Chapter 1004
About 15 seconds after the hall had fallen completely silent, Leeha added a remark as he looked at them.
At that moment, Alexander and Ram Hwajung had to change their thoughts.
“Oh, by the way, that famous saying is by Bruce Lee, or should I say, Lee Suryong? ‘I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.’ My girlfriend told me. She’s really amazing. I miss her.”
Could such a blockhead really do that?
As if reflecting the thoughts of Alexander and Ram Hwajung, Bailephus barely managed to speak.
“It’s a surprising statement. But Ha Leeha, even if you have such abilities… Even if you manage to evade the tracking of the dragons and slay the Black Dragon, a chromatic dragon will certainly suspect. There’s no way the red dragon would easily accept such a situation. The lineage of Kuzgunak’sh’s blood—”
“Yes, and that concludes our conversation.”
Leeha’s expression changed rapidly. Bailephus, who had just regained his composure, wore a struck expression once more.
“—What? How?”
“You also played a part, Bailephus.”
“I did?”
To the gold dragon, who had no idea of the situation, Leeha explained in detail.
It was an event that occurred last night while he was sharing a deep kiss with Ram Hwayeon.
* * *
As soon as Leeha received the contact from Arev, he called Blaugrunn.
No matter how much he trusted the red dragon, he felt uneasy going alone.
“Do you sense it?”
“Yes. There’s no lair nearby. It seems to be an area unrelated to them. I sense four dragon presences. They don’t seem to have any intention to attack. There’s also no sign of humans.”
“Hm, if Blaugrunn noticed, they must have as well, right?”
“That should be the case. They aren’t hiding it on purpose.”
Although Blaugrunn spoke quietly, the confidence in his voice was enough to surprise Leeha.
Did it mean he could handle an ambush from four dragons?
Or could he speak confidently because he was with Leeha? Whatever the case, it was a situation that felt good for Leeha.
‘It’s not Minis. This is Kraven’s territory.’
One of the worries Leeha had after Arev specified the meeting location was the possibility of encountering agents from Minis.
Even during the ongoing 『Sacred Alliance』, the two nations were embroiled in an undercover war.
In other words, Leeha controlling the chromatic dragons as he wished was not something the agents of Minis would welcome.
Leeha understood how significant the loss of such power was, and thus, he decided it was imperative not to get caught by certain individuals from Minis.
‘Cheka.’
A fanatic who cared only about Minis, ignoring both the interests of humanity and the continent.
He was likely to interpret Leeha’s actions as ‘a member of Fibiel trying to control Minis’s dragon.’
Leeha thought that being caught by such an obstinate “concept zealot” would only lead to unnecessary annoyance.
Leeha stopped after walking a while at a reasonable pace.
It was one of the mountain ranges at the border of Kraven and Minis, but there was no user, nor any monster nearby.
It was easy to speculate that the guests who had arrived early had organized the area.
“Greetings. I am Ha Leeha, the human who received the last message of Kuzgunak’sh’s blood.”
Shwaaa!
Before words could settle, four flashes of light lavender burst forth in front of Leeha.
He thought of Arev and three Red Dragons because of their distinctive hair color. They all had commonality in their striking red hair.
The Red Dragons were approaching Leeha. Their steps were calm, but it was by no means a friendly encounter.
“If Hwayeon were here, it would look picturesque.”
This sudden thought brought a faint smile to Leeha’s face. Arev, who noticed this, flinched momentarily.
Blaugrunn, sensing Arev’s unease, whispered to Leeha, contemplating a ‘worst-case scenario.’
However, Leeha stood still, unflinching, and revealed everything about himself before the Red Dragons.
“I see. I understand.”
The woman at the forefront of the group spoke.
She sported slightly faded red hair styled in a sleek updo—a look that contrasted with Arev’s—and her face was unmarked by age, yet her deep gaze hinted at advanced years.
The woman approached Leeha, coming within very near proximity.
She wasn’t armed, dressed in non-combat attire, nor did she carry any weapons.
“Indeed… I can sense Elder hyung Kuzi’s spirit.”
Yet, each time her nose twitched near Leeha, Blaugrunn tensed.
“Ha Leeha are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m alright.”
However, Leeha remained calm. Unlike Blaugrunn, he felt something about the woman.
“She’s definitely the leader. She might be…”
The top-ranked red dragon.
“My name is Flamme. I heard from Arev. I extend my gratitude to the human who fulfilled Orabang’s wish.”
If Bahamut was a playful grandfather, Flamme was closer to a grandmother who forgives her grandchild’s antics.
Seeing the red dragon, who perfectly embodied the image of gentle yet formidable strength, Leeha bowed his head.
* * *
Shortly after greeting and introducing themselves to Flamme, she created a grand mana barrier around them.
