Chapter 85. < 34. Giving Sickness and Medicine (2) >
Lumian's expression darkened.
He had suspected it, but he never expected the source to really be his own book.
It was incredibly embarrassing.
But at the same time, he was also angry. He shouted at the top of his lungs.
"No! That book is wrong!"
"Huh? What is?"
"Real people aren't like that! That's just exaggerated. It's a book with absolutely no realism."
"Oh, really? I didn't know..."
The dragon made an apologetic expression.
The ears that had been perked up folded downward. But Lumian continued to press the creature.
"Did you really not know? Are you pretending to be innocent? You knew everything from the start, so you made the atmosphere weird with lewd words. If you really didn't know anything, how could you say such things in that situation earlier?"
"Lumian explained that to me."
"Huh?"
"You said it before. You said the atmosphere gets weird if you say words like sex, XX, @@! You said that when we first met!"
"......."
"I don't know anything about human reproduction! I only know what Lumian told me and what's in Lumian's book!"
The dragon blurted out words in rapid succession.
Perhaps feeling very wronged, its voice grew louder and louder. It was loud enough to be heard in the next room.
Lumian once again placated the dragon, who was fuming with tears welling in its eyes.
It felt empty. In the end, it was all his fault. Everything had originated from him.
He apologized.
"I'm sorry. I misunderstood."
"Hmph!"
"I'm really sorry. I won't do that again."
"Fine. I'll let it slide just this once!"
"Anyway, what you're thinking won't happen. You can rest assured. Whether I play with women or men, I'll continue to train hard. Naturally, I'll continue to get stronger."
"Really? Hehehe, I like that too!"
The dragon in its small form flew around in the sky.
The sight of it hovering around him in a disorderly manner felt cute rather than distracting. Its smiling appearance was also pleasant to see. He looked at the creature with a contented expression.
Then he suddenly came to his senses.
'Wait, why am I comforting this guy?'
Wherever the dragon learned its lewd knowledge, what did it matter?
In the end, he was the one who suffered. Because of this guy, things had become awkward between him and Senior Tania.
But the atmosphere had become too strange to bring this up.
He also didn't feel like continuing to argue with a 10-year-old kid.
'Instead of snapping at it, let me just ask.'
Having reached that conclusion, Lumian put on a serious expression.
Judging by the creature's desperate expression, it wasn't doing this purely to help him.
There must be a reason. To find out, he asked in a gentle tone.
"By the way, why do you want to make me stronger?"
"......."
"Isn't it because you want to ask for something? Speak freely. I'll listen if it's something I can do. Of course, nothing bad."
"It's not bad! The bad ones are them!"
"Huh? There are bad guys?"
"Yes! There are very bad guys. I... I want Lumian to get stronger and punish them..."
The creature, sitting on the edge of the table, began to speak haltingly.
The content was simple.
Five years ago, beings from the Demon Realm settled near the baby dragon's nest.
Being vulnerable to demonic energy, it couldn't handle it and couldn't return home, so it wandered the world aimlessly looking for someone to help.
"And then you found me?"
"Yes. You're a strong human, and it seemed like you'd get much stronger, and, um, also seemed like you wouldn't torment me..."
"Why, did others try to torment you?"
"It just felt like they would. It's dragon intuition!"
The creature in its shrunken state said while hopping up and down.
Lumian nodded.
'Well, there's no one better than me.'
Even in his current state, he possessed strength that would rank within the top ten on the continent, and he was raising his cultivation faster than anyone else.
Moreover, he had his own moral standards.
It might sound like self-praise, but it was true.
If the creature had asked other martial artists or mages for help, it might have met a harsh fate. The ability to gather mana and purify the body was a power that couldn't be found anywhere else.
"You chose well. A talent like me is hard to find anywhere."
"Really? I did well?"
"You did well. Very well."
"Right. I did well. Hehehe."
Whether pleased by the praise, the creature smiled brightly.
But that was only for a moment. Soon it made a crying face and started complaining about the demons.
"Nasty guys. Guys like parrot poop. They pollute the land, pollute the mana, and make my animal friends strange... They're completely bad guys... waah..."
Eventually, tears started dripping down one by one.
It seemed to have a lot built up. And separately from that, it seemed to inherently dislike demons.
Of course, Lumian was the same.
There couldn't be a human who liked creatures whose main objective was invading the human realm. He made a serious expression.
