Chapter 171

“Ahigo.”

The situation was a mess. The chest of the gigas at the front opened up, revealing two combat police officers.

“Dusk-ssi. Why is someone like you doing this? Property damage and home invasion.”

“You should’ve done it quietly instead of at this time…”

They showed no fear as they approached Dusk and grabbed his arms. Naturally, Dusk couldn’t shake off their hands. It wasn’t because they were as strong as Transcendents but rather due to the authority vested in them. Resisting arrest by using force against the police would make one appear foolish, not powerful.

The combat police from District 34, specialized in dealing with gigas, were formidable opponents even for Transcendents. Moreover, once resistance began, the military would swiftly join the fray.

“Just wait, let go of this thing. That lolicon, pedophile is trying to…!”

”…,” I looked back at Dusk’s words. She was naturally smaller than my two-meter height but still possessed a model-like figure with a voluptuous body shape. A woman faced me directly,

’…Pedophile?’

What did ‘pedophile’ mean? It referred to someone who felt sexual desire towards children (smaller beings). However, how could such a word be used for Flower right now? Naturally, the police didn’t agree with Dusk’s words.

“Sir. You should know that…”

“No matter if you are her manager, you shouldn’t force yourself into her private life like this. Even teenage idols aren’t treated…”

“Even if you are Transcendents? No, controlling the private lives of Transcendents… no matter how fierce the idol world is, this is too much.”

“Flower is still young!”

Despite Dusk’s excited words, the combat police remained calm.

“Now now, teacher. Don’t do this here. Let’s talk at the station. Based on your alien registration card, you are 1,002 years old. Isn’t that considered an adult among dragons?”

“Ah…that…wow, crazy…”

“Now, calm down. I am going to use a restoration artifact! Please step back!”

The combat police took out a long stick from his pocket and broke it.

Wooong!

The destroyed wall and entrance were restored as if time was rewinding. Beyond the narrowing doorway, Dusk shouted while being held by the police.

“Flower! Don’t do anything you’ll regret!”

”…”

The restoration was completed and silence fell over the noisy living room. I put my hand on my forehead.

‘Ah…this will be on the news, won’t it? It is crazy…’

As the Apostle of the Game Master, public interest in me had reached its peak after transcending this time. Even if the opponent was an ordinary person, it would become a huge topic… Furthermore, it involved Flower, a member of Transcendent Idol Group F·D. In District 34, where there were few malicious articles due to the presence of the God of Justice…there still weren’t any entertainment reporters missing. Reporting on dating rumours wasn’t particularly harmful, so the article would appear without hesitation.

”…I’m sorry.”

At that moment, Flower quietly apologized. The excitement from before disappeared, leaving a melancholy atmosphere.

“I…was too careless. I caused trouble without properly addressing my personal situation first.”

“No, it’s not your fault. My feelings were mutual.”

“But if I hadn’t tempted you…I never expected Manager Jinwoo to react so strongly. He was always so composed…” Flower turned and crossed the living room, followed by me. She took out two transparent glasses of unknown material, placed them on the table, and produced a bottle with an elegant design.

Glug, glug.

As she poured a yellow liquid, its sweet aroma filled the room.

“I planned to use this for setting the mood, but…” Muttering, she downed her glass in one go.

I sipped from the glass in front of me while observing her. After drinking four shots, Flower finally opened up.

“Actually, I’m 450 years old.”

“I see.”

Flower’s eyes widened at my calm response.

“You aren’t surprised?”

“Well, I was surprised when you called me a pedophile earlier. And please don’t take this the wrong way, but as a human, hearing that someone is 450 years old…”

For dragons, adulthood was considered to be around 1,000 years old, making Flower technically underage at 450. But could any human genuinely describe a 450-year-old being as “young”? Perhaps if she looked like a child, it might make sense, but even by appearance, she clearly seemed more akin to a young adult sister figure. In crude terms, according to Earth’s age standards, she had lived over 20 times longer than most humans, and even by Ardenian standards, her lifespan was tenfold. Calling such a creature ‘underage’ felt absurd from a human perspective.

As expected, Flower was incensed.

“Right?! Isn’t that weird? No, humans become adults at twenty and live independently. How can dragons, who have higher intelligence than humans and start talking from birth, still be considered minors at one thousand years old?! And to top it off, I wasn’t even allowed outside until three hundred years of age!”

Her outburst indicated she had been bottling up her frustration for quite some time.

How peculiar.

She definitely wasn’t just any 450-year-old young dragon. Although no one, not even her manager, knew…she, along with the other members of F·D, were Five-Headed Dragons, also known as Chromatic Dragons.

Among the long-lived Noblesse, they held legendary status. They were ancient dragons, once serving as leaders in the Council of Elders.

‘Don’t tell me… She doesn’t know?’

I asked to confirm, “I don’t know much about dragons, but Flower-ssi’s true body seen on TV seemed above worm level.”

Not one person who had seen her until now thought she was less than 1,002 years old. With her magnificent form and magic abilities that even great mages acknowledged as superior, how could anyone consider her a hatchling?

As expected, Flower hesitated at my words. “Th-that…” She momentarily stumbled before continuing. “This is a secret, but…myself and our members are special cases among dragons.”

“Like Shadow Dragons?”

The Shadow Dragon, often referred to as the shadowy dragon, is one of the most powerful beings among dragons. Its body composed entirely of shadows grants it immunity against physical damage, and the potent psychic energy within its shadow also provides resistance against malicious mana. However, due to their extremely low breeding rate, even across the entire universe, there aren’t many shadow dragons. Despite this rarity, when allowed to mature through normal growth processes, a fully grown adult shadow dragon possesses abilities comparable to ancient dragons.

