their identity. Ah, but still...

"Who dares to interfere with my plans!"

The mage was angry. The King, who had been hiding behind the knights, finally spoke again.

"Who are you?"

This would be a blow to the king. Not only had they tried to create a terrorist attack, but they did it while there were princes from other nations.

The mage obviously did not respond, instead, he tore a magic scroll as did the subordinates following him.

The smile on the mage's face was mocking, but then he stiffened.

The spell was not working.

When the mage tried to summon his mana, nothing happened.

"What's going on? Who's doing this! Show yourself!"

The crowd also began to whisper.

At that moment, Cale Henituse stood up. The mage's gaze lingered on the blood-red hair before he spoke.

"What is your goal in interfering with my plans? Tell me, I could go easy on you since you have a nice hair color there."

Cale Henituse smiled.

"I should be the one to ask, what is your goal in making these plans? Do you really think you can attack the capital so easily?"

The mage narrowed his eyes. His gaze shifted to the people on the platform and glanced at Clopeh Sekka, the knight's gaze was on the red-haired person...

"The Paerun's Hope?"

As Redika came to a conclusion, he heard a groan behind him and turned, only to see his subordinates fall unconscious. There was a red mist rising from the bodies of all his subordinates.

Before he could hold his nose to avoid inhaling the poison, he noticed it was too late, the red mist had already been inhaled.

"Naive."

A mocking voice was the last thing his mind registered before he fell from the bell tower.

Cale looked at the unconscious and probably bruised figure of the mage and said.

"Your Highness, I've caught him for you."

Alberu Crossman laughed and nodded his head.

"You did, I'll have to send you a nice thank you later."

"I'll be waiting then."

After a few words from the king, the event was postponed.

Cale was dragged by Valentino to accompany him in his carriage. Adin took advantage of the last moment and climbed in just before the driver departed.

Cale then ended up sitting in the middle of the two.

His gaze swept over the entire vacant seat on the other side of the carriage and he sighed.

He wondered how Alberu and Clopeh were doing in the other carriage. Surely that ride would be funny to watch.

"Cale."

"Yes, hyung?"

"Did you know there was going to be an attack?"

Cale looked at Valentino and shook his head softly.

"I didn't. Rasheel knew because he was in the plaza, it was before the king arrived."

"Is he a strong mage?"

Cale heard Adin's voice and narrowed his eyes slightly, then recomposed his expression to a more neutral one and turned to look at him.

"Yes, he is a strong mage, why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

He was lying, he had already heard everything from Clopeh, from the attack to Adin being on good terms with the organization.

But the guy would never admit it.

Cale put his hand on Adin's arm and leaned into him.

"Hmm, really?"

He could feel Valentino's hands on his hips and his breath on his neck as the other leaned over his back and pushed his hair away.

He was playing on dangerous ground here, why hadn't he gone with that Clopeh? At least that bastard had never tried anything funny, unlike the other three.

"Really, why else would it be?"

Worst of all, Adin and Valentino seemed to have no problem making advances at the same time. Shit, Cale had even kissed Valentino because the other asked for it as a birthday present in front of Adin. And Adin didn't even have a problem with that!

When Adin asked him for a dance for his birthday the following year, Valentino, who was also watching the whole thing, didn't react either. They were crazy!

So now, as he felt Valentino's lips kissing his neck and Adin's lips on his chest, he remembered that he shouldn't stay alone with these two.

These guys had been holding back as best they could because he was a minor, Cale hadn't noticed that this was the first time they had met since he turned eighteen.

Adin's hands had unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt to get more access to his chest and Valentino's hands were inside his clothes.

Cale was no fool, he could put two and two together, clearly, he had noticed the intentions of these guys long ago, but he let them continue. There was something about having these important figures behind him that was intoxicating.

It wasn't unpleasant.

Cale sighed when Valentino bit his earlobe and Adin ran his tongue over his nipple.

No, worst of all, these guys were sexy and knew what they were doing.

Fortunately, the carriage soon arrived at the palace.

