Silver Dragon Saga, Episode 91
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing.”
The moment Reuben shook his head at Seiran’s question and turned to have a late meal…
“Aaack! Why is my breakfast gone!”
he ended up screaming.
“Lord Jehwa ate it.”
“What?”
Reuben’s face colored with shock, then he whipped his head around at an incredible speed. Standing there was Jehwa, looking at him while munching on something.
“Aack! You damn bastard!”
Seeing that, Reuben charged straight at Jehwa.
Just as Seiran was startled and tried to kick Reuben…
“Where do you come charging in like a mad dog, you crazy bastard!”
Thwack!
“Kuk!”
Jehwa’s fist struck Reuben’s head. No matter how strong Reuben was, Jehwa possessed the strength of a Dragon Duke.
Seiran’s foremost priority was to get out of the Empire for now.
The Sihyeols’ stronghold was a vast forest at the southern tip of the continent. Connected to the Phantom Beast Realm, it was a place where even demons, angels, and dragonkin could not properly wield their power.
Though the Sihyeols were forsaken by every world, only the Phantom Beast Realm had not abandoned them.
The Sihyeols and the phantom beasts maintained a fairly close relationship, and the phantom beasts did not reveal that the Sihyeols were there.
“Let’s head to Hwanguk for now.”
Hwanguk was a country located in the south of the continent, inhabited by the Hwan people, who were the most skilled in phantom magic in the Middle Realm. It was also the only country that had not incurred the Silver Dragon King’s wrath.
***
Thud!
“In a single day! Pursuit Squads 8th and 17th were flown out in alternation day and night! What in the world kind of bolt from the blue is this!”
A middle-aged man with a magnificently groomed mustache slammed the table and roared.
“Calm yourself. Did we not know the Sihyeols’ strength all along?”
A middle-aged man who appeared slightly older than the mustached man restrained him as he rampaged in excitement.
“Count Hareugen, is this a matter one can simply calm down about?”
The seemingly older middle-aged man, Count Hareugen, let out a deep sigh.
“But this is not a problem that will be solved by getting excited, is it? Calm yourself, Count Reubeuro.”
“……”
At Count Hareugen’s words, Count Reubeuro fell silent.
“Rampage and the Reaper, I tell you. Do you not know full well how much damage we have suffered at their hands until now?”
“But… but…”
“They are those who have made humans their enemies since before we were born.”
To be precise, it was not the Sihyeols who had made humans their enemies, but the humans who had made the Sihyeols their enemies.
“Hoo… Vicious bastards!”
Count Reubeuro let out a deep sigh and spoke.
Bareutebia. The one and only great empire on the continent, formed by the union of three kingdoms.
But from the time of its founding—or rather, since even before the three kingdoms comprising Bareutebia were established—humans had incessantly attacked the Sihyeols.
Now, it was regarded as perfectly natural.
Fortunately, it was only the upper echelons of humanity who sought to kill the Sihyeols; if even the lower classes had held such unfavorable views of the Sihyeols, the war between humans and Sihyeols would have erupted in earnest.
Even now, the nobles in charge of the pursuit teams grimaced at the thought of Sihyeols possibly being within the Empire’s territory.
“How pathetic.”
Just then, a cold voice came from behind the nobles.
For words spoken to the nobles of the continental empire, it was excessively rude—so much so that one could hardly complain even if their head were to roll on the spot—but when one saw who had spoken, such thoughts would vanish.
“L-Lord Hua Yun.”
Hwa Yun Areutamseu, Colonel of the Heavenly Army of the Celestial Realm.
Because the magic he used was of the light and smoke types, the title bestowed upon him was Hwa Yun.
Areutamseu frowned at Count Hareugen’s words.
“You still have not abandoned such vain greed?”
The foolish notion of capturing the Sihyeols to further increase human power. They had truly believed such a thing was possible.
Though they were called failures, the various worlds that had created the Sihyeols had only barely succeeded in making them.
With humanity’s meager science, they could not uncover their secrets.
Furthermore, humans did not possess the strength to capture the Sihyeols before any research could even begin.
Although there were some humans who possessed superhuman strength, they were beings far removed from the state.
Naturally, to the angels, such human antics were nothing but pathetic.
“Leave them be. Why do those who cannot even properly restore a single disaster in their own world interfere in another’s world?”
