#299. Please explain.
* * *
âI have a favor to ask of you, swordsmith.â
âWould you like me to use a knife?â
âNo, just watch this.â
ââ¦There must be three princesses with upturned eyes, but youâre going to take care of them?â
âBecause this is our Seven Dragons meeting.â
âLooks like you have a plan.â
âyes.â
âOkay, if you say so, Iâll just watch.â
âOnce is not enough. If you believe me, please do not meddle in this.â
âdo not worry. Unless I have to step in, Iâll just watch.â
* * *
Ainsha hardened.
An intruder in the Seven Dragons.
It wasnât just because something happened that hadnât happened in the past hundreds of years⦠no, from the Bronze Age to over a thousand years of history.
The fact that that opponent was Limon.
And the vertigo felt from it, the clear dragon psionic scent.
It made her, who was always expressionless, unable to take her eyes off Limon while swallowing dry saliva.
ââ¦I didnât expect this.â
It wasnât just Ainsha.
Hasneti and Yekathrice, of course.
Even Rose and Maia, who had already met Limon, couldnât take their eyes off him.
Eighth Dragon Psionic.
Normally, it was suppressed by Limonâs sword and leaked out only subtly, but it resonated with the psionics of the seven princesses and spread more intensely.
Like a flower that attracts bees and butterflies with its sweet fragrance.
âYeah, eavesdropping secretly is a bit naive.â
One of the two exceptions who were not inflexible among the princesses who were enchanted by the scent.
Looking straight at the smiling golden princess, Limon spoke lazily.
âNot as much as you, though.â
âDo we look petty?â
âor not?â
Limon laughed.
Then, blocking the black-haired princess as if guarding her, she coldly asked back.
âSince when was it fair to threaten a prospective bride with a healthy fiancé to hand over her groom?â
ââ¦Iâm sure hearing that would make you look naive.â
Charlotte laughed.
Are you being mean to yourself?
It was the first insult I ever heard.
Nevertheless, rather than being displeased or angry with it, is it because you are intoxicated by this scent?
Or is it because the other person deserves it?
She didnât bother thinking about the answer.
He just removed his hand from his chin and continued talking while looking straight at Limon.
âBut this is related to the long-cherished wish of the Seven Dragons. We are the only ones who can decide whether our actions are nasty or just.â
no matter what others say
The Seven Dragons are basically a religion.
And in all religions, there are doctrines and beliefs that transcend laws and doctrines.
Even the seven princesses are no exception.
Rather, since they inherited the blood of the dragon, there were principles that must be followed.
As long as Li Qingyu violated the principles, they had the right and duty to tear her to pieces.
Charlotte declared without hesitation.
âSo swordsmith, wait for our decision in silence.â
He said that he would decide what to do with Limon, who had the eighth dragon psionic, after deciding what to do with Li Qingyu.
more arrogant
yet natural.
Thatâs why itâs even more solid.
Even after hearing Charlotteâs âorderâ, which exuded the dignity of a king, Limon was neither angry nor dumbfounded.
Of course I knew it would be like this.
I just asked quietly.
âWhat if you donât like it?â
And Charlotte, too, was neither surprised nor displeased that her orders were denied.
Like watching a mischievous concubine.
I just answered while looking at Limon with joyful eyes.
âYou will know that there are things in the world that you have to do even if you donât like it.â
âWould you like to subdue me by force?â
âIf you need.â
Hard!
The moment I heard the drowsy answer.
The underground dragon palace began to shake.
The psionics flowing from Charlotte shook this vast space as if it were an earthquake.
The change did not end there.
The dress she was wearing suddenly crumbled to powder and then reconstituted into a strange, clinging battle suit.
Besides, Charlotte wasnât the only one who responded to Limonâs question.
Fire.
It was as if he had been released from rigidity.
The temperature in the underground dragon palace rose rapidly, centering on Hasneti, who burned the cigarette in his mouth.
Yekathriceâs face, which had been laughing mischievously, cooled down, and the dust that fell from the vibrations froze around her as if it were frozen.
In addition, Hwangryongdae, Gwangryongdae, and Yeomryongdae began to resonate with each princess and psionics.
What was created like that was an intangible torrent.
It was a storm of tremendous momentum comparable to Limonâs psionics that swept the entire Amazon.
The general public, of course.
Pressure enough to give even a high-level player a heart attack.
However, while receiving it alone, Limon was not shaken in the slightest.
Just Charlotte, Hasneti, Yekatrice.
After looking around in turn.
He just had a cold smile as he gripped the handle of the sword he was wearing around his waist.
âIf you can, try it.â
The last sword master, Limon Aspelder, who has been blocking the Seven Dragons for hundreds of years.
Charlotte G Rothschild, descendant of the Golden Dragon Princess, who proved that she had the power to compete with a sword master by repelling the Sword Master.
In the Seven Dragons, Yekatrice Khan, the Silver Dragon Princess, is the only one comparable to the Gold Dragon Princess.
Hasneti III, the red dragon princess who surpasses even Charlotte in terms of actual combat experience and destructive power.
The tension that flowed around the four of them quickly swelled up and made the other princesses feel a sense of crisis.
Rose bites her lip.
Ainsha swallowed her saliva.
Maiaâs expression turns cold.
The moment when they even tried to raise their psionics.
âEveryone, stop.â
ringing the air.
One calm voice.
The black-haired girl was the only one who did not respond even when everyone was ready for battle.
Li Qingyu slowly opened his eyes after Limon invaded.
And slowly raise your head.
He turned his gaze to Limon.
âSwordsmith Charlotte is right.â
Probably because it was so unexpected.
The other princesses, of course.
Even Charlotte herself.
