HTNSA 132

Chapter 132

The knights beside him murmured quietly.

“Is what the Dragon said true? Is Lady Eila really the true daughter of the Blanche family?”

“What is going on…?”

Eila showed a momentary troubled expression, but after hearing Devens’s words, she was neither greatly shocked nor did she deny it.

It seemed she already knew well that she was the true daughter of the Blanche family.

“That power… be careful how you use it. Great power always comes with a price.”

Devens gave a cold smile and passed by her.

Ignoring the confusion of the surrounding humans, he approached Piyo, who was still inside the cocoon.

“So this little one is the one?”

Eila, suddenly realizing this, hurried to him.

“Ah, yes. This is Piyo.”

Upon hearing her answer, Devens’s brow twitched. His expression looked displeased.

‘Why such a face…? Could there be a problem with Piyo?’

Eila asked cautiously,

“Is Piyo’s condition very serious?”

Devens let out a short bitter laugh.

“To call the Black Dragon ‘Piyo’… who gave that name?”

His mocking expression made Eila hesitate.

“Well, I did.”

Her voice trailed awkwardly, as if there was some problem.

Devens looked as if speechless.

“Do you plan to call it ‘Piyo’ even after it grows? Do you know how big a Black Dragon can get?”

“Yes… but isn’t it cute?”

“……”

Devens was silent for a long moment after her answer.

“Hmm… it is cute.”

The mood became a little cold, but Eila quickly recovered her spirit.

“So, is Piyo okay now?”

“Don’t worry. The shedding is going normally.”

Hearing this, Eila quietly sighed in relief.

Devens kneeled and laid a hand on the cocooned Piyo. After a moment of thought, he spoke softly.

“Because you have strong power, the magic supply seems sufficient. At this level, the shedding will finish soon.”

“Really? How long until then?”

“In about a week, it should return to its original form.”

Devens slowly withdrew his hand and stood up.

“After shedding, the dragon’s growth is frightening. In one month, it will quickly grow to the size of a house. So from right after shedding, it must get plenty of nutrition… What are you doing now?”

Eila took out a notebook and busily started writing, causing Devens to raise an eyebrow.

But she paid no mind and eagerly asked more questions.

“Is there anything else I should pay attention to?”

“After shedding, the dragon will be able to control magic, so it needs training to fit in among humans.”

“What kind of training?”

Devens, seeing her enthusiastic response, answered eagerly.

“First, it must learn polymorph magic. The smaller its body, the easier it is to control magic. Also, it must regularly release transformation to receive natural magic…”

Eila carefully wrote down all his advice.

“Is there anything to do right now?”

“Right now? Well… treat it like when it hatched. Give it plenty of light, stay near it to keep supplying magic steadily, and maintain a stable temperature.”

“Yes, I will remember that.”

Eila clenched her fist and answered firmly.

She looked happy to have finally found clues after gathering the empire’s top scholars but getting no clear information.

Devens looked at her kindly for a moment, then turned his gaze back to Piyo and spoke.

“And there is something most important.”

“…Important?”

“Dragons are very sensitive to their owner’s emotions. So it is most important the owner stays calm and not anxious.”

Eila quietly sighed and muttered softly, a little down.

“I’m really glad I came to see the Red Dragon. Otherwise, I would have kept worrying alone and only caused bad influence on Piyo.”

“Devens.”

“Yes?”

“My true name is Devens.”

Devens said this while carefully stroking Piyo’s head.

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Piyo inside the cocoon looked perfectly peaceful.

“This one seems to like you very much.”

“Really?”

“Yes. If you keep showing this much affection, it will grow without problems. Dragons originally like humans.”

Eila closed her mouth tightly and looked at Piyo.

‘Piyo likes me…’

Although she already knew, hearing it confirmed by Devens made her feel strangely touched.

Then a small question arose.

‘But… the dragon just said dragons like humans?’

That was quite different from what she had seen, heard, and learned so far.

‘Even the duke said Devens disliked humans…’

Then why did he hate humans? She tilted her head, puzzled.

At that moment, Devens muttered with a regretful look.

“It’s been a long time since a new dragon was born.”

“……”

Like Devens said, the Black Dragon seemed almost extinct, and other dragons had also not appeared for a long time.

‘That’s why the capital took great interest in Piyo’s birth.’

Unable to hold back her growing curiosity, Eila cautiously asked.

“Devens, I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“While taking care of Piyo, I looked through dragon records. Long ago, dragons seemed to live quite close to humans.”

“…That’s right.”

“Then why have today’s dragons all hidden their presence? And what’s stranger…”

Devens listened quietly with a serious face as Eila carefully chose her words.

“There is too little information on dragons. It’s hard to imagine they were once a species that lived closely with humans.”

“……”

“It’s as if someone deliberately erased those records.”

“Do you think someone covered up the records about dragons?”

“Yes, that’s what I felt.”

Devens did not deny this. Instead, his expression grew colder.

“It’s all… because of human greed.”

He stopped stroking Piyo’s head and slowly stood up.

At that moment, a heavy atmosphere settled. The Kistal Knights stiffened from the pressure.

Felix instinctively pulled Eila’s hand toward himself.

Devens, whose eyes blazed with anger, finally spoke after a long time.

“Greedy humans who coveted dragon power. Because of them, we chose to keep away from humans. It’s all humans’ fault.”

“…Humans coveted dragon power?”

A cold smile spread on Devens’s lips.

“It seems there was no information left about them in human heritage?”

“……”

“Thinking carefully, maybe you also suffered greatly because of those humans.”

“Me? What do you mean…?”

His yellow eyes slowly darkened.

“I cannot say now. But when you reclaim your place someday, you will understand what I meant.”

Eila swallowed hard. Every word from Devens carried weight not easily brushed off.

“…Is it something I should not know now?”

After a long silence, Devens nodded.

“Breaking cause and effect recklessly is not easy even for dragons.”

Eila frowned and looked at Devens.

His face remained an unreadable expression.

‘Cause and effect…’

Devens said she would understand his words when she regains her place.

That means… the truth that Rosia is fake and she is the real blood of the Blanche family will be revealed someday.