Chapter 199. <Reflection in the Mirror(1) >
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Translator: Seven
1.
“Uburka….”
“It’s the first time in my entire life I feel like this. My heart is pounding.”
“I… I see.”
I wasn’t sure what to say.
[The Constellation ‘The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven’ admires the sweetness of love.]
I was troubled.
‘What should I do?’
Should I give my blessing to this child who is finally experiencing love after living for hundreds of years?
But the Black Dragon Master was my colleague and best friend. It would scratch at my conscience to cheer my son on behind her back.
“In any case, congratulations on falling in love, son. Falling in love for the first time changes you. It allows you to move forward in many ways….”
“You called her the Black Dragon Master.”
Uburka grabbed my shoulders.
His hands were heavy.
Each of Uburka’s palms was as large as my head, so it was a bit bothersome. But when I saw his twinkling eyes, in front of my face, I felt that it wasn’t so bad.
My child’s eyes were beautiful.
“Is that her real name?”
“No… She doesn’t like being called by her real name. The name Black Dragon Master just means that she is the leader of the Black Dragon Guild. There are probably only five people who know her real name….”
“Ohh. Indeed!”
Uburka was amazed.
“Even her name can’t be easily known! Good. It must mean that only the brave and capable are worthy of being acquainted with her. She has a thorough personality.”
“Uhh….”
The Black Dragon Master wasn’t the type to care about the courage of those trying to approach her.
In fact, it was practically the opposite.
The Black Dragon Master had very little expectations in the world.
“What’s her favorite flower?”
“Uh, lavender and allium….”
“I don’t know those flowers. What music does she like?”
0
“Piano music is her favorite… like the melody dropping droplets of notes on white drawing paper… Surprisingly, she also likes jazz.”
“Elegant and graceful!”
“Yeah. She’s amazing….”
I wondered if I could tell him more than that.
The nervous heart was beginning to feel more and more guilty.
However, Uburka held my shoulders tighter, not caring about how I felt.
“What about hobbies? What’s her favorite food? What does she usually do? When’s her birthday?”
Son.
Had you become so blinded by love that you could no longer see your parents?
I know what it’s like to fall in love for the first time, but daddy’s shoulders are beginning to hurt.
“Her hobby is writing romance… Rascal. Figure it out by yourself!”
I shook Uburka’s hands off.
“In the first place, why are you asking me? You should be able to know what the person you love likes just by looking into their eyes. If you’re not confident, then prepare everything you think they might like and give it to them.”
“Ugor? Is that so?”
“Right. But the Black Dragon Master is a person with clear boundaries. Don’t use your feelings as an excuse to arbitrarily cross those boundaries. Be as respectful as possible. As if you’re asking for permission. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“It’s a bit difficult…”
“What’s a bit difficult?”
The two of us froze in shock.
When we turned to look, we found that the Black Dragon Master had returned.
She looked at us with a frown.
“Why are you so surprised? It’s like you saw a ghost.”
“N-, no reason. We were just talking about how difficult it was to deal with the Dream Demons.”
“Hmph…. well, sure.”
The Black Dragon Master shrugged. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to suspect anything.
Well. It would be hard for her to imagine that a hobgoblin Constellation had fallen for her.
“I went to visit the other towns in the area.”
“How was it?”
“It’s all the same. Everyone’s asleep. But it’s not like I returned with no results.”
The Black Dragon Master’s aura spread from her fingertips. Swoosh. The black aura drew in the air like ink.
“I found a map in one town leader’s house. I checked in the other towns too, and the maps are more or less the same. This proves that the towns were sharing information about the new continent. We could also use this to guess the path the pioneers took…”
The Black Dragon Master drew the map with a serious glint in her eyes.
This showed her willingness to save the kids that had been entrapped by the sleep demons.
As I glanced at the side of the Black Dragon Master’s face framed with her long black hair, I fully understood Uburka’s feelings.
‘It’s understandable.’
She was a beautiful person.
