Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 941

Chapter 941

The whispers intensified, the words echoing inside my head.

“Dragon?”
“He said dragon? What does that mean?”

The noise of overlapping voices surrounded me, accompanied by a suffocating weight of attention.

Every person had turned to stare, reacting to the word that Myung Song had shouted out in his shock.

And it wasn’t just their looks—it was the emotions I could sense pouring from them.

Anger, terror, and even traces of bitterness and bewilderment.

One thing was obvious:

‘None of this is good.’

Every single response was overwhelmingly negative.

I looked down at my throbbing palm. The skin appeared to have been seared away. Then, I shifted my focus to Myung Song’s hand.

‘That’s it.’

The cause of my injury was simple—it was because of Myung Song’s hand.

The metal gauntlets he was wearing.

Touching them had done this.

‘…’

I narrowed my eyes, studying the gloves carefully. It was immediately apparent they were anything but ordinary.

‘This is why I came.’

The very reason I had taken the time to visit the Mount Hua blacksmith. The gloves were proof.

I shook my hand, flinging off flakes of burned skin that came loose in the motion.

The injury wasn’t superficial, but it was small enough that it should heal quickly if left alone.

‘…Hm?’

At least, that’s what I had assumed.

But something was wrong.

‘It’s healing slowly.’

Compared to my normal rate of recovery, it was agonizingly sluggish—at least twice as slow.

I hid my hand behind my back, attempting to disregard the strangeness for the moment, though the weight of the stares persisted.

Then—

“Are you… a dragon?”

Myung Song’s voice cut through the tension, his eyes fixed on me as he posed the question.

What was I even supposed to say to that?

It wasn’t just a question—it was loaded with conviction. And if he was so sure, the reason had to be…

‘Those gloves.’

The metal gloves on Myung Song’s hands. And also—

‘The swords carried by Gubong and Seol Yeong.’

The weapons wielded by Mount Hua’s first disciples.

I hadn’t forgotten the time I thoroughly defeated Gubong.

During that fight, his sword had felt… peculiar. It hadn’t been much of a threat, but there was something about it that stayed with me.

‘That sword was unnatural.’

I recalled the disquieting sensation it gave off during our confrontation.

In fact, it was easier to fight him when he didn’t have the sword at all.

The memory had bothered me, so I’d done some research.

It was worth looking into because the feeling had been so unique. From that investigation, I had discovered a few things.

First:

‘Only the first disciples are given those special swords.’

I’d only encountered two of Mount Hua’s disciples so far, but both had carried matching swords.

I confirmed this when I met a second disciple at Yahwol Palace and during a spar with a third.

Both Gubong and Seol Yeong had the same kind of sword, and I felt the same ominous aura from Seol Yeong’s weapon.

So, I asked Gubong about them directly.

When I questioned where they came from, he told me they were forged to order by the blacksmith here.

The source was clear: the blacksmith and his workshop.

The moment I realized that, I needed to learn more about these swords.

‘What are they?’

What made them feel so menacing? And—

‘Is it the swords themselves, or the material they’re made from?’

If it was the material, what was so cursed about it?

Now, it was obvious.

‘It’s the material.’

The issue wasn’t the design—it was the metal itself.

Even as my burned arm ached, I kept my eyes on Myung Song.

He stared back, full of distrust.

He had asked if I was a dragon.

I met his gaze and countered, “Would it be a problem if I was?”

“…”

Myung Song didn’t reply.

But I could feel his anxiety grow stronger.

Silence has a way of magnifying emotion.

Just as Myung Song’s suspicion increased, so did the strain in the room.

The mood became more and more threatening.

Hmm.

I considered my choices. What should I do?

To be honest, I wanted to deny it, but—

‘They’re already sure.’

It was too late for that.

Besides, the fact that they were so certain meant the metal was somehow linked to dragons.

“Myung Song, what are you talking about? There’s no way our honored guest is…”

Seol Yeong intervened, trying to ease the situation with a tense smile.

But—

“Well, people do call me that sometimes.”

“…!”

I shattered her attempt to calm things down with my reply.

“…What…”

Myung Song gasped in shock, but his expression soon hardened.

With a loud clang, he seized a hammer from nearby and leveled it at me.

“A dragon? You admit it?”
“This isn’t ideal. Let’s all just relax.”
“How dare you come here…!!”

The instant the word “dragon” left my mouth, Myung Song charged, swinging the hammer.

Bang!

I moved aside, and the hammer struck the floor, cracking the stone.

“How did you get out…! Have you returned to torment us again?”
“…That’s not why I’m here—”
“Die!!”
“What a nuisance.”

He wasn’t listening.

With a deranged look in his eyes, he swung the hammer wildly, smashing everything around him.

If this continued, the blacksmith’s workshop would be destroyed.

I had to stop him.

Reaching out, I seized his collar in the middle of his charge.

“Eiii—!!”

Using a bit of strength, I slammed him into the ground.

Boom!

“Gah…!”

Even lying dazed, he thrashed, trying to attack again.

So I struck his jaw.

Smack!

“Urgh…!”

The punch knocked him out cold. Only once he was unconscious did the turmoil subside.

