Chapter 134: Home (II)

Scritch-scratch.

The pen moved across the paper with a consistent sound.

Scritch-scritch.

As time passed, the pen’s movements gradually sped up.

The one wielding the pen so roughly was none other than Genelocer.

His hand was so tightly gripped around the pen that his veins bulged prominently.

Genelocer glared fiercely at the document he was filling out.

It was as if locked in a life-or-death struggle against the paper itself; the fire in his eyes seemed capable of incinerating it entirely.

Scritch-scritch.

The pen’s movements, which had been steadily quickening, suddenly froze.

His grip loosened, releasing the pen.

Tap.

Genelocer quietly set down the pen, and soon, an overwhelming sense of emotion flooded his eyes.

”…It’s done.”

This single sheet of paper represented the culmination of ten years’ worth of succession planning for the elder generation.

With a light lift, Genelocer placed the completed form atop the mountain of papers on his desk before springing to his feet.

“Finally, finally…”

What had he been striving for over the past four years with his relentless focus on paperwork? It was all for this moment.

His body trembling with emotion, Genelocer rushed out of the room, calling out:

“Kurdakar! Kurdaaaaar!”

True to the saying that like father, like son, Louis’s excitement as he bounded down the hall was unmistakably mirrored in Genelocer’s behavior.

With unbridled enthusiasm, Genelocer burst through the door.

Bang!

The forcefulness of the opening nearly caused it to fly off its hinges.

Inside, the room’s owner—a venerable dragon retiring from the Order of Darkness—was startled so badly by the sudden commotion that tea splattered across the table.

“Genedrocker!” exclaimed the dragon, now known as Kurdakar.

“W-what is it?” asked Kurdakar, casting a puzzled glance at the young man.

In response, Genelocer replied with barely contained glee, “It’s done!”

“Done? What do you mean?”

“The succession documents! I just finished them!”

“Huh… Already?”

Kurdakar’s eyes widened in surprise.

Even though he had simplified it to a ten-year plan, it was still so packed that it would take ten years—normally at least fifteen.

Yet Genelocer claimed to have finished everything in just four years.

Elder Kurdakar couldn’t help but marvel at this feat.

At that moment, Genelocer’s expression grew even more excited.

“Then may I leave now?”

“Hahaha!”

Elder Kurdakar burst out laughing at Genelocer’s question.

It was well-known throughout Silver Flower Castle how much Genelocer doted on his son, who was about to become an elder himself. This explained why Genelocer seemed so eager to be done with everything.

Smiling warmly, Elder Kurdakar shook his head gently.

“Oh dear… What should we do now?”

“Pardon?” asked Genelocer.

“Well, since you’ve completed all the succession paperwork, we must formally hold your investiture ceremony as an elder…”

”…?!”

Genelocer’s face, which had been brimming with joy moments ago, froze in an instant. The paperwork for senior position succession alone would take a decade to process. Given that dragons had an abundance of time on their hands, the formal retirement ceremony could potentially drag on for years.

His shoulders slumped dejectedly.

Louis… Daddy will be a bit late.

Seeing Genelocer’s downcast expression, Kurdakar’s smile widened.

“Haha, don’t look so glum. The installation ceremony won’t take too long.”

“B-but?”

“It’ll be at most a week. Just hang in there until then. I promise—I’ll send you home within a week, no later.”

“Oh!” Genelocer’s face lit up as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun once more. He nodded so vigorously it seemed his head might detach from his neck. “Understood! I’ll wait patiently!”

After enduring for four grueling years, could he really not hold on for just one week? Initially, he had anticipated this journey would take several more years; by comparison, this was remarkably swift progress.

The thought of seeing his son in just seven days brought a broad smile to Genelocer’s face.

Son! Dad is coming!

The first thing Louis did after reaching top tier was check how many medicinal herbs remained.

Thank goodness.

If he had taken two more months to reach this level, they would’ve run out of herbs first.

This should be enough to get us from here to home.

Relieved, Louis next prepared to leave for his house—though technically it involved escaping the island.

He immediately began crafting a spatial movement crystal.

