“.......”

“.......”

Cale quietly looked at the small dragon in his arms.

The small dragon avoided Cale’s gaze.

“Want me to put you down?”

Nod.

Cale lowered the small dragon onto the sofa as it nodded.

Flap, flap.

Raon was watching the scene with eyes that were sparkling fiercely.

“Hehe!”

“Hehe!”

Beside him, the red cat Hong was also laughing nonstop, eyes shining.

The small dragon pretended not to notice those looks too.

“Waaaaaaah---”

“The Mad Dragon! The Mad Dragon! The Mad Dragon!”

Outside the window, the tens of thousands of remaining residents of the Seventh Evil were still erupting in cheers over and over.

Cale stared into empty air.

[Birth Ceremony Progress 319%]

The Birth Ceremony was over.

However—

“So this is where you were. Hehe.”

The aftermath of the Birth Ceremony was not over yet.

“The footage of the Birth Ceremony is currently being spread across all of New World. In addition, we are uploading the footage to various user communities.”

Clopeh Sekka. He was serious about legends.

“A legend does not simply assign meaning to a phenomenon. When that phenomenon becomes a story, rises and falls upon people’s lips, and continues on beyond the present into later generations. Only then does it finally become a legend.”

[*The aftermath of the Birth Ceremony is spreading at a rapid pace!]

[*Beyond New World and all the way to the Third District, a legend is being created!]

[*Reward Grade determination has been postponed!]

For some reason, Cale quietly stared at the quest window, which seemed as if the system was involved, then looked at Clopeh.

Bending at the waist, Clopeh gently said to the tiny baby dragon—Eruhaben Miru, the baby dragon who had truly been born today—

“Congratulations on your birth.”

Eruhaben Miru firmly refused to even glance at Clopeh Sekka.

But Clopeh Sekka was not the sort to care in the slightest about such a tiny gesture.

Filled with delight, he said,

“A Sacred Evil, the Mad Dragon. Quite an excellent epithet has been born.”

The baby dragon over nine hundred years old squeezed his eyes shut.

“Eruhaben Miru. The road before you will be a flower path of legend.”

“.......”

Eruhaben Miru merely stared into space.

Though his pupils seemed to tremble strangely.

“Eruhaben Miru!”

Raon suddenly rushed over.

“Let’s go!”

And grabbed Eruhaben Miru’s tiny, chubby forepaw.

“!”

Eruhaben Miru was flustered.

But Raon was in a hurry right now.

“Let’s go to Mom!”

“......!”

Eruhaben Miru’s pupils shook violently.

From that sight, Cale realized that this guy had not forgotten Sheritt. He had known he needed to go see her, but had been hesitating because he lacked the courage.

“Let’s go!”

“You need to go.”

Hong took the lead, and On, unusually, urged Eruhaben Miru on.

“.......”

Eruhaben Miru looked at Cale, but Cale only flashed him a grin. Quite gently.

Seeing that, the face of the very tiny dragon—small enough to fit in both of Cale’s hands—crumpled severely.

“Let’s go!”

And like a paper doll shaking in the wind, he moved along with Raon’s touch.

Of course, Raon’s touch was gentle.

It was because he knew that that Eruhaben Miru simply followed along.

Flap flap!

Flap, flap—

Excited wingbeats and strangely hesitant wingbeats.

Even though he had just been born, Eruhaben Miru fluttered those small wings well.

Eruhaben Miru took in Raon, who was utterly excited, and his own forepaw caught in Raon’s forepaw.

“Waaaaaaah---”

“O Mad Dragon!”

“Our new lord!”

And the cheers directed at him were still ringing in his ears.

“Mm!”

Raon paused for a moment, thought about it, and soon grabbed Eruhaben Miru with both front paws.

“!”

Eruhaben Miru was flustered.

And Raon was a little flustered too.

‘He’s small!’

Eruhaben Miru was too small.

An odd feeling he could not understand rose within Raon.

He knew Eruhaben Miru’s real age was over nine hundred, close to a thousand.

But scales black like his own.

And platinum patterns that reminded him of Grandpa Gold Dragon Eruhaben.

Eyes the exact same color as our human’s.

And eyes that somehow resembled Mom Sheritt’s as well.

“Heh!”

Raon just laughed.

Even though he was a great dragon, Raon was still young, too young to express all those feelings.

Raon said to Eruhaben Miru,

“Stay glued tightly to my back! Eruhaben Miru!”

