* * *
“Hello?”
The fox beast looked at Philip and waved his hand.
“Ah, yes. hello. Nice to meet you.”
Beastmen usually took two forms, a human form and a beast form. Like the Wolang tribe, there were races that inherited the blood of ancient divine beasts or intermediate ones, but the fox beasts in front of them were different.
She had the appearance of a human girl, the ears of a fox, and a tail. That alone could be said to be a very extraordinary existence.
“Uhm, is this look weird? Humans like it when they wag their tails like this. Eight!”
The fox-girl stuck her hips out towards Philip and waggled her voluminous tail.
‘Well, all dragons are like this.’
Freevia was a special case. She was surprisingly communicative for a dragon.
Philip opened his mouth after thinking carefully about what to say, looking at the twinkling eyes of the fox beast, who seemed to be looking for something.
“It’s really cute.”
At Philip’s praise, the fox beast was very happy and jumped up and down.
“right? yes? Do you have eyes to see? That’s why Freevia-sama likes you. ruler! Here, you can touch this specially!”
It looked like a screw was missing somewhere, but Philip didn’t let go of his tension.
“Do I dare to do that?”
“Because you look pretty, your actions are also really pretty. consider it an honor! It’s been two hundred years since I gave up my tail!”
Philip reached out and touched the fox-man’s tail.
‘It kills the touch.’
A feast of fluffy and soft fur that makes you wonder if you want to keep a fox. Philip stroked the tail as if possessed, then came to his senses and removed his hand.
“Oh, what a great spirit. You’re the first to let go before I tell you to stop.”
The fox beast covered his mouth with his hand, perhaps in admiration.
“I heard that you are the heir to the moonlight sword, but… okay. It seems that this should be enough to inherit it. Umm, are you here to play?”
“Ah, yes. I’ve been having a lot of hard work lately, so I came here for a break.”
“Um… okay. I must have. I came to my land to rest my tired body, but I was attacked… I can’t even rest properly… .”
The fox beast, probably a dragon, folded his ears in half and made a sad expression.
‘What kind of empathy monster is this?’
Philip admired her empathy. She was sniffing as if she had heard a very sad story.
“This cannot be forgiven. Umm… no matter how you think I must wipe out the Hardin family and kill all the children who attacked you. That way, you’ll be less sorry when you meet Privia-sama.”
And at the logical leap that followed, Philip couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“… yes?”
“It seems like the family of a child I loved in the past has been left alone for too long. But you forgave me for daring to share my gift with anyone and taking money? But because I dared to make you, whom Freevia-sama loves, suffer such humiliation… .”
Philip rolled his brain to understand her way of thinking.
‘… I get it roughly.’
It was good to say that the identity of the fox beast was almost revealed.
The owner of the mountain range where this hot spring flows, the red dragon Hardiana.
A dragon that is often mentioned in books, even though it hasn’t shown a great move enough for Philip to keep an eye on it.
‘Does that mean that I and other humans who have a relationship with dragons are different?’
Among humans, there were people who liked small things like ants and stag beetles.
Originally, the favors a dragon bestows on a human would be to drop a few drops of sap on a thirsty stag beetle or toss a sugar cube to an ant.
If it develops a little further, just like how Hardiana gave away part of her nest to the Hardin family, she will have a hobby of making insect nests and observing them.
In that sense, Hardyana could be said to be a dragon who is quite sincere in her hobbies.
‘Pribia-sama has claimed to be my guardian, so to speak, the insects she was raising would jump out of the house and bite the third reader in someone else’s house. That’s how you’ll get that kind of reaction.’
Assuming information is shared between dragons, Hardiana must have known that Privia has been waiting for the successor to the Moonlight Sword for a thousand years.
If you are a person who can sympathize with minor creatures, how deeply can you sympathize with the same person? Philip wondered what exactly he meant to her, but he was able to infer something from her words and actions.
“I am okay. It’s a little annoying, but it’s nothing. You don’t have to do that because of me.”
Emotional rebuttals such as saying that there was nothing wrong with the Hardin family, or that they were still human, were of no help.
‘I have to show that I am a being with the same way of thinking as you.’
The nuance of being considerate of your hobbies as a dragon, rather than being considerate of the Hardin family or the group to which ‘Kwonchi’ Lyle belongs, was important.
Fortunately, the red dragon Cardiana held Philip’s hand with a moved expression.
“really… ? Are you just letting it go?”
“Aren’t they the humans who have been watching for five hundred years? You erased it just because of this.”
