How to Survive as a terminally-ill Dragon - Chapter 20

Chapter 20. The White Stork (1)

The scene that caught Lois’s eye was a scene of devastation. Houses burned here and there, and corpses scattered around, interspersed with the bodies of monsters. Witnessing the lifeless village, Lois muttered to himself.

“Attacked by monsters?”

From what was visible, that seemed like a plausible assumption. Lois scoured the village for any survivors, with Finn and the twins spreading out to search as well. It didn’t take them long to search the small village of about thirty households.

Soon after, Lois and Finn met in the center of the village.

“Find anything?”

Finn shook her head slightly in response to Lois’s question.

“No, I didn’t find anything either.”

A hint of disappointment flickered in Lois’s eyes.

‘I was actually looking forward to this village…’

Even as a dragon, Lois wasn’t immune to exhaustion. The fatigue from the previous day still weighed on him, and he’d hoped for a chance to rest in the village. Tragically, what Lois had excitedly anticipated visiting for the first time could no longer be called a village, just ruins.

‘We should leave once the kids return.’

Lois and Finn waited in the middle of the village for the twins, but there was no sign of them.

“…What on earth are these kids up to now?”

He sighed deeply, about to go looking for them, when their voices suddenly rang out.

“Lois!”

“Lois, look at this!”

Khan and Kani appeared from one side of the village, their arms filled with various items.

“Look at this, look at this!”

“We found treasures!”

The “treasures” the twins presented were really just random objects: a burned candlestick and household items still warm from the fire. They were things the villagers had used but now were ownerless. Despite being from the deceased, the twins were undisturbed, simply delighted to have collected items without owners. Lois sighed inwardly at their naivety.

“Ah… What would you two know about wrongdoing?”

Lois patted both twins on their heads, saying,

“Khan, Kani.”

“Yeah?”

“Why?”

“Put these things back where you found them.”

“What? Why?”

“We worked hard to find them…”

Their lips pouted as they whined, but Lois spoke soothingly.

“What if you died, and another kid came and took your things, how would that feel?”

“I’d be angry…”

“I wouldn’t like that…”

Swayed by Lois’s approachable way of teaching, the twins’ expressions turned somber.

“That’s right, so think of it as showing respect to the dead and put those things back where they belong.”

“Okay.”

“We’ll be right back!”

Convinced by Lois, the twins quickly disappeared. Watching them, Lois thought to himself,

‘Someone else might have taken these things if we had just left them…’

But he did not want to teach such things to the twins whose characters were still forming. Despite calling them nuisances from time to time, these were his first friends, precious to Lois.

Returning from placing the items back, the twins flopped down right where they were.

“Lois, I’m hungry…”

“Me too…”

Lois wore a troubled look at the twins’ complaint. Elixirs were essential for growing hatchlings.

‘I have enough in my subspace to last a little while…’

Lois had filled his subspace with a refrigerator stocked with elixirs prepared by Genelocer, just in case the twins asked for meals at unpredictable times. However, the elixirs stored in the fridge were meant for a single person—Lois, who needed four times the quantity due to his nature. Though he had a large supply, shared between the three hatchlings, it would soon deplete.

‘At this rate, it might run out in two or three years.’

Slightly worried, Lois modified his plan.

‘Alright, during our travels, we’ll gather any elixirs we come across! The well-being of the continent matters, but it’s pointless if I don’t grow!’

Determination filled Lois’s eyes as he made this new resolve. Meanwhile, the twins wriggled with hunger.

“I’m sooo hungry.”

“Me toooo.”

“Alright, you two…”

“Lois.”

“Loissss!”

“Stop whining, I’ll give them to you!”

As the twins’ whining intensified, Lois pulled out a few elixirs from his subspace refrigerator and distributed them, making sure not to forget his own share.

Nom nom-

Sitting in the burned clearing of the village, the children casually snacked on the elixirs. This striking dissonance went unnoticed by them who were nonchalant in their enjoyment. As they were about to finish the elixirs,

Click-clack click-clack-

Sounds came from somewhere distant. Lois shot to his feet, swallowing the remainder of his elixir, and the twins peered around timidly.

Then, a group of horsemen came into view, approaching from afar.

‘Who are they?’

As this thought crossed Lois’s mind, he quickly ushered the twins behind a slanted wooden plank revealing a space to hide. Pulled along unexpectedly, the twins tilted their heads in confusion.

“Lois, why are we hiding?”

“Yeah, why hide? Are humans scary?”

“It’s not humans that are scary, but death flags.”

“Death flags?”

“What’s that?”

“There are such things. They come—shh! Quiet. Hide your energy first.”

Preparing for any unforeseen events, Lois and his company hid their presence, deeply concealing their dragonic aura.

‘Just pass by quietly. I don’t want any involvement.’

The group thought they were well-hidden and observed the newly arrived party in the village. About thirty warriors were dressed in warm, white leather armor, riding creatures known as snow horses, encircling a carriage draped in white as they escorted it.

‘All white.’

The warriors’ armor, the carriage, even the horses, everything was white.

‘A camouflage color?’

