[In the past, all the sea dragons came ashore for the final battle. At that time, the sea dragons left one adult sea dragon behind to prevent the Leviathan from harming the clan’s young sea dragon.]

  Edda’s comment about the past was out of the blue and didn’t seem to fit with their current situation. 

  [At that time, the one left behind in the sea to protect the young sea dragon from the Leviathan was the Lord of the Deep Sea, the one you call Bluegon.]

  Kim Seon-Hyeok’s eyes widened at the unexpected story. 

  [However, the Lord of the Deep Sea was overconfident in his own strength, and as a result, was tricked by the cunning Leviathan’s schemes. He went out to the far seas, but by the time the Lord of the Deep Sea realized he had been tricked, it was too late. He only found the leftover remains of the young sea dragon the Leviathan had eaten.]

  It was at this moment that Kim Seon-Hyeok unintentionally found out what crime Bluegon had committed.

  [When the Lord of the Deep Sea lost the precious young sea dragon of his clan through his own pride and ego, he fled deeper into the sea and did not return in fear of his punishment. However, he did not know that all the sea dragons who could have rebuked him were dead from their battle against Chaos, and he lived for a thousand years in the deep, deep sea where the sun did not shine, fearing the return of his clansmen.]

  Not only had he failed to carry out the mission entrusted upon him by his clan because of his own overconfidence, but he had also run away from responsibility. With just that, it was clear that Bluegon had abandoned his pride as a Dragon. 

  [While hiding, the power of the sea dragon that he held from birth disappeared, and his rationality disappeared as well until he became no different than an insignificant creature. This was what I, as the Dragon Lord of my era, willed and it was the deserved punishment for the sinner who had committed the crime of pride.]

  It was only natural that Edda’s voice didn’t hold an ounce of mercy. 

  “That makes it doubly important for Bluegon to deal with that horrible monster.”
But it only made Kim Seon-Hyeok more insistent that Bluegon should be the one to deal with the Leviathan. Since the Leviathan was the reason he became a criminal in the past, it was appropriate to make Bluegon pay a small price for his crimes by disposing of the Leviathan,

  Edda did not disagree with his words. But that didn’t mean she had any intention of immediately returning to Bluegon his lost powers.

  [The possibility of his sentence being reduced will only happen after he has paid the price for his sins.]

  In other words, the only way Bluegon would get back his powers was if he dealt with the Leviathan using whatever strength he had right now.

  “What would happen if Bluegon were to fight against the Leviathan as he is right now?”
[The current power possessed by the Lord of the Deep Sea is not much different from that of the young sea dragon killed at that time. In all probability, the results will not be much different to the young sea dragon fighting against the Leviathan.]

  Again, this was an expected answer. Compared to Edda, the first dragon he met who was perfect, it was embarrassing to call Bluegon a Dragon. There was no way that Bluegon would have the strength to deal with the Leviathan when even Edda was reluctant to fight it in the water.

  After hesitating for a moment, Kim Seon-Hyeok spoke with a sigh.

  “Then I’ll have to help Bluegon fight the Leviathan.”
[It will not be easy. Most of the abilities you possess will not be able to exert their full power in the deep waters.]

  Edda didn’t stop him from helping Bluegon; she merely warned him several times that it would be a difficult fight.

  “Why’re you feigning innocence now? Didn’t you want me in a situation like this? Isn’t that why you paired me with the dragon sub-species?”
If Edda really wanted to leave the dragon sub-species as criminals forever, then she would never have allowed them to meet. 

  No matter how much she talked about them being criminals and sinners, in the end, Bluegon was a member of the Dragon Clan, a clan that had very few members left.

  As expected, Edda didn’t deny his words.

  “I’ll be back.”
Kim Seon-Hyeok fully turned into a Dragon Knight and called forth Bluegon with his summoning ability. Then, they jumped into the sea. 

  Quaaaaa.

  As if waiting for them, the surface of the water split and pulled him in. Underneath the waters that swallowed them, a huge moving shadow could be seen before that too, completely disappeared.

