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…Why was it this again?
If Cale knew, he would have worn something else. Holding back an annoyed sigh—it would only get dust in his lungs—he continued to crawl on the floor. Similar to when he obtained the Vitality of the Heart, the entrance to the place hiding an artifact was in the side of a mountain, hidden by foliage.
Did ancient people think crawling on the floor was some kind of right of passage?
The tunnel he was in was narrow and small, barely large enough for a grown man to crawl through. The young man’s red hair brushed the low ceiling, covering the neat, lustrous strands in dust. The three children averaging nine years old could freely run around in this small space but Cale did not bring them today. His goal was not an ancient power, but something related to it—an ancient artifact with a hypnotic ability. On asking the golden dragon Eruhaben, always a reliable font of information, he learned these items followed the same rule as the ancient powers; they had to be obtained by one’s own efforts.
That was why Cale only brought one person with him. Children should attend their lessons, and the person he asked was one that the excessively concerned dragon Raon and two kittens would allow Cale to go without objections. Of course, Cale didn’t need the children averaging nine years olds’ permission to do anything, but it was less troublesome this way.
As for why the person who came with Cale wasn’t crawling right now, it was because it was that very same ancient dragon he consulted. Hearing that Cale was seeking another power from the ancient era, Eruhaben expressed interest, saying he would accompany him. Cale knew that Eruhaben’s interest was in the artifact, but his heart still beat a little faster.
At present, the plan was for Cale to into the cave first. Once Cale reached an open space where a majestic dragon wouldn’t have to crawl on his hands and knees, Eruhaben would use Cale as the coordinates for teleportation.
Fifteen minutes later, a dirt-smudged young master emerged from the tiny crawlspace into a wide cavern. Dusting off his hair and clothes, Cale looked around. The air was surprisingly fresh for what should have been a musty cave, carrying the crisp, green scent of plants. The source was immediately obvious. Rather than packed, barren dirt, a circular oasis occupied most of the cavern. At the center was a wizened tree with a pale, twisted trunk that wound upwards to a rich green canopy, the distance from the ground to the quiet leaves twice the height of a grown man. An arm’s length from it was the sole man-made appearing object in this space, a carved stone pedestal, its grey surface covered with a lattice of winding vines. A lush carpet of grass sprawled out from the center, sprinkled with small, colorful flowers, their faces turned up towards the source of sunlight—a round hole high above in the ceiling of stone. Light spread downward from that point, illuminating the tranquil scene below.
The scenery was as beautiful as a painting, like a serene fairytale garden.
But the person looking at this beautiful scene was not peaceful.
Cale’s heart pounded against the cage of his ribs, the Vitality of the Heart showing a powerful reaction. He suddenly felt hot, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt.
The activation of his ancient powers meant he was in the right place, but Cale was puzzled. Why would the Fire of Destruction he possessed also respond? The artifact he was after had nothing to do with fire or purification. The obnoxious voices of the ancient powers were also suspiciously silent, making the picture of paradise in front of him seem even more shady.
Not a single one of his experiences with obtaining ancient powers was normal.
For a magical anomaly Cale couldn’t see or sense, there was nothing better than a premium grade mana analysis device: a dragon. Crouching down, Cale called down the tunnel. “Eruhaben-nim. I’m through.”
Before Cale finished straightening his legs, a man with silken strands of white-gold hair falling to his waist had already appeared in the cave.
This person was the ancient dragon, Eruhaben.
To say he was handsome was not enough to describe the person’s image, a striking appearance that made the famously beautiful elves pale in comparison. The flowing white and dark gold robe he wore, intricately embroidered with graceful patterns, seemed unsuitable for this dusty outing. The only sign that he was a dragon was the reptilian golden eyes with vertical pupils, and the way a flick of his fingers scattered the dirt on Cale’s hair and clothing away like a gentle breeze, leaving him as clean as when he entered.
“Is it here?”
The question was unnecessary. Eruhaben asked because of the strange expression on Cale’s face. The previous times he came with this human to get ancient powers, Cale always wore a smile, eyes gleaming on sensing the imminent ‘free loot’ that would fall into his hands.
“It’s the right place.”
Without further words, Eruhaben walked toward the obvious landmark.
“There’s no water,” Cale observed as he followed, bringing Eruhaben’s attention to the oddity of the oasis.
“The source could be beneath.” Eruhaben replied thus, but didn’t deny the potential abnormality. It wasn’t that he sensed nothing unusual, but what was a dragon? A dragon was an arrogant existence, and Eruhaben was the oldest of them. There was nothing he needed to fear.