'Again... demons...'
This was already the third time.
Once in the territory, twice with Leyton Wino, and this makes three times.
It definitely wasn't normal.
'I can think the territory incident might be possible, but Leyton Wino was definitely strange. A high-ranking demon tore through dimensions and came out too easily.'
With the dragon's situation overlapping on top of that, it was hard to dismiss it as mere coincidence.
Excluding conflicts among humans, the world should be much more peaceful than ten years ago, so why was it so chaotic?
'Moreover, the demons who settled near the dragon's nest... they're definitely not pushovers.'
That would probably be the case.
Dragons were creatures that could accurately gauge the magnitude of auras, mana, and other energies.
Such a creature wanted to raise him. Instead of asking him to deal with the demons right away.
The reason was obvious. It judged that he couldn't handle them with his current power.
'The concentration of demonic energy must be incomparably thicker than the Incubus Dungeon. Both quantitatively and qualitatively, there would be no comparison.'
Perhaps there might be enemies at the level of the ice demon he fought a few days ago, appearing in groups.
Thinking this far, Lumian looked at the dragon.
The creature was still cursing about the demons.
"Bad guys! Larvae! Pinky fingers!"
"......."
"Virgins! Impotent! Eunuchs! Rabbits..."
"Hey, you shouldn't say those words."
"Huh? Why?"
"Anyway, you can't do that. Especially don't say eunuch. No matter if the opponent is a demon."
"I can't say that?"
"No."
"Okay..."
The creature nodded.
It didn't look convinced, but he liked that it was respecting his words.
Lumian stroked the dragon and spoke.
"By the way, what's your name?"
"Name? It's Seme! Seme!"
"Hmm... is that okay? Didn't you have a separate name?"
"Why? It's good? I didn't have a name. Lumian gave it to me!"
The dragon said while puffing out its chest. Lumian made an awkward expression.
Seme was the name he had given when he thought the dragon was a parrot.
He had called it Sex-bird, Sex-bird, but that seemed too explicit so he shortened it to Seme.
Seeing the creature accept that as its name, he didn't know how to react.
'Since it likes it, let's just leave it as is.'
Deciding to call it by the original name, Lumian called the dragon.
"Seme."
"Yes! Lumian."
"Is your nest far from here?"
"A little? If I fly, it takes about half a day."
He didn't know exactly how far that was, but the time it takes was somewhat satisfactory.
Lumian asked again.
"By any chance, can you carry me there?"
"Of course. If you try to walk, it takes a long time. Why, do you want to secretly go see and come back? To see how strong they are? Secretly observe and then come back?"
"No, why would I do that. If we're going, we might as well finish it."
"Huh, huh? That won't work. Lumian can't win right now."
Seme moved anxiously back and forth, left and right.
It was like a broken cat.
Lumian said with a smile.
"No. I can win."
"You can't win! They're really strong!"
"I'm strong too? And I'm a knight. As someone who protects the continent, I absolutely cannot overlook this."
"But if you go when you're weak and die, that's not okay! No! I won't give you a ride! I won't even tell you where it is!"
Seme turned its head with a huff.
Its tightly closed eyes and mouth represented its stubborn attitude.
After watching for a moment, Lumian spoke in a calm tone.
"Then, if I become much stronger than now, it's okay to go?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking if you'll take me there if I become much stronger than now, to the level where I can handle the demons near your nest. Did you understand?"
"Of course! That's why I'm helping! So train hard, Lumian! Ten hours a day, no, twenty hours a day!"
"No, doing that every day is unreasonable."
"Then, then... can't you train just two more hours a day than now?"
Seme said while clasping its two front paws together.
The already short and small front paws gathered together were incredibly cute.
Lumian chuckled and opened his mouth.
"No, I'm going to do exactly the same as now."
"Eeng, eeeng..."
"There's no need to be upset. In half a day from now, I'll be as strong as you expect."
"Who?"
"Me."
"Lumian?"
"Yes."
Seme, who heard Lumian's words, had a dazed expression.
Its mouth also hung slightly open.
Just as he was thinking that appearance looked a bit stupid, the creature suddenly jumped up and got angry.
"What does that mean! How can you become that strong in half a day!"
"Right. How could I become that strong."
"Is this a joke? Are you joking? Ugh, don't make such jokes! It's not funny at all!"
