LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 112
I had no choice but to put down the chopsticks I was holding in my mouth. I wanted to eat more delicious food, but the gaze of the red-scaled next to me was too much to handle.
“What’s going on?”
“It’s definitely a child of the Blood Dragon House…”
“But you don’t know whose child it is?”
Nodding at Ch’aeng-a’s question, the red-scaled quickly turned to me and asked.
“What is your name?”
“I’m Seris.”
“Seris…?”
As I answered, the red-scaled glanced back at Ch’aeng-a and Ch’eong-bin, who both furrowed their brows in response to his gaze.
“No matter how much I ask, they won’t tell me their real name. It’s been like that since we met.”
“Really…”
I fiddled with my empty plate, trying to gauge the red-scaled’s attitude. What they wanted to hear was likely a name written in the language and script of this place. But how could I provide a name that doesn’t exist?
“My name is Seris; I’m not Dragon’s Blood or anything. I’m an ordinary human.”
“Lacking the dignity of a Blood Dragon House descendant…? You must have had a hard childhood… Child, you can tell me. Give me your parents’ names. Have they not used the name Red Wind?”
“Do you think they’d know if I said that…? Looking at it now, it seems you don’t even know the name… Wouldn’t it be better to gather all the folks from the Blood Dragon House and cross-verify?”
“Hmm. That might indeed be better…”
The red-scaled didn’t believe my words, much like the two from the Blue Dragon House before him. Even when I tried to explain, he only looked at me with pity.
“Ch’eong-bin, I will take this child to the Blood Dragon House.”
“… visit later.”
As he got up, he spoke to Ch’eong-bin, and upon hearing her response, he extended his hand towards me.
“Come with me.”
“No, I’m telling you I’m not Dragon’s Blood.”
“You need not worry about anything.”
The red-scaled yanked on my hesitant hand and forcibly stood me up. If I tried to resist, it felt like he might just scoop me up in his arms. I had no choice but to follow him out of the room with hurried steps.
Even when I told the truth, they wouldn’t believe me. In their eyes, I seemed like a true Dragon’s Blood. At this point, I began to wonder if there might be a hidden secret about my birth.
‘Could it be…?’
Just then, as I attempted to follow the red-scaled out of the Blue Dragon House, I remembered the belongings I had forgotten, as well as the Airship.
“Oh, um…”
“What is it?”
“My luggage and horse are at the Blue Dragon House…”
Upon my words, the red-scaled paused. He called over a servant scurrying around nearby.
“Bring this child’s luggage and horse to the Blood Dragon House.”
And that was it. The red-scaled turned back to me with a light smile as if to say ‘Is that all?’
“How old are you this year?”
“Fourteen…? No, maybe fifteen?”
I tilted my head at the red-scaled’s question. Since I had left home in the winter when I was thirteen, I must be nearing fifteen by now.
“Wow… not even knowing your own age…”
The red-scaled made a pitying expression at my answer and clicked his tongue.
The place we arrived at, following the red-scaled, was a large mansion built on the opposite side of the Blue Dragon House. The sign read ‘Blood Dragon House’ in a calligraphy style that seemed to blaze with flames.
“Oh…”
It was a grand, imposing building. It had a charm different from that of the Blue Dragon House.
“Let’s go in. This will be your home from today onward.”
“Oh, no, I’m really not Dragon’s Blood!”
“Okay, I got it.”
“It’s true. I wasn’t even born here. I came over the sky on that Airship.”
“I see.”
“This appearance is just because I absorbed Dragon’s Mana…”
As I touched the horn sprouting from my head and let out a sigh, the red-scaled chuckled softly and said,
“Take pride in that appearance.”
“That doesn’t make any sense…”
I sighed in resignation. No matter how much I told the truth, they wouldn’t believe me, so I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see how far this misunderstanding would roll.
The red-scaled led me into the large main building with a steady stride.
Inside the Blood Dragon House, a hot energy enveloped me. It was very similar to what I felt from the red-scaled and varied in size.
There were two extremely massive ones, three that looked quite like the red-scaled, and about six smaller ones.
Creak—!
Upon reaching the main building, the red-scaled casually swung open the door. It seemed the option to ask for the owner of the room’s permission was off the table.
The room’s owner was a middle-aged man. Sitting at a large desk, engrossed in a thick book, he lifted his head slightly to stare at me. The flames flickering in his eyes were intense.
At that moment, the red-scaled standing next to me stepped forward and spoke.
“Father.”
“Is this your child?”
“No.”
“Then…”
“I don’t know whose child it is.”
The middle-aged man frowned at the red-scaled’s answer. They exchanged looks, having a complicated conversation without words. How much time passed? The middle-aged man sighed towards his son, the red-scaled, and said,
“Go summon everyone from the family. What’s the child’s name…?”
“Uh, well… they don’t even have a name yet…”
“Enough. Go quickly.”
