My Lord Who Is Being Prudent! [EN]: Chapter 229

229. Dragon Search (2)

A wide-open space that offered an unobstructed view.

It was so vast, it felt immense, filled with countless books.

If every book on the continent were gathered, would it resemble this?

The massive library within the Imperial Palace certainly inspired such thoughts.

“It’s my second time here, but it’s still breathtaking,” Cyan said, slowly walking into the library.

“What brings you here?” a voice suddenly inquired.

Turning towards the sound, Cyan saw a man approaching.

The man exuded an aura of diligent study, evident in his very countenance.

It was none other than the librarian of the Imperial Palace.

And the same librarian Cyan had encountered previously.

“Count Cyan…?”

As expected, the librarian recognized him.

Of course, there was hardly anyone in the Empire who didn’t know Cyan now.

And it was highly unlikely that the Imperial Palace librarian would be unaware of Cyan’s identity.

Cyan felt a sense of familiarity and greeted, “Haha. You’re here again.”

“I am the librarian; it’s my place of work. More importantly, what brings you here again, Count?”

“I’m here to look up information about dragons.”

“Dragons, you say?” The librarian hesitated slightly as he responded, looking somewhat troubled.

He slowly began, “There is a great deal of information about dragons. Many wizards have documented it…”

‘Well, that was somewhat expected,’ Cyan thought.

“How much is there?”

“I haven’t counted precisely, but… just searching the keyword ‘dragon,’ there are roughly… 30,000 volumes.”

However, he hadn’t anticipated such a vast amount.

Approximately 30,000 books related to dragons.

This was overwhelming.

Moreover, this was the Imperial Palace Library.

So, these were books that had been carefully selected and curated.

If all the information scattered across the continent were gathered, there would be far more.

Perhaps this was why wizards were often called ‘recording bugs’ [a term for someone who meticulously records information].

‘This is a bit… troublesome.’

He couldn’t possibly sift through all 30,000 volumes.

Even with ample time, it was simply not feasible.

It would take more than a day or two to examine all 30,000 books.

At least several months, or perhaps even years.

As he pondered his next move, the librarian subtly offered a solution: “If you tell me specifically what information you seek, I will gladly assist you.”

“There is a lot of information related to dragons, but there are also many overlaps. If you eliminate the redundancies and filter them again by keyword, it should be manageable.”

Of course, that required knowing all the information contained within the related books.

But last time, the librarian had demonstrated that he had memorized the entire arrangement of this vast Imperial Palace Library.

“Can you do that for me?”

“Of course. It’s my job,” the librarian nodded, as if to say, ‘leave it to me.’

Cyan provided the librarian with relevant keywords such as ‘the last dragon,’ ‘the surviving dragon,’ ‘Arnaise,’ and so on.

The librarian paused for a moment, lost in thought.

“Just a moment… please wait here,” he said, before walking away.

He seemed to be locating the related books.

He appeared to have grasped the relevant books in that short amount of time.

“Amazing ability…”

In terms of martial arts analogies, it was beyond the level of a Master.

It was clear why he was the librarian of the Imperial Palace.

‘Well, anyway,’ Cyan thought.

He waited for the librarian.

Then, something caught his attention.

It was the necklace Elena had given him.

And he thought of Elena and Aria, who were currently in the VIP room.

‘I wonder if they’re okay.’

Cyan began to feel uneasy.

From what he could gather, Elena seemed to be welcoming Aria, who was a guest.

Aria was the Saintess of the Holy Empire.

Even if she was a guest who attended Cyan’s peerage ceremony, she was still a VIP from the Charlotte Empire’s perspective.

Originally, Conrad would have greeted her, but…

It seemed that Elena had stepped in because Conrad was preoccupied.

That was because Conrad was scrambling to gather the 250 million gold to pay for Charlotte’s swordsmanship lessons.

‘Well… it’s understandable.’

To be precise, Elena was the only one who could adequately replace Conrad in this situation.

“I feel strangely uneasy…”

But what was the source of this strange unease?

The odd atmosphere he had sensed just before leaving.

Especially the way they looked at each other.

“Count! This way, please!” At that moment, the librarian’s voice echoed from afar.

He seemed to have already located the related books.

Cyan shook his head to clear his thoughts.

‘They wouldn’t be fighting, would they?’

They were a princess and a saintess.