Raon placed Eruhaben Miru on his back.

That was how small Eruhaben Miru was.

“!”

Eruhaben Miru seemed extremely flustered, but Raon did not notice.

He only felt strangely energized by the little weight and warmth on his back.

At that incomprehensible feeling, Raon clenched both front paws tight. Then he thought,

‘I’ll protect Eruhaben Miru too!’

That determination made Raon’s tightly shut mouth look solemn.

“Ha.”

Cale stared at the whole sight with a dumbfounded expression, then let out a short hollow laugh and followed behind the average age of ten.

“Clopeh.”

“Yes, Cale-nim.”

“Good work.”

Of course, he did toss Clopeh, who had worked hard, a single word.

Because he was busy following behind the average age of ten, Cale did not see the Clopeh left behind.

“......!”

The smile vanished from Clopeh’s face.

For a moment, he looked up at the ceiling.

“...Good work, was it—”

It was a pleasant thing to hear.

However—

“All of this is for the sake of an even greater picture.”

Clopeh was a more extraordinary bastard than Cale thought.

‘Eruhaben Miru.’

The boss of the Seventh Evil.

He too was, in the end, one of Cale-nim’s subordinates.

Whether it was the Mir Knights, the Third Evil, or the Eighth Evils.

All of them were beings that would be placed beneath Cale-nim.

The legends they would create would, in the end, become the foundation for the even greater legend Cale-nim would accomplish.

“Hehe.”

“Good work” was something he could hear after everything was over.

Thinking that Cale was truly modest, Clopeh slowly headed toward the window.

“The Mad Dragon! The Mad Dragon!”

The residents of the Seventh Evil were still there, cheering.

“...In the end, the name they will call has already been decided.”

Cale-nim.

Young Master Shield.

That great name would once again echo throughout all of New World, the Third District, and every dimension.

“Kekeke.”

In the room where he was left alone, Clopeh barely restrained his laughter and his eyes flashed.

*****

“Hm?”

Meanwhile, as he followed behind the average age of ten, Cale felt strangely uneasy.

Why is that?

‘Ah.’

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.

‘Hmm.’

That average age of ten going along with grins and giggles.

Eruhaben Miru stuck tightly to Raon’s back.

Do I have to include that guy too?

‘No way. That’s a bit much.’

Make a guy over nine hundred their youngest?

“.......”

Cale’s expression stiffened without him realizing it.

Because the way Eruhaben Miru looked on the outside really was—though it felt a little ridiculous to say it—genuinely cute.

“So cute!”

“Our boss is way too cute! And he still has that kind of dignity!”

Come to think of it, there were voices outside crying out that he was cute too.

Cale deliberately looked away.

‘Not my problem.’

Right. This was a problem Eruhaben Miru would have to overcome on his own while living, wasn’t it?

Cale stopped caring.

“We’re here!”

Instead, he focused on the meeting between Eruhaben Miru and Sheritt.

“.......”

“.......”

Neither of them said anything.

Seeing that Sheritt’s eyes were red, Cale noticed that she had cried alone, but pretended not to.

“.......”

Eruhaben Miru opened his mouth.

He moved his lips several times like that, but could not bring himself to speak.

Sheritt calmly waited for him with a smile.

Step.

Eruhaben Miru climbed down from Raon’s back.

Flap. Flap.

And he beat his wings, still awkward because he had only just been born.

“.......”

He stopped in front of Sheritt.

The portal.

With that between them, the two dragons could get no closer to each other.

Eruhaben Miru was now a being who could not cross the portal.

And Sheritt was a being who could not come beyond it.

“.......”

Eruhaben Miru raised his head and looked at Sheritt.

Unlike Sheritt’s mischievous appearance, the smile on her lips was as gentle as her age.

“...I—”

At last, after a long while, Eruhaben Miru spoke.

“I’m back.”

Sheritt answered him.

“Yes. Welcome back.”

Cale was watching that sight when, sensing a presence, he turned his head.

“Cale-nim.”

It was Choi Han.

Normally, according to Clopeh’s plan, he should have used his aura together with Cale and the Heavenly Demon, but something had come up, so he had been unable to do so.

“I heard Lan Kingdom contacted us?”

“Yes.”

The Wanderer So Hee.

Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon had been handling the interrogation related to her.

Unlike the Heavenly Demon, who had returned to the Black Castle for Eruhaben Miru’s Birth Ceremony, Choi Han had come here and then, upon receiving sudden contact from Lan Kingdom, had to go back there again.