Just then, a voice tinged with laughter was heard.
Words mocking the Celestial Realm.
Areutamseu’s face twisted mercilessly.
“You filthy demon!”
“Hmph!”
The one who appeared behind Areutamseu was a demon with horns growing from behind his ears.
“Th-this person is…”
The nobles were slightly bewildered, as it was a different demon from the one who always came.
At Count Hareugen’s words, the demon dressed in a black suit and stylishly wearing a fedora tapped the floor with a black cane.
Tap, tap!
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Demon Count Geurotebeurin Daen.”
“Gasp!”
A Demon Count! Another being on par with Areutamseu, who had held the highest position here until now, had appeared.
“Goodness, is there any use being surprised by the likes of me? Isn’t that right, Hwiwol?”
Geurotebeurin smirked and looked behind him. There, a figure with black hair appeared.
“Allow me to introduce him. He is Dragon Count Hyeon Hwiwol. Though his title is Dragon Count, he is in fact the eldest son of the Hyeon Clan, a Black Dragon Duke house in the Black Kingdom of the Dragon Realm.”
“……”
At Geurotebeurin’s words, the human nobles’ faces began to turn pale.
Where on earth had such tremendous figures appeared from so suddenly? Moreover, why had a high noble of the Dragon Realm, which reigned over the human world, come here?
“It seems you’re curious why we’ve come.”
At that, Hyeon Hwiwol spoke with an indifferent expression.
“It’s simple. The reason we’re here is Sihyeol hunting.”
“What?”
At Geurotebeurin’s words, the human nobles’ eyes went wide.
“Permission has been granted for officers of the Heavenly Army of the Celestial Realm of the rank of major and above to use their powers.”
Areutamseu spread his eight wings and spoke. Then, sky-colored wings emitted a faint light.
“Th-then!”
“In earnest… Sihyeol hunting is beginning.”
Geurotebeurin smiled broadly.
***
“So, there are a few countries on the continent…”
Seiran opened her mouth to explain something to Jehwa. But Jehwa only frowned.
“What does that have to do with anything? Tell me something else instead. For example, you guys were being chased; what’s the reason?”
Seeing Jehwa cut her off mid-sentence, Seiran let out a deep sigh.
“Very well. Then I shall explain to you why we are being chased.”
Having said that, Seiran turned serious.
“First, Reuben and I are beings called Sihyeols.”
“Sihyeols? What are they?”
“Well… I suppose you could call us a race?”
Though created by science, they were undoubtedly a new race.
Jehwa made a complicated expression at Seiran’s words.
“But you guys have silver dragon and demon blood.”
In that instant, Seiran and Reuben’s eyes widened. They had thought he knew nothing, yet he had precisely identified the blood flowing through their veins.
“L-Lord Jehwa, how did you know that?”
“Hmm… I just came to know it.”
Jehwa tilted his head for a moment, then spoke with a face that suggested it was no big deal. At his words, Seiran and Reuben could only make speechless expressions.
“Hmm… let’s set that aside for now. Anyway, we are not dragons or demons.”
“Huh?”
When Seiran spoke firmly, Jehwa looked puzzled.
“We are not beings born naturally.”
“Huh?”
“We are failed creations made by various worlds in order to fight. That is what we are.”
And so, Seiran began the tale of the Sihyeols. Of course, she also spoke of how they had survived in the past thanks to Eun Jehwa.
At Seiran’s words, Jehwa simply smiled bitterly.
‘As expected, he is amazing.’
Muttering inwardly, Jehwa met the gaze of Seiran, who was watching him cautiously.
“What are you looking at?”
“A-ah, no… It’s nothing.”
She had been afraid that he would look at her with strange eyes after learning they were not born naturally, but Jehwa was not like that at all.
“Anyway, those bastards are bad bastards. Where do they get off creating people however they want and then trying to kill them? Rotten sons of bitches!”
Jehwa grumbled, looking at Seiran and Reuben.
“Don’t worry! I’ll help you.”
At Jehwa’s words, Reuben scoffed, while Seiran smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yes!”
Until then, neither Seiran nor Reuben knew. They were simply grateful for Jehwa’s words, and happy to see him saying the same things as Eun Jehwa.
They did not know.
Of the power that transcended imagination… And that it was a new hope for the Sihyeols.