#175

He had a strange dream last night. It wasn’t a scene from a painful past, nor was it a nightmare. It was a dream that could only be described as strange.

Cullen was in this very cabin right now. And there, he was laughing with a Dragon. On a morning where bright sunlight shattered, he had picked flowers, calling his name.

When he woke up, the first thing that came to mind was the last scene of the dream. He had never had a dream like this, not even when he loved Dragons.

Unable to understand why, Cullen lay on his back, staring at the ceiling even after waking up. How long had it been since he had just lain there, doing nothing?

It was the first time in decades.

He had pushed himself relentlessly until he met the Dragon, and even after meeting him, Cullen had things to do. Though he had tasted brief happiness, his journey had a goal, so he hadn’t rested comfortably. The feeling of having no immediate goal, no purpose, was strange.

In other words, he truly had nothing to do.

He had lived his entire life for revenge. He had sustained himself to find the one who killed his family, and afterward, he had wandered to find those who killed his mercenary group. A life that always had a clear objective had ended with ruin.

He felt lost. He didn’t know what to do today. He felt like a tool without a purpose.

Lost in thought, Cullen rose at a small sound outside the door. As soon as he did, the door opened, and a child stumbled in.

Blinking at the unexpected sight, the fallen blonde child scrambled to his feet. Small wings fluttered, lifting him slightly into the air. The child, glancing around nervously, then dashed over and climbed onto Cullen’s bed.

“Lord Cullen!”

A face that resembled the Dragon’s youth, so much so that it was reminiscent, stared intently at Cullen. His hair was a pale blonde, not a human color, his skin soft, his pupils pointed, and his golden irises held a look of earnestness.

“Please give me a name!”

Come to think of it, the child had been pleading for a name since yesterday. He didn’t feel he had to, but as he thought it over, he realized he needed something to do. Cullen decided to consider this an obligation.

“I am not good at naming things.”

“Still, you’re probably better than the Guardian. How can a name be a color!”

The blonde child burst out in frustration. The names of Young Dragons were one of many words referring to colors. While the words for colors varied by region across the continent, the names given to them were commonly used ones.

“You gave the Guardian such a beautiful name! Please give me one too!”

Small hands tugged at Cullen’s clothes. The hem of the blue top, a gift from the Dragon, was held in white hands. Seen under the bright sunlight, the clothes looked of better quality than they had at night.

The question he had pondered yesterday flashed through his mind. How had the Dragon obtained this? Had he perhaps paid an unfair price?

Cullen began to list his tasks. After naming the child, it would be good to find something to earn money with.

“Alright.”

“Yay!”

As soon as Cullen agreed, the golden eyes sparkled. The pretty corners of his eyes, drawn up delicately, curved with joy. The more he looked, the more he resembled the Dragon’s smiling face. If the Dragon had created his kind and this child, it would have been just like this.

“As I said again, I am not good at naming things.”

Despite his warning, the child’s ears seemed to be deaf. Excitedly, the child spread his wings and pulled Cullen.

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

He didn’t know where they were going, but Cullen obediently followed. As he got off the bed, he saw his discarded shoes. The face that had put on his shoes for him last night flashed by. His lowered eyelashes had been serious, and the hands that supported his feet were cold but careful.

The thoughts made something feel unsettling, and Cullen deliberately erased the scene. After tying the laces of his leather shoes, he followed the child, who was tugging at his clothes, out of the room.

Outside, Lasano was surrounded by the other two Dragons.

“You slept in.”

Lasano wore his usual sly smile. As if he had erased only that moment that had plunged everything into ruin. As Cullen emerged, Black and White greeted him.

“Hello.”

“Did you sleep well?”

Their speech was mature, like adults. It was markedly different from the child beside them. Did Dragons also have different personalities? Casually having such thoughts, Cullen asked,

“What are you doing?”

“We were trimming the children’s hair. They all had requests. Ah, Kiyen-nim has gone out for a moment. I believe he said he was going to the human village.”

The last part was an unasked question.

“Are you going to look for him? You never know what kind of scam Kiyen-nim might fall for outside. I don’t understand how you got Cullen-nim’s clothes either. You’re someone with no money…”

Lasano asked, seeing Cullen preparing to leave. Cullen shook his head.

“There is no reason to. I do not wish to interfere.”

Lasano made a sound of “Hmm” at his rather firm tone and rested his chin on his hand. After observing Cullen for a long time, Lasano said,

“Kiyen-nim mentioned that Cullen-nim no longer feels emotions.”

“It’s similar.”

