NOVPUBOn the way to the Dragon Palace.
Although the security around the Dragon Palace was tight, I still wanted to conceal my movements. I planned my route, avoiding blind spots in the recording devices, but in areas where it would be difficult to stay hidden, I planned to use Jeon Mu-young’s Gwanglim “Shadowless Time” to move unnoticed.
However, this plan was thwarted by the sudden appearance of Hwang Ji-ho.
He appeared out of nowhere and spoke.
“It seems you didn’t expect my arrival. Were you planning to go alone?”
I had already shared my schedule with the tigers.
When I would visit the Dragon Palace, where I would meet the Class 0 seniors.
After confirming the schedule, Hwang Ji-ho only responded with “Got it,” so I thought he would join us later at the meeting spot with the seniors.
To put it simply, as Hwang Ji-ho had said, I had planned to go alone.
When I briefly mentioned this, Hwang Ji-ho reacted incredulously.
“You’re not planning to send a patient alone, are you? Especially when it’s a den of people who call you the benefactor of the Dragon Tribe.”
“Patient?”
I was perfectly fine, my limbs were intact, and my abilities had returned. I could handle most interdimensional challenges alone, so calling me a patient seemed absurd.
When I asked him to clarify, Hwang Ji-ho replied with a firm tone.
“Yes, you’re a patient. You’ve been injured to the point where you need to be treated with the power of the Dragon King, and you’re going to deny it?”
Being in debt to the Dragon Palace, I couldn’t say anything in response.
In the end, I reluctantly accepted help that I hadn’t planned on and moved with him.
During the journey, Hwang Ji-ho kept telling me to take care of myself and that he would continue to escort me, but it was quite comfortable since I only needed to use Gwanglim when getting in and out of the air limousine.
As we crossed the colorful barrier surrounding the Dragon Palace, I saw dragons waiting to greet us.
Yeo Jun-yeol, Yong Je-geon, and Un-ryong were there.
Un-ryong flew in on a cloud, waving enthusiastically, while Yeo Jun-yeol greeted me first.
“Eui-shin, welcome. Ji-ho’s here too.”
“...Hello.”
Since Yeo Jun-yeol learned that Hwang Ji-ho was the head of the Ho Tribe, his reaction had been somewhat awkward, but today he seemed more natural.
It seemed like he was more focused on other things than on paying attention to Hwang Ji-ho.
Hwang Ji-ho nodded and greeted Yeo Jun-yeol before turning to look at Yong Je-geon.
“It seems the descendants of the Dragon Tribe have come to greet us. But why is Yong Je-geon here?”
“Hey.”
Yong Je-geon looked overly pleased.
After the Teacher’s Day incident and our encounters at school, he had seemed a bit sharp-edged, but now he seemed different.
Hwang Ji-ho narrowed his eyes as he observed Yong Je-geon’s grin.
“What’s going on, Yong Je-geon? What are you doing here?”
“Lately, Shin-rok’s been busy with the work the Ho Tribe assigned him, so I had some free time and came to see something interesting.”
“So, you were kicked out for bothering Shin-rok and came here, huh?”
“Shin-rok wouldn’t kick me out.”
I wasn’t sure why he’d come if he wasn’t kicked out.
After rambling a bit, Yong Je-geon started explaining why he had come here.
“As juniors and as master and disciple, Eui-shin and Jun-yeol are very close, right? And Eui-shin is receiving treatment at the Dragon Palace. So, I thought you must have known Eui-shin was seriously injured, but it turns out you didn’t.”
It seems that it was Yong Je-geon who had informed Yeo Jun-yeol about my injury.
Yong Je-geon claimed he had assumed Yeo Jun-yeol would know, but once he realized that Yeo Jun-yeol didn’t know about it, he spoke as he did.
It was fine since my daily life wasn’t affected, and outwardly, I seemed perfectly fine. I would be healed soon with treatment, so why bring up my injury to make Yeo Jun-yeol worry?
As a playable character, I just couldn’t understand the thought process of the Dragon Tribe’s members.
