How to Live as a Half-Dragon

045. flimsy talent.

Xian was greatly surprised.

“no way… Are we going to abandon Cecily?”

“It is not abandoned. We are just going our separate ways at this point.”

“That’s it… Isn’t that too much though? We’ve been together for over half a month already… .”

“… … .”

Hughes, who had been quietly looking at himself, sighed.

“Is that really all there is?”

“yes?”

As if asking what that meant, Hughes looked at Cecily and said,

“You’re a cute kid, Cecily.”

Xian, who understood Hughes’ words, was taken aback.

It meant that he had a crush on Cecily.

However, that was obviously not true.

I was embarrassed because it was sudden, not because it was true.

“Absolutely not!”

“Then I don’t think there is any more reason. Xian said it was 15 days, but to me it was only 15 days. No, even if you aren’t a Draconian, it won’t be a long time, so most people will think so.”

Dragonians have a long lifespan.

Even Hughes felt like he had lived comfortably for decades, even for Cyan to infer.

Also, this isn’t just because she’s a Draconian, making that claim.

It was embarrassing because the main argument was that a full moon is not a long time even for humans.

Even more so, if you wanted to sympathize with her as a Dragonian for a handful of 15 days, it would be fortunate if you didn’t laugh at her.

“I mean, it doesn’t matter if you’re not a combat agent.”

“… Does it matter or should it not matter? No matter how I look at it, I don’t think Xian would benefit from having Cecily by his side, but I don’t understand why Xian would say that.”

“What else do you mean… What would I gain by covering Cecily? .”

Xian said as if he was full of energy.

“No, doesn’t Hughes feel sorry for Cecily?”

“Why do you feel sorry for Cecily?”

“I am a child with nowhere to go.”

“Yes. now.”

“yes?”

“Because Xian is there.”

Because you have a place to stay called yourself.

can’t find a place to go

“but… If Xi’an makes a decision, he will find another place to stay in no time. Since it is a cute child, there must be people who are willing to take it.”

“… … .”

There were no gaps in Hughes’ logic.

To begin with, it didn’t make sense to beat Hughes in an argument.

After Sian shut his mouth, Hughes took a deep breath and spoke.

“I really like good Xian.”

As Xian looked at Hughes at the sudden sound, her voice continued.

“But I’m so worried about Xian, who is just nice.”

Hughes poured out the thoughts he had been holding in his heart for so long.

“Does Xian know where he has to go in the future?”

Go Alteon…

there is no way you don’t know

A month-long journey away from home is to get there.

And he knew how dangerous the place was to himself as a Dragonian.

“Yes, it’s the Alteon Street, not anywhere else. I really don’t know what will happen if I don’t keep my head up.”

I was sorry that I could feel the sincerity even in Hughes’ words and expression.

So I have nothing more to say.

“… … .”

“In a place like that, Cecily, in her current state, would most likely catch Cian’s ankle.”

However, as Xian felt, Hughes’ words were cool but cool.

That expression was perfect.

Being cool-headed, Hughes’s words must be the correct answer this time as well.

That’s an undoubted proposition.

However, since it was the right thing to say, it was the same as the last time Leah felt cold.

‘I’m the one who’s soft.’

However, as was the case with Drake last time, it was not easy to fix this kind of personality even though he knew that one day he would endanger his life.

No, I didn’t know maybe I didn’t want to fix it.

Right now, he still needs someone by his side.

To be honest, being alone is scary.

I wish I had someone to lean on a little more.

“just… Wouldn’t it be like a talkative companion?”

Knowing what kind of hardship Hughes went through last time because of his stubbornness, he can’t bear to look into his eyes.

I was so sorry to know Hughes, who said he would lay down his life for him.

“A friend?”

“Hughes said. If you enter the Alteon family, you will have to be alone. Hughes can’t be with us.”

Hughes, whose dragon heart has already grown, cannot join the Alteon family.

From there, it was said that Xian was alone.

There is no one to confide in, no one to talk about what happened that day.

It would have been easier for me to accept it if I had been fixed in the state that no one was with me from the beginning. Still, I thought that Cecily was with her, but when she said she needed to be alone, I couldn’t easily organize my mind.

“Hughes told me honestly, so I’ll be honest too. Wasn’t Hughes like that? Is that really all there is?”

“… … .”

“No, not just that.”

You can tell without even looking at the face. Hughes was quite perplexed.

So, I spoke calmly without making eye contact.

“To be honest, I am scared. Right now, in a few days, Hughes can’t be by my side, what should I do if I’m left alone. I won’t make a mistake.”

“… … .”

“It would have been impossible to come this far without Hughes. A lot happened in one month, and I got help from Hughes every time, but I’m not saying it wouldn’t be possible because of the great risk.”

“sure?”

“The reason I can be here is because I had Hughes by my side. Because I wasn’t lonely. More than anything, I am grateful to Hughes, not because he helped me when I was in trouble, but because he was by my side when I was lonely.”

“… … .”

“I don’t have the courage to be alone yet. I’m sorry, Hughes.”

He must have heard the whole story, but when he couldn’t hear Hughes’ voice, Sian lifted his head slightly and rolled his eyes at Hughes.

