chapter 16
16 – In the palm of the dragon (2)
How long have I been wandering in this hallway?
“Ha, hahahaha…”
I laughed helplessly as I looked at the moon not falling from the sky.
Something was clearly wrong.
In the hallway I walked with my mother, sunlight filled the sky,
The sunset turns the clouds pink,
There was a dawn that came with purple.
For me now, the only thing I saw was the yellow moon, resembling my mother’s eyes, illuminating the black night.
How many ‘intruders’ did I burn to death?
How many damaged furniture and doors are there?
Without even having time to think about them, I staggered towards the next door.
The sound of steel creaking behind my back was still driving me.
Keep going in one direction.
…Then, suddenly, I looked back.
The armor, shining in the dim moonlight, was old, worn, and rusted.
It must have realized that I had stopped, but the attempt to move faster started to look sloppy for some reason.
“If you do well….”
How many knights have you killed so far?
How many times have people who have ceased to be human been reduced to ashes?
Should we be scared by someone like that?
I was blocked by that, where on earth did I end up?
“Scorching flame,
A maw of flame that burns like the sun.”
He grabbed the fireball that sucked in the air and made a roaring noise and threw it at the knight who was running towards him.
But.
– Gigi Geek.
Instead of turning into a pile of ashes, the body that was hit just stood there and looked straight at me.
The eyes of the one wearing the armor were not visible,
The figure, whose face was covered by a worn-out helmet, looked as if it might collapse at any moment, was still firmly standing on its two legs.
And,
“Ugh…!”
It started running towards me again, making a fierce noise.
This time, I held the sword with both hands and picked up speed.
He ran towards the ground with a fire that had not yet been extinguished in his body.
I don’t know if he’s dead or alive…
At least the spirit that shows that he was once a brave knight.
The enemy is running toward me, holding the sword with both hands and dragging it.
Unlike the intruders they had defeated so far, there was clearly resentment and anger towards me.
When I first held fire in my hands, it was eerily similar to the one I received from an unknown person.
However.
“…Like an ember breathing in a pile of ashes.
Like a fire that eats small mistakes and laughs.”
I was not the helpless child I was back then.
Spending time with my mother and diligently practicing magic to make my dreams come true –
“Like the bud of a red rose opening wide,
You will bloom.”
He was the son of the red dragon, Dracea Rosaria.
…
– Kigigeek, Kigigik…
The magic I used was the one my mom used when she first met me.
A mysterious force that inflates a small ember created by striking flint.
Of course, I had to ask in much more detail and at length… but with sincerity.
Nevertheless, it seemed to have an effect.
“Haaa.”
I collapsed into my seat, letting out my old breath in the air.
It swung its sword this way and that, but eventually, unable to overcome its own strength, it fell to the ground and dropped its helmet.
…The head of the knight rolled over and rolled on the ground, scattering ashes.
The lifeless body twitched its fingers and was immediately swallowed up by the fire.
The end of the pursuer who gave me fear was truly fleeting.
It becomes just a handful of black powder, swept away by the wind blowing outside the window, and disappears.
Only the armor and sword that were consumed by the pitch black remained.
It was not difficult to guess their purpose as they strangely withstood flames.
If this owner was alive and well,
If the armor wasn’t worn out…
Is that why they were imprisoned here?
I lost even reason and just wandered around looking for someone and swinging my sword.
The end was truly terrible and sad…
I extended my hand to show my courtesy.
As expected, is it made of a material that resists flame?
Even though it was burning from the inside, it felt cold.
Helmets and parts of armor arranged in a row, one after another.
Finally, by laying down the sword in front of him, he ended someone’s path.
Then he moved his feet toward the path he had blocked.
I hope that there is the exit I was looking for.
***
“It’s great, I really… Fell in love with it.”
Seeing how the magic was recited beautifully without any wavering,
Rosalia was soothing herself by massaging her heated body.
Holding her throbbing heart and stiff arms again and again,
I had to let out the throbbing heat with my breath several times.
There was no way she didn’t know about the magic Russell had used.
Igniting the remaining embers once again,
It’s like a punishment for arrogant people.
So that the child who has experienced brief joy does not face despair.
