Chapter 438: Your new home

It wasn’t Luke’s fault. Grella’s sweet lips were entirely to blame.

He had been so engrossed in kissing her that he hadn’t noticed someone approaching from behind.

Usually, someone of a grown man stature surely would have got his attention or the sound of their footsteps would have never missed his senses. But well, there are times when a man forgets the world and focus on the treat he was presented with.

And now, well...

The entire tribe stood before him. Warriors armed with weapons surrounded him, while the tribe’s chief, Gandhak, glared at him with undisguised fury.

"You! You dare betray me?!" the man roared, clearly enraged that his mate had chosen another man over him.

Grella stood beside Luke, her gaze lowered and her body trembling slightly.

"I’ve seen this man before! He appeared here some time ago, too!" one of the warriors exclaimed, pointing his short blade at Luke.

Hmm?

Perhaps the man had caught a glimpse of him during all the chaos back then.

Well, who cared?

Luke casually examined the warrior’s status.

[Strength: 36]

[Speed: 38]

[Defense: 45]

[Intelligence: 37]

Yeah, the man was considerably weaker than Luke, even in his current state.

However, when Luke considered the sheer number of warriors surrounding him, things looked a little less promising.

There had to be more than two hundred of them.

And that wasn’t even counting the chief himself.

[Strength: 55]

[Speed: 58]

[Defense: 65]

[Intelligence: 40]

Gandhak was weaker than Luke as well, but his magical abilities could still pose a threat. Fighting an entire horde while dealing with the chief would undoubtedly be troublesome.

Fortunately, Luke had a better way of handling this.

"I know you can no longer accept this woman, and I have no intention of giving her back, either."

With that, he pulled Grella against him, tightening his arm around her waist.

Grella was completely taken aback by his bold move. She was so shocked that she couldn’t even find the words to respond, let alone warn him.

Luke was just about to teleport away.

Yes, he was genuinely planning to run.

There was no reason to fight two hundred warriors when he could simply disappear with Grella and leave them to sort out their problems themselves.

But just as he was about to activate his skill, he sensed a familiar presence.

One he hadn’t expected to encounter here.

"Huh?"

"W-W-What?!"

"It’s a..."

"IT’S A FUCKING DRAGON!"

The entire tribe erupted into chaos.

Some froze in terror, others fled for their lives, while a few collapsed to their knees. A colossal shadow spread across the settlement, blotting out the sky as something enormous descended upon them.

Dark scales glistened beneath the sunlight. Its predatory presence weighed upon the entire tribe, and its murderous eyes alone were enough to make anyone who dared look up tremble in fear.

Gandhak could barely keep hold of the spear in his hand.

He had heard stories of the giant monsters that had nearly waged war against their people just days ago. Back then, he had prepared his warriors to face those terrifying forces, knowing that the survival of their tribe might depend on the coming battle.

But now, faced with a single dragon, all his courage abandoned him.

There was only one instinct left.

Kneel. Submit. Survive.

"Oh, if it isn’t Astfall."

Luke’s casual voice cut through the suffocating tension.

Every warrior who could still move turned toward him.

The man they had been preparing to attack was now waving cheerfully at the dragon.

"Oi! I’m over here!"

Luke waved a few more times until he was certain Astfall had noticed him.

The dragon began its descent.

And the moment its massive body moved closer, the tribe descended into absolute pandemonium.

"Help! Someone, help me!"

"I don’t want to get burned! Save me!"

People scrambled in every direction, desperate to escape the approaching monster.

Even Grella, who had remained beside Luke until now, nearly collapsed to her knees. Had he not been holding her, she might have fallen outright.

Then, just when everyone expected the dragon to crush the settlement beneath its enormous body, something unexpected happened.

The colossal creature began to shrink.

Its massive frame grew smaller and smaller until the terrifying dragon had disappeared entirely, leaving behind a man who descended gracefully toward the ground.

Dhak!