“It seems you will have to go, Cale-nim.”

And Choi Han had returned to take Cale with him.

The Demon Realm.

The holy land of the God of Chaos, Primordial Night.

Cale now had to go there.

Since Choi Han knew Choi Jung Gun’s life depended on this schedule, he would not delay the trip to the Demon Realm unless it was something serious.

“...I have to go?”

Even so, Choi Han said that Cale had to go to Lan Kingdom.

There was only one kind of matter that would justify that.

“Did another Wanderer show up?”

Choi Han slowly lowered his head.

“Yes.”

Cale immediately reasoned out the answer.

“If it’s another Wanderer, then it’s probably the Wanderer who was originally threatening the king of Lan, right?”

“Yes. He said he would visit tomorrow.”

King Tamahi of Lan did not know the Wanderer So Hee.

Instead, the one who had threatened her was another Wanderer.

That person and Duke Hinpa, the Guide of the God of Chaos, had pressured the king together.

“Well, it’d be strange if a Wanderer didn’t show up in Lan Kingdom.”

Lan Kingdom was currently changing its kingdom-wide policies to follow the will of Cale and the Dark Kingdom.

“So Hee. Duke Hinpa. There are two things we need to confirm.”

“Yes. That is why His Majesty is looking for you, Cale-nim.”

“I’ll have to go.”

Tomorrow, the Wanderer would come to meet King Tamahi of Lan.

Before that, Cale had to move quickly.

“So Hee definitely told the other Wanderers that what happened to her was the doing of the ‘God of Chaos.’”

“Yes.”

The martial arts arena.

Cale had deliberately let So Hee send a message to her comrade there.

At the time, So Hee had thought Cale was part of the ‘God of Chaos’ faction.

“And Duke Hinpa’s contact was cut off.”

“That’s right.”

Duke Hinpa was dead.

But the Five Colored Blood hunter Wanderers would not know that.

His death had been completely concealed.

So because of So Hee’s contact and her disappearance, and Duke Hinpa’s contact suddenly being cut off, they would have investigated the God of Chaos in order to find answers to all of it.

‘Going straight to contact the Order of the God of Chaos would be amateurish.’

They would first go to Lan Kingdom and reexamine what had happened before and after.

In that case, there was something they had to do first.

“We need to hide So Hee.”

“Yes. That’s likely why His Majesty is looking for you.”

The Wanderer So Hee.

She had to be moved out of the underground prison of the royal palace to somewhere other than the palace.

“The king says he isn’t confident he can stop a Wanderer from searching the palace. In the end, it sounds like the Wanderer will probably inspect the underground prison too.”

“Probably. From the Wanderer’s point of view, if Lan Kingdom has attached itself to the side of the God of Chaos, then the only place they’d think of to imprison So Hee would be there.”

Because there were only so many places where a semi-NPC could be imprisoned.

“So His Majesty seemed troubled over what to do.”

“Right.”

Cale fell into thought for a moment.

Then the corner of his mouth twisted upward.

“First, let’s go see His Majesty.”

The place where Cale and Choi Han’s steps came to a stop—

Vmmmm.

There, the teleportation circle Rosalyn had prepared in advance was shining brightly.

Flash!

Soon, wrapped in light, Choi Han and Cale headed to the Lan royal palace.

*****

“Your Majesty.”

“You’ve come!”

King Tamahi greeted Cale with an urgent expression.

“The Wanderer was originally supposed to come today, but I barely managed to put it off until tomorrow!”

She first informed Cale that she had not even half a day left, and that she could no longer delay things any further.

Martial Arts Master Cha Run was there beside the king as well.

“Your Majesty. Please calm yourself.”

Cale smiled.

“The issue is moving So Hee first, right?”

“That’s right.”

“And Your Majesty is also worried about how to deal with the Wanderer, aren’t you?”

“That’s right!”

In truth, what worried the king of Lan more was how she should face the Wanderer.

The Wanderer had likely already realized that Lan Kingdom had chosen a path different from theirs.

In that situation, King Tamahi had to protect Lan Kingdom from the Wanderer.

“I’ll give you the answer to both of those problems.”

“...Really?”

And contrary to her worries, Cale had already come with the answer.

The moment she saw his smile, instead of tension, King Tamahi felt a strange sense of anticipation arise inside her.

The Dark Kingdom.

