Chapter 397 – The crazy one, the innocent one, and the laughing one (7)

Screeeech.

The slightly open iron door opened more and Choi Han walked into the cell.

"Cale-nim, here you go."

Cale took the spatial pocket bag that Choi Han handed him.
This should be what he received from the Singten Merchant Guild Leader Plavin.

"I already gave Rosalyn her share."
"Okay."

Cale put the bag away before approaching Syrem. Syrem was looking at him with a more focused gaze than before.
Cale started to smile as he asked.

"You remember his face, right?"

Only Syrem's eyes headed toward Choi Han and then back to Cale as he could not speak.
Syrem had fought against Choi Han while wearing a black helmet in the Henituse territory battle.

"The three ancient powers in your possession will now become his."

Syrem's eyes headed back to Choi Han after hearing Cale's comment. His gaze had both resignation for death but also a sense of peace.
Cale continued to speak.

"Ancient powers reside in special items or locations once the person possessing it dies."

That was why people needed to use similar methods to what Cale had used to earn ancient powers. This was the reason why you needed heavenly luck to get one.

"And they gather their strength in that item or location. Of course, that is not the only method."

Some did not follow normal procedure.

"There must be a way that the White Star passed the ancient powers over to you."

The White Star had created fake ancient powers with half the strength to pass to Syrem.
And although he had no idea why, the half-strength Dominating Aura that Cale had was created and then buried in the black swamp in the Forest of Darkness.

The White Star was someone who reincarnated, but he had done all these things while he was still alive.
In other words, the White Star was able to pass on the half-strength ancient powers to Syrem without dying.

'Either that, or the Dragon Slayers must have a method they used for generations.'

There was also the method the Dragon Slayers used to pass on the ancient power to the next generation's Dragon Slayer.
Although it was not widely known, this meant that there was a way to pass on ancient powers without them returning to an item nor location.

"You are only a fake Dragon Slayer, but you should still know how they passed on the power, right? You should also know what the White Star did to pass the power onto you."

Syrem looked toward Choi Han with a gaze that seemed to be saying that he had a lot to say.

'He looks like he found hope.'

Cale quickly determined the meaning behind Syrem's gaze.

The three ancient powers for a peaceful death.
Syrem would do his best to make as advantageous of a deal as possible for himself.
Anybody would do the same in his position.

That was why Cale needed to determine the value of Syrem's three ancient powers here today. This made him stop by the prison first even though he was busy.
Cale slowly started to speak. However, before he could say anything…

Pat.

A hand was placed on Cale's shoulder.

"Cale-nim."

Choi Han stepped forward.

"Is it okay if I take care of this?"

Cale looked at Choi Han as if he was slightly surprised.

Choi Han, who was asking if he could take care of it, was asking for Cale to step out for a moment and to take his hands off of it.

"I am enough to discuss these nonessential powers."

Cale started to smile at what Choi Han said next.

"It's not like we need these powers for our plan to work."

Cale could see Syrem's hopes slowly disappear after hearing Choi Han's comment. Choi Han's words and gestures told him that his three ancient powers were not worth much.

'Oh, would you look at this?
Choi Han had a side like this to him?'

Choi Han's usual innocent smile that he still had on his face right now looked extremely sly for once.

'I guess Choi Han isn't just innocent if you think about it.'

It had been the case when he read The Birth of a Hero and as they experienced things together.
Choi Han was too smart and took care of himself too well to just be called innocent. Of course, Cale didn't expect him to be so smart when it came to making a deal as well.

'It's fine to be sly and devious in front of your enemies.'

Syrem was the enemy.
Cale took a step back.

"Sure, I don't need to handle small things like this. Choi Han, you take care of it."
"Yes Cale-nim, I'm sure this underground prison is suffocating, so if you head back up first, I will soon follow behind you."

Cale nodded his head and headed toward the cell door.
There was no need for him to disturb Choi Han when Choi Han was going to handle it from an advantageous position.

'And Choi Han is fine to trust to do a good job.'

Choi Han was not someone who would make a disadvantageous deal nor show any compassion to the enemy.

Cale and Choi Han.
Even if you took Raon out because he is young, the two people who knew about Choi Jung Gun's Korean records had to give their all in everything they did now.

Screeeech.

Cale opened the door and walked out. Raon turned invisible and followed behind him.

Screeeech-

Choi Han slowly closed the cell door once Cale left. Cale turned around and made eye contact with Choi Han who started to speak.

