* * *
A waiting room for the customers using the carriage station.
A tall man propped his elbows on his thick thighs, resting his chin on his hands.
His expression was neutral, making it hard to tell whether he was amused or irritated by the situation as he watched the child kneeling on the floor.
It was a stark contrast to the face he had shown earlier while looking fondly at the child clinging to his leg in front of the candy shop.
‘Doesn’t seem like he’s particularly fond of dragons.’
Seo Woohyun straightened up a bit, feeling awkward.
Just a moment ago, they had been standing in front of the candy shop, joking about whether priests get special discounts and enjoying the child’s genuine compliments about Erdian’s looks.
Seo Woohyun had even promised to buy candy, but things had taken a turn when his coin purse almost got stolen.
‘At least we caught the culprit. Or should I say, the criminal dragon?’
The waiting room was empty, save for Seo Woohyun’s group and the child.
After catching the pickpocket in action outside the candy shop, Seo Woohyun had stopped the situation from escalating to the point of handing the child over to the guards, opting to bring him here instead.
When Seo Woohyun returned holding the child by the scruff of his neck, his companions hadn’t been able to hide their surprise.
Priests were supposed to maintain a sense of dignity, but who could dictate behavior to those who served their god and his chosen emissary?
Giselle had hurriedly cleared out an entire waiting room attached to the carriage station, allowing them to bring the child inside.
The boy, who had kneeled of his own accord without anyone ordering him to, sat there quietly, looking guilty.
“If you’re going to scold me, just do it already.”
The childish voice sounded pouty.
Though the child looked human, Seo Woohyun reminded himself that he was dealing with a dragon.
Maybe the boy had acted out of ignorance, unfamiliar with human customs.
Still, Seo Woohyun wanted to have a proper conversation with this young dragon.
Seo Woohyun crouched down to the child’s level, not liking the feeling of towering over him.
Raullet, standing nearby, slowly placed a hand on his sword’s hilt, ready to draw it in case the boy made any sudden moves.
Seo Woohyun gazed gently at the child.
“What’s your name?”
“What does it matter to you? If you’re going to scold me, just do it and leave!”
The boy’s sharp words had an edge to them.
Though kneeling as if repentant, his attitude said otherwise.
He glanced warily at Erdian, but didn’t seem particularly scared.
‘A lot more prickly than I expected. I wanted to talk to him since he’s a hatchling, but is there really any point in engaging with a dragon who steals?’
Seo Woohyun sighed softly. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made to waste time here.
Still, since they had gone through the trouble of bringing the boy inside, he figured he should at least explain why stealing was wrong before letting him go.
“…Fr… Francis.”
“What?”
The boy, who had been puffing and grumbling, mumbled while looking down.
“Francis…”
“Oh, so that’s your name?”
As the boy nodded, his sky-blue hair fluttered. It looked like a piece of cotton candy had been placed on his head.
‘He looks a lot calmer now that he’s stopped acting up.’
Looking closely, the boy’s cheeks were round with soft, downy hairs.
It was hard to believe that someone who looked so much like a human was actually a dragon.
Seo Woohyun was about to stand up when Erdian let out a scoff from behind him.
“A hatchling already received their true name? There’s no way. Don’t fall for it. That rascal is lying.”
“H-Huh? How did you know I was a dragon?”
The boy’s eyes widened in surprise.
His large pupils had stretched vertically, revealing his true nature. He clearly hadn’t expected his identity to be discovered.
The boy shifted nervously.
His heavy breathing was so intense that Seo Woohyun could feel it against his face.
Every time the boy exhaled, a sweet, sugary scent wafted from his breath.
Seo Woohyun patted the child’s shoulder and spoke softly.
“Whether you’re a dragon or not, stealing is wrong. You shouldn’t take things that belong to others. Imagine how upset the person who lost something must feel.”
“But…!”
The boy raised his voice but then hesitated.
Up close, Seo Woohyun noticed traces of divine power clinging to the boy.
He had likely stolen from countless priests, but never before had he encountered someone so saturated with divine energy.
It was the first time the boy had been caught, and although he thought he could steal more in such a crowded place, things had taken a turn for the worse.
‘At least I know one thing for sure—don’t mess with people who serve Erdian.’
His mother’s old warning echoed in his mind.
The boy’s lips quivered before he finally slumped his shoulders, his defiance waning.
“…It’s fun, though.”
“It might be fun for you, but it’s wrong to cause harm to others for your own amusement.”
“I’m not even human, so why does it matter? I’m a dragon.”
Even though the boy was deflated, he still clung to his justification.
Seo Woohyun admired his resilience, but theft was theft, no matter the species.
