Chapter 66
Chel was lost in thought.
When Rod heard the name “Shanelika”, he fell silent. The murderous intent he had been releasing—terrifying enough to feel suffocating—vanished all at once, as if it had never been there. But none of the dragons could understand why.
After remaining quiet for a while, Rod demanded that the Hatchling Protection Committee and the Disciplinary Committee be convened immediately.
And so, both committees were held without delay.
The agenda of the Hatchling Protection Committee was the punishment of the dragon who had failed to protect the hatchling—and that dragon was Chel. The Disciplinary Committee’s agenda was the punishment of the dragon who had broken the rules and ventured into the human world—namely, Asha.
For dragons, discipline meant being locked away in Castigo for a long time.
Castigo was like a prison for humans, but made specifically for dragons. The confined space was crafted to be so tight it matched the exact size of the dragon, leaving them barely able to move. Moreover, the dragon heart’s mana was suppressed inside, making magic completely unusable.
The only thing a dragon trapped in Castigo could do was sleep, but even sleep was restless and shallow, designed to prevent full rest. In the end, dragons had to endure endless fatigue and boredom with their eyes open for centuries.
Chel had already prepared herself from the moment she learned of Asha’s situation. At least Asha hadn’t died. If she had, Chel might have been sentenced to nearly half her lifespan—about five thousand years. Since Asha had survived, Chel braced herself for about two thousand years instead. Word had it that even one year there was unbearable, but two thousand was better than five thousand.
I’ll take full responsibility.
That was what Chel had resolved. But then, she heard something completely unexpected.
She hadn’t misheard. Rod said he would take the punishment in place of Chel and Asha. He claimed that Asha had only gone to the human world because of his own mistake, and that Chel had merely been dragged into it.
Chel wondered if Rod had gone insane. A moment ago, he had looked ready to slaughter every dragon present, and now he was volunteering to take responsibility for them both?
Was it because of the memories from when he was human?
Chel recalled Rod’s human form—his politeness, his courtesy. Perhaps that had bled into his true self? It was absurd. How could the personality of a human created for mere play influence the true Rod? But without such a thought, his actions made no sense.
Either way, the elders were flustered. The most shocking part was that Rod didn’t try to simply erase everything by force. Instead, he declared that he would bear all responsibility. That meant he was volunteering to enter Castigo.
Had Rod ordered them to dismiss everything by force, the elders would have obeyed without question. They had no choice. But this unnatural sense of responsibility—where had it come from?
Rod, how could we possibly send you to Castigo?
Laws exist to be followed.
If you say so, then taking the punishment on another’s behalf is also impossible. Those who break the law must receive their due punishment.
It was Blue Dragon Yuraybistani who calmly pointed this out, and the other dragons began to sweat nervously.
But Rod said nothing. Even though declaring that Chel and Asha should be punished directly opposed his will, he did not lash out. In the past, he would have threatened disaster for anyone who dared disobey him.
I do not want them punished. Then tell me what I can do.
For the first time, the dragons saw Rod humble himself.
Chel, too, couldn’t hide her astonishment. With a single command, everything could have been resolved. Why was he lowering himself like this?
Perhaps this was what Yuraybistani had wanted, for he nodded and replied:
Then may we discuss it in the Council of Elders and return with an answer?
That was as much as Chel had directly seen and heard.
All the dragons acknowledged the compromise between Rod and the council, and both committees were dissolved immediately. A few hours later, the Council of Elders held a private meeting with Rod.
The result was that Chel was completely absolved of punishment—a tremendous relief.
Rumor had it that instead of sending Rod to Castigo, the elders simply asked him a few questions. Chel didn’t know what they were, but she could guess. Dragons knew almost nothing about Rod, so surely they had asked what they’d always been curious about.
Another unusual decision was made: Asha would remain in the human world in her polymorphed form until she fully recovered.
This, too, was Rod’s will. Since he had taken full responsibility for Asha, the unprecedented was allowed. Normally, hatchlings could never remain in the human world. Which also meant—Rod would return there as well.
Ah, I should sleep…
But Chel gave up on the idea. By now, Rod had likely already gone back to the human world. Yet Chel couldn’t stop thinking about his unreadable expression.
Something felt wrong.
