Chapter 398: Do You Dare to Hit Me in the Back of the Head? (1)

“…….”

“…….”

Cale stared attentively at the small dragon in his arms.  

The little dragon looked away from Cale.

“Should I put you down?”

Nod.

The small dragon nodded.

Seeing the tiny being nod, Cale carefully placed it on the sofa.

Flap, flap!

Raon watched the scene with his eyes shining brightly.  

“Heehee!”
“Heehee!”

Next to him, the red cat Hong laughed endlessly, his eyes sparkling, though the little dragon completely ignored their gazes.

“Waaah—!”
“Light Dragon! Light Dragon! Light Dragon!”

From the window, tens of thousands of Seventh Evil inhabitants, who had not yet left, continued to erupt in cheers.  

Cale stared blankly.

[Birth Ceremony Progress: 319%]

The birth ceremony is over. But—

“Ah, here they are. Hahaha.”

However, the aftermath of the event had not yet ceased.

“The video of the birth ceremony is spreading throughout New World. Also, it is being uploaded to various user communities.”

Clopeh Sekka… he is a true enthusiast of legends.  

“Legend is not simply giving meaning to a phenomenon. It is when that phenomenon transforms into history, is passed down from mouth to mouth, and endures for generations. Only then does it become legend.”

[The aftermath of the Birth Ceremony is spreading rapidly!]  

[The legend is being forged, not only in New World, but also in Earth 3!]  

[The determination of the reward category has been postponed!]

For some reason, Cale stared fixedly at the mission window —as if the system was intervening— and then looked at Clopeh.  

Clopeh leaned down and, in a gentle voice, addressed the newborn baby dragon, Eden Miru.

“Congratulations on your birth.”

Eden Miru, resolute, didn’t spare Clopeh Sekka a single glance.

Yet Clopeh remained unfazed by such a slight and, with radiant joy, declared:

“Sacred Evil, Light Dragon… you have been given a truly fitting name.”

The baby dragon, over nine hundred years old, narrowed his eyes.

“Eden Miru, your future shall be a path of legend.”

“……”

Eden Miru only stared blankly, though his pupils seemed to tremble in an unsettling way.

“Eden Miru!”

Raon immediately lunged forward, shouting:

“Let’s go!”

He firmly grasped Eden Miru’s small, chubby front leg.

“!”

Eden Miru was clearly flustered—
and even Raon looked a little startled.

“So small!”

Eden Miru was too small.

Raon felt a strange, indescribable emotion welling up inside him. 

Although Eden Miru was, in truth, over nine hundred years old—nearly a thousand—his appearance was peculiar. He bore black scales much like Raon’s, yet streaked with platinum patterns reminiscent of the Ancient Dragon Eruhaben. His eyes shone in human hues, and his gaze… strangely, it resembled that of his mother, Sheritt.

“Hehe!”

Raon simply laughed.

He might be a great dragon, but at his young age, Raon couldn’t fully put that emotion into words.

“Hold on tight to my back, Eden Miru!”

Raon lifted Eden Miru onto his back; the little dragon was so small that it was impossible not to notice.

“!”

Although Eden Miru looked utterly flustered, but Raon didn’t realize it; however, the faint weight and warmth on his back filled him with a strange sense of strength.

Holding on to that inexplicable feeling, Raon clenched his two front legs tightly and thought:

I’ll take care of Eden Miru too!

Determination was reflected solemnly on Raon’s lips.  

“Ah.”  

Cale, with an astonished face, watched the whole scene and let out a short laugh.  

“Clopeh.”  

“Yes, Cale-nim.”  

“Good job.”

Of course, Cale gave Clopeh a few words of recognition for the effort, but as he followed the children, he couldn’t see Clopeh who had fallen behind.

“……!”  

The smile faded from Clopeh’s face; he stared at the ceiling for a moment.  

“…Good job, huh…”  

They were comforting words. But—  

“All of this is for a greater purpose.”

Clopeh turned out to be even more imposing than Cale imagined.  

Eden Miru.
The Boss of the Seventh Evil.

