Let’s Go Together – Chapter 183

What a Dragon Desires

The gentle sound of flowing water tickled his ears.

The dragon, his heavy eyelids still closed, twitched one ear, irritated by a faint itch. A tiny bird that had apparently been resting atop his ear fluttered away with a flap-flap to the other side. Where is this place?

With a deep exhale—fwoooosh—the dragon slowly opened his eyes.

A vast lake stretched out before him. Though he lay in the center, the shallow water made it easy to coil up and sleep without issue. Slowly, the dragon raised his head, which felt unusually heavy. He must have been lying here for quite some time. As his enormous body stirred for the first time in a while, moss that had clung to his scales fell away in clumps. Startled by the movement, the fish swimming leisurely nearby scattered in all directions. Ripples shimmered over his golden scales.

When the dragon lifted his upper body, the water pooled between his scales trickled down his legs and tail. Every wound he had sustained in the battle with the monstrous bird had healed cleanly. With a few shifts of his massive form, he shook off the remaining moisture, then stretched his long neck to take in his surroundings.

A dense forest surrounded him.

Thunk!

A heavy thud came from the grass some distance away. The Gold Dragon turned his head toward the noise, unbothered.

“…Adrian!”

Someone came rushing in, and finally threw themselves into his neck with a tight embrace. Since the dragon had been lying in the shallow center of the lake, the man had waded in, soaking his pants completely. But Mikhail seemed oblivious to such minor inconveniences.

With the force of a fully grown man, he wrapped his arms tightly around the dragon’s thick neck. The dragon squinted his large eyes and let out a gusty snort—fwhooosh. He could feel the depth of Mikhail’s relief in the strength of his grip.

“Adrian! You’re awake—how do you feel? Are you okay?”

The dragon stared down at him. Thankfully, there didn’t appear to be any injuries. Blink. The cool, reptilian eyes locked onto him, and Mikhail’s expression shifted to one of overwhelming emotion.

The dragon parted his jaws slightly, intending to respond, but then paused. The language of dragons, spoken in their true form, wouldn’t be comprehensible to Mikhail.

It would be better to move in human form—less cumbersome and far more convenient. Coiled in the lake with his four limbs tucked beneath him, the dragon gave his tail a faint swish.

It meant “Move aside.” But Mikhail, entirely oblivious to the meaning, only hugged the dragon’s neck tighter.

Ugh. The dragon shifted his neck uncomfortably. Finally picking up on the unspoken gesture, Mikhail raised one eyebrow.

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

At the same time, the fierce pressure around the dragon’s neck eased.

Now’s the time. Adrian began to rise, his massive body lifting from the lake. Mikhail stepped aside to give him room to move freely.

Despite his size, the dragon moved with the weightlessness of a feather. Adrian slowly waded through the shallow water.

Then, something brushed against his foot.

A white scabbard etched with wing patterns—it was the sword of Fellen Deeps, dropped earlier by Mikhail.

The dragon bent his head and gently picked it up in his mouth. Mikhail, who was following closely behind, watched curiously. The dragon dipped his head slightly, maintaining eye contact with him.

“Huh?”

Mikhail blinked at the sight of the dragon holding his sword. Then, as understanding dawned in those clear, wide eyes, he slowly raised both arms. The dragon’s eyes relaxed, half-lidding in response.

With a soft clink, he dropped the sword into Mikhail’s waiting hands.

“…Thanks.”

It happened then.

Golden motes of mana shimmered, starting from the dragon’s forehead and wrapping around his entire body. In the blink of an eye, the light scattered—and where the beast had stood now was a man.

Golden-haired, with a flawless, unblemished body. Water clung to his skin, and he ran a hand carelessly through his damp hair as if relishing the sensation.

Now in human form, Adrian finally responded to Mikhail’s earlier greeting. Even during sleep, he had occasionally felt refreshing power stirring within his body. It must have been Mikhail’s doing.

“Thanks to you, I feel pretty refreshed.”

“…Excuse me for a second.”

Sunlight was starting to fall on Adrian’s bare, pale body. Mikhail swiftly shrugged off his deep violet cloak and wrapped it around him. Adrian’s bright blond hair glistened in the light, still dripping with water.

