|| TL: miyakriko ||
“Well, even if we say agriculture, it’s not like we can start right away. We also don’t have enough manpower,”
Adonis said with a smile while Yggdrasil reached out to the ground. Then, trees grew again from there, and the branches extended over the canal, forming fruit-like shapes resembling ships. They grew larger and larger until they fell from the branches and hit the water, just like ripe fruits.
Long, narrow wooden boats floated on the canal. Their tips were designed to be pulled by water dragons, just as Adonis had imagined.
“Ta-da! The boat is ready!”
Yggdrasil said with a smile, Adonis was delighted but at the same time, he couldn’t believe how easy it was to make.
“A boat in just a few minutes…”
“If you’re happy with wood, we can make many things!”
“Thanks, Ygg. Well, since we have it, shall we go to the village?”
“Sure! Let’s bring Tiamat too!”
“Of course!”
They summoned the water dragon and boarded the boat.
“Kyu-!”
The water dragon made a noise as the boat slowly moved along the canal.
“This is more comfortable than a horse.”
It was soon called the “Water Dragon Boat” and became one of the important transportation networks in the country that was built here. However, it was a strange sight for a boat sailing through a desert canal.
“By the way, my lord, have you noticed?”
Tiamat suddenly asked on the boat, and Adonis tilted his head.
“What?”
“On the back of your hand.”
Adonis looked at the back of his right hand, and sure enough, the emblem that had appeared during the summoning was still there. The blue emblem of Tiamat and the green emblem of Yggdrasil.
“Oh, I see! I summoned the second dragon, so one of the awakening skills has been unlocked!”
Adonis was even more confused by Yggdrasil’s words.
“What? An awakening skill? Does [Dragon King] have it too?”
Adonis knew that if he used a skill repeatedly, he could awaken a new skill from it. For example, using the “Fire Attribute Magic” skill could lead to gaining the “Flame Sword” skill. However, the conditions for awakening a new skill were different for each person, making it difficult to aim for a specific one.
“Yeah! The Dragon King has several awakening skills, and they are gradually unlocked. The condition for unlocking them is the number of dragons summoned and commanded!”
“I see… So, does that mean the awakening skill was unlocked because I summoned a second dragon?”
“Exactly! The name of that awakening skill is ‘Dragon’s Protection.’”
Tiamat said as she took Adonis’s right hand.
“…Dragon’s Protection.”
Even Adonis, who had read every document on skills in order to investigate the power of the Dragon King, had never heard of this skill before.
“Our power resides in the back of your right hand. It’s mine and Yuguyugu’s power for now. And the awakening skill [Dragon’s Protection] allows you to temporarily use that power as your own.”
“Your power? But I’m no good at magic or swordsmanship, and I’ve been told I have no talent for it.”
It was a bitter memory for Adonis. At the time, he didn’t know about the power of the Dragon King and worked hard to improve his swordsmanship and magic, but he found out he had no talent for either and became quite depressed.
“Well, of course you can’t, big brother! Human magic, swordsmanship, or physical techniques are not compatible with the Dragon King!”
“That’s right. Even if humans try to imitate a monkey’s movements, they won’t be able to do it well. Although you may look the same, fundamentally you are different from humans, so it’s natural that you won’t be able to do the same things as humans.”
Adonis half-believed their words, but when he thought there might be some hope, he naturally smiled.
“You can become the Dragon King only by wielding the power of the dragon… So you should be able to understand how to use it quickly. I’ll teach you how to use it!”
“Me too!”
And so, Adonis was taught how to use their power on board the ship by the two dragons.
It was a significant step for Adonis, who would later be called the Black Dragon King and achieve his desire to be the strongest.
☆☆☆
Late at night
In the village of Mirmoos, the full moon shone down on the surroundings.
“Let’s do this as usual.”
“Understood. So, how are we doing this? Let’s start by skinning them alive.”
“Killing a prince is a rare job. I’m looking forward to breaking each of his fingers and seeing how he screams.”
Three black shadows ran swiftly through the village of Mirmoos. They were the “King’s Shadows” a secret division directly under the Klondike royal family.
They always operated in groups of three, with the confidence that they could complete any mission, no matter how formidable the opponent or how tight the security was. Their expertise lay in infiltrating, killing, and escaping. Their personalities, character, and moral fiber were irrelevant. Therefore, their jobs were inevitably associated with gruesome scenes. The brutality of their killings also had a deterrent effect and contributed to the Klondike royal family’s unshakable foundation.
If one crossed the King’s Shadows, death and despair awaited. That was the norm within the Klondike kingdom’s royal palace, and the nobles never dared to rebel.
Therefore, the shadows did not suspect anything. They never imagined that they would end up cornered.
Silently, the three intruders entered a house on the outskirts of the village. It was a house arranged by the village chief, and the target was always expected to stay there.
“Without a doubt, Prince Adonis is on the second floor. The magical waves match.”
One of the shadows conveyed the results of the detection magic.
“Hahaha…he’s sleeping without any guards.”
“How careless.”
“Let’s do this.”
The leader-like shadow spoke, and at the same time, the shadows rushed up the stairs without making any noise. In their hands, they held short black daggers.
As they quietly opened the door and entered the room where Prince Adonis was sleeping, one of the shadows suddenly noticed something strange.
“Hey…what is that?!”
“Damn it!”
On the bed was a life-sized wooden dummy.
“What the hell?! The search magic showed us the prince’s magic waves!”
Confused, the shadows were suddenly addressed from behind.
“Attacking someone in their sleep at night…how disrespectful.”
Turning around, they threw their daggers but they were blocked by roots that had suddenly grown out of the floor.
It was then that they finally realized their mistake. The person standing in front of them was their target, Prince Adonis himself.
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