Chapter 303: How to Persuade the Dragon King (2)
“Um, Lord Dragon King? I have brought your wife, the Dragon Queen, here.”
“…!”
Thud!
Was that the sound of a heart dropping, or the wave of an impending doom crashing down like a tsunami? Or perhaps it was the crisp ring of a golden bell marking the end of months of lazy lounging?
“What?”
Dragon King Verkis was suddenly alert.
It had to be; his wife was mentioned.
“She’s come back already? But I thought she still had more time on her journey.”
Returned she had, not to the Dragon Caves, but here, right here where he lay lounging in the Frontera family’s guest room.
He knew the outcome all too well without looking.
‘I can’t be caught off-guard and scolded!’
Despite being a mighty and powerful Dragon King, in this moment, he was no different from countless married men across the world.
To avoid the wrath of an angry wife, or as some might call her, the Minister of Internal Affairs, or the lord of the manor, and to dodge a relentless nagging, he acted with the urgency of someone who had never slept.
His eyes snapped open, and he bolted upright at the speed of light.
In 0.1 seconds, he cleared the sleep from his eyes and de-puffed his swollen eyelids.
In 0.2 seconds, his hair fluffed perfectly as he turned towards the source of the voice.
And at 0.3 seconds, his expression solidified.
“…What?”
She wasn’t there.
Instead, a smirking human man was looking at him.
“Ah, Dragon King? Did you just cough?”
“… ”
Verkis stared intently at the human.
Then, bluntly, he asked.
“Who are you?”
“Ha, ha, ha, it’s been a while, Lord Dragon King. Don’t you remember me?”
“Uh.”
“I’m Lloyd. Lloyd Frontera. A human under your generous patronage, yes.”
“…Ah, that guy.”
“Thank you for remembering.”
“Thanks aside. But why are you here?”
“Ah, I naturally came to wake you up brightly, Lord Dragon King.”
Lloyd’s smile grew warmer, but Verkis’s gaze turned colder.
“Then, where is our little one?”
“Excuse me?”
“Our little one.”
“Ah, you mean the Dragon Queen, right?”
“Yes. You said you brought her.”
“Actually, that was a lie.”
“…”
Verkis’s eyes narrowed dangerously, yet Lloyd maintained his composure, brazenly laying it thick.
“Yes, I know the grave sin I committed by waking you with such a malicious lie. But I had no choice.”
“No choice?”
“I always wish for your heart to be as tranquil as a peaceful lake. That’s why, the moment I saw you sleeping here, I knew…”
“Knew what?”
“Ah, that you hadn’t woken up at all these past months. Ah, that you hadn’t called the Queen even once in the morning.”
“Uh, well…”
“That’s serious. Yes, very much so.”
“That’s why! I wanted to protect you!”
“Hey, wait…”
“Even if I got beaten for it! I thought I had to wake you. Even if I faced severe punishment! If it meant that you could wake up and call the Queen, bringing peace and happiness to your heart! That would be enough for me!”
“Why are you crying…?”
“Yes! For the harmony of the home! The ancient wisdom says that a peaceful home solves many troubles! I embraced the mission to wake you, for the happiness and peace of your family!”
“So you woke me with a lie?”
“Yes.”
“Because if I missed a morning call to her, it’d be a disaster?”
“Yes.”
“Because you were worried I’d get nagged at?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely.”
“Take a breath with your answers, will you?”
“Breathless with sincerity.”
“What if I say no?”
“Please save me.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Save me anyway.”
“If I’m not inclined?”
“I apologize…”
Lloyd promptly prostrated himself, but the corners of his mouth still twitched with a faint smile, confident that Verkis wouldn’t harm him.
‘Of course. It’s been months since I left to find the Jewel, and he hasn’t woken once. So, he’s the one in trouble, not me.’
Suddenly, Lloyd recalled a recent event.
Ice Dragon Tirannus’s teleportation magic.
It was then, on arrival at the guesthouse corridor.
He hadn’t run into anyone by chance.
Instead, he overheard housemaids Emily and her colleague chatting nearby.
‘They say there’s a man in the guest room who hasn’t woken for months. They’re worried. Troubled. But the lord has ordered us to take good care of him.’
Thanks to that gossip, Lloyd could guess the situation of the past few months.
‘This Dragon King, too lazy to even wake up once. So, the morning calls to the Queen? Surely missed. And this sleepy dragon, what’s up with him? I specifically instructed the osteoporosis and dance party guys to wake him up with morning dances. And he still hasn’t woken once?’
Just how deep a sleeper was he to not wake even with that ruckus?
Lloyd was somewhat impressed (?).
On the other hand, he saw an opportunity to leverage this.
Lloyd quickly spoke up.
“Yet, Great Dragon King? Aren’t you in a serious predicament right now?”
“Me? In trouble? Why?”
“Because you haven’t called the Queen, not even once?”
“…”
Verkis fell silent. The truth had hit home.
Lloyd’s grin stretched nearly to his ears.
“So, I thought I might be able to help a bit.”
“Help? Me?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Simple. If you grant me a dimensional travel, I might also be able to assist you.”
“Are you proposing a deal, now? How dare you?”
“It’s a deal that you might find necessary.”
“So, how would you help?”
“I’ll provide support.”
“Support? What do you mean?”
“When you eventually get nagged by the Queen.”
“Oh.”
“I will vigorously and earnestly defend you.”
“You? Defend me? Against her?”
“Yes.”
“Is that possible?”
“I’ll give it my all.”