Only then did Mikhail allow himself to pull Adrian into an embrace. Wrapped in the cloak, he drew him in tighter, the warmth of Adrian’s body now clearly felt.

The hours of anxiety and fear that had weighed on him until now melted away like snow in spring.

“It’s a relief you’re safe.”

Ha ha, Adrian smiled faintly and slowly patted Mikhail’s back. Still clinging to him, Mikhail muttered softly,

“…I thought I’d never see you again.”

“You must’ve worried a lot.”

“You were asleep here for months.”

“Months?”

So that’s why all that moss had grown on me.

Adrian looked at the human who had sincerely worried over him, a quiet sense of pride welling in his chest. Honestly, he hadn’t cared much about what happened to his body.

“It’s a beautiful lake.”

At the dragon’s calm observation, Mikhail looked up. Because they were still embracing, his sharp gaze was visible up close.

“That’s what you’re thinking about right now?”

“Of course not.”

Where this lake was didn’t matter.

There was something else—something far more important and far more curious. But Adrian didn’t bother asking. He already knew what Mikhail’s answer would be.

“How does it feel? Awakening that power on your own.”

Adrian had always considered Mikhail’s goal impossible. He had even gone so far as to disregard Mikhail’s will and tried to fulfill it for him.

If that had happened… Adrian would never have witnessed the moment Mikhail achieved it with his own strength. That wasn’t something he should ever take away from him.

Ordinas hadn’t wanted that either.

Mikhail’s red eyes locked with Adrian’s. At the unexpected question, he hesitated for a moment before flashing a sly smile.

“Want to hear something interesting?”

Interesting? Adrian tilted his head slightly, thrown off by the dodge.

“It’s about that dungeon with the ceiling mural. When the black mana disappeared… the dungeon collapsed too. I went back myself—the entrance is completely gone. No one can get in anymore.”

“…So that means…”

Adrian’s pupils shimmered with realization. So they achieved the goal—to stop the continent’s destruction. Does that mean there will be no more interference?

“There’s no predetermined future left from Ordinas now.”

“That’s probably what it means.”

“Well, that’s good news.”

The nag’s finally gone!

Adrian looked oddly elated.

***

The place where the dragon had slumbered was a sacred lake in a royal forest.

As soon as word reached the capital that Adrian had awakened, the royal palace bustled to prepare for his arrival.

When Mikhail offhandedly mentioned the idea of a victory celebration, Adrian blinked and asked, “You haven’t had one yet?”

Mikhail had assumed the dragon would return to his lair right away, so he eagerly tried to persuade him to stay in the capital, even if just for a short while.

Adrian nodded at the prince’s persistence, an unreadable look on his face. He had business in the capital anyway.

“Is there anything you desire? On behalf of the Kingdom of Rustavaran, I wish to extend my sincerest thanks,” said the king from the throne, his tone cautious.

Facing a dragon—once relegated to legend—up close, the king seemed unsure if what he was experiencing was real or a dream.

The look on Crown Prince Alix’s face, frozen in silent shock with his eyes wide, was a sight to behold.

Though several steps separated the throne from where the dragon stood, it didn’t feel like Adrian was the one looking up.

Rather, the king seemed to be leaning forward—looking up at Adrian.

Adrian stood tall at the center of the audience chamber, where the entire royal court had gathered, meeting the king’s gaze.

As he observed the king carefully, he noted some similarities with Mikhail. But no one in the world could ever be a perfect match for the one thing the dragon truly desired.

Adrian let out a short chuckle and opened his lips.

“There is something I want.”

“…Please, speak it.”

Gulp—someone swallowed nervously, their throat bobbing.

“I want the most beautiful thing in the Kingdom of Rustavaran.”

“…”

What?

Everyone in the royal court looked around with wide eyes. The most beautiful thing in the kingdom?

Does he mean jewels? Paintings?

No one dared to ask for clarification—it would be disrespectful to request that a noble dragon repeat himself.

Instead, everyone silently tried to imagine what the most beautiful thing could be.

Even the king was lost in deep thought—until someone broke the heavy silence in the hall.