MTO C109
by berryChapter 109
“It’s not that I don’t believe you.”
Kaidan’s voice was calm.
“You’re the Saint.”
“If anyone could hear God’s voice, it would be you.”
“Then why…?”
“Precisely because of that.”
“I can’t take you there.”
“You know how dangerous the Dragon’s Waist is.”
“If it’s your duty to deliver God’s will…”
“Then it’s my duty to protect Valois’s one and only Saint.”
Kaidan tried to persuade Michel more gently this time.
Even so…
He couldn’t hide the strain beneath his words.
Today, his nerves were stretched unusually taut.
Then again…
He had just learned that monsters were appearing throughout his territory.
It would have been stranger if he hadn’t been on edge.
As the lord of Valois, Kaidan undoubtedly felt an enormous weight pressing upon his shoulders.
Which was exactly why Michel couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing.
To resolve this crisis…
They first had to find the dragon and calm it down.
Everything he was doing was for Valois.
And anything done for Valois…
Was ultimately for Kaidan as well.
“I’ve been studying monsters diligently too.”
“I’ll be careful not to get in anyone’s way during the investigation.”
The crease that had only just disappeared from Kaidan’s forehead returned.
Before he could launch into another lecture, Michel hurriedly raised a finger.
“Actually…”
“There’s something I haven’t told you yet!”
“…?”
“You remember the child I’ve been searching for?”
“That child is near the lake right now.”
For the first time, genuine confusion flickered across Kaidan’s sharp eyes.
“The child is in the Dragon’s Waist?”
“Yes.”
“…Just what exactly is this child?”
Michel licked his dry lips.
Until now, he’d hidden the truth because he’d been afraid of how people would react.
But if he wanted Kaidan’s help…
It was time to be honest.
“A dragon.”
Just as expected…
Kaidan let out a breath of disbelief.
He clearly assumed Michel was joking.
Which wasn’t surprising.
Dragons were mythical creatures said to have gone extinct long ago.
But Michel’s expression remained utterly serious.
“The reason all the monsters suddenly fled down the mountains…”
“Is because of the dragon.”
“They’re afraid of it.”
“A dragon is powerful enough to destroy an entire nation.”
“What exactly are you saying…?”
“If we don’t find the dragon now…”
“Valois will be destroyed.”
“No one will survive.”
“Because…”
“I’ve seen the future.”
The faint trace of amusement lingering on Kaidan’s face vanished instantly.
Silently…
He stared at Michel.
The muscles in his jaw tightened visibly.
For Kaidan…
The fate of Valois wasn’t something anyone was allowed to speak of lightly.
Michel didn’t look away.
He met Kaidan’s gaze directly.
No one wished for peace in Valois more than Kaidan.
But Michel wanted it just as desperately.
The future of the children…
The lives of tens of thousands of people…
All depended upon Kaidan’s answer.
After a long silence, Kaidan finally spoke.
“Can you take responsibility for what you’ve just said?”
“Yes.”
Michel answered without hesitation.
Yet doubt still lingered plainly in Kaidan’s eyes.
It wasn’t an easy story to believe.
Imagine someone claiming that dinosaurs would suddenly appear and destroy South Korea.
Michel knew perfectly well that, in his previous life, he would have dismissed such a person as a lunatic without giving them a second glance.
But the truth was…
He wasn’t a cult leader.
He was someone who had transmigrated into this world.
And in the original story he had read…
Valois had indeed been mercilessly crushed beneath the dragon’s feet.
“You’re the one who said it.”
Michel spoke quietly.
“You said I was the Saint.”
“……”
“So…”
“Take me with you.”
“For Valois.”
Michel played what he believed to be his strongest card.
He was convinced those words would sway Kaidan.
If their positions had been reversed…
Michel himself would’ve changed his mind the moment someone said it was for the sake of the children.
Just as he expected…
Kaidan didn’t reject him immediately this time.
Instead…
His expression grew conflicted.
His unfocused gaze drifted beyond Michel…
Toward the landscape beyond the castle walls.
Michel turned to look as well.
Far below the horizon…
Spring was only just awakening across the North.
The black forests spread wide like the wings of golden eagles.
Desolate plains.
Scattered fields.
Small buildings resembling clusters of mushrooms.
Perhaps they couldn’t truly be called beautiful.
But they looked peaceful.
Workers were still rebuilding the square destroyed by the fire.
Compared to the despair that had consumed everything in a single night…
Recovery came painfully slowly.
It was far too early for another winter to descend.
Michel believed Kaidan would never allow this land to surrender to despair.
“Even so…”
“No.”
But Kaidan’s final refusal shattered Michel’s hopes completely.
He simply couldn’t understand it.
“Why?!”
“If we’re searching for a dragon…”
“Then all the better.”