He landed directly before Luke and dropped to one knee.

"My Lord."

Astfall’s deep voice sent another wave of shock through the gathered warriors.

A dragon.

A creature so terrifying that its mere appearance had brought an entire tribe to its knees.

And now, that very creature was kneeling before the human they had been about to attack.

Luke hummed, a smile spreading across his face.

"I see you’ve thought things through and decided to submit to me."

He had sensed Astfall’s presence the moment he appeared in this world. More importantly, he could tell that Astfall had grown restless and eager the moment he sensed Luke as well.

Still, he hadn’t expected the dragon to actually break through the ritual and appear here.

[Host, the familiar contract established with the subject allows the familiar to traverse the world when seeking its Lord.]

The System’s explanation clarified the situation.

Astfall hadn’t actually broken the ritual. Rather, the soul bond between them had come into play, allowing the dragon to cross the boundary in pursuit of his master.

Well, that was convenient.

Luke had just avoided a great deal of unnecessary trouble.

"Just when I thought things were finally getting peaceful..."

The weary voice from behind him caused Luke’s smile to widen.

"Old man! Long time, eh?"

Of course, from Luke’s perspective, it had only been a day since he had last seen the owl-faced man. For Jorma, however, considerably more time had passed.

Jorma shook his head, looking thoroughly exasperated.

"I won’t ask how you allowed Lord Astfall to pass through the ritual. But you must tell me where you’ve been all this time!"

Luke shrugged.

"Didn’t I tell you? I’m not from this world. I just came to visit this beauty."

As he spoke, he pulled Grella closer, hugging her against his side.

The woman was still pale from the terrifying scene unfolding around her, and standing so close to Astfall wasn’t doing much to ease her nerves.

Meanwhile, the dragon remained on one knee, his head lowered in submission. Yet despite his posture, his mere presence continued to inspire such overwhelming fear that not a single warrior dared move from their place.

Then, from among the trembling crowd, Gandhak finally managed to find his voice.

"S-So... this is how you’ve betrayed me, old owl?"

Jorma hummed before turning toward him.

"What are you talking about? And more importantly, how can you even think of raising your weapon against someone who saved your entire race?"

Gandhak frowned, struggling to make sense of the accusation.

Jorma rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, what is wrong with you? Have you ever seen a dragon show such respect to a human? Can’t you figure out that Luke is the very person you and your people prayed to back then?"

The words struck Gandhak like a bolt of lightning.

His expression changed instantly as the implications finally sank in.

Slowly, he turned toward Luke.

The man in question simply raised a hand and waved at him with a carefree smile.

"You’re welcome."

It was simply too much for Gandhak to process. In the end, the tribe chief dropped to his knees and lowered his head before Luke.

The other warriors soon followed his example, bowing before the very man who had saved their people from certain destruction.

Luke hummed in acknowledgment before turning toward Grella.

"Tell me, would you mind leaving these people behind, Grella?"

Grella stared at him in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

Luke shrugged.

"I know how a man’s mind works. Even if Gandhak can’t raise his head before me right now, he’ll eventually find it difficult to suppress his resentment and anger. And when that happens, he’ll turn against you."

Grella pursed her lips.

It wasn’t as though she hadn’t considered that possibility herself. She had always known that the moment her mate discovered her relationship with Luke, her fate would be sealed. No matter how much the tribe chief might fear Luke, that wouldn’t necessarily stop him from seeking revenge once the opportunity arose.

She fell silent for a moment before turning toward Luke and whispering, "If that’s what I must face, then so be it. But please know that I’ll never regret the bond we share."

A faint smile appeared on her lips as she continued.

"Your place in my life can never be replaced."

Luke stared at her for several seconds.

Seriously... why do I always end up entangled with such pure-hearted women?

He couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

"Well, let’s get going."

Grella blinked in surprise.

"But where?"

Luke grinned.

"To your new home. The Dragon’s Realm."

~~~

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