Book 1 Chapter 569

569

Leo, retracing his memories starting from the entrance to Dragonia, arrived at a ruin site that currently recreated the appearance of Dragonia from the past.

"Black Rabbit. This ruin site is a place we should go?"

Ar, who had entered the deserted ruin site, wore a questioning expression.

The students of Wisdom had returned with Enkinias.

"This place is complicated, so I'll guide you."

At that moment, Melina stepped forward.

"Since we're already here at the Dragonia ruin site, how about we do some field study?"

"I'm not inclined to."

Ar shook his head.

"How about we do some field study?"

"So I'm not inclined to…"

"You'll do field study, right?"

"…"

Ar had no choice but to nod, seeing Melina's face pressed close to hers in an instant.

"I'm all for it! This ruin is a famous spot where you can see the beautiful architectural style of the Dragon Race during the Age of Gods!"

Driana enthusiastically clenched her fist.

"This is an opportunity for me to reinterpret this beauty with my own hands."

"I'm serious. Don't do it. You might actually be cursed by dragons if you do."

Ar advised seriously, but Driana didn't listen.

Lunia clucked her tongue, watching her.

"No matter how I think about it, she needs to meet Lord Dweno one more time."

"If she met him one more time, Dweno would really smash Driana's head, wouldn't he?"

"That's what I mean. I'd rather that happen."

Lunia was very serious.

"But Leo. What are you looking for by coming to this ruin site?"

She had followed Leo because he said he had something to do, but she hadn't yet heard his exact purpose.

"I'm thinking of finding an item that Risinas hid in old Dragonia."

"An item that Lord Risinas hid?"

"What? Is it a powerful divine artifact? Then it'd be a real jackpot!"

"Even if it's not a divine artifact, if it's something Lord Risinas left behind, it must be incredible!"

Excited voices of Lunia and Chelsea grew louder.

"What are you two talking about so interestingly?"

Just then, Ar popped her face between Lunia and Chelsea.

Seeing Ar, Lunia and Chelsea played innocent.

"What?"

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

Ar's eyes narrowed, looking at the two.

"You two. You made a secret, didn't you?"

"Not at all."

The fact that Leo is Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning, is still a secret.

No matter how much Ar presses, she cannot reveal that secret unless Leo tells her.

"Black Rabbit! What kind of secret are you hiding?!"

"Don't bother Leo oppa."

"Yeah, look here instead."

Lunia brought something like a foxtail from somewhere and waved it wildly.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?!"

"Tch, it didn't work."

Lunia clucked her tongue, having failed to distract Ar.

Ar glared at Lunia.

"I wouldn't be distracted by such a shoddy toy…"

Cling-!

"…nia!"

Thwack-!

When Leo took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and shook them, Ar unconsciously swung her hand towards the keys.

"…"

"…"

Lunia and Chelsea looked at Ar with pitying eyes.

"Seriously! I told you not to treat me like a cat!"

Ar hissed and grabbed Leo, shaking him wildly.

Driana was busy looking at the ruined buildings, completely uninterested in what was happening behind her.

Melina smiled gently, watching her.

'These children are the future of the world.'

She didn't doubt Leo's choice. No, but…

'Will it be okay?'

Melina, with a slightly worried expression, guided them inside the ruins.

***

Whoooooosh-!

The group had arrived at a high ground within the Dragonia ruin site that overlooked all of Dragonia.

Time had already passed well into the night, reaching the late dawn.

"It'll be morning soon."

"Yawn! I think we've pretty much looked around the whole area."

"To wander around these vast ruins all night long."

Lunia murmured, crossing her arms.

Ar yawned and rubbed her eyes, while Chelsea patted her leg and shook her head from side to side.

Leo stood a little apart from the group, silently gazing at the entire landscape of Dragonia.

"What are you thinking about?"

Melina approached him and asked cautiously.

"Old memories."

Leo looked at the prosperous Dragonia.

"5000 years ago, when I first came to Dragonia, this place was literally a living hell."

"…"

"That was the first time Risinas showed weakness."

"Because dragons love their homeland."

Melina understood how Risinas must have felt at the time.

"So I promised Risinas. That even if it took a lifetime, I would help rebuild Dragonia."

Leo smiled bitterly.

"Well, we ended up not being able to do anything. But if he saw Dragonia so prosperous now, he would surely be happy."

"You two weren't able to do anything? It's because of great heroes like you that the world exists as it does now."

Melina stated firmly.

Leo nodded at her words.

"By the way, it's surprising. Given Lady Luna's free-spirited personality, I thought she would venture out into the world once peace was restored. How did she come to settle in Dragonia?"

When Melina asked as if finding it strange, Leo replied as if he didn't understand.

"That wild girl would never settle in Dragonia, would she? She had a duty to revive the elves too. Well, if she were alive in the first place, she'd probably dump everything on Berkia and go off to play, wouldn't she?"

"Indeed."

Melina, who had been nodding at Leo's words, suddenly felt a strong question arise.

"Didn't you say, Lord Leo, that you would help Lord Risinas rebuild Dragonia?"

"I did."

"You, Lord Leo, are in Dragonia, and Lady Luna travels the world?"

Leo nodded.

'What is this? Lord Leo and Lady Luna are supposed to be lovers, so why aren't they together?'

Melina wore a bewildered expression.

'Is it because both of them have such free-spirited personalities? But even so…'

If Leo's words were true, didn't Leo and Risinas seem more like a couple?

It was when Melina wore a troubled expression.

Leo, who had been silently gazing at the ruin site, muttered upon seeing the rising sun.

"Yes, I remember now."

"Yes?"

"The location where Risinas's house was. I remember it now."

The place Leo arrived at was a small house.

