Chapter 159: The Dragon and the Flower Bloom at Night (3)
Kwaaaang!
As if it had never existed in the first place, the massive Tentacle Mass shattered without leaving a trace behind.
To add a bit of exaggeration—it vanished perfectly, not even leaving a speck of dust behind.
“That is……”
Professor Shagas muttered quietly as he looked at the place the Tentacle Mass had been blocking.
Just as Anguster had casually mentioned earlier, a small passage was hidden there.
The massive Tentacle Mass had literally become a giant door, sealing off that passage.
However, neither Lian nor Professor Shagas had the time to care about such things.
Their gazes were fixed solely on Yuran, who stood before them.
“……”
Lian had long since figured out that Yuran was no ordinary being.
He naturally knew that she was a half-dragon and, in truth, an overwhelmingly powerful individual who was beyond his ability to contend with.
But this was……
This was on a completely different level.
‘She was this powerful even in the present, not just in the future?’
The aura emanating from her now surpassed the realm of simply being strong or threatening.
It was an overwhelming pressure that radiated from her very existence.
It was almost identical to what he had felt before from Airos.
That very same sensation now flooded from Yuran, unfiltered.
“……”
Professor Shagas was no different from Lian.
No, in truth, he was even more shocked than Lian.
He had already known that Yuran was special among those who inherited the ‘blood of dragons’, an unprecedented genius.
Above all, as someone who had literally inherited the true blood of a dragon, her potential had always been assumed to be beyond imagination.
But the sight before his eyes and the aura she exuded……
Far surpassed even his wildest expectations.
It was already more than joyful enough that a student he thought dead had returned to life.
But now, her current appearance felt somehow unstable and unfamiliar.
“Mm……”
Yuran placed a hand on her forehead, as if she felt dizzy, and lightly shook her head.
With a faint furrow of her brow, she murmured,
“It’s like…… I’ve woken from a very long dream. I was certain……”
Trailing off, Professor Shagas cautiously spoke first.
“Yuran.”
At his call, Yuran stopped her wavering movement.
“……Do you remember us?”
“……”
Then Yuran slowly lifted her head and looked at Professor Shagas.
Her red eyes calmly scanned her master’s face.
“……Master.”
At last, her lips parted.
It was unmistakably Yuran’s voice.
Then her gaze naturally shifted to Lian, who stood beside him.
“……And my benefactor, Lian Gwendil.”
She nodded.
“I remember. Very vividly.”
But soon after, she tilted her head repeatedly, as if puzzled.
“I remember. But other things are faint. Like everything’s been shattered into pieces. ……Why was I here?”
Yuran paused for a moment and looked down at her own hand.
Then slowly, she reached up and touched the horn on her forehead.
“……This too. I’m certain.”
Then suddenly, her eyes sharpened.
Was it because the horn she thought broken was intact in her hand?
“I was certain.”
Then Yuran murmured like a sigh,
“I should have already stopped breathing.”
Eventually, she lifted her head and stared directly at Lian Gwendil.
Her gaze seemed to ask—Are you the one who brought me back to life?
“……Ah.”
Her eyes then landed on his right arm, which hung limp and crushed.
It was in such a tattered state that anyone could tell at a glance it was a serious injury, likely due to improper healing.
“What happened to your arm?”
Yuran asked, a slight furrow forming between her brows.
She had easily sensed the divine power lingering around her.
And it wasn’t difficult for her to understand why someone capable of using miracles hadn’t healed such an injury—why his divine power had been depleted.
Caught off guard, Lian replied,
“Ah, it’s fine. With a bit of rest, I can easily heal it with a miracle—”
“Give it here.”
Yuran said.
“Give it to me.”
Before Lian could even respond, Yuran stepped forward and abruptly grabbed his right arm.
Without hesitation, she brought it right up to her face.
“……W-Wait!”
“Mm.”
And then, to Lian’s utter shock, Yuran began licking the wounded area with no hesitation whatsoever.
Though startled, Lian cried out in alarm, but Yuran paid him no mind.
The soft, warm sensation touched his torn and shattered right arm.
And then, Lian found himself so shocked that he forgot to breathe.
Not because of Yuran’s sudden action.
But because something so incredible happened that it momentarily erased everything else.
Chiiiik.
A strong burning sensation flared where Yuran’s tongue touched, followed by wisps of smoke.
Yet surprisingly, it didn’t hurt at all.
“Ah, here too.”
Yuran stopped licking his arm.
This time, her gaze landed on his cheek.
“……Mm.”
Perhaps licking his cheek felt improper.
Yuran, who had leaned in close to Lian’s face absentmindedly, paused.
Instead, she wiped her own lips with her finger, then pressed and rubbed it gently against Lian’s cheek.
“It’s done now.”
With those words, she released Lian.
Lian looked down at his right arm in disbelief.
“This is…”
Only moments ago, his arm had been horrifically mangled—yet now, it had recovered completely, as if nothing had happened.
‘A miracle… no, even beyond that…’
As Lian was thinking this, Yuran gave a faint smile.
Unlike before, it was a strangely enigmatic smile.