In the end, even he would become part of Cale-nim’s entourage.
Be it the Miru Knights Order, the Third Evil, or the Eight Evils themselves—
all would ultimately fall under Cale-nim’s authority.

The legend they built would, in the end, serve only as the foundation for the even greater legend Cale-nim will forge.

“Huhu.”

Although the words well done would suffice if spoken at the end, Clopeh, thinking that Cale was truly modest, slowly walked towards the window.

“Light Dragon! Light Dragon!”

There were still Seventh Evil inhabitants cheering.  

“…In the end, his name is already decided.”  

Cale-nim, young master Silver Shield.  

That great name will resonate again throughout New World, in the Earth 3, across all dimensions.

“Khkhkh…”

In the solitary room, Clopeh could barely contain his laughter as his eyes lit up.

* * *

“Hmm?”

And Cale, who was following the children—whose average age was barely ten—suddenly felt a strange unease. 

Why is that?  

Ah.

Then, suddenly, an idea came to his mind.  

Hmm.

The children, laughing as they walked, with Eden Miru clinging to Raon’s back…

Should I even count him?

Ah, that’s something…

Can someone over nine hundred years old really be considered the youngest? …….

Cale’s expression involuntarily stiffened, because, truth be told, Eden Miru’s appearance was undeniably tender.

“How cute!”  

“Our boss, he’s so adorable! And, despite everything, he shows such majesty!”  

Now that he thought about it, voices from outside could also be heard praising how cute Eden Miru looked.

Cale tried to ignore them.
‘Not my problem.’

In the end, that was something Eden Miru would have to deal with himself.
So Cale chose not to spare it another thought.

“We’ve arrived!”

Instead, he turned his gaze toward the reunion between Eden Miru and Sheritt.

“…….”  

“…….”

Both were silent.  

Cale noticed that the corners of Sheritt’s eyes were red, indicating that she had cried alone, but he ignored it.

“…….”

After a long silence, Eden Miru finally opened his mouth.
Yet, though he parted his lips several times, no words came.

Sheritt only watched him with a serene smile.

Sss—
Eden Miru slid down from Raon’s back.
Flap, flap!
His newborn wings flailed clumsily as he tried to steady himself.

“……”
He stopped at last, standing before Sheritt.

A portal.
It was as though an invisible barrier stretched between them—
two dragons, unable to cross that final step toward each other.  

Eden Miru was already a being unable to cross the portal.
And the same was true for Sheritt.

“……”

He lifted his head, meeting her gaze.
Unlike her usual playful demeanor, Sheritt’s smile now held the calm of one who had lived long and seen much.

“…Eh—”
At last, after a silence that seemed to stretch on forever, Eden Miru whispered:

“I’ve returned.”

Sheritt’s reply was just as soft:
“Yes. You’ve returned.”

Cale, sensing the presence, turned his head.

“Cale-nim.”

It was Choi Han.

Normally, Cale, the Heavenly Demon, and Clopeh should have been distributing their energy according to the plan.
But an unforeseen circumstance had prevented him from doing so.

“Have there been any messages from the Kingdom of Lan?”
“Yes.”

Sohyi, the Wanderer—whom Choi Han and the Heavenly Demon had been tasked with interrogating— had been detained in the underground dungeon of the Lan Kingdom palace.  

The Heavenly Demon had returned to the Black Castle for Eden Miru’s birth ceremony. But Choi Han, upon arriving here, received an unexpected message from the Lan Kingdom and was forced to set out once more.

“It seems Cale-nim must go.”

And Choi Han had returned—this time, to bring Cale with him.  

The Demon Kingdom.

The sanctuary of the God of Chaos, The Primordial Night.  

That was where Cale now had to go.

With Choi Jung Gun’s life at stake, Choi Han would never postpone his journey to the Demon Kingdom—unless there was truly no other choice.

“…I have to go.”

But Choi Han shook his head. His insistence was firm—Cale had to go to the Kingdom of Lan instead.

And there was only one reason.

“Has another Wanderer appeared?”

Choi Han slowly lowered his head.
“Yes.”

