Chapter 136: Mother and Daughter (2)

One Week After the Fall of the Demon Lord, Three Days Before Dua’s Descent.

In the midst of a grand wedding feast in the lair of Dragon Lord Losef, dragons from all over the continent gathered, creating a dragon-infested domain.

Although it was not the usual time for such a gathering of dragons, most of the dragons had come to celebrate the late wedding of the Lord, a rare event for their kind. 

Losef’s lair, though vast, was not large enough to accommodate all the dragons, so they were in polymorphed forms, enjoying the feast in their preferred species.

At the center of the festivities, Losef, now taking the form of a middle-aged man with a mustache, stood beside Tyrano, who had transformed into a beautiful human woman, laughing and welcoming the guests.

“Well, well, look who it is! Carthesia!”

A bright-eyed elf with shimmering blonde hair approached Carthesia, rubbing her face against hers in delight.

“It’s been so long! Haven’t seen you around lately! How have you been?”

“I’m the same as always,” Carthesia replied with a small chuckle.

“…You seem a bit different?”

Saphira, in the form of a beautiful elf, tilted her head in curiosity.

Normally cold and aloof, Carthesia had always avoided dragon gatherings, showing no interest. But now, a brighter, more relaxed expression adorned her face—something that certainly wasn’t her usual demeanor.

Saphira was sure Carthesia had gone through some kind of change.

“I… found the owner of my heart,” Carthesia said, her voice soft.

“The owner of your heart?”

The dragon heart, a source of infinite magical power, was not only a symbol of a dragon’s life but of their grandeur. 

The “owner of the heart” referred to a lifelong companion, someone a dragon would devote everything to.

“My, my! You, pretending to be uninterested in males, but in the end, you’ve gone and eaten one!” Saphira quickly moved to Carthesia’s side and patted her shoulder roughly.

Carthesia, still considered a dragon among dragons, had always been known for not having found a mate. 

Many of the current high-ranking dragons had once courted her in their youth, but Carthesia had rejected them all. 

It was a famous tale that many young male dragons had spent sleepless nights crying over her rejections.

“Who is he? A dragon worthy of stealing your heart? The Southern Sea’s overlord, Daidalos? Or the ruler of the Northern Mountains, the druid Broom?”

“Haha… Neither of those,” Carthesia chuckled.

The dragons Saphira mentioned were all renowned figures in dragon society, admired for both their abilities and their appearances. 

Yet, none of them had been able to win Carthesia’s heart. To her, they were nothing more than a bunch of insignificant creatures.

Carthesia then grabbed Albus, who had been choosing from the banquet’s spread, and pulled him closer.

“I’ll introduce you. This is our Albus.”

“…Huh?”

Saphira, who had been surprised to learn that the groom was so close by, now stared at Albus in shock.

And it was no wonder.

“He’s human!?”

To Saphira, Albus didn’t appear to be a dragon in polymorphed form—he was a pure human.

***

’She asked me to come to a dragon gathering…’

Albus recalled the favor Carthesia had asked of him before they arrived at Losef’s lair, crossing space together. 

She had asked him to attend the event, as it was important to dragons, and since most dragons brought their mates, she didn’t want to go alone.

’I’ve received a lot of help from Carthesia, and I’m curious about dragon culture. I might be able to apply it to Rudera.’

Albus had been fascinated by the grandeur of the feast laid before him.

“This is a dragon festival…”

Losef’s lair, decorated with countless magical threads, was a sight to behold. 

No one would have thought that the magnificent hall, filled with magic, was once just a simple cave.

The atmosphere felt like something out of a movie—reminiscent of the mysterious halls of magical schools—and the dragons present only added to the awe. 

Humans, elves, dwarves, beastmen, demons, and other monsters—all polymorphed dragons—filled the room.

‘I can’t see this kind of spectacle in Rudera… I wonder how the food tastes.’

Albus couldn’t help but continue to marvel at the grandeur around him as he sampled the food from the banquet.

“…The food’s better in Rudera.”

Compared to the spicy and flavorful dishes of Rudera, the dragons’ food was rather bland.

’No wonder Carthesia loves Rudera’s food.’

• I think so too.

Beside Albus, the ethereal figure of Cambrian appeared. 

She made a pouty face, clearly displeased with the situation.

• Compared to us great beings, the dragons are just insignificant lizards. Let’s get rid of these bland foods and go eat your food instead.

“Ha…”

Albus couldn’t help but smile. 

Cambrian’s attitude, always dismissive of everything but herself, reminded him of the old version of himself, the one who saw everything as beneath him.

It had almost been a self-destructive mindset, but now that he knew Cambrian was just acting out, he found her to be like a cute little sister.

