Home/The Reincarnated Hero Is Melancholic/ch6

Chapter 6

There were only about thirty dragons in the world, and Isid was the youngest among them, yet born with the most powerful strength—a black dragon.

Unlike humans, whose lifespans barely exceeded a century, Isid, as a dragon, possessed a lifespan nearly eternal from a human perspective. The five hundred years that had passed since all my other friends had returned to nature's embrace was merely a fragment of his existence.

So it was only natural that I sought him out.

He was my only remaining friend in this world, into which I had been cast alone, five hundred years later.

But even the wind spirits, skilled in tracking, had found no trace of Isid for years.

That meant only one thing: Isid was deliberately concealing his location.

And for a dragon to hide his presence for such a long time usually meant he was asleep.

"…Fifty years of just sleeping—really?"

In the end, I tucked the unopened book under my arm, sighed, and rose from my seat.

Even if I continued to fail in finding Isid, there was still a way to meet him.

Whether he had made some pact with Kyle, who would have ascended the throne after my death, Isid had become the Empire's guardian dragon and appeared every fifty years to circle above the Imperial capital.

That was clearly an act of declaring his territory while also reinforcing the faint protective barrier that enveloped the Empire.

'He acted like he'd never do such a thing…'

They said he'd never missed a single appearance, so when the cycle came around, I would be able to see him.

The important detail, however, was that there were still twelve years left until that fifty-year cycle.

"That's way too long…"

I was heaving sighs as I stepped out of the library when—

"What's too long?"

A low question dropped beside me.

"Eek!"

Startled, I jumped back.

As I calmed my racing heart and turned my head, I saw Kizef, who had been leaning against the wall, straighten up.

"…Brother Kizef?"

"Sorry. I didn't expect you to be that startled."

"I was just thinking about something… But why are you here? Were you going to the library?"

I quickly composed myself and fired off the questions, and Kizef chuckled softly.

"I heard you were here."

"You came looking for me?"

"I thought we could read together after so long, and I happened to see you coming out."

"Ah…"

Unlike Werner, who detested books, Kizef enjoyed reading. Until he left for the academy, we used to read together often.

Kizef was a kind brother and a fairly good conversational partner.

Sometimes Werner would grumble that it was unfair, but whenever I asked if we could read together again, he'd always put on a sour face—yet come anyway. Strange, really. He could read dense magical texts packed with complex formulas just fine.

"Would you like to take a walk instead, if you have time?"

Kizef spoke faster than I could ask if he wanted to go back in.

"A walk?"

"The weather outside is nice. And I'd like to spend some time with my youngest sibling after months apart."

"Sure!"

I agreed without a moment's hesitation.

Walking was part of my daily routine—one I never missed. Spirit mages naturally loved nature, and the Valentine estate's garden, designed with minimal artificial touches, suited my tastes perfectly.

But more than that, I accepted because I wanted to spend time with Kizef.

"Could you take that book for me, Brother? I'll have someone put it in my room."

"The book? Ah, this one…"

I glanced down at Alan's memoirs, then readily handed them to Kizef.

I still hadn't decided whether to read it.

Maybe if I kept it with me, I'd eventually make up my mind.

Kizef's gaze briefly flickered over the cover, but I didn't notice.

---

We exited the main building through the side entrance near the library and walked toward the garden.

The Valentine ducal residence occupied the largest estate in the capital, save for the Imperial Palace. It was said to have been granted as a reward for great service during the Empire's founding—a plot of land with nearly a thousand years of history.

'It feels strange to think this was the house Jin lived in…'

Having reincarnated as Jin's distant descendant, I found myself thinking it was fortunate I'd never accepted Jin's invitation to visit. If I had come here while he was alive, I would have seen memories in every corner, and it would have been painful.

"Rowel, what are you thinking about so deeply?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing…"

"…Really?"

"Yeah. By the way, Little Brother said he was going to spar with you—did you run into him?"

I subtly changed the subject, and Kizef, who had been wearing a somewhat peculiar expression, nodded.

"I didn't see him. I was on the third floor until just now, talking with Father."