“Hah…”

I straightened up, looking down at the unconscious Myung Song.

But—

“…”
“A dragon… it really is a dragon…”
“Why…? We barely got away, and now it’s back…”

The others in the workshop were still frozen in fear.

If anything, overpowering Myung Song had made the situation more tense.

“No, listen…”

I tried to explain, but—

“Eek—!!”
“It’s going to devour us…!”

My words only seemed to heighten their panic.

What should I do?

I was stuck, running a hand through my hair in annoyance, when—

“Honored guest… we should go.”

Seol Yeong gripped my arm urgently.

Placing her basket of fabric and needles on the floor, she called out, “I’ll retrieve these later! My apologies!”

With that, she pulled me outside. Too bewildered to object, I let her lead me away.

*************************

Seol Yeong hurriedly led me away from the forge.

Her rushed pace put a significant distance between us and the workshop in a short time.

Thud!

Abruptly, her grip on my arm was broken. It wasn’t because she released me, but because Cheonma had seized her wrist and pulled it away.

“Release him. They can’t see us now,” Cheonma stated, staring at Seol Yeong.

It was true; with my heightened senses, I detected no watching eyes.

Even so, Cheonma seemed to glower at Seol Yeong with a distinct air of displeasure. Ignoring her, I turned to Seol Yeong and asked:

“…What is all this?”

I required an explanation.

“Honored guest,” Seol Yeong began, her expression grave.

“Are you truly… a dragon?”
“They certainly seem to believe so, don’t they?”

If everyone was so insistent, there must be some truth to it, right? I shrugged and answered flippantly, but her eyes widened in response.

Seeing her reaction, I pressed on.

“Why? Is it that significant if I am?”

Why was it such an issue? The Myriad Realms was a convergence of countless races. A dragon shouldn’t be that extraordinary, right?

‘Of course, I did hear dragons were extinct and barred from the Myriad Realms.’

Was that it? Even so, it didn’t completely account for the sheer terror and hostility I’d faced back there.

“…If you are indeed a dragon, honored guest, then yes, it is a significant problem.”
“Why? What’s the reason?”
“Do you truly not know?”
“Would I be asking if I did?”

If I knew, I wouldn’t be questioning you.

My irritation was plain as I frowned, and she hesitated before continuing.

“I don’t know everything, but… I’ve heard the dragons disappeared long ago due to certain events. They are forbidden from entering the Myriad Realms.”

I already knew that much.

“And that’s why those old men despise dragons?”

“No… it’s more profound than that.”

Deeper than the banishment?

“Then what is it?”
“Well…”

She hesitated again, biting her lip as if reluctant to speak. But I needed to know.

So I waited silently until she finally said:

“I was told that before the dragons vanished, Myung Song’s people were enslaved by them.”

Her words made me frown instinctively.

“…Slaves?”

Slaves? Did she mean actual slaves?

“Yes. True slaves.”
“…Wait, not a figure of speech, but literally—”
“Treated as less than human, like property,” she confirmed.

“…Damn.”

The dragons had enslaved another race. That explained the reactions I’d witnessed.

‘How did you escape…! Have you come back to torment us?’

That’s what Myung Song had screamed.

If what Seol Yeong said was true…

‘They must have endured immense suffering under the dragons.’

How much pain must they have endured to react like that?

Their eyes reminded me…

‘Of how I see the Demonic Cult.’

No, it was more like the way I’d look at someone with a truly wretched history.

That was the closest comparison I could draw.

“Hm.”

Rubbing my chin, I considered the situation. What now?

As I thought, Seol Yeong spoke again.

“Honored guest… I don’t know the sect leader’s reasons for bringing you here, but…”

Her tone was cautious, her words measured.

“If he brought you, he must have had a purpose.”

Hearing that, I glanced at her.

“However, considering Myung Song’s point of view… please do not judge him too harshly.”
“Why would I?”

Her wary expression softened as I responded. If their history was as she described, Myung Song’s reaction was understandable.

“Oh.”

Relief washed over her face as she smiled. She had apparently been worried I would take offense and retaliate.

“Thank you for your understanding… I will speak with him and help him calm down. I’ll make certain he remains out of your way.”

She spoke with resolve, but her final words prompted me to interrupt.

“That won’t do.”
“What?”

Her face shifted to confusion.

“What do you mean it won’t do?”

“I mean, he can’t stay out of the way. I need to speak with him.”
“You mean… you plan to see Myung Song again?”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be him…”

But from what I’d seen, he seemed to be the one in charge.

“So for now, yes.”
“But…”

She trailed off, but her reluctance was evident. I could easily guess her thoughts.

Because I was a dragon, any meeting with them would be fraught with difficulty.

That was the impression I got from her hesitation.

“It’s fine.”

I dismissed her concerns.

After all—

“I’m not particularly good at being friendly anyway.”

If they were afraid, I would deal with it appropriately. Unfortunately—

‘I’m not in a position to be accommodating.’

I didn’t have the luxury of catering to their feelings.

If they feared me and kept their distance, that was even more convenient.

Historically speaking—

“Nothing is more effective for control than fear.”