Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 57

Shar was simply watching that scene. They wanted to keep watching.

As they observed Yeon-woo, sweating buckets and putting in great effort, Shar felt a warm sensation rising from deep within their heart.

In truth, it was just a fleeting encounter that lasted a single night. Caught up in the moment, they might have entered into the contract as if dreaming. Shar knew well that such feelings generally faded over time.

Moreover, returning to the past… Honestly, Shar couldn’t even remember what kind of spell it was, but for Yeon-woo, it was far too sudden an event.

In a sense, wasn’t it like snipping away the entirety of the decade’s worth of effort that Yeon-woo had worked so hard to cultivate?

Shar thought that someday Yeon-woo would voice his complaints. Surely, he would question why things had to be this way.

However, Yeon-woo… Rather than complaining, seemed to be putting in effort to gladly fulfill Shar’s requests. Despite the abrupt nature of the contract, he occasionally reminisced about his mother from deep within his heart, striving to save her.

It made Shar feel all fluttery inside. They wanted to dash over to Yeon-woo and sulk in the arms of their still under-trained little body at once.

They held back. Even if they weren’t connected by blood, was there a more caring father than this in the world?

“I’m looking forward to the day we go and see Mom together, okay? So cheer up, Dad.”

Beaming brightly, Shar sat in their chair, swinging their legs while endlessly waiting for Dad to return.

“…Hoo.”

Yeon-woo let out a calm breath. He felt the aura around his dantian swell. He had hoped to seize the opportunity from the elixir and jump up to being a true aura expert, but it seemed that wasn’t quite the case. However, it was certain that the nature of his aura had somewhat calmed.

Rising from his spot, Yeon-woo leaped over the black goo that was scattered around him like a splash. Shar, sitting in the chair, was dozing off with the sound of her breathing.

‘Looks like you waited for me.’

There likely wouldn’t be anyone else coming in here, but to Yeon-woo, it must have been a way to ensure safety while he was melting the elixir. How thoughtful. He lightly ruffled the bangs swaying in the wind.

“Should I tidy up first and wake you?”

Upon reflection, the initial aim in finding the mandrake was actually to use magic more smoothly. Thinking this, Yeon-woo became aware of his heartbeat.

Even though he had absorbed all the energy from the mandrake into his core, the intention to use magic smoothly had nothing to do with the elixir’s energy originally.

Although he hadn’t penetrated the sinew or toxicity, the Baek-ho blood was properly cleaned. It felt like cleaning the inside while keeping the lid closed.

He infused his will into his mana. Well, I wonder what form would work best? He imagined the spot where he had been sitting rising and flipping over.

Rustle, the ground quivered like it was being lifted by a bulldozer. The freshly dug ground twisted in the air for a full turn before being plopped back into the pit from whence it came.

“…Oh.”

Compared to a Rock Upper, the image was quite ambiguous, yet wasn’t it superbly manifested? There was some worth in consuming the mandrake after all.

He wrapped Shar in the discarded clothing. Snore, the sleeping Shar murmured something as she breathed evenly.

“……Umm, Dad… it’s warm…”

Looking down at Shar, who was nuzzling her cheek against his chest, Yeon-woo let out a stifled laugh.

He hugged Shar tightly.

*

During the weekdays, there was hardly anything special to do… or rather, he was busy writing reports and training daily. He heard from Kim Yoo-min that he’d see her next Monday, and soon the weekend arrived.

“I’m going to Relin’s Archive tomorrow, Shar.”

“Isn’t that the place with lots of books? Got it! So are we preparing today then?”

“Exactly. The Academy purchased the Heukdong Ogong’s inner elixir for us, so I’m thinking of getting equipment for you and me. Today, we’ll go out to the commercial district.”

“Oooh…!”

“But… Shar, don’t be disappointed, okay?”

It was uncertain how much joy Shar would derive from the notion of getting equipment, but they did seem pleased nonetheless.

Could it be because it was akin to buying new clothes? A sense of responsibility welled up from deep within Yeon-woo to find something pretty for her.

The money received from the Academy was quite a sizable amount. If he compromised for adequately priced gear, there would be even some left over after covering both Shar and himself.

‘But there lies a problem.’

This wasn’t about how he couldn’t prepare his gear because he had to outfit Shar only with the best equipment. Of course, he desired to do just that, but the problem was that it wasn’t the right situation to get Shar the finest gear.

“I feel like we wouldn’t be able to use the gear for long because we’re still young…”

“Oh, because our bodies are growing…? I can adjust my size when needed!”

“No, that’s not it. I want to see you grow bit by bit. It doesn’t make sense to miss watching you grow just because some gear is a bit expensive. I need to remember every bit of it to tell Nea later.”

“Ah, Dad…”

Sniff. Shar seemed to cover her mouth in awe and looked up at Yeon-woo. It was a remarkably sensible comment to make, yet it surprised him that it affected her so much. Yeon-woo, somewhat flustered, hugged the teary Shar.

“Okay, okay, don’t cry. We’re going to buy pretty clothes! Why make your pretty face ugly by crying?”

“Ugh, ugh, I’m more going to cry! It’s unfair…!”

“No, what are you going to do to me?”

Just when he had tried to comfort her, what on earth was he supposed to do now since she was crying even more? Was he like this when he was little? What kind of parenting had he received? He wishes to dedicate this perplexing feeling to Claire…

“Now, stop crying. We have to go out, and ruining your pretty face isn’t allowed.”

“Sniff, got it…!”

Yeon-woo pulled out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned Shar’s face.

It was their first summer together.

“Oh, Yeon-woo. Are you shopping with your daughter?”

