Chapter 32: Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Ryan’s Romance

Convincing Ryan had not been difficult.

“Yeah, this is what a real mercenary and romance were. This is the kind of adventuring you only heard about in stories! As expected from the Black Dragon. Good call coming here.”

He said that with reddened eyes. Some tragic tale had clearly touched him.

‘I was going to drag him by force if he resisted, but I guess being young made him choose with his heart,’ I thought.

I did not consider it foolish. On the contrary, I liked it.

“Then we should head north as quickly as possible. Flower is coming after us, right? I heard that if those guys hold a grudge, they’ll follow you to the ends of hell. Even if half their reputation is true, the trip won’t be easy.”

“What, of the dragon?”

Ryan snorted as if it were laughable.

“Hey, this is the Black Dragon. Are we going to face a dragon with no plan? There must be some method.”

Leon nodded in agreement. The Black Dragon had devised a cunning strategy to obtain dragon’s blood.

“You’re right. It wasn’t that we had no plan. The Black Dragon found a special herb while looking for ingredients for the elixir. It was a herb that reacted to mana. When blended properly with a sleep plant, it produced a strange result.”

“Simply put, a sleeping agent. The peculiar thing was that it only worked on beings that had mana. The more total mana they had, the more effective it became. In Captain Kazan’s case, after taking it he slept for a full fifteen days.”

“……Is that even possible?”

Ryan asked with a stunned face. Kazan was someone who was immune to poison. A sleeping agent should have been no exception. His surprise was understandable.

“It was possible because the herb reacted to mana. Dragons possessed mana close to infinity. The sleeping agent’s effect would be far stronger.”

“I see… If the sleeping agent worked, then obtaining dragon’s blood wouldn’t be impossible. But is there a way to give a dragon the sleeping agent?”

“Acquiring a dragon’s blood was practically impossible. The sleeping agent was but a speck of hope. That was why Captain Kazan had asked for your choice — whether you would go with us to the North. He said he would respect whatever you chose.”

Ryan’s expression turned grave. It was natural. Dragons were at the apex of all races. The sleeping agent might not work.

Leon stared at Ryan. He did not mean to rush an answer.

Ryan said. His face was resolute.

“I’d always dreamed of being an adventurer. If the place to go adventuring was a dragon’s lair, there was no reason not to go.”

‘Ridiculous,’ I thought.

‘There wasn’t a shred of falsehood in his words. If it was to see a dragon, he truly would risk his life.’

It was a very manly thing to say. A man born a man, if he had a dream, should be willing to stake his life for it.

‘It was like looking at my past life.’

I had been Leon wandering the Central Plains without ability. I had spent my days begging — how shameful those days had been.

In comparison, Ryan was a better man than I had been. He had been lucky, yes, but he joined the Black Dragon through his own ability and chose by himself to realize his dream. I could not help but be impressed.

“A fine mindset. I’ll inform Captain Kazan.”

“When are we leaving for the North?”

“In eight days. They said they were researching ways to increase the sleeping agent’s potency. It’s the most perfect dragon in the world. Being thorough couldn’t hurt.”

Ryan nodded. Then he drew his sword and said, “We have eight days left, right? How about a bout?”

Before I knew it, Ryan and I had been cooperating to push each other’s levels higher. Sparring had become almost a daily routine.

I smirked and drew my sword.

A month later I arrived in the North. And I felt the cold. It was strange. I had been a warrior born and raised in the North. I should not have felt cold, yet I did.

The biting cutting wind that stung the skin and the air that seemed like it would freeze the lungs with every breath — it was a sensation I had not experienced before.

The others felt it more. Kazan and Retina had lived their whole lives in the warm Empire. The worst cold they had known was a lukewarm winter.

Because of that, they had been shivering since we arrived in the North.

“Was the North always this cold? It’s colder than when I last came. Elphrel is a country at the end of the North, they say. What kind of life did you lead up to now?”

“Do not misunderstand. This was my first time feeling such cold as well.”

“For someone who says that, you aren’t wearing the fur clothes we are.”

That was true. Kazan and the others wore multiple layers of fur made from bear pelts. I, on the other hand, had taken off my upper garment. My words and actions were completely at odds.

Even wrapped in bear fur, Kazan looked like he might freeze to death. He could not believe my claim.

“……It seems my body has developed. Only half a year ago I used to be sensitive to cold as well.”

I meant it. Since I had come to the Empire, I had made remarkable achievements. My pace of growth had been unbelievable.

But how could Kazan know my circumstances?

He just looked at me with a sullen face.

“……I see an inn ahead. We should warm ourselves there.”

Kazan’s face brightened. Leon’s attempt at small talk had been awkward, but he was simply glad to have found a place to rest. The same went for Retina and Ryan.

All of them hurried breathlessly toward the tavern.

The tavern was small—clearly built for passing travelers. A place to rest briefly before continuing one’s journey. It was only natural that the inside wasn’t large.