Cale walked to Alberu's office to wait for him there.

"You seem familiar with this palace."

Adin spoke when he saw him sitting comfortably on one of the couches.

"Yes, I come here often. To Alberu's room, though."

There was no reason to keep it a secret.

"Ah, you even call him informally."

Valentino came over to sit next to him, relaxing too now that they weren't outside.

"No wonder he's been sending us annoying looks from time to time."

Adin chuckled as he sat down on his other side.

The three of them were silent.

Then the hands returned.

When Alberu and Clopeh walked in, Cale was very curious to see their reactions.

Alberu's gaze fell on Valentino's lips that were biting his neck. Clopeh's gaze lingered on the exposed skin of his chest and Adin's teeth tugging at his nipple.

Click.

No way!

Cale almost wanted to laugh at the situation, but only an undignified sound would come out, so he didn't.

Alberu rounded the couch and leaned against the backrest, used one of his hands to lift Cale's chin at a good angle, and with the other took one of his hands.

Adin and Valentino made a grunt-like sound as Alberu began to kiss him on the lips. If Cale wasn't busy he would have teased them.

It was when he was thinking about that that he heard the sound a person makes when kneeling down hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Clopeh Sekka placing his head on his knee.

Well, they had really surrounded him.

Cale heard the Elementals at that moment.

"Yes! They must all bow to you! But blink twice if you don't want to! We'll blow them up!"

"We'll burn them!"

"Just give a signal!"

Really, how had it ended up like this?

Bonus.

Rasheel finally finished condensing the mana from those magic bombs and teleported to the Crown Prince's room. Cale's tracking device was there.

Those foolish princes hadn't taken their eyes off the child during the whole show. Not even Clopeh Sekka would be spared this time, even if he was the one who came to warn about the magic bombs.

He had been delayed a bit because there was a mage who had managed to locate one of the magic bombs amongst the chaos and she had recognized that it was a Dragon, he had to convince her to shut up before going on with his task.

When he appeared in the Dark Elf's room, he frowned. It was quiet, but he could hear several slow breaths coming from the bed.

He walked over to the bed and lifted the canopy curtain.

His eyes widened and blood rushed to his head.

"You bastards! You really have guts!"

His child was sleeping on Alberu's chest, Valentino and Adin were on either side of him, each holding one of Cale's hands. He knew that white-haired man was trouble! The white-haired guy was lying on Cale's lower back, his hands on the other's butt.

When he screamed, all four of them woke up startled. Four, Cale hadn't even moved because he had developed the habit of ignoring Rasheel's screams for several years now.

"Rasheel-nim..."

"...Dragon-nim."

Alberu and Clopeh Sekka were the first to react. Clopeh got up and placed a blanket over Cale's sleeping body. Rasheel had already seen the red hand marks on those white cheeks. The audacity!

Rasheel hissed through his teeth.

"Boot camp, now."

He was going to grind these guys to dust.

Though if Cale still wanted to keep this harem, he couldn't stop him.

Dragons liked to have everything under their power, too.

+2

"Goldie! Explain!"

Eruhaben looked at the little kid demanding answers with a blank stare. The cat children wanted answers too.

"I'm curious!"

"We want to know!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and considered whether he should answer.

Why did Cale Henituse always sleep with the princes and the madman?

Eruhaben didn't want to answer.

"Are they having a sleepover?"

He nodded at Hong's words.

"Yes, they have sleepovers."

"Can we join them? I want to join the sleepover too!"

"Mm, you'd better not."

"Why not?"

The kids stopped asking after a while, only On stayed behind when Hong and Raon went to get ice cream.

"They're not having a sleepover, are they?"

She was a smart girl.

+3

Rosalyn followed Choi Han to look for the Crown Prince. Lock was also coming with them because they had a common goal at the moment.

The organization that attempted a terrorist attack on the plaza was the same organization that had attacked the village where Choi Han lived, they had helped the person who wanted to assassinate Rosalyn, and they had attacked Lock's home village.

