Chapter 29: Pablo, III

Pablo was trembling with fear, his face pale.

Louis’s eyes gleamed as he watched him.

I wasn’t sure at first due to his size, but…my hunch was right.

From the moment Louis laid eyes on Pablo, something about him felt familiar. It didn’t take long for Louis to realize why—he reminded Louis of the dwarf laborers summoned whenever there were issues at Genelocer’s lair. Pablo gave off the same vibe.

My father must’ve really put those dwarves through their paces.

Since Louis had encountered them several times every month, it was impossible for him to forget how they felt. Initially, he’d doubted himself because Pablo looked so different from the dwarfs he knew, but his instincts hadn’t betrayed him.

“Heh-heh-heh-heh.” Louis approached Pablo with a sinister grin on his face.

Pablo paled and shrieked, “D-dragon!”

“Heh-heh-heh-heh.”

“Ack!” Pablo retreated as Louis advanced, step by step.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“S-stay away from me!”

The bizarre sight of a burly man fleeing like a seven-year-old child from a slight tremor made Louis chuckle.

He waved his pale hand at Pablo, who was getting farther and farther away. “Come back here, little one.”

“I’d r-rather not!” Pablo sounded close to tears.

Seeing that Pablo looked ready to burst into sobs if he got any closer, Louis stopped advancing but instead wore a peculiar smile as he asked…

“You dwarves have an innate fear of us dragons, don’t you?”

One day, Louis watched as a dwarf worked tirelessly all day long but received no compensation afterward. He had questioned Genelocer about it, wondering how they could treat such intelligent beings this way.

His father’s response was simple:

“It’s fine, son. They’re being punished for wronging us in the past. It’s known as the Blood Collar.”

That was the extent of his explanation. There wasn’t even a hint of guilt in Genelocer’s eyes when he spoke of the dwarves; it seemed perfectly natural to him.

Curious, Louis later researched what exactly the dwarves might have done, only to find vague references stating that their actions nearly led to the extinction of the dragon race. That information alone was enough for Louis.

Considering how powerful dragons were, Louis surmised that whatever offense Pablo had committed must have been even worse than he’d initially thought. From then on, Louis stopped feeling any sympathy for dwarves and instead focused solely on exploiting their skills as master craftsmen who could create anything with ease.

So naturally, Louis was thrilled to see such a sturdy dwarf walk right into his trap. He threw open his arms wide and shouted gleefully at Pablo:

“Well, well, Pablo! Be my whipping boy!”

“No…no way!”

Fin shook his head watching Louis cackle and Pablo scream.

“Oh, Lord Louis… You really said ‘whipping boy’ out loud.”

After a moment, Pablo knelt down and asked, “What…did you do to me?”

“What did I do? I didn’t do anything.”

“But why can’t my body move…?”

“It’s because your dwarf blood reacts to my words.”

The instinctual subservience dwarves had towards dragons was stronger than Louis could have imagined. He never expected that merely uttering a few words would make a tier-3 powerhouse willingly follow him.

This makes things much easier.

Of course, Louis couldn’t be happier about this turn of events. He patted Pablo on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. Life happens, right? So tell me, how old are you, Pablo?”

“This year, I’m forty…”

“Wow, still young at heart. For reference, I turned around 250 this year?”

“Huh? You’re just a hatchling…?”

“Tsk! Hatchling?! Call me ‘the handsome dragon hyung’!”

“R-really?”

“Yes, something like that.”

Just then…

“Louis…”

“Rooyyyy…”

The twins woke up and started whimpering.

Pablo and Louis turned to look at them.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence fell as they watched the hatchlings acting just like regular toddlers.

Louis hesitantly patted Pablo on the back.

Pat-pat.

“Ha-ha! Don’t worry about these two! They’re still babies!”

“I’m Louis’s older sister…”

“I’m Louis’s elder brother…”

Ignoring the twins’ mutterings, Louis swiftly changed the subject. “Okay, let’s forget about this for now. Let’s get down to business: Work with me for ten years.”

“T-ten years?”

“It might end sooner than that. At most, it’ll be ten years. Once our work is done within that time frame, you’ll be set free immediately.”

”…What work do I have to do?”

Louis’s expression turned cautious at Pablo’s question.

“What you must do is…”

From the moment Louis laid eyes on Pablo, he had decided how best to utilize him. He spoke in a low voice:

“It involves maintaining world peace.”

“Huh?” Pablo blinked, puzzled.

With a serious face, Louis began explaining.

“So, you see…”

A short while later…

“Huh?” Pablo stared blankly at Louis and repeated his words like a fool after hearing about ‘a forced return home story that started with unexpected teleportation’.

This made Louis tilt his head.

“Is there something wrong with your ears?”

