Chapter 253: There’s No Bad Dragon in the World (1)

It all happened so quickly that I didn’t know how to respond.

Although Dialuria did not attack with the horns on her head as if she still had some conscience left in her, Max’s face was clearly distorted with pain; his eyes closed as he fell back.

“Ke-e-e-e-ee-eeeek!”

It was a spectacle to see him maintaining a dignified posture, almost as if saying, ‘What are you looking at?’

As dragons only deemed themselves threatening by looking big, Dialuria stood up on her hind feet and maintained her offensive posture.

“Kiek! Haaaa!”

Of course, afterwards, her tail had begun to wag. I didn’t know whether or not to pet her.

Before I could even say anything, Dialugia beat me to it.

“Di! Ah! Luria!”

I had initially worried about Dialugia getting mad at me for discouraging her baby, but that didn’t happen. On the contrary, she looked both perplexed and angry.

Though Dialuria was always impulsive, this was the first time she had acted in such an aggressive manner, and so Dialugia knew she must correct this behavior immediately. Meanwhile, I hurriedly went to check Max’s condition.

As if the pain was unfamiliar, the boy grabbed his chest before looking up at me.

“Max, are you okay?”

-Lee, President Lee…

Instinctively, he recognized that it was safe to be with me.

“Ke-ee-ee-ee-eee!”

Of course, Tol To-ri screamed upon seeing this.

“Dialuria! What have you done now?”

“Kiek!”

“What is that attitude now? Are you saying you did the right thing?!”

“Ke-e-ek!”

“Why are you always…”

“Ke-e-e-e-ee!”

“Haven’t I always said that you shouldn’t do it that way? Why are you glaring at your mom?!”

“Kiek!”

“Mom has been patient, too!”

“Wow!”

“Mom is also a dragon! Dragon!”

In the meantime, Tol To-ri was showing a lukewarm attitude towards her mother. She continued snorting, as if her anger had not yet dissipated.

‘This child needs some solid education.’

Right now, Tol To-ri could be classified as between rare and heroic grades, but assuming that she would grow to a legendary-grade later, the normal body hammer may no longer feel normal.

If Max had been an ordinary kid, he would have gotten seriously injured. The feeling that we started on the wrong foot dwelled within me, but I still had to correct Dialugia’s behavior from now on. In the end, I had to take a firm position.

As I spoke, both an excited Tol To-ri and upset Dialugia turned to look at me.

“Dialuria.”

“Haaa…”

“You know what you did just now was wrong, right?”

“Haaa…”

“Go back to the nest right now. You’re banned from going out from today. You’re forbidden to play, and I won’t play with you until you reflect on yourself. I’ve canceled all of the things I said about hanging out together and going out together after returning from this expedition. Snacks are also banned, so this is all up to you.”

“Kiek?”

At first, Dialuria looked embarrassed. A few moments passed before thick tears began to fall from her face.

“Kiiyiing… Kie-eh-eh…”

Anyone could see that she looked devastated. Though her sad expression looked irresistibly cute, I knew I shouldn’t fall for her charms. It was important to stay as calm as possible.

“Kieehek! Kiiiiiieeenng. Kiiieng… Kiiiiiieeenng…”

It appeared that Dialuria had already begun to regret her decisions. However, this was not enough. As someone responsible for her behavior, I had to educate her properly.

Meanwhile, the other expedition members had begun to pass by us after seeing that Max was alright. However, Jung Hayan’s expression had become serious.

She seemed to think that she would end up just like Tol To-ri if she did something wrong and would get exiled as I saw fit.

At this point, I realized that what I’d done for her back in the Cursed Shrine was slowly fading. I knew I had to take action with Hayan once more, but the problem was I just didn’t have the time to take care of everyone.

Of course, in Jung Hayan’s case, who had become the top-ranked wizard with a magic power of 98, I should be careful, but Dialuria was the top priority for now.

‘Anyway, it doesn’t seem like she will burst right now.’

Even Jung Hayan would have to stay quiet for the time being, as she still had to take some time to organize her newfound strength and abilities.

“Kiing… Kiing…”

-President Lee. I think…

“Don’t worry, staff Max. This kind of behavior needs to be corrected.”

-But, he seems to be crying so sadly…

“Kids at that age are clever. At least for a few days, he has to think about what he did wrong.”

-Ah… Okay.

“Ke-e-e-e…”

In the background, only Tol To-ri’s cries rang through my ears.

‘I have a lot to do, though…’

I had to take my time with this one, seeing as it was his education that I had been neglecting. Eventually, however, I left a crying Tol To-ri behind and entered the Guild House. I could finally see the faces of the new recruits after a long time.

Yoo Ahyoung, as if she had been hammering all day, greeted me with a little sweat, and Lee Chang-ryul bowed his head and greeted me in his own peculiar manner.

As expected, Han Sora avoided Jung Hayan as much as possible, greeting me with a trembling voice. Fortunately, it seemed as if they didn’t have any problems that needed to be taken care of.

Moments later, Kim Hyunsung officially declared the end of the expedition, giving us time to rest and relax. Of course, this was only applicable to the combat members.