While everyone was looking at Li Qingyu as if they were dumbfounded or with unexpected or interesting eyes.
Limon asked, looking more ridiculous than any of them.
âPrincess, donât you remember what he just said to you?â
âOf course I remember.â
âBut youâre going to follow that?â
âThatâs not what I said I was right about.â
Li Qingyu shook his head.
Then he looked straight at Limon with eyes as dull as obsidian and continued.
âWe agreed on the point that this was an internal matter within the Seven Dragons that we had to discuss among ourselves.â
âAs an outsider, are you telling me to leave?â
âBecause the swordsman is my prospective groom, but he is not yet my father-in-law. Even after becoming a sire, you shouldnât be like this.â
This is the Seven Dragon Branch.
It is a place where only the princess can speak.
Limon meddling in this place is as absurd as meddling in the internal affairs of another country.
Itâs more rude than a man breaking into a womenâs space.
After Ainsha, who had been listening, spoke expressionlessly and clearly enough to cause a pupil earthquake.
Li Qingyu asked.
âSo please step away now.â
ââ¦are you serious?â
âyes.â
Calm voice as always.
However, unlike usual, look at Li Qingyu, who has a serious face without a smile.
Limon finally nodded.
âYes, if the bride-to-be makes such a request, it must be the groom-to-beâs duty to listen.â
take your hand off the sword
Calms the swordsmanâs will that aroused.
âStop talking.â
With a calm appearance, as if his life until a while ago was a lie.
Limon turned around.
And, looking at Charlotte for the last time, he said quietly.
âHowever, youâd better not think that youâll be able to do whatever you want with me in whatever table discussion youâre having here.â
right after that.
Limon disappeared as if evaporating.
What remains is the ruins of the Round Table and the Underground Dragon Palace, which has been devastated by the torrent of psionics.
And all eyes were on her.
However, Li Qingyu did not pay attention to all the different gazes.
Like hesitating on something.
Or like itâs bittersweet.
I only looked at the place where Limon had disappeared and only looked back at Charlotte after a while.
âIt looks like it needs some cleaning, so Iâd like to say goodbye for today and talk again tomorrow. What do you think?â
I even looked at her with curious eyes for a while.
Turning the battle suit that wrapped around her body back into dress form, Charlotte smiled and nodded like an executioner giving a condemned prisoner time to pray.
âgood night. You will also need time to think.â
The Seven Dragons Branch ended with that.
As soon as Li Qingyu heard that, he immediately left with the Mukryongdae.
But the other princesses couldnât get up from their seats for a long time after that.
Some people donât know the situation.
someone is lost in thought
Someone to cool their beating heart.
Some people take it easy and relax.
Someone seemed to be having fun.
With each princess holding their place for a different reason.
Maia, the green-haired woman who was the only one watching the vacant seat where Li Qingyu had disappeared, was sneering.
âIs this indeed Li Qingyuâs choice?â
* * *
After leaving the Underground Dragon Palace.
Li Qingyu went straight to a place.
It was not specifically searched through the clan.
He just followed his instinct and followed the faint scent left in the air.
However, because of that, she was able to find what she wanted faster and more accurately than anyone else without using special tracking techniques.
Top floor penthouse.
Just a little bit higher than that.
Leviathanâs rooftop with strong winds.
Sitting there, with a bottle of whiskey next to him and a glass in one hand.
The gray-haired man looking at the sunset sky.
âYou came sooner than expected.â
âI think youâll be waiting for me.â
âAs you can see, I was in the middle of a drink, so I wouldnât have to stop until the Chilryong branch meeting.â
Limon smiles as he holds up his glass of whiskey.
Sitting next to him, Li Qingyu took a glass of wine that had been placed next to the bottle of whiskey and tasted it.
ââ¦Is it Macallan 88 Year Old?â
âIt just happened that this caught my eye.â
Why did you choose this among the many drinks in the penthouse?
Limon didnât bother to say anything.
Li Qingyu also did not confirm.
Instead, she fiddled with the glass uncharacteristically and opened her mouth after a while.
âI remember you promised to watch over me unless you had to step out.â
âIt did.â
âDid you not trust me?â
âI believed.â
To the question Li Qingyu asked in a slightly subdued voice.
What came back was an immediate answer without hesitation.
âI still believe in you.â
âThen why did you infiltrate the Seven Dragons?â
âBecause that would have been my last chance to stop you.â
Limon turned his head.
Silent eyes as always.
However, he looked at the black-haired girl with a bitterness that could not be hidden in it.
he asked.
âWhy did you want to accept the offer of the Golden Dragon Princess?â
âI didnât have the heart to accept Charlotteâs offer as it was. I was just trying to find the right compromise.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYou mean a compromise whereby Iâm guaranteed my safety and liberty instead of you becoming a public enemy and taking everything over?â
Li Qingyu stopped touching the glass.
And after silence, he asked back.
âHow did you know?â
âItâs just a feeling.â
ââ¦I think I will hate people with good intuition in the future.â
without telling anyone
Taunt Charlotte pretending to upset the game.
eliciting subconscious responses from other princesses.
Although it was the goal he finally achieved after walking a tightrope to the point where a civil war broke out in the Seven Dragons.
When Li Mon said that he had figured it out only by intuition, Li Qingyu finally smiled bitterly.
âCan you explain?â
âNo, because that is true.â
âThen explain. I donât understand.â
I can understand.
But I canât agree.
So, convince yourself.
At Li Monâs calm request, Li Qingyu nodded slowly.
âNot a very great reason.â
Li Qingyu put the wine glass to his mouth.
Then, after swallowing a sip of slightly tilted whiskey with a rich aroma, he quietly continued.
âBecause this is the only way to prevent the Seven Dragons from splitting up and causing a world war.â