Chapter 85

At last, the morning of the dragon's birthday banquet dawned.

Kor, who had finished preparing first and was waiting for Kinaine, looked up at the sky. The sky was as gloomy as sewage water, no different from yesterday.

Was this cloudy weather a natural phenomenon, or was it influenced by the dragon's mood? Though he hoped for the former, he had a bad feeling about it.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Kor's eyes widened when he saw Kinaine come out.

"Who is this?"

Kinaine, whom Ramu had carefully dressed up for the important day, looked quite different from what Kor had seen before.

His bloodless skin now had a natural flush, and his black hair had a different shine than usual. His cheeks and lips, tinted pink, transformed his winter tree-like pale and desolate atmosphere into something calm and elegant.

Seeing him embody the very expression "beautiful omega," Kor couldn't help but clap.

"Ramu, I'd believe you even if you were the dragon. This is nothing short of magic."

"Oh, it's not much of a skill."

Ramu smiled shyly. She too was dressed in fine clothes provided by the main palace, making her look much more lovely than usual.

And there was a gaze watching the cheerful three from a distance. Kinaine was the first to notice that gaze.

"Rahu, why are you over there? Come here."

When Kinaine called, Rahu approached hesitantly.

"Where do you keep going? When I went to deliver your clothes, you weren't in your room."

"I just took a walk around. I get restless sitting still."

Though it was a somewhat awkward excuse, Kinaine accepted it, thinking Rahu must be uncomfortable around him. Of course, he didn't know that since Rahu's return, he had been consistently reporting Kinaine's daily activities to someone.

Kinaine handed clothes to Rahu.

"Here, these are your clothes. Quickly change and come back."

Soon Rahu came out after changing. But something was strange about his appearance. The back area was bulging like a huge lump, looking like it might tear at any moment. Noticing others' gazes, Rahu looked down at the floor.

"You should have said something. I'll cut it for you."

Ramu quickly ran to her twin with scissors. The skilled girl naturally cut the back portion without ruining the clothes' form. Then she pulled out the wings that had been pressed down by the clothes.

"More comfortable now?"

"Yes, thanks."

"I cut my clothes like that too. These wings are just heavy and useless."

What meaning could there be in wings that couldn't fly? To the winged tribe, wings were nothing more than heavy lumps they had to carry on their backs for life. Having to cut the back of clothes like this because they couldn't wear normal clothes was terribly inconvenient.

"...Maybe someday we'll be able to fly."

Rahu muttered while glancing at his drooping wings. At those words, Ramu's eyes widened in surprise.

"Since when did you become so positive? Did you really eat something wrong?"

"Fool, what would you know!"

"What? Did you just call me a fool? Who's the real fool here!"

As the twins bickered, Kinaine turned his gaze to Kor. The purple-eyed man was watching the twins with a complicated expression.

Though it bothered him, Kinaine couldn't carelessly interfere in the winged tribe's problems. He had merely offered an opinion based on what he had heard; the judgment would be Kor's to make.

Kinaine made one final adjustment, hiding the ring on his neck inside his upper clothes so it wouldn't show. Ramu, who happened to see this, couldn't hide her regret as she asked.

"Lord Nine, won't you really change to a different necklace? I have one that would match your current clothes well, it would make you even more beautiful."

In truth, Ramu had always been dissatisfied with that worn necklace when dressing up Kinaine. Though it was usually hidden inside his clothes and not noticeable, shouldn't he wear accessories that match his clothes when he's dressed up so nicely?

But as always, Kinaine shook his head.

"Sorry, I've worn it for so long that I feel anxious without it."

"What kind of necklace is it to be like that? Let me see it too."

Kor approached with eyes full of curiosity. Come to think of it, hadn't he heard that the winged tribe liked sparkling jewels? Recalling what he had heard before, Kinaine pulled the necklace back out of his clothes.

"It's a ring, not a necklace. But it looks like it would be too big for your hand."

"It's not mine, that's why."

This ring had been Helio's. The other ring that had originally been Kinaine's was no longer in his possession. Since it had fallen into Hasan's hands, it was probably thrown away.

Examining the ring closely, Kor tilted his head.

"What is this ring made of?"

