“…Suddenly.”
It really had been all of a sudden.
“Lock, since when did it not work?”
Pat, pat. Lock stopped talking as Raon patted him on the shoulder. However, his eyes were still showing signs of uncertainty.
Cannot enter his berserk transformation.
This sudden regression of strength.
Lock knew when it had started. That was why he could not say it. It would make him seem too stupid and useless.
“That, you see, the moment it started was…”
The tips of Lock’s lips started to turn blue.
Cale started to speak at that moment.
“No need.”
Lock flinched and looked to the other side.
“I'm sure it'll return some day.”
“···Excuse me?”
“First, we need to fatten you up. Relax and roll around doing nothing.”
“He's right! Lock, you are too skinny!”
They were extremely calm, as if they had come here to vacation. That made Lock open and close his mouth a few times before finally managing to get a word out.
“…But the battle is coming up.”
Battle.
It was such a scary and fearful word.
“And?”
However, the response he got back was extremely calm.
Lock suddenly felt upset. He started to speak.
“I couldn’t go berserk since I heard about the war!”
‘Oops.’
Lock’s expression crumbled after revealing that fact. He lowered his head and buried his face in his hands.
He recalled the moment he realized he could not go berserk.
It was when Rosalyn told him about the upcoming battle.
His heart had started to beat wildly at that moment. It was then that he realized he could not go berserk anymore.
“Since that moment, since I learned that we are going to fight, I can’t go berserk anymore. I should be fighting alongside everyone else. But why is it that I cannot go berserk right before the battle?”
Lock was full of despair at that fact.
In fact, he was despising himself.
Anybody could see why he would be like this with this timing.
“…It’s like I'm trying to avoid the battle. It’s as if I am afraid. I need to grow quickly to help.”
Lock recalled Rosalyn's look of confusion about how to console him, as well as the shocked expressions on the faces of the others whom he had not seen for a while.
Their concerns for him made him hate himself even more.
“Choi Han hyung and Rosalyn noona saved my siblings and I.”
Lock did not think he came all this way on his own. There were too many people who helped guide his cowardly and timid self.
“Young master-nim also saved us and gave us a home. I need to pay you back for that! But why am I like this!”
That was why Lock hated himself right now.
He was embarrassed.
Forget the Wolf King, he was just a weakling.
Lock sighed after seeing that his two hands were still shaking.
He heard Cale's voice again at that moment.
“It’s okay.”
Cale put down his fork and looked toward Lock.
It sounded as if Cale was telling Lock to look at him. The young boy slowly raised his head. Cale admitted his mistake and started to speak.
“There are people around you.”
Lock had never seen such an expression on Cale's face before.
“I left you here alone hoping that you could learn about a wolf’s loneliness. However, I did not want it to be painful. I also did not want you to be scared.”
Cale was not such a terrible person to want something like that for a child.
He thought Lock would not feel too lonely as he knew that he had a family. However, this timid child seemed to have felt pressure and burden rather than loneliness.
Loss.
Originally in the novel, healer Pendrick's death leads to Lock's first berserk transformation and helps him grow.
However, Cale had no plans on doing something crazy like that. Lock was only 15 years old. You had to be a lunatic to do something like that to a child.
“There is no reason for you to hurry.”
“… You saved me, and you trusted me.”
Lock's mumblings stopped as soon as Cale asked a question.
“Would you throw me away if I was weak?”
“What-”
Lock throw Cale away?
Lock’s eyes opened wide in shock as Cale smiled back at him.
“Lock, you wouldn’t, right?”
Cale picked his fork back up.
"So, don't ask something obvious. Just eat.”
Something obvious.
Lock was suddenly at a loss for words again.
“If you want to repay me for my trust, show me that you are healthy first. And just watch. You friends, your family, are stronger than you think.”
Clang. Lock could see Raon pushing a fork toward him. Cale continued to speak.
“Even I am strong enough to protect you during a battle.”
Cale was speaking in a joking tone. Lock had seen many new expressions on Cale's face today. Lock slowly picked his fork back up and started to eat.
Food tasted good for the first time in a long time.
He had not enjoyed even the most luxurious food while he had been at the Gorge of Death.
“…Delicious.”
“Eat a lot if it is delicious.”
He felt as if something else would pop out if he did not do that. He suppressed his emotions by stuffing his face with food.
Raon just quietly watched as Lock did that. The Black Dragon’s dark blue eyes then peeked to the side. The six-years-old Dragon continued to chew as he looked toward Cale.
Cale sent Lock out once he was full and looked around the quiet tent.
‘Looks like I can sleep for about three hours.’
He would be busy starting early in the morning.
He needed to get at least a short nap in so that he could do that. Of course, there were still people standing guard, but one of his roles was to sleep right now.
“Raon.”
“What is it, Human?”
“Connect the video communication device please.”
Cale thought about Lock and decided he needed to call that person.
‘Honestly speaking, it is difficult enough to protect myself. It will be hard to protect that tall kid.’
Cale could not trust his own level of strength. That was why he was planning on using his network. He watched as Raon prepared to take the video communication device out.
“By the way, human.”
"What is it?”
“I cannot go through my first growth phase. Is that okay?”