“I’ll kill anything that even remotely looks like one.”
“So don’t worry and—”
“Why would you kill the dragon?!”
Michel shouted in horror.
Kaidan frowned.
Now what was the problem?
“Didn’t you just say…”
“That the dragon destroys Valois?”
“I-I did, but…”
Michel bit his lip.
According to the original novel…
A dragon was born with perfect power.
It simply wasn’t aware of it yet.
No matter how young it was…
It wasn’t something humans could kill so easily.
In fact…
The young dragon had nearly died several times at the hands of cruel humans.
Yet every attempt had brought it nothing except suffering worse than death.
It had never been granted the release of dying.
Even Heart…
Had abandoned his humanity in an attempt to kill the dragon.
Trying to slay it would only hasten the destruction of the North.
“The thing is…”
“The dragon is originally kind.”
“…What?”
“If people treat it kindly…”
“They can get along.”
“It’s still just a child.”
Truthfully…
Michel didn’t actually know whether the dragon was good or evil.
But he couldn’t help believing that if someone had simply offered the starving dragon a loaf of bread…
The original story might have unfolded very differently.
Besides…
Who truly had the authority to define good and evil?
Some children were energetic.
Others quiet.
Some emotional.
Others rational.
Their personalities differed.
But no one was born into this world inherently evil.
Everything a child experienced…
Everything a child learned…
Shaped not only that person’s future…
But everyone’s.
In both his previous life and this one…
Michel’s job had always been helping children grow into good people.
Whether that child happened to be a dragon…
Made very little difference.
Michel looked completely confident.
Kaidan, meanwhile, let out another weary sigh.
“I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Which is exactly why I have to go myself.”
“If someone else reaches the dragon first…”
“Who knows how badly things could go?”
“You can’t even ride a horse by yourself.”
“So where exactly do you think you’re going?”
“What do you mean I can’t ride?”
The reply escaped Michel before he could stop himself.
Kaidan arched an eyebrow.
“You can ride?”
“Yes!”
It was a lie.
Michel had never ridden a horse in his life.
Growing up in a modern city…
How many opportunities had there been?
Horses were certainly an important means of transportation in this world.
But whenever Michel traveled…
He either walked or rode in a carriage.
No one expected the Saint to ride.
Still…
Kaidan kept finding reasons to oppose him.
Michel’s competitive spirit flared.
If he admitted he couldn’t ride…
Kaidan would undoubtedly use that excuse to leave him behind.
Kaidan silently studied Michel’s face.
His gaze was relentless.
Like a hunter searching for cracks in a liar’s story.
In an effort to appear truthful—
Or rather…
To stop his lie from being exposed—
Michel proudly lifted his chin.
Kaidan gave a short nod.
“Very well.”
“Let’s verify it.”
“Huh?”
“If you can ride a horse competently…”
“I’ll consider taking you on the expedition.”
“But if you can’t properly control one…”
“Give up.”
It was an astonishing concession.
Michel’s face lit up.
“Really?”
“That’s a promise?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll find out right now.”
“R-Right now?”
“Why?”
“Is there a problem?”
A relaxed smile spread across Kaidan’s lips.
He looked like a predator that had finally cornered exhausted prey.
If Michel backed down now…
He could forget about joining the expedition.
Straightening his shoulders, Michel puffed out his chest.
“N-No problem!”
“Let’s go!”
He confidently strode ahead as though leading the way.
The moment he turned around…
Anxiety crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Still…
He desperately reassured himself.
Horse riding is physical, isn’t it?
He wasn’t particularly confident about intellectual pursuits.
But anything involving his body…
He usually excelled at.
Besides…
Who knew?
Maybe he was secretly a natural-born rider.
Kaidan stopped a passing knight and ordered him to bring a suitable horse to the training grounds.
He didn’t forget to specify one of an appropriate size for the Saint.
Perhaps word spread immediately.
One after another, off-duty knights began drifting toward the training grounds.
Kaidan frowned at the growing crowd, which gathered like a flock of golden eagles.
Yet he made no effort to chase them away.
Apparently…
He wanted plenty of witnesses so Michel couldn’t argue afterward.
Michel, on the other hand…
Only grew more nervous as the audience increased.
The knights stared at him curiously, wondering when the Saint had ever learned horsemanship.
He had no energy left to answer.
Especially not when David kept watching him with obvious suspicion.
Finally…
A knight led the horse into the training grounds.
Kaidan accepted the reins himself before handing them over.
“Mount the horse under your own power.”
“Then ride one full lap around the training grounds.”
“If you can do that…”
“I’ll believe you’re capable of riding.”
Stepping aside, Kaidan gestured for Michel to begin.
Michel discreetly wiped his now-soaked palms against his robes…
And cautiously approached the horse.