Kaldrok’s family had been seized in his place after he fled. Bound tightly, they were forced to their knees in the middle of the plaza, trembling uncontrollably.
I let out a quiet sigh to myself. I couldn’t see any way to break this deadlock.
That the dragons were beside themselves with fury at the betrayal was only natural—Kaldrok, whom they had trusted, had murdered the king and run.
But Ordin had not wanted Kaldrok punished. On the contrary, he had said that any parent who had lost their child would have done the same, and he had worried instead about Kaldrok’s child, who would now be in human hands.
Among Kaldrok’s family, bound with thick ropes, an elderly woman was gasping as if her breath might give out at any moment. She was Kaldrok’s mother.
She looked older than any dragon I had seen since coming to the Belzena Mountain Range. Her age was something no human could even begin to estimate. Some deeply ingrained, bone-deep instinct made it painful to watch her like this.
I looked toward Varen, seated at the place of honor five steps above. He maintained his silence, merely observing the uproar in the hall.
Having become the Dragon King earlier than expected, Varen seemed awkward. Still, the sight of him seated on the throne looked surprisingly grown-up.
Then, amid the rising clamor, a thin voice slipped through.
“Kaldrok... my son... is innocent....”
It was the first time one of Kaldrok’s relatives had spoken. Those who had been shouting fell silent in an instant.
And in that skin-crawling stillness, Kaldrok’s mother continued. Thick tears streamed down her face as she glared at the new king.
“My grandson, Isaac, was kidnapped in Belzena. Dravergh has a duty to protect Belzena and dragons, yet you didn’t even know humans had intruded.”
I glanced again at Varen. His eyes remained sunken, his expression unmoving.
Now Kaldrok’s mother bulged the veins in her wrinkled neck as she poured out her rage.
“Ordin didn’t even know that humans had entered Belzena and taken dragons away! He didn’t know Isaac had vanished, and he didn’t know Kaldrok was being threatened!!”
Kaldrok’s family, dragged here together, stifled their sobs. No one could bring themselves to stop her.
“Dravergh should have protected the dragons! Should have protected us—my children!! Is my son really the only sinner here? Are you truly without any fault at all?!”
At the mother’s desperate scream, the air grew heavy. A few of the dragons who had been yelling to kill Kaldrok’s family turned their heads away, unable to look.
In the knife-edge silence, Varen finally rose from his seat. He stepped lightly down the five stairs and approached Kaldrok’s mother.
“Release them.”
As he spoke, Varen flicked his right hand. The thick ropes binding Kaldrok’s family loosened and slipped away.
Though their limbs were free, no one dared move. Rubbing their numbed arms and legs, they watched the new King of Dravergh for cues.
Varen lowered himself to one knee, bringing himself to the same height as Kaldrok’s mother and meeting her gaze.
“You’re right. This is Dravergh’s fault for failing to protect Belzena.”
His voice was resolute, reminiscent of Ordin, though his way of speaking was still younger than his father’s.
“Humans infiltrated Belzena, kidnapped a child, and surveyed the terrain for a surprise attack during the war. Realizing that too late was Dravergh’s failure.”
“...H-hic....”
“The past can’t be undone. But I promise you this.”
Varen slowly straightened again and looked out over the dragons surrounding him.
A sudden chill brushed the back of my neck.
“I will kill the Human King and avenge Ordin.”
Why is it that ominous premonitions are never wrong?
For a moment, silence fell. Unlike me, whose blood ran cold, the dragons erupted into thunderous cheers. They clenched their fists and swung them through the air, leaping in place as they celebrated Varen’s declaration.
After the unexpected war and Ordin’s °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° death, Belzena’s long-sunken mood surged upward into hope. Kaldrok’s family now shed tears of a different kind.
The only one unable to smile here was me. I had to struggle just to keep my face from contorting.
But my effort quickly came to nothing. The young king standing at the center of the cheering crowd puffed out his chest and looked straight at me.