There was no way I could forget the magic that gave me the beginning of warmth.
“Besides, who taught you to be so respectful to your enemies, huh?
Where on earth did you learn to do so well on your own?
Unable to control his excitement, his tail hits the floor,
The corners of my mouth have been curved so long that it hurts.
Affection for a child who has received excellent teaching and gone above and beyond,
Her appearance mixed with love and desire for a young boy who only does things that suit her taste…
It looked similar to a beast that had been starving for days, no, years.
Although we were able to build friendships with humans,
Although we could have become colleagues who share knowledge and conduct research,
Her love was something she had never thought of.
Russell was being handed too many things at once.
That’s why she just opened the red dragon’s mouth again and ravaged the boy’s growing body with her eyes again and again.
“What? I think I’ve already trained well enough to defeat most external enemies on my own…”
At first, I just wanted to discourage that arrogant thought of going out on my own.
However, if you have the skills – entertainment that started with the idea that it might be allowed.
‘Son’ overcame it so brilliantly.
That’s why the dragon was troubled.
If you have that level of strength, if you have upright will and a strong spirit.
Definitely someone I can have by my side and love forever.
I have already stopped thinking of myself as a child,
A red dragon that goes beyond that.
“My wish was to become a family, so it wouldn’t have mattered if we became a family in a different sense.”
Rosaria glared at the boy who kept walking in the same place over and over again, laughing helplessly.
For the dragon who just wanted to live, the newly given goal of life came like a bittersweet sweetness –
“…But that doesn’t mean I can stop being the mother of that lovely child.”
I kept trying to let go of the time I had lived as my parents’ mother.
He was trying to stain the time he considered precious with something else.
With your own hands, not anyone else’s.
Arbitrary furniture created in the midst of extreme loneliness after being separated from humans.
A much better and more adorable child than them was struggling to leave right before our eyes.
I put everything that was taught into my head with sincerity,
It shows excellent results.
“If you allow it, you will receive affection.
But that is meaningless since it is meant as a mother.
If you force me to hold you back and whisper love to you,
I would lose my affection.
No matter how flawed your wish is…
That wasn’t what that kid expected from me.”
A being who gave up affection since it was called the evil dragon.
The downfall that began when he found out that he had been abandoned by his parents.
There was no way Rosaria would miss the sparkling treasure that appeared at the end.
Praise a child who continues to receive your teachings and proudly shows off the results,
Hold her in your arms, cuddle her, and hug her tail.
She ended up wanting to see her face fluttering in the warmth held under her huge wings…
“Is this the pain of independence?”
I laughed with a single teardrop.
Even if you embrace a moment of sadness,
Drawing on the great happiness that will come later.
“…It must be much crueler outside than here.
It won’t hurt you.
But the heart, that soft and pure heart.”
Imagining the appearance of a broken child.
Holding her chest and crying,
Dreaming of the pitiful sight of a boy crying out for help after his own expectations were shattered.
Rosaria smiled.
“Only I can see that much,
That wound is something only I can heal.”
Narrowing her hallway with one snap of her slender fingers,
She created her end in an endless space.
A huge red door was created in front of her eyes,
A blank wall blocked her back.
“…Are you going to blame? Are you going to be sad?
Or maybe even they will try to understand and end up losing hope.”
She once recalled the bitter taste of the countless pains she had passed through,
She is full of the sweetness she gained from being with Russell.
Just as the sweet taste lingers longer after the salty taste.
Just as the bitter taste of medicine is instantly covered by honey.
The pleasure was truly addictive.
Like new shoots sprouting on broken branches.
As if stronger flesh is growing in the place of the wound.
The happiness that had been lost was about to be filled with something even more soggy.
“I’m looking forward to it.
I wonder what kind of meeting this separation will bring again.
What kind of stories will you keep and be hurt when you leave?
And what kind of being will you see me in at the end?”
With a shallow laugh, Rosaria faced the open door.
Before she knew it, she was adorning herself with neat clothes and bright sunlight.
With a bright and bright face,
Looking at her son with a smile full of love.
“Welcome.”
Playing out of her own hands,
Welcome a cute and lovely boy.