Chapter 439 – You Tried to Trick Me? (1)

"Human! Are we teleporting?"

Raon asked as he stuffed the fancy desserts made by the Roan Kingdom's greatest pâtissier into his spatial dimension. Raon's spatial dimension was pretty much a refrigerator at this point. The six years old Dragon was at his growing phase in Dragon years.

'…I don't think I saw any vegetables.'

Cale started to worry about this Dragon's imbalanced diet after not seeing any vegetables in the piles of food inside Raon's spatial dimension.

"Human, why are you looking at me? Do you want some? I don't mind sharing with you!"
"It's fine."
"Ah!"

Raon hit his two front paws together as if he was clapping.

"Human, you probably want to eat green onion pancakes, gochujang, and doenjang! Don't worry! Beacrox will definitely make it!"

Cale's vicious gaze turned toward Choi Han. Choi Han just let that gaze pass by like a breeze, making Cale sigh and lower his head as he started to clean the mess on the table.

'…I guess the senior might have wanted to eat some Korean food.'

Cale was trying his best to understand Choi Han's feelings. It was at that moment.

"Cale-nim."
"What is it? Are you craving gochujang?"

Cale looked at Choi Han with an awkward expression after hearing Choi Han sigh. He could see the concerned look on Choi Han's face. He looked as if he was hesitant about something. Cale's expression turned odd as he looked at it.

'This person, why does he-'

Click. Click.

'Why is he clicking his scabbard with a concerned expression? I keep seeing his sword come out of the scabbard!'

Choi Han was clicking his scabbard with a concerned expression, revealing the cold blade of the sword every time it clicked. Cale opened up his curling shoulders as he confidently looked toward Choi Han.

'…I can't understand Cale-nim's thoughts at all.'

Choi Han held back a sigh and started to speak after seeing the calm gaze looking at him.

"Cale-nim, I heard that the White Star needs dead mana to the point that he ordered it as a tribute."

The Mogoru's former Imperial Prince Adin and the black mages delivered dead mana to the White Star as tribute. This meant that the White Star needed dead mana or it benefited him in some way.

Choi Han was reminding Cale about this. Naturally, Cale knew that as well.
He recalled the conversation he had with the ancient powers when he was on Wind Island.

'The person with the sky attribute periodically absorbed dead mana. This Wind Island's dead mana storage facility was a tribute for that bastard as well.'
'Why does the person with the sky attribute need dead mana?'
'I do not know. I tried to find out a few times, but I failed.'

He heard Choi Han's voice again.

"Furthermore, the White Star still has the black mages and the Lion King."

He was calmly telling Cale the truth.

"Their powers will be immense in the Land of Death during that time."

The time when the dead mana smoke rose from the ground. People with the darkness attribute would be stronger than ever during that time.

"On the other hand, Cale-nim, people like you and me who do not have the darkness attribute will face a difficult battle."

There would be only a few on their side who could fight properly, especially if the Lion King brought out that black wall like the last battle at the Northern Alchemists' Tower.

"Cale-nim, don't you know this situation better than anyone else? So-"

Choi Han stopped talking for a moment before continuing in a calm voice.

"I heard that is the reason why Beacrox, Mr. Ron, Rosalyn, and Eruhaben-nim will all not take part. On and Hong as well. Oh, and naturally the Mercenary King too."

Choi Han saw Cale ordering the others not to enter the Land of Death this morning prior to the awards ceremony and celebration.

It was after Tasha delivered the Mayor's letter.

"You said that you were going to go cut off the White Star's right arm…"

The White Star's right arm was probably talking about the Bear King or the Lion King Dorph. Getting rid of one of them would make their future battles against the White Star much easier.
However, Choi Han was thinking that the White Star's right arm wasn't the problem right now.

"We would pretty much be fighting without an arm and leg. Are we still going to fight?"

Even with Mary and the Dark Elves on their side, the people on their side would be fighting at less than half strength in the desert.