At that look—plainly asking, Did I do well?—I had no choice but to grab the back of my neck.
***
The moment the dragon trial ended, I grabbed Varen by the wrist and dragged him along. I looked for somewhere we could talk alone, but everywhere we went, excited dragons were noisily celebrating.
With no other choice, we headed to Varen’s bedroom. It was my first time entering the room since his rut.
I caught Varen as he naturally headed for the bed and made him sit on the sofa instead. He shot me a puzzled look, but I finally let loose everything I’d been holding back.
“You idiot! How could you say something like that in front of the dragons?!”
Apparently he’d expected praise. Varen just blinked at me, dumbfounded. At that guileless expression, I pressed my throbbing forehead. For a moment, I missed Ordin desperately.
I let out a long sigh and raked my hands through my hair. Seeing Varen on the throne had made him look so grown-up that I’d let my guard down. I scrubbed my face dry, gathered my thoughts, and snapped my head up.
“Varen, listen carefully. I don’t want to suspect dragons either.”
“Then don’t suspect them.”
“That’s not what I mean... I’m saying Kaldrok might not be the only dragon humans have leverage over.”
“.......”
“If there’s still a dragon acting as a human confidant, they could report what you said to the king. In the worst case, you could be put in danger.”
At my words, Varen’s eyes widened. He parted his lips slightly, as if he’d been struck on the head.
I reached out and closed his open mouth, then tucked his long, fallen golden hair behind his ear.
I was furious at his impulsive declaration, but the moment my fingertips touched his soft skin, that anger melted away.
Yeah... even Ordin couldn’t predict what the Human King would do. There was no way Varen, who’d lived alone in a cavern his whole life, could have handled this perfectly.
Varen blinked rapidly with his thick lashes, clearly flustered by his mistake.
“Then... should I take it back...?”
“It wouldn’t help. Rumors spread fast.”
At my firm answer, Varen’s shoulders drooped. He hadn’t even let out his dragon tail, but it felt like something unseen had sagged along with him.
That sight made me laugh. I reached out and rubbed his sulking crown a few times.
“The humans probably already expected Dravergh to seek revenge to some extent.”
“...You think so.”
“Yeah. But from now on, let’s only talk about details in front of dragons we can trust. We can’t let plans leak.”
“...Okay.”
Scolding him, then soothing him—it felt like I was both poisoning and curing him at the same time.
As expected, Varen avoided my gaze with his downturned eyes. Then, in a voice unusually subdued for him, he muttered,
“I... can’t be a king like my father.”
The lack of confidence in his voice hurt more than I expected. So I used both hands and diligently rubbed his head.
“What are you talking about? You’re Dravergh. And not just any Dravergh—you’re Varen Dravergh. That alone already makes you more than qualified. If not you, then who could be the Dragon King? Right?”
“But still...”
“Hey. And who’s perfect from the start? Think about it. You couldn’t even fly properly at first. But now you’re the fastest flyer among the dragons—”
“I knew how to fly from the beginning.”
“.......”
“I just pretended I couldn’t because I didn’t want to leave you behind.”
I’d had my suspicions, but hearing his confession made the corner of my mouth twitch. My hands, which had been gently rubbing his head, tightened reflexively.
Just as I was about to grab his long, satisfyingly thick hair with both hands and give him what he deserved, Varen sighed and slipped free of my grasp first.
“My father could read others’ thoughts. That’s how he distinguished traitors from the loyal.”
I awkwardly lowered my hands onto my thighs and looked at Varen’s serious profile.
“Varen, you can see the future.”
“I can’t see whatever moment I want. It’s still unstable. It’s not a very useful ability.”
“They say abilities stabilize over time. Then someday, you’ll be able to see the future you want.”
Countless movies flashed through my mind, shaped by a lifetime steeped in science fiction and fantasy.
If you could see the future, you could devise plans with lower chances of failure. You could prepare for danger and reduce unnecessary sacrifices.
If he ever learned to wield foresight freely, Varen’s ability would be close to invincible.