Cale immediately responded:
“If it’s another Wanderer, then it must be the one who once threatened the Queen of Lan, correct?”

“Yes. They said he will arrive tomorrow.”

The Queen of Lan, Tamahi, had never met Sohyi the Wanderer.
The one who had threatened her was a different Wanderer—together with Hinpa Gong, the envoy of the God of Chaos—who had pressed the queen into submission.

“Of course,” Cale muttered, “it would be strange if no Wanderer showed up in the Kingdom of Lan.”

The Kingdom of Lan, under the guidance of Cale and the Dark Kingdom, was in the midst of reforming its policies.

“Sohyi, Hinpa Gong. We need to confirm both matters.”
“Yes. That is why the queen is seeking Cale-nim.”

“I must go.”

Tomorrow, the Wanderer was expected to meet with Queen Tamahi of Lan.
Before that, Cale needed to act swiftly.

“Sohyi has surely told the other Wanderers that everything was the fault of the God of Chaos.”
“Yes.”

The Kingdom of Lan.

There, Cale had once allowed Sohyi to contact her companions, back when she still believed he was part of the God of Chaos’s faction.

“And also, communication with Hinpa Gong has been cut off.”
“That’s right.”

Hinpa Gong was already dead.
But the Five Color Blood Family Wanderers did not know—his death had been completely concealed.
Thus, their suspicions would naturally turn toward the God of Chaos.

Contacting the God of Chaos sect directly… that’s what amateurs would do.

First, they needed to reach the Kingdom of Lan and examine the situation in detail.
But before that, one matter had to be handled.

“I must hide Sohyi.”
“Yes, that is correct. That’s why the queen is seeking Cale-nim.”

Sohyi, the Wanderer imprisoned in the underground dungeon of the Kingdom of Lan’s palace, had to be relocated to another secure place.

“The Queen of Lan insists she cannot stop the Wanderers from snooping around the palace; sooner or later, they will surely check the underground dungeon as well.”

“Probably. If the Kingdom of Lan has allied with the God of Chaos, then from a Wanderer’s perspective, the only logical place to imprison Sohyi would be there.”

The location for confining a so-called low-level NPC was already obvious.

“Therefore, the queen seemed at a loss over what to do.”
“Exactly.”

Cale pondered briefly. Then, a smile crept across his lips.
“First, we must go see the queen.”

Cale and Choi Han came to a halt.

Woooong—

Before them, Rozalin had already completed a teleportation magic circle, its lines glowing with radiant light.

The brilliance surged, enveloping them in its power.

Flash!
In an instant, wrapped in light, Cale and Choi Han were carried away—
straight to the palace of the Kingdom of Lan.

* * *

“Your Majesty.”
“He has arrived, Your Majesty!”

The Queen of Lan, Tamahi, greeted Cale with an anxious expression.

“The Wanderer was supposed to arrive today, but we managed to postpone it until tomorrow.”

She informed Cale that there was only half a day left, and they could no longer keep delaying the matter.

Next to the queen stood Charun.
“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

Cale smiled.
“The first step is to relocate Sohyi, correct?”
“Exactly.”
“Also, I suppose Your Majesty is concerned about how to deal with the Wanderers.”
“Exactly!”

In truth, what worried the Queen of Lan most was how to handle the Wanderers, who would soon realize that the Kingdom of Lan had chosen a different path.

In such a situation, Queen Tamahi had to protect the Kingdom of Lan from the Wanderers.

“I will give you both answers.”
“…Really?”

And, no matter how much anxiety it might bring, Cale already had the solution.
Seeing Cale’s calm smile, Queen Tamahi waited for his answer with a trembling heart.

Then, Cale spoke softly to Tamahi and Charun:
“Sohyi must be moved to another underground dungeon.”

“…Another…?”

While Charun looked bewildered, Tamahi’s gaze gleamed with a sharp light.
“Perhaps… the underground dungeon of another kingdom?”

“As always, you are very insightful.”

At Cale’s response, the queen hesitated before speaking:
“…Then, is it with one of the other kingdoms we are allied to? Or perhaps with the Dark Kingdom…?”