The Black Dragon Master rarely talked about herself. Sometimes she brought up old stories, but those weren’t the Black Dragon Master’s personal business. Instead, they were just [past experiences with colleagues].
This person with a solid wall in her heart was incredibly beautiful in my eyes.
Because it showed that she was doing her all to protect something.
“…Death King. Are you listening to me?”
“Of course. I’m listening intently.”
I nodded vigorously.
“Senior. The problem isn’t just that our continent will be invaded. A few more days and all the kids here who have fallen asleep will die of malnutrition. We don’t have much time left.”
It would probably be less than a week at the longest.
When I pointed this out, the Black Dragon Master froze.
“You’re right… Do you have something in mind?”
“The Dream Demons live in the dream world, not in reality. So whether we persuade them or subdue them, we need to enter the dream world anyway.”
Except.
“There would be no end if we were to try to convince the Dream Demons one by one. It would take too long, and in that time, all the kids would die of malnutrition. We have no choice but to persuade the entire race at the same time.”
“At the same time…? How would we do that?”
“Instead of visiting them one by one, we need to [invite] the Dream Demons over as a group.”
I turned to look at Uburka.
“That’s my plan. Firstly, invite as many Dream Demons as possible into Uburka’s dream. Then, senior and I will enter Uburka’s dream and negotiate with the Dream Demons.”
“Ugo.”
For some reason, Uburka blushed and narrowed his shoulders.
To put it simply, he twisted his body like a worm.
“Does that mean that Daddy and his colleague would enter my dream? T-, that’s a bit embarrassing. It feels like I’m opening up a secret that I wouldn’t easily show.”
“…”
What was he embarrassed about?
He’d already received my special training in his dream.
This daddy was ashamed of you.
“…I’m sorry for not considering your privacy. But we need to stop the massacre. Uburka. I hope my son can make a decisive decision here.”
Uburka looked at the Black Dragon Master’s expression.
“Understood. Ugor. I will gladly give my soul for the cause. The most important thing is to prevent the sacrifice of the innocent!”
Oh my God.
His chatting up was so obvious.
It was so clear that he wanted to look good in front of the Black Dragon Master that I wanted to close my eyes and forget the fact that he was my son.
“…?”
Unfortunately, the Black Dragon Master didn’t notice anything. She only tilted her head for a moment before getting back to the point.
“Right, Death King. Your suggestion seems to be the quickest solution. But how do you plan to attract the Dream Demons?”
“Ah. First off, I’ll use the [Dream Appearance] item on a few people and enter their dreams. If I beat up every Dream Demon I meet, I’m sure the rumors about me will spread quickly. Then, if they have any complaints, I’ll tell them to come to Uburka’s dream.”
“Huh. Understood.”
The Black Dragon Master raised an eyebrow.
“You’re so reliable. I’m glad I got to move to this stage with you.”
“Hey. What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve always been—.”
Suddenly.
I felt an intense gaze as I was about to laugh at the Black Dragon Master’s words.
“…….”
Uburka was staring at me with a fierce look in his eyes.
In fact, it was too strong to express it as a look in his eyes, and even calling it a glare was not enough. Instead, it was probably better to say his eyes were shining.
[The Constellation ‘The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven’ regards you as a thorn in his side!]
What?
[The Constellation ‘The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven’ is beginning to question whether you might be a rival!]
No.
Hey.
Hey! Crazy guy!
‘This Daddy is just friends with the Black Dragon Master! Best friends!’
I secretly wrote on Uburka’s arm.
Uburka pursed his lips.
‘Isn’t Daddy male too? I doubt that.’
‘Daddy already has an owner! Come on. You’re talking nonsense.’
‘What if Daddy’s world is polygamous?’
That pissed me off!
He’s my son, but he’s so annoying…!
‘Shut up! Don’t ever say that! I will cut off all heads of blasphemy.’
‘Otherwise, why would you deny it so strongly? The stronger your denial, the more suspicious you are. Are you sure you’re not really interested?’