‘You need to let go of those extreme thoughts. Experiencing different cultures helps one grow.’

‘Hmph.’

***

Just then, Carthesia introduced Albus to Saphira again.

“I’ll introduce you. This is our Albus.”

“…Huh?”

Saphira’s eyes widened in shock.

“A human?”

“Is he really human?”

“This doesn’t make sense. Carthesia, of all people, with a human?”

The voice of Safira drew the attention of the surrounding dragons.

The fact that the target was the popular dragon, Carthesia, caused the gaze to grow exponentially.

“To bring a human to Lord’s wedding! That’s…!”

“That Carthesia is taking a human as her mate? The males will go crazy today.”

It was clear that the atmosphere was anything but ordinary.

“U-um… Carthesia? I think something’s wrong.”

Albus, who had just realized something was off, turned to look at Carthesia.

Carthesia was slightly taken aback by how large the impact was, more than she had anticipated.

But there was no turning back now.

Lord wasn’t just marrying any dragon, but a dragon of the Earth. 

If she hesitated now, she might never have another chance to be with Albus.

If she backed down here, this golden opportunity would slip away.

“Carthesia. What does this mean?”

A handsome man with a stiff expression appeared.

“Daedalus.”

“Is this a misunderstanding?”

“No, it’s real.”

“Say it’s a misunderstanding, Carthesia.”

“I’m telling you, it’s real.”

“Just say you found a human you find cute and brought him along!”

The next words that slipped from her mouth pierced his heart.

“He’s the master of my heart.”

Thud

He had courted for over 3,000 years.

She had liked him first…

She could have accepted Druidyvroom, but this worthless creature, a mere human?

Ugh…

Then, a handsome man with orange hues emerged.

“What do you mean, Carthesia?”

“Druidyvroom.”

“This… this insignificant human being is the master of your heart? What kind of joke is this, Carthesia?!”

“Sigh…“

The males who had followed her, thinking they were special, were now responding in such a manner. 

She had expected some resistance, but not to this extent.

Growl

Thud!

The pressure began to spread from Carthesia, causing all the dragons present to freeze.

“Shut up, you useless dragons.”

Her voice carried a divine resonance.

“You don’t understand. You don’t even know how great and excellent we are. If it weren’t for Albus, you’d all be dead!”

In her heart, she wanted to reveal Albus’ greatness and identity.

He wasn’t just a human.

He was the greatest savior on this continent, the GM.

But he didn’t want that.

She couldn’t defy his will, especially when it came to revealing his true nature.

Just then, the gazes of the two dragons shifted.

“Then!”

“We’ll show you how insignificant humans really are!”

The two dragons charged at Albus with killing intent.

They knew what they were doing was wrong in front of the woman they loved, but after a long unrequited love, they had both twisted into this state.

Boom!

“This is unbelievable…”

“C-Carthesia… since when…?”

They had never imagined they would be subdued by Carthesia’s strike and rolling on the ground.

***

Carthesia noticed something was amiss when she saw Losef running toward them, breathless.

If Lord arrives… surely he’ll do something.

This might actually work out better than expected.

If she handled this well, she could make her marriage to Albus a done deal, without any objections from the elders.

‘Sorry, Albus.’

‘It’s fine.’

Albus shrugged, smiling lightly as though it didn’t matter.

After all, he had just defeated a demon, so this was nothing.

Carthesia apologized to Albus for not introducing him as her betrothed and for putting him in danger, but Albus only thought to himself that this was probably just because of the human’s involvement. 

There were still those who held prejudices.

‘I’ll make sure they won’t hold a grudge against you.’

‘It’s fine. Even if there are ten thousand of them, they won’t hurt me. You know that.’

For the first time in a long while, Albus felt the hostility directed at him.

The two dragons felt fresh to him in this new, adversarial way.

On the other hand, the dragons’ eyes were not kind toward him.

‘What’s with this weak human, being protected by Carthesia?’

‘He’s too insignificant for Carthesia.’

‘Why would Carthesia be with such a human?’

‘If they only knew that Albus is GM, their entire perception of him would change!’

Carthesia was tempted to reveal Albus’ true identity right then.

“Carthesia! What’s going on here?!”

Just as Losef was about to rush over, a massive pressure slammed down on the dragons in the area, far stronger than before.

Only Albus and Carthesia stood undisturbed.

Instinctively, Carthesia knew who was responsible for this.

“Ah, Albus?”

Turning around in surprise, she saw him holding a dragon by the neck, lifting it off the ground.

“Speak. Who are you? And why did you try to assassinate Carthesia?”

Albus’ face twisted in a grotesque expression, resembling that of a demon.