“No. It isn’t a kingdom.”
“Then… what kind of prison…?”

Cale shook his head. While Charun pressed him with another question, Queen Tamahi was quicker—she found the answer herself:

“…Is it the empire?”
“!”

Charun was left speechless.

The Dark Kingdom.
Did that place also have ties with the empire?!

“If it’s the underground dungeon of the Eastern Empire’s palace, it will be even more impenetrable than here.”

When Cale calmly revealed the prison to which Sohyi should be moved, both Tamahi and Charun exclaimed in astonishment.

“How… how can there be a connection with the Eastern Empire—ah, no!”

Charun had let the words slip and quickly fell silent.
Cale only smiled, for sometimes silence spoke louder than any explanation.

Ahn Roh Man.

President Ahn Roh Man—ranked number one—was now the crown prince of the Eastern Empire, Reenti, soon to ascend in the upcoming ceremony.

The emperor of the Eastern Empire is an ally of Ahn Roh Man.

Cale had already contacted Ahn Roh Man, and of course, he would collaborate with Cale.

It was the perfect opportunity: not only to secure Sohyi within the Eastern Empire’s underground dungeon, but also to establish communication with the imperial AI.

“And when the Wanderer appears, act accordingly.”

Cale also gave advice on the image that the Kingdom of Lan should present to the Wanderers.

“Kneel completely.”
“Kneel… you say?”

Cale continued, addressing Queen Tamahi, who looked incredulous:
“Say that you were forced by threats—that you had no choice but to betray the Wanderers.”

The Dark Kingdom must not be exposed.
If it were discovered that Cale’s group was operating within New World, it would become a serious problem.

“And all that…”

The invincible shield.

“Say that you were pressured by the side of the God of Chaos and, therefore, you had no choice.”

“!”  

The eyes of Choi Han, Charun, and Queen Tamahi gleamed with a sharp light.

“And also,” Cale added, “say that Wanderer Sohyi was taken by Hinpa Gong to The Primordial Night, the sanctuary of the God of Chaos.”

“Ah…”
Choi Han exhaled in astonishment.

The Primordial Night.
The sanctuary of the God of Chaos.

It was a place Cale had to shake to its core—
for the Sacred Object had to be stolen, and a thousand other tasks awaited.
However, since it is the sanctuary of the God of Chaos, its security would be imposing, and Cale’s group would probably have to shed a lot of blood in the fight.

But to tell the Wanderers about The Primordial Night?

If the Wanderers were from the Five Color Blood Family, they would already know the sanctuary’s location.
Perhaps they — not us — would march straight to the Primordial Night and fight the battle.
If that happened—

“We could take everything without shedding a drop of blood, and strike them from the rear!”

Choi Han couldn’t hide his astonishment as he stared at Cale.
Queen Tamahi nodded at the proposal to pin the blame on the God of Chaos.

“That’s the most realistic solution. The Wanderers will believe it.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty.”

Cale smiled softly, and the queen returned his smile.

Her face, visibly calmer now, brightened with determination as she said:
“Immediately, we must create clues that will make the Wanderers suspect Hinpa Gong and the God of Chaos.”

“Yes.”

“We will make them believe that the time I gained was spent erasing every trace of worship toward the God of Chaos.”

“Very well. Truly, you are perceptive.”

Hahaha! Hahaha!

Cale and Tamahi both laughed.

* * *

“Long time no see!”
Cale greeted with a cordial wave of his hand.

“Sohyi, you look a little better now.”

At those words, Wanderer Sohyi’s expression turned pale.

It was past midnight.
The guards of the Kingdom of Lan’s underground dungeon had disappeared, leaving only Choi Han and Cale standing watch over the lone prisoner, Sohyi.

From the Eastern Empire—Reenti.
It was time to depart.

<The arrangements are complete.>

The message had arrived from Ahn Roh Man.

 -----

P/R Thoughts: Eden Miru returns to Sheritt, while Cale schemes in Lan to shift the Wanderers’ fury toward the God of Chaos and secure Sohyi in the Eastern Empire.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]