In a way, they were two women representing their respective empires.

Those two women engaging in a conflict?

It wouldn’t simply end with a mere argument.

More than anything, why would they even fight?

“Eh, whatever,” Cyan muttered, shaking off his worries and immediately heading towards the librarian.

#

After Cyan’s departure, a strange atmosphere settled in the VIP room.

To be precise, between the two women who remained.

One with sun-like golden hair, Elena.

And the other with bright platinum blonde hair, Aria.

A princess and a saintess.

A strange current flowed between them.

Silence descended, amplifying the odd atmosphere.

“Saintess, you seem to be quite close to Count Cyan,” Elena spoke first, maintaining a calm expression, as if it were nothing of consequence, purely out of curiosity.

“You were calling each other by name…” Elena subtly probed Aria.

Aria smiled faintly and replied, “Did you perceive it that way too, Princess? Actually, Cyan and I are very close.”

Elena’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Specifically, the fact that she referred to him as ‘Cyan.’

And the implication of being ‘close.’

Elena smiled slightly and addressed Aria, “Count Cyan has now officially received the title of Count. Even so, isn’t it somewhat impolite to address an aristocrat of the Empire so casually?”

“If that’s the law of the Empire, then there’s nothing I can do, but I’m a saintess from another country. Applying those laws to me is a bit…”

“Shouldn’t you adhere to the laws of the Empire when you are within its borders?”

“That’s true, but Cyan is Cyan. More than anything, Cyan and I don’t concern ourselves with such formalities…”

Elena bit her lower lip slightly without realizing it.

Aria didn’t yield an inch.

She didn’t even flinch in the presence of a princess.

No one except the Emperor and the Crown Prince had ever behaved in such a manner.

Well, Aria was a foreigner.

Moreover, the position of saintess commanded such respect.

In a way, she was a woman in a similar position to herself.

There was no way she would back down.

As Elena was suppressing her retort, Aria asked with a calm expression, “By the way, I noticed you gave Cyan a necklace earlier, Princess…”

As if it were nothing, purely out of curiosity.

“Is that a necklace that Cyan made for you?”

“No. It’s a necklace made by the Imperial Family.”

“Ah… I see,” Aria replied with a relieved expression.

‘Relieved…?’

Elena could discern Aria’s underlying emotions.

Of course, Aria’s expression appeared perfectly normal.

But Elena could detect the subtle emotions hidden beneath the surface.

And Aria had suddenly brought up the necklace.

Only then did Elena truly notice the accessories Aria was wearing.

A pair of earrings and a necklace.

And a ring.

The accessories enhanced Aria’s beauty.

Aria already possessed transcendent beauty.

The accessories did not detract but further accentuated her allure.

Adding beauty to transcendent beauty.

She wondered if this was truly the same species as herself.

Honestly… she was beautiful even in the eyes of another woman.

She was not only pretty but also transcendentally beautiful.

But why…

“Your accessories are very pretty,” Elena said, not wanting to admit that Aria herself was beautiful.

Elena ended up complimenting the accessories.

But somehow, was that a mistake?

“Oh my. Do you think so too, Princess?” Aria raised her eyes with a bright expression.

And then came Aria’s words.

“Actually, Cyan gave these to me as a gift.”

“······!!!”

Elena’s eyes widened involuntarily.

“C, Count Cyan… gave them to you…?”

“Yes,” Aria nodded.

Elena’s face was filled with shock.

That was because Elena didn’t recall ever receiving anything from Cyan.

She had never received a gift from him.

She was usually being fleeced for money.

She had no memory of receiving anything from Cyan.

But Aria had received a gift from Cyan…?

“A, as a gift…?”

“Yes. He said it suited me perfectly.”

She had even received it as a gift.

That meant that Cyan had given her those accessories for free.

That Cyan, who was obsessed with money.

That Cyan, who was so money-grubbing that it bordered on madness, had given it to her for free.

“It’s really pretty, right?” Aria showed off the accessories she was wearing as if she were boasting.

She spread her hand and displayed the ring.

She tucked her platinum blonde hair behind her ear and showcased the earrings.

She took out the necklace and flaunted its beauty.

Aria’s appearance seemed to convey this message to Elena:

‘Do you know how close Cyan and I are now?

We are so close that we exchange gifts like this?’

Of course, Aria didn’t explicitly say that.