That was why they had come to ask the Crown Prince to let them see the prisoners.

Rosalyn had even revealed her identity as Crown Princess to enter the Palace of Joy and get an audience with the Crown Prince.

The prince was busy when they arrived and they were left waiting in an office.

Rosalyn was able to see Choi Han lose his patience after a while, she could only think of how he would apologize later when Choi Han and Lock used their instincts to find the royal room.

Lock wrinkled his nose.

"It smells like musk."

Rosalyn's brain couldn't come up with any reason for the prince's room to smell like that, she saw Choi Han knock on the door instead of opening it directly like she thought he would.

It was only a couple of minutes and a lot of knocking on the wood when the door opened.

"What is it?"

It was Crown Prince Valentino. Dressed in a pair of pants and a gown.

"Hmm? Princess Rosalyn? What are you doing here?"

Rosalyn smiled, hiding her uncertainty.

"Your Highness, I'm looking for Your Highness Alberu."

Rosalyn didn't tell Valentino the reason, but he nodded anyway and turned around.

"Little brother! You're wanted!"

Little brother?

Apologizing in her heart, Rosalyn used magic to enhance her sight and hearing.

She had to stifle the emotions from her face when she heard a rhythmic thumping and a series of gasps coming from the bed in the room.

The bed curtains were down, so she could see nothing but...four silhouettes?

There was one lying on the back of the bed, another figure was sitting with his back against that figure's chest. One person was with his face buried in the second figure's lap. Finally, there was a person who was busy massaging the chest of the second figure.

The first figure, the person leaning against the backrest, grunted in frustration and made a wet sound as he lifted the figure off his lap. The last figure picked up the second person and sat him on his lap, moving quickly.

"I'll take over from here, little brother~".

That voice, it was Imperial Prince Adin's.

The person who came out of the bed was Alberu Crossman, the Crown Prince of the Roan Kingdom known for having no interest in forming a relationship.

Fortunately, he came out wearing a gown that covered his entire body down to his knees.

"Princess Rosalyn, what a surprise to see you here. What do you need?"

Valentino waved goodbye and went back inside, climbed onto the bed, and sucked on the second figure's throat.

"...hmm, almost there—ah!"

After a quick movement of the crouching figure's head, the second figure threw his head back and Adin's hand covered his mouth.

She had heard that voice, where?

"I am sorry to disturb your Highness, but I was hoping to have an audience with you. There is something my friends and I would like to talk about."

The figure that had been on the second figure's lap stood up.

"I have not received my turn properly."

Heir to the Sekka Duchy, Clopeh Sekka.

The second figure, still catching his breath, nodded.

"Wait a moment."

Blood red hair automatically appeared after learning that Clopeh Sekka was here.

Cale Henituse.

Adin pulled back and sat on one side panting, Valentino lay face up on the bed and let Cale Henituse lay on top of him, chest to chest. One of Clopeh Sekka's hands grabbed Cale Henituse's waist and the other grabbed his hair.

As Valentino kissed Cale Henituse, Clopeh Sekka grabbed him from behind.

"Okay, just wait me for a moment and... are you okay? You're getting a nosebleed."

Rosalyn undid the spells and covered her nose with a handkerchief.

"I'm fine, we'll wait for your Highness at the reception."

"Okay."

When they returned to the office from before, Choi Han was silent. From his red face, Rosalyn could tell that he also heard everything.

Wait.

If Choi Han had heard, did that mean that Lock...?

"Noona, what were they doing? A sleepover?"

Looking at the pure emotions in Lock's eyes, she looked towards Choi Han for help. The black-haired boy was breathing deeply and had his hands in his lap as if...

"Yes, they were at a sleepover."

"Why did they sound tired then? What was the thumping sound?"

"They were playing."

"I see."

Most of the mainland's central figures were in that bed, all serving a boy who was years younger. Shit! The boy was the same age as her brother!

Rosalyn felt admiration for this boy.

It must have been nice to have the powerful people serving him.

He was amazing for pulling it off.