  ***

  Four days passed before Kim Seon-Hyeok appeared again.

  “Oww! My entire body is aching.”
He had disappeared gallantly, but now, four days later, his face was completely messed up.

  His soaking wet hair was as messy as it could be, and with it plastered all over his face, he looked quite ugly. It was difficult to look at him nicely when his skin was pale and pruney from the water. 

  Nevertheless, he was smiling.

  “Whew, I barely managed to get it.”
He had been whining terribly, but now, he got up and looked around.

  It was as if the entire sea was stained with blood. In the center of it was the mutilated corpse of the sea snake. 

  In the end, he was able to kill the Leviathan with just Bluegon.

  He had been worried about chasing after the Leviathan, but in the end, that hadn’t been an issue.

  The Leviathan ran away from Edda, but the moment it noticed Bluegon’s presence, its attitude changed. 

  Perhaps it hadn’t been able to forget the taste of the sea dragon’s blood he had once tasted, or perhaps it was angry that it had humiliated itself as it ran away from Edda; either way, the Leviathan persistently harassed Bluegon. 

  However, their positions reversed in an instant. Kim Seon-Hyeok and Bluegon, who had eagerly set out to catch the Leviathan, caught a delicious prey. 

  From a hunting standpoint, the predator became the prey. 

  No matter how much bigger Bluegon was compared to the other sub-species, he was still as small as a child in front of the Leviathan. Neither his natural strength nor his ability to handle water could compare against the monster’s. 

  If Edda hadn’t fatally wounded the Leviathan, Bluegon would have been recorded as the second sea dragon to be eaten by a sea snake. 

  However, Bluegon didn’t give up and continued to resist fiercely. Kim Seon-Hyeok didn’t know whether Bluegon was fighting so hard to pay for the sins he had committed in the past, or if he was simply trying to survive. 

  Kim Seon-Hyeok only knew the result. The Leviathan died and they had survived. That was the only thing that mattered.

  “The current power possessed by the Lord of the Deep Sea is not much different from that of the young sea dragons killed at that time. In all probability, the results will not be much different to the young sea dragon fighting against the Leviathan.”
Edda’s words weren’t the truth. That mighty and wise Dragon had known about the outcome of this battle from the beginning. 

  No. Perhaps from the start, Edda had the power to kill the Leviathan herself but had let it go. Maybe she had released the sea snake after injuring it just enough for Bluegon to handle so that he could pay for the sins he had committed in the past.

  [So the monster of gluttony could not withstand his greed and came to an end.]

  Otherwise, there was no way she could take this result as a matter of fact.

  [You who have been overconfident and forsaken the precious future of your clan.]

  Either way, it was all a thing of the past.

  [Although the crime you have committed cannot be washed away by the blood of a useless sea snake, you are unfortunately the sea dragons’ future. It is truly a cruel fate.]

  All that mattered right now was that Bluegon was finally freed from his exile.

  Kughhh.

  Bluegon didn’t dare stick his head out of the water to boldly look at Edda. He could only calm his breathing beneath the water.

  [As the Dragon Lord of the era, I declare that as of today, you are forgiven for the crime of pride you have committed.]

  Bluegon trembled as if he had been struck by lightning at Edda’s declaration.

  [Your lost horns and wings will be restored as will your lost power.]

  A brilliant flash of light burst out and embraced the wounded sea dragon.

  [And so, you will once again sit on the throne that rules the deepest waters as the Lord of the Deep Sea as you have done before.]

  The sea that had been dyed red with the Leviathan’s blood regained its original color instantly. The ugly monster’s corpse that had been floating on the ocean like trash disappeared without a trace.

  [There is one thing you must keep in mind. While you have recovered your horns and wings, it does not bring back the Dragon’s pride you threw away. The glory you enjoy is only half of it.]

  When Edda finished talking, Bluegon sank deep into the sea to completely return back to his former self.

  “Let’s go now.”
After looking for a long time at the surface of the water where Bluegon had disappeared under, Kim Seon-Hyeok got on top of Edda.