“N-no! My ears are fine, but…I don’t understand how this relates to world peace…”

Seeing Pablo’s bewilderment, Louis nodded understandingly. “Yes, it can be hard to grasp such sudden developments. But this is of utmost importance.”

“So what does that—?”

“Who do you think we are?”

“You’re dragons, sir.”

“And?”

“…Hatchlings?”

“Yes, hatchlings indeed. But have you heard the tale about some foolish Brave who boasted about being a dragon slayer after snapping a hatchling’s neck only to meet his demise at the hands of its enraged father?”

“…?!”

Louis was referring to a commonly known legend. No one knew if it were true or not since dragons had been out of sight for ages, and stories about them were passed down solely by word of mouth.

One common thread among these tales was that dragons cherished their young above all else.

“…Is this true?”

“Have you ever seen smoke without fire? Think about it. Whether humans, other races, or even monsters, they go ballistic if their offspring goes missing or gets hurt… Do you think dragons would be any different?”

“I-I suppose not?”

“And what if those enraged dragons were at the pinnacle of power, Zero rankers?”

“Oh.”

“What if there were two such dragons?”

“Ack!” Pablo gasped in fear.

While he didn’t fully understand the extent of a dragon’s power at the Zero rank, according to ancient texts, they were absolute beings capable of crushing mountains and splitting seas. Two Zero-rank dragons on a rampage would undoubtedly spell disaster.

“You get the gist now, right?”

“Yes, sir!” Pablo nodded frantically, his face turning pale.

“But…why me for such an important mission?” Louis hesitated at Pablo’s question and rolled his eyes.

Why else? You just happened to catch my eye first, and you seemed easy enough to manipulate!

In other words, it was simply bad luck on Pablo’s part. However, Louis couldn’t exactly say that outright. He crossed his arms, looking thoughtful before speaking in a low voice.

“…It is because you were chosen.”

“C-chosen?”

“That’s riigghht! Chosen.” Confusion spread across Pablo’s face as Louis continued passionately.

“Your sturdy shoulders and robust physique!”

Pablo seemed sturdy enough to withstand any amount of rough handling.

“I can sense your immense courage even from afar!”

With Pablo by his side, no one would dare pick a fight with Louis. Heck, Pablo’s imposing physique alone could transform someone with anger issues into a model citizen.

“And you possess strength befitting such valor!”

Pablo was powerful enough not to get beaten up anywhere they went and strong enough to use as a human shield if necessary.

“You also exude loyalty at first glance!”

Since Pablo had dwarf blood, albeit only half, there was no worry he’d betray Louis, and on top of that, he listened well—what a perfect servant!

Louis’s flowery praise put Pablo at ease. Thinking he had won him over, Louis looked earnestly into Pablo’s eyes and continued.

“And you know what else… This is your chance.”

“My chance…sir?”

“Think about it. It’s not just one hatchling but three. If we safely bring these younglings home like fawns to their den… Do you think our guardian will overlook your contribution?”

“…?!”

“If things go south, would we abandon you after all this camaraderie? Even if the whole continent becomes a wasteland, being with us ensures your safety, doesn’t it?”

“Oh!” Completely swayed by Louis’s words, Pablo exclaimed and nodded vigorously.

“You’re right! That makes sense!”

“So, how does that sound? Are you ready to join us now? It won’t be long—just about ten years at most. Despite being half-dwarf, you still have dwarf blood, which means a longer lifespan, right? Investing just a small portion of your life guarantees a secure future.”

“Yes, sir!”

“So, how about it? Do you feel honored to have been chosen by us?”

“I certainly do!”

Watching from the side, Fin quietly applauded as Pablo became half-fan of Louis.

Louis…you’re incredible.

Pablo had already established himself and his territory here, so he wouldn’t have cooperated if they tried forcing him along. However, with adequate incentives, there was no reason for him not to join them.

Seeing the unwavering trust in Pablo’s eyes, Louis nodded approvingly before throwing out one last bait.

“Well then, shall we go together?”

“Yes!”

“For real? You’re coming with us? And you’ll listen to me, right?”

“Yes! Absolutely!”

“Are you sure? No regrets?”

“Nope!”

As soon as Pablo confidently affirmed, a bright red glow erupted from his body.

Pablo blinked at this unfamiliar situation. “Huh? Wh-what’s going on here?”

“What do you mean…?” Louis replied with a satisfied grin.

“It means you’ve put your own leash around your neck.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You can’t run away anymore.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Pablo was startled by these nonsensical words.

Louis’s eyes curved like crescent moons as he smiled. “This is how blood bonds work for your kind. A promise made before a dragon must be kept under any circumstances.”

“If I break my word, what happens then?”

“Oh, that?” Louis dismissed it nonchalantly. “Nothing much, just…” However, his next words were anything but casual.