The 31st Piece Turns the Tables

Chapter 397

More than two years have passed since the Yasha War ended. In the meantime, Khan had changed a lot.

If someone asks whether a prosperous empire can change the way a dusty old empire can, the answer will be no.

However, if the empire is Khan, the answer will be that it is possible.

Khan had countless talents, and they were all stars.

Before we knew it, Khan was recovering from his wounds and growing new skin.

“Jinryeo! What if I end up sleeping here again? “You were the one who said you would join the escort!”

“Oh right!”

“As if I realized something, oh that’s right, oh that’s right! “What if there is a hole in the guard!”

Jinryeo stood up, wiping her saliva.

“Chiu puts as much effort into my empty space, so there’s no way there will be a hole.”

“So why is there an empty seat?”

“well? Did a rat eat it?”

“Then I guess I’ll have to kill the rat. Let’s see, the club…”

“A mouse is also life! “You wicked…”

The two exchanged half-joking, half-serious jokes.

They were the people closest to Seolhong.

Their appearance has changed a lot in two years.

First of all, Jinryeo had her braided hair hanging down next to her long straight hair. It is said that it was a tribal tradition when she lived as a minority tribe member in the north.

Although there was controversy over whether she, who was not a descendant of Khan and came from a minority tribe in a foreign country, could stand by the dragon, in the end she became a symbol showing that Seolhong could embrace so many different people.

In fact, the person in question only muttered, ‘It has nothing to do with my origins…’

Chiu became a little more unconventional than her.

My kidneys have grown tremendously.

Beastmen are basically bigger than humans, but it didn’t make sense for Chiwoo, a beastman, to be similar in size to Kang Seol, as he received dragon blood.

As a result, he reached full physical maturity.

His height was about a head taller than that of other large adults, and his muscles were shredded.

On the other hand, his face gives off a vague boyish vibe, making him very popular with the women at Cannes.

“Why don’t you always work hard? “Jinryeo.”

“You know, I think… the total amount of effort is fixed.”

“What kind of nonsense is that about eating well?”

“I feel like I’m saving my efforts to do something important later. I’m sure it will! So, can I sleep more?”

“….”

Chiu grabbed Jinryeo’s ear.

“Ahh! it hurts!”

“Effort is a habit. If you were that lazy, you wouldn’t know what to do when the time came to try later. So, I’ll tell you how.”

“too bad!”

“Haa… Jinryeo, you don’t even have any self-awareness. Do you know what kind of presence Seolhong has become to Khan’s people now?”

“…A great being?”

“Specifically.”

“… You’re my mother. “The mother of the people!”

She was right.

Seolhong was sailing smoothly in Yongjaeng with massive support from the people.

Since the Battle of Dragons is a test that focuses entirely on ability, such support could not change anything, but it was a great help to Seolhong.

The countless problems that she solved at Cannes. In the process, she did not spare her body and showed unconventional actions, so she was bound to capture the hearts of those who doubted her true intentions.

She fascinated many people.

“So now we just have to eliminate Shinyo and Taeyul?”

“Removing it! “Sounds like a big problem!”

“Ah, since we’ve been eliminating competitors all along… those two are the only candidates worthy of competition!”

“If anyone hears this, they may misunderstand. I never removed it. “Even though I’ve passed by before.”

“Either that or that… Anyway, protect it well, right?”

A large number of members of the Braves were eliminated.

The final 10 people were decided ahead of the final test.

Among them, Seolhong was one.

Among over 200 Yonghwas, she was the only one who started from the bottom and made it into the top 10.

She was a woman who was touched by miracles in many ways.

“Is that the guy who knows that? Do you realize that you are Seolhong’s escort?”

“B-I am aware of it. And it’s not me who needs to realize this, it’s Seolhong! You should be scolded for walking into such a dangerous slum on your own with only a few escorts! Yep!”

“That’s… um… there’s a part of what you say is right.”

“Yes? “Seolhong should get scolded instead of me, right?”

“That’s not it. Now, go to the designated location.”

Jinryeo muttered to her Jin.

“No, Kunna. “You can’t say things like you’re going to beat up Mr. Chiu for me!”

