Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 468

Yeon-woo carefully slipped out of bed, trying not to wake Nea, who was blissfully lost in a sweet slumber and snoring softly next to her. Lately, Nea had been sleeping in more than usual.

Even if she didn’t complain when stirred awake, it was the heart of a husband that yearned to let her stay in her dreamland as long as possible.

For about half a year, Yeon-woo had barely stepped outside, practically living the life of a housewife.

While Nea was off to her lab bright and early, Yeon-woo had mostly been shoving his workload onto Riley, capable of doing his work from the comfort of home.

In a bid to ease her burden, Yeon-woo had completely taken over the household chores.

To be frank, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a user of aura like Yeon-woo felt no physical fatigue from household chores at all.

Of course, there had been a fierce uproar when Yeon-woo first declared he would take over the household duties.

Especially from a certain artificial life form maid who considered her secretary job as a side gig and thought of domestic work as her primary role.

Nevertheless, Yeon-woo proved his skills in no time. He humbly bowed his head and learned the ropes from Riley, even sneaking away her recipes.

As a result, a super housekeeping machine was born, one that even Riley had to acknowledge.

He’d finish all the chores by morning, wait for the kids, and, if he got bored, whip up a meal for the lab staff to take with him.

“I wish the kids would bring home some friends.”

“Yawn. Did you sleep well?”

[Good morning!]

Hmm, seeing the kids up, perhaps he should ask them. Pondering this, Yeon-woo set the prepared meals on the table and spoke.

“Did you sleep well? Is there enough time?”

“We’re fine! We’re not like Mom!”

[Hmph, early to bed, early to rise, our kids are!]

“Nea isn’t lazy, you know. She’s just been sleeping a bit more as of late… Now sit down and eat breakfast.”

“Got it! I’ll go wash my hands and face! Come on, Tae-oh!”

The two kids scampered off. Ah, they knew to wash up without needing any prompts. Despite everything, he must have done a good job with their upbringing.

While the kids were away, Yeon-woo returned to the bedroom. It was about time to wake Nea.

Though there was plenty of time before the lab start, it was better to see the kids’ faces before heading out.

“Wake up, sis. It’s time to eat.”

“…Mmm, just five more minutes…”

Nea’s sweet, drowsy voice sent Yeon-woo’s heart racing. Ugh, five more minutes… wouldn’t that be okay?

Actually, Yeon-woo, slightly different from Nea, was the kind of person who woke up a bit earlier, calculating how to get a little extra sleep, so he understood that feeling well.

He was the kind of person who could empathize with both diligence and laziness. Truly an ideal neutral.

“Dad, Mom said you can’t let her get away with being spoiled!!”

But just as Yeon-woo started to waver, Shar burst in, shouting at the top of her lungs.

Nea, startled, rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up.

“Yawn, it’s you, Shar… good morning…”

As Nea lazily greeted the morning, Yeon-woo felt warmth flood his heart.

He had to take a picture, or better yet, a video. Surely, the goddess of beauty had manifested in this moment.

“Hurry up and wash your face and eat!!”

“Okay…”

Shar, watching Yeon-woo drooling over Nea, scoffed and left for the bedroom.

No matter what, it was clear it was time for Nea to wake up.

“Get up, our queen.”

“Waaah…”

Although she moaned, Nea began to gather her senses.

However, it seemed her condition had been a bit off lately. Was she unwell? Perhaps he should ask the nurse for a check-up just in case.

Yeon-woo supported Nea as she got up and even helped her change clothes. He wasn’t the type to get flustered over the process now.

Going through all of this brought him joy… well, maybe it was a bit perverse. The two emerged from the bedroom.

After ushering the staggering Nea into the bathroom, he approached the kids who had already started their meals without him.

“Are you enjoying your food? Is everything alright?”

“It’s delicious!! Dad’s cooking skills seem to improve every day!”

[Yeah, no joke…!!]

“Glad to hear it.”

Today’s breakfast was simple grilled fish, rice, and miso soup. The kids enjoyed a variety of cuisines, including Korean dishes as much as any other.

While grilled fish and miso soup didn’t require exceptional skills to prepare, hearing the praise from the kids made him happy.

“By the way, why don’t you guys ever bring friends over? You three are always together. It’d be fine to bring home a friend sometimes.”

“Ehh, how could we?! Dad’s home, you know…”

Yeon-woo was taken aback by Shar’s response. Could it be that they were entering puberty? He thought while glancing at the mirror nearby.

His hair, having grown long in the span of half a year and casually tied back, his somewhat shabby attire… he did look a little like a drifter.

But still, he considered himself to be relatively neat…

“I feel like there’s a misunderstanding here. You see, Dad hasn’t been out for six months. So, at school, we just say that Mom and Dad are who they are without revealing much.”

[Yep, they’re doing a good job hiding.]

“But what would happen if we brought a friend home and Dad showed up? We might become famous, but it would be chaos for our friend.”

Shar’s point was quite valid. The kids had likely gotten used to pretending like they were celebrities, but their friends wouldn’t be used to that.

If they spotted Choi Yeon-woo after half a year, a swarm of reporters would surely come running, making it a nightmare for the child trying to go about their everyday life.

“That’s true. Ugh, being reclusive for so long has made things a bit inconvenient.”

Well, it wasn’t like he had gone into hiding because he was sick of the outside world, but perhaps it was time to step outside again.

It wasn’t as if he had any particular reason to avoid the outside world.

“Ahh, that delicious smell…”

While chatting with the kids, Nea emerged from the bathroom, looking all tidy. Sitting down beside Shar with a shy smile, she glanced at the food before them.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

With a snap of his fingers, Yeon-woo, who had silently stepped up beside Nea, brought warmth back to the dishes that had slightly cooled.