“Yes…”
The red-scaled nodded his head and rushed out of the room. As I was about to take a step back, trying to sense the atmosphere, the middle-aged man spoke up.
“Come here.”
“Me…?”
“Who else would it be? Hurry up.”
“I’m not Dragon’s Blood…”
At my reply, the man sighed heavily and waved a hand at the air. The mana in the surroundings began to respond and stirred up hot winds.
Whoosh—!
The door behind me slammed shut. With it, the hot wind gently pushed against my body. After being nudged back a couple of steps, I cautiously approached him, and he gestured towards a small chair beside the desk.
I moved over and sat down.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Um… aren’t you the head of the Blood Dragon House?”
“Yes, I am the head of the Blood Dragon House. My name is Red Gate.”
“I see…”
“And you, too, have the blood of the Blood Dragon House flowing within you.”
“That’s a misunderstanding… I…”
I began to explain to Red Gate everything that had happened so far. How I came to be here and why I looked similar to those called Dragon’s Blood in this land. Given the nature of the story, it was bound to take a while, so I tried to keep it as brief as possible.
Listening silently, Red Gate nodded.
“Do you believe me?”
I looked up at Red Gate with a thread of hope.
“That was quite a plausible story. Especially the part about absorbing Dragon’s mana and embodying that power as your own; it was very impressive.”
“So…?”
“However, you must not forget your roots. That horn, the red scales, the intense heat you feel within you are all proof that you are born of the Blood Dragon House. Did you not realize you cannot hide that truth with lies?”
“No… oh no…”
“Accepting Dragon’s mana in a human body? Who was foolish enough to tell you such nonsense?”
“No, I did…”
“It looks like they’re gathering. Let’s find out what your parents look like.”
Just when I thought we were finally communicating, Red Gate was also Dragon’s Blood. He was a madman who believed everything he said was right. He dismissed everything I had worked so hard to explain as the fanciful delusions of a child.
As he rose from his seat and gestured forward, the tightly shut door swung open.
“Is everyone gathered?”
“Yes… except for uncle, who stepped out for a moment…”
“Don’t worry about him.”
“Yes…”
Before Red Gate stood fifteen handsome men and women. The long strands of red hair danced chaotically under the overwhelming presence emitted by Red Gate.
“Thirteen years ago. No, fourteen years ago, the one who left the house step forward.”
“Does it include just stepping out for a moment?”
“Is it you?”
“Uh…?”
The one who questioned, tilting his head at Red Gate’s words, was a rather scruffy-looking man. The laid-back demeanor of the man didn’t seem to match his nervousness as Red Gate strode toward him.
“What’s this…?”
“I asked if that was your doing.”
“No, but what do you mean by that…?”
Before he could finish his question, Red Gate suddenly erupted with fierce heat and yanked on the horn sprouting from the man’s head.
“Gah! Gahhh!”
“Red Wind, I knew it would be you!”
“Ugh! Father! My horn…! It’s melting!”
Ignoring Red Wind’s screams, Red Gate fanned the flames raging within him even hotter. The energy flowing out of him looked like it might burst into fire at any moment.
Holding onto Red Wind’s horn and shaking it around, Red Gate then turned to me and presented Red Wind.
“Red Wind. You don’t know this child, do you?”
“This child…? Whose child is it? They’re cute… ugh!”
Sliiice—!
Was it because Red Wind’s answer displeased him? White smoke began to rise from Red Gate’s hand, which held Red Wind’s horn. Red Wind seemed to writhe in pain but was not released.
The remaining members of the Blood Dragon House began whispering in shock.
‘Whose child is that?’
‘It is Red Wind’s child…?’
‘It really is Uncle Red Wind…! Amazing!’
‘Crazy man… he left his child behind…?’
‘If it wasn’t for the Blue Dragon House’s subsidiary, we’d be in deep trouble…’
“Child, there’s no need to be cautious. You can speak the truth freely.”
“What do you mean the truth…?”
Red Wind’s gaze landed on me. He seemed to not understand the situation that was happening to him.
“That person is not my father…”
The moment my words ended, a terrifying fire erupted from Red Gate’s body. The heat was so intense that everything around began to melt.
“Gaaah!”
With flames spreading to him, Red Wind let out a painful scream. How much time passed before? Red Gate flung the limp Red Wind into the corner and said,
“Right. You didn’t want to call the parents who abandoned you, ‘father,’ right? I understand.”
“No… my real father isn’t that person…”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to say anymore…”
“Oh dear…”
“Right, I need to give you a new name… forget the name that boy gave you.”
“No, I never received a name from that person.”
“Hmm… what would be nice… how about ‘Lan’? From today, your name is Red Lan.”
Why is he randomly making two fathers for someone else and giving names too? I looked up at Red Gate with a frown. He grinned at my gaze and nodded happily.
“It seems you like your new name.”
Crazy person. That was the first impression I had of Red Gate.