Occasionally, a sensation that strangely touched his chest would arise, but it wasn’t enough to warrant attention.

“Is that possible? Everything alive possesses at least the simplest of emotions. Even plants feel joy, so how can Cullen-nim, who was so kind, have no emotions?”

“Is that so?”

Cullen replied dryly.

“But I am a trace of the impossible. I am a being who died… so it’s not strange to have flaws.”

At the word “flaws,” Lasano’s smile faltered slightly. He looked at Cullen as if searching for words, then sighed. Only then did Cullen see the deep weariness etched on his face.

“Are you alright?”

Cullen asked to confirm his condition. It wasn’t concern.

“Yes, it’s just because I can’t sleep.”

Lasano said, putting on a smiling face again. His tone was nonchalant.

“It’s been hard to sleep since Arne died.”

With that, he began to touch Black’s hair again. White, standing beside him, then asked,

“Who is Arne?”

At the innocent question, Lasano closed his mouth. His eyelashes trembled above his red eyes. Cullen answered quietly in his stead.

“He was our comrade. He was a rare, kind human.”

“Aren’t all humans bad? The Guardian said so.”

“No, precisely, he said they were dangerous.”

Black corrected White’s statement. White nodded. Considering what the Dragon had experienced, it was natural for him to issue a warning.

“You will only know by experiencing it yourself, Young Dragons. I didn’t know that either.”

This time, Lasano answered in place of Cullen. He looked at Cullen with serious eyes and said,

“Due to prejudice and misjudgment, I have committed many sins. I have committed unforgivable sins against Arne, as well as against Cullen-nim and Kiyen-nim. However, not all humans are like me. Cullen-nim over there is the one who brought you all here.”

At his words, Black and White stared intently at Cullen. As he looked at their curious eyes, the child who had been waiting eagerly for him tugged at his clothes.

“Can you please give me my name now?”

At the child’s plea, Black asked,

“Are you going to get a name?”

“Yes!”

White waved his hand at the excited reply.

“Come back safely.”

“Aren’t you guys going to change your names too?”

The child asked, as if inviting them to come along, but both shook their heads.

“I like this one. Kiyen-nim gave it to me.”

“Me too.”

“Hmph, it’s much better than my name. Black and White have pretty pronunciations.”

Cullen turned away, fearing the child would lose patience if they stayed any longer. A sense of déjà vu, similar to when he cared for Sasha, washed over him. The small hand that always led him somewhere overlapped with his memory.

The moment he recalled it, the dream from last night resurfaced. It was a strange morning.

The child led Cullen to a different forest he hadn’t visited before. Somewhere, the sound of a cat meowing could be heard. Running excitedly down the path, the child pointed at all sorts of things.

“How about that one? It’s pointy and pretty!”

Cullen shook his head at the question about the pine tree. It wasn’t a very good name to call. Cullen preferred short, easy-to-say words.

“Then what about that flower?”

A small hand pointed to a poisonous rose. The meaning was not good. He continued to shake his head silently, but the child didn’t get discouraged and ran for a long time. Then they arrived at a place where small cats were huddled in a group.

“These are the animals I take care of! They don’t have a mother. I’m protecting them!”

Small kittens with fur like golden fluff, huddled together, meowed “nyan” as soon as Gold approached. Their “nya-ooh” cries echoed noisily.

The child excitedly ran over and placed some tree fruits in front of them. It seemed he had prepared them before leaving. But naturally, the cats didn’t eat them.

“But they don’t eat what I give them.”

“Some fruits are poisonous to cats and not good for them. Since they are omnivores, it would be better to give them cooked fish or meat rather than grass.”

“I know what fish is, but I can’t find it here.”

The child asked, as if curious. That was true. The distance from Mount Tesnia to the sea was considerable. To get fish, one would have to go to a fairly large market where humans traded. Meat could be hunted directly, but… it was a rather brutal scene to show a Young Dragon carelessly.

“When you leave the mountains later, you will see them at a place called a market. Further on, you can see them in the sea or rivers. And if this place is well restored… you might find them in streams or lakes.”

“Wow! I want to see! Please take me!”

The child bounced and hugged Cullen’s waist. The face looking up at him with shining eyes was objectively cute. Seeing the expectation in the child’s eyes, Cullen hesitated for a moment. Wandering around this area wouldn’t be much of a problem.

“Alright.”

Just as he thought that and nodded in agreement, a voice came from behind.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

A voice came from behind. Turning around at the sudden sound, which he hadn’t sensed, Cullen saw him.

There stood a Dragon with a frown. Golden eyes, the color of sunlight, looked displeased at the Young Dragon.