  Since there had been such a big ruckus in the Hasburg estate, it wouldn’t be surprising if news of his return had already reached the Imperial Capital.

  Thinking of Ophelia, who was most likely afraid that he would immediately fly somewhere else again, he had to get back to the capital as soon as possible.

  “But Edda…”
The Dragon Lord gave a sideways glance back at her companion.

  “The other guys aren’t like this too, right?”
Edda didn’t answer. He frowned. 

  ***

  “There’s news that the Indomitable Grand Duke has slain the terrible beast!”
Less than a week after they heard that the Indomitable Grand Duke had appeared in the Hasburg estate, news came that the monster that was devastating the south had been exterminated. 

  “Ooh! He truly is the Indomitable Grand Duke!”
The people had only been hearing terrible news, so when they heard this happy news, they praised the Indomitable Grand Duke for accomplishing another grand feat. 

  “Now that the Grand Duke has returned, it’s only a matter of time before the Empire is peaceful again.”
“He is the Indomitable Grand Duke who has defeated even that terrible sea snake. How could a mere pig-head monster and a man-eating giant be a match for him?”
The people welcomed the return of the great knight with bright faces. It was as if all their worries had disappeared. 

  Amid the people celebrating as if they were victorious, only Ophelia’s face was hard as she ordered the mages to find out where her husband was going.

  “It is said that His Grace headed directly towards the northeast after leaving the Hasburg estate, Your Imperial Majesty.”
It wasn’t difficult to figure out Kim Seon-Hyeok’s flight path. After all, eyewitness accounts of a huge and beautiful dragon soaring through the sky were delivered to the Imperial Palace.

  “It seems like His Grace is coming directly to the Imperial Palace without stopping anywhere else, Your Imperial Majesty.”
When Ophelia heard the mages confirming his destination based on the eyewitness testimonies, her face relaxed as she sighed.

  “I’m glad that he’s not coming here after dealing with the Behemoth.”
She thought that he would do the same thing as usual and return only after solving all the problems all over the place, but it seemed like he was flying straight to the Imperial Palace without being sidetracked anywhere else. 

  “Your Imperial Majesty.”
The mages continued to report to Ophelia, whose concerns about her wandering husband were put to rest, on the recent changes in the Empire. 

  “The monsters that were running rampant in some of the regions disappeared all at once, Your Imperial Majesty.”
Although the problem wasn’t as bad as in the North and the East, the monsters that had been problematic in the South had been dealt with all at once. 

  “It appears that it has something to do with the Grand Duke, Your Majesty.”
“Explain it to me in detail.”
“The time and the area where the monsters disappeared precisely match the Grand Duke’s movements, Your Majesty.”
The mage unfolded a map and marked Kim Seon-Hyeok’s movements. That path coincided perfectly with the areas where the monsters disappeared. 

  “I assumed there must be a reason when he moved so conspicuously when he usually moved covertly.”
Although they didn’t know what exactly he did, it was certain that he had done something. Otherwise, there was no way that news of the orcs and trolls would just stop coming when they were raging in the South.

  It was just as they had guessed.

  Kim Seon-Hyeok and Edda flying so conspicuously was a way for them to mark their territory.

  Although the ancient monsters had an obsession with their territory as much as humans did, none of them were bold enough to hold onto their territories after seeing the Dragon. The monsters were scared to death just by seeing the Dragon, and to these terrified monsters, the Dragon spoke to them mentally.

  [Leave. I will not forgive anyone who dares to stay in my domain without my permission.]

  The ancient monsters who remembered the Dragon didn’t dare go against Edda’s command. They gave up their territories without hesitation and started migrating. 

  And so, by the time Kim Seon-Hyeok and Edda reached Adenstein [1], there were no more monsters who remained along the path of the southernmost tip of the Empire to the Imperial Capital. 

  “I’m finally back!”
Kim Seon-Hyeok smiled broadly as he looked at the distant capital. It had been both a long and short outing, but he was finally back home. 

  Back home where his lovely wife and son were. 

  1. The author wrote Adenstein here but I think he is most likely referring to Adenburg.