After spilling all that, I still couldn’t grasp why he’d come all the way here to reveal it himself.
Yong Je-geon casually recited his actions.
“Jun-yeol was really shocked, so I came to visit Eui-shin together.”
“Didn’t the descendants of the Dragon Tribe not know? I thought so. Jo Eui-shin wouldn’t have told you.”
With those words, both Yong Je-geon and Hwang Ji-ho fell silent.
It was as if they were waiting to see how Yeo Jun-yeol would react.
Yeo Jun-yeol, after waiting politely until the older members of the Dragon Tribe closed their mouths, began to speak.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the Dragon Palace. Eui-shin seems to have visited often though.”
Not that often, right?
I had only visited three times.
But if a normal person unrelated to the Dragon Tribe had visited the Dragon Palace three times, it wouldn’t sound strange to say they came often.
Yeo Jun-yeol stared closely at my left eye before speaking.
“I’ve seen you at school, but I had no idea. They said you were seriously injured.”
“...It’s not that bad.”
“You said your eye was completely gone. That can’t be not serious. Even the Dragon King couldn’t heal it all at once.”
Yeo Jun-yeol spoke in a tone as though scolding a junior who had caused trouble.
I was about to explain again that it wasn’t that serious, but when I looked at Yeo Jun-yeol’s face, I couldn’t say anything.
Yeo Jun-yeol looked so sad.
If I had made Yeo Jun-yeol sad, even if the Blue Dragon were to strike me with lightning, I’d have to accept it.
“Eui-shin, if I lost my eye, would you have said the same thing?”
“If you lost your left eye...?”
That was nonsense.
If the Dragon Tribe, the Red Lion, and the Hongryong fan club all rose up in protest, I would join them too.
Just imagining it was terrifying.
Even now, it hurt my heart just to see Seong Guk-eon wearing an eye patch, but for Yeo Jun-yeol to lose his eye completely... what was that supposed to mean?
“Is it related to Senior Seong Guk-eon wearing an eye patch recently?”
Yeo Jun-yeol changed his tone.
Now, it sounded more like a disciple speaking rather than a senior.
Some of the onlookers, who had never seen Yeo Jun-yeol in disciple mode, gasped and whispered “Oh.”
Especially Yong Je-geon, who looked enthralled by the sight, then got hit by a passing cloud fragment from Un-ryong.
Yeo Jun-yeol spoke firmly.
“Since my master is injured, how could this foolish disciple walk around with both eyes open? I think it would be better for me to wear an eye patch too.”
Now Yeo Jun-yeol was saying he would wear an eye patch like Seong Guk-eon?
Though it would be better than actually losing his eye, it still didn’t sit right with me.
Too many people would be energized just by seeing the face of the star player Yeo Jun-yeol. How could he hide that?
I couldn’t continue the conversation and quickly apologized.
Since Yeo Jun-yeol had said something like that, I felt that I must have done something wrong.
While I was apologizing, Yeo Jun-yeol kept looking sad.
“I didn’t say this to get an apology from you. I just wanted to express my true feelings.”
So, he was seriously thinking about walking around with an eye patch?
A chilling thought crossed my mind.
Since Yeo Jun-yeol wasn’t one to lie, if I said the wrong thing here, he would definitely wear an eye patch until I got better.
While Yong Je-geon and Hwang Ji-ho, who had been talkative, were merely watching, I was the only one desperately trying to find words to persuade Yeo Jun-yeol.
“It would be best if this never happened, but if something similar happens again, please tell me. Like this time, if I find out later, I will share the pain of my master, even if it’s after the fact.”
Yeo Jun-yeol nodded firmly.
It seemed like from now on, I would have to tell Yeo Jun-yeol every time something happened.
I wasn’t sure if worrying my juniors and seniors was the right thing to do, but I had no choice but to listen to what he said.
In any case, it was my fault for making Yeo Jun-yeol sad.
Just as I was hesitating and unable to say anything else, Yeo Jun-yeol, acting as a senior again, spoke.
