643 – The Life You Gain – 2

I came to visit Athelius’ cave almost once every three days.

Every time that happened, I couldn’t raise my head because Athelius was looking at me with complicated and subtle eyes. It is undeniable that I often said I would come by to say hello, but I did not intend to visit this often.

I had no intention of coming with a group rather than just myself.

“Aja! Hello!”

“…Okay. Welcome.”

The Crown Princess waving her hand majestically at Athelius. Seeing the crown princess like that, Athelius slowly nodded.

‘It looks like even a dragon can’t beat a child’s physical strength.’

She felt sad for a moment. You could clearly feel Athelius ‘fatigue from his somewhat slow nods and drooping tail.

It is an understandable sight. Athelius has been alone for hundreds of years since the loss of his family. He is raising rabbits, but how noisy can a rabbit that cannot speak be? For hundreds of years, no one had made Athelius physically or mentally tired.

“Bye-bye!”

“You are here too. Have fun and go.”

However, despite being tired, Athelius did not refuse the Crown Princess and Pedi. Even though he was tormented by two children who were full of energy and curiosity, he never once got angry or gave a warning.

Athelius is giving affection to a rabbit that can no longer speak and has only a short lifespan. Children who can communicate can have a deeper connection than a rabbit.

“Ah-Ja-san! This! A gift!”

“A gift?”

Anyway, the Crown Princess, who was greeted by Athelius, rummaged through something in her arms, and pulled out something quite familiar.

“Squat! Black like Aja!”

It was chocolate that the Crown Princess would sprinkle on people she wanted to become friends with.

And the sudden appearance of dessert left Athelius speechless for a moment.

‘Will it be visible?’

A cute chocolate that is smaller than a princess and smaller than a rabbit. A small dessert that is almost the size of a rabbit’s eye. For Atellius, who filled the cave, it is smaller than a stone rolling on the side of the road.

“Thank you. I will eat well.”

After a short silence, Athelius carefully extended his hand towards the princess,

“Here! Eat up!”

The Crown Princess smiled and placed chocolate on Athelius’ fingernails.

I know it’s rude to think like this, but the size difference is so extreme that it looks like dirt stuck under your fingernails.

“This is a gift from you, so I’ll keep it safe—”

“Eye patch! It’s so small, if you don’t eat it, it will melt!”

“You’re a smart kid…”

In response to the firm request to consume it immediately, Athelius bitterly poured the chocolate into his mouth.

No, honestly, I don’t even know if I actually put it in my mouth. It’s so small that it’s hard to see whether it went into your mouth or spilled on the floor.

“It’s delicious!?”

“Of course. Thank you for giving me such a good thing.”

Of course, the Crown Princess shrugged her shoulders and looked proud at Athelius ‘words her her. The Crown Princess, who is still pure and bright, has in her mind ‘pretend to eat and eat.’ Because there is no such technique for removing the hem.

“Mr.!”

“Why are you doing that?”

“Me too, a gift!”

After saying that, Peddie lifted up the small pouch hanging on her waist.

“My new mom gave me this. A gift from my uncle!”

The corners of Athelius’ mouth slightly rose at the successive gifts.

It was a very subtle movement, but it definitely went up.

“Okay. Enjoy it. Thank you.”

Eventually, Athelius, who also took the bag containing Pedi, extended his other hand to the crown princess and Pedi.

“Are you going to ride today too?”

“Ugh! I want to ride!”

“Me too!”

“Carl, you too, come up. Isn’t it dangerous to leave the children alone?”

“Yes, old man.”

A dragon that shows high places by carrying children on its hands.

An amazing sight that is difficult to see even in fairy tales unfolded before my eyes.

The Crown Princess and Pedi sit on Athelius’ palm and look at the cave, enjoy the nails pressed to the floor like a slide, and run on the tail like a playground.

“Wooow…”

“I’m sleepy…”

The two children, who were playing with such vigor that it made anyone who watched them feel dizzy, eventually collapsed due to exhaustion of stamina.

Among the rabbits managed by Athelius.

“This is my first time seeing those kids fall.”

Children sleeping soundly, surrounded by a group of rabbits.

It was a sight that made me feel happy as a father and godfather, and Athelius, who was finally freed from the children, muttered in a soft voice.

“The children are still young and immature, so they have committed a great disrespect to their elders.”

“It’s okay. This is how all children of that age grow up. If they are quiet and inappropriate for their age, that is a problem.”

Atelius shook his head at my apology. With the saying that it is natural for children to play noisily.

This is indeed a fortunate thing. As Rod said, Athelius, who was attached to small animals, began to show interest in human children as well. It is certain that the dragon, which is overwhelmingly strong, did not get angry at the children or showed any signs of annoyance.

Moreover, the fact that the Crown Princess and Fedi were not afraid of Athelius also played a role. If the cute little children had burst into tears, Athelius would have been in trouble, but our children, who are very bold, were happy to see the dragon in front of them.

‘Is this similar to how children like dinosaurs?’

