Reincarnated Dragon Goes to the Academy!

Chapter 173 : A Foolish Thing.

A voice was heard even before he turned around at the feeling of a presence.

"Then how about this."

It was Hasel.

"I, Hasel Teridier, as the head of the dragon clan, apologize. We are sorry."

The elf's expression, who was looking at Hasel, was filled with astonishment.

"But we will always maintain the same position in the same place. It is not because we hate you, and it is certainly not because we are not interested in you."

"..."

"Just know that we are trying to balance the disturbed world in our own way. Please believe that we, who have lived for thousands of years, also have our own wisdom."

The elf's head drooped.

"Then... then why did you stand by and watch us being sold as slaves and spending countless years in pain? Not only us, but there are countless races who were helplessly dragged away and reduced to commodities. But, but why...!"

A trembling voice, as if in sorrow.

"I know. But we cannot interfere in that matter. It will only further incite the conflict between the other races and humans. If that happens, the hierarchy between humans and the other races will surely be divided someday."

Hasel was right. If the dragons took the side of the other races and punished the humans, the humans would someday be reduced to prey for the other races.

"That's not true! We just wanted to live safely. We wanted to return home safely even after interacting with humans, and we just didn't want to doubt and distance ourselves from humans."

Hasel slowly nodded his head and said.

"I know everything. But as I said before, please trust our own wisdom. So we tried to protect your homes. No matter how cornered you are, you must have a place to return to."

It was one of the efforts the dragons had made.

To protect the homes of the other races safely.

To protect the forests of the elves and pixies, and to protect the fire of the dwarves.

Sometimes it didn't work out well, but it was true that they had made repeated efforts.

"We also tried to protect the history you have. The homes that contain your relics and history."

They had tried to protect the murals left by the elves since ancient times, the iron manufacturing method left by the dwarves, and the spells left by the pixies.

"But we were in pain. Do you know the feeling of searching for days and nights when our family who had gone out did not return, and we could not find them?"

The elf's eyes, filled with resentment, glared at Hasel.

"I don't know. I can't dare to say that I know that pain. But."

Hasel's brow furrowed as if in pain.

"I hope you know that the moment you side with the demons and aim your bows at us, that pain will be indescribable."

"Are you threatening us?"

They say that even a mouse will attack a cat when cornered. The appearance of the elf standing before the dragon was just like that.

But Hasel continued to speak without any agitation.

"No. A threat? That's not it. We are not saying that we need your power. We came to say that we hope you will just remain in this forest and wait for peace."

It was true that the elves' spirit magic and archery were great, but there was no way that kind of thing would be a threat to a dragon.

The demons, too, could not have been unaware of that fact. Nevertheless, the reason they went around to the other races and asked them to side with them was one.

To get on the dragons' nerves. They were doing a very basic psychological warfare before the war.

"And I wanted to sincerely apologize. Because it is true that your feelings were hurt, no matter what."

The elf's expression softened a little.

"So please do not play into the hands of the demons and endanger the lives of your clan."

A smile appeared on Lucas's lips as he silently watched the scene.

'Amazing.'

He was proud of Hasel's appearance, who had predicted his actions that he would not do and had dealt with it wisely and intelligently.

'I'm just a baby.'

And he was ashamed of himself, who had run wild, unable to control his own emotions.

"I will cast a protection spell on the village. And soon, one of our clan will come to visit you."

Tears welled up in the elf's eyes.

"Why now... why are you only looking after us now..."

The tears that had welled up as if the pent-up resentment in his heart had burst out, dripped down.

"Even if you side with the demons, please accept the things our clan gives you. That kid's skills are quite good."

"Keuk..."

The elf was crying sorrowfully at Hasel's sincere concern.

"I'm sorry once again. So I hope you will reconsider all your decisions, for the sake of your clan."

Hasel was sincerely worried about the elves. His voice was also dripping with concern, lest they be played by the demons and lose their lives pitifully.

"Then I'll be going now."

***

Lucas, who had returned with Hasel, felt embarrassed.

"How did you know? That I wouldn't attack them."

"Hmm... should I be honest?"

Lucas nodded his head.

"Didn't you go to the smallest of the elf villages? If you were really going to kill them, you would have started with the largest village."

"Hah. I was going to start with the small village and kill them all."

At that, Hasel smirked and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm sure you were."

It was a tone that said he didn't believe him at all.

"And I watched you, Lord. Unlike when you attacked the imperial palace, you hesitated. Well, it's a bit much to say you hesitated. Since you had no intention of doing so."

As Hasel pouted his lips and sneered, Lucas's eyebrows twitched.

"Right. I sometimes forget."

"What do you mean?"

"That you are Aman's father."

Like father, like son, they say. When he did things like that, he was really just like Aman.

