Chapter 15
[15] As Though He Were Its Master
When I woke up, I was alone in our accommodation.
Only the pillow Sia had slept on remained beside me.
Lying there alone in bed, I almost felt as though everything that had happened yesterday had been a dream.
Now I would have to wait an entire week to see her again.
Yesterday, I had briefly thought that a week wouldn’t be so bad. We could talk on the phone to get through it.
But now that I actually had to wait that long, I couldn’t see it that way at all.
We could keep in touch, sure, but how could that compare to meeting in person?
After quickly washing my face, I went into the living room.
The room, which had been a little messy last night, was now spotless. A sandwich, a carton of milk, and a letter sat on the dining table.
I picked up the letter first.
[Hi, Oppa. I’m writing this in Grandpa’s lair. I wanted to write it beside the bed while you slept, but who knows what might have happened to you if I’d stayed? What a ridiculous situation, right?]
I smiled bitterly.
[I kept thinking how wonderful it would have been to end such a happy day by falling asleep beside you. I thought I’d have sweet dreams if I did.]
For some reason, I felt guilty.
Sia hadn’t been beside me, yet I’d had sweet dreams all on my own.
Had she dreamed happily too, even while sleeping alone?
[I wondered what it would have been like to have a lovely dream, wake up feeling refreshed, and watch the morning sunlight shining through the window with you.
Oh, right. I should have written this first. You see the sandwich in front of you? I made it myself. Please don’t skip breakfast. Make sure you eat it.]
Even before, Sia had often nagged me for skipping breakfast. As soon as I read that sentence, I picked up the sandwich and took a bite.
It tasted exactly like the sandwiches she used to make for me.
[Call me when you finish reading this, Oppa. I love you.]
***
Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was time for my appointment with Sia’s grandfather.
After talking to Sia on the phone until just before the appointed time, I used the ring her grandfather had given me to travel to his lair in Taebaek.
‘Wow.’
It wasn’t my first visit, but I still couldn’t get used to it.
The sheer size of the lair, its atmosphere…
To exaggerate a little, it felt as though I had arrived on an alien world.
As soon as I arrived, Sia’s grandfather greeted me warmly.
“Welcome. Everything’s been all right?”
“Yes. Have you been well too, Grandfather?”
“Quite well, thank you.”
After exchanging greetings, he led me to a reception room.
Interestingly, it had the feel of a traditional Korean house.
As I looked around in fascination, Rokan offered a remark, sounding rather pleased with himself.
“I had occasion to visit a traditional Korean house before. I liked its tranquil atmosphere, so I decorated this room in that style.”
“It feels even more authentic than most traditional houses. You have excellent taste, Grandfather.”
Without Sia there, things could easily have been awkward, but thankfully, our small talk made the atmosphere more comfortable than I had expected.
“Thank you. And, Minjun?”
“Yes?”
“If possible, I would prefer you to call me by my name rather than Grandfather.”
“You mean… Lord Rokan?”
Honestly, that felt awkward to me.
As a dragon, he might not think much of such things…
But calling the grandfather of the woman I intended to marry by his name?
As someone born and raised in Korea, I couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable with it.
“Yes. I prefer that. I’m still not used to anyone other than Shasha calling me Grandfather.”
“Yes, Lord Rokan.”
Still, if that was what he preferred, I would have to accommodate him.
“Now, let’s get down to business.”
With the matter of how to address him settled, we moved on to the main topic.
“Shasha told me. Apparently, you managed to draw out the power of the Dragonbone Sword?”
When I’d spoken to Sia on the phone last night, she had briefly mentioned visiting her grandfather’s lair. She must have told him then.
“Yes.”
“Draw your sword.”
No sooner had he said that than Rokan took a wooden sword out of his subspace.
“I need to see it with my own eyes.”
In other words, I would have to cross swords with him.
But—
“Ah, that. If that’s what concerns you, don’t worry. Your kind might see it that way, but it’s nothing unusual to us.”
He felt nothing in particular about someone wielding a sword made from the bones of his own kind?
“Every so often, one of our kind takes up carving swords from their own bones as a hobby. You needn’t concern yourself with it.”
“…”
‘Is that really all right…?’
Honestly, it felt a little strange.
There was nothing particularly odd about crossing swords with Rokan, but the weapon I had to draw was the Dragonbone Sword.
And Rokan was a dragon.
If I had been in his position, I would have found it deeply uncomfortable.
Still, he was the one who had asked me to draw it…
“But… are you sure you’re all right with this?”
“All right with what? Surely you aren’t about to say something presumptuous.”
“No. As you know, Lord Rokan, the material this sword is made from…”
Carving swords out of their own bones.
I simply couldn’t wrap my head around it, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“So draw your sword.”
In the end, I did as Rokan instructed, taking the Dragonbone Sword from my subspace and gripping its hilt.
The moment I took hold of it, Rokan cast a spell, and the scenery changed instantly.
We were standing in a vast field somewhere.
“Swing that sword just as you did for Shasha. I’ll only defend.”
Urging me to begin, Rokan beckoned me forward.
“You’ll only defend?”
“This isn’t even a sparring match. Why would I attack? Enough chatter. Swing your sword.”
My pride stung for a moment, but my opponent was a dragon.
One who had once been the Dragon Lord, no less.
Considering the difference in our power, wasn’t this only natural?
“Then here I come.”
Carefully, I steadied my breathing.
Then, sword in hand, I leaped forward with all my strength.
