“Then I’m going to hurry over to my mom! I must hurry!”
Dodori seemed to be in a rush as he ran toward the terrace.
– …Human! Are you scamming the pink Dragon? Are you going to smack him from behind? Why else would you be smiling like that? Grandpa Ron told me to let him know if you do anything weird! This is a difficult decision!
Cale still had a gentle smile on his face as he warmly continued to speak.
“Dodori-nim, there’s no need to be in such a rush.”
“No, no! My mom might not open the door to the farm for me! I stole a box of fruit from the orchard to pay for stuff when I ran away from home! Hahahaha!”
‘Hmm? A farm? An orchard?’
– Human! He said a farm! It’s a Dragon that runs an orchard! I can’t believe there’s a Dragon that grows food! What a truly magnificent Dragon!
Cale turned to the side after oddly feeling a heated gaze from next to him.
He could see Choi Han standing there.
Choi Han had his usual innocent looking face but his eyes were burning up. Cale thought about Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk’s little hope for him.
Choi Han was looking at Dodori with a somewhat sad gaze. Cale suddenly got the chills. He felt as if he should quickly send Dodori on his way.
“Dodori-nim, please have a safe trip!”
Dodori was now standing on the terrace railing. He smiled brightly and waved toward the two humans and one young Dragon who were there to say goodbye.
“Bye! I’ll make sure not to die from my mom’s beating and come back alive!”
Paaaaat!
Dodori left those scary words behind as he disappeared.
Raon flew back inside and made a short comment about the meeting they just had.
“Human! The pink Dragon seems about fifty percent similar to the crazy Clopeh! I really want to go visit the farm and orchard!”
“I truly wish to go visit it as well.”
Cale brushed aside Choi Han’s determined comment. He was quite happy right now.
The crown prince had been stealthily searching for Dragons for a while with the help of the Dark Elves and Elves. Eruhaben and Sheritt were helping him as well, but they had had no results until now.
‘It’s impossible to find all of the Dragons.’
Now that the White Star might attack Puzzle City or somewhere else in the near future, it was better to gather the forces they had right now.
That was why Cale was focusing on other issues over finding the Dragons.
‘But a Dragon walked in on his own! And there are two of them!’
He started to think about Dodori’s mom.
‘Eruhaben-nim is the most ancient Dragon. The fact that she could call Eruhaben-nim an arrogant Dragon must mean that she is younger than Eruhaben-nim but still about the same age.’
He had no idea as to how strong she would be.
The smile on Cale’s face only continued to grow bigger.
– Human! Your smile looks fishy!
That was why he ignored Raon’s comment and prepared to sleep.
“Then I will see you tomorrow, Cale-nim. Please don’t forget about the orchard.”
Choi Han left as well and Cale laid down on his bed. He could only curl up on the side because Raon had already taken the center of the bed.
“Heh.”
Cale could not help but laugh.
Deruth had a lot of strong individuals gathered here by using his money. There were also two Dragons.
He didn’t do much to gather all of these extra pieces, but Cale was very happy about the increase in their forces.
“Heh.”
He continued to chuckle as he fell asleep.
He had not slept so well in a long time.
* * *
The next day.
10 am. It was still pretty warm for being in the middle of November.
“…What is that?”
Cale had woken up from his first good sleep in a long time and was now sitting on the couch looking outside.
He could see outside the high fence of the house because his bedroom was on the third floor.
“…Why are people gathered there throwing flower petals and shiny powder?”
They were in the capital, but this was the noble district so it was generally quiet.
Most of the houses here were generally empty because they all stayed within their own territories unless they worked in the capital.
This area was usually much quieter compared to the market or plaza where all residents traversed on a daily basis.
“It’s supposed to be a quiet place……”
That’s how it had always been.
However, the area in front of the Henituse Estate and the nearby area felt as if it was the middle of a festival.
There were close to two or three hundred people out there.
“Human! Can I go see what’s going on?”
“Sure.”
“Alright! I’ll be back in 30 minutes! We need to go to the palace together to eat!”
Raon turned invisible and quickly flew out while Choi Han brought him a cup of tea.
“Mm.”
Cale flinched for a moment.
“Beacrox told me to make sure you got your tea. He said that this lemon tea was made with newly preserved lemons.”
“…Uh… Sure.”
“Oh, and here is an apple pie. Raon took some out for you.”
“Ah… Sure.”
The large pile of apple pies made Cale’s pupils start to shake.
However, Cale drank the lemon tea first, feeling a sense of longing and joy.
At that moment…
– Human! All of them! All of them!
He suddenly heard Raon’s urgent voice.
‘Hmm?’
Cale jumped up after hearing Raon’s pressing tone.
The lemon tea almost spilled from the cup.
– Human!
Raon continued to shout.
– Everybody is saying that you are great and mighty! They are saying that the hero who will never be seen in this world ever again has returned! That’s why they’ve all run out onto the streets with joy!
Last night…
Cale had noticed the numerous open windows when he had arrived.