Kunna is the true spirit of Jinryeo.

Jin’s voice was heard.

– I never said that.

Jinryeo and Chiwoo’s gaze crossed.

“Ehe… Ehehehe… Why is this quiet kid suddenly…”

Sigh…

Chiu sighed and looked out the window. A small building located in a slum. He had also visited there in the past.

“…Seolhong.”

* * *

The child was lying in the woman’s arms, spitting out words.

“Seolhong, Seolhong! You know, if you become a dragon, you can eat whatever you want, right?”

“Um… maybe?”

“Then can I do what I want without worrying about others?”

“You notice… you see, right? Still, there won’t be many people who will stop the dragon from doing what it wants to do. “If you stop it, there must be a reason why you have to stop it.”

“I see… Being a dragon is such a good thing…”

“Do you want to be a dragon?”

“huh. “I think it would be nice to be a dragon.”

The child grinned.

“There is something I want to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

“huh! “I will protect Seolhong!”

These were not words that a child much younger than Seolhong would say.

“So… not now, but later.”

“…you me?”

“huh! Because Seolhong is weak! I will protect you. I will show that even people from the slums can protect Seolhong. If I become a dragon, even if I’m from here, I can join you, right?”

“….”

At first glance, someone’s shadow appeared in Seolhong’s mind.

I shook my head for a moment to shake it off. It is a memory that should never be missed. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose your breath and sink.

It was an experience I had already had dozens of times. Once it rained in my heart, the day was completely over.

bean-!

“Aya!”

Someone fed honey chestnuts to the child’s head.

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Seolhong?”

“Ahh! Yushin is a monster!”

“This guy…”

“I don’t know! I don’t know!”

“Hahaha….”

Yushin came over and sat down.

The one who connected Mia and Seolhong and helped them change the past.

It was the light of the slums.

“Seolhong. “Even if you don’t come here anymore, it’s dangerous.”

“It’s dangerous… but everyone is kind.”

“You lack self-awareness. You can brush away the wrinkles, but you can’t make them look like they never existed. “Not everyone feels the same way.”

“I know, Chiu came with me.”

“Then I’m glad.”

The two were silent for a while.

“Seolhong. Are you thinking of becoming a dragon?”

“Does Yushin also think I will become a dragon?”

“That’s because it’s the closest thing to a dragon. “What about you?”

“… I don’t know. “Is it okay for me to become a dragon?”

“what?”

“Everything I achieved… may not have been entirely my own strength.”

Seolhong wasn’t convinced yet. To rule over the people.

“You know, maybe dragons don’t exist anymore… They might just be an illusion of the times. Still, we follow that reverberation so as not to forget it. “Why?”

widely.

Yushin said as he put down the tea.

“Because Khan’s birth originated from that.”

“Is that right? “The idea that one dragon rules over this wide space.”

“… what do you mean? Seolhong, does this mean that the world you want is different?”

Seolhong’s expression was dark.

“I don’t know. I just… I wish there were no such thing as dragons… No, I often have the delusion that I wish everyone were dragons.”

“It’s a dangerous idea. “Not everyone can fly and breathe fire.”

“Even so… um… I don’t know. “Maybe I’m anxious because it’s a road I’ve never taken before.”

It was true that I was anxious.

My hands were shaking at the thought of having to rule over this wide space if I became a dragon. Taeyul was probably the only one who could not tremble.

Pisik…

“Do you know why the snow-red dragon of the East is treated completely differently from other dragons?”

“well…?”

“Because it controls the weather.”

“The weather?”

“All dragons are dangerous beings, but the dragon of the East is said to have the power to control the weather. “Make it rain or make the day clear…”

A saying from a legend.

If Hwagmu is revived, there will probably be a strong storm.

“For us in the past, weather was an important value that was directly related to life, so we all fear dragons. There will be a person next to the dragon. Yes, it creates hope. “Because I think dragons will change the world.”

“…”

“Become a snow-red dragon. Become a dragon and make it rain in Khan too. Let the rain pour down like a hole in the sky and wash it all away. “Everything from the corrupt powerful families, the poverty of the slums, and even the darkness that Khan embraces.”