'Cale-nim cannot fight properly this time either.'

Cale had fought in the front in the last battle at the Northern Alchemists' Tower under Dorph's black wall. He was the only one who was able to fight properly.

'But Cale-nim is still human.'

The dead mana smoke. Cale had to avoid that dead mana that would spread through the air.

"No matter how I look at it, I think it is best to fight in the Land of Death after this time is over as the Mayor mentioned. There is no reason to fight when we will end up sacrificing a lot of our allies."

It was at that moment.

"Raon, did you not deliver the message to Choi Han?"

'Hmm?'

Choi Han could see Cale calmly asking Raon a question. Raon stopped stuffing dessert into his spatial dimension and looked toward Choi Han with shaking pupils.

"S, smart Choi Han! I forgot to tell you!"
"Forgot?"
"Choi Han."

Choi Han asked Raon a question before turning toward Cale who called his name.

"Didn't you go to meet his highness while I was video chatting this morning?"
"I did."

Choi Han had gone over to the crown prince's palace as he would be entering the hall separately from Cale.

"Is there some important information I missed?"
"Mm, you see…"

Cale looked as if he was debating something for a moment before starting to speak again.

"Do you remember the Dragon half-blood?"

The Dragon half-blood.
The bastard they fought against in the Breck Kingdom's Gorge of Death who was currently quietly living in the Eastern continent's inn.

"Yes, I do."

It was a sudden discussion topic but Choi Han continued to listen because he knew Cale would answer his question. Cale calmly continued to speak.

"That bastard doesn't have much life left."

Cale's eyes then headed toward Raon. His clear round eyes were looking at Cale.

Cale recalled one of the things the Dragon half-blood told him.

'However, reaching the second growth phase in 900 years was my limit because I was a created being. I ate a total of four Dragon hearts until I reached my second growth phase. If you count the original Dragon's heart within my heart, I was made with the lives of five Dragons.'

The lives and hearts of five Dragons. The Dragon half-blood was someone who was living because of these existences.

'…I smell a lord. That power from earlier was definitely a lord. I know it was. I've smelled it before.'

He was also a bastard who knew the scent of a Dragon Lord who had disappeared 9,000 years ago when he had only lived for 900 years. Cale started to frown.

'Raon had a red egg sibling.'

Cale had too many things to ask the Dragon half-blood. The day to ask those questions was not far now. He looked toward Choi Han and continued to speak.

"Summer is coming to an end. It is fall soon."

Choi Han started to frown. The six months given to the Dragon half-blood were almost over. It wouldn't be weird if his life ended any day now.

"I made a promise with that bastard."

Of course, Cale had not used the word 'promise' with the Dragon half-blood. But it was still definitely a promise.

Cale had said the following to the Dragon half-blood.

'Rest a bit and then we will go attack Arm when I call you again.'

He had asked the Dragon half-blood if he remembered this statement when he saw him doing the dishes in the backyard of the Eastern continent's inn. The Dragon half-blood had answered that he remembered. He recalled the conversation they had that time.

'I know.'

The Dragon half-blood answered that way before adding on.

'…I think it is a good place to fight one last time with everything on the line.'
'Are you talking about yourself?'
'Yes.'

It was the moment a silent promise was created between Cale and the Dragon half-blood. Cale said the promise he made with him out loud.

"The bastard promised to destroy Arm's secret base with me before he died."

Destroying Arm's secret base on the Eastern continent. Choi Han's eyes clouded over.

He finally realized what Cale meant by the White Star's right arm. Cale continued to speak as Choi Han focused his gaze on him.

"The moment the White Star enters the Land of Death…"

When that bastard, his subordinates, and the Bear King or Lion King or whoever it may be, while a good portion of their strong individuals are stuck in the desert…

"Arm will disappear from this world that day."

The White Star would lose his right arm. Choi Han started to speak.