A great force protecting New World from within the shadows.

The one standing at the center of that power.

Tamahi waited for Cale’s answer with a trembling heart.

And Cale gently said to Tamahi and Martial Arts Master Cha Run,

“The Wanderer So Hee can be moved to another underground prison.” 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

“...Another......?”

While Cha Run was puzzled, a gleam appeared in Tamahi’s eyes.

“Do you mean moving her to another kingdom’s underground prison?”

“As expected, you are wise.”

At Cale’s answer, the king opened her mouth.

“...Is there another kingdom you are connected to besides us? Or is it the Dark Kingdom’s—?”

“It is not a kingdom.”

“Then what kind of prison—?”

Cale shook his head. Unlike Cha Run, who grew even more confused, Tamahi immediately found the answer.

“...Could it be an empire?”

“!”

Cha Run’s eyes widened.

The Dark Kingdom.

Did that place even have ties to an empire?

“If it’s the underground prison of the imperial palace of the Eastern Empire, it will ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) be more secure than this place.”

The moment Cale calmly named the prison where So Hee would be moved, Tamahi and Cha Run let out exclamations of admiration.

“How could you possibly have ties with the Eastern Empire— Ah, no!”

Cha Run unconsciously blurted it out, then hurriedly shut his mouth. Cale only looked at him with a smile.

Silence often gave many answers.

‘Anlomann.’

President Anlomann.

Rank Number One, Anlomann.

He was currently the crown prince of Leenti of the Eastern Empire and would soon have his enthronement ceremony.

‘The emperor of the Eastern Empire is Anlomann’s companion.’

An AI born from Anlomann’s parents.

Cale had already sent word to Anlomann.

Naturally, he would cooperate with Cale.

Since they were locking up the Wanderer So Hee in the Eastern Empire’s underground prison anyway, it would be good to get acquainted with the AI emperor.

“And when the Wanderer arrives, respond like this.”

Cale also advised them on the face Lan Kingdom should show the Wanderer.

“Bow your head completely.”

“Bow our heads?”

To the puzzled King Tamahi, Cale continued,

“Tell them you had no choice but to betray the Wanderers because you were threatened.”

The Dark Kingdom must not be exposed.

It would be a problem if they noticed that Cale’s group had entered New World and was active inside it.

“And all of that—”

The invincible shield.

“You can say you had no choice because the side of the God of Chaos threatened you.”

“!”

A strange light appeared in the eyes of Choi Han, Cha Run, and Tamahi, who had been listening quietly.

“And say that the Wanderer So Hee was taken by Duke Hinpa to Primordial Night, the holy land of the God of Chaos.”

“Ah.”

Choi Han let out an exclamation.

Primordial Night.

That place was the holy land of the God of Chaos.

The place Cale needed to go and turn upside down once.

He had to steal the divine relic, and there were various other things to do there too.

But since it was the holy land of the God of Chaos, the security there would be tremendous, and Cale’s group might have to fight while shedding quite a bit of blood.

‘But mention Primordial Night to the Wanderer?’

If they were Five Colored Blood Wanderers, they would know the location of that holy land.

Which meant they might—

‘Visit the holy land in our place and start a fight.’

If that happened—

‘We can steal everything we need to steal and stab everyone in the back without shedding a single drop of blood!’

Choi Han could not hide his admiring expression as he looked at Cale.

The king too had no choice but to nod at the suggestion that they pin everything on the God of Chaos.

“That is the most realistic method. The Wanderers will believe it too.”

“That’s right, Your Majesty.”

Cale gave a gentle smile, and the king smiled as well.

The anxiety had eased considerably from her face. Brimming with energy, she said,

“We must immediately create traces that make the Wanderer suspect Duke Hinpa and the God of Chaos.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll make them think the reason I bought a day of time was to erase traces of worship of the God of Chaos.”

“That is excellent. Truly, you are wise.”

Haha—

Haha—

Both Cale and Tamahi burst into laughter.

*****

“It’s been a while.”

Cale waved a hand in greeting.

“So Hee, your complexion’s improved?”

At his greeting, the Wanderer So Hee’s face turned pale white.

Late at night, past midnight.

All those guarding the underground prison of the Lan royal palace had vanished, and only Choi Han and Cale were looking down at So Hee, the sole prisoner.

Leenti of the Eastern Empire.

It was time to go there.

<I’ve already said something to them.>

It was after receiving word from Anlomann.