“… Is it possible? “If I were to become a dragon, it wouldn’t be enough to rain on me every day to do all that.”

Yushin laughed.

“If you become a dragon, then I won’t be afraid of rain.”

Seolhong smiled and stood up.

Druk…

“I’ll go. “For the time being… I can’t come.”

“I guess so. Because the final ordeal is just around the corner. … Can you do it?”

“… I don’t know. Still…”

Seolhong’s face hardened.

“I don’t plan on stopping.”

That was enough.

Because one day it will bloom.

“…Good-bye, little dragon.”

* * *

Since then, time has passed again.

Suk…

Suk…

A woman is drawing a picture.

Her paintings did not contain a single phenomenon.

I drew all kinds of colorful things that cannot be expressed in simple words.

Her name is Mia.

She is a young-an girl who lost her eyes and was protected by Hyemyeong in the past.

Her deep darkness has cleared. This is because Kang-seol, Seol-hong, and Chi-woo changed her and Hye-myeong’s past.

They returned the painting to her.

This was the reason why she was still able to paint and teach children in a small studio in a mountain valley.

What is drawn on paper is not the world she sees, but the world she feels.

Slick… Slick

…

Clunk…

She stopped the brush.

Now that all the trainees have left, the number of people who will visit here has been decided.

Mia tried to remember where the noise just came from.

‘… If it’s there.’

There was no need to be scared.

It felt like someone I knew was visiting.

Leap…

Leap…

Mia slowly walked deep into the studio.

Since they were making such a show of popularity, the visitors inside couldn’t help but pretend to know.

“I’m sorry… Mia. I just wanted to take a quick look at it one last time. I didn’t mean to startle you. “If I fall alone…”

“It’s okay. “Don’t worry about me.”

Mia smiled.

“Seolhong.”

Seolhong visited her studio for the first time in a long time. She used to come and go countless times, but has been visiting infrequently recently.

In the first place, the location of the studio was not very good, and Seolhong, who was fighting the war, mainly stayed in the capital, Hongyeon, so it was normal for him to visit infrequently.

“Are you coming to see me today too?”

“… huh. Because now is the final ordeal. “I need to be strong.”

Mia turned her head to the picture that Seolhong was looking at.

I felt it.

What kind of picture is hanging there?

Hyemyeong, Mia, and Chiwoo and Seolhong, who look a little younger than they are now.

Lastly… it was a picture with snowfall.

“… This is a picture with a lot of missing parts.”

“….”

There are five people in the picture, but two of them are people we can no longer see.

“You know, Mia.”

“yes.”

“I was afraid. “I didn’t think I could bear it without looking at the picture.”

“What were you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid I’ll forget… I’m afraid I won’t remember…”

“…”

The snowfall shown in the picture.

That painting was the only trace left of Seolhong now.

“…Are you still looking for him?”

“… huh.”

“You are a woman who will become a dragon, Seolhong. “I feel a strong sense of destiny.”

“….”

“Just because the snowfall doesn’t come back… don’t collapse. “A lot of time has already passed…”

Seolhong muttered.

“Yushin said. It is said that the dragon of the East wields the weather. So, you too should become a dragon.”

“It’s an old legend.”

Tears flowed from Seolhong’s eyes.

“… Wrong. “What kind of dragon is it that can’t even stop the rain from falling in my heart, let alone the weather?”

The snowfall in the picture seemed to be looking at her.

And it seemed to be whispering like the time when he came to the living quarters to save her.

– It’s difficult to get caught in the rain.

“Uh… Uh…”

Mia hugged her tightly.

The warmth they exchanged helped her get up again.

“You said you promised me.”

“Yes… I promised.”

It was clearly promised.

To come back.

“Then just trust and wait. “You definitely kept your promise.”

“….”

Seolhong finally stopped crying after hearing Mia’s words.

“Mia, you stopped my rain, so you are the dragon.”

“…I’m not interested in dragons.”

The final trial of bravery.

It was the night before Injung-ro, a road surrounded by people.

Now she only had one last step left to become a dragon.

The snow still hasn’t returned.