Chapter 67: Noble Trait

Shy stood at the door.

In his hands was a book titled ‘The History of the Great Dragons’.

“Gasp!”

The moment Shy saw me, his cheeks flushed red, and he covered his eyes with his hands.

Ah.

My nightgown is a bit stimulating for a child.

‘Don’t mind it.’

“To think the heir of the family can’t keep his composure over a single piece of clothing.”

Why did I say it so harshly!

To a child!

“But, your clothes are… too…”

‘Hmm… should I change?’

Shy’s voice grew smaller and smaller, turning into a whisper.

His face was as red as a tomato.

“More importantly, what is it?”

The noble trait seems to want me to stay in this outfit…

Shy peeked at me through his fingers, still partially covering his face, and said,

“S-since you’re leaving tomorrow… I came to say goodbye…”

Shy’s voice was so small it was almost inaudible.

‘He’s cute.’

“Your voice is too quiet. A noble must always be dignified.”

My cold words made Shy shrink even more.

‘No, I meant to say you’re cute…’

I wanted to say that, but different words came out again.

“First, come in.”

I said, pointing to the chair next to the bed.

Shy cautiously entered the room and sat in the chair.

He placed the book on his lap, his gaze still fixed on the floor.

An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.

Just then, Miel flew over to Shy and circled around his hair.

It started to touch his hair little by little with its small legs, beginning to create something.

The fine powder falling from Miel’s wings shimmered faintly on Shy’s hair.

The sparkling blue light amidst his brown hair looked like stars shining in the twilight.

Are you making a heart again…?

Shy looked up at the small flutter of wings above his head.

He seemed momentarily captivated by the butterfly before him.

The sight was so amusing that I chuckled, but due to my trait, only an elegant smile formed.

Seeing my smile, Shy suddenly tensed up, his body shrinking slightly.

Then, as if to summon his courage, he gripped the book tightly.

“Lord Lycoris… um…”

Shy bit his lip and continued.

“Are the followers of the evil gods… really that scary?”

His voice was filled with genuine fear.

“I can hear my father worrying in his room. Are those people… very dangerous?”

‘I, the apostle of Lord Mikal, am their counter! Don’t worry!’

“Fear is the domain of the weak. The strong find ways to overcome fear. There are always stronger beings in the world.”

Uh… that’s kind of profound, isn’t it?

Shy’s eyes widened, and he accepted my words as if he had tasted honey.

His small fingers unconsciously folded and unfolded the corner of the book.

A bright smile graced his eyes.

“Really? Since there’s someone as strong as you, Lord Lycoris, I don’t have to worry!”

‘Uh… well, I guess the meaning got across…’

“The truth of the world is often not revealed on the surface. Only those who look into the deep abyss can obtain true strength.”

What on earth does that mean?

Even I don’t really understand the words I’m spouting!

Shy fell into thought for a moment, then looked at the book he was holding.

Then, as if he had made an important decision, he lifted his head.

“Yes… then have you, Lord Lycoris, seen the deep abyss?”

‘Uh… I’ve been living deep in the labyrinth until now, so was the place I was in the deep abyss…?’

“I have seen many things. More than you can imagine.”

Just by speaking in a serious-sounding tone, Shy’s eyes sparkled.

He clutched the book on his lap.

“Um… may I ask you about dragons?”

‘Ah, I told you I’m not a dragon…’

My head nodded slightly on its own.

Shy’s eyes sparkled as he began to open the book.

He flipped through the pages and pointed to a picture of a dragon with a beautiful sky-blue hue.

The page borders were decorated with delicate ice crystal patterns, and a blue magic circle was drawn around the dragon.

A faint scent of mana emanated from the old paper of the book.

“What about this Ice Dragon? Is it true that the temperature around it drops below freezing when it inhales?”

‘Ah! I know a lot about Master! That’s right! Whenever weaklings get near Master, they all freeze!’

“The Ice Dragon’s breath is so cold it can freeze even the mana of the demon world’s hellfire.

Where its breath passes, ice that doesn’t melt for thousands of years can remain.”

Oh… that’s kind of cool.

Is that the extent of Master’s true power!

But I’ve never heard of the demon world’s hellfire, so how did I say that?

“That’s amazing!”

Shy said in admiration.

He then turned to the next page.

