Chapter 258: Upheaval (3)

Khan chuckled, noticing Louis’s wide-eyed, rabbit-like expression of surprise. Even he had to admit that the information he’d uncovered this time was quite remarkable.

Khan shrugged. “Isn’t it weird? I honestly thought you were completely mad, Mister Louis. Or maybe there’s a dragon out there with the same name as you? How on earth would a human know your name?”

Kani scoffed at Khan’s rambling. “Stop spouting such nonsense! You’re just making Louis needlessly anxious!”

“Still, it’s strange, right?” Khan persisted. “How could a human possibly know his name?”

“What could he possibly know? Kendrick’s dad said the guy looked like he had a screw loose. Just some crazy ramblings from a lunatic. And would you be happy if someone called our dad the Mad Dragon?”

”…Wasn’t he already the Mad Dragon? Our dad’s not exactly sane, you know.”

”…You’ve got a point.”

Unlike the twins, who casually tossed around such irreverent remarks, Louis’s mind was in turmoil.

An outsider who knows about the Mad Dragon Genelocer?

Could it be a coincidence?

No, there’s no way it’s a coincidence.

Louis’s face hardened as he pressed, “When did this guy leave?”

“The outsider? I’m not sure.”

“What about his name or age?”

“I don’t know that either.”

”…Then what exactly do you know?”

“Well… we just went to the village yesterday and asked if anything interesting had happened, and that’s what we heard…” Khan mumbled, looking awkward.

Kani scolded him again. “See! You and your pointless chatter are making Louis worry!”

Khan scratched the back of his head at Kani’s nagging.

Meanwhile, Louis’s concern deepened.

I should probably visit the village…

If Khan and Kani were telling the truth, the stranger who visited the village must be Elvis. Who else would know the name “Mad Dragon Genelocer”?

If that were the case, it would be best to find out what Elvis had been up to in the area.

To do that, Louis needed to go to the village, but Ariana’s presence still weighed on his mind.

He couldn’t just leave her here, but openly parading Ariana around was also problematic, even if people didn’t recognize dragons.

Besides…

I can’t possibly entrust Ariana to those two.

Louis glared disapprovingly at the twins hovering around Ariana.

“Sigh…”

“Kyaa!”

Ariana burst into giggles, as if tickled by Louis’ soft sigh.

Patting her head, Louis muttered, “There’s no choice.”

The situation was far from ideal, but it wasn’t hopeless.

At Louis’ murmur, Ariana tilted her head adorably.

As families prepared their evening meals, smoke billowed from chimneys across the village. The Ria couple’s home was no different, bustling with activity as usual. But one thing had changed compared to their previous dinner preparations: a guest who had arrived a month earlier was now part of their household.

“Mother, I’m finished!”

“Really? You’ve worked so hard. I’ll take over now—go and rest.”

“No, it’s alright. I wanted to do it.”

“Oh my…”

Admiration and affection flooded Lia’s face, almost overflowing with tenderness.

I heard she’s the same age as Kendrick…

In the month since Lavina had arrived, she had proven herself to be a bright, cheerful, and capable child.

Lavina was unfailingly kind and considerate, not only to Lia herself but also to her husband, Aaron. She was particularly skilled at managing household chores. Just look at her now. Tiny, fairy-like Yeongsu, under Lavina’s command, scurried about the house, diligently cleaning every nook and cranny. They handled everything from sweeping and laundry to all the other miscellaneous tasks. What would have taken Lia hours to complete alone, Lavina effortlessly accomplished in a flash. Thanks to Lavina, Lia was finally enjoying true leisure for the first time since her marriage.

She’s truly remarkable…

Lia’s gaze lingered on Lavina, filled with contentment and a touch of possessiveness. But the moment her eyes shifted toward the living room, her expression hardened.

“Why are you just standing there while our guest is working! Come over here and help!”

“Yes, Mother…”

At his mother’s sharp reprimand, Kendrick, who had been sprawled on the floor, reluctantly sat up.

He now possessed the martial prowess to face an Ogre head-on, but within the confines of his home, he could never hope to prevail against his mother. All he could do was nod obediently and do as he was told.

Just as Kendrick was about to head to the kitchen, a knock sounded at the door.

Knock-knock.

“Coming!” Kendrick whirled around. He’d rather greet the visitor outside than be dragged into the kitchen for a lecture.

The moment he flung the door open, Kendrick’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Huh? Teacher?”

The visitor was none other than Louis, accompanied by the Twins.

Kendrick’s reaction rippled through the house.

“Louis!” Lavina called out first.

“Louis, oppa!” Lia greeted him warmly.

Then—

Crash! Bang! Bang!

A cacophony of shattering sounds erupted from one of the rooms, and the door burst open.

“T-Teacher!” Tania, her face glowing with delight at Im’s long-awaited arrival, dashed forward.

With each step closer to Louis, Tania’s sprint gradually slowed. Finally, she came to a complete stop about five paces away.

”…Huh?”

Tania’s gaze—no, the gaze of everyone in the house—was fixed on the small child nestled in Louis’s arms.

A girl, about one or two years old, with delicate, clear, and lovely features.

It was already surprising enough to see Louis holding a child, but even more astonishing was the girl’s appearance.

Chubby cheeks and snow-white hair.

If not for her pale blue eyes, she could easily be mistaken for Louis’s spitting image.