“Yeah right. It was a lot of waste. you are a really good kid I’m so sorry I just skipped over it… um, good I will give you this.”
She snapped her fingers and a ruby-red gem fell onto Philip’s hand.
“Because my breath is stored in it? If the bad guys are bothering you, just throw it.”
Philip was startled and almost missed the jewel.
“… Oh, thank you.”
If what the dragon said was true, this was no different from a disposable tactical weapon. It contained the breath of a red dragon that could wipe out a fort as it was. If it exploded by mistake, it was rare.
As soon as Philip accepted it, a portal opened in the air, and a terrified Privia appeared.
She took a deep breath and sighed.
“Hey, you crazy b*tch!!!!”
* * *
Philip returned to the hot spring with a caress on the back of his head. It was after the jewels he had received from the Red Dragon for the commotion were taken away by Freevia.
Philip was beaten with a chestnut for taking what he was given, but he didn’t feel too bad. It was because Hardiana, who gave her the first breath, suffered a much worse situation.
‘Well, I’m glad they said they’d give it to me if I need it later.’
Privia took the jewel and said she would return it someday when she had the skills to handle it.
‘It’s not like my parents take any kind of money.’
It was a rather fortunate thing, since that was a very burdensome thing for Philip as well.
‘If I held it, the dragons would have kept an eye on me. Thanks for taking it.’
“Anyway, things are a problem these days. Hardiana, that girl, was too young a thousand years ago to be mobilized in the war against the demons. So that’s what it looks like. I wonder how his parents educated him… .”
Pribia lamented about the problems of the MZ generation in the dragon society.
“Do you want to go to the gambling house?”
When Philip asked, Privia tilted her head.
“Do you enjoy that too?”
“Yes, what. Aren’t you having fun?”
“Well, there are few things that are as good fun as spending money. I’ll just watch, so do as you like.”
‘If I come here, I must go unconditionally.’
From noble mtl dot com
The gambling house operated by Hardin Hot Springs was quite famous. People could have enjoyed it, but the most famous was the lottery, in which Shinsu himself drew.
It is to receive a fortune-telling chosen by an owl god who is said to have the ability to read fate, and it was popular among nobles because it matched quite well. In addition, if you are lucky, you may receive a gift from the Owl Spirit.
‘I’ll give you something useful.’
Philip went back to his room and called Felicia and the students.
“casino? It’s worth experiencing at least once. But maybe Luana Haley is too young? I don’t know about Johnny’s and the other 3rd year students, but it seems a bit early for the 1st year students.”
In this world where there is no other entertainment, gambling like playing cards was a hobby that people started as early as their teens. That’s why Felicia, an educator, also had no complaints about taking her children to the gambling house.
“I want to take those kids with me. Besides, they’re not particularly fun to gamble with.”
“That’s right. Well, just having fun is enough.”
At that time, Lua came to visit Philip with Camilla. Camilla had been away for a while to meet Prince Alexios, who was nearby.
“hello. professor.”
“yes. princess.”
Camilla and Felicia exchanged awkward greetings. Strangely, Felicia was not comfortable with Camilla, the youngest princess. It seemed that it was because of the memory of being entrusted with Camilla’s security mission when she was a girl.
“It’s just fine. I was thinking of going out to play. Camilla. Do you like to gamble?”
Philip asked Camilla, who was dressed in street clothes. Camilla only tilted her head slightly at the sudden question.
“A long time ago, the daughter of the Baroun family taught me how to play backgammon. I had fun, but I heard that the young lady was seriously scolded… .”
“Is that young lady’s name Christine by any chance?”
“yes. that’s right.”
In memory of Christine, who must have been whipped to set her ass on fire, Philip instructed Lua.
“Do you want to go and bring the kids?”
* * *
The gambling hall attached to the hot spring was always crowded with people. It was because it was a favorite place for not only tourists but also aristocrats and wealthy commoners living in the surrounding area.
In a slightly dim light, they saw beautifully dressed servants serving customers who were absorbed in gambling, and the children were excited about the atmosphere they felt for the first time.
“Look over there. Are you the young master of the Baroun family?”
“You also have the youngest daughter of the Murella family, right?”
“… That girl over there… Aren’t you supposed to be a princess? The day when I live and see the princess at the gambling house is coming. I heard that you entered the academy… .”
“Seeing that the eldest daughter, who is the pride of the Oswald family, is also visible, it must have been a field trip from the academy.”
Aristocrats and wealthy commoners who saw Philip and his companions whispered here and there. The children were excited and their eyes sparkled.