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying that Aman and I are the same? No, does that make any sense? To compare me with that kid, Aman!"

As Hasel's mouth dropped open and he argued back and forth, a laugh escaped Lucas's mouth.

"Right. I guess so."

As Lucas shrugged his shoulders, imitating the expression Hasel had made a little while ago, Hasel's face turned red and blue.

"Oh, oh?! That's really bad, Lord."

"Haha. Right."

In the end, Lucas, who had laughed out loud, looked at Hasel intently.

"Thank you."

"Tsk. What do you mean?"

"For leading our clan well."

"...Well. Since you entrusted it to me, Lord, I have no choice."

Hasel answered bluntly, as if embarrassed by Lucas's praise.

"We might need all the spirit kings."

"...All of them?"

"I know. That there are some who are awkward. But what can we do? We don't know what power the demon god has."

If the demon god had the power to challenge the authority of the main god, then they had to gather all the power they could to gain an advantage, at least on the surface.

"So I'd like to ask you to do that."

"...Me?"

Although it was an expression that said he didn't want to do it, he had no choice.

"If not you, then who? I have no other dragon to trust but you."

Lucas brought out his trump card.

"Ahem. That's true."

He was undoubtedly Aman's father. Lucas smiled with satisfaction at the very easy method of persuasion.

"Right. So will you do it for me? How can you be so trustworthy!"

At that, Hasel puffed out his chest and answered.

"Haha! Just trust me, Lord."

"Right. It's only you."

"Haha!"

***

"...Where am I?"

The awakened Pamela asked, cautiously looking around. A cozy but cold space. The ashen-skinned men standing guard by her side were threatening.

"You're awake."

At the sound of a familiar voice, Pamela's eyes widened.

"Liwol!"

It was Liwol, her lover, her beloved.

"I don't know how worried I was. My love."

Liwol whispered, pulling Pamela into his arms.

"Liwol, Liwol..."

Pamela, who was held in Liwol's arms, repeatedly called his name. Now, neither the unfamiliar space nor the unfamiliar people were scary anymore. Because he was there.

"Right. I'm here."

As Liwol's calm laughter tickled her ear, peace settled in her heart.

"The Saintess's Society was attacked. These people saved you when you collapsed."

The men with the same ashen skin as the man who had given her power bowed their heads.

At that, Pamela began to feel anxious.

'What if Liwol finds out the identity of my power?'

Liwol knew her as a holy and great person.

But what if he found out that the source of that power was not a great being like a god, but such a person with a strange skin color?

Pamela's pupils began to shake violently.

"Are you okay?"

Her body even began to tremble.

"T-that is... we, we should go now."

Pamela grabbed Liwol's arm tightly.

"I just told you, Pamela. The Saintess's Society was attacked. We will be staying here for a while. These people have thankfully allowed us to stay here."

Liwol said, gently patting Pamela's back.

"B-but... let's go out. Let's go."

"Pamela."

Liwol's voice turned cold.

"We will be staying here."

Liwol said, roughly pulling away Pamela's hand that was holding his arm.

"Liwol..."

Pamela was scared. That Liwol would leave her if he found out all the facts. But now, Liwol's gaze, looking down at her coldly, was even more frightening.

'I must not make Liwol angry.'

Pamela slowly nodded her head.

"Right. My good Pamela."

At that, Liwol once again spoke in a gentle voice, soothing Pamela, and cupped her face with one hand.

"You're awake."

At the sound of a voice, Pamela quickly shifted her gaze and looked in that direction.

Pamela's body began to tremble again at the sight of the man looking down at her and Liwol with a satisfied expression.

'It's him.'

It was the one who had given her power. It was the person who had given her the power she had not wanted and had left.

"Don't we have something to talk about?"

Yastan smirked at Pamela.

"Shall we talk here?"

At Yastan's words, Pamela quickly shook her head.

"No. In another place..."

Although it was a situation where she could be suspected just by knowing that person, she had to prevent a worse situation from coming.

And that person would surely know the fact that she had used the power she had so despised to keep Liwol by her side and had received the envy of the people.

No, it was certain that he knew. Because the gaze with which he looked down at her was similar to that of looking at something contemptible.

Pamela's face grew hot.

"Right."

Yastan smiled faintly and then gestured to the other demons, and they all bowed their heads and left the room.

"This way."

As Yastan pointed to another door on one side and said, Pamela got up from her seat with stumbling steps.

"No. Liwol. I'll go alone."

Pamela, who had stopped Liwol, who was about to follow her as if it were natural, smiled faintly.

"Ah, right."

At that, Liwol also responded with a small smile.

Pamela's back, as she followed Yastan, was pitiful.

'A foolish thing.'

Liwol thought as he watched her back.

[End of Chapter]