Chapter 268: Do you think you can do it with your power? (3)

The Pope turned her gaze to the First Bishop and spoke with a gentle authority.

"Please," she instructed, "prepare everything Mr. Cale mentioned here."

“Understood.”

Despite his disgusted expression, the First Bishop nodded at her words.

Cale, observing this, stopped.

“Hmm?”

His eyes met the First Bishop’s.

The First Bishop glanced at him sideways and then turned away, heading to the other side of the tea table.

- I will believe in the words conveyed by Horns, that you will stop the destruction of the Pope.

Those were the words of the First Bishop.

“Ho.”

Cale could once again feel that there were quite a few bishops under the Pope who did not desire destruction.

At that moment, the Pope’s voice resonated.

“Ah.”

The First Bishop stopped upon hearing it.

Turning back, Pope Casillia added.

“I will take care of preparing the story about the Dragon Lord.”

“Understood.”

The First Bishop departed, and as the Pope watched his figure fade into the distance, she turned her head and gave Cale a wide smile.

I am a Dragon Half-Blood, a descendant of the Dragon Lord's bloodline.

Words thrown out as if nothing.

The Pope awaited Cale’s reaction to these words.

“I see.”

Cale responded vaguely, as if watching flowing water.

Only the sound of average ten-year-old children tasting the cookies brought by the Pope could be heard.

Along with that, the sound of tea filling Cale’s cup.

Cale’s gaze turned towards Clopeh, who was holding the teapot.

“With Mr. Ron absent, I must take his place.”

Damn.

Cale looked away from the sight he didn’t want to see.

He preferred the fierce Ron, who smiled with false kindness.

Clopeh Sekka’s smile was truly creepy.

Suddenly, Cale felt a strange sensation and turned his head.

“Eh?”

Raon, with a confused face, stopped eating the cookies and fell silent.

On and Hong watched the confused Raon.

“What’s wrong?”

At Cale’s question, Raon glanced back and forth between the Pope and Cale, a rather bewildered expression on his face.

- Human, Human! Is… is, the Pope a child of the Dragon Lord? Is that okay?

Ah.

Cale realized why Raon was confused.

‘This kid has suffered a lot, but he’s still good and innocent.’

What to do with this little one?

‘Come to think of it, there’s a high probability Raon views the existence of his parents quite favorably.’

Although he met them late, former Lord Sheritt, who is Raon's mother, and Eruhaben, who was like a grandfather, along with Cale’s parents etc., have given him quite a few good experiences with parent-child relationships.

‘...On and Hong are silent.’

On the other hand, On and Hong had been despised and hated by members of their tribe, who were like their own blood.

So, On’s gaze towards the Dragon Half-Blood had become deep from the beginning.

‘They’re still young.’

Since they’re all young, they’ll base their thoughts on their experiences.

While Cale had various thoughts, Raon hadn’t only spoken to him.

- Dragon Half-Blood Pope! Are… Are you okay? This?

Raon knew far more than Cale gave him credit for. However, Raon had no choice but to ask.

‘She’s regretting it, right?’.

Raon had sensed the regret of the Dragon Half-Blood at Black Castle.

The Dragon Half-Blood couldn’t even look Raon in the eyes.

The reason, Raon gradually understood it, even without needing to learn it.

That’s why Raon was worried about the Pope in front of him.

Of course, he was also a little worried about Horns. After all, Dragon Ryan was Horns’ biological father.

‘I have no father.’

However, Raon felt quite relieved by Horns’ firm response to Cale’s question as he guided them to this place. Moreover, it was from that moment on that he truly began to understand this issue.

That’s why he couldn’t help but ask timidly.

- Are you really, okay?

And Pope Cecilia was a smart person.

“Ha.”

What Cale Henituse had asked for.

The information she had revealed afterwards.

And then, the little Dragon asking if she was okay.

She seemed to know what he was worried about.

‘How arrogant.’

That little Dragon was, after all, a Dragon. Therefore, with that arrogance, he hastily judged her situation.