Staring at the black ceiling, Chel’s eyes flashed. Soon, a shimmer of magic spread through the air.
A young man with rosy hair and mint-colored eyes appeared.
Let’s go.
He couldn’t just fall asleep like this. He didn’t know what Rod, with his dragon memories restored, might do in the human world, but at the very least Asha needed to hear about the events at the crater.
Chel entered the room where Shanelika was.
It was his second time visiting the royal palace—the first had been to check her condition. Perhaps because the king had once introduced him as family, entering the palace was much easier this time.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
Chel spoke warmly. He had expected to find her collapsed again, but Shanelika was sitting quietly on her bed with her eyes open.
Even at his sudden appearance, she only blinked her long lashes a few times, as if looking at a complete stranger.
—Asha, it’s me! Chel!
The voice rang in her head, making Shanelika frown.
It was telepathy. Instead of speaking aloud, Chel projected his words directly into her mind. Never having heard it before, Shanelika felt a strange floating sensation in her skull.
—Haha, sorry. Talking out loud feels awkward. I told the humans here that I’m your older brother. Just call me “brother.”
She tilted her head without saying a word.
The questioning look in her eyes made Chel feel as if several needles had been stabbed into his human heart all at once.
Ugh, that cute face is lethal… Who designed such perfection?
While Chel was busy being moved, Shanelika just stared blankly at him. Then she raised her battered hand to cover her mouth.
—Ah. You want me to put telepathy on you, too? Hard to speak, huh?
With just that small gesture, Chel immediately understood what she wanted. And he agreed—it was better this way. Aside from when the king entered, there were always maids stationed in the room. Speaking aloud would not allow for a private conversation.
So Chel cast the spell on her. Hatchlings couldn’t use magic themselves, so he did it for her.
“Don’t mind me, just rest. I only came to see you.”
—Just pretend to zone out. We’ll talk through telepathy.
The words he spoke aloud and the ones he sent through telepathy were completely different, but neither cared. To the others in the room, it simply looked like an older brother visiting his sick sister.
Shanelika leaned back more comfortably against her pillow, then began the mental conversation.
—Did you make your face like that just so you could pretend to be my brother?
Though her lips didn’t move, her eyes carried a faint smile. After being surrounded only by humans, it was a relief to see a dragon friend. And the fact that he appeared in a form similar to hers was almost amusing.
—Are you mocking me?
—No. Just surprised you have a cute side.
—That’s not something a hatchling still wet behind the ears should be saying.
—Still, you really do look like a real older brother.
Her pretty eyes sparkled, and Chel’s heart melted.
Right, this is why I spent 199 years playing with her, even though she has that terrifying partner.
—So why are you here?
But her next question made him flare up.
—Why am I here? To find you, of course! You said you’d be right back, but you never came. I waited and waited—then I came out and found this mess!
Chel’s expression hardened, and Shanelika averted her eyes.
—I told you it was dangerous! What hatchling goes into the human world alone?!
—Sorry, Chel.
—You nearly died to a human, didn’t you? If you had died, I’d be locked in Castigo for five thousand years, you know that?!
—I know… But even knowing that, you still let me go. I’ve always been grateful to you for that.
Ugh. Impossible to stay mad.
Even beaten and bruised, her human face still looked unbearably cute.
—But Chel. This situation… Did you report it?
Her telepathic voice carried tension.
—Yeah.
Chel answered bluntly.
—Then we’re going to be punished?
That’s what he’d come to tell her.
Finally, Chel sat down by her bed, looking serious.
—No. Rod said he’d take all responsibility. We’re off the hook.
Rod.
At that word, Shanelika’s expression changed in an instant. She bit down on her already split lips.
Responsibility? Rod? After ignoring everything until now, he dared to talk about responsibility?
—Hey, hey! What are you doing? You’re bleeding!
Startled by her sudden shift in mood, Chel reached out, brushing her lips with his finger to stop her. After a few taps, the pressure of her bite loosened.
Chel immediately realized. Something big had happened between Rod and Shanelika.
He simply watched her in silence as she brooded.
After a while, Shanelika finally spoke.
—Chel.
—Yeah?
—Tell me how to quit being a partner.
—Quit… what?
—If there’s a way to become partners, then there must be a way to stop being partners too. Tell me how.