Seo Woohyun stared intently into the child’s eyes and slowly shook his head.
Back when he was living at the orphanage, he would often scold the younger kids like this.
Sometimes, this method worked better than shouting.
Seeing his stern expression, the child, who had been kneeling on the floor, finally muttered softly.
“…I’m sorry.”
“If you promise not to steal from people again, I’ll let you go.”
Seo Woohyun had no intention of dragging this out.
From their brief conversation, it was clear that this wasn’t the child’s first time stealing.
If he let him go like this, the kid would probably steal from someone else.
As Woohyun waited for the promise, the child’s lips twitched.
‘Why do I have to promise? Who does he think he is?’
The child’s pride was already wounded from getting caught, and now, being forced to make a promise only fueled his resentment.
The situation was enough to ignite the defiant nature of a young hatchling.
He remembered being warned not to provoke clergy members of the Erdian order, but he figured it would be fine as long as he didn’t hit anyone.
After all, shouting wouldn’t kill anyone.
“Why do you get to tell me what to do?! I gave back the wallet, didn’t I?”
Yelling didn’t relieve his frustration—it only made it worse.
His parents, this man, everyone treated him like a child, even though it had already been 10 years since he hatched.
“I want to leave! Let me go! Open the door!”
As the child screamed defiantly, his pupils began to narrow into slits, and the air around him started to tremble.
Just as Raullet, who had been closely observing the child, was about to draw his sword—
Whoosh!
The air suddenly grew heavy. The room was instantly filled with a dense, oppressive atmosphere.
The pressure was so intense that even Giselle and the priests, who had been silently observing, as well as Raullet, who had been ready to draw his sword, were left gasping for air.
‘What…!’
The young dragon gulped. For the first time in his life, he felt an unfamiliar sensation that made the soft, downy skin on his cheeks tingle—a sensation he could only feel before his scales fully emerged.
Sensing the imminent return to his true form, the child frantically touched his face.
‘This… this isn’t something a human can do…’
The suffocating energy was emanating from the man seated on the sofa, his brow furrowed. It was an overwhelming aura of divinity.
The moment the child noticed that the man’s eyes, which had been brown, were now gleaming a brilliant gold, his mouth fell open.
‘I still remember the vivid image of him drenched in blood, his beautiful, tear-streaked face as he claimed his divinity. It was the first time I’d ever seen his golden eyes look so sorrowful. My dear, never harm those who serve him, for he fiercely cherishes everything within his sanctuary.’
There was only one being in the world with golden eyes.
By the time the child realized the man’s true identity, Seo Woohyun was glancing around, sensing the tense atmosphere.
‘Why’s everyone so on edge? It’s just a kid raising his voice. Are they worried because he’s a dragon?’
A heavy silence had fallen over the room.
Even though the child was young, the fact that he was a dragon seemed to have made everyone tense.
The moment Seo Woohyun’s eyes met Raullet Vipel’s—the captain of the temple knights, who looked like he was about to draw his sword—he cautiously murmured his name.
“Raullet?”
At the sound of his name, his red eyes wavered. Swallowing hard, he withdrew his hand from his sword hilt and stepped back.
Woohyun glanced at Erdian, who subtly gestured with his chin, urging him to continue talking with the child.
‘I don’t know anymore. I’d better just get this kid out of here and move on.’
Trying to strike up a conversation had only made things worse.
When Seo Woohyun turned his attention back to the child, he saw that the boy, with a terrified expression, was trembling.
His blue eyes were wet with tears.
“Hey, there’s no need to cry. Just don’t do things like that again, okay?”
Maybe it was his appearance, but Woohyun suddenly felt his heart soften.
He gently patted the child’s cheek.
He knew he was being overly kind, but he couldn’t stand by when he saw children going astray.
He thought he’d long since outgrown this habit, but perhaps he’d just been too busy to notice.
The child, while touching his cheek, glanced past Woohyun’s shoulder at the man who had been watching him.
The man’s gaze was still stern and cold.
Even though the man had applied such overwhelming pressure just because the child had raised his voice, he would turn his head and smile gently afterward.
The boy couldn’t understand why a god would act so coy.
‘It’s almost like… he likes him… a lot.’
A sudden realization struck the child like lightning.
‘Wait… is he that Saint everyone said appeared out of nowhere at the temple?’
* * *
Yeah he is
Lo adivinaste
Baby Blue Dragon … Must be Cute!
Wahhh, sounds cute
a rebellious dragoon
Ohh baby dragon
Wow…
being a pre-teen is hard for any species
I wonder what happened to Erdian back then.