Chapter 56: Recounting the Past

Too many things had happened today.

After finishing dinner, Kei had no energy left to continue working. He sat blankly in front of the crafting table, staring at the unfinished F-rank space ring lying on its surface.

The magic circuits on the ring had not been fully engraved. With just a little more focus, Kei could have completed it, but his mind was already a tangled mess.

Memories of the black dragon kept surfacing.

The massive, blood-covered body. The trembling claws holding him close. The dragon core shattering within that small chest.

Then came Kai.

Those golden eyes just like back then, that naive expression, the hand gripping tightly at his sleeve, the lonely look of someone who didn’t want to leave.

Kei raised a hand to cover his face.

Every time he recalled the black dragon’s death, all he wanted to do was hide under the blankets and cry his heart out. But he was no longer a child who could only cry to get through the pain.

If Kai really was his little dragon, then he had to do something to help him.

"I’m just an F-rank Craftsman..."

Kei muttered, his gaze falling on the unfinished ring.

The thought of healing Kai sounded no different from a pipe dream. He didn’t even know how to treat a shattered dragon core, let alone why Kai had suddenly come back to life in Korea after all those years.

But he couldn’t keep living day by day in a daze like before.

Originally, Kei had only planned to earn enough money to keep the shop running and live out the rest of his life in peace. Now that he had a goal, he had to work hard to develop this profession.

He needed to become stronger.

Not to save the world, nor to become a mage praised by everyone like in the past.

He just wanted to save Kai, and that condition was far from stable.

Knock, knock.

"Kei, still awake?"

Sora’s voice came from outside the door.

Before Kei could even answer, the door creaked open. Sora walked in carrying a glass of warm milk, and as soon as she saw him sitting blankly at his desk, she chuckled.

"I knew you weren’t asleep yet. I saw the light still on from downstairs."

"I was about to go to bed."

"Staring at that ring for half an hour counts as about to go to bed?"

Sora set the glass of milk down in front of Kei and pulled up a chair to sit beside him. She rested her chin on her hand, watching him drink the milk in small sips, looking just like someone caring for a stubborn child.

"Drink it all. You’ve been through way too much today."

Kei obediently finished the glass of milk. The warmth spread down to his stomach, easing the tension in his body just a little.

Sora was quiet for a moment, then asked curiously:

"Hey Kei, who exactly is Kai?"

Kei frozen.

"How do you know an SS-rank hunter? And honestly, he looks like he’d follow you the moment you said the word, like a loyal dog."

Kei lowered his head and looked at his own hands.

He hadn’t planned on telling anyone about this. It was his past, memories buried so deep he didn’t want to touch them.

But Sora wasn’t an outsider.

She was Grandma Kim’s granddaughter, and she was the one who had stayed by his side during the hardest times.

Kei was silent for a long while, then slowly said:

"This story might be hard to believe."

"That’s fine. I’ve already seen a black dragon that can turn into a human. From now on, no matter how strange a story you tell me, I’ll try my best to believe it."

Sora said with a smile.

Kei let out a very soft laugh.

Then, he began to tell the story of his old life.

He talked about the old world, about his identity as a mage, about the war against the Demon King and why he had fallen into this world. He talked about the lonely days after losing all his power, about how Grandma Kim had picked him up from a dump, and even about how she had passed away too quickly and too suddenly.

Finally, he talked about the black dragon.

About the little dragon that had appeared by his side.

About the days the two of them spent together in Mist Forest, about how the little dragon always trailed behind him, refusing to leave even when scolded. About the battle with Azel, about the moment that ancient monster swallowed him whole.and about the escape from the forest, and how the dragon had sacrificed its own dragon core to save him.

Kei recounted it very calmly, but the fingers resting on his knees had clenched tight at some point.

When he got to the part about the black dragon’s core shattering, his voice turned hoarse.

Sora didn’t interrupt even once.

She just listened quietly, her eyes gradually turning red. By the time Kei finished, tears had already spilled past the corners of her eyes.

"It must have been really hard, right?"

Sora reached out, pulled Kei’s head to rest against her, and gently stroked his glossy black hair.

"Things like saving the world must be incredibly difficult, huh?"

Kei didn’t answer right away.

He was already used to bearing everything alone. No one ever asked if he was tired, and no one truly knew what he had lost.

Now, just one simple question from Sora made his chest ache.

"Yeah."

Kei said softly.

"It was really hard."

Sora laughed through her tears, her hand still gently running through his hair.

"Then from now on, don’t endure it all by yourself. If you need to cry, then cry. If you need someone to listen, I’ll listen."

Kei smiled quietly.

After voicing the things he had kept hidden in his heart, his mood truly felt much lighter.

Sora wiped her tears and looked at Kei curiously.

"So... the black dragon in your story is that big rank SS hunter, right?"