The Return And Closing Of Third Year (1)

My return to the Spirit Forest was shorter than I expected.

Especially because of the creature’s stability, sleeping soundly on my head without falling off, the pace of my return was faster than I thought.

Maybe it sensed the change in environment the moment we passed the barrier; suddenly it shot its head up and looked around.

“Oh?! It’s the captain!”

As expected, Naruan—always goofing off—was the first to spot me; she came running and then abruptly stopped.

“…Who are you?!”

Naruan suddenly drew her sidearm and looked menacing.

While I tilted my head at Naruan’s behavior, the legion members swarmed over.

“Naruan, what’s wrong?”

“Yeah. It’s the captain, after all.”

“Naruan, how many times have I told you it’s rude to treat a companion like that?”

Ignoring her comrades, Naruan pointed at my head and shouted.

“The captain has no horns!”

“…?”

The brief incident ended with Naruan kneeling on one knee and holding her arms up in punishment.

The charge was apparently pointing a weapon at the legion leader?

“Naruan. Arms down.”

“Ice Witch is unfair. Surely the captain had horns before.”

I sighed and carefully removed my robe’s hood at Naruan’s grumbling. Everyone’s gaze turned to the Purple Dragon perched above my head.

The creature, still lying on its belly with limbs stretched out and only its head raised to look around, seemed to sense the focused attention and tucked its neck in.

Separate from that, the party looked at the Purple Dragon with eager eyes, wanting an introduction.

“We’ll do introductions… later. For now, just know it’s called a Purple Dragon.”

“W-wow.”

“A dragon?”

“A subspecies?”

“But isn’t it too small?”

Did it understand Simon’s remark about its size?

The creature, which had its head lowered, snapped its head up stiffly, stood up, and cried out “Gyaa! Gyaa!!” from above my head.

Wondering what it was doing, I took hold of its tail and set it on the ground; it then clumsily crawled toward Simon.

“O-oh…”

While Simon was flustered, the Purple Dragon—about the size of a large puppy—approached his ankle and took a deep breath.

Just as its little belly puffed out, it expelled the breath all at once.

Fwoooosh

“Huh?”

It was a flame breath.

The problem was that it couldn’t regulate the power; more like the flame of a lighter that almost singed a head.

It caused no harm to Simon, who was wearing newly issued gear, but when surprised Simon stepped back, it puffed out its chest triumphantly.

It glared at the party once more, then tried to crawl back to me.

“Puh! Kekek.”

“Kekek.”

“Hahaha.”

“Hoho. Oh my, it’s so cute!”

The members who were watching the Purple Dragon closely burst into laughter, saying it was killing them with cuteness.

Lee Hyo-ju carefully picked up the moving creature, cradled it, and stroked its head.

“Gyaa…”

Members gathered around Lee Hyo-ju and the creature, which closed its eyes and smiled in clear satisfaction.

As everyone exclaimed over the cuteness, Naruan’s arms quietly lowered, and Hazel came over to my side.

“By the way, companion.”

“Hm?”

Hazel approached, smiling warmly, kissed my cheek, and asked.

“What should that child be fed?”

“…I don’t know either.”

“Is that so. Well, you’re a novice father too. Hmm… what to do. Sorry, but I still don’t produce milk…”

“Hey hey.”

Hazel is fine overall, but her blunt way of barreling in like an attack sometimes catches people off guard.

Anyway, I’m really worried. I don’t know what that creature eats.

“Lee Hyo-ju, the Purple Dragon for a moment.”

“…Ah, yes.”

I took the creature from Lee Hyo-ju and activated ‘Inspect.’

“Ugh…”

As expected, the description was unhelpful.

This Genesis woman could’ve at least written something about dragons, or left a hint nearby…!

“No way.”

I took a ‘Top-tier Attribute Stone—Water’ from my inventory and brought it near the Purple Dragon’s mouth, hoping against hope, but…

“Gyaa! Gyaa!”

It flailed its little forelimbs as if scolding me for what I was doing.

Of course—it’s absurd to think a dragon would eat a stone.

“Mr. Kim Han, what are you doing?”

“Ah. This one—I don’t know what to feed it. Talis, what do you think?”

“Talis should arrive soon. He’s probably busy hijacking drinks at the Spirit Lord’s estate right now. But surely milk, isn’t it?”

Ah… now that I think about it, I completely ruled out milk. Maybe my bias about it being a dragon clouded my thinking even though it’s just hatched.

“…Is that so?”

I searched through the various drinks in my inventory, but there was no milk.

“Do you happen to have milk?”

“It should be among the food ingredients. Hazel and I will look for it.”

“Alright.”

“Yes. Just a moment… By the way, what’s this child’s name…?”

“…A name?”

When I asked back, Lee Hyo-ju spoke in her typically cold gaze and tone.

“You’re not seriously going to call it ‘Purple’ or ‘Purple Dragon,’ are you?”

“…Huh? Ah, no. I haven’t decided. Uh, yeah. I thought it would be better for everyone to think on it together.”

“Hoho. Yes, understood. Naruan! Don’t lower your hands.”

Lee Hyo-ju cradled the Purple Dragon carefully and approached Hazel; they whispered together for a while and began searching for something.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party hurried their return preparations, and Talis, Biosis, and Jimnas all arrived.