"Rosalyn told me about last night."
"Last night? Ah-"

Cale recalled how he had stumbled and had to be laid down on the bed.

"…I will see you soon, Cale-nim."

Why did Choi Han who was smiling innocently and saying, 'see you soon,' look as cold as Rosalyn looked yesterday?
Cale felt iffy as he turned around and started to walk away from the prison.

Clang.

Cale heard the cell door closing behind him.
He didn't hear Choi Han's voice after that. He was probably chatting with Syrem in a quiet voice.

Cale reached the stairs heading back up to surface.

– Human! Let's go eat more cookies in the crown prince's room! They were good!

As Raon was rambling on in excitement…

Baaaaang!

They heard a loud noise.

– Human, I am great and mighty, but that shocked me!
"Wow, what the hell?"

Cale embraced his shoulders that had curled up in shock and looked back.
Torches were lighting up the corridor, but it was still a dark and eerie underground prison.

'…That noise was probably Choi Han's doing.'

Choi Han was the only one here who could do that.
Cale was slightly curious as to what and why that noise was made but soon shook his head and got rid of that thought from his mind.

"…He'll take care of it. He'll take care of it."

Cale decided to trust Choi Han and quickly climbed up the stairs.

– Human! Did Choi Han break something? Choi Han really is energetic!

Choi Han really was a vicious person.

***

Crunch. Crunch.

Alberu turned his head after hearing a sound.

"Why are you eating a cookie as if you are nervous about something?"

Crunch. Crunch.

Cale slightly lowered his head at Alberu's comment and continued to munch.

"…Ho, my goodness."

Alberu shook his head side to side.
He was currently in his office. Alberu glared at Cale who was sitting at his meeting table eating cookies as he organized the documents on his desk.

Crunch. Crunch.

Raon was sitting next to Cale eating cookies while snickering.

Alberu felt a headache coming.

Knock knock knock.

He heard someone knock on the door.

"May I come in?"

It was Choi Han's voice.

"Come in."

Alberu gave permission and the door soon opened before quickly closing. He could see Cale looking at the opening door and Raon who quickly turned invisible before quickly turning visible again once the door closed and was looking at Choi Han with sparkling eyes.
Cale's gaze especially looked oddly anxious.

'Why is he like this?'

Choi Han entered and bowed toward the crown prince as Alberu started to frown. Alberu heard Cale and Raon's voices as he accepted Choi Han's greeting.

"…It doesn't look like you destroyed a person."
"Human! I told you he destroyed the prison!"

'He broke what?'

Alberu frowned and looked toward Choi Han who smiled innocently at him. He felt oddly nervous at that moment.

"…Your highness, there is a small hole on the prison wall."
"Choi Han, did you do that?"
"…It was an accident. I was just lightly stretching my arms, and then…"

'Ow, my head.'

Alberu was getting a major headache.
He should really keep Cale Henituse and the others away and only see them every so often through a video communication device.
All they do is eat or destroy things.

"Your highness, in addition, the situation with Syrem, the fake Dragon Slayer, has been taken care of properly."
"…You guys said you needed that Syrem bastard's ancient powers, right?"
"Yes, your highness, please let us know when the Nobles Meeting determines an execution date."

Alberu could see Choi Han smiling slightly different than usual. Choi Han respectfully continued to speak.

"Syrem said that he will pass on the powers at that time."
"… Really?"
"Yes, your highness, he happily told me he would give them all to me and that I could take them."

Clap, clap, clap.

They could hear someone clapping. Alberu looked up to see Raon clapping. Cale was shaking his head side to side with an oddly iffy expression.
Alberu had a similar expression as he responded to Choi Han.

"Alright. Good work."
"Thank you, your highness."

Screeeech.

A chair pushed back at that moment and Cale stood up.

"Then we will be back later, your highness."

Raon and Choi Han moved next to Cale. The three of them were getting ready to leave.

"Okay, go. Hurry up and leave."

Alberu waved his hand to tell them to quickly leave and Raon's magic surrounded the three of them. It was a teleportation magic circle.
Cale spoke to Alberu as they left.

"Miss Rosalyn will inform you if there are any changes."
"Alright."
"Oh, and it looks like a Dragon's Lair will be created in the Forest of Darkness."
"Alright, wait, what?"

Alberu's gaze quickly turned toward Cale.
Cale showed a very sincere and formal pose of respect that people used toward the royal family. His body then disappeared with the teleportation magic as he left one last statement.