But Elena, looking at Aria, clearly heard that unspoken message.

“······!!”

Elena’s shocked expression did not easily dissipate.

And only then did Elena truly appreciate Aria’s beauty.

A saintess of transcendent beauty.

Of course, the standard of beauty was subjective.

Even if someone was considered the most beautiful woman in the world by one person.

To another, she might be the ugliest.

But Aria in front of her was different.

The embodiment of purity and innocence.

And what about the bright platinum blonde hair that cascaded softly?

It was a beauty that transcended ordinary human standards.

It was a beauty that even another woman would find mesmerizing.

‘Dangerous,’ Elena momentarily thought.

And Elena revised her assessment of Aria’s existence.

From a guest of the Empire.

“I, is that so? I thought the accessories were very beautiful,” she said, adopting a tone that was as casual as possible.

The shocked expression had vanished as if it had never been there, replaced by a small smile.

“If Count Cyan had such skills, I should have asked him to make one for me when I went to Ruben,” Elena said with a hint of regret.

At Elena’s words, Aria’s movements, which had been focused on showing off her accessories, paused for a moment.

“Ruben… is that…?”

A name she had heard somewhere.

It seemed to be related to Cyan…

“Count Cyan’s territory, I mean,” Elena clarified at that moment.

“······!!!”

This time, Aria’s eyes widened involuntarily.

That was because of Elena’s words that she had just heard.

“Y, Your Highness… you’ve been to Cyan’s territory?”

“Yes. Count Cyan invited me himself,” Elena nodded and said.

And Cyan’s territory meant Cyan’s house.

‘S, so… you’ve been to Cyan’s house?’

‘Cyan’s house that I haven’t even visited?’

‘And you were invited personally?’

“I stayed in Ruben for a month.”

She had even stayed for a month.

And a month was a longer time than she had imagined.

It was enough time for affections to develop, even if they hadn’t existed before.

It was also enough time for them to fall in love, even if they had no initial intention of doing so.

More than anything, everything imaginable could have happened.

This and that… between men and women, well, well…

Anyway, it was enough time to do all those things!

“I lived with the Count under one roof. I was in charge of Count Cyan’s meals while I was there.”

Not to mention, under the same roof!

And if she was even in charge of the meals, there was nothing more to say!

Of course, they didn’t really live under the same roof.

Elena simply had a room in the vast lord’s castle.

She didn’t share a room with Cyan.

Though, one roof was still one roof.

In reality, it was no different from living in completely separate spaces.

As for the meals, all she did was make dumplings as a snack during training.

“······!!!”

But how could Aria know that?

Aria’s shocked expression didn’t fade easily.

Whether Elena knew Aria’s feelings or not.

“Count Cyan especially likes dumplings…”

Elena told her about her life in Ruben.

Elena’s words seemed as if she was saying this to Aria.

‘Well, giving a gift is optional, and not giving one is fine too. Such a friendship with the Saintess isn’t something you can interfere with, right?’

Of course, Elena didn’t really say those words.

But Aria, looking at Elena, clearly heard that voice.

At the same time, Aria felt like she was facing a powerful enemy.

A strong person she had never encountered before.

Look at Elena.

Her status, her beauty, she lacked nothing compared to herself.

Especially her beauty.

An atmosphere where purity and coldness coexisted.

And what about the beauty of her sun-like blonde hair?

Elena’s beauty didn’t fade at all, even in front of Aria.

Well, even so, Aria’s transcendent beauty wasn’t going anywhere.

But Aria knew.

Cyan had no interest in her beauty at all!

‘Dangerous.’

Aria momentarily thought this.

And Aria revised her definition of Elena’s existence.

From a woman who might be a little dangerous, to the most dangerous woman Aria had ever met.

Aria tried her best to speak in an indifferent tone.

The shocked expression was gone, replaced with a small smile.

But Aria’s gaze towards Elena had subtly changed.

Elena’s gaze towards Aria had also subtly changed.

Thus, a strange atmosphere flowed within the drawing room.

“More than that, what were you talking about with Count Cyan?”

“It was a serious matter. I cannot tell you, even if you are a princess… I’m sorry.”

The strange atmosphere did not subside and only flowed more strangely.

#

A pile of books.

Cyan placed another book on top of it.

At the same time, a feeling of exhaustion swept through his entire body.

