Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 443

“Being trusted by someone isn’t always a good thing.”

Especially when you find yourself in a situation where you can’t meet their expectations.

For instance, Yeon-woo was intentionally ignoring the possibility that his friends around him might be hurt. They were strong, so surely it couldn’t happen, right?

Perhaps the expectant gazes directed at Yeon-woo were of the same nature.

“Choi Yeon-woo won’t fail; just like before, he will take down the Demon Kings.”

Yet he was willfully ignoring the possibility that he might actually fail.

In reality, failing might not be such a bad outcome from their perspective. After all, the public loves a hero’s downfall just as much as they adore the hero themselves.

Even now, there were countless people behind him tearing him apart, and the reactions if Yeon-woo were to fail were quite predictable.

“They’ll probably say something about water rockets or how it’s the ultimate bubble.”

Honestly, at this level, failing once wouldn’t tarnish his reputation.

The concern was that failing once might not drive his reputation into the ground, but rather might lead to Yeon-woo himself dying and heading straight to hell.

Though I veered a bit off track, what’s important is that Yeon-woo didn’t want to see his friends get hurt as much as he didn’t want to see his family harmed.

He’d get an earful for dragging them into a Demon King battle, but anyway, that’s just how it is. People’s hearts can be hard to understand.

“Everything I see is black, yet somehow this looks fancy,” Namgung Seong exclaimed in surprise. The Shadow Palace that Moryo had firmly established in the middle of the battlefield did fit that description.

The palace, made purely of shadows, was absurdly extravagant.

There were patterns on the walls, and adorned pottery and flowers were present everywhere. It was an impossible situation to comprehend. Where could one even procure such things in such a short span?

It’s like it had just been taken out of storage rather than built from scratch…

“It feels like it was just pulled out perfectly formed.”

Kim Yoo-min, with bandaged hands and equipped with gauntlets, remarked. The truth was just as he said; everything inside this castle was probably devoured by Moryo.

It could only be concluded that the flowers and grass felt alive for that exact reason.

“It’s horrific.”

That was the most Yeon-woo could express.

It was horrifying. The thought that countless people lived here before probably got swallowed along with it made it hard to come up with any harsher words.

The people of this world had room for sympathy. They weren’t originally monsters but had been turned into monsters by the Demon King. Even so, he couldn’t stop wielding his sword.

The idea of liberating them was unnecessary. It was simply about doing what had to be done.

Focusing his mind, Yeon-woo gazed at the grand gates of the battlefield that lay before him.

The fight with Moryo was approaching fast. And it was happening right in what felt like the enemy’s territory.

While he understood Kai’s strategy, it felt ominous to bring the sun god into such a place.

“…But there’s no way we could avoid him coming.”

“Of course. It’s essential for the fight,” Kai responded just as Yeon-woo muttered.

As friends drew their weapons and began to stay on guard, Yeon-woo stopped them.

“Don’t be confused just because he looks like a collaborator for this fight; no attacking.”

“…Can we trust him?”

At Baek In-hwa’s question, Yeon-woo could only tilt his head. He trusted him, but from the perspective of the other friends, he might be seen as untrustworthy.

“I just decided to trust him.”

“Well, that’s good then.”

Namgung Seong grumbled as if he was let down and sheathed his sword.

The others followed suit. It seemed their standards included the condition of whether they themselves trusted someone.

“Delegating judgment of a person to others is a bad habit, you guys.”

“Yeah~ what can we do~,” Namgung Seong replied while digging in his ear. So, he trusted Shar’s perception over his own, huh…

Though Shar had never voiced an opinion about Kai, this might have been Namgung Seong’s way of hiding his embarrassment…

“Is the fun over? Then, Goddess, please show yourself!”

Kai said, watching the scene as if he had seen enough idiots.

The gazes of four people turned toward that direction. Then the small glimmer of light that had been hiding behind Kai revealed itself.

[Oh, hello…. Are you friends of Kai?]

“No, we’re not, Goddess.”

[Oh, not really? I’m sorry. Anyway, I look forward to working with you today.]

Though it felt a bit awkward saying this, it felt like a mother welcoming a child home with friends for the first time.

Even though she was a sun god, her vibe was the opposite of Solaris and Dawn.

If Solaris conveyed the health of a constantly moving sun and Dawn represented the scorching sunlight of midday, then she had the impression of a warm sun cast down on a cold day.

[Ah, is this unfortunate? I’m sorry, big brother.]

‘No, he didn’t say anything bad. Can you please not pop out and eavesdrop on other people’s thoughts, Dawn?’

Nevertheless, the problem really was that having one or two gods under contract resulted in little privacy.

Even if one pretended not to listen, they were still listening. Like they thought someone’s thoughts were some sort of recording.

“Thank you in advance, Sun God.”

Yeon-woo gently greeted the other sun god, attempting to soothe her stinging words.

