Chapter 167

When planning all this, Shinsurial had not considered Kinaine.

Who would have known? That the human thought to be dead was actually alive, and would even drag his dying body all the way to the spirit realm. And that there, he would ultimately recognize his completely changed lover...

If he hadn't known that gods don't interfere with humans, even Shinsurial might have believed that divine will had guided Kinaine to the dragon.

Of course, it couldn't be called mere coincidence either.

"The fourth and final thing I failed to consider was your heart, Lord Asad."

The magical product created by the dragon breathing a powerful wish into his scale.

That ring had protected Kinaine from numerous dangers, and ultimately led him to Asad.

"But just as that human became poison to you, Lord Asad, conversely, your heart was no different from a curse to that human."

At Shinsurial's words, Asad, who had been silent all along, opened his mouth.

"What do you mean by that?"

"How intense must your wish have been when you made that ring, Lord Asad? Surely you desired more than simply that human's safety."

Asad recalled the engraving inside the ring.

'Eternal love'.

At that time, Asad had merely wished purely, not knowing that magic would be imbued in the ring he made.

But wouldn't even a small breeze caused by a dragon's wings be a fate-changing typhoon to a mere human?

"Forgetfulness is the only blessing humans possess. What I gave to you, Lord Asad, was merely an imitation of that blessing."

Dragons live eternally but cannot forget.

Shinsurial had long thought that was a curse.

What about humans, on the other hand?

"Living through long ages, I have seen countless humans. I've seen humans who grieved over their tragedies smiling happily years later, kind people forgetting their conscience and stealing, and lovers who whispered love betraying each other."

Moreover, the time Kinaine spent with Asad was merely a year. Even compared to a human's short lifespan, it couldn't be considered a long time. Wouldn't it have been more difficult not to forget?

"Of course, when he first learned of his lover's death, he must have been sad. But time would have blurred his memories and gradually made him forget his sorrow. After a few years passed, he wouldn't have been able to properly remember his lover's face... But that human seemed to have forgotten nothing."

Shinsurial whispered.

"Perhaps due to your magic, Lord Asad, he was excluded from the blessing of forgetfulness?"

Of course, Shinsurial couldn't know to what extent Asad's magic had affected Kinaine's mind.

He merely believed that without magical intervention, a mere human couldn't possibly have eternal love... couldn't love like a dragon.

Shinsurial turned around to check Asad's expression. But it was difficult to read any expression on the face covered with black scales.

"......"

Silence fell as Shinsurial closed his mouth.

They headed toward a nameless mountain range in the human realm without speaking. Like other places in the human realm, this place too was shrouded in silence. The grass crushed under Shinsurial's feet made a crackling sound, breaking the long-standing silence.

Shinsurial's eyes touched a motionless mountain beast and then fell away indifferently.

After Kinaine's death, everything in the human realm had frozen.

Even seeing the destruction of an entire world, Shinsurial felt no compassion. He would have felt the same even if the spirit realm had been destroyed. Because Shinsurial only cared about the dragon.

"Here it is."

Where they stopped was between what looked like sheer canyon walls.

When Shinsurial placed his hand on the canyon wall, black energy flowed out, creating a strange crack in the space where the wall had been.

It was a familiar form to Asad. From time to time, such cracks appeared in the world, and demonic energy flowing through them disrupted the world.

"...Is this the demon realm?"

This world is divided into four realms. The divine realm where gods live, the spirit realm where spirits live, the human realm where humans live, and the demon realm where dark things exist.

However, unlike the other three realms, there were no living beings in the demon realm. It was merely a dump where the dark dregs existing in the world were collected. Occasionally vomiting filth into other worlds through cracks and then disappearing.

"So you've been hiding in the demon realm all this time. There was a reason I couldn't find you."

"This is the only place that can escape a dragon's eyes."

Beads of cold sweat formed on Shinsurial's forehead. Opening a passage to the demon realm wasn't an easy task even for him.

"Now, I've opened the door, so please enter."

Asad stepped into the crack without hesitation.

He had often heard stories about the demon realm. Because it was the dragon's duty to deal with the dregs spat out by the demon realm.

But he had never thought about entering the demon realm directly. Because cracks to the demon realm were one-way. They only spewed demonic energy into other worlds, but didn't let anything in through the gap in return. Even if it were easy to enter, it wasn't normal to think about entering such an unpleasant space filled with demonic energy where even most living beings would perish the moment they set foot in it.

"Besides me, you are the first to enter this place, Lord Asad."

"......"

"Is it different from what you imagined?"

His tone suggested that of course it would be. Not just Asad, but anyone would not have thought that the demon realm would look like this.

The demon realm was a vast, dark cave.

Shinsurial spoke to Asad, who had stopped.

"Originally, there were only three realms existing in this world. This place is called the demon realm, but in fact, it's merely a small gap created between worlds."

The darkness inside the cave writhed as if alive. Asad knew that it was all demonic energy. Because his own shadow had already merged with them and turned into an even blacker color.

The demonic energy didn't pay attention to Asad, perhaps recognizing him as one of its own. The target was Shinsurial.

"It seems to want to devour you."

"The essence of demonic energy is that it wants to destroy all living beings. Fortunately, I know how to handle these."

Snap!

When Shinsurial snapped his fingers, the darkness that had been prowling around like beasts circling prey immediately retreated, making way.

Asad wasn't surprised by the skillful handling of demonic energy. He knew exactly how Shinsurial had erased his memories. It wasn't purification. Rather, it would have been the opposite.

"The moment I recalled Kinaine..."

Even saying Kinaine's name was painful. Asad continued speaking without showing it.

"You thought I would turn into a magical beast again. So you chose a method of fighting fire with fire. Did you cover up my memories by contaminating them with demonic energy?"

"Your words are correct, Lord Asad. Completely erasing a dragon's memories was impossible. So I decided to cover them up so they couldn't be seen. Fortunately, I had learned how to handle demonic energy."

There was no need to ask who had taught Shinsurial how to handle demonic energy.

Because he would soon see that person.

"The primordial dragon, Maira."

Asad saw the massive body of the dragon coiled up and lying down.

"Is he asleep?"

"Yes."

Asad reached out without hesitation. Powerful magic began to pour onto Maira. It was a merciless attack that showed no sense of respect for the primordial dragon.

But no magic could wake Maira from his sleep.

"......"

Withdrawing his hand, Asad immediately grabbed Shinsurial's neck and lifted him.

"Ugh!"

"What can you learn from someone who's asleep? Did you deceive me?"

Asad's fingers dug deeper into Shinsurial's neck.

"C-calm down... Maira is currently dreaming an endless dream. It's a spell he cast on himself. When he wakes from the dream... he'll open his eyes."

Only then did Asad release Shinsurial. Falling to the floor, Shinsurial burst into a dry cough. Despite nearly dying just now, he didn't seem frightened. His bloodshot eyes were curved as if smiling.

"Only Lord Asad, who is also a dragon, can wake Maira."

Ignoring his words, Asad immediately placed his hand on Maira's enormous face.

"Ah, I'll see an old friend awakening after a long time."

Shinsurial's dreamy voice was heard.

"I'm happy. Now Lord Asad will understand me too."