DMHS 125

Kian flinched as soon as he heard the name “Heli.”

‘Hellenos!’

Kian caught a glimpse of a shop selling grains and fruits.

‘Damn it.’

It was sad that this was the only option he could think of. He picked up the flour sack standing next to the stall.

Bang!

The sack burst over his head, sending white flour cascading down his hair and face.

Kian rubbed his palms furiously, coating his face with flour.

As if that wasn’t enough, he rubbed the corners of his mouth with a tomato placed next to him.

Baek Seungha, startled by Kian’s sudden action, gaped. Kian bowed politely to Baek Seungha.

“Instead of the meal, would you please pay for this?”

“No, I can pay, but what’s the sudden change in your state of mind?”

“I’m just trying to impress the Dragons.”

“I’ve never heard they like this kind of thing.”

Shrugging, Baek Seungha took his wallet out of his back pocket and finished paying.

At that moment, Hellenos, now in human form, spoke up from behind Baek Seungha.

“Hunter, there are two ways to anger a dragon. The first is stopping halfway through what you’re saying…”

Baek Seungha asked brightly.

“The second is?”

“Don’t ask that! It means stopping halfway through is that frustrating. So, who came to our world?”

Hellenos, his waist-length blond hair flowing freely, scanned his surroundings.

His gaze passed from Lucien to Kian. His deep amber eyes slowly dilated.

“Wow, who is this stunning beauty?”

“…”

“…”

In the awkward silence, Kian heard the dragons whispering in the cafe.

“Even after finding a mate, his tastes haven’t changed. What was that?”

“White skin, straight black hair.”

“Red lips.”

“A fruity scent all over him.”

“Hear it one more time and my ears will bleed. I wonder if this is why humans from other dimensions misunderstand dragons. Those strange tastes are limited to those who inherited his blood. Tsk tsk.”

Kian lowered his head and frowned.

‘It was my fault for trusting Hellenos.’

Meanwhile, Lucien stepped forward.

“My mate.”

“Well, of course he’s someone’s mate. A dragon with eyes would be desperate to take such a beauty. But who are you? I’ve never seen you before.”

“Lucien.”

“The way you speak, completely cutting off the context, is exactly right… You’re my descendant!”

Why is this the way you confirm blood ties… … .

Leaving Kian, who wanted to question, behind, Hellenos spread his arms and tried to embrace Lucien.

This time too, Lucien dodged back, leaving the massive dragon practically embracing nothing.

“Tsk, those with my bloodline are all so unloving.”

“I’m good to my mate, so don’t worry about it.”

“Of course. Anyway, welcome to the Dragon Realm, Luci. I am one of the founding heroes of Celestia, the great Gold Dragon Hellenos.”

“Heli.”

“Yes. You came over after completing your coming-of-age ceremony in the kingdom, right? Since my time, more and more dragons have found companions from other dimensions. To settle down here, you need to go through a simple verification process.”

“Can I meet only the Dragon Lord?”

“No. The final step in the confirmation process is receiving the Lord’s blessing.”

“No, what I’m saying is, can I meet the Lord for something unrelated to the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“That would require more confirmation, so it would take longer.”

Baek Seungha interjected, watching the two standing tall on the street, conversing.

“Well… I understand you’re having a touching reunion with your descendant, but can’t we go somewhere and talk things through?”

“Why?”

“Why?”

Baek Seungha raised an eyebrow and looked at Kian.

“We should be considerate of those who stand out alone.”

As he said, Kian was receiving a barrage of stares from both humans and humanoid dragons passing by.

Some mistook his flour-covered appearance for some kind of event, and reached for their phones.

“It’s such an inconvenience when such a beautiful person shows up. The hunter is right. Let’s all go to my mansion together.”

“Can I join the family gathering?”

“Isn’t it almost time to get off work anyway? I’m planning to open a twenty-year-old bottle of wine to commemorate Luci’s arrival. If you don’t want to, forget it.”

“I’ll be leaving right now.”

Baek Seungha, who was overjoyed, disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

Hellenos looked at Lucien and gave instructions.

“Put your mate on your back and fly with me.”

But Lucien shook his head.

“I can’t fly.”

“Can’t you transform into your true form?”

“They said it’s not time yet.”

“What nonsense… Enough. Don’t waste time arguing. Let’s just take them both and go. Grab each one of my shoulders.”