Cale recalled how Raon had buried himself underneath the blanket and cried about how he was not great and mighty because he could not activate his first growth phase. Cale wondered why Raon was suddenly bringing that up.
He thought it might be because of Lock's berserk transformation situation, but regardless, he chose to answer back after seeing the Dragon's gaze that seemed to be begging for a response.
“Didn’t I answer that last time? Don't ask me something so obvious.”
“… Is it okay if I am weak?”
‘What the heck is he talking about?’
Cale was in disbelief at what the scary Dragon that was far from weak was saying before casually answering back.
“I think you were weak when I met you in the cave.”
The small paw touching the round video communication device flinched.
The cave.
Raon recalled the moment he first met Cale.
His power was restricted as he was kept under mana restricting chains.
He was weak back then. He was so weak to the point that he could not even run away and could only live in the dark cave, pretending that he didn’t hear anything or think for himself.
He was saved even though he was not strong.
Cale felt the rough hands caressing his head. He also heard Cale's quiet sigh and mumble about how ‘a six-year-old is still a child.’
“Raon, although I am weaker than you, I've lived at least thirty, no, fifteen years more than you. But I am still weaker than you. I am not even as strong as you front paw. Is that a problem?”
Cale realized his mistake and quickly changed it up before looking at Raon.
“It is not a problem at all.”
The young Dragon’s stern response made Cale nod his head as if he was saying, ’isn’t that all that matters?’ Raon went back to connecting the video communication device while peeking toward Cale.
He then started to speak again.
“Human, why did you save me? I am just curious!”
Raon could see Cale leaning on the chair as he responded back.
“Why did I save you? Just because.”
“Why do you keep me by your side?”
Cale casually but honestly responded back to Raon who seemed to have more questions than usual today.
“Do we not need a reason?
Why you saved me and why you travel with me?
Do we really not need a reason for that?”
Raon had not asked until now, but he had been curious. Everything in the world had a reason. All things were connected, and those connections led to different situations.
He knew that there must be a reason Cale and he were traveling together.
The Dragon was curious as to what that reason might be. The human who claimed to have lived at least fifteen years more than he had, answered back.
“Your house is our house. Is that not enough?”
Your house is our house.
Raon repeated that statement in his head. He didn’t know why but it sounded catchy. Raon thought about that for a while before storing it in his mind.
He suddenly felt full.
The six-years-old Dragon slowly started to smile.
“You're right! Human, that is enough!”
Cale didn’t know what was going on but sternly spoke to the once again energetic Raon.
“The call.”
“Ah, right! This great and mighty Dragon will do it right away!”
The call was soon connected. Cale left the snickering Raon on his lap as he finished the call.
He would not be able to sleep properly once the battle began.
Three hours.
These three hours were very precious.
Cale laid down on the bed without any hesitation to get his precious sleep. Cale, who laid down in his uniform so that he could get up at the last possible moment, could see Raon putting out the light inside the tent.
Raon then laid down next to Cale on the bed. However, Cale did not care as he closed his eyes.
It was easy to fall asleep as he ate until he was full along with Lock.
“Human, human.”
Cale heard Raon's voice right before he fell asleep.
‘…This six-year-old really has a lot of questions today.’ The scariness of questions overwhelmed Cale. However, Raon continued to ask his question.
“Human, would you save me again if you went back in time?”
“I told you not to ask something so obvious.”
“Human, will you save me again if I become that weak again and require you to save me?”
Cale moved his sleepy body and put his hand on Raon's head. He felt himself slowly falling asleep as he answered back.
“Of course, I would save you.”
‘I will save you even if you are weak.’
Those words echoed in Raon’s mind. Thanks to that, he could easily fall asleep.
Soon the light breathing noises of the adult and the young Dragon filled the tent.
The next day.
Beeeeeep- Beeeeeep-
Cale squirmed after hearing the sound of the alarm. He needed to open his eyes but could not easily do so as he wanted to sleep some more.
“… Oo ……”
Cale squirmed a bit more before forcing himself to open his eyes. He could see the ceiling of the dark tent.
Beeeeeep Beeeeeep-
The sound of the alarm. The alarm was sounding to wake Cale as well as the others nearby. Cale sat up on the bed.
He sounded like an old man getting up. Cale lifted his hand up and tried to wipe the side of his eyes. He then flinched.
‘Something is weird.’
It was too quiet right now.
It should be very loud right now. Someone should be pushing on his stomach right now.
But no, it was quiet.
Cale heard something instead.
Huuuuuu, huuuuu.
It was someone breathing.
However, it was kind of rough breathing.
Cale slowly turned his head.
Beeeeeeep- Beeeeeeep-
The alarm was still going off around him. Cale’s eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and let him see the existence next to him.
Yes, right next to him. This existence was curled up sleeping right next to him.
He could see the curled up Black Dragon.
Huuuuuu, huuuuu.
He had heard this type of breathing before.
Cale's palm landed on Raon's forehead.
Cale started to frown.
It was hot.
It was too hot.
Raon's body was on fire.
He could see the black wings fallen to the side without any strength.
Raon's face looked as if he had lost consciousness because his fever was too high.
The battle was about to start in just moments. But Raon is sick.