Hughes’ appearance was different from usual.

Hughes’ eyes, which had always been calm, fluctuated quite a bit.

However, that’s for a while.

Hughes closed his eyes while holding on to the necklace he was wearing around his neck, and when he opened them, he quickly returned to his usual Hughes.

“I can’t really beat Xian.”

“then… .”

Hughes nodded.

“Yes, I will… step.”

“Are there any conditions?”

“If it is possible for the child to do light self-defense.”

The hurdles are quite high.

The level of Cecily she had seen during the day was that terrible.

However, to be honest, even this seemed difficult, but Xian had no choice but to accept Hughes’ proposal.

This was also why he knew that Hughes had conceded a lot.

‘It wouldn’t be polite to ask Hughes to lower his expectations… .’

Xian said.

“all right.”

“And thank you. Thanks to Xian, I felt a little relieved.”

“Are you sure? What?”

I wondered what kind of thank you was, so I waited for an answer, but Hughes didn’t answer.

Instead, he said it with his usual smile.

“There is such a thing.”

* * *

When Cecily woke up the next morning, the three headed back to yesterday’s clearing.

Originally, he had intended to leave the village today, but since he had something to tie, he decided to stay one more day.

‘I’m glad though.’

Fortunately, the range of self-defense Hughes demanded was not wide.

A level where you can survive an attack by light bandits or monsters.

It’s not that high.

It should be stronger than normal adult men, but at the level of adventurers, it’s E-class level.

It wasn’t that difficult, as long as you were above the level of an F-class adventurer who could gather herbs or deal with goblins.

“Did you hear the story? If you want to stay by my side, you will have to do your best.”

Hughes made two wooden swords like he did yesterday when he made a bow, and said,

When I sparred with Xian every morning, I did it with my bare hands, so I was worried that I didn’t have the heart to let him through from the beginning…

‘Fortunately, isn’t that the case?’

Rather, it was the opposite.

Holding a wooden sword seemed to be a consideration to respond at a similar level without using mana at all.

Cecily charged with a determined look.

As always, it was art as much as the eyes.

‘Oh, how fast?’

Cecily’s movements were quite enough to be considered a rookie.

It seemed like it would be D-class, let alone E-class.

But, of course, Cecily’s sword was lightly blocked by Hughes.

In the first place, whether it was D-class or A-class, that was it for Hughes.

There is a huge wall between the Slayer and the adventurers.

It was only natural considering that even the best adventurer, an S-class adventurer, could not reach the level of an apprentice slayer.

‘The most important thing is an unbreakable heart?’

However, despite the strong wall of Hughes, Cecily’s eyes did not go out easily.

Even if he collapsed in vain, he quickly got up and ran again.

It was time to carefully watch the test, thinking that there must be some reason thanks to Hughes, who continued despite knowing that he had easily passed the hurdles he had set up at this point.

‘But something is strange… Where did you see it?’

Cecily’s movements were oddly familiar.

I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere…

“uh?! Is that it?”

Cian, who got a hint from Cecily’s toes, recalled what had happened fifteen days ago.

A group of adventurers came back to retrieve Cecily.

Of course, they were annihilated by Xian in vain, but Xian remembered them.

‘Are you the A-class adventurer I saw then?’

Quick and flexible movements.

However, while similar, I felt a sense of incongruity.

‘is not it? Am I right?’

The reason Xian wasn’t clearly sure was the reason why his power was far inferior to that of the adventurer.

Of course, it was imitated in the first place, and it would be considerably inferior in terms of proficiency, but even taking that into account, it was terribly lacking in power.

‘uh? Has it changed?’

It changed to the movement of another A-class adventurer.

As evidence of that, he broke the wooden sword with his knee and, like the adventurer, charged Hughes with a wooden sword in both hands.

Seeing the swordsmanship that rotated alternately between forward and reverse directions in both hands, Xian was finally able to have confidence.

‘As expected, the power is much less.’

As Xian had been using the same swordsmanship he had experienced back then, he wanted to give advice to Cecily’s actions.

‘I’ll have to tell you later.’

It was when Xian was thinking about that.

Cecily, stabbed in the abdomen by Hughes’s wooden sword, fell to her knees.

“I’ll stop here.”

“I can still… .”

“Passed.”

Surprised by Hughes’ words, Cecily raised her head.

“really? Are you really passing?”

“Yeah, it’s amazing anyway. I looked around a bit more because I was worried, but did you follow that adventurer?”

Indeed, like Xian, Hughes seemed to recognize it.

“yes!”

Hughes patted Cecily’s head as she spoke with her ears perked up as if she was in a good mood.

“By the way, I’m not good at bows, spirit skills, or magic, but I can’t believe I have a talent for swordsmanship… .”

“… … .”

“Why?”

“ah… no.”

Cecily, who answered Hughes’s question because of his strange expression, rushed to Xian.

“I passed. young master.”

“that… yeah that’s great… .”

Unlike Hughes, Xian thought as he felt Cecily’s body temperature, which was somehow burdensome.

‘Because it’s a good thing.’

I thought that good is not good.