"Your highness, that is a secret, so I thank you for taking care of things if people start talking."

Ooooong, paat!

Alberu looked at the spot Cale, Choi Han, and Raon had just been at before closing his eyes and then reopening them.

"This is driving me nuts."

Alberu's head was hurting.

***

Paaaat.

A bright light filled Cale's view before disappearing.
His eyes slowly focused again, and he could see people looking at him.

"You're here?"

The ancient Dragon, Eruhaben. He was greeting Cale with an oddly nervous expression.
Lord Sheritt, On, Hong, Ron, and Beacrox were there as well. The people who were at the Castle of Light, located in one of the Three Restricted Areas of the Eastern Continent, warmly welcomed the three who returned.

"You were fast."
"Of course."

Cale casually responded to Eruhaben.

'I still have to see the Dragon half-blood though.'

Originally, he was planning on meeting with the Dragon half-blood to ask about the secrets regarding the red egg that was Sheritt's other child and Raon's sibling.
Most importantly, he wanted to ask how Raon was born and ended up in the cave.
Although it was the worst condition, at least Raon got to live.

'But we need to quickly take care of things right now.'

There was less than two weeks left until the Mogoru Empire's Alchemists' Towers battles and he needed to scam the White Star up North.

'I'll have to ask him later when we go to destroy Arm's headquarters.'

He was planning on taking the Dragon half-blood to destroy Arm's headquarters before the Dragon half-blood's life came to an end. It wouldn't be too late to get his questions answered then.

That was why Cale got rid of any other thoughts and handed a small magic bag to Eruhaben.

"There are 10 billion counds worth of magic stones in there."

Eruhaben started to smile at Cale's comment.
Cale could see a white gold aura surrounding the ancient Dragon.

Ooooooong-

He was not the only one.
Lord Sheritt. White mana was coming out of her.

Eruhaben put his hand into the bag and took it back out.
There was a highest-grade magic stone in his hand.

"Can we get started right away?"

He looked toward Raon and Cale as he asked and Raon then looked toward Cale.
Cale nodded his head.

"That sounds great. I have already informed the territory."

There was another place that he had contacted while he was in the Empire aside from the crown prince, the Whale tribe, Taylor, and Cage.
That place was the Henituse territory. Cale had chatted with Count Deruth for the first time in a long while.

"We will go there right away."

As soon as Cale gave the approval…

"I'm so excited!"

Raon opened up his arms.

Oooooooong-

A large amount of black mana started to pour out of the small Dragon's body.

Chhhhhhhhh.

The ancient Dragon then flipped the bag over and poured the magic stones out. All of the magic stones poured out of the bag.

Oooong- oooooooong- oooooong-

But the magic stones did not fall to the floor.
They all floated into the air and dispersed into the black mana, white gold mana, and the white mana.

Cale lowered his head.

There was an intricate magic circle drawn on the floor.
That was not the only one. Magic circles were drawn all around the inside of the castle and the castle walls.

Eruhaben looked toward Raon and started to speak.

"Little kid, shouldn't you tell this castle that you are the owner?"

The corners of the black Dragon's lips slowly went up.
Raon's dark blue eyes slowly turned toward the white Dragon Sheritt, who nodded her head.
Raon shouted with an extremely happy heart.

"I am the owner of this castle!"

Oooooooong-

Black mana instantly covered the white castle.

The castle started to rumble.
Cale could see the white castle slowly being dyed black.
White gold mana and white mana shot out from in between the black mana like fireworks, welcoming the castle turning black.

Lord Sheritt then started to speak.

"Start!"

Raon, Sheritt, and Eruhaben.
Large amounts of mana started to pour out of the three Dragons' bodies and commenced gobbling up the magic stones in the air.

Crack. Crack.

The magic stones started to crack.
Black light, white-gold light, and white light mixed together and started to shine brightly.

Boooooooom-

The entire castle started to rumble even more.

Once the castle was finally about to start moving…

"How grandiose."

Cale said that and crouched down in a corner of the castle.
He thought he would die if he got swept up by that light.

"You guys come over here too."
"Meeeeeow."
"Meeow."

On and Hong stuck right up against Cale.
Cale could then see the magic circles surrounding the now black castle starting to shine in a black light.
It was the moment Raon was accepted as the owner of the castle.

"We have a house now!"

Cale chuckled at the excited Raon's comment.
They had a very expensive house now.
He was quite happy.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]