There were already a few patrons inside. All of them looked filthy. Not a single one had a groomed beard, and every time they opened their mouths, a foul stench filled the air.

Leon observed them closely. Bows slung over their backs—probably hunters. Perhaps they had been out hunting bears. There were many of them.

At that moment, a man came out from the kitchen. He looked to be the tavern owner. He wiped his hands on his pants as if he’d just been handling ingredients.

“It’s a shabby tavern, but we have everything you might need. Don’t mind the other guests—sit wherever you like.”

Leon glanced toward the patrons. They paid no attention to his group, their faces flushed red. They seemed completely drunk.

‘I’d rather not be near drunkards…’ For origınal chapters go to novel·fıre·net

Leon looked at Kazan. He was not the leader of the Black Dragon. He had to wait for the order of the true commander, Kazan.

“Let’s rest for a while.”

Kazan chose to rest. They had been camping outdoors all the way through the northern journey. He wanted even a little comfort.

Once they sat down, the owner handed them water and said,

“We only have two items on the menu. Braised meat and liquor, that’s all.”

“Only one kind of liquor?”

“In a remote place , how could we store various types? We barely get customers as it is.”

“I see. Then bring us four servings of braised meat and four drinks.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Kazan nodded. After taking a sip of water, he frowned.

“It’s cold. I thought something was off when I didn’t see any steam. It’s not hot water.”

“What? He gave us cold water in a place ? That owner has no sense. Even boiled water would lift a customer’s spirits. He wouldn’t last a day running a tavern in the capital.”

Retina muttered irritably, glancing toward the kitchen. But it wasn’t really strange. This was the North—no water drawn from outside would ever be warm.

Of course, as Retina said, a bit of consideration would have been possible… but a shabby tavern in the middle of nowhere probably lacked that sort of sense.

Leon didn’t drink the water. Neither did Retina nor Ryan. The weather outside had chilled their bodies; it would be better to warm up with liquor instead.

The tavern owner brought out the food. The liquor, however, was not among it.

“What about the liquor?”

Kazan asked. His face looked weary, as if he didn’t even care to speak further.

“I can’t just serve precious liquor to anyone.”

The owner’s attitude was absurd. Refusing to serve customers liquor? Was it because they hadn’t paid yet?

At that moment, Leon felt something strange. A vague unease, as if he had forgotten something important. What was it that he had overlooked? Even after retracing his memory, he couldn’t find it.

“Boss, those guys didn’t drink the water. Said it was too cold.”

One of the patrons spoke up. He was a clumsy-looking fellow with a large mole on his cheek.

“None of them drank it?”

The “boss”—the tavern owner—asked, sounding annoyed.

“That’s enough. Two men and one woman. Won’t take much effort.”

At once, the patrons stood up. They drew their bows tight and spoke coldly.

“Leave what you have and we’ll spare your lives. Think carefully before acting tough—your lives depend on it.”

The tavern owner’s words made everything clear. Leon realized what they were. Bandits.

‘No wonder something felt off. So this was it.’

Encountering bandits was nothing new, even in the martial world. Some pretended to be merchants or innkeepers to rob travelers. These men seemed to be that type.

‘And he just said we didn’t drink the water, didn’t he? So they poisoned it?’

A chuckle escaped Leon at the absurdity. At that sound, the “drunkards” stiffened. There wasn’t a trace of intoxication left. They had only been pretending from the start.

‘They used their heads, at least.’

“Leon, Ryan. Watch and learn.”

“The world isn’t kind to mercenaries. Especially when you have to deal with cunning bastards like these.”

Kazan was calm. The weariness on his face almost looked like he had expected this. Leon’s hand unconsciously touched his water cup—and he realized it immediately.

The cup wasn’t cold at all.

“Always stay cautious and suspicious. In this world, the only ones you can trust are your comrades in the Black Dragon.”

One of the bandits shouted in disbelief.

“Black Dragon? You’re from the Black Dragon?”

The bandit’s eyes trembled violently. Once, the name of the Black Dragon had reached the heavens. Of course he knew it.

“Hey, get a grip. Do they really look like that to you?”

Another bandit smacked the frightened one hard on the head.

“Why would the Black Dragon come to a place ? They’re bluffing to survive. Snap out of it, idiot. If you act that way toward guests, we’ll starve to death.”

“R-right, I guess that’s true?”

The bandit stammered his reply, but Leon could feel his uneasy glances. The man couldn’t shake his bad feeling.

“Don’t let them think we’re weak, moron. Ready your bow properly.”

At that instant, Kazan’s sword sliced across the bandit’s neck. A thin red line appeared where the man had been cursing a second ago.

The body crumpled to the floor.

Only then did the other bandits realize what had happened. They saw their comrade’s severed neck.

“It’s a cold day. Even cheap liquor will do to warm our bodies.”

Kazan aimed his sword at them. Under the lamplight, the blade gleamed sharply. The air itself grew heavy; the bandits’ faces turned pale.

Kazan spoke indifferently.

“Let’s settle food and lodging here tonight.”