Thinking of it as a spatial barrier of sorts, Leeha asked Blaugrunn about it, but the response was that it was a shield meant to ‘block mana detection from other dragons.’
“That’s right, even with SONAR detection, if something suddenly ‘blocks’, it actually makes people more suspicious.”
If the rebound from the ultrasonic wave returns quicker than expected or if there’s a point where the ultrasonic wave’s progression is blocked compared to the surrounding space?
Wouldn’t it be natural to think that ‘something is there’?
Thus, a barrier to prevent location detection paradoxically made it easier to trace back, creating an optimum condition for detection—a paradox of the location detection barrier.
But now?
Leeha could hear Blaugrunn’s excited voice.
“Remarkable. The control of mana surpasses mine by several levels. Unlike conventional barriers that hide by disrupting mana flow… meaning mana is flowing within this barrier.”
According to Blaugrunn, the barrier created by Flamme could gently absorb and let the detecting mana flow while also ensuring that those inside the barrier remained undetected.
“Oh, is it a kind of absorption stealth technology? I don’t really know, but it must mean advanced camouflage, right?”
“It’s an unbelievably amazing technology. It’s something even Bailephus couldn’t achieve.”
Leeha almost turned to look at Blaugrunn but managed to hold himself back. A dragon that handled mana more skillfully than Bailephus?
‘No, it might be possible. If it’s of Ancient level… Moreover, Bailephus is a ‘balanced type’ dragon, not a ‘specialized type’ in any category.’
One of his characteristics was that he wore golden armor and wielded a sword while casting magic in his human form.
Although he could handle both to a certain level, his proficiency in each was slightly lower compared to a dragon specialized in one aspect.
‘Nevertheless, being stronger than a typical specialized Ancient-level dragon… That’s why Alexander is often criticized as an overpowered character.’
Leeha briefly regarded the dragon, said to handle mana more masterfully than Bailephus, with eyes of reverence.
Flamme noticed Leeha’s expression and unexpectedly spoke up.
“Are you surprised?”
“Oh, yes. I was trying to act like I wasn’t, but… you are more incredible than I anticipated.”
Flamme smiled kindly. Seeing that face, Leeha couldn’t help but smile back naturally.
“You are a candid human child.”
In contrast to the other red dragons like Arev who were in a state of alert, Flamme, the most important figure, seemed extremely composed. Leeha thought that this calmness stemmed from her power.
Blaugrunn, who had already surpassed most adult levels, acknowledged such strength.
Even Flamme’s mana skills surprised Blaugrunn, a ‘mage type’ dragon specialized in magic.
Despite many chromatic dragons dying in protecting Tiamat, the balance between chromatic dragons and metal dragons was still maintained.
Leeha pondered for a moment while looking at her. At this moment, bringing up the topic of Tiamat would be meaningless.
Leeha clearly understood the first thing he needed to do to capture the attention of the red dragons.
“It was unfortunate about Kuzgunak’sh.”
Establishing relations with Kuzgunak’sh had to be the top priority. He anticipated a significant acquaintance with Kuzgunak’sh, given that the dragon could sense accomplishments related to Kuzgunak’sh through scent, as he heard from Arev.
As someone who killed Kuzgunak’sh and as an Ancient Dragon Slayer, Leeha deeply bowed to Flamme.
Flamme showed no reaction.
“I didn’t intend to, either… eh?”
However, Leeha had to pause during his speech.
Although Flamme’s face still held the same unwavering smile, the difference was the aura emanating from her.
Leeha felt the pressure, as if he should worry about her tearing him apart with a smiling face. Mana began to gather in Blaugrunn’s hands, a sign of tension building.
Arev and the other red dragons subtly increased their distance. If Flamme subdued Leeha and the remaining dragons subdued Blaugrunn?
He hadn’t even loaded his magazine, so even if he reacted quickly, it might have been difficult for him to fight.
In this precarious situation, all Leeha could do was to be sincere and give his utmost.
“It was… inevitable. It was because of, among other things, the correlation with the Demon King’s Fragment, and most importantly, Kuzgunak’sh’s wishes manifesting in such a way, was something even he wouldn’t have wanted! In fact, this fact was― It was identified not by the chromatic dragons who turned a blind eye but by Bailephus, a gold dragon, a metal dragon. Kuzgunak’sh, even after death, couldn’t think of anyone to rely on other than Bailephus, while those who neglected him were the chromatic dragons, weren’t they? I, Bailephus, and Blaugrunn here, we merely fulfilled his wish! If you wish to refute―”
“Yes, that is correct.”
Whoosh.
It was like the feeling when a sudden gust of wind disappeared. The overwhelming aura that seemed poised to kill Leeha vanished entirely.
“… Pardon?”
Leeha looked at Flamme. Although she appeared to be smiling, Leeha sensed sadness on her face.