“Yeah. Jung Yu-jin? What on earth are you out here for?”

Yeon-woo unexpectedly ran into Jung Yu-jin in the commercial district. Jung Yu-jin was dressed in a manner that was hard to describe—something like an outfit to blend in, not easily noticeable. To be honest, if Jung Yu-jin hadn’t approached him, Yeon-woo would probably have walked past without recognizing her.

“Ha ha, should I call it undercover work? Just keep it a secret that you saw me here. As hush-money, you can take this.”

“What’s this?”

Jung Yu-jin handed over a piece of paper. A subtly luxurious sheet wrapped around something. As Yeon-woo opened it while holding Shar, a common lollipop was revealed. Thankfully it was wrapped.

“Why did you wrap this in such fancy paper?”

“Gifts should be one per person, right? The paper is yours. Well then, I’ll be off!”

“No, what do you mean by wrapping someone a gift with paper?”

“Th-thank you for the candy…!”

“Yeah, yeah, have fun with your dad!”

Shar’s and Jung Yu-jin’s words cut in sharply as they dashed into the crowd. Their swift disappearance into the throng was almost natural.

“…By the way, is carrying around a snack for Shar now an unwritten rule?”

“Hehe, I like it!”

Well, I guess you would. With a grumble that was more of a complaint than anything, Yeon-woo opened the paper that had been double-wrapped around the candy.

[Signs of Demon King Cult activity found near Harmony City.]

“Hey, what the hell…!”

Upon reading what was written on the paper, Yeon-woo hastily looked around in the crowd for Jung Yu-jin, but it was already too late. She had vanished to a place where she couldn’t be seen.

“Did Dad say something bad? I’m telling Mom!”

“Haha, as if! You must have misheard…”

“So, what does it say?”

This was certainly a conversation that would be hard to have in a public place, so Yeon-woo crumpled the paper tightly and stuffed it into his pocket.

He felt the urge to tear it up and toss it in the trash immediately, but perhaps he should take it to the dorm and burn it just in case.

The Demon King Cult. A group of betrayers who turned to the Demon King after betraying humanity. The fact that signs of their activity showed up at this time carried significant implications.

Because before his regression, the only major disturbance that happened around this time near Harmony City was the death of Baek In-hwa.

[Demon King Cult, such a thing exists…?]

‘I’m not in a place to say this since I brought you into this world, but it’s not entirely a bright world we live in. Conversely, that’s why I could meet Nea and Shar.’

[Why do they betray their kind and side with the enemy?]

‘Well, maybe they thought there was no chance of winning.’

To be honest, Yeon-woo didn’t really know why they had betrayed humanity for whatever reason. Such reasons were usually trivial and not worth knowing. After all, saying ‘Hehe, I had such reasons’ after risking life and death against each other was something that only happened in cartoons.

Nothing is born after killing an enemy. There’s no reward or anything, just the simple realization of having done what one must do.

As Shar, filled with questions, pulled back to look at Yeon-woo’s face, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“What… Dad?”

She couldn’t comprehend what kind of bitterness must have twisted the kind face of her father into such a frightening visage. It looked as if he had transformed into a demon.

Before she knew it, a voice full of wonder slipped from Shar’s lips, and only then did Yeon-woo seem to snap back and soften the fierce expression that had suddenly appeared.

“Oh dear. I’ve shown you something unpleasant. Well, anyway, something has come up. Let’s not worry about it now and move on.”

“Yes, yes…”

While gently patting the back of the still dazed Shar, Yeon-woo started walking.

He had indeed shown her something unpleasant.

The flaws of humanity. As a father too.

*

In the commercial district. Because Harmony City couldn’t just freely expand outward, it was planned and constructed. The Academy was the largest, followed by residential areas, then commercial districts, parks, and public facilities, each with its own designated standards.

The third largest commercial district was reasonably vast. It felt as though they had minimized the area of the bustling area and built upwards as high as the technology allowed.

That resulted in the current scene. Standing on the land, looking up, the sky seemed unseen, obscured by bright shining lights. The mage engineers had replaced the ground’s sky with yet another commercial district above.

This structure was dubbed a multi-level structure. Instead of dividing buildings into the first and second floor, it was split across the whole commercial district into a first and second tier.

A sight not found anywhere else in the world was commonplace in Harmony City. Shops needing sunlight had moved to the second floor, while those that required it less remained on the first. Things ambiguously straddling the line between sun and law had burrowed underground.

As a result, the underground of the Academy, which was an educational institution for young students, became a public secret street unraveled by illegal dealings and darkness.

Among the students, some likely knew and occasionally wandered in.

“I doubt it’ll last long.”

“Huh, why? Isn’t it huge?”

“Well, there’s someone who really detests the violation of human kindness.”

“Oh…”

Previously, Yuri had mentioned that she smashed a guild related to human trafficking. It was not much different from that. Last Wednesday, the conversation between the student council president and Yuri must have been a continuation of that.

Because she, Ain Libertas, was the very one who toppled the pillars of the Dark Guild. Though he couldn’t exactly recall how she had done it or what follow-up measures were taken to ensure that it didn’t affect Harmony City, the student council president had gained immense fame from that series of events.

Unfortunately, they had lost the leader of the Dark Guild, but really, it would be harsh to wish for everything to be perfectly concluded. After all, they were students too.

“It’s nothing to do with us. The weapon shop is on the first floor, so let’s go there.”

“Hehe, what kind of clothes will you buy me?”

“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to see… but honestly, my fashion sense isn’t great, so I don’t know what I should pick.”

But upon further thought, their daughter looked good in just about anything, to the point she could be a model, so maybe it wouldn’t be a problem?

(To be continued in the next chapter)