Thirty minutes later, Kael returned to his room and jumped onto his bed.
“Haaaahhhh!!!”
His body sank into the soft mattress, a wave of comfort washing over him. He knew that if he closed his eyes, he would sleep instantly.
He, however, sat up and suddenly,
His blue, human-like eyes turned Draconic Golden. He scanned his room and when his eyes fell on the doors, a translucent screen appeared in front of him.
[Name: Raza Stone]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 34]
[Level: 26]
[Strength: 48]
[Agility: 40]
[Speed: 42]
[Stamina: 50]
[Defense: 45]
[Mana: 12]
[Intelligence: 18]
[Charisma: 20]
[Strengths: Experienced Combatant, Resilient Body, Strong Leadership Skills]
[Weaknesses: Limited Mana Reserves, Predictable Fighting Style, Overreliance on Physical Armor]
Seeing the system screen, Kael nodded, satisfaction evident on his face.
This was his trusted method of ensuring no one was spying on him.
His skill, Dragon’s Eye, functioned even without the target being in a direct line of sight. As long as a target was within range and he focused in their direction, the skill would reveal their information.
Obstacles like walls were powerless against it.
Kael’s logic was simple.
If it could detect individuals on the other side of the wall, then what chance would any being who was hiding have?
Was the logic flawed?
It might be.
This was a world where Magic existed. Kael wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that he knew everything.
However, other than his Skill, there was nothing else he could trust.
At the very least, the skill gave him some sort of assurance.
Satisfied that no one else was nearby except for the guard stationed outside his room since yesterday, Kael let out a quiet sigh. Closing his eyes, a light smile appeared on his face as he called out in a soft voice,
“Igni.”
In an instant, Kael’s face was buried in a large belly as his Igni appeared on top of his face as if he had been waiting for it all this while.
Kael lost his balance and fell on his bed with Igni sitting on his face.
“Kyu~”
Igni let out a cheerful laugh as he started licking Kael’s face.
“Igni stop! Hahaha~”
Kael laughed out loud, trying to move Igni away from him. The Dragon dodged, continuing to lick Kael’s face with his warm tongue until finally, Kael picked him up and lifted him in the air.
“You little…”
He wanted to call out, but seeing Igni’s excited face, he couldn’t help but smile.
Then, he brought the dragon near his chest and hugged him like he was the most precious thing in the world.
“I missed you as well.”
He spoke in a gentle tone.
Growl
Suddenly, a loud growl was heard. This time, however, the one who couldn’t control his stomach from making these embarrassing noises wasn’t little Igni.
It was Kael.
And it wasn’t his fault either. These people had been training him since morning, and he was only able to return to his room in the late afternoon.
He hadn’t even had the first meal of his day. Obviously, he would be hungry.
‘Training on an empty stomach. Truly the mark of a great hero,’
Kael grumbled sarcastically.
He then sat up with Igni on his lap.
“Hungry?”
He questioned.
“Kyu!”
Igni nodded. Although he had eaten some of his eggshell that Kael had stored inside the Sanctum yesterday, that was his breakfast.
Igni now wanted lunch.
“Let’s eat something.”
Kael spoke as he carried Igni over to the small table where Althea had left their meal. One of the many conveniences of this world was its magical equipment. The plates were enchanted with runes to keep the food fresh and warm, protected by a barrier that shielded it from dust or decay.
“At least the food makes up for the hellish training,”
Kael muttered, taking a large bite.
As they ate, he couldn’t help but appreciate the magic’s practicality.
Igni, on the other hand, devoured his share with gusto, letting out happy chirps after every bite.
“You ate it all…?”
Kael blinked in surprise as his eyes fell on Igni’s clean plate.
“Guu~!”
Igni nodded, his belly visibly rounder now.
“…do you want more?”
Kael questioned, ready to give up his own food.
Igni, however, shook his head and patted his full belly with his small paws.
Kael couldn’t help but laugh out loud at that sight.
“Wait for me then, I’ll be done soon.”
“Kyu~”
Igni nodded and sat on the table patiently like a good boy he was.
Once Kael was done, he picked Igni up and returned to his bed.
He leaned against the headrest of his bed, exhaustion weighing heavily on his body. Every muscle in his body ached from the relentless training he had endured all day. Sure, Althea’s magic had healed his injuries and even his fatigue, but that magic wasn’t absolute.
According to what Althea said, her magic didn’t erase his fatigue, it just delayed it. And now, Kael was dealing with all that accumulated fatigue that he had forcefully delayed by abusing Althea’s Magic.
He was sleepy, his eyelids felt extremely heavy, and he wanted to close them. However, the soft, hopeful chirps from Igni sitting on his lap tugged at his heart.
The little dragon’s tail swayed eagerly, and his eyes sparkled with mischief. Kael knew what the little thing wanted.
He wanted to play.
Kael smiled faintly, brushing a hand over Igni’s smooth scales.
“You never get tired, do you?”
“Kyu!”
Igni chirped, licking Kael’s fingers.
“Well, makes sense since you haven’t done anything since morning.”
Kael chuckled softly.
“Alright, alright. We will do what you want.”
He didn’t want to let Igni down. The little dragon was alone all day. The least he could do was stay awake a little longer.
But before Kael could muster the energy to move, Igni placed his snout on his chest, as if stopping him from moving.
“What happened?”
Kael frowned.
Igni, however, closed his eyes, as if he was sleepy.
Kael’s frown deepened.
The little thing was raring to move around just now.
What happened?
His thoughts ran wild. For an instant, he felt that something was mixed in the food. But soon, Kael’s thoughts froze as he realized something.
“A day-old little thing is being mindful of his father’s situation, eh? Damn.”
Kael was surprised.
To think little Igni would act sleepy because he wanted him to sleep.
‘Even if he can read my emotions and is much more intelligent than normal… this is still too mature. Is this because he is a Dragon?’
Kael questioned inwardly.
For now, however, he didn’t think too much—or more like, he was in no condition to think further.
“Thank you, Igni.”
He just showed his gratitude as he grabbed Igni in his arms and leaned back, letting the soft mattress devour him.
“Remember to go back to the sanctuary if you sense someone comes in.”
Those were the last words he spoke before he slept.