『What good would it do for you to know? Now that those who made a promise with me are dead, I can’t even sense anything similar from the guys these days. There’s no point in me keeping the contract by myself anymore.』
In other words, the Azure Dragon was saying that there was no one worthy of keeping the oath now that the blood of its ancestors had become thin.
However, if that was the case, there was a perfect candidate. Right next to me.
“How about helping Cheong Juhwa, Cheong Sa-woon’s daughter?”
『I liked that guy, but I never said a word about being kind to his daughter.』
“You might change your mind if you see her in person.”
At those words, I felt some kind of gaze staring at me from within the vortex.
I met its gaze without avoiding it, and soon the fog that had filled the surroundings grew thicker, and a hazy spirit body revealed itself.
It was only the upper body, but just by looking at it, you could clearly tell that it was a dragon.
The mythical divine beast had shown its true form in front of us.
“. . . . . . .”
“Wow, it’s bigger than I thought.”
The Azure Dragon, who had come out of the vortex, quietly looked at Cheong Juhwa, and soon burst into a hearty laughter.
『──!』
The atmosphere trembled at that sound, and for a moment, my hearing was paralyzed.
It lasted for a long time, and Azure Dragon, who had been laughing for quite some time, finally calmed down and opened its mouth.
『. . .Hahaha, I see what you were trying to say. This is really funny.』
Perhaps the Azure Dragon realized it as soon as it laid eyes on her. The uniqueness of Cheong Juhwa, who possessed this atavistic inheritance.
『To think that such a bloodline would be born from those who had given up on it, not the ones who were obsessed with it.』
“Bloodline?”
『Yes. You don’t know this, but the energy I feel from you is very similar to Cheon-gun.』
“. . .Who is Cheon-gun?”
『A long time ago, so long ago that I don’t even remember, the name of the impudent guy who created this family and tied me up.』
However, the Azure Dragon, who had been showing a cheerful expression, soon hardened its expression again and turned its body halfway.
『However, this is where the story ends. The reason I kept my promise with that guy was because I believed in the promise he made that it would definitely be kept in the future. But no matter how long I waited, the one who would keep the promise never showed up.』
“. . . . . . .”
Something that the Azure Dragon had lost in the past to Cheon-gun, but had longed to get back in exchange for reigning as the guardian deity of the Cheong family for a long time.
From behind the Azure Dragon, who had turned away, I quietly uttered its name.
“Are you looking for Yeouiju?”
At that, Azure Dragon stopped in its tracks.
『That’s, right. How did you know that?』
“If it’s Yeouiju, I will definitely get it back someday. In exchange for helping us.”
The Azure Dragon, who had been silent, continued to speak in a trembling voice, as if it couldn’t believe it.
『. . .Are you saying that you are the one that Cheon-gun promised?』
It seemed to be a bit angry, and for some reason, it also sounded emotional. As I watched the Azure Dragon’s reaction, I pondered for a moment.
「𝙊𝙛 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩. . . . . . .」
In fact, even in the original story, including the sequel, there was never any mention of Cheon-gun and the Azure Dragon’s promise being kept.
It was often said to be a plot device for the future, but at least when I was in that world, I never saw such a sight.
When I participated in the production of the sequel, I asked about it, but the writer of the first story had passed away, so I couldn’t find out the truth.
However, there was a lot of additional information about Yeouiju after that.
Even though I had never seen it in person because it wasn’t implemented in the game, it was clear that it would most likely exist in the place I had guessed.
「𝙒𝙖𝙞𝙩, 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣?」
I didn’t think so, but in the end, that’s what happened.
Since it was strange to deny something, I nodded helplessly.
“I guess so.”
『. . .I didn’t want such a disappointing answer.』
The Azure Dragon turned around again. And it came out of the vortex completely, revealing its entire body.
『. . .It’s been a really long time. To be honest, I’ve been trying to forget all about it.』
“. . . . . . .”
『Why did that guy keep me by his side if he was going to make me wait this long?』
“I’m sorry. I have no way of knowing his intentions.”
『Useless. You’re really useless.』
The Azure Dragon, who had been blankly staring up at the invisible sky, lost in thought, soon seemed to have made a decision, and quietly opened its mouth and muttered.
『To be honest, I don’t know. Whether you’re the one that guy was talking about, or if now is the time of the promise. I’ve lost track of that a long time ago.』
However, the Azure Dragon soon nodded with a convinced expression.
『Even so, I think it’s the right thing to do to take the path that I can see in front of me, rather than waiting for something that doesn’t even have a real form.』
“That means. . . . . . .”
『Alright. Let me believe you one last time. As long as you don’t forget the promise you made with your own mouth, I will be your strength.』
At that, I bowed my head and took out the Blue Heart Jade that I had in my arms.
As I had mentioned once before when I separated Gang Cheol-i from Seo Ji-ha, this Blue Heart Jade contained a small fragment of Yeouiju.
That’s right. It belonged to none other than Azure Dragon.
「. . .𝙄𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩.」
I handed it over to Cheong Juhwa as it was.
“Why are you giving this to me?”
“Of course you have to make the contract. That was the plan from the beginning, wasn’t it?”
“Huh? No, but I. . . . . . .”
Cheong Juhwa hesitated, not accepting it easily.
Perhaps because she knew the meaning of being the master of the Azure Dragon in the Cheong family, she seemed to think that she shouldn’t receive it.
“. . .Wouldn’t it be better for you to just make the contract yourself? I’m not sure if I’m qualified, and what’s this about a promise?”
To be honest, I was tempted too, but in fact, that was impossible from the beginning.
“Because of the original oath, those who do not have the blood of the Cheong family cannot receive the Azure Dragon’s protection. It’s not impossible to forcibly make a contract, but there will definitely be side effects.”
“Ah. . . . . . .”
Therefore, the best option was for Cheong Juhwa to be the subject of the contract.
And anyway, when Azure Dragon was really needed, I could just take Cheong Juhwa with me.
Convinced by my words, Cheong Juhwa nodded slightly.
“Then I’ll start right away.”
Eventually, after some time, with my help, the contract between Cheong Juhwa and the Azure Dragon was finalized using the Blue Heart Jade as a medium.
“It doesn’t feel real. . . . . . .”
“You probably won’t be used to it at first, so it would be better to summon it from time to time in the private training ground later and adapt to it.”
After leaving the barrier again and leaving Dobongsan Mountain, we returned to the academy without delay.
「. . . . . . .」
With this, the die was cast.
So all I had to do was wait for the other party to make a move.