This time, there was a picture of a dragon with red scales.

“What about this Fire Dragon? Can it really breathe lava instead of fire?”

‘Fire Dragon? I’ve never even seen one of those…’

“Yes. A Fire Dragon’s flame is not just a simple fire; it has the property of burning even the soul.

It is said that the burns do not heal even after a thousand years.”

No, no.

How do I know this?

Hellfire, and now this, this is completely not my knowledge.

Shy’s eyes sparkled even more with admiration.

“Wow… dragons are really amazing!”

He continued to flip through the pages and pointed to a picture of a dragon with sparkling scales this time.

“They say Light Dragons really love gems, why is that?”

‘Light Dragon? What’s that? A dragon of light?’

“It’s because they absorb the mana energy within minerals to strengthen their scales.

They particularly prefer rare minerals because they contain higher energy.”

These are definitely my words, but the content is not what I know.

Could it be… that the trait contains someone’s soul or memory…?

Shy turned to another page.

This time, it was a picture of a dragon’s bones.

“This is a Bone Dragon. It’s said to be a dragon resurrected from a dragon’s corpse through black magic…”

He stopped speaking and looked into my eyes.

‘Is he asking how a dragon would feel about a dragon’s corpse being desecrated?’

“The book is wrong about that. The Bone Dragon is a characteristic of the Shadow Dragon. When a Shadow Dragon dies, it is resurrected as a Bone Dragon.”

Shy’s eyes widened.

“Wow! You said you were six, Lord Lycoris, but you know so much!”

‘Um… Mr. Noble Trait…? Who on earth are you…?’

“Hmph.”

The noble trait didn’t answer my question and just smirked at Shy.

Ugh…

What on earth is this!

“Oh, right! What kind of dragon are you, Lord Lycoris?”

‘Um… if I had to say, a Flower Dragon…’

“Well. It’s probably not in that book.”

“Gasp!”

Shy, looking as if he had heard a huge secret, continued to ask various things about dragons, and the noble trait answered them all without a hitch.

“Um… I’m sorry for asking so many questions. I think I should go to bed now.”

Right, kids get tired quickly.

‘Okay, sleep well.’

“The world is vast and full of things more wondrous than dragons. If you want to see them, you must become strong.

There is nothing more valuable than the experience of seeing with your own eyes and touching with your own hands.”

Hmm?

Is this Mr. Noble Trait’s personal experience?

Shy’s expression brightened, and he suddenly looked at me with a determined gaze.

“Yes, I will definitely do that!”

He then bowed and headed for the door.

Before opening the door, he turned back to me one more time and smiled.

“Thank you so much, Lord Lycoris!”

After the door closed and the sound of footsteps faded, I flopped onto the bed.

The moonlight filtering through the bed curtains cast faint shadows in the room.

Beyond the window, a night sky studded with stars stretched out.

“Hey, noble trait.”

…

Ugh.

You can speak through my mouth.

‘Whose soul is contained in this trait, anyway?’

I raised my hand and touched my lips.

I could only feel a normal sensation.

But the words that came out of my mouth were clearly someone else’s knowledge.

No matter how I look at it, there must be someone’s soul in here.

Could it be the soul of someone who was done in by Nisse?

It knows a lot about dragons, so is it the soul of some dragon?

Ugh! It’s so unsettling!

When I meet Nisse, I’m definitely going to have her remove this!

‘I have to get to Desmier as soon as possible.’

And I had to solve the problem of the evil god followers as Lord Mikal’s apostle right away.

If something like this keeps happening on the way, I’ll be constantly delayed…

As I stared at the ceiling and imagined the journey ahead, my eyes eventually closed.

…

Warm sunlight seeped into the room through the window.

As soon as I opened my eyes, Cecilia was right in front of my nose, her wings wide open and flapping.

“It’s morning…”

I got out of bed and looked out the window to see the garden sparkling in the morning sun.

The weather was even sunnier today than yesterday.

Miel and Cecilia were flying around excitedly, and Lotte was still orbiting around me.

Only Glacia was in the corner of the room, slowly flapping its wings and stretching.

There was a knock on the door.

“Lord Lycoris, breakfast is ready.”

It was a servant’s voice.

“I’ll be down in a minute.”

I strapped the Crimson Vine, which was under the bed, to my body.