‘The Black Dragon Master and I are colleagues who shared life and death! We are friends! We are friends, so naturally, we will smile with each other!’
‘What was that? You shared life and death? Ugo. Doesn’t that mean you wanted to spend every moment together from birth to death? I didn’t know Daddy was such a promiscuous person. I’m very disappointed.’
‘Why are you so annoying!?’
The Black Dragon Master looked back and forth between father and son with an expression that showed she didn’t understand what was going on.
“…what are you guys doing?”
“Daddy was cheering me up for a moment. Ugor.”
Uburka gave a wide, cheerful smile.
“In any case, Daddy is worrying for no reason. Until now, I’ve reigned as the strongest warrior in the history of the goblin race. It’s really stupid.”
“Is that so.”
The Black Dragon Master expressed her interest.
“So is that what it’s like when you two are together?”
“That’s right. I don’t know if you know, but Daddy likes to nag. Personally, I feel like he’s too noisy when we’re together.”
“Heh.”
Uburka continued to have his first conversation with the Black Dragon Master.
Suddenly, he glanced over at me and smiled.
[The Constellation ‘The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven’ is keeping you in check.]
This guy?
“Whether it’s training in the morning, elaborating on how to use aura, or checking to see if I understand the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art properly. There’s nothing he doesn’t interfere with. It’s better to keep some distance. After all, the closer you are, the more tired you’ll feel after a while.”
This child?
“I want to slowly become an independent son. Daddy can’t take care of me forever, can he? He lacks affection so he just clings to the people next to him instead. Didn’t you see it earlier? He wrote letters on my arm like a secret code… To be honest, it’s unsightly.”
This bastard?
‘You’re so ungrateful!’
I was shaking.
Our father-son love was nothing in front of his first love!
This was probably why people said you would regret raising a son.
“Aha.”
The Black Dragon Master covered her mouth with the back of her hand.
“You two have a really good relationship.”
Her eyes were filled with warmth.
It was goodwill, not affection.
“Laughing and complaining means that you’re very open with each other. When you first announced that you would be raising goblins, I wondered what you were going to do, but it seems I was worried for nothing. Death King. You’re a really good friend to these kids.”
But even the goodwill was directed towards me, not Uburka.
“Uh… Yeah, thank you….”
“What is it? When I praise you, I mean it.”
There was a warm feeling between the Black Dragon Master and me.
“…”
Uburka’s expression became ugly.
[The Constellation ‘The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven’ holds a deep grudge against you!]
I was going to go crazy.
The Black Dragon Master had personally seen the love between me and Raviel and knew that there was no man in the world safer than me. For me, there was only Raviel. So matter how close we were, she could be certain that no romantic feelings would appear.
‘That’s why she can act like this so openly, but this son!’
I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t want to be the father who interfered with his son’s love life.
Suppressing my heart which felt like it was going to burst, I stood up.
“I’ll… be back after threatening the Dream Demons. Black Dragon Master, please wait here with Uburka….”
“Huh? Are you sure it’s fine? Each [Dream Appearance] eats up 100 points in one go.”
“It’s fine. It’s just points, I can earn more later….”
“I have a good junior. Really.”
The Black Dragon Master smiled and patted my shoulder.
“I’ll look for a way to solve the malnutrition of the sleeping children. Hurry back, Death King.”
Tap tap.
The hand of the Black Dragon Master, which was on my shoulder, overflowed with friendship.
But since friendship was a form of affection, her action could also be considered affectionate
“…”
I glanced over at Uburka.
[The Constellation ‘The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven’ clearly recognizes you as an enemy!]
Just as expected.
Uburka was staring at me with blood red aura flowing all over his body.
Unless I was mistaken… that was killing intent.
[The Constellation ‘The Musclehead Who Dreams of Sinning Against Heaven’ is determined to sin against heaven!]
This child was really doing his name proud.
(TL: Remember ‘sinning against heaven’ is basically ‘beating up his daddy’)