“I’m going home. I’m going home. I’m going home…”

Louis channeled all his focus into creating the crystal while repeating like a madman:

“Going home…”

A dark aura emanated around him as he concentrated intensely on his task.

“Louie, you’re scaring meee…”

“Louie, your eyes look crazy…”

His appearance became so fierce that even the fearless twins started feeling uneasy at his madness and slowly backed away.

Hours passed in this manner.

“Finally… finally!” Louis exclaimed, gazing at the completed spatial movement crystal.

“It’s done!”

This moment had been long-awaited, a culmination of endless anticipation.

At that point, Fin cautiously approached him.

“Um… Louis?”

“What is it?”

“Is it going to be okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“If something like last time happens again…”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

It seemed Fin was fretting over interference akin to their previous attempt. Louis smiled confidently, assuring her:

“I’m supplying elemental power to this crystal myself. If any issues arise, I can simply control the elemental force and nullify the crystal’s effect.”

“Huh? You’re controlling the attribute power of the space movement crystal yourself, Louis? Isn’t that too much for you?”

“No, it’s manageable.”

Originally, such a long-distance spatial movement might have strained Louis considerably.

But not anymore.

With his newly refined method of utilizing Dragon Hearts, he had exponentially increased the efficiency of elemental powers. What was once impossible was now well within his capabilities.

“Don’t worry, let’s hurry,” Louis urged, his body trembling with emotion as he anxiously called out to the twins.

“Hey! Come on quickly! We’re going home! Hurry up!”

Responding to his urgency, the twins and Fin swiftly approached him.

“Is it over?”

“It is?”

“We’re leaving now?”

Louis smiled and nodded affirmatively.

“Yes! We’re heading home.”

“But this place is so much fun…”

“Can’t we stay a little longer? Just a bit more!”

“That’s right! If we stay just a bit longer, I can finish building that…” Kani pointed towards something with her finger.

Her gesture revealed a tall wooden fortress standing at the edge of their domain.

”…These things.”

Several months ago, Louis had dismissed such structures as mere child’s play.

I can’t believe they actually built a castle wall.

The twins had gone ahead and constructed an entire fortification. Thanks to this, all the trees near the white sandy beach were now completely deforested.

Louis clicked his tongue.

If these two put their minds to it, they could probably build the Great Wall of China…

Considering dragons’ naturally long lifespans, such a feat wasn’t entirely beyond possibility—as long as the twins maintained interest in the project for that duration.

But enough about them.

Louis waved dismissively at the twins.

“I’m going on alone.”

“Wahh… Mean Louis.”

“You’re so meeeeannn!”

As Louis employed his signature tactic of leaving abruptly, the twins pouted indignantly.

Still unwilling to part from Louis, they soon calmed down at his soothing words. The twins hopped onto the magic circle with him.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes!”

“To our home!”

The twins exclaimed enthusiastically, as if they had never been reluctant to leave. Encouraged by their cheerfulness, Louis activated the magic circle.

Vmm, vmm, vmm.

Its glow reached its peak.

Vmmmt!

Louis and the twins vanished for a moment before reappearing swiftly.

”…?”

”…”

A brief silence fell over them. The twins and Fin scanned their surroundings. No matter how hard they looked, it was clear they were back in the same spot where they started.

Their gazes naturally turned towards Louis.

“Louis?”

“What did you do?”

“Louis?”

The one most bewildered by their question was Louis himself.

“But… but how is this possible?”

“You failed, Louis?”

“We can’t go home?”

His face hardened.

“How could it be…”

He looked down at where he had placed the spatial movement crystal.

I’m certain I activated it correctly…

Since it was a one-time use crystal, its trace vanished as soon as it was used. But why didn’t the sacred scripture activate?

No, I definitely cast the Sacred Scripture.

To confirm his suspicion, Louis summoned elemental power on the spot. Simultaneously, his figure disappeared from that place, reappeared 10 meters away, and then returned again.

There seems to be nothing wrong, he thought.

He had used short-range spatial movement. Although it didn’t require a magic circle for this close distance, the principle was the same as long-range teleportation.