‘Yes, there are many Dragons who despise their own children.’

Casillia imagined that Raon, raised with so much love, couldn’t understand the pain of being rejected by his own kind. Although the Pope had a subtle smile on her face, her gaze turned cold.

It was then that a hesitant voice was heard.

- I’m sorry if I offended you! But, it seems our Dragon Half-Blood also tried to kill me and our Human in the same way, and now he seems very repentant after learning about me and my mother. That’s why I was worried and said that!

What?

The Pope’s smile faded.

Casillia slowly pondered the meaning of the words the little Dragon had spoken cautiously.

“So, the Dragon Half-Blood you were going to give the surname 'Miru'—is he your relative? But that Dragon Half-Blood tried to kill you? And now he regrets it?”

Ha.

‘What a mess is this?’

Wasn’t this even more confusing than Casillia’s?

‘And he wants to give the same surname to that Dragon Half-Blood?’

Unaware, the Pope looked at Raon.

‘Has this little Dragon grown so loved that he has lost his reason?’

‘Was he seeing the world in too pure and innocent a way?’

How could he act that way if not?

- I’m sorry if you got mad!

Raon’s voice continued to babble.

- I’m not very good with these hints! But I’ve suffered too, so I know!

Suffered?

This Dragon who seems so happy?

- Our Dragon Half-Blood also lived locked up, like me. I heard he wasn’t respected as a living being. I also met my family at a late age, just like the Dragon Half-Blood. That’s why, without realizing it...!

... He lived locked up?

He met them at a late age?

Who? His family?

The Pope’s eyes filled with an increasingly strange light.

- Anyway, I’m sorry! I, who don’t know your life, said nonsense!

Suddenly, she realized.

Was there any other Dragon who had apologized like this?

Was there any other Dragon who cared about a Dragon Half-Blood?

As Casillia looked at Raon with slightly dazed eyes, Raon, still receiving that gaze, didn’t know what to do and suddenly used magic to speak again.

- Oh, and actually, when you said you were going to deliver information about the Dragon Lord, Horns’ and the First Bishop’s eyes saddened, so I interfered!

Ah.

The Pope opened her mouth.

- Aren’t they your family too? Right? The way they look at each other is the same as our families! I know! When I’m about to cause an accident, our Human, Choi Han, Ron, and my siblings would look at me the same way!

The Pope’s mouth opened.

“Ha, ha, ha-”

She began to laugh.

The Pope had thought that the fate of this continent would be decided at this place today.

To join forces with Cale Henituse and fight against the Purple Blood Family. In other words, to fight against the Dragons.

She didn’t know who would win. Actually, she didn’t care who would win.

Because she intended to destroy this continent in the process.

That’s why, even though the Third Bishop Horns had brought Cale Henituse, knowing full well that his intention was to stop her, she decided to temporarily join forces with Cale Henituse.

“I’ve already lived for 7 long years! I know that look well!”

The little Dragon, with a slightly boastful tone in his voice, responded to Casillia’s laughter.

“7 years.”

He is truly young.

‘...Mother.’

Until that moment, Casillia’s human mother was still alive.

“Ah.”

Yes, my only father is my mother. Suddenly, the words she had said came to mind.

Casillia closed her eyes. A vague memory surfaced.

A being born between a human and a dragon.

‘Our daughter.’

Her mother’s words came to mind.

‘Let’s live happily for a long, long time. Okay?’

Though she was small, both she and her mother knew.

That a Dragon Half-Blood couldn’t live as long as a dragon. And that the stronger the dragon blood became, the more pain the body would suffer.

Yet her mother always told Casillia to live happily. That she should live for a long time.

Why were those words coming to mind now?

‘I’m dying right now.’

Used by the Dragon Lord and the Dragons, unrecognized for her existence, she was dying.

Why was her mother’s voice only being heard now?

Casillia raised her hand and touched her face. Her face... It was the only thing resembling her mother.

Casillia, with trembling hands and closed eyes, stroked her face.

Eyes, nose, mouth—

“Cough-!”