As a species bordering on royalty, they hold significant power akin to members of the Kaiser dragon lineage.

‘So that manager appeared to be a Shadow Dragon… The hair shimmering with cosmic energy is one of their most distinctive features.’

It’s mind-boggling to think about it. A shadow dragon working as an idol manager? Of course, not just any idol but one of the incarnations of a chromatic dragon, which changes everything.

In response to my question, Flower hesitates before answering.

“U-um… It’s even more impressive than that…”

“Is he a divine dragon?”

A divine dragon refers to a dragon embodying divinity itself. Examples include the revered Golden Dragon God among dragons, Nidhogg and Jörmungandr, now only spoken of in myths, or primordial magic beasts like the Red Dragon from Revelations or Leviathan.

“No, not quite… But, well, somewhat similar…”

Flower’s reaction confirmed his suspicion.

…She knows.

Flower was aware that she was one of the heads of the chromatic dragon. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so composed when her sisters were killed by monsters.

And we fused immediately as well.

However, Jinwoo could also sense that Flower identified herself more as “Flower” rather than a part of the chromatic dragon.

“She must’ve been an incredible woman.”

“No, I didn’t mean to brag about my mother…just wanted to emphasize that I’m both physically and mentally mature now.”

♫ ♪

At that moment, a gentle melody rang out. Flower blinked, silently conversed with someone, and then sighed deeply.

“It seems like I need to go to the police station.”

“Shouldn’t I accompany you?”

“Nope. This is my house and strictly speaking, I’m not involved in this case so it will only complicate matters if you come here. Let me say again…I am really sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize.” He got up from his seat and moved towards the entrance. Standing at the door, Flower suddenly asked, “It isn’t that…you’ve grown tired of me?”

Her words made me smile. “Let’s have dinner together sometime soon.”

At my response, Flower’s tear-streaked face broke into a smile. “Yes, definitely.”

I woke up with intense hunger.

‘My weight has decreased again.’

Instead of getting up immediately, I remained lying down and examined my lighter body. This time, I lost around 10 kilograms. It was less than before but still problematic.

‘Not just muscles… My bones have also decreased.’

It wasn’t about bone density; their overall size had uniformly reduced. Without even standing, I knew. Now, my height was slightly over 190 centimeters—decreasing by 10 centimeters in just one day!

‘Even for creating a biofactor, this is excessive!’

A known fact among vitality cultivators is that it takes approximately a month to create a biofactor. However, unlike a cooldown period in a game, there isn’t a fixed interval.

‘If I wanted to, I could make one every day.’

However, such actions couldn’t be taken. A huge amount of calories were consumed each time a biofactor was created. Calories for vitality cultivators were like inner energy for martial artists, so they usually spaced out the creation unless financially desperate. Losing 10 kilograms of muscle and decreasing by 10 centimeters in height wasn’t normal under any circumstances.

”…”

I hesitated momentarily before turning around due to the piercing gaze. There was Haze, naked as she watched me in the sunlight. I stopped worrying and embraced her.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Slept?”

Hearing Haze’s question with another question made me pause, and she asked again, “Pla-flower.”

“Well, yes.”

I didn’t bother denying it. There was no reason to do so.

“Hmph. So I’m second after that fresh young girl?”

“What do you mean ‘second’? You were my first.”

I wasn’t particularly hesitant when it came to relationships with women. After all, I was well past forty years old and had lived for two decades in this brutal world—how could I be? However, it was true that she was indeed my first partner.

The story of a rebellious noble daughter running away from an arranged marriage, armed only with a sword, and becoming deeply involved with a young mercenary captain over two tumultuous years on various battlefields—it would’ve been more amusing if we hadn’t formed such a bond.

“Heheh. That is quite flattering.”

“You sound like an old man.” Haze grumbled at my whining.

“But…I almost died last night. You’re supposed to be a sword master, yet you were in such a state. What did Flower do to you?”

“…”

When I turned to look at her, she climbed on top of me and said,

“I could tell just by looking at him. Flower always acted so aloof but…his face lit up like a flower. Well, it’s natural for the quiet cat to pounce first.”

She spoke coolly, but her sulking expression made me chuckle softly.

“Don’t laugh.”

I wrapped my arms around her waist and lifted her up so that our chests touched.

“It’s because you’re cute.”

“You talk too much.” With a giggle, she sat upright.

To appease her pouting, I suddenly picked her up bridal style when…

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong? Did you hurt your back?”

Ignoring her nonsense, I continued.

“No, it’s just your weight.”

Haze looked at me with surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I can estimate someone’s weight by lifting them.”

“Is that so? How much do I weigh?” The adorable jealousy from before had vanished, replaced by curiosity shining in her eyes.

“You want me to say it out loud? Really? If I were you, I’d reconsider…”

“What do you mean?! Just lift me up and see for yourself!” Haze’s outburst made me laugh, but internally, my thoughts were different.

She’s gained more than three kilograms since we started our relationship.

This was clearly not normal. Moreover…

Haze wasn’t the only one who had gained weight.

“Flower?”

“E-Excuse me, Your Majesty. My appetite keeps increasing strangely…”

Flower blushed as she ate a sandwich while working. Below her desk, numerous plates were piled up.

”…”

I quietly observed her for a moment. With my transcendent senses, I detected something entirely new within her lower abdomen.