Chapter 373: The Real Thrill is Breaking Through Obstacles (1)

“Beebong!”

The fresh roar that heralded the morning in the Frontera territory!

As Beebong’s cry echoed, the round sun rose above the eastern mountain range.

Sunlight bathed the count’s estate.

It tapped persistently on the windows of the guesthouse.

However, it could not penetrate the window of one particular room.

This was because blackout curtains, not allowing even a micrometer of space, were drawn tightly.

And beyond those blackout curtains, the Dragon King Berkus was once again trying hard to use his communication magic this morning.

“Please, just answer.”

Brrrrrrrr!

“Hmmm.”

Brrrrrr!

“Hmm.”

Brrrrr!

“Tsk. Another failure.”

The Dragon King Berkus clicked his tongue in disappointment.

He could feel through the flow of mana that the communication magic was working correctly.

The reason the call wasn’t connecting?

There was no other explanation.

‘She’s ignoring my calls again.’

It seemed his wife’s sulkiness was lasting longer than expected.

This left Berkus feeling increasingly anxious.

‘This won’t do. What should I do? Should I just go and beg?’

It had been quite a while since he left the Dragon Cave and came to the Frontera estate.

Which meant his wife’s trip was nearing its end.

‘Could she really be planning to ignore my calls until she returns? That would be disastrous. If she comes back still angry, what will I do? I don’t want to be nagged at again. It would be miserable to live on plain rice and pickled radish.’

The more he thought about it, the more he realized how serious the situation was.

He did not want to face his wife’s wrath upon her return.

So, for the first time, he tried the communication magic again even though it had been ignored.

“Please answer, okay?”

Brrrrrr!

“I know I was wrong, so please.”

Brrrr!

“Look, I’ve been waking up early every morning, right? That’s quite an accomplishment. So could you please answer?”

Brrrr- click!

“Yes, darling?”

“If you just answer, I promise to do the dishes from now on…”

“Did you say you would do the dishes?”

“……Huh?”

“Darling?”

“……”

Berkus stared blankly for a moment.

……Then he came to his senses.

The call connected!

“Kid? Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m still the same as ever.”

“You didn’t get hurt, skip meals, get bitten by mosquitoes, stub your toe, panic over a stomachache, squeeze a pimple too hard, or secretly cry missing me, did you?”

“No, darling. You need not worry about me.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

Phew.

Berkus sighed in relief.

But the next moment, a question that felt like a morning star weighing a trillion tons hit his chest.

“By the way, darling? Did you just promise to do all the dishes from now on?”

“Uh, you misheard.”

“Pardon?”

“I was encouraging you to do the dishes diligently.”

“Really.”

“It’s true.”

“Is it?”

“It really is.”

“I clearly heard you say it with your own voice, darling.”

“……”

Berkus kept his mouth shut.

His wife’s unyielding and formidable voice continued.

“Although I have not learned much, I do remember the wise words of ancient sages. Do you recall the saying, ‘A man’s word is as good as gold’?”

“……Uh, of course?”

“Indeed, that is very admirable. ‘A man’s word is as good as gold’ means that a man’s promise is more precious and important than gold. Therefore, a man should never break a promise he makes.”

“I know that.”

“Do you remember?”

“Of course. Remember when you said the same thing and made someone wear flowers on their head for life?”

“Yes, it was Sir Michael.”

“Right. The founder of the Magentano royal family. See? I remember.”

“Yes. As expected of you, darling. I believed in you.”

“Huh? Believed in me for what?”

“For agreeing to do the dishes every day from now on.”

“……”

Damn.

Berkus felt like he had received a death sentence.

But it was too late to take it back.

He brushed away the tears welling up in his eyes and asked.

“So, kid, when are you coming back?”

“Well, I was going to tell you that.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, but…”

“Then?”

“Mother really enjoys this trip.”

“Huh?”

“Not just Mother, but the lady and Iris too.”

“So, Grandma, Flower… I mean, Flores, and even our daughter are all enjoying the trip?”

“Yes. So, I was wondering if you would mind if we extended our trip by another year.”