“Ah…”

Tania’s gaze darted back and forth between Louis and the child in his arms.

At the same time, fragments of past conversations began swirling in her mind.

A girl who looked so much like Louis.

And Louis’s explanation that he had to leave for about a year due to unforeseen circumstances.

When these two facts merged, only one conclusion could be drawn.

“H-how…?”

Tania pressed a hand to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.

Kendrick, speaking on behalf of his little sister, shouted, “Teacher, you have a daughter?! Is that the ‘circumstance’ you mentioned?!”

The answer to his outburst was swift and light retribution.

Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Kendrick stumbled backward, clutching his forehead. Louis looked at him with exasperation. “A daughter? What nonsense. She’s my little sister.”

It was thanks to Louis that Ariana could assume human form. Still too young to transform on her own, she relied on a necklace he had crafted.

Initially, the artifact had been born from simple curiosity: “Could non-dragons also transform?” But true transformations—ones that altered not just appearances but entire species—remained the sole domain of dragons.

While other dragons could transform using the necklace’s power, it was impossible for other races. Moreover, the transformation could only be maintained for about half a day using the necklace’s power alone.

That’s why it had become a forgotten relic, stashed away in a pocket dimension until Ariana reminded me of its existence.

The form Ariana took after transforming with the necklace was astonishingly similar to my own, so much so that others could easily mistake her for my daughter.

Kendrick rubbed his forehead and sat up.

“A, a little sister?”

“Yeah.”

“A biological little sister?”

“Yeah.”

No sooner had Louis finished speaking than Tania dashed out of the room.

“Oh my goodness, why didn’t you tell me sooner!”

Tania gazed at Ariana with bright, sparkling eyes, as if she hadn’t been on the verge of tears just moments before.

“So, this is the young lady who will become my sister-in-law?”

”…Here we go again,” Kendrick muttered, shaking his head at Tania’s sudden change in demeanor.

Just then, Aaron returned from his errand.

“Huh? Louis?” Aaron greeted Louis warmly, having not seen him in quite some time.

Soon, a small crowd had gathered at the doorway.

Louis spoke up. “How long are we going to stand here? Let’s go inside.”

“Ah! Please come in quickly. Have you eaten? I was just preparing dinner. Would you like to join us?”

“No, thank you. I just came to ask a question. I’ll leave as soon as I have my answer.”

“But still…”

Lia and Tania expressed their disappointment that Louis, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time, was leaving so soon.

Leaving the wistful atmosphere behind, Louis stepped into the house. Ariana, wide-eyed in the unfamiliar surroundings, clung tightly to Louis’s coat.

Once everyone had settled in, Lia asked, “You said you had something to ask us?”

“Yes. I heard a stranger stayed at your house recently.”

“That’s right.”

“What exactly happened?”

“Why are you asking all of a sudden?”

“It’s quite important to me.”

“Hmm… I think Aaron knows more about it than I do.”

Lia’s gaze shifted to Aaron.

“Ahem, if it’s about that fellow, I know a bit. I found him collapsed at the mountain’s edge while hunting.”

“He collapsed? Why?”

“Apparently, he wandered into the nearby mountain range without proper preparations and got lost.”

“What’s his name and approximate age?”

“He said his name was Elvis. I’m not sure exactly how old he is, but he looked to be in his mid-twenties.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Louis’s eyes.

Just as I suspected!

As he’d predicted, the stranger’s identity was Elvis.

But he’d been found by Aaron and brought here?

Does that mean he didn’t come to this village specifically to find Kendrick, but simply wandered in by chance?

Perhaps Elvis hadn’t learned the full details of Kendrick’s true hometown before the regression—not the village they were relocated to after the Ogre attack, but the original village where he lived with his parents.

Even if he was just wandering around, the fact that he was in this area probably means Kendrick must have told him something, Louis reasoned to himself.

Having organized his thoughts, Louis asked another question. “When did he arrive?”

“Let’s see… about three or four months ago, I’d say.”

“And when did he leave the village?”

“That was about two months ago.”

Since Louis and his group had returned to the Spring Continent only a month earlier, they had narrowly missed encountering Elvis.

“Did you notice anything unusual about him?”

“Plenty of things.”

“Like what?”

“He talked to himself every day like a madman. His eyes were hollow, and he had this eerie, unsettling aura about him. And when he left, he rambled about being grateful and wanting to repay us by revealing the ‘truth of the world’—total nonsense.”

”…”

“Some crazy dragon’s supposed to show up and bring about the end of the world or something.”

Just as Aaron’s grumbling faded into the background, Louis’s shoulders twitched slightly. He was likely the first in the room to sense it.

A terrifying blend of rage and resentment.

And…

What is this…?

A murderous intent so palpable it made his blood run cold.

Worse, this malevolent force was rapidly approaching their location.

Startled by the sudden shift, the Twins and the Flame Siblings belatedly sensed the ominous presence and leaped to their feet.

“Huh?!”

“M-my God?!”

The closer it got…

The sheer immensity and terrifying power of the presence were unmistakable.

Louis burst out of the door, followed closely by the Twins and the Flame Siblings.

BANG!

The door flew open with a crash, as if about to shatter.

At that very moment, everyone saw it.

”…?!”

Slightly above the village, silhouetted against the crimson sunset that painted the world red, a colossal figure hovered in the air.

A Black Dragon with blood-red eyes.