Kian and Lucien each grabbed Hellenos’ shoulders.

“Let’s go.”

Hellenos’s back split open, and golden wings rose. With a simple flap of his massive wings, he lifted the three into the air.

As he soared into the sky, Hellenos’s body began to transform. His neck and torso thickened, and scales, arranged on one side, sprouted. His back, as solid as the ground, allowed two people to climb aboard without discomfort.

Hellenos reached the clouds, slowly moving his wings. He landed on a volcanic island, far from the central island.

A picturesque house, built on a flat lawn stretching out below the crater, appeared.

As if hearing Hellenos’s flight, the door opened, and a woman with a flowing skirt emerged.

Hellenos, having landed, also ran towards his home, excited.

“Laura!”

Hellenos embraced the woman standing at the gate and showered her with kisses.

Laura, Hellenos’s mate, accepted Hellenos’s expressions of affection with a familiar air. Even after the kiss, she pretended not to notice her husband, who clung to her waist, and politely greeted the guest.

“Hunter Baek Seungha, it’s been a while.”

“Yes, I’ve come today with good news! This is Lucien from the Kingdom of Celestia and his mate, Kian.”

Laura beamed at Lucien and Kian.

“It was a long journey. Please come inside.”

There was no mention of Kian, whose face was covered in flour. Kian lowered his gaze and thought to himself,

‘Hellenos’ mate is still the same.’

Laura was the daughter of a tenant farmer who tended the fields near the East Sea.

Hellenos, who had escaped the palace under the pretext of visiting Rowan, had encountered bad weather and abandoned his flight. He stumbled upon her on foot.

According to Hellenos, she was staking out a support for the tomatoes she’d planted in the field. Her hands, clutching the shovel, were covered in dirt, and her patchwork clothes were shabby.

Also, contrary to him chanting of ideal type, her hair was redder than a tomato, and her face was covered in freckles.

Nevertheless, Hellenos couldn’t take his eyes off Laura.

‘This is the one.’

Kian met Laura at their wedding.

Despite her modest appearance and commoner origins, she possessed a gentle and dignified demeanor. Perhaps it was her attentiveness to others.

‘I thought dragons knew how to pick their mates.’

The human who became a mate shared the dragon’s mana. Not only did their bodies improve, but their lifespans also increased significantly.

“Have you eaten yet? We don’t have much to offer, but we have prepared some food for you. Please share.”

The group followed Laura to the back of the mansion.

Under a canopy blocking the sky, a simple picnic-style table appeared. It contained five kinds of cheese, mussels cooked in a wine sauce, and an Eastern-style pie with eggs and bacon.

Hellenos, who had disappeared for a moment, reappeared holding a bottle and glasses.

“Our Laura loves the view from here. We usually eat lunch outside. Are you okay with that?”

“Of course.”

“Good.”

“Come on, have a drink first.”

Hellenos coquettishly poured himself a drink.

Kian didn’t refuse and downed the drink.

‘I never expected it, but Hellenos caught me the moment I arrived. Let’s at least act drunk.’

Hellenos smiled at the sight. It seemed he was quite pleased with the mate his descendant had brought home.

“Where did Luci find such a mate?”

“At the competition.”

“That beauty came to the competition venue on his own? That’s truly remarkable.”

‘You’d be even more surprised if you knew the whole story…’

Kian continued to ponder this, picking up the pie. The food was surprisingly delicious.

Baek Seungha, seemingly having the same thought, spoke up.

“What’s this pie? It’s the best I’ve had in a month. Shouldn’t you be opening a bakery instead of just sitting here?”

“I agree. Heli’s a great cook.”

“Oh, so Heli made the food? He’s got those thick hands and does all the delicate work?”

“Heli is the main chef in our house. He burned a lot of pots at first, but now he can cook anything.”

Laura touched Heli’s arm and smiled affectionately.

Heli, as if embarrassed by the compliment, looked off into the distance and replied.

“My mate has to eat human food, so there’s no other way. And if she’s going to eat it, it’s even better if it tastes good.”

Laura continued.

“It was Heli who built me ​​a house here. He asked me what I liked best about the island. I told him I loved the ocean view, so he built me ​​a house and made a place for me to enjoy it every day.”

“That’s only natural. My mate came to this world relying solely on me. I have to do everything I can.”