Cale didn’t know it, but the hired help and nobles of each residence were looking through the window and had immediately informed the people they knew about Cale Henituse’s return.
Those people then informed other people and pretty much everybody in the capital knew of his arrival by 10 am this morning.
Cale was the only one who didn’t know about it.
– Human, they said that they are cheering for you because that is all they can do for you! That is why they are throwing the red flower petals around!
Cale then noticed that, while the area outside the Henituse Estate was full of people, everywhere else looked quite desolate.
– Gasp!
Raon gasped and Cale got such chills that he felt as if someone was rubbing his back with ice.
– They’re saying there is a group gathering here! Over half of them are members of a group called YHW!
‘…What? …A group gathering?’
Cale’s fingers were slightly shaking as he held the teacup.
He felt as if he heard an acronym he shouldn’t know.
YHW.
He didn’t want to find out what it stood for.
However, Raon was feeding Cale information nonstop.
– It is a gathering of people who are cheering for and wishing to help Young Master Silver Shield, a hero who will never be seen in this world ever again! (TL Note: Korean uses the first ‘word’ for world never seen again and shield so it is Young master silver shield a Hero who will never be seen in the World again so YHW. there was no English equivalent based on structure of the language) They also said they won’t tolerate people who are envious and speak badly of you! Oh, my goodness! Human! I want to join this group too! Oh, but I have an odd feeling that we shouldn’t let Clopeh find out about this group!
Cale started to think.
‘Does this make any sense?’
The common folks generally could not easily approach the nobles.
In addition, there was bound to be envy if someone achieves something big and becomes very successful.
That was why numerous heroes throughout history ended up losing their power and fame.
‘But there is a group cheering for me, a noble, and there are more than 100 members in that group?’
Forget being shocked, Cale was thinking that this was unrealistic.
But there was something he did not know.
The bestselling books in bookstores throughout the Roan Kingdom were all books related to Cale and his group.
These people were seeing war throughout the Western continent for the first time in a long time, just as they were getting used to the peace that has been here for tens of years.
This was extremely difficult for people to handle and they needed someone or something to help them remain calm.
People would naturally seek out heroes even if nobody forced it on them.
The people at the capital responded more sensitively to information about Cale Henituse the hero than Cale would expect.
Why were they not envious of him?
Over half of the members of this group were people who survived Arm’s Plaza Bombing terrorist incident in the past.
They were the people who had been saved when Cale first used his Indestructible Shield.
How could people who were saved by Cale during that incident or through his other exploits during the war with the Indomitable Alliance be jealous of him?
Cale Henituse did not personally gain anything for everything that he did.
The Henituse household did become a Duchy, but aside from that, Cale had not personally benefited from everything he had done for the Roan Kingdom and the Western continent.
They all knew that his Commander title was only a temporary title and that he had not even gotten a territory nor a title, something most people who had achieved far less than he had done would have received a long time ago.
Furthermore, he seemed to be living a quiet life other than when he was protecting everyone and fighting for their safety.
He was someone who seemed to not care about fame nor power at all.
Cale Henituse’s public image made it so that people couldn’t help but respect and follow him.
It was just like how numerous strong individuals had come to work for the Henituse Duchy, with others currently on their way to do so.
– Oh! There’s also a fan group for Choi Han, Rosalyn, and Mary! Ohhhhhhhh! Human! I want to join all of these groups!
“Aigoo, my head.”
Cale, who had no idea about any of this and just wanted to be a rich slacker in the future, could only sigh in disbelief.
He was at a loss for words as he stuffed apple pies and lemon tea into his mouth out of habit. He had no idea that Choi Han was looking at him with a satisfied expression on his face.
* * *
Alberu had a confused look on his face as he put his fork and knife down.
“…My little dongsaeng. Why are you barely eating anything?”
A light meal instead of a feast was on the circular table. However, this supposed light meal was full of extremely luxurious and beautiful looking dishes.
“…Your highness.”
“Yes?”
Alberu started to frown after seeing Cale barely eating anything and not speaking as if he wanted to cry.
“…I’m full.”
“Ho.”
Alberu was shaking his head side to side.
He could only click his tongue after seeing Cale say that he was full after eating only two bites of steak.
He turned his gaze and looked toward Choi Han and Raon.
He had sent his servant away and only the four of them were here.
“Hey, crown prince! The palace chef cooks as well as Beacrox! It’s delicious!”
Raon looked very cute with sauce all over his mouth while Choi Han was smiling and eating nonstop.
Alberu turned back toward Cale with a suspicious gaze.
“Our palace chef made his best dishes after hearing that my dongsaeng was coming. Why don’t you eat some more? It can’t taste that bad, can it?”
He then looked at Cale’s feeble body.
“…Your highness.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know what I saw on my way to the palace?”
“Hmm?”
“Do you know what kind of gazes I saw once I entered the palace?”
Alberu quietly gasped after seeing the look in Cale’s eyes.
“Ah.”