"It's not a joke. I can really become stronger. If only Seme helps me."
"Me? If I help, that's enough? How?"
"Just like usual. Stabilize the mana flow, and purify impurities and turbid energy in my body. That much is enough."
"That makes no sense! Lumian is a liar! No one in the world can do that!"
Whoosh!
Seme raged wildly.
It seemed angry that its words kept being denied. Perhaps burning inside, flames spurted out from its mouth.
Seeing that sight, Lumian said with a gentle smile.
"Then, shall we make a bet?"
"Huh? A bet?"
"Yes. If I become as strong as you want in half a day... from now on, add the title 'nim' when calling me. With full respect and courtesy. How about it?"
"Then, what will you give me if Lumian loses?"
The creature said with twinkling eyes.
It seemed to already think it had won the bet. Lumian offered conditions with an unconcerned expression.
"If I lose, I'll train as much as Seme wants."
"Really?" "Really."
"Even if you tell me to train 20 hours, no, 22 hours a day, you'll do it?"
"...Then I'd die."
"Th, then... would 18 hours be... okay?"
"Hahahaha. Fine. If I lose, I'll train 18 hours a day."
"Good! Yes! This is fun! Hehehehe!"
Hop!
Boom!
Seme came down from the table with a proud expression.
Its posture was quite a sight. Standing on two legs with arms crossed and belly sticking out. Steam was puffing out from its nose.
That appearance was both cute and somehow annoying.
Lumian shook his head and said.
"Aren't you too happy?"
"Hehe, ehehe."
"Fine, laugh all you want. Instead, you have to help me properly."
"Of course. What do you take me for!"
What does he take it for, a naked dragon that only learned lewd things.
Lumian internally insulted Seme and took out an object from his spatial backpack.
A dark blue stone emitting an enormous cold energy.
It was the demon stone obtained during the Leyton Wino incident.
Seeing this, the dragon made a surprised expression.
"Eek! What is that, why do you have that!"
"Can't I have it?"
"No! That's yucky, yucky!"
"Hmm, it looks tasty to me."
Gulp.
Having finished speaking, Lumian immediately swallowed the demon stone.
Seme's surprise grew even larger. The creature screamed.
"No! You'll die!"
"I won't die."
"It hurts a lot!"
"I can endure that. Now don't talk to me. I need to concentrate. Don't forget to help me like usual."
Lumian quickly assumed a posture for aura cultivation.
Already, enormous demonic energy and mana were rushing in.
Perhaps because it was an ice demon, cold energy was also clearly felt.
'Originally, consuming demon stones multiple times would be impossible...'
Not a single point of anxiety could be felt on Lumian's face.
It was only natural.
As a result of receiving Seme's help for over a month, his aura had become much purer and more stable.
That wasn't all. During cultivation, the creature's help would continue. There was no reason to worry.
'The ice demon fellow didn't have any technique, but the magnitude of power itself seemed quite significant...'
He was excited. Of course, he wasn't overly excited.
Concentrating his mind, he circulated the Mountain's aura.
Earth, water, fire, wood, sunlight writhed to purify the demonic energy of the demon stone.
"Eung, what do I do?"
Seme stomped its feet while watching Lumian who had entered cultivation.
But there was no other choice. It had to do as he asked.
The creature shrank its body again, then flew to sit gently on top of Lumian's crown.
And it concentrated its mind.
Wooooong
Wooooong
The room constantly vibrated with the energy of two extraordinary beings.
It was a rare sight that couldn't be seen anywhere else in the world.
***
"Lumian-nim! Lumian-nim!"
"Why."
Lumian said with an expressionless face.
On the other hand, Seme's expression looked overjoyed. It was actually flying too.
Flapping its wings and flying around Lumian, the creature said excitedly.
"You're cool!"
"Hehe."
"You're handsome! You're the best!"
"Hahahaha."
"You're magnificent! You're a stamina king! You're a big thing!"
"...You can stop praising now. And don't look at my books anymore."
Lumian scolded Seme with a solemn expression.
His presence was completely different from half a day ago.
"Shall we go now?"
"Yes! Lumian-nim!"
The two looked at each other and simultaneously rushed out the window.
Immediately after, Seme's body grew to the size of a young horse. Lumian quickly mounted its back.
Breathing in the night air, the two flew quickly toward the demons' territory.