Then there must be nothing wrong with my technique.

I’m certain I didn’t make any mistakes, so why didn’t the Sacred Scripture activate?

As he pondered, a thought suddenly struck Louis.

Could it be…?!

Realizing something, Louis began drawing the formation again. Once more, he emitted a black aura as he focused on his work.

“Louis is scary again…”

“Don’t mess with Black Louis. He’ll spank you…”

The twins avoided Louis and sat leaning against a nearby tree. This time, Fin chose to cuddle in their arms instead of Louis’s.

Hours passed in this manner.

“Let’s try one more time! Hurry up.”

At Louis’s urging, the twins and Fin climbed onto the magic circle without complaint.

Louis finished his preparations and prayed silently:

Please… Let me be wrong this time…

With that fervent wish, he channeled elemental power into the magic circle.

“Go!”

His bold shout triggered the magic circle, which emitted a burst of light.

And then…

Whoosh!

In an instant, Louis and his companions vanished from their previous location only to reappear in the same spot.

The twins and Fin blinked at Louis, bewildered.

“Louis?”

“It didn’t work again?”

“What happened this time?”

Their questions elicited a sigh from Louis as realization dawned on him.

A lament slipped from his lips. “Damn it… Have we been returned?”

Indeed, they had. The barrier surrounding the island not only reversed physical escapes but also those achieved through sacred scripture.

”…It’s no use.” Louis shook his head.

Their best strategy—using spatial movement to escape—had been thwarted. With a soft sigh, Louis resigned himself to their predicament.

“Haaah… there’s no choice now. We’ll have to go with Plan B.”

There was no time to waste on futile attempts. If the first method was blocked, they would simply employ the second. Without delay, Louis set about preparing Plan B.

Within the resplendent Silver Flower Castle, two beings faced each other beneath its altar.

An elder and a young man—the venerable Kurdakar of the Darkness and Genelocer.

Kurdakar placed his hand upon Genelocer’s bowed head.

“By the great mana and the first Dragon King’s decree, I ask: Will you, Genelocer, swear to devote yourself as a leader of the dragon race for its resurgence?”

“I do swear.”

“Do you vow to uphold the pride and honor of our kind at all times and places?”

“I do vow.”

“Will you pledge to contribute to the world’s order?”

“I will pledge.”

”…With this, I, Kurdakar, pass my duty onto Genelocer. The covenant is sealed.”

“The covenant is sealed,” echoed Genelocer.

As their voices resonated softly, the Silver Flower Castle began to shimmer brilliantly once more.

It was a phenomenon dragons called the “blessing of mana.” The light of mana illuminated their surroundings beautifully, with even the light of darkness swirling around Kurdakar and Genelocer.

As they celebrated both the retirement of Kurdakar, who had dedicated thousands of years to serving the world, and the inauguration of a new elder dragon, there were no others present besides these two. However, the absence of other dragons didn’t matter because mana filled the void as witnesses.

After circling them for some time, the mana scattered back into the world once more. Smiling, Kurdakar patted Genelocer on the shoulder.

“You’ve worked hard all this time,” he said. “And my congratulations to you. From now on, you shall be one of the thirteen elders of our kind.”

“Thank you, Elder,” replied Genelocer respectfully.

“No, from now on you are the elder. I am merely a former elder. Thanks to your efforts, I can retire early too.”

“Please don’t mention it,” Genelocer replied, his face betraying his anxiety.

Unable to contain himself any longer, he blurted out urgently, “Um… So everything is truly over?”

“That’s correct.”

“For real this time?”

“Yes, for real.”

“Then can I leave now?”

”…I suppose so.”

“Well then, farewell!”

”…?!”

With those parting words, Genelocer swiftly made a beeline for the exit.

Kurdakar watched helplessly as his son disappeared without another word, then couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all.

“I wonder if that’s really such a bad thing?” Despite having much more to discuss, Kurda did not call out to stop him. Instead, he silently prayed for their first father-son reunion in many years to go smoothly.

And so, on the day Louis failed to escape using his spatial magic circle,

a black dragon took flight from Silver Flower Castle.