Let’s forget the moment Talis jokingly suggested dissecting the Purple Dragon and then awkwardly backtracked after receiving frosty glares from the women.

As we were about to leave the Spirit Forest’s barrier, the newly appointed Red Spirit Lord and Yellow Spirit Knight, perhaps having heard the news, hurried over and bowed.

“We heard. You’re leaving?”

“Yes, that’s the plan. You’ve been very accommodating while we’ve been here, right?”

“Ah, no. But are you leaving because you’re uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that. Talis and Biosis probably stripped us of every drink there was. And we’re not leaving because we’re uncomfortable; we’re leaving because it’s time. Don’t look so anxious. Take this, at least.”

They tossed out from their inventory a ‘Refined Attribute Crystal—Fire’ and a ‘Refined Attribute Crystal—Terra.’

They were purified with crafting techniques from the attribute crystals found in the Myryan King’s chamber, and they generate or greatly boost attribute affinity.

Given that the Myryan King and the Myryans possess attribute power, they thought these items would be helpful and offered them as gifts.

Sure enough, the Spirit Lords and Spirit Knight who received them bowed even deeper and expressed their thanks.

“Well then, let’s meet again if fate allows. Take care.”

“Please return safely.”

“Please go carefully.”

As soon as we stepped outside the barrier, I picked up the whining Purple Dragon—still unnamed thanks to the bizarre suggestions—and set it on my head again, covered it with my robe, and moved to Exorsus.

Inside the mansion where the Rebound Legion had stayed.

The mages who worked in the mansion frequently glanced at the gate and sighed.

The mage tending the garden, the ones preparing food in the kitchen, and those cleaning rooms alike.

Even the five tower lords repeatedly stared at the mansion’s enormous gate and sighed.

Two mage colleagues who met in the mansion’s second-floor corridor exhaled deeply and asked each other.

“How about you?”

“Sigh, don’t even ask. It’s a failure. Without that, it’s pointless to try.”

“Right? Same here.”

“Ugh…”

“What can we do? They still have a long time before they return…”

“Exactly. Cheer up.”

Having comforted each other, the two mages moved on to their tasks.

The kitchen mages, during a quiet moment, gathered around a table and drank tea.

Normally at this hour they’d chat or at least savor their rest, but none of them showed such signs.

They were sighing heavily, oblivious to their tea getting cold.

Then a mage who looked like a cook spoke up.

“How have you been… lately?”

“Just so-so.”

“Me too.”

“I’m just…”

Everyone looked drained.

Those who continued to sigh heard the bell for the time and started moving again.

Was I imagining it, or did they look like zombies?

The mansion left by Kim Han—something was happening there.

As time passed, the aura around the mansion grew even more sinister.

The five tower lords gathered on the terrace connected to the first-floor reception room, watching the setting sun and drinking.

But the tower lords’ expressions were grim.

“Hmm…”

“Really… I never thought this would happen.”

“Indeed.”

“Sigh…”

“How did things come to this…”

The tower lords remained silent for a while.

Then Album, the White Tower Lord, straightened from his chair and spoke.

“So, what triggered the incident?”

“There’s no single cause to point to. It happened simultaneously in multiple places; no one can be pinpointed as the starter.”

“Ah! There’s that kid, isn’t there? The one tending the garden that received seeds of Defuratio or Defuro.”

At Wind Tower Lord Rubate’s remark, everyone nodded. Blue Tower Lord Zephyrus picked up her words and continued.

“He’s not the only one. Unfortunately, at our Blue Tower there’s an idiot who got into gambling.”

“Huh?!”

“A mage gambling?”

“Oh dear…”

“How did that happen…”

“Sigh… it’s my fault for being lacking. When everything suddenly started going well, the fellow got excited and turned to gambling. Sigh… we handled it according to precedent, but it left a bitter taste.”

The sound of tongues clicking spread on the breeze through the garden.

Though the terrace seemed the sort of place to calm one’s mind just by looking, the five magic tower lords’ expressions showed no relief.

“In truth, it’s not only the underlings to blame, is it?”

“That’s right. There are similar cases among the elders as well.”

“Tsk tsk.”

“Where did they put their age, I wonder.”

The more they shared their grievances, the more gloom settled on their faces.

“Huh, how did it come to such withdrawal symptoms?”

“Indeed.”

“Withdrawal.”

“…But you can’t just ban it, can you?”

“Right.”

The five magic tower lords’ voices trailed off helplessly, like people facing a natural disaster.

It was then.

“Oh, they’re coming!!”

One of the Wind Tower elders ran straight toward the terrace where the lords sat.

He’d probably used haste magic or shouted from the main gate, but he arrived on the terrace in an instant.

“What’s all this fuss about?”

At Lubate’s question, the elder pointed somewhere and spoke.

“The, the master is coming!”

At the elder’s words, the five tower lords sprang up from their seats.

“What?!”

“Huh?”

“Is it true?”

“That’s a relief. What a relief!”

“Indeed.”

While the Wind Tower Lord gave the elder various instructions, White Tower Lord Albom wiped his chest as if relieved and let out a big sigh.

“Phew… finally… the withdrawal symptoms from the luck dice will vanish…”

That day, when the mages heard the news that Kim Han and the representative had returned to the mansion, they truly cheered.