Cecilia’s body shook.

“Pope!”

The anxious voice of Third Bishop Horns arrived. Usually calm and collected, Horns. It was unlike him.

Casillia felt Horns’ hand gripping her shoulder.

And—

“Pope! Are you okay?”

Upon opening her eyes, she saw the little Dragon who had come closer with a napkin to her nose.

The blood she had coughed stained her hands and the corners of her lips. Her dying body couldn’t handle the dragon blood and occasionally she would suffer spasms.

Knowing her, all the Bishops and Dragon Half-Bloods followed her will. Of course, there were also those who sympathized with her fury and her desire to destroy the world.

But most did it for her, rather than for themselves, knowing they would die after her.

‘A body that has already helped destroy the world.’

Because she was someone who had lived shedding much blood.

If she was already a villain, shouldn’t she die as an even bigger villain?

She had no intention of dying well.

She had no intention of living a good life.

She had no intention of being forgiven.

Casillia had nothing. She was not a good being. Rather, she was the evil of evils. Even in the moment of her death, instead of repenting for her past misdeeds, she only thought of her fury and resentment, and only intended to unleash it all and provoke a war.

“…”

Casillia silently took the napkin offered by the Black Dragon.

Horns’ eyes widened. But the Pope pretended not to notice and she wiped the blood from the corners of her lips and hands with the napkin.

“When you’re sick, this is what you need!”

Raon took an apple pie out of subspace and placed it on a plate for the Pope.

The Pope looked at him expressionlessly and then she opened her mouth.

“I don’t feel well.”

Her voice was the same as ever.

“Anyway, our goals are the same, and I believe we can coordinate our way as we talk.”

“Agreed.”

Cale alternately looked at Raon and Casillia and nodded.

‘What has Raon done.’

He was sure. But for now, he ignored it.

Joining forces with the Pope.

That had been achieved.

“I heard you’re going to destroy Ryan’s Castle.”

At the Pope’s words, Cale nodded and looked at Horns. Horns was a descendant of Dragon Ryan.

Horns nodded.

“He’s become crazier over time.”

At those words, Cale continued.

“After dealing with Ryan, I intend to face the Third Star Dragon.”

It was said that the path leading to the World Tree lay there.

“And then I’ll face the Dragon Lord.”

The Pope stood up from her seat.

Third Bishop Horns helped her up.

“It would be best to eliminate his subordinates as much as possible before the Dragon Lord returns.”

Her voice was cold but gentle.

“I will handle the Inquisitors. They won’t interfere with you until you face the Third Star Dragon.”

“Understood.”

With the most important points agreed upon, the Pope left.

“I can go alone.”

Cale watched as she declined Horns’ help and headed alone to the temple building she used as a dormitory. He then got up from his seat.

“I’ll walk you out.”

Horns offered to guide him.

At that moment, Raon spoke up.

“Huh?”

He had remembered something he had forgotten by focusing on the conversation between Cale and the Pope.

“The apple pie is gone!”

The apple pie that was on the plate. It suddenly disappeared.

He didn’t even see the Pope eat it!

When Raon opened his eyes in surprise, Cale said without flinching.

“It disappeared suddenly when the Pope left.”

A use of magic so subtle that Raon didn’t notice it.

“It seemed like someone took it to subspace.”

Cale didn’t mention who it was.

“Really?”

Just as Raon was about to respond, something happened that diverted his attention.

Biiip~

Raon took his video communication device out.

“Human! We have a call!”

There was only one thing that could make Raon react like this.

Cale stopped and turned around.

“It’s Eradication Team Leader Sui Khan!”

Eradication Team Leader Sui Khan.

He had received a call from those who had gone to meet Choi Jung Gun.

Biiip~

“It’s an emergency!”

However, the screen of the video communication device was flashing red.

It was the signal sent in case of danger.

The God of Chaos.

The Eradication Team leader’s comrades who had gone to fetch Choi Jung Gun from that temple.

“Connect.”

Cale’s expression hardened.

***

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]