It was because he was younger than he is now when he came here with his family, so he had never been to a gambling house.
“Haley, Camilla, Lua. will you follow me The 3rd graders are 16 years old, so I think they can have fun on their own. You will need to stay with your guardian. If you don’t like it, you can follow them.”
At Philip’s invitation, Lua quickly took Philip’s hand.
“I will follow Instructor.”
“I will follow. It’s so noisy that I’m out of my mind.”
When Camilla and Lua announced their intention to join, Hailey shrugged too.
“I will follow. I don’t particularly like this kind of play, so just watching is enough.”
Meanwhile, Janice looked at Cheryl and Stefan with bright eyes.
“Did you guys hear? Are you betting like I said before? Does the person who lost two hundred gold first buy all the snacks in the cafeteria for three days?”
Cheryl and Stefan looked at each other and exchanged glances.
‘I don’t like it, but I can’t help it.’
‘I like it like that, just do it. young master.’
“Then let’s go!”
Johnny’s led Cheryl and Stefan to a table where they played cards with rules similar to poker.
“… It looks like they’re going to get into trouble, so I’ll go after them.”
“yes. Please. professor.”
Felicia, who was paying attention, also followed the 3rd graders.
“Let’s go too.”
Philip took the first year students and headed for the center of the gambling house. There, the Owl Goddess wearing a bowler hat was sitting in the middle of a large table, shaking a barrel full of swallows with her claws.
“It’s Mr. Owl!”
Lua’s eyes twinkled.
“… hoot… Let’s see… hoot.”
The Owl God has just pulled out a fortune teller from an aristocratic woman. Shin-soo, who was interpreting the fortune-telling with half-closed eyes, suddenly flew up in extreme anger and began to peck at the aristocratic woman’s head.
“Are you a human, Owl? Is it okay if you have a child, Oooh?”
“Kyaaagh! why is this for a moment!”
“Leave the suckling, Owl! You go far to meet a man! hoot! I want to tell them to live and die like that, but boo! I advise you not to do it because you feel sorry for the child! hoot! If you continue to live like that, you will die of an STD within ten years, boo!”
“Guards! guards! ouch! stop! it hurts!”
The aristocratic woman whose affair had been revealed out of nowhere screamed and ran away, and onlookers giggled as they watched.
“You know how to enjoy life quite a bit because it doesn’t happen that way.”
“What’s the point of enjoying yourself while you’re young, even for a day?”
The older nobles giggled at the woman who had run away, but the younger nobles who wanted to get their fortune told by the owl kept their mouths shut.
“f*ck… hoot… … hoot… Such a b*tch… Such a beastly b*tch… .”
The owl Gods swallowed his anger with a sigh, then flapped his wings and returned to his original position after confirming that Philip and the children had arrived.
“Come on. hoot. Bokchae is fifty gold coins, owl. You get it in chips too.”
It was a change of attitude faster than light.
Philip held out three hundred-dollar chips he had exchanged beforehand.
“Add the rest to the cost of the worms.”
“You are a very old man. hoot.”
The owl god received the chip with his beak and took it with a very satisfied expression.
“Would you like to go first?”
Philip asked, placing his hand on Camilla’s shoulder. Camilla, who was looking at the Owl Goddess in wonder, nodded.
“yes. Okay.”
When Camilla, who was intrigued, came forward, the onlookers who recognized her as a princess but were unable to speak to her murmured and focused their attention.
Owl God shook the barrel containing the swallows with his claws, and soon one rod fell. After interpreting the fallen bar, Shinsoo admired it.
“… My fate changed when I met you. hoot. No matter what people around you say, you just have to listen to that nobleman. hoot. Depending on how well you do, the fate of your family will change. hoot.”
After finishing his words, the owl god placed his beak on the base of the wing, took out a small ring-like object from between the feathers, and held it out to Camilla.
“This is an object that gives a single answer to a crucial question. hoot. Thank you for your gift.”
Camilla hung her head, not knowing why.
“ah… yes. Thank you.”
Then the noise around them intensified.
“It’s been a long time since that picky owl gave an enchanted gift. What did the last one get?”
“I got the acorns I picked up last year.”
“Before that?”
“I received well-dried maple leaves.”
“As expected, she’s a princess, so she’s different from us.”
Camilla, who had received the ring, noticed that Lua wanted to take a look, and they stood next to Lua and observed the ring together.
Philip said, this time looking at Hayley.
“Do you want to see it this time?”
“I will. Instructor.”
Haley, who had been wanting to do it in her heart, nodded.
What….