The Demon Dragon King could no longer hold on.
Rather than saying her defeat was certain, it was more that she was gradually losing her strength.
As every minute and second passed, the Hero’s afterimages remained, while the Demon Dragon King’s movements became visibly sluggish and heavy.
I stood up silently, gripped my staff, and aimed it at that afterimage.
The magical light condensing at my fingertips shone steadily.
This time, the Magic wrapped around the Hero’s form with unerring precision.
*Thrust—*
The light sound of a blade piercing a body echoed.
The Hero’s sword finally ran through the Demon Dragon King’s frame.
The outcome was decided.
I was crossing my arms, happily enjoying the show and preparing to clean up the aftermath.
Suddenly, a familiar force wrapped around my waist.
It was that elegant figure again!
‘Not again! There are several members of the Hero Party watching nearby! Why was I the one kidnapped again?’
I hurriedly reached for the Life-saving Scroll and charms in my robes, but a low voice stopped me.
“I swear on my Magic Core that I will not harm you in the slightest. I only ask that you listen to a few words.”
It was the voice of the Demon Dragon King.
Since she was willing to swear on her Magic Core, she likely wasn’t lying to me.
I stopped my movements resentfully and allowed her to drag her wounded body, pulling me into a basement.
*Clang!*
The heavy stone door locked with a thud.
Without my Magic helping them, it would take the Hero Party some effort to break through that door.
“Human, you are very interesting. Do you want to hear my proposal?”
The Demon Dragon King dropped the playful tone she had used during the fight.
Clutching her gushing wound, she spoke with a serious expression.
“Wh… what proposal?”
I waved my hands hurriedly.
“I’m not offering treatment or help!”
The Demon Dragon King laughed softly.
Enduring the pain, she stood up and walked toward the depths of the basement, pushing open another heavy iron door.
The sight behind that door nearly blinded my eyes…
Gold coins were piled into small mountains, and gems and pearls rolled all over the floor.
This was wealth I hadn’t seen in two lifetimes combined.
In the center of this treasure hoard, a Dragon Egg lay quietly on a red cushion.
The Dragon Egg was smooth and lustrous; one could tell at a glance it had been carefully protected for a long time.
Just then, the Demon Dragon King’s body swayed, and she collapsed heavily to the ground.
Her aura instantly weakened.
She was clearly at the end of her rope due to excessive blood loss.
She tremblingly slid a ring off her right hand, her voice faint but clear.
“This is a Storage Ring. It can hold all the treasure in this room. I know about those two children.”
Before she finished speaking, the ring flicked toward me.
I failed to catch it with one hand at first, so I scrambled to grab it with both hands, nearly letting it hit my foot.
“Can you… use this treasure to trade for my daughter’s life? I beg you, be her adoptive father and protect her as she grows up.”
The Demon Dragon King pointed toward the Dragon Egg, her tone full of entreaty.
‘Another Dragon baby? Now I have little ones from the Succubus, Vampires, and Dragon Race all together. This is too great.’
“You really are an interesting person.”
As if seeing through my thoughts, the Demon Dragon King’s gaze remained sharp, but she asked without a hint of mockery, “What is your goal? Is it really just to satisfy some twisted hobby?”
I froze for a moment, then shook my head.
I looked up at her, my tone firm.
The world says Monsters are born violent—that a leopard cannot change its spots and that their wickedness is carved into their very bones, impossible to change.
But I refuse to believe in such nonsense.
I didn’t adopt those children for fame, nor did I want to raise some Monster Successor, and it certainly wasn’t a “twisted hobby” as she said.
I imagine you saw what they were like when I first met them?
Every one of them was in a desperate situation, utterly pitiful.
Take Little Ziya, for example.
When I found her behind the throne back then, she couldn’t even speak; she could only express everything through crying.
In those clean, watery eyes, where was there even a hint of ferocity?
It takes ten years to grow a tree but a hundred years to cultivate a person.
When a cradle is found drifting, even the stubborn stones by the river can be worn smooth by the stream.
How much more so for a group of young Monsters who long for someone to hold them?
I want to teach them to read and write, teach them to stop using their claws to scratch those who want to get close, and teach them to distinguish right from wrong.
I want them to taste what it feels like to be cared for and loved.
Many might laugh at me for being a fool, saying I’m using my time to bet on a hopeless dream and that I’ll eventually be backstabbed by the nature of Monsters.
But I believe that sincerity can move even mountains.
Even if this path is long and difficult, and even if I don’t live to see the day when Monsters and humans shake hands in peace, I still want to hold their hands and walk forward one step at a time.
At the very least, I want them to live this life cleanly and happily, without having to hide or fear being abandoned.
“…I was shallow.”
The Demon Dragon King’s voice was airy.
The sharp light in her golden eyes had long since faded as she leaned limply against the ground, no longer having the strength to even lift a hand.
She coughed twice, and the scales on her chest lost their former luster, turning a dull gray that was painful to look at.
“I have lived for so long and seen so much of human ambition and the slaughter of Monsters… I forgot that there truly are people in this world who take ‘love’ seriously.”
Her breath became weaker and weaker, yet she managed to force her eyelids open.
There was a trace of a relieved smile in her gaze as she looked at me.
“If that day truly comes, where Monsters and humans can put down their swords and get along… this Queen would truly like to see it with her own eyes…”
Before she could finish, she suddenly choked on blood.
Her eyelids sank, and she moved no more.
‘Hm? Did the Demon Dragon King really just pass away like that after saying all that?’
Well, such is the heart of a parent.
I’ll give you a proper burial later.
I stared blankly at the ring in my left hand.
With a single thought, I could take all the treasure on the floor into it.
I walked to the center of the room and reached out to activate the Space Ring.
The ring glowed with a green light that covered the entire room.
A dazzling light flashed, and everything in the room…
Except for the Dragon Egg, was still there.
*Rumble!*
Right then, the Hero Party arrived late, bursting through the door.
Seeing the fallen Demon Dragon King and the treasure scattered everywhere, they immediately swarmed forward, rushing to snatch it all like madmen.
Fine then.
Seeing this scene from the side, the corners of my mouth couldn’t help but turn up.
“Everyone, there’s no need to leave a share of this wealth for me!”
I turned around and spoke loudly as I walked out.
But those fellows were only focused on the scramble and didn’t hear a word I said.
Whatever.
The story of the Hero slaying the dragon has reached its conclusion.
I am safe and sound, and that is enough.
I touched the Storage Ring in my hand, feeling the faint sensation of the Dragon Egg through my fingertips.
I stepped lightly into the twilight outside the door.
Behind me was the clamor of the Hero Party looting the treasure and the silent body of the Demon Dragon King.
Heh, look at the greed in the eyes of these heroes.
Is there really any innate good or evil?
It just depends on whether the person you meet is holding a knife or reaching out a hand.
To me, if the gold and jewels are stolen, so be it.
Those worldly possessions aren’t nearly as precious as the smiling faces of the children.
The evening breeze brushed past my hair.
I smiled and quickened my pace, my goal clear in my heart.
Time to head down the mountain and go play with those two little ones who probably just woke up.
Hehe.
—
*Father’s Confession*
—End—