"Ah…"

Then Werner must be joining the knights' training by now. He said he wanted to test his newly improved magic…

I glanced briefly toward the back of the main building—the knights' domain—then turned back to look up at Kizef.

"Hey, Brother. Is academy work hard?"

"Hmm… Objectively speaking, I suppose it is on the difficult side."

"And by your standards?"

Kizef thought for about three seconds before answering.

"It's manageable. Neither too easy nor too hard?"

His tone was calm, with no trace of boasting or pride.

If Werner had heard that, he'd probably have made a sour face and gone "Ugh…"

The thought of his sulky expression made me laugh involuntarily.

"Are you interested in the academy?"

"Not me, actually—I was wondering if Brother Werner could graduate early too. Honestly, it's not that Big Brother is just smart—early graduation is really hard, right…?"

"Haha. Werner would've taken a hit to his pride if he'd heard that."

"…Ah. Then keep it a secret from Little Brother."

"Alright. We'll keep it between us."

I smiled brightly, and Kizef adjusted his hold on my hand.

As walks usually went, we wandered through the garden without any particular destination, following wherever our feet led.

At some point, a black bird cut across the sky and disappeared.

Watching its fleeting trajectory, I found myself speaking without thinking.

"Hey, Brother. You know the guardian dragon…"

"Black Dragon Isid?"

"Yeah. They say he appears every fifty years. Only twelve more years until the next cycle."

"That's right."

"…Could he appear any sooner?"

I asked casually, feigning simple curiosity. After a moment's thought, Kizef answered.

"Almost certainly not. The exact day varies, but the fifty-year cycle has always been maintained."

"Ah…"

I'd known that asking Kizef wouldn't yield anything useful. I'd asked more out of frustration—a half-complaint, wondering if I really had to wait until the cycle came around if I couldn't find any trace of Isid.

Still, hearing such a pessimistic answer made my spirits sink, and I couldn't help it.

"You suddenly seem deflated. Do you really want to see the guardian dragon that badly?"

"Mm, well… It's fascinating, I suppose…"

I nodded vaguely, and Kizef chuckled.

"Come to think of it, you've always been interested in the guardian dragon, even as a little child."

"…Me?"

"Even when reading fairy tales, if a black dragon appeared, you'd stare at that page for ages. When you found a book you liked, you'd keep it by your bed and thumb through it until the paper was frayed."

"Umm…"

That's because that black dragon was Isid…

"Werner even cried once, saying you seemed to like the black dragon more than him."

Listening to Kizef's stories, one or two memories came back to me.

I averted my eyes slightly and murmured.

"I don't remember that…"

"You were about two years old."

Two years old. I had barely accepted the reality of my reincarnation, but I was still trapped in the past, yearning painfully for the time that had already gone.

"…Actually, I remember a little."

"What?"

"How you and Brother Werner made me a black dragon toy, and how Father wore a black dragon costume while Mother cast illusion magic on him…"

Each of those memories was a reason why I had resolved to live in the present instead of sinking into the past.

Honestly, even now, I still felt guilty toward my family.

Especially toward Unis—our mother—who had left us before I could ever repay all the love she had given me.

As I mumbled, Kizef let out a low chuckle.

"Our youngest has such a good memory."

"I don't remember everything—just a few things."

"Mm, still."

A few more steps passed.

Then Kizef spoke again.

"The first time I saw you."

"Huh? Me?"

"You were just born, cradled in Mother's arms, and I thought you were a fairy."

It came out of nowhere.

If it was when I was first born…

"Of course, your skin was red and wrinkly, so objectively, you looked a bit strange… But even so, you were impossibly pretty."

"Wrinkly… strange…"

I had seen newborns a few times back on the battlefield, so I knew Kizef wasn't lying.

A newborn baby might be moving and adorable in its very existence, but objectively, calling it "pretty" was a bit of a stretch.

'Should I thank him for seeing me as pretty anyway…?'

I must have made a slightly reluctant face without realizing it, because Kizef, watching me, laughed cheerfully.

Back   Next