“I’m relieved, my savior. It surely hurt because of me. Does it no longer ache? Can you move it well?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Lian nodded blankly, expressing his gratitude.
Then, Yuran suddenly pulled him into a tight embrace.
Caught off guard by her surprising strength, Lian involuntarily let out a breathless gasp.
“Thank you?”
Yuran muttered as if the words made no sense.
“I’m the one who’s far, far, far more grateful.”
Her quiet voice echoed beside his ear.
“Lian Gwendil, my savior.”
She whispered gently.
“…You brought me back from the dead. I don’t even know how to begin repaying this debt. I must repay you threefold. …How should I repay this?”
Lian was startled by how completely she seemed to have changed.
But he remained silently in her embrace.
That was because Professor Shagas, from behind, was signaling him to stay still.
Moreover…
“……”
“……”
Her body, wrapped around his, was trembling faintly.
Without saying a word, Lian gently patted her back.
Before long, Yuran let go of him.
Then, as if avoiding his gaze, she quickly turned around and began walking toward the passage that had been revealed after the Tentacle Mass vanished.
“…You two should rest here for a bit.”
She spoke softly.
There was a sharp murderous intent in her voice.
“I have business with the ones inside.”
“Yuran, wait a moment…”
“…I’ll kill them all.”
Despite Professor Shagas's attempt to stop her, she muttered the words like she was spitting them out.
Without giving anyone a chance to respond—and without the slightest hesitation—she leapt into the passage in an instant.
And just like that, she vanished into the darkness beyond.
“……”
Lian quietly stared at the passage she disappeared into.
Something felt off.
The Yuran he knew wasn’t someone so aggressive or emotional.
“…Don’t worry too much.”
Sensing Lian’s thoughts, Professor Shagas spoke up.
“The ones I’ve met in the past who inherited the blood of dragons… when they awakened, or when the dragon blood within them deepened, they would often become combative or behave like entirely different people. It seems their personalities themselves would change.”
“Ah.”
Professor Shagas continued, gazing at the passage with a complicated expression.
“Yuran is probably going through the same.”
He calmly explained further.
There was no point in hiding things anymore.
“And the dragon blood flowing through her is of a different caliber—it’s likely affected her even more strongly.”
“…That certainly seems to be the case.”
Lian replied as he raised his now-healthy right arm.
The wound had completely vanished, but perhaps it was just in his head—he still felt a faint warmth lingering in that area.
He then brought a hand to his cheek.
As expected, there was no wound left.
‘This spot was definitely…’
But he hadn’t forgotten.
The spot her fingers had grazed—was precisely where Anguster’s thrown axe had torn into him.
Suddenly, Lian recalled Yuran’s red eyes from just moments ago.
They were far deeper and more intense than before, as if they could pierce through everything.
They were even darker than the ones he remembered from both the past and his previous life.
“Hm.”
Meanwhile, Professor Shagas began inspecting his own condition.
He picked up a few weapons that had fallen nearby and tucked them into his robe before speaking.
“What will you do now?”
“Pardon?”
“Yuran, I mean.”
Professor Shagas said.
“…Surely you’re not thinking of just sitting here and resting, as she suggested.”
He added quickly, as if to clarify.
“I’m not trying to suggest you go with her. Even to someone like me who’s untrained in this, it’s obvious… you’ve already pushed yourself too far. Frankly, I think you should fall back and rest here.”
To his suggestion, Lian replied without even a moment’s thought.
“I’ll go with her.”
“Mm.”
“…As a cleric of the Holy Sun Church, I can’t just let cultists of the Evil God run free.”
Giving a plausible excuse, Lian looked toward the passage where Yuran had disappeared and added,
“More importantly, I can’t just let Yuran go alone.”
“I see. …Thank you.”
Professor Shagas nodded in gratitude.
“Fortunately, it looks like we won’t need to request additional backup.”
“Yes, I believe so.”
Lian agreed with his words.
“Because whoever it may be, they’ll surely be drawn here by that energy that spread just moments ago.”
Professor Shagas briefly glanced around, then approached a relatively flat section of the wall and began writing something with his finger.
With a rough scraping sound, characters began etching into the wall.
It was a brief summary of what had happened here and where they were headed.
A minimal amount of information left behind for anyone who might follow.
Finishing the short message, Professor Shagas looked toward the entrance of the passage Yuran had gone through.
A thick, ominous air oozed from the dark, damp tunnel.
“Well then, let’s go.”
Without hesitation, the two of them leapt into the passage.
“…This isn’t good.”
A short while later, Windy May arrived on the scene and muttered as she read the words etched into the wall.
There were few people who knew as much about dragons as she did.
After all, she was the Dragon Slayer who had once defeated two dragons at once on her own.
Because of that, she could understand the situation well enough from just the short message Professor Shagas had left…
And the lingering traces of the energy around the area.
“Hmm.”
Dragons.
Perhaps the most obsessive and greedy beings in the world.
Recalling their habits and nature, Windy May murmured softly,
“…I can only hope that strange trait of theirs hasn’t manifested.”
Then, she too leapt into the passage without hesitation.