If you think about it that way, it’s a pretty plausible hypothesis. Children are fascinated by things like lizards that became extinct after being hit by a meteorite, but wouldn’t they be amazed at dragons that can talk and are highly intelligent?

“Knife.”

“Yes, old man.”

“I know how you and Rod feel. Even if you don’t do this, I will keep what I said, so try to reduce the frequency of your visits.”

I smiled shyly at those words. Athelius has never been angry or bothered, but he has been this tired many times.

However, it is a request that cannot be met. If children only follow the will of adults, would they still be children?

“These kids loved their elders so much that I couldn’t stop them.”

“Huh, indeed.”

It was said that it could never be reduced, but Athelius did not ask for more. He just clicked his tongue and looked at the two children as if there was nothing he could do.

“Dragons are beings that become more leisurely as time goes by. They are the opposite of humans, who become busier as the years go by.”

“Unlike the great dragon, a human has a limited lifespan. So shouldn’t he keep going without resting?”

“That’s true. You can burn your passion because it’s decided, and you move forward because you’re passionate.”

Athelius let out a low laugh and laid down on the floor as he watched the children starting to get trampled by the rabbits.

“Those kids won’t be able to come here as often in just a few years. Don’t hold on and think it’s something you’ll experience beforehand.”

On the surface, it seemed like he was saying he would endure it, but if you listen closely, it makes you feel lonely.

I had already become attached to the children, and I felt sad seeing them worry about the day of separation. Such a delicate being lost his family and was called a vicious dragon? Until a few days ago, were you prepared to face eternal sleep?

‘Damn Apels b*stards.’

You were a nation that deserved to be destroyed.

“But the knife.”

“Yes, old man. Just say it.”

“I can sense various energies from those children. Spiritual energy and even divinity. It is truly amazing.”

Athelius’ words reminded him of the holy beasts and spirits that were still roaming the mansion. Since I live with those guys every day, it’s natural to feel energetic.

But she didn’t open her mouth. To show Athelius, who is barely able to form any regrets about life, that the world is going crazy—

“I’m worried that if I keep going like this, my energy will be lost to those kids.”

?

“Isn’t it a good thing to be imbued with the energy of the elderly?”

The voice of her was full of worry, so I had doubts.

The spirit’s energy and traces of a former evil spirit are already on the Crown Princess and Peddie. In that situation, if the dragon’s energy is applied, it won’t make much of a difference or be bad, right? Rather, I feel proud that I have achieved an achievement.

“That is…”

Atelius hesitated for a moment in response to my question and finally continued.

“Before I started a family, I had a fight with the Spirit King and various gods. It was so long ago that you may have forgotten about me, but you never know.”

“Yes?”

“At that time, I was very young and full of energy.”

The explanation, which was like an excuse, made me lose my mind. Is fighting a spirit king or a god a situation that can be explained by blood?

‘Ferocious dragon…’

The nickname of Athelius that Rod told me came to mind.

Naturally, I thought it was a nickname given to me during a time of anger after losing my family, but maybe it was a nickname that came from before that. After having a wife and children, my docile personality may have exploded again because of Apels.

“Now that I’m thinking about it, I need to erase my traces. I’m sleeping right now, so I’ll do it now.”

“Oh, yes.”

He nodded his head blankly as he watched Athelius using magic on the Crown Princess and Fedi.

‘Many gods.’

I thought of the holy beasts that now feel more like pets than gods.

Maybe those guys also know about Athelius.

As soon as he returned to the mansion, he caught a passing humility.

“Do you know that it is a vicious dragon?”

And asked directly. Have you ever heard of the name ‘Hyungryong’?

“…How does the owner know that name?”

‘Damn.’

I sighed inwardly at the humble answer.

Looking at the reaction, it went beyond the level of mere knowledge. This is a reaction that has either heard of Athelius’ notoriety or is deeply entangled.

“Master. What do I look like?”

“It’s a chick.”

“Yeah, she’s a chick. But I wasn’t like this from the beginning.”

Humility, who suddenly began to flap his wings roughly, told a story about the past as if he wanted to vent his anger.

“I was a gigantic firebird! I was a firebird that set the earth on fire with a single flap of its wings, drew a red trail in the sky, and reigned supreme! But because of that damned dragon…!”

Humility raised its voice like a child expressing sorrow to its parents

That he originally had a magnificent and wonderful appearance, that he was flying peacefully in the sky when a vicious dragon attacked him, that the reason for the surprise attack was because he was making noise while he was sleeping, that there is no crazy b*stard like that, etc.

“If it weren’t for that guy, not even the sun would have been able to suppress me!”

“Oh, yes.”

“It’s true! Even after I was seriously injured by the evil dragon, I was treated as the strongest of the seven sins!”

“I said I understood.”

Seeing the humility with his wings his fluttering over and over again reminded me of Athelius. At the same time, a small and compact figure of humility was attached next to it.

It’s hard to believe that those two once fought.