Chapter 69

No... he couldn't be certain yet. Kinaine hid his trembling hands by clenching them into fists. Asad must not notice anything strange. He immediately fabricated a casual voice.

"It's because I saw something so amazing. Are you really giving me something this valuable?"

"It's nothing special. Though to a human with no abilities, even such playful magic must seem amazing."

Thinking the human was amazed by the magic, Asad set aside his suspicions and began to show off subtly. Kinaine nodded, pretending to be impressed.

"You're amazing. There are things called magic in the human realm too, but they seem like nothing compared to real magic."

"...Magic?"

Asad's voice dropped an octave as if revealing his displeasure. Even without looking back, Kinaine could tell he was frowning.

"There can't be magic in the human realm. It's not a power permitted to humans."

Asad was right. Magic was solely for dragons.

Then what was black magic? Where and how did it come into being?

His hands on his knees tensed. His heart pounded with anticipation that he might finally get closer to the truth about black magic.

"Lord Asad... do you perhaps know about black magic?"

Kinaine waited anxiously for Asad's answer. One second felt as long as a day.

After a moment, a casual answer came.

"No, I don't know much about it."

"Ah..."

Had he expected too much? Disappointment rose to his throat. If the dragon didn't know, then no one else would either. The thread he had barely grasped seemed to slip through his fingers like sand.

However, Asad's words didn't end there.

"Dragons pass on knowledge to their successor before departing for the divine realm, but I received nothing from the previous dragon. So I couldn't know."

His heart sank at the self-deprecating voice.

Come to think of it, there had been such an incident not long after he came to the spirit realm.

Before entering the Gold Pot, Kinaine had asked around trying to gather information about the dragon. But...

'Ah, Lord Asad? I know nothing, go away!'

'How dare I carelessly speak about Lord Asad? I don't know why you're asking such things, but stop making trouble and go home!'

They had all been reluctant to mention the dragon, so he hadn't learned much.

He had wondered about the reason then, but only after entering the dragon palace and hearing the details from Ramu could he understand why they had acted that way.

'Ah, that makes sense. It's because Lord Asad once punished spirits who were talking about him.'

'Punished?'

'He cut their tongues right off.'

'So that's why they wouldn't answer when asked.'

'Yes, nobody wanted their tongue cut off. Originally dragons were indifferent to others and never punished for such reasons, but Lord Asad is different from previous dragons in many ways.'

The previous dragon, betrayed by his mate, had fallen into deep grief and neglected the world, causing everything to fall into chaos. Fortunately, a new dragon, Asad, had appeared and restored peace, but...

'They say Lord Asad killed the previous dragon in the process. According to tradition, the previous dragon should have passed on what was necessary to the successor and ascended to the divine realm, but Lord Asad didn't let that happen. That's why everyone fears Lord Asad's cruelty.'

When he had heard that story without knowing anything, he had thought Asad was violent and cruel. But now he knew that he was Helio and what he had been through.

Even if everyone pointed fingers at Asad calling him cruel, he couldn't do the same. He just wished he wouldn't mock himself like this.

"Lord Asad."

Without realizing it, Kinaine took Asad's hand with the one not holding the bead. The other seemed equally unprepared for his action, as the captured hand flinched.

"If you don't know, you can learn. Don't you have plenty of time for that, Lord Asad?"

Though he thought he might be pushed away, surprisingly, Asad remained docilely in his grip.

"...I don't need your pity."

Only his tone remained fierce.

Kinaine smiled bitterly at the thorny words. Had it seemed presumptuous after all? He keenly felt how they had become a relationship where he couldn't even offer such comfort anymore.

'Still...'

Unlike his owner's impression of being made of ice, Asad's hand was warm. Kinaine remembered how this hand had once been despised for being covered in black scales. But now Asad's hands were clean without a single scar, white and beautiful as if they had never done any rough work.

So much had changed. Time would continue to flow and Asad would move forward.

Though he wouldn't be able to watch that progress.

But couldn't he at least pray for his future happiness?

"The reason I asked about black magic is because the place where I lived suffered greatly because of a black mage."

"What did that bastard do to you?"

"...The black mage took countless lives. Even after his death, many still suffer. The rivers and forests were polluted, and the city he cursed turned to stone and still hasn't returned to normal."

"So, he didn't do anything to you specifically?"

It was a story he had brought up knowing the dragon who hated humans wouldn't care. He would have found it natural if he was ignored or even mocked.

"Why do you ask that? Would you punish him if he had tormented me?"

Asad's tone now was like an older brother seeing his younger sibling who had been beaten up by someone.

Though ironically, his actual older brother was the type who would have rewarded anyone who beat up his brother.

'If Your Highness had been my brother... I would have treasured you above all else.'

Suddenly, he remembered a conversation he had with Helio long ago by the lake.

"...Who said that? I just asked because I was curious."

Asad wouldn't let Kinaine remain lost in memories. As if worried Kinaine might misunderstand, he emphasized once more.

"Don't get any wrong ideas. Know your place. Understand?"

Though he seemed to be reacting more sensitively than usual, Kinaine thought it must be his imagination.

"Yes, don't worry, I won't. Besides, the black mage is already dead, so there's no way to punish him."

"Is that so?"

The last words had been thrown out jokingly to lighten the mood, but at the unexpected response, Kinaine turned his head. Asad stared at the black eyes full of doubt.

"Listening to what you said, I think I get what this black magic is."

"Then..."

"You don't need to know, so don't be curious."

Kinaine closed his lips that had just started to open. Somehow, he felt that if he couldn't hold back and asked, and Asad got irritated, he wouldn't get the important answer.

And his intuition proved right. When Kinaine truly didn't ask more, Asad was the one who couldn't hold back and spoke first.

"If I'm right, that bastard isn't dead. If he were dead, the magic cast on that city would have been undone."

"Is that really true?"

Asad said it was.

The way to undo black magic was the death of the black mage.

It was the answer Kinaine had been searching for so desperately.

However, he couldn't readily feel joy. Instead, he asked in a dry voice.

"...What about you, Lord Asad? Can you undo that magic?"

"I'd have to try to know, but why would I do that?"

Asad sneered, asking if Kinaine thought he would help humans.

...Well, that made sense. To ask such a favor of Asad who hated humans, the only way would be to become his mate and make a wish.

But now Kinaine knew another way. That method would be easier than becoming the dragon's bride, would happen naturally without any particular effort, and above all, wouldn't cause any trouble for Asad.

So why shouldn't he be happy?

"What's this, are you crying?"

"No."

Asad hurriedly reached out and touched Kinaine's eyes. As Kinaine had said, he wasn't crying, and his eyes were dry. But why had he thought this human would cry? When he removed his hand and looked again, the face was as impassive as usual, as if what he had seen before had been a mirage. Yet somehow Asad felt restless and wanted to change the subject.

"...Whatever happens in the human realm doesn't matter. Anyway, so you'll accept this bead and not say anything else?"

"Lord Asad, I..."

"There's no room for 'no.' Do you think you have a choice?"

Kinaine gazed steadily at Asad.

He no longer wanted anything from the dragon. What he had wanted from the dragon was to undo the black magic, but now he could do it without becoming his bride and making a wish.

"I really don't want..."

As he spoke, Kinaine suddenly realized there was still something he needed to take responsibility for.

"Then will you find my guard for me?"

"What?"

Asad's face hardened instantly.

"No."

It was his quickest answer yet.