In the Winter Continent, where snow fell most of the year, white was unparalleled for blending in. With this thought, Lois continued watching the group.

A few detached from the formation to swiftly inspect the village, then returned.

“Nothing found.”

“It seems they were attacked by monsters.”

“Understood. I will report to His Grace.”

A superior received the report and approached the carriage.

“Your Grace.”

As the senior officer spoke to the carriage, a deep voice emerged from within.

“The report has been heard. I will see it myself.”

With that, the carriage door swung wide, and a majestic, golden-haired, middle-aged man came into view. Wearing a white fur collar and a thick cloak, the duke, presumably in his forties, looked over the desolation of the village with a steady gaze before speaking back to the carriage.

“Must you see this?”

“…Yes.”

“There’s nothing good to see here. Especially not for a lady in her condition…”

“I am Your Grace’s wife. I can’t forever dwell in sorrow. Moreover, it’s my duty to comfort the souls as the lady of an estate where its people have been harmed.”

“Very well. If that is my wife’s wish…”

A delicate voice came from the carriage. The mature man extended his hand inside, and from within, a pale and slender hand reached out to grasp his. Soon after, a beautiful woman in her mid-thirties emerged. Despite her slightly haggard appearance, her beauty was undeniable. The duke addressed his wife, who held on tightly to his arm.

“Be careful.”

The moment the duchess stepped onto the ground, her body wobbled. The duke quickly caught her.

“My lady!”

Seeing her husband’s worried expression, the duchess smiled gently.

“…I am fine.”

“Perhaps you should rest inside…”

“Would you have me shamed?”

She gave a coquettish look to her concerned partner. Taking a deep breath, the duke lifted his thick arm, signifying she could lean on him.

“Ah… After ten years, I still cannot win against your stubbornness.”

“Hehe. The one who loves more is inclined to concede.”

“That’s not a statement I can simply laugh off. Is it not you who loves me more?”

“Who knows? Hehe.”

An incongruously warm atmosphere surrounded them amidst the grim surroundings. After a poignant look at each other, they walked hand in hand, with thirty accompanying guards quickly adjusting to follow their movements.

‘Hmm? Is that a formation?’

Lois glimpsed that the thirty guards were following specific positions with precise movement, indicating a disciplined pattern of protection. If the duke or duchess stopped, so did the guards, immediately taking up a defensive perimeter.

The duchess’s eyes filled with sorrow as she surveyed the charred village.

“Are there no survivors?”

“It seems not.”

“What a pity.”

“The monsters have been inactive in this season. If it weren’t for conscripting the village youth for military training… When the reports of the monsters’ unusual behavior came in yesterday, we should have taken action sooner.”

“It’s not your fault, Your Grace. Just don’t forget those who have unfortunately perished.”

“I shall not.”

As Lois listened to the conversation, he rubbed his face.

‘Oh dear… Was this our doing?’

Could their journey, dispersing dragonic aura to discourage monster attacks, have caused the monsters to descend upon the village instead? Lois was pricked by a guilty conscience when suddenly,

“Burp!”

“…?!”

A loud belch sounded just behind him. Startled, Lois turned to find Khan covering his mouth, the culprit of the belch. His eyes flicked anxiously as he tried to say something.

‘Lois, sorry…’

‘This kid!’

Lois’s frown was too late to conceal the noise.

“Who’s there!”

Clang Clang!

The warriors assumed a tighter formation and drew their weapons, reflecting sunlight in all directions. The previously tranquil clearing tensed in an instant.

“Come out! If you do not, we will cut you down!”

The superior guardian, pointing precisely where the sound came from, readied his sword towards their hiding spot.

‘What do we do now?’

Before Lois could come up with a plan, the tension skyrocketed—the guards made the first move.

“I’ve given warning. Anything that follows is on you.”

With that announcement, a superior swung his sword, generating a powerful gust of wind. The wood plank shielding Lois and the children was promptly blown away, exposing them. The warriors, including the duke and duchess, widened their eyes in surprise.

“Children…?”

“Oh dear…!”

Sorrow welled in the duchess’s eyes as she clasped her hand over her mouth. Lois, still taking in the unfolding scene, swiftly devised a plan.

‘That’s it! This will work!’

It was an impressively crafty solution, even to Lois.

“Wahhh!”

For the first time, Lois mustered up all his acting skills and shed tears as large as beans.

“Uwaaaahhhhh!”

Crying was losing in a fight, but this occasion was different.

“Wahhhh!”

Tears were their only escape. Meanwhile, Finn had hidden herself, and the twins stared wide-eyed at Lois’s performance.

“Waaaah!”

Crying—or rather, pretending to, Lois gestured for the twins to join in.

‘Hey, hey, cry! Cry!’

Usually clueless, the twins were quick on the uptake this time. They began to pour out tears profusely.

“Wahhh! Daddy!”

“Mommy!”

Outdoing even Lois, they unleashed an explosive emotional performance, crying for their mother and father they normally never called for. Not stopping there,

“Mommmmmy!”

“Wahhhhhh!”

They rubbed their tear-stained faces on the duchess’s pristine white cloak.