"I believe it's silver."

"Silver? Then I couldn't fail to recognize it. This is definitely not silver."

Not silver?

"May I touch it?"

When Kinaine nodded, Kor brought the ring close to his eyes to examine it. His appearance reminded one of a jewel appraiser.

"The ring's owner said it was specially treated so that unlike ordinary silver, it glows in the dark. Perhaps that's why you think it's not silver."

"No, I can say with certainty. This is not silver."

Kor shook his head firmly.

"I know almost all the jewels that exist in the world. But this... I'm not sure. It seems familiar somehow."

After thinking deeply, Kor finally gave up, unable to remember, and clicked his tongue regretfully.

"If its form was a bit more intact, I might have been able to tell what it was more certainly."

As Kor said, the ring was full of scars, proving its harsh years. Kinaine smiled bitterly while carefully touching the ring.

"I wanted to treat it preciously, but I couldn't manage it."

Since wearing the ownerless ring around his neck, Kinaine had lived even more recklessly with his body. At that time, his mind was filled only with thoughts of achieving his purpose and following his lover.

Rather, pain felt good. Perhaps that's why he sought out even more dangerous places. Physical pain allowed him not to think about what he had lost.

He could neither dwell in sorrow over losing his lover nor dream of revenge in anger. Because something even more terrible than the nightmares that visited every night existed within him, and the only way to avoid feeling those things was to harm himself.

The scars on his body increased that way. Some were made by his own hand. As the scars on his body increased, the ring too became similar in appearance. Though the wounds on his body no longer hurt, when he saw the damaged ring, he felt a dull pain as if nerves had returned to numbed places.

"Not silver... I never thought of that. Though certainly, it was strangely durable for silver."

Kinaine put the necklace back inside his clothes.

"In the past, it amazingly always looked like new. But at some point it became damaged like this. I thought perhaps the special treatment had worn off over time."

When had the ring started becoming damaged? Though he couldn't remember clearly, it had definitely been sturdy enough before that it wouldn't even get scratched easily.

'I thought it was unusually hard for silver then too, but to think it might not be silver.'

Come to think of it, Helio had only said it was a special material that glowed in the dark, not specifically that it was silver. Kinaine had just assumed it was silver based on its color and shape.

What mattered was that Helio had given him the ring as a gift, not what the ring was made of, so he hadn't particularly asked about the material. Even if what he received hadn't been silver but made of cheap iron, he would have treasured it like an irreplaceable treasure.

"Hmm, it's frustrating that I almost remember but can't quite. You said you're not the ring's owner? If you find out later by asking the owner, let me know too."

Kinaine nodded, saying he would. Of course, it was a promise that couldn't be kept. The real owner of the ring wouldn't even know it was his.

Well, what did it matter now what the ring was made of? It was an item that would never return to its owner. He planned to have this ring buried with him when he died. Since Asad wouldn't know anyway, this much desire should be allowed.

"We should leave now. Since the banquet venue seems quite far, if we leave now, we should arrive just right. The gift..."

"I've got it, so don't worry."

Ramu called out, holding up the well-wrapped gift box. Kinaine nodded and took his first step toward the banquet venue.

The sky grew darker as they approached the banquet hall. Looking up at the cloud-covered sky, Ramu sighed.

"Oh no, it looks like it might rain. If we'd known, we should have brought umbrellas."

Kinaine smiled and shook his head.

"It's fine. What's wrong with getting a little wet?"

"But your clothes will get wet."

"They can be dried. Don't worry."

Seeing Kinaine's composure, Ramu seemed to relax as well, her expression easing.

How could a mere human stop rain falling from the sky? But even if he couldn't stop the falling rain, he could control his own heart, so even if he got rained on, he could just laugh it off.

There was no hesitation in Kinaine's steps even as he walked under the dark clouds.

But at that time, Kinaine hadn't anticipated.

That what awaited him wasn't rain, but a storm.

Ahhh! Screams rang out.

Someone shouted.

"Everyone run! The dragon has gone mad!"

Among the people fleeing in panic, Kinaine blankly looked up at the sky.

The banquet was over, and instead of music, only screams filled the air everywhere.

...How had things come to this?