“Let’s go inside. I’m sorry for keeping you outside for so long when you’re hurt. Rest well inside.”
Hearing Yeo Jun-yeol speak like that gave me relief.
Being treated as a master in front of the Dragon Tribe and Hwang Ji-ho was not an easy thing.
“Eui-shin, did you listen to what your disciple said? I hope you reflect on it.”
“Now that our Jun-yeol has said that, he will take better care of himself. There’s no way he would keep neglecting his body after hearing that, right?”
“If something similar happens again, he’ll probably act the same. But he does need a chance to reflect.”
Once Yeo Jun-yeol started guiding us, the usually silent Yong Je-geon and Hwang Ji-ho began chattering excitedly.
I was so exhausted from dealing with Yeo Jun-yeol that I didn’t engage with either of them.
Fortunately, Un-ryong, who was flying around, looking up at me, and Yeo Yeolang, who had been waiting at the Dragon Palace, gave me some comfort.
“Eui-shin oppa! Welcome! Is your eye okay?”
I answered that it was fine thanks to the treatment with the Dragon King’s power, and Yeo Yeolang smiled brightly, saying she was relieved.
‘I wish she had smiled like that instead of being sad.’
It hurt a little because there weren’t many people who seemed truly happy when I said I was fine.
Yeo Yeolang greeted both Yeo Jun-yeol and Hwang Ji-ho warmly.
Yeo Yeolang treated them not as descendants of the Dragon Tribe or leaders of the Ho Tribe but simply as seniors from Yeonggwang High.
While many people couldn’t even speak to them, Yeo Yeolang didn’t seem to care about their background, lineage, or past.
After finishing the treatment, Yeo Yeolang, who had been lost in thought for a while, ran over to me.
“Eui-shin oppa, the Dragon King was heartbroken about your eye injury. But I think many people are worried about you!”
“...Could it be that these worried people are higher beings?”
It seemed that while the power in my eye wasn’t stabilized during the treatment, higher beings related to death had reached out to Yeo Yeolang.
Since shrine maidens following other higher beings wouldn’t casually make contact, they must have done so with the Dragon King’s permission.
But why did these higher beings contact Yeo Yeolang?
“They asked me to make sure to treat you well. I’ll do my best. But it’s such a special eye that it might take a bit more time to treat it properly.”
“Take your time, it’s fine.”
“No, I’ll hurry!”
Everyone except me seemed pleased with Yeo Yeolang’s enthusiastic response.
After the treatment, I had planned to leave the Dragon Palace quickly to avoid causing any disturbance, but things didn’t go as planned.
Hwang Ryong passed a message through Un-ryong, telling me to meet him for lunch and take my time.
‘I can’t leave without seeing Hwang Ryong’s face.’
Today, I hadn’t seen him during the treatment.
Hwang Ryong had left early to leave energy behind in the Dragon Palace while preparing for the changing season.
Yeo Yeolang said:
“There are many school events recently, but I couldn’t participate. I still have to prepare for the weather before summer comes. During the rainy season, the Dragon Tribe members struggle with the water energy, so it’s important to prepare.”
Hearing that made me feel worried too.
The Dragon Tribe is highly affected by the weather, and since the Dragon Palace had risen from the sea, precautions were necessary.
Even Yeo Jun-yeol, who checks the weather forecast every day, avoids going out when it rains.
“Eui-shin, don’t worry about the Dragon Palace. The Dragon Tribe members and the shrine maidens are making preparations. Just worry about yourself.”
“Jun-yeol speaks so well.”
Yeo Jun-yeol’s words were warm, but they had substance, and Yong Je-geon added sarcastically, as if he had been waiting for this.
After having lunch with the Dragon Tribe, I was about to leave to meet the Class 0 seniors when a message arrived.
[Seong Guk-eon] Eui-shin, is your eye treatment going well?
[Seong Guk-eon] I heard you’ve been busy with the newspaper club. Be careful.
An ominous message from Seong Guk-eon arrived.