In the case of ruin sites, they were rebuilt based on the blueprints of Dragonia that remained after the Age of Calamity, so it's impossible to know who lived there.

Creak-!

Leo opened the door and entered.

Thump- Thump-

The group followed him in.

There was no furniture, but it was a small, cozy-feeling room.

This history recreated the appearance of the Age of Gods exactly as it was.

"Here?"

When Chelsea made a questioning expression, Melina looked at Leo's back once and then replied.

"It's a house presumed to be where Lord Risinas lived as a child."

At her words, everyone's eyes widened.

"This is the house where the King of Wisdom lived as a child?"

"That's amazing!"

"Such a place has remained! As expected of Dragonia!"

Melina smiled, seeing the excited students.

"Yes. Of course, it was restored according to materials left after the Age of Calamity ended, so it's not the actual house where Lord Risinas lived. But it is true that Lord Risinas's house was at this location, and this place was built to look exactly as it did back then."

Melina explained calmly, but in fact, Melina herself was the most excited at the moment.

'I must maintain my dignity, but… Oh, really.'

Melina looked at the interior of the house with trembling eyes.

This was where the King of Wisdom, whom all dragons revered, lived as a child.

While everyone was busy exploring the house, Leo entered one of the several rooms.

Recalling the ruins in the back of his memory, Leo knelt in the middle of the room and swept the floor.

'Is it here?'

He felt a faint magical power, only detectable by Leo.

Leo activated his magical power.

A magic circle appeared on the floor.

Originally, it was a seal that could never be opened by anyone other than Risinas.

But the seal reacted clearly to Leo's magical power, which contained the essence of Risinas's mana.

The group, surprised by the sudden magical reaction, rushed into the room.

"Black Rabbit, did you find something?"

Ar asked excitedly.

Leo put his hand into the magic circle.

A small wooden box was grasped in the sub-space beyond the space.

Leo took it out.

Even after 5000 years, perhaps thanks to being stored in sub-space, the wooden box looked exactly as Leo remembered it.

"Did Lord Risinas leave it?"

"A grimoire? Is it a grimoire?"

"Hurry up and open it, Leo!"

"Now, now, everyone, calm down."

Melina smiled calmly, looking at the girls gathered around Leo.

Of course, she was itching to urge Leo on immediately, but she suppressed that feeling.

Leo opened the wooden box.

Click-!

Inside the wooden box was a thin shard like obsidian.

Chelsea blinked, seeing it.

"What is this?"

"This is… a dragon's eggshell. It's from a black dragon… could it be?"

Melina's eyes widened.

"The eggshell from which Lord Risinas was born?"

"Huh?"

"Th-that's still left?"

If that was true, it was an incredible discovery.

While everyone was astonished.

Leo picked up the eggshell and turned it over.

And he chuckled.

'There it is, the slave contract.'

The image of Risinas writing her name with a playful and mischievous smile flashed through his mind.

"Hmm. It's Dragonic."

"What does it say?"

"It says Lord Kyle's and Lord Risinas's names in Dragonic. Judging by the handwriting, Lord Risinas's name seems to have been written by Lord Risinas."

Risinas had left behind a lot of knowledge for later generations, so her handwriting was relatively famous.

"Then did Lord Kyle write this?"

It was when Driana tilted her head, looking at Kyle's name.

"Th-this is…?"

Melina's trembling voice was heard.

Everyone's gaze turned to Melina.

Lunia asked, seeing Melina's face filled with astonishment.

"Lady Melina, what's wrong? Is this an incredibly special item?"

"S-special, indeed… Yes! T-to us dragons, it's… very… a very special item."

Melina's voice trembled.

She opened and closed her mouth, looking at Leo with unnameable eyes.

Leo frowned at her reaction.

"What is it?"

"Writing one's name on the eggshell from which one hatched… that is a contract made by those who will spend their entire lives together."

At her words, everyone fell silent.

Chelsea asked, her mouth agape.

"Th-that means… so… this is…"

"If it's g-genuine… it's the marriage vow between Lord Risinas and Lord Kyle."

Everyone's face was filled with shock.

"What kind of nonsense is that? This is a marriage vow?"

"Black Rabbit! What kind of language is that to Lady Melina!"

"Why are you so overly excited?"

Ar and Driana gasped, scolding Leo.

"It's a tradition of our dragons. A tradition passed down from the Age of Gods, before the Age of Calamity."

At that answer, Ar said.

"Wait a minute! Wasn't Lord Kyle clearly in a relationship with Lady Luna? Then why is something like this here? Could it be a love triangle?! That Lord Kyle was two-timing?"

"Hmm… if that's true, Lord Kyle is definitely a terrible person."

Driana murmured seriously, crossing her arms.

Luna, the progenitor of the nebula who had descended recently, had declared that she loved Kyle, the Hero of the Beginning.

But now, a marriage vow had appeared between the King of Wisdom and the Hero of the Beginning.

This reality, far exceeding imagination, was enough to stimulate the girls' imaginations.

"Wait. But having a marriage vow means… Lady Luna is the second wife?"

"Do you want to die?! You stupid cat! Who are you daring to call a 'second wife' with such outrageous remarks! Shall I burn out your brain entirely?"

"B-but! It's strange! What in the world happened?"

As they fell deeper into confusion, Melina looked at Leo with complex eyes.

In one corner of her eyes, which had been full of respect, a light of distrust, for some unknown reason, had appeared.

Leo looked at Lunia and Chelsea.

Their gazes were not very different from Melina's.

Leo looked at Risinas's contract in his trembling hand.

'You crazy lizard bastard. Is there nothing else to scam that you'd pull such a trick behind someone's back?!'