Chapter 186: Side Story 23 |
Crash, Bang!
A small pub in the city was completely demolished.
By the Black Dragon, it was thoroughly wrecked.
“Ugh!”
The face of the pub owner, who had been watching the scene, turned pale.
“My, my shop…!”
Kalexia, who was licking his lips, tapped the absent-minded pub owner’s shoulder and spoke.
“Don’t worry. I’ll rebuild it completely anew.”
“Excuse me? W-Who are you…”
Kalexia casually replied, giving a mischievous smile to the pub owner.
Once again, his gaze shifted towards Drea, who appeared like a Black Dragon amidst the ashes and dust.
“That child was surprised by what happened, so don’t hold any grudges. I’ll compensate enough.”
“Yes…? What does that…”
Kalexia, who saw the pub owner’s confusion, patted his shoulder once more and raised his other hand.
Tap.
When their fingers collided, a breeze began to blow from somewhere.
Shortly after, the elemental spirits of wind swept away the surrounding dirt, dust, and smoke and disappeared.
Tap.
When Kalexia tapped his finger again, this time the earth spirits appeared and cleared away the scattered debris on the ground.
People murmured in astonishment.
Among them, some wondered if they recognized Kalexia.
Kalexia smiled at them and turned his gaze back to Drea and Shaik.
“Oh, my.”
In the blink of an eye, Drea was shaking the man who had thrust a knife at Shaikh’s face and the man who had kicked Shaikh with both hands.
“How dare you! Who! Where! Aaah!”
Drea let out a roar like a true ferocious dragon.
The surrounding area trembled at the sound.
The two men who had already been held by Drea had long since lost consciousness.
In her heart, she wanted to chew them up and spit them out, but she restrained herself.
After knocking out the two men held by Drea, she grabbed two other trembling men.
And she shook them just as vigorously, instilling fear.
Without a doubt, the men fainted without even a gasp.
But Drea’s anger wasn’t relieved by this level of punishment.
Drea shook the five men in her hands with both hands, vigorously shaking them.
“You bastards! If you ever do something like this again, I’ll chase you down, cut off your limbs, and turn you into dust! You bastards! You scum!”
The faces of the men who had already fainted turned even paler.
“…Drea.”
With a gentle voice, something touched Drea’s firm instep.
Startled, Drea looked down to see Shaik, who had grabbed her ankle.
“Drea.”
Shaik called her name again, embracing her ankle.
This was the first time it happened.
Of course, showing her true form as an adult was also a first, but aside from that, Shaik approaching her and embracing her like this was also a first.
Thanks to that, her hands that were shaking the men stopped.
Drea stared at Shaik with rigid, trembling eyes.
“I’m hurt, Drea. I hurt all over. Look at me.”
Shaik acted as if throwing a tantrum.
A tantrum, yes, that’s what it was.
Drea kept trying to control her desire to keep shaking and thought to herself.
Even if that guy fell from a hundred meters above the ground, he shouldn’t groan in pain.
He was the type who wouldn’t even utter a sound if his limbs were broken, if his arms were torn off, or if a few fingers were severed.
For such a guy to complain about being in pain just because he was kicked a few times by ordinary men.
It was outrageous.
Truly, it was outrageous… But…
‘But why do you ask where it hurts, whether it hurts a lot?’
Even though she knew it was a tantrum, she was still worried, and Shaik, who was throwing a tantrum, was cute to Drea.
Drea stared at Shaik, firmly keeping her lips shut.
Shaik smiled at Drea, resting his cheek on her steel-like skin.
“It feels refreshing. Drea, your skin feels really refreshing.”
‘Why, why is this guy acting like this!’
It was so absurd that it made her head spin.
The city had become a complete mess, and there were people who had come from far away to see it.
Among them, Kalexia stood with Kalia, Derek, and Gaia by his side.
Yet, Shaik acted as if he didn’t care about anything.
He only looked at Drea.
Drea was confused.
Though he came out looking beaten up from the encounter, she still couldn’t decide how she should view Shaik.
Pat pat
As if stroking the ankle of Drea, who had transformed into a dragon, Shaik gently caressed her with an unusual tenderness.