“Umm.”

“Darling?”

“…Tsk. I’ll miss you and feel lonely, but there’s no other choice.”

“You permit it?”

“I have no choice. Since everyone is happy. But-”

Berkus spoke in a deliberately strict tone.

“I’ll allow the one-year extension of the family trip, but let’s cancel the dishwashing deal.”

“A man’s word is as good as gold.”

“……”

“That won’t do.”

“Then how about skipping the morning calls for the next year?”

“……”

“Is that okay?”

“Hmm, it is.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Honestly?”

“Yes, honestly.”

A bright affirmation came through the communication magic!

“Actually, I’ve been watching you try to keep your promise every morning for the past year. Sometimes you overslept, but you still tried to keep your promise. I was very moved.”

“……Oh, really.”

“Yes. So this time, I’ve decided not to nag you at all, even if you sleep in for the next year.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. And since you agreed to my request just now.”

“……Thank you! I love you!”

“I love you too, darling. Now, sleep well.”

With that sweet farewell, the communication ended.

The moment the communication magic was cut off.

Berkus threw himself onto the bed.

When he heard the news about the one-year extension of the trip, he pretended to be sad.

But in truth?

“Kahahaha! Hahaha!”

He was so happy that he kicked the blankets and stamped his feet.

Like many husbands in Korea who receive a call from their wife saying she’ll stay at her parents’ house for another week and immediately start thinking about ordering chicken or pizza.

The Dragon King Berkus happily planned his next year.

‘Okay!’

He adjusted his pillow.

He pulled the blanket over himself.

He was about to buy a one-way ticket to dreamland.

But at that moment.

Knock knock knock!

A persistent knock sounded loudly and unwelcome.

Followed by an even louder, cheerful voice.

“Dragon King Berkus? This is Left Sentinel Angel Raphael. Are you sleeping?”

“……”

“I started my day with a jog with the people of the estate, and it was surprisingly refreshing. Would you like to join me?”

“……”

“Or perhaps a game of chess? I learned it from the count yesterday. Human games are surprisingly fun.”

“……”

“If that doesn’t suit you, how about some farming? The joy of growing and harvesting crops and sharing them with neighbors is surprisingly thrilling.”

“……”

“Dragon King Berkus? Are you there?”

Knock knock knock!

“……”

That damn angel.

Should I tear him apart down to his atoms?

Or should I ask the archangel to obliterate him?

Berkus contemplated deeply, like an espresso shot of irritation.

It wasn’t the first time he’d had such thoughts.

‘That guy is too diligent. And unnecessarily friendly. Damn it.’

Raphael, the Left Sentinel, had adapted well to life in the estate.

With his innate angelic nature, he never lied and always considered others.

Curious and kind, he got along with everyone.

Naturally, his social interactions were smooth, like a hydroelectric turbine in full operation.

In short, Raphael was a born extrovert!

‘Ugh. I can’t kill him.’

If he wanted to, it would be easy.

But he didn’t want to create conflict with the archangel.

‘That guy is on almost the same level as me.’

He recalled the time he clashed with the archangel, leading to a physical confrontation.

They moved to a different space and fought properly.

The impact of their clash altered the orbits of two neutron stars, which fused into a black hole and caused a supernova explosion.

‘I took that explosion head-on. And the archangel was still fine.’

He had never seen another being who could withstand such force.

He was honestly a bit surprised.

It made him think that all beings like the archangel and the demon king were similarly formidable.

So.

‘I don’t want to have conflicts with those tough guys. It’s bothersome.’

Ignoring the persistent knocks and greetings, Berkus turned over.

He covered his ears and thought.

This won’t work.

I can’t sleep in peace.

Maybe it’s better to go somewhere no one can find me, set up a magical barrier, and sleep for a year.

Though it’s bothersome to move, it’s still better.

Berkus got up, his body still sticky with laziness.

‘Let’s go.’

♣

“It seems I must go to Namaran.”

Lloyd said.

He folded the scroll containing the urgent news and looked at the queen.

Queen Alicia gave him a meaningful look.