“Hmm.”
Doubt flickered in Verkis’s eyes, but Lloyd quickly added,
“Think about it, Lord Dragon King. You’ve just woken up and are still dazed, but in truth, you’re in a huge mess.”
“A mess? Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve stopped calling after a few attempts.”
“…”
Verkis looked beaten.
Lloyd continued eloquently,
“So, to summarize, months ago, you tried contacting the Queen every morning. But she ignored your calls, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, she did.”
“And then what did you do?”
“I just slept.”
“That’s exactly the problem!”
“…”
“Lord Dragon King? Think about it from the Queen’s perspective. This man slacks off and doesn’t call, tries to make amends with daily calls, but then, what? He takes a dive when not scolded for a few days? Ha, fine. Let’s see how far this goes… That’s what she’s thinking.”
“…”
“In short, this is an even worse situation than if you had never called at all.”
“What should I do then?”
“You should apologize profusely. And if possible, get some strong support.”
“Your support?”
“Yes.”
It was done. Lloyd had him hooked.
“I will deploy all my wisdom and ability. The passion you’ve poured into maintaining domestic peace! The effort you exerted each morning to remove the sleep from your eyes! The noble sacrifice you showed just to sit up and remove the bedding! I will convey all of these earnestly and clearly to the Queen!”
“…”
“How about that?”
“Uh, it’s somewhat touching?”
“Right?”
“Yeah. Your speech, as pathetic as it is, trying to defend me, it’s like watching a mayfly trying to protect me. Makes my heart flutter a bit.”
“…”
“Or maybe it’s more like a cockroach.”
“…”
“Anyway, deal. I’ll do the dimensional travel.”
“Thank you!”
Lloyd bowed deeply.
Hoping the Dragon King wouldn’t change his mind, he quickly specified his travel wish.
“Then, please send me to Seoul, South Korea on Earth in the Raniakea Supercluster, early 21st century.”
“Are you taking a taxi now?”
“Do you know about taxis?”
“I’ve taken them. Anyway, early 21st century Seoul?”
“Yes.”
“For the Jewel materials?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Fine. Shall I send you right now?”
“That would be an honor. A round trip, of course.”
“Tsck. Always so meticulous.”
The Dragon King grumbled as he got out of bed to prepare the dimensional travel magic. He began tracing something in the air with his hands.
Lloyd waited, heart pounding, for the teleportation to Seoul.
‘I must return.’
Excitement mingled with fear of not being able to return.
And he wanted this trip to be solo.
But then…
“Please, Your Highness, I request to accompany him.”
The voice came striding into the guest room.
It was Javier.
‘Ah.’
Lloyd sighed inwardly and quickly responded before the Dragon King could answer.
“Javier? You want to go too?”
“Yes, Lord Lloyd.”
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
“…”
Lloyd grimaced inwardly.
This was why he had tried to hasten the teleportation before Javier interfered.
It was a real inconvenience.
‘Seoul isn’t that dangerous, and I don’t need his protection. Besides, if he acts too familiar with the area… But.’
He was suspicious.
Even if he pretended not to be familiar with Seoul, subconsciously showing familiarity might raise suspicions.
That worried him.
But he had no excuse to dismiss Javier.
“Why, Lord Lloyd? Is it inconvenient to go together?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“If not?”
“It’s just dimensional travel magic. I thought it might be a burden for the Dragon King if two of us crossed.”
He said it naturally.
The Dragon King, preparing the magic, chimed in breezily.
“It’s no burden.”
“Ah, darn.”
Lloyd inwardly frowned.
Javier smiled secretly.
The silver-haired knight thought,
‘As expected. Seoul must be related to this fake Lord Lloyd.’
Perhaps since the moment the Ice Dragon first mentioned ‘Seoul.’
‘When he heard that word, I could tell Lord Lloyd’s heart raced.’
He had sensed it with his transcendent knightly intuition.
Lloyd’s heartbeat had skyrocketed.
He had broken out in goosebumps and sweat.
Too dramatic a reaction just for hearing about an unfamiliar dimension.
That was why.
‘I must go with him.’
Perhaps Seoul was this fake Lord Lloyd’s homeland.
If so, might he not feel tempted to settle there upon returning?
That was Javier’s greatest fear.
‘I must prevent that.’
Regrettable as it was for Lloyd, he couldn’t let him leave this place.
Lloyd had long been a pillar of the Frontera family.
Now was not the time to let him go or lose him.
In case of any eventuality, he needed to be watched.
So, he must go with him, forcibly if necessary.
Javier resolved firmly and asked casually,
“Is there something bothering you about going with me to Seoul, Lord Lloyd?”
“No, of course not.”
“That so?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll join you. As I have always done.”
“…”
Lloyd’s mouth twitched as if about to crumple.
Javier barely concealed his satisfied smile.
Meanwhile, the Dragon King finished preparing the dimensional travel magic.
“All set. You guys ready?”
Swoosh!
Following the Dragon King Verkis’s gestures.
A 16-layer complex magic circle appeared in mid-air.
Spinning, intertwining, and swirling.
It enveloped them.
Colored them.
Covered them.
Swoosh!
Stars swirled around them, bursting, dispersing, and reforming.
Sometimes chattering, shouting, calling out.
Finally seeping into a strange and exhilarating yet familiar landscape.
Honk! Honk!
The blare of horns on a 12-lane road.
Neon signs and street lamps shining everywhere.
The rush-hour traffic at Gwanghwamun Intersection welcomed Lloyd and Javier.