For this moment, I would forget that he was Sia’s grandfather and that I was being tested.
All I had to do was swing my sword, just as I had at the training grounds.
Drilling that thought into my head, I swung with all my might the moment I closed the distance.
Before meeting Minjun, Rokan had spent a long time talking with his granddaughter.
Since both he and Sia had believed they would never see each other again, they had quite a lot to catch up on.
They had spent hours sharing a warm conversation.
Naturally, their discussion had touched on her previous life, as well as Minjun.
“A human who drew out the power of the Dragonbone Sword, you say.”
“He didn’t just draw it out. I’m not sure this is the right way to describe it, but…”
It had felt like a dragon swinging its own foreleg, rather than a human wielding a sword.
Hearing his granddaughter describe it that way had come as a startling revelation to Rokan.
He had seen humans draw upon the power of Dragonbone Swords and accomplish great feats, but never once had he seen anyone give that impression.
He had considered the possibility that she was exaggerating because Minjun was her beloved, but he knew she wasn’t that sort of person—or rather, dragon.
‘If what our Shasha said is true…’
He couldn’t help having high expectations.
He wanted to protect his granddaughter’s love, of course, but a part of him also wanted to satisfy his own curiosity.
With that thought, Rokan knocked Minjun’s sword aside.
‘…Well?’
For a start, he thought he understood what his granddaughter had meant.
Minjun’s way of wielding the sword was certainly different from that of other Dragonbone Sword users.
But that was all.
Beyond that, he saw nothing particularly special.
Having lightly deflected the sword, he waited for Minjun’s next attack.
The second and third exchanges followed in quick succession.
From below to above, then from above toward the lower left.
Perhaps Minjun had felt his first strike lacked impact, because Rokan could sense him trying to change his approach.
“I’m still not seeing it.”
Even so, it fell short of his expectations.
Even allowing for the fact that they had exchanged only three blows, he had expected bolder, sharper attacks.
He couldn’t shake the impression that something was missing.
“With such potential, it makes no sense that this is all you can show me.”
At Rokan’s words, Minjun’s eyebrow twitched for the briefest moment.
“Then I’ll keep going until you see what you’re looking for.”
“Of course you will.”
Minjun swung again, and once more, Rokan’s sword effortlessly stopped him.
That was fine. This hadn’t been a sparring match to begin with.
Ten exchanges passed, then twenty.
Yet Rokan’s expression remained unchanged.
“At this level, you will never fully wield the power of our kind.”
“…”
“You might eventually make a name for yourself as a famous hunter. You would still be able to use a portion of our power, after all. You could earn yourself a fair amount of wealth and prestige. But that isn’t your goal, is it?”
Rokan decided it was about time to bring about a turning point.
Either he needed to provide a powerful stimulus or discover what was preventing Minjun from realizing his potential.
Meanwhile, Minjun was frowning and breathing hard.
‘Damn it.’
His anger was directed at himself, not Rokan.
If he couldn’t fully wield a dragon’s power, didn’t that mean the restrictions on his time with Sia would never disappear?
He couldn’t let that happen.
He had to overturn Rokan’s assessment of him.
He had to change it enough to make Rokan say that there was at least some hope.
“I can’t… settle for that.”
“No. You can’t. I have no desire to see my granddaughter heartbroken either.”
“What must I do to satisfy you, Grandfather?”
“Come at me with everything you have.”
“…Pardon?”
Minjun had expected some profound revelation, but Rokan’s answer was surprisingly simple.
“You are clearly holding back when you swing.”
“…! I’m not! I’m doing everything I can—”
“This isn’t a question of whether you’re trying your best. You are conscious of the fact that your opponent is a dragon—and Shasha’s grandfather.”
Minjun wanted to deny it, but Rokan was right.
Simply telling himself to swing boldly wouldn’t make it happen.
This situation was entirely different from facing lizardmen or the wooden golems at the training grounds.
Without realizing it, he had allowed caution and tension to creep into his swordplay.
“Dominate.”
That single word from Rokan sent a shiver through Minjun’s entire body.
“Dragons have had domination written into their very blood since the dawn of time. Without domination, it means nothing.”
Domination.
It was something Minjun had already understood instinctively.
Dragons were beings that reigned supreme, so he had to wield his sword with the intent to dominate.
But what was he doing now?
He had been focused on doing his best, yet he hadn’t been swinging with that intent.
How could he dare, before an ancient dragon?
How could he dare, before Sia’s grandfather?
“Imagine dominating me. Beyond that, imagine dominating every dragon.”
No matter who stood before him, he had to intend to dominate them.
No—he had to draw out the dragon’s power with the conviction that dominating them was only natural.
That was precisely what Rokan was pointing out.
“I will.”
The corners of Minjun’s mouth lifted.
For this moment, he would swing his blade like a lawless tyrant.
He would abandon the thought that he was merely an unremarkable D-rank hunter. Instead, he would envision bringing even an ancient dragon—one capable of toying with ranked hunters—under his feet.
Minjun gripped his sword again.
Move swiftly, but without haste.
Pour an unyielding determination to dominate into the blade, yet wield it with lofty confidence.
“Haaaaah!”
With a thunderous cry that bordered on a scream, Minjun drove in a strike with everything he had.
The result was the same this time. His attack was blocked, and the wooden sword remained unchanged.
But when Minjun swung once more—
A small crack appeared in Rokan’s wooden sword.
The moment Rokan saw it…
His eyes—
“So you aren’t a complete fool after all.”
Finally began to fill with satisfaction.