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Chapter 23

The sight of Rowena just moments ago—taking care of the Guardian Dragon and being cared for by him with such familiarity—was something Werner had never witnessed before.

When he or his brother looked after her, Rowena would show just a hint of awkwardness—yet she accepted the Black Dragon's attention as naturally as breathing. In those moments, the always-mature Rowena finally looked exactly her age.

That very fact plunged Werner into dejection.

Why… why does she feel more at ease with that Black Dragon than with me, her brother?

Because he's a dragon? A magical creature?

'…To hell with that.'

Such reasoning only held before the Black Dragon monopolized Rowena's affection. That was how the great dragon had been reduced to a mere lizard in his eyes.

Of course, this was still closer to a sulk born from the intrusion of Isid, who had burst into their peaceful lives like a bolt of lightning—mixed with deep displeasure. But Werner genuinely wanted to kick that Black Dragon out right now.

Seeing his two sons so united, Calips let out a weary sigh—uncharacteristic of him. It seemed he needed to make them understand reality, blinded as they were by jealousy.

Calips slowly opened his mouth.

"If you actually did that and earned Rowel's resentment, what then?"

His low, tired words made Kizef and Werner freeze.

"As you've seen, there's a bond between the Guardian Dragon and Rowel that we don't understand. Yet you'd refuse the Guardian Dragon's request without a plausible reason?"

Calips sighed deeply. A memory he couldn't forget, even after all these years, had surfaced.

"I hate you, Daddy—!"

That one day, when Rowena—who had always smiled so adorably it made him want to do anything for her—had twisted her face and sobbed.

She had been so deeply hurt that she hadn't spoken to him for a full week afterward.

Of course, his youngest daughter turning her head away in a huff was endearing—but the side effects of missing her morning kisses and bedtime reading for a week were far greater.

Even Unis had laughed and said he'd lost weight.

It was truly a nightmare he never wanted to relive.

"I don't wish to repeat that experience…"

Seeing their father so visibly dejected at the mere recollection, Kizef and Werner also grew gloomy.

"…"

"…"

After a moment of silent deliberation—

"…Sigh. Life really is something."

Werner, who as a mage had quickly deduced ten possible reactions Rowena would have if they kicked out the Black Dragon, let out a frustrated outburst that echoed quietly through the dining room.

But the three of them didn't know—today's events were merely the tip of the iceberg.

---

A week had passed since I reunited with Isid and brought him home.

One week was enough time to grow accustomed to something—and the same went for life with Isid.

No, in truth, there was no need to get used to it at all. Living with Isid was simply my original daily life.

Wake up, go down to the dining room together, eat Huey's special dishes and desserts, then take a walk or spend time in the library. Eat together again, and when we felt a bit tired, lounge around in my room.

It was a mundane yet peaceful succession of days.

'Was it about thirty years that we traveled together, just the two of us?'

Until I met Kyle, Daina, and Jin—who would later be called the Five Heroes—we had traveled alone together.

There were occasional companions along the way, but they were always temporary.

There were various reasons.

Sometimes we'd agreed from the start to travel together for only a few days; other times, we'd grown close enough to almost be considered acquaintances, only to fall out and part ways.

In the latter case, the reasons usually fell into two categories: the other party turned out to be irredeemably bad…

'…Or they got angry because of his personality.'

I shifted my gaze slightly from my reclining position and saw the loose hem of a shirt. Following the line upward, I glimpsed a firmly set jawline.

Hmm, from this angle, I can really see how much softer his features have become.

Squinting slightly as I searched my memory, a sharper, more solid yet still delicate jawline overlapped the current one.

During our travels, we often lay like this in the shade of trees. Having no fixed home and wandering the continent, nature was both our house and our companion.

Sometimes Isid would lie on my lap, sometimes the other way around.

Back then, if he caught me staring at him like this, he'd ask—

"Are you sleepy?"

I'd glance at the book he was holding and smile faintly.

"Hmm… maybe a little?"

I wasn't really sleepy, but when I answered vaguely, a low laugh would fall.

"Then close your eyes."

Soon, a gentle hand would softly cover my eyes.

Though I often teased him about his prickly personality, when it came to conflicts with others, I was naturally on Isid's side.

Even setting emotions aside, it was the same.

'As long as you don't bother him, he's quite tolerant.'

Beyond disliking trouble, Isid simply wasn't interested in others. Unless someone crossed the line he'd drawn and became truly annoying, he wouldn't even spare them a glance.

That's why those who got angry at Isid's personality also fell into two categories:

Those who crossed the line and faced his temper, or those who were angered by not receiving his attention.

A memory from the latter category came to mind, and I laughed involuntarily.

"You said you were sleepy."

"No, I just thought of something funny."

"What is it?"

"Remember that time we were traveling in the south and saved that noble lady?"

There was a brief silence.

With his hand covering my eyes, I couldn't see his face—but the silence alone let me imagine his expression, and I struggled to hold back my laughter.

"I don't remember."

As I shook with suppressed laughter, a sigh-like answer came. In that sigh, there was an unusual hint of exasperation—unlike the typically indifferent Isid.

In hindsight, it was understandable.

"What did that lady call you? 'My very own black swan knight'?"

"…Roel."

That golden-haired lady's words weren't the only ones.

"Oh, and there was more: 'Your crimson eyes—oh!—are deeper than my own blood…'"

I couldn't finish; I rolled around laughing.

"Ahaha—oh, my stomach… Ahahaha!"

As I rolled and buried my forehead in Isid's belly, laughing almost to tears, a faintly irritated sigh fell over me.

Truly, even after five hundred years, that lady remained an unforgettable presence in my memory.

"…Why do you even remember that? Forget it."

Even while irritated, Isid patted my back as I laughed breathlessly.

It took a long while for me to calm down and wipe my damp eyes. As I did, I belatedly remembered that Isid found this whole incident mortifying.

'Ah, I laughed too much.'

I slowly raised my eyes. They met his immediately—and they were a bit cold.

"Ahaha…"

"Finished laughing?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh that much."

I tried to smooth things over with a laugh, but quickly dropped my tail and apologized.

Isid stared at me for a moment, then clicked his tongue briefly.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're small."

"Thank you."

The truth was, our time together at home was truly nothing special.

We weren't traveling, and nothing particular was happening. Besides, my young body made it hard to go out freely.

Yet every day was enjoyable—surely because Isid was here with me.

I glanced sideways and looked up at him. As always, our eyes met.

"…Hey."

I gazed at him quietly, then slowly opened my mouth.

There was something I'd been holding in my chest ever since we reunited. I'd kept putting it off—"I'll say it, I'll say it"—until today, a week later.

It was nothing grand, but still something I desperately wanted to say.

"I'm listening."

With a gentle touch, Isid tapped my forehead and answered lowly.

At his voice, my lips parted on their own.

Through the long, long years… so long that most of the beings I'd known had returned to nature—even now, you remain by my side as always.

"…Thank you, Isid."

I'm truly glad.

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