“Haa…”

Cyan unknowingly slumped into the chair.

And next to Cyan was a pile of books related to dragons.

A volume that seemed to be nearly hundreds of books at a glance.

He was merely sitting in a chair and reading books.

But somehow, it was more difficult than training with the Demon Soul Asura Sword.

“How can wizards do this all day long?”

Anyway, they were wizards he couldn’t understand no matter how hard he tried.

“That being said…”

Cyan slightly turned his head in a slumped posture.

And he could confirm that there was nothing left to read.

“Was that the last one?”

A sinking gaze.

Cyan compiled all the information he had obtained so far.

Information obtained from hundreds of books.

Inside, there was, as expected, a lot of information related to dragons.

The strength of dragons is… blah blah.

There were various races among dragons… yada yada.

The characteristics of those dragons are… blah blah.

There was so much information that he wondered if dragons were really extinct.

But the information Cyan wanted was not that much.

There was little information related to dragons that Cyan was looking for.

But there was some, though little.

First of all, the first one.

“Dragons have a lifespan of 1,000 years…”

The lifespan of a dragon is about 1,000 years.

There was a dragon that reportedly lived for over 2,000 years.

He didn’t know how they knew this.

Anyway, it was written that there was such a dragon.

But as with all living things.

There must have been dragons who lived especially long among dragons.

The average lifespan of a dragon was said to be 1,000 years.

And the reason why this was important information to Cyan was simple.

“There’s not much time left.”

It was no different from meaning that there was not much time left.

The last time a dragon was discovered was a whopping thousand years ago.

So, the last dragon mentioned in the current quest.

Let’s say that dragon was a hatchling, a baby dragon, that was born a thousand years ago.

Even so, it would be time for it to become an ancient dragon of a thousand years by now.

Maybe it was on its last legs.

Of course, it wouldn’t suddenly leave in a thousand years.

“I have to find it as soon as possible.”

Still, you never knew.

So, the whereabouts of that last dragon.

The first clue and the second piece of information could be found in mythology.

Specifically, it was related to Arnaiz.

A thousand years ago, the six heroes who saved the continent, Arnaiz.

The Sword God, Charlotte.

The Saintess, Muriel.

The Archmage, Elodie.

The Divine Craftsman, Morcru.

Kyle, who was not particularly known.

And finally.

“Noemi… Noemi, huh…”

The Celestial Shaman, Noemi.

Noemi was a member of Arnaiz and the chieftain of the beastmen.

And the beastmen referred to demi-humans such as dwarves and elves.

Literally, the beastmen (獸人族) [Shou Ren Zu in Chinese, meaning animal-person race].

If translated directly, it could be said to be humans with animal features.

And in reality, not only did they look like that, but they also resembled those characteristics.

Accordingly, there were many races within the beastmen.

The canine race with the characteristics of dogs.

The lycanthrope race with the characteristics of wolves.

The feline race with the characteristics of cats.

The tiger race with the characteristics of tigers, etc.

There were many beastmen with the characteristics of animals.

And Noemi, the chieftain who led those beastmen.

“Noemi was a dragonkin…”

Noemi was a dragonkin (龍人族) [Long Ren Zu in Chinese, meaning dragon-person race] with the characteristics of a dragon.

Of course, there was still nothing certain about the background of the birth of the beastmen.

The opinions of various scholars were still divided.

But what was certain was that they didn’t just resemble the characteristics.

In other words, the blood of the animal was mixed in.

In short, it could be said that Noemi had the blood of a dragon flowing through her veins.

If he chased after Noemi, who was a dragonkin, he would be able to obtain more information related to dragons.

Perhaps Noemi knew something about the last dragon.

But he couldn’t find Noemi now.

Noemi also died and disappeared a thousand years ago.

However, the traces left by Noemi.

Those traces remained even after a thousand years had passed.

“The kingdom of the beastmen.”

A kingdom where beastmen gathered and lived.

To be honest, it was just a kingdom in name.

To be exact, it could be said to be a village where beastmen gathered and lived.

Of course, it wasn’t a scale that could be called a village… well, anyway.

The beastmen had continued their lineage and lived until now.

“The problem is that I don’t know the location of that kingdom…”

However, the location of the beastmen’s kingdom was hidden.

It was said that there used to be active exchanges with humans.