“It seems so?”

“Yes, it seems so, Your Majesty.”

A bitter smile appeared on Lloyd’s lips.

“If the urgent news is true.”

The bitter smile deepened.

Lloyd recalled the contents of the scroll.

The message was simple.

‘The slopes of Namaran are collapsing again? The slope stabilization construction I did… it’s crumbling along with unexplained mana explosions.’

That was the content of the urgent message from Namaran.

Lloyd frowned unconsciously.

‘This feels off. It hasn’t been years since I did the slope stabilization. Even if maintenance was poorly done, it shouldn’t collapse so soon.’

It was true.

The cliff city of Namaran.

The crumbling slopes.

He had stabilized the entire slope with reinforced piles and anchors.

And now, signs of collapse.

It was impossible.

‘I don’t do shoddy work. And the last part of the urgent message bothers me even more. Unexplained mana explosions?’

This might be a new version of the restoration phenomenon.

A trigger event signaling its start.

He had a sudden sense of certainty.

‘It’s quite possible.’

Namaran was indeed a major event site in the original “Iron-Blooded Knight.”

But he had stopped that event.

He thwarted the dark wizards’ plot.

He repelled the summoned Hell Knights.

He saved the lady of Namaran, who should have died.

She even became the ruler of the city.

‘In that sense, Namaran is one of the places where I significantly altered the original story. So it’s very likely that a new version of the restoration phenomenon could start there.’

Having sorted his thoughts, Lloyd bowed to the queen.

“Then I will take my leave, Your Majesty.”

“Leaving already?”

“I must.”

“I understand. Then hurry.”

Fortunately, the queen did not try to detain him.

It was as if she sensed his urgency.

She didn’t know the details, let alone the restoration phenomenon.

But she seemed to grasp his need to move quickly.

With a sardonic smile, she let him go.

“Do try not to die.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

With that, Lloyd left the queen.

He quickly exited the royal palace.

He mounted Yongi, who was waiting on the outskirts of the capital.

He kicked off the ground.

“To Namaran!”

He turned the dragon southward.

Flying like a storm.

Over countless mountains and rivers, fields.

Across villages, fortresses, and plains.

Finally, the familiar cliff city came into view.

Namaran.

Lloyd landed Yongi at the base of the slopes.

He then walked up the slope himself.

‘I need to find out what’s going on.’

Greeting the lady of Namaran could wait until after assessing the situation.

He needed to confirm if the anomaly here was related to the restoration phenomenon and if it was indeed a trigger event.

With that in mind, Lloyd climbed the slope quickly.

He reached the site where he had installed the reinforced piles and anchors.

He found several pressure plates that secured the anchors on the ground broken.

Even a third of the reinforced piles were partially pulled out.

‘What is this?’

Lloyd was stunned.

The broken pressure plates were one thing.

But the reinforced piles driven into the bedrock being pulled out was shocking.

Unless a giant with immense strength had rampaged through.

It was an inexplicable situation.

‘No, there must be a real cause. The report mentioned unexplained mana explosions. I’ll start investigating in that direction.’

Lloyd remained calm.

He observed the site carefully.

Then he moved his mana circle.

Kiiiiii……

A circle moved, absorbing some of the surrounding mana.

He analyzed the nature of the absorbed mana.

Like a mine detector.

Sweeping the ground.

Searching for traces of the mana explosions mentioned in the report.

Before long.

He sensed it with the Asrahan Technique.

‘Why is there mana in the reinforced piles?’

While examining one of the partially pulled out piles.

He sensed mana in the pile.

Lloyd analyzed the nature of the mana.

He soon realized.

‘This mana feels familiar.’

It was familiar.

He had encountered this mana before.

Where?

Here.

When?

When he dealt with the dark wizards.

So, the mana in the piles was…

‘Dark wizards. Noctanium. The black gem. The medium planted to create the Namaran Barrier. The mana in that gem.’

The words came together like puzzle pieces in his mind.

Lloyd finally understood the situation.

‘Someone is using the structures I built as a medium to recreate the Namaran Barrier?’