It wasn’t magic specifically meant for this, but the convenience of such magic lay in these little details.

“Thanks~.”

Nea smiled brightly at Yeon-woo’s little service and scooped a spoonful of miso soup before tasting it.

Her reaction was immediate. “Mmm…” she squirmed in delight and gave a thumbs up.

Thus, another peaceful day was set to begin.

*

“Ugh…”

Having finished all the necessary chores while seated, Yeon-woo stretched his stiff body.

It wasn’t overly exhausting, but his body instinctively leaned forward, making a little stretch essential.

“Shall I take a walk for the first time in a while?”

Murmuring, Yeon-woo stood up, and Momo, who had been closely curled up next to his thigh, suddenly jumped up.

Of course, even while in hiding, he hadn’t forgotten Momo’s walks. Though, it had strictly been limited to the grounds of the mansion.

Today, however, he planned to venture further afield. He figured he’d carry Momo partway.

“Now, where did I put that…”

While fastening Momo’s leash, Yeon-woo rummaged through Relin’s Warehouse. He used to leave it there for the occasional outing.

“Aha, found it.”

What Yeon-woo pulled out was a translucent hide. It was the skin of a demon king he acquired after defeating Hwayo… considering its properties, it must have been something like Il-yo’s.

It was easy to suspect that that fleeting moment, which felt like teleportation, was precisely due to this hide when Hwayo had its last moment.

It was a sort of invisibility cloak, but far from simple magic tools like that.

This hide completely erased the traces of the living beings cloaked in it. It was not mere luck that only the future-seeing ability had managed to catch a glimpse of him.

The ultimate artifact that erased presence, life signs, and even footfalls. Something that might evoke crime if it fell into the hands of an incompetent human…

And Yeon-woo casually used it for a puppy walk.

“After all, only those with a reason commit crimes.”

Yeon-woo wasn’t a pleasure killer; he had merely killed because it was necessary. Well, he thought that those who deserved to die were indeed beyond redemption.

With plentiful funds and excessive social standing, Yeon-woo really had no reason to commit crimes.

“Shall we head down to the lab, Momo?”

Woof! Momo barked adorably, wagging its tail energetically. What a cute little creature. It seemed like Momo had been a bit downhearted since Yuri’s passing, but had mostly perked up again.

Yeon-woo donned the hide and stepped outside. Wearing the demon king’s skin felt a bit odd, but it somehow felt fitting.

He couldn’t help but have a hint of collector vibes of the demon king series right now.

Demon king’s power, demon king’s body, demon king’s hide… and what else was there?

Regardless, if he collected all the sleeping pieces of the demon king from the warehouse, he felt he could create one of them.

Well, that was unlikely to happen. Just Tae-oh and Shuyo alone were more than sufficient. If you thought carefully, it would be clear. A demon king could only exist one per world at a reasonable amount.

*

“Lately, my sister has been acting strangely.”

“What’s the point of sharing that with the boss of the place your sister works?”

Taking advantage of Riley’s absence, Yeon-woo seized her chair, saying that to Riley, who had just walked in.

Of course, Riley looked at him groggily, as if he were spouting nonsense.

“No, I’m serious. Just hear me out.”

“Sure, I’ll listen, but can I have my chair back first?”

At Riley’s request, Yeon-woo relinquished her chair. He moved to the opposite side while Riley flopped down in her boss chair, looking tired.

“Ugh…”

By the sight of the puppy in her arms, Riley inadvertently softened. Momo began panting, licking the tip of Riley’s fingers.

“Pfft.”

“What are you laughing about? Do you wish to die?”

“Is it really okay for a secretary to speak so harshly to your boss?”

“Just so you know, I’m a housekeeper before being a secretary, and you snatched away my position. You wouldn’t understand the depths of anger I feel.”

“Was it that serious? I feel a little bad now.”

“Just go ahead and say what you want. I may be the lady, but before that, I’m one of the staff. If something’s off with a staff member, it’s part of my job to take care of it.”

At Riley’s reply, Yeon-woo began to explain why he found it odd. There were several reasons.

Firstly, Nea had been somewhat weak in the mornings before, but that weakness had drastically increased lately. Also, she hadn’t been picky about food, but was starting to choose a bit more recently, and no matter what, she was a dragon, but her stamina had decreased significantly, which was unusual.

“Hm… There are indeed some strange aspects to it.”

“Right? I’m not overreacting.”

Seeing Riley nod in agreement, Yeon-woo affirmed that it indeed felt odd.

Since he’d been holed up at home, he couldn’t consult anyone. Since burdening Riley with an issue seemed somewhat harsh, he had come to speak with her directly.

“I cannot help but suspect that there might be something… So, let’s call the saintess.”

“Oh, please do. If there’s anything wrong, I’ll take her home today.”

“Understood. That much is quite manageable.”

Gently stroking Momo enveloped in his arms, Riley made a call somewhere.

With just a brief minute’s conversation, it appeared she finished everything in no time.

“She’ll be heading over. By the way, how’s it going with introducing the saintess to men? Is it making any progress?”

“Don’t worry. I’m introducing her one by one. Sure, coordinating might take a while since the people I know are somewhat far off, but I’m diligent about it.”

One by one, introducing capable and handsome men. It was Raymond’s turn next.

After all, if he didn’t uphold that agreement, Yeon-woo’s life could be at stake, so he was making sure to fulfill his obligations.

“Thank goodness. If an altercation were to break out suddenly, it would be quite a conundrum as to whom I should support.”

“In that case, isn’t it only natural that you should support me?”

“Huh? Why on earth would I support you, Yeon-woo?”

…Well, it made things a bit hard to counter with that remark.

(To be continued…)