The young master trailing Eruhaben’s steps wasn’t ordinary either, alert but on edge, the Vitality of the Heart thumping heavily in his chest.
Eruhaben did not spare the twisted tree a glance, his attention resting solely on the pedestal. “There is something written.”
Hearing this, Cale drew on the wood attribute from the Indestructible Shield, using it to push the covering vines aside—he didn’t want to chance Eruhaben turning the pedestal to dust.
Strange. Whenever Cale approached an ancient power, the loud complaints of the previous owner’s voice would flood out in a deluge. He couldn’t get them to stop talking even if he wanted to, annoying him to no end.
That was how it was every time before. Was it different here because it was an artifact?
Even more unusual was for the voices of the ancient powers residing within him to be so quiet in the presence of their own kind.
“Hm?” The sound of interest from Eruhaben gave Cale a sense of foreboding. “Interesting,” Eruhaben said, making Cale think that whatever was written on there was definitely not interesting in a way he would appreciate.
The situation only became odder from there. As Eruhaben calmly read out the inscription, a dreamy pink atmosphere drifted out from the pedestal with a slow, dramatic flair, sparkling in the air with a sweet and floral scent.
The scent was very pleasant, but every fine hair on Cale’s body stood on end.
Looking at the translucent rosy atmosphere in the picturesque garden, alluring and inviting, a horrifying word immediately appeared in his mind unbidden.
‘Romantic’.
The inscription spoken in Eruhaben’s mild voice matched this ‘stage’ set for two, the instructions leaving Cale speechless. Like an epiphany, Cale seemed to have understood the silence of the ancient powers inside him.
It was a mortified silence.
‘I can’t bear to look.’ That was the feeling he sensed as the ancient powers collectively buried their heads in the metaphorical sand, denying their association with the perverse item-individual in this cave.
The condition presented could be said to be very simple, but could also be said to be very difficult. An exception to the rule, obtaining this ancient artifact required two participants.
Consummate the feelings between two people in this romantic scenery.
Ahem, the two people had to be male, the inscription specified.
“F*ck.” The absurd conditions shocked a curse out of the hard-to-ruffle young master. “What the hell is this, when did the genre change to BL?” Did a fujoshi sneak a few lines into the manuscript, or was this some crazy easter egg from the original author?
The instructions echoed in Cale’s mind like an intrusive thought, refusing to be tossed away into a corner. Consummate. This damn perverted author. Forget BL, wasn’t this actually 18+ Only content?! He didn’t need this kind of easter egg! Though wild thoughts flew through Cale’s head, his outward composure was maintained.
Eruhaben didn’t know what BL was, but he was an ancient dragon. It wasn’t difficult for him to follow the general line of the human’s thoughts. “What genre should it be then?” he inquired lightly.
Fantasy.
Distracted by chaotic thoughts, Cale’s absent response was still reserved. “Action and Adventure.” The real answer was too troublesome to explain and, with all the times he had to pull out his shield to block explosions, mermaids, weapons, etc., what he said was not technically wrong.
“Is that why you’re always getting caught up in messy things?” Given the nature of an ancient dragon, it was difficult to tell whether Eruhaben had understood something or was just playing along. “After watching you for a while, the way you live is really tiring. Every problem in the world swarms to you. Even the barrier of a separate continent isn’t sufficient.” Eruhaben seemed to marvel at this. “Your one hundred days is more exciting than a dragon’s century.”
Of course, a dragon like Eruhaben in his old age wasn’t interested in troublesome things, so his tone towards Cale on being the recipient of this ‘excitement’ was one of pity.
Cale, forever aspiring to a slacker life, took critical damage from these excessively accurate words.
Eruhaben side-eyed him. “Tsk, tsk, you unlucky bastard. Should I say you’re lucky or unlucky this time?” he asked, bringing them back to the topic Cale would rather avoid.
The artifact’s condition: Consummate two people’s feelings.
“Maybe it means a kiss,” Cale said with zero hope. He would have tried handshake if the probability of that wasn’t in the negatives.
The problem was that one word: consummate. It didn’t leave much room for interpretation.
The corner of Eruhaben’s mouth twitched, seeming to be holding back laughter. “Do you think that’s possible?” The quiet chuckles that followed tickled something in Cale’s chest. “I can do it,” Eruhaben said casually, as if talking about getting a glass of water.
Eruhaben, Eruhaben would… with him …?