Cale had come to see Alberu through normal means this time. That was why numerous servants, maids, and administrators in the palace saw him enter. Alberu couldn’t help but think about what was probably going on right now.
“Your highness. Have you heard of a group called the YHW?”
“…No. What is that?”
Alberu feigned ignorance for now.
“Haaaaaaaa.”
Cale let out a deep sigh before looking at Alberu with a sparkle in his eyes. His eyes seemed to be on fire.
“Your highness! You MUST let me be a slacker in the future!”
“Of course, of course. I’ll let you be a rich slacker. A slacker who doesn’t have to worry about anything.”
“You truly are the radiant and magnificent sun of the Roan Kingdom.”
“Why are you saying something so obvious? Just eat.”
Cale shook his head after hearing Alberu telling him to eat.
“No, I really am full. I ate some apple pie and drank some lemon tea earlier.”
He probably ate three full apple pies.
He might have drunk 1 liter of lemon tea along with it.
“…Haaaa.”
It was now Alberu’s turn to sigh and shake his head.
‘He’s saying he’s full after having a cup of tea and one slice of pie.’
Those were probably small snacks they gave him in the morning.
Alberu felt as if he knew the reason behind Cale’s feeble nature.
‘…Pitiful bastard.’
Cale suddenly got upset after seeing Alberu look at him with a pitying gaze, however, he started to snicker since this future king said that he would be allowed to be a slacker.
Alberu looked at him with an even more of a pitying gaze and Cale was about to get even more upset when…
Knock knock knock!
They heard some urgent knocks on the door.
“Your highness!”
They heard the Chief of Staff’s pressing voice.
“Commander Toonka of the Whipper Kingdom and Queen Litana of the Jungle have arrived!”
There was still a lot of time until the meeting.
However, these two key players had arrived much earlier than expected.
“Mm. Come on in.”
Alberu slowly got up from his chair.
Raon urgently turned invisible while Choi Han reached for his sword he had placed beside him.
‘Did something urgent happen?’
‘Maybe. This is weird.’
Alberu and Cale exchanged glances and stiffened up.
Litana and Toonka. Both of them were very busy people, and based on the Chief of Staff’s voice, they must have rushed here for a reason.
The Chief of Staff opened the door and came in as he shouted.
“They are both looking for young master Cale Henituse-nim!”
“Hmm?”
“Excuse me?”
‘Who? They’re looking for me?’
Cale subconsciously looked past the Chief of Staff’s shoulder into the hallway.
Toonka was charging over as if he was a wild boar that was looking for food in the middle of the winter.
“My friend! My one and only close friend! My buddy! Where are you?!”
He was crying as well.
He looked… quite scary.
“Mm. Commander Toonka. You might come off disrespectful. Although it is probably more proper to wait according to the Roan Kingdom’s etiquette, I will follow you to stop you if you insist on going.”
Litana was following behind him with an awkward smile on her face. Her large black panther was naturally by her side.
The two of them looked as if they were embarrassed but tagging along to stop Toonka.
“Grrrrrr.”
However, their eyes were sparkling as if they were looking for prey they must hunt in order to survive in the jungle.
“…Should I run away-”
Alberu and Choi Han avoided his gaze after hearing Cale mumble.
It was at that moment.
– Human! In the sky above the palace!
Cale heard Raon’s shocked voice.
A majestic voice filled his head at that moment as well.
– Hmm. Are you Cale Henituse?
It was an unfamiliar voice.
– I am Dodori’s mother.
As Cale slowly started to open his mouth…
– Human! There seems to be a Dragon in the sky outside the barrier protecting the palace!
There was a dome-shaped magic barrier above the Roan palace.
Just outside that barrier… There was a Dragon in the sky.
Cale did not expect Dodori to come back so soon.
Dodori and Dodori’s mom were both up there.
– But there are three of them!
“…Hmm?”
– One more seems to have suddenly appeared!
He heard Dodori’s mom’s voice.
– …Oh, are there others you invited aside from my son and me?
‘No, there aren’t.’
Cale wanted to respond.
However, he could not do so.
He suddenly heard a sloth-like voice in his head.
– Wow~ there’s all sorts of weirdos gathered here. Hoooo, there are three Dragons as well. I’ve never seen this before. You were looking for me?
The slightly thuggish voice added on.
– Didn’t you send the Dark Elves to look for me? They’ve been so damn loud. Do you want to die?
The Dragon that Mayor Obante had seen in the past.
– How dare you make it so loud that I wake up from my slumber? How dare a mere human do that? Do you want me to fuck you up?
Toonka, Litana, and her black panther entered the room Cale was in at that moment.
“Oh, my dearest friend!”
“Young master Cale!”
“Grrrrrr!”
They then saw it.
“H, hahahahaha!”
They saw Cale laughing out loud.
‘Dragons just keep coming! This is not a chaotic field but a field of Dragons!’
Cale couldn’t help but laugh, not because of joy but because he couldn’t believe what was going on.