The memory of catching all sorts of monsters with this felt as vivid as if it were yesterday.

As I went down the stairs, I met Leivi and Ryandel.

They both seemed to have already finished their breakfast.

“Good morning, Lord Lycoris,”

Ryandel greeted politely.

“Did you sleep well?”

Leivi asked with a smile.

“Yes, it was so fluffy I didn’t even dream.”

When I entered the dining room, the baron was already seated.

Shy was next to him.

“Good morning, Lord Lycoris. The carriage is almost ready.”

“Alright.”

My head nodded gracefully on its own at the baron’s words.

Mr. Noble Trait was active and energetic from the morning.

Just then, the servants brought breakfast.

Various meat dishes and warm tea were placed on the table.

‘Wow, it looks delicious!’

“Mmm.”

“Lord Lycoris, it will likely take about three days to reach the capital. We will pass through Machete Village and Liber City on the way.”

Ryandel explained, drawing a small map with his crystal staff.

“I have already found a good inn.”

‘Great!’

“Mmm.”

After finishing the meal and going out in front of the mansion, a magnificent carriage was ready.

It was a dark blue carriage decorated with gold ornaments, pulled by four white horses.

“This is the best carriage our family has. My wife loved to travel, so I made sure to have only the finest carriage.

It guarantees a very fast and comfortable journey.”

‘Ooh… it’s really splendid!’

“Not bad.”

Glacia circled above the carriage.

The coachman was startled by the sight and stepped back.

“It’s okay, it won’t harm people. In fact, if there’s an attack, it will protect you.”

The coachman’s face relaxed, as if reassured by the words of protection.

Right, right, Glacia can’t ride in the carriage, so you shouldn’t be scared.

Before getting on the carriage, I said goodbye to the baron and Shy.

“I will let you know by letter if I find out any information in the capital.”

Ryandel said to the baron.

“Thank you. I wish you a safe journey.”

I waved to Shy one last time.

“See you again, Shy.”

“Yes…!”

The carriage door closed, and it began to move slowly.

Beyond the window, the figures of the mansion, the baron, and Shy grew smaller and smaller.

The inside of the carriage was much more spacious and comfortable than I had thought.

It had plush seats, a table, and even a small bookshelf.

“Wow, this carriage is really nice! It’s much better than the one we took to the mansion, isn’t it?”

Leivi exclaimed.

“It seems to be the same model used by the imperial family of the empire. It’s amazing.”

Ryandel also showed rare emotion.

Miel and Cecilia flew around the carriage joyfully, and Lotte orbited around me as always.

Looking out the window, I saw Glacia flying slowly alongside the carriage.

For some reason, it looked reassuring.

As the carriage left the village, my thoughts turned back to Desmier and my master.

‘Master, please wait a little longer. I’ll be there soon!’

I made a promise to myself as I gazed at the scenery unfolding beyond the window.

***

I felt a red light brush against my eyelids.

My whole body felt as heavy as lead, and my head ached as if it had been struck by a hammer.

‘Ugh… why am I like this…’

I slowly opened my eyes, but my hair was covering my face, so I couldn’t see properly.

It was even difficult to raise my hand to brush my hair aside.

‘Where am I…?’

Looking around, I was in an unfamiliar darkness.

My memory faintly returned.

The Great Labyrinth of Desmier.

And with Nisse…

‘Ah, that golden wine… how much did I drink?’

Fuzzy memories swam in my mind as if underwater.

I managed to sit up and look around.

Nisse was passed out on the chair across from me.

Her luxurious black dress was stained here and there with spilled golden wine, and her usually beautifully flowing hair was disheveled as if a storm had swept through it.

Drool was trickling from the corner of her mouth, and one of her shoes had fallen off her foot and was lying under the table.

The room was a complete disaster.

The tablecloth was half-draped onto the floor, and on the table, a nearly empty bottle of golden wine was covered in dust.

A faint blue mold was growing on the beads scattered on the floor, and the decorative seashells hanging on the wall were half-fallen and broken.

The leftover food on the table had long since dried up and rotted.

Everything around me showed that it had been neglected for a long time.

Then suddenly, something occurred to me.

‘Lyco!’

In that moment, I was wide awake.

‘How long have I been asleep? Is Lyco okay?’

An uneasy feeling crushed my chest.