Even though a Demon King had been born in that world, there was no reason not to be on good terms with the gods. After all, what trouble could possibly arise from offending a god? Moryo was the real jerk.

[Hehe, thank you for greeting me. Even though I’m so shabby.]

Despite her self-deprecating words, she seemed to be in a state that was worse than the original Tae-oh… No, even worse than that.

It resembled a newly born light spirit, shrouded in faint light, with a body like that of a butterfly.

Honestly, it made one worry if she could really fight Moryo, looking like that. When Yeon-woo cast a worried glance at Kai, he firmly nodded.

To him, it seemed possible. Well, what could one say? The planner was Kai after all.

In fact, this could be a play and a trick to make a good impression on Moryo.

However, seeing the faint divine light reflected within Kai when the sun god appeared, it didn’t seem like that was the case.

If that light were to vanish, it would be akin to losing the last bit of rebellion that had been keeping them going.

Probably, like the other Shadow Warriors, they would find themselves unable to rebel and thus would have to bow their heads to Moryo. Kai likely wouldn’t be satisfied to see such a sight of himself.

As the warm sun god shared conversations, the friends clustered around her.

Was it alright to act so relaxed just before confronting a Demon King? But, given that Moryo wasn’t responding at all, it seemed like there was no problem.

Meanwhile, Kai approached Yeon-woo and whispered to him.

“I have a request.”

“What is it?”

“After the fight, I want to leave the Sun God’s safety in your hands.”

“…That’s not a bad suggestion, but why? Can’t you protect her?”

“Unless she completely becomes a different being like Tae-oh, if she has become dependent on Moryo, we will disappear when Moryo dies. Only the independent Dopplegangers will survive at best. The Sun God doesn’t know yet, so keep it a secret.”

“I see.”

If that’s the case, there was no reason to refuse. It was questionable whether that goddess would enjoy this world where no one knew her, but still, providing her a good environment was something Yeon-woo could do.

‘I don’t know why, but I have plenty of connections with gods.’

[Oh, are you making a new friend?]

Even now, Lunaria, who was keeping an eye from high in the sky, would surely help out.

The goddess, who is madly in love, hardly looks away when she doesn’t have someone to love, but when she finds her beloved, she turns into a goddess who’s heavenly popular.

“If one of the children misbehaves, the mother shouldn’t have to suffer too, right?”

“That’s true.”

But isn’t this something that needs to consider the mother’s side of the story too? Surely, the mother would want to embrace even her child’s faults.

Yeon-woo thought so but wasn’t keen on voicing it. He was aware that the gap in perception between a child and a parent was an unavoidable fact that no one could escape.

‘Just like with Shar and Nea.’

Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to bridge the gap in perception between Kai and the goddess.

Creeeak, with an unsettling noise, the gates of the battlefield began to open.

*

[Do you know this?]

“Yawn What is it?”

Leviathan responded with a big yawn at Behemoth’s words. Man, what a lazy fellow.

Leviathan shot him a sharp glare before speaking again.

[Though I joined under the pretense of not wanting humans to die, surprisingly, I think I dislike the idea of you dying even more.]

“Ugh, what’s with that sudden statement?”

“Hahaha.”

Behemoth’s playful gagging and Jiz’s hearty laughter filled the space between them. At that reaction, Leviathan’s face turned red.

She realized how embarrassing her words were, yet their responses were a bit… off, weren’t they?

“I understand what you mean, Demon King. It’s that someone must do this, right?”

Jiz stroked his moustache and spoke. It was true; someone on the battlefield had to stop that living evil star.

Countless masters on the human side have lent their support. Even so, Leviathan knew best that it wouldn’t be enough with just them.

So, through the process of elimination, it was them. Though they may not possess equal strength, they were in equal positions. They were the only ones who could endure at least a bit longer.

“But if you think like that, you could use humans as shields…”

“Would that fit the Demon King’s nature? You value your own life above everything else.”

[But that doesn’t mean I don’t value you. That’s what I wanted to convey.]

The three were siblings born as a product of fate. One day, when the sun god fell into madness and sought to destroy everything, the world created monsters representing the sky, earth, and sea to fight against him.

Of them, Leviathan was born next to Jiz, caught between the carefree Jiz and the lazing Behemoth, awakening to her own desires.

Thus, she came to resolve to slay the insane sun god and decorate her home with his gleaming skull.

However, walking the path of tyranny, loyal to those desires, led to the deaths of her siblings, which naturally became a heavy thought for her.

Nonetheless, that tiny death continued to approach them relentlessly.

As if it were completely indifferent to their thoughts. Death doesn’t give you a chance to sort your thoughts.

[Don’t die.]

“I’ll give it my best….”

“I’ll do as you say.”

At Leviathan’s stern voice, her two loyal sibling subordinates straightened their postures obstinately.

Though no matter how much they thought about it, they couldn’t picture a future where they would defeat that monster. But time had to be bought.

(To be continued)