"Then the reason Beacrox, Eruhaben-nim, and the others can't come to the desert-"
"What you are thinking is probably right."
"…They are going to stay in the Eastern continent to destroy Arm's secret base."
"Yes."

Choi Han finally realized the plan in Cale's mind.

Cale was sending Ron and the others to the Eastern continent instead of the desert. They were probably gathering the forces he had created in the Eastern continent with Ron, the patriarch of the Molan household, in charge.

They would be planning for Arm's destruction.

"Choi Han, the White Star would lose his foundation on the Eastern continent if Arm disappears."

The White Star, the Bear King, and the Lion King. They were all strong. However, if strong individuals ruled the world, then this world would already have been ruled by a select few. However, there were times when a large gathering of weaklings were stronger than a small gathering of strong individuals. Cale was planning on the White Star's organization first.

"And, you mentioned something about fighting?"
"Cale-nim."
"Choi Han, you said we are going to fight against the White Star?"

Cale started to smile.

"No."

Why would they waste their strength on someone they knew they couldn't kill right now?

"We are not fighting with the White Star this time."

The Dark Elves were already waiting for them with the preparations completed.

"We are just tying them down."
"Human! Didn't you say we are going to toy with them earlier?"

Cale pretended not to hear Raon. He took something out of his pocket instead and put it on the table.

Tap.

It was an item that sounded like it was made of solid gold. Choi Han started to speak after realizing what it was.

"…A golden plaque?"
"Yes, it's a special golden plaque."

As Cale mentioned, this golden plaque was different than the one Choi Han had seen before. It shined a bit more and the crest at the center looked exquisite yet somber. Cale touched the outside of the golden plaque with his finger.

"The meaning of this golden plaque is simple. It means that everything I am saying right now is equivalent to the crown prince's words."
"…Then the golden plaque you received this time is…?"
"Yes, this is it."

Cale put the golden plaque in his pocket and Raon immediately started to activate a teleportation magic circle.
They could hear the music and laughter coming from the celebration, but that wasn't for Cale to enjoy.

He stepped into the teleportation magic circle as he started to speak.

"We are going to go meet crown prince Valentino."

They were going to go meet the Caro Kingdom's crown prince Valentino.

"He doesn't know that there is an underground city beneath the desert. He thinks that the Dark Elves and Mary are all from the Roan Kingdom. He thinks they are his highness, crown prince Alberu's secret forces."

The Dark Elves who suddenly crossed across the Land of Death and arrived at the Caro Kingdom's naval battle. Crown prince Valentino and the others believed that they were the Roan Kingdom's forces who had come across a secret passage starting from the Roan Kingdom.
It was because of how Cale introduced the Dark Elves to Valentino when they first appeared.

'The Roan Kingdom's forces are finally all here.'

The Dark Elves had become part of the Roan Kingdom's forces from that moment. Cale, the Dark Elves, and Alberu all planned to leave that misunderstanding alone.

This was something that the Dark Elves had decided. Cale, who knew the reason behind this decision, was happy to do as they wished.

"There will be explosions and whatnot happening on the Land of Death when we fight there, so shouldn't we get permission to use the area?"

Choi Han asked as he stepped onto the teleportation magic circle.

"Don't you mean warning them not to unnecessarily get involved?"
"Ah, really."

Cale smiled and responded to that question.

"How do you know my thoughts so well?"

Choi Han, Cale, and Raon disappeared from the terrace once he said that.

They then appeared in one of the Western continent's western cities, far from the East where the Roan Kingdom was located.

– I've turned invisible!

Cale opened his eyes after hearing Raon's comment and bowed toward the person in front of him.

"It's been a while, your highness."
"Yes, good to see you again!"

Crown prince Valentino welcomed Cale and Choi Han with a bright smile. Cale heard Raon's voice in his mind at that moment.

– Human! Grandpa Ron contacted us! He said the preparations are complete!

Cale's smile became thicker.

***

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]