But at some point, exchanges with the beastmen were cut off.

Even the elves, who turned their backs on the world and hid, occasionally appeared in human society.

But the beastmen completely disappeared without even that.

Because of that, Cyan had never met a beastman.

To be honest, he had only heard that there were beastmen.

He had even suspected that they were a non-existent race.

But the beastmen definitely existed.

And the kingdom they built also existed somewhere on the continent.

And the information that ‘there used to be active exchanges with humans.’

Cyan tracked it down once again based on this information.

And finally, the secret archive of the Imperial Palace.

He was able to find that information in the books of the secret archive obtained with Elena’s necklace.

A secret archive where the records left by the successive emperors were gathered.

Cyan focused on the records left by Charlotte’s son among them.

Originally, he had tried to find Charlotte’s records.

However, after Kyle’s memoirs, he could not find any records directly written by Charlotte.

Well, anyway.

According to the records Cyan found, it was none other than Noemi who founded the kingdom of the beastmen.

And when Noemi founded the kingdom of the beastmen.

It is said that Charlotte gave Noemi a lot of help.

Charlotte and Noemi, who were also members of the same Arnaiz.

That relationship continued, and the beastmen had active exchanges with humans.

That continued even after Charlotte died.

That exchange was still going on with his son, who ascended the throne after Charlotte.

He didn’t know when that exchange was cut off.

At least Charlotte’s son had been interacting with the beastmen.

So, the records left by Charlotte’s son.

The kingdom of the beastmen written in that record.

“It’s beyond the Forest of Darkness…”

It was none other than beyond the Forest of Darkness.

The exact location was not given.

However, it was known that it existed beyond the border of the Charlotte Empire.

Of course, a thousand years had passed.

It was unknown whether it would still be there now…

“If you depart from Ruben, it’s a distance you can reach not too far away…”

The place written in the record was not too far from Ruben.

To be exact, it could be said to be relatively close.

Ruben was a territory located in the Forest of Darkness.

“For now… is this it?”

This was the information Cyan had found out.

Well, if he searched a little more, he would be able to obtain additional information.

“······ I can’t.”

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

When would he rummage through all this again!

He would rather have a duel with Kendrick where his shoulder was almost cut off.

Above all, the librarian was about to die looking for this.

Searching any further was something neither Cyan nor the librarian could do.

In the first place, it would be one thing if there were no gains at all.

But didn’t he have some gains?

“Let’s stop here.”

Cyan finally got up from his seat.

The librarian said that she would organize the pile of books if he just left them alone, so there was no need to touch them.

In the first place, he couldn’t touch them.

He didn’t even know where they came from.

Well, anyway.

“I wonder if His Highness has prepared the money…”

Quite a bit of time had passed searching through the books.

Perhaps, by now, he would have roughly prepared the funds.

Cyan moved his steps towards Conrad’s office.

Then suddenly.

“Ah, right. I have to return the necklace to the Princess.”

He remembered the necklace he had received from Elena.

It didn’t matter if he returned it later…

But it was said to be a necklace symbolizing Elena, so it must be quite precious.

“Let’s return it while I remember.”

Cyan turned his steps back to where Elena was, not Conrad’s office.

#

Cyan returned to the drawing room quickly.

Knock knock.

“This is Cyan. May I come in?”

Cyan lightly knocked on the door of the drawing room.

But why was it?

There was no particular response from inside.

“Huh?”

Cyan wondered what was going on.

Because he definitely felt the presence of people inside the door.

That was the presence of Elena and Aria.

At the same time, he could even feel some commotion.

That meant it was certain that the two were inside.

But there was no response coming back.

“What is it?”

Just as he was wondering.

Cyan gently opened the door of the drawing room.

And what he saw was, as expected, Elena and Aria.

The two were sitting face to face, chatting.

But why was it?

“Oh my. So, it wasn’t Count Cyan who made it for you, but you just picked it up and gave it as a gift?”

“So, Your Highness didn’t live together, but you were just in the same territory?”

The atmosphere felt very unusual.

He didn’t know if they were chatting or having a battle of nerves.

Perhaps they felt Cyan’s presence for a moment.

Elena and Aria’s heads turned towards him at the same time.

And the two confirmed Cyan’s appearance.

“I want jewelry too!”

“I want to go to your house too!”

The two women shouted at Cyan as if they were competing.