A flush of color crept up the back of Cale’s neck as unwanted images of this and that came to mind. Being used to the person’s attractiveness didn’t mean Cale was immune. It just meant the attraction was at a level he could ignore, going about his days normally. If he stole a few extra glances at the dragon sometimes, no one needed to know.
Eruhaben watched with interest, finding the rare appearance of a flustered Cale pleasing to the eye. Equally nonchalantly, he offered an alternative. “I can also switch out with someone if you know their location. I have the coordinates so we can just teleport them in to explain.”
Swiftly turning his back, Cale walked a few stiff steps away, needing the space to breathe as much as he needed the space to think.
Giving up the artifact wasn’t an option; it was essential to his next plan, to ensure it could be carried out without harming civilians.
As long as the condition for acquiring it didn’t cross his bottom line, he would complete it.
Other than this ancient dragon, who was around that could help with this? Cale ran through the list of current inhabitants of the Villa and Harris Village in his head.
Minors were out, someone his peer was preferable. There were certainly people he could think of but…
If it was any other task, he would happily pass it off to his exceptionally competent companions, ordering them around without a care.
But this was different.
His closest people were in on the plan, they all knew how important this artifact was for protecting innocents. This wasn’t something he could ask of anyone with the pressure and obligation of lives weighing on them.
Moreover, there would likely be after effects on the relationship. Whichever person he chose, the likelihood their interactions would become incredibly awkward afterwards was very high. He didn’t think it would be to the point that it was irreparable, but he also couldn’t predict how long the awkwardness and avoidance would linger.
On these two counts, it could be said that Eruhaben was the optimal person for this mission.
Pressure? Obligation? Cale didn’t have to worry about those things with Eruhaben. After all, who was Eruhaben?
He was someone who could casually say, ‘I am the closest to perfection in this world’ in perfect seriousness.
He was a dragon, an existence that stood above all others, a continent level calamity.
A dragon would only do whatever they wanted to do.
Awkwardness?
If Cale turned around, he knew he would see Eruhaben relaxed and at ease as he patiently waited for Cale’s decision, unbothered by the circumstances.
The only obstacle was his personal feelings.
Rubbing a hand over his face, Cale took a deep breath and turned.
“How should we do this?”
**
On accepting Eruhaben’s offer, there was a slight surprise in the dragon’s eyes that Cale found gratifying. The surprise quickly softened into understanding, and Cale changed the topic to practical matters, feeling uncomfortable.
The ‘feelings’ portion of the requirement was vague enough that they both thought it wouldn’t be a problem. Though Eruhaben didn’t say it in so many words, he seemed to agree that the original owner’s purpose was just for two men to roll around together in the grass.
What Cale didn’t tell Eruhaben was that his side of the feeling requirement would be satisfied regardless.
Having come to this agreement, they tried out the easier steps.
Holding hands didn’t work, only serving to amuse Eruhaben, who clearly thought the possibility of this being the solution wasn’t even worth mentioning. The dragon’s pale, beautiful hand was warm and steady, while Cale’s palm was damp.
It had Cale mildly irritated—they were just holding hands, nothing to get worked up about. He had gone farther in his previous life without losing his cool.
The difference was the person involved.
If Eruhaben noticed, he mercifully made no mention of it.
Kissing also didn’t satisfy the conditions, though Eruhaben proved he was experienced, unhurried and thorough as he explored Cale’s mouth, leaving him breathless when they parted.
Confirming these two brought them to the third item on the checklist.
“Unlucky then,” Eruhaben concluded, reading Cale’s expression. His hand was still on Cale’s face. At this distance, it was impossible to hide anything from the dragon, who likely already suspected as much.
Cale had wanted to approach the situation with pragmatism, but it was impossible. It wasn’t that he disliked the thought of lying with Eruhaben; if anything, it was the opposite—that he wanted too much. He was afraid his true feelings would be exposed in a moment of intimacy.
But these worries couldn’t be voiced to the subject of those very same worries, so he said nothing at all.
Eruhaben rubbed the pad of his thumb slowly over Cale’s lips, reddened from kissing. “Then this dragon will just turn your unluckiness into luck.”
The sentiment was a little silly… and exceptionally kind.
Everyone in their group knew that for all his grumbling, their ancient dragon was a total softy.
Cale’s chest ached a little, a contradictory warmth swelling within. Not knowing how to feel, he half-laughed, half-scoffed, but went easily when Eruhaben drew him into another kiss, slow and sweet.
It was a promise, and Eruhaben always did what he said he would do.
Closing his eyes, Cale entrusted himself into the dragon’s hands.