C 101
"Ah, it's been a while since I felt this good. After all, isn't the air of high society better? But was she really a dragon...?"
A handsome man with a slightly rakish appearance said as he drank something sweet with wide-open eyes.
"Wow, that's sweet. I still think about that these days. Who knows? This sweet thing is addictive..."
"Stop right there, don't go any further."
"Oh, sorry."
The man scratched his head and responded foolishly.
"So, do you think you can do it? As I said, if you bring the girl, I'll support you so you never run out of money for the rest of your life."
In the innermost room of the noisy gaming hall, the quiet voices of the two men conducting secret dealings filtered through.
"It's possible. Today our eyes met, and when she saw me, she seemed lost! Of course, she didn't seem to recognize my face."
"It's okay; dragons are bound by an ancient pact."
The handsome man had sunken cheeks and a rather attractive face, but his cheeks were freckled, and his eyes gleamed with greed.
The man in the cloak was sitting across from him, and his eyes seemed full of anticipation throughout the conversation.
"An ancient pact...?"
Again, the man drank Hatar.
"Yes, dragons are supposed to absolutely obey their imprinters. Imprinters are like parents."
"Oh! But I didn't really imprint her. It's just because I had an accident... Actually, I had no interest originally..."
The man scratched his messy head, regretting not paying more attention if he had known she was so precious.
The man in the cloak shook his head slowly.
"Of course, imprints are exclusive to dragons. However, according to literature, a clumsy half-human, half-dragon with real mixed-blood parents has a much more powerful influence than the imprint if their biological parentage, mixed with blood, is alive."
"Eh... What does that mean?"
The man's eyes shone brightly.
"Even if your daughter is a dragon, since she's still young and has more human blood, the power of the biological father will act more strongly."
"Haha, that's right! Even if the collateral line kids don't often get born, she was."
The man in the cloak simply laughed as he watched the man pound his knee with his fist while talking about his resilience.
"I'll give you this as an initial payment."
"This...?"
"It's a very small token of sincerity."
When he opened the black briefcase, he found it filled with gold bars.
At first glance, he was already at a level where he could live for the rest of his life. The man's mouth opened, and then his fingers trembled.
"If you exile yourself to our country, we'll give you a title along with a house and the corresponding money."
"Excellent! I'm sure it's better to serve the Lord than be in the proud Etham family!"
"Of course, I plan to serve him with great sincerity. I promise I won't harm that girl either."
"Yes, of course. I hate to say this, but the Etham family is indeed too arrogant. They cast me out, didn't they? If they had known that I was the biological father of the dragon, they wouldn't have been able to bring me back to the family... How can they try to swallow just one girl like that!"
The man in the cloak, listening to the man's rant, nodded benevolently.
"Anyway, she hid very well. It took me quite a while to find her."
"Oh, I had some friends' help. When the head of the Etham family kicked me out, he said he'd kill me if I showed my face again... I didn't even move from home for a while."
"Friends?"
When he asked as if he had heard something amusing, the man patted his chest.
"Even if you look at me like that, there are quite a few women who like me."
Certainly, he had a rather smooth face and a charming voice compared to his dirty, sordid, and greedy personality.
And precisely, the lower part of his body seemed as light as that.
"Alright, then I look forward to good news soon."
"Yes, leave it to me. The kids like me quite a bit too."
"Yes."
Perhaps thinking that the conversation had ended, the man in the cloak took a cigar from his inner pocket, clipped the tip, put it in his mouth, and stood up.
As he lit it, the distinctive scent of cigars filled the small room.
"Oh? This is the first time I've seen that cigar. I quite like cigars too, but this is the first time I've smelled something like this."
He said, scratching his nose. The other man smiled as he lit a cigar.
"This is a cigar I made myself. Would you like to smoke one?"
"Uh, if it's possible, I'd appreciate it."
The man in the cloak obediently took out a couple of cigars from his chest and handed them over.
"Thank you."
"If contact is difficult at this banquet, I'll assign someone next time so you can go to the Etham family and make a legitimate request."
"Is that so? However, our family is a bit..."
The man's expression darkened as if the mere thought of the Etham family pained him.
"I told you, if only you and the girl could make the right contact... That dragon will protect you."
"Oh, right, I see! I'll try."
The man responded with a gleam in his eyes. The man in the cloak nodded.
Accepting the cigar, the man inclined his head, holding in one hand a leather briefcase filled with gold bars.
"See you, man!"
The man in the cloak smiled and exited the shop. He slowly left the noisy gaming hall.
"How did it go, Prime Minister Salim?"
A man dressed as a coachman bowed and asked the man in the cloak.
"He's stupid and someone I don't want to deal with."
The man in the cloak in front of the carriage sighed deeply with his cigar and let out a resigned sigh.
"Still, thanks to his stupidity, I think we can bring him back soon if there are no problems."
The man with a scar above his left eye had short, water-blue hair.
His greenish-brown eyes closed softly.
"If the dragon exists as a guardian deity, our king's status will rise."
"Surely it will."
"As long as the guardian deity, the dragon, is by his side, lineage won't be an issue."
"But do you plan to keep that greedy man close?"
"By no means, I have an idea. For now, let's wait until the empire becomes a bit noisier."
Salim extinguished his cigar and climbed into the carriage. Soon, the sturdy carriage slowly melded into the darkness and disappeared.
---
It was the second day of the banquet.
For some reason, there were more people than on the first day. The volume of people was a bit overwhelming.
Today, Enosh was also busy receiving greetings from the influx of people, Lucilion, who had become the high priest, was busy dealing with those attending the inauguration ceremony, and Richard also seemed busy roaming with Duke Collin.
"So, why is Uncle my last knight?"
"What are you talking about?"
"It's just that it's very strange for Uncle Chronos to be here."
"I didn't come because I wanted to. And give me back my position."
"No. Ask Lucilion directly."
When I spoke with Chronos Etham, who was guarding me with crossed arms, his face immediately wrinkled.
"Oh? Someone's approaching again."
"... It's really annoying."
"Speaking of which, did my uncle return faster? What did you talk about?"
"... I only talked about theology."
Wow, he's a true theology otaku. If you talk about a field you're not interested in, people will have no choice but to leave.
"I, princess..."
"If you want to talk to this girl, you have to talk to me first."
Chronos Etham interrupted one of the approaching nobles and said.
"Eirin Etham."
"Yes?"
"I don't think you should intend to stay here forever."
Before leaving, Chronos Etham added a few words and, naturally, took the noble stained with tears away.
"I can't be protected like this all the time, so I'll have to catch someone."
I slowly looked around.
Everyone was so busy that there was no one else to turn to for help.
That's when I felt it again.
I felt that unpleasant gaze once more.
When I turned my head, the same man I saw yesterday was looking at me again.
Our eyes met, and this time, I noticed that he was trying to approach me.
It was just when the man had moved away from the wall.
A familiar figure entered through the banquet hall entrance.
"Why is that person here...?"
Still, it was fine.
I walked directly through the crowd to avoid the unpleasant man.
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Ko-fi o 'Buy Me A Coffe' for Adv4nc3 Chapt3r
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