Drea had such tough skin that she could barely feel pain, but she could clearly feel Shaik’s touch.
As Shaik stared at her intently, he pressed his forehead against her skin and murmured.
“Drea, I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t even a loud voice, but it felt so distinct.
Drea’s face grew hot.
She was so confused that she couldn’t even catch her breath.
“…I need time to think, Shaik.”
“Think with me. Let’s think together, Drea.”
Why is he doing this?
Drea felt like crying.
It was you who pushed me away, and I was simply swept away by your whims.
But now you come looking for me, acting as if you wanted to see me, even giving me a look as if you would die without me.
‘I don’t know. I don’t understand.’
Drea tightly closed her eyes, then threw away the thugs she was holding in her hand and spread her wings wide.
Startled, Shaik grabbed her.
“Don’t go, Drea. Don’t go…!”
Drea looked at Shaik with wavering eyes, then suddenly fluttered her wings.
Her enlarged body rose up with a single flap.
Drea soared high into the sky.
Shaik looked at her with a worried expression, then made up his mind and summoned his own wings.
Flutter-
Unlike Drea’s wings, which consisted of sturdy skin, bones, and horns, his wings shone translucently like those of a butterfly.
These wings had rarely been seen since he became an adult.
There was no need to use them, and he didn’t want to attract attention by showing them off.
But now, he didn’t realize how fortunate he was to have these wings.
With his sparkling wings, Shaik flew up.
“Shaik!”
Kalia called out her son’s name as she attempted to leap forward.
Smiling widely, she waved her hand and spoke.
“I’ll handle things behind, so you take care of Drea. Got it?”
Shaik, who glanced at his mother, nodded with a smile.
With a powerful flap of his wings in the direction Drea had flown, he soared off.
In an instant, the gusts of wind washed away the dust and revealed Drea’s natural white aura, mingled with Shaik’s distinct blue aura, as they soared through the sky.
“Those noisy guys, really.”
Kalia grumbled, shaking her head, and Kalexia smiled and nodded.
“Oh, by the way, Kalexia.”
“…What shocking story are you going to tell me this time, Sun God?”
The Sun God chuckled calmly towards Kalexia’s questioning gaze, as if he was annoyed.
“Well, you see, that child’s pair wasn’t on the list of reincarnations. But I purposely brought that child from another world. They missed each other so much. So, well, I just let them meet again.”
“What?”
“That kid should know about my benevolence… Anyway, I hope the two children can be happy together this time.”
The Sun God spoke in a playful manner, chuckling to himself.
“I hope they don’t fail to recognize each other and end up digging holes in the ground. If they don’t recognize each other, that kid is really a complete idiot…”
Kalexia chuckled wryly, imagining the sound of the god’s laughter in his ears.
‘Fortunately, it seems that kid isn’t a complete idiot after all, Sun God.’
…Hopefully today, they will recognize each other.
* * *
Shaik reached out his hand.
Drea seemed within reach, yet still distant.
‘Just a little more… just a little more…’
Realizing that her body, like her wings, had grown larger and was hindering her speed, Drea instantly transformed her appearance.
Keeping her wings as they were, Drea humanoidized her body and glanced back to see Shaik, who had chased her closely.
Startled, she flapped her wings even harder and flew.
“Wait, Drea! I have something to say!”
“Not now! I don’t want to hear anything right now!”
“Drea, please! Please!”
Although Shaik pleaded, Drea shook her head as if she really didn’t want to listen.
With a determined look, Shaik flapped his wings harder.
At the same time, dozens of elemental spirits of wind sent by Kalexia gathered around him.
The wind spirits, taking various forms, looked at each other before blowing wind towards Shaik.
Some of them blew wind in the opposite direction towards Drea.
“…!”
Suddenly, as the wind blew in reverse, Drea’s speed drastically decreased.
Simultaneously, Shaik’s wings gained acceleration.
Shaik smiled with gratitude towards the wind spirits, who had been chirping among themselves, disappeared.
Shaik moved his wings even more forcefully.
Desperately, he reached out his hand towards Drea.
Higher, higher. Just a little more…!
Finally, Shaik caught up to Drea.
His outstretched hands swiftly pulled Drea’s body into an embrace.