The guild staff, on the other hand, would have more work to do from now on. Even now, Manager Kim Mi-young was busy calling all the guild staff.

Of course, I was in the position of overseeing the guild staff, too, so I also couldn’t relax. There were always new occurrences every time that I couldn’t find it in myself to just sit back and let others do the work.

‘The Eight Seats of the Empire will be announced soon, too…’

We had delayed this enough times already, so it was only right to focus on it now.

‘I also have to stop by the Castle Rock Black Market once…’

I had to make sure things were working properly.

‘Before entering the business, market research on the area of conflicting cities…’

I also had to consider whether my products can slip into the Republic.

‘I have to take care of the newbies, too… Black magic research is also scheduled…’

And that wasn’t all. It was absolutely imperative that my connection with the Pope’s side was not cut off, so I also had to spend time with Cardinal Basel and host a tea party with the rest of the aristocrats.

In the meantime, considering the need to conduct research on the museum’s control system there was no room for me to sit comfortably and relax.

‘Let’s finish this all one by one.’

I could leave most of it to talented staff, but some things couldn’t be done at all. With all the things I had to do, I wouldn’t even be surprised if I would end up dying young.

My head hurt like hell. However, Park Deokgu, who was freed from all his luggage, had already begun to make some noise.

“Hey, Hyung-nim. Why don’t we, men, soak our bodies in hot water to celebrate? Ki-mo said he was coming, and Hyung-ssi, too… Oh, Chang-ryul will also come! Max will come, too!”

“There’s a private bathroom, so why…”

“It’s different from that! The shared bathroom is for this type of bonding! Do you think there is any other use? This is what strengthens teamwork. Teamwork!”

“Hmm… I’ll catch up with all of you.”

“You have to come!”

“Okay, Deokgu.”

I didn’t know why he was so inspired, but it seemed like he got all excited for a group bath. Even the women’s team planned to do the same, with Hwang Jeong-yeon leading the group.

“Hayan-ssi, get ready quickly.”

“Ah… I-I’m… fine…”

“Aw, come on, don’t do that.”

Even Jung Hayan was being dragged into it. She looked my way as if asking for help, but there was no way I could get her out of this.

The one who seemed to really need help was Han Sora, who tried her best to avoid Hayan on a daily basis. Sharing a bath together would be a definite hellish experience for her.

‘Should I go in, too?’

Still, though, I had my own responsibilities to take care of.

“Manager Kim Mi-young.”

“Yes, Vice Guild Master.”

‘I would be screwed if she weren’t here.’

“Did you get any letters while I was away?”

“Oh. I was trying to tell you that. There were about five letters from Cardinal Basel and three each from Bishop Jessica and Director of Inquisition Helena. Duchess Kathrin also asked if she could be part of the party. There are exactly 144 letters from Marlin Young-ae. There are also letters from other guilds, as well as letters whose senders are unknown…”

‘144 letters from Marlin Young-ae?’

“A letter with an unidentified sender?”

“Yes. The sender only told you to keep your promise.”

Ah, it was the Republic’s crazy bitch. I’d almost forgotten about her.

“There are so many…”

“Yes. There’re many invitations to events from Celia and official invitations from Dawan… Oh! Cha Hee-ra also asked you to contact her as soon as you arrive at Lindel.”

“Hmm… Please organize my schedule by selecting only those that you think are really important. Of course, Hyunsung’s too. If possible, please adjust the destination so that it does not overlap.”

“Yes. I will.”

“Oh. And how old are your children?”

“They just started going to school. Of course, I am satisfied enough with the educational program within the guild, but I thought it would be better to stay with other people together…”

“Ohhh. I see. That’s rather good. Can the little blond kid who just came in go there, too? No, just tell them that he is my adoptee and prepare for him to go to school right away.”

“Okay.”

“And… Talk with the Black Swan and take care of the publicity for this expedition. It is important to emphasize that we have obtained the title of Guardian of the Continent, so I would like you to fill in that part.”

“Yes, Vice Guild Master.”

“I always tell you this but thank you very much. I wouldn’t have survived without you.”

“No, no, you’ve done more than enough for me, too.”

“If you need anything, feel free to tell me.”

“No. I am satisfied enough, Vice Guild Master.”

“Then, I’ll be heading in.”

“Yes. Please have a good time.”

If Kim Mi-young would one day decide to leave her job, it would become a major catastrophe for me. I knew I had to raise her salary once more to keep things sweet.

I hadn’t even started my work yet, but I already felt a little lighter.

It may be because I put down all my heavy equipment and stuffy luggage, but I couldn’t say I didn’t like the feeling.

After entering the bathroom to keep my promise with Park Deokgu, I took off the rest of my equipment one by one. The guild staff would collect it later on, anyway.

‘Is this my first time visiting the public bath?’

There were many amenities in the Blue, but it felt like my first time using one. The moment I took off my clothes and went into the bathroom filled with steam, Park Deokgu’s voice greeted me.

“Whoa…”

“Why?”

“Whoa…”

“What?”

“As expected from Hyung-nim!”

Although I didn’t exactly know what he was talking about, I found myself instinctively wrapping my towel around my waist, cheeks reddening.