Chapter 538: Cry Out! Brother-in-Law!
TL: Hanguk
Black Tower Administrator Area.
“Khehehe. To think I have a younger brother.”
Aileen smiled brightly upon hearing the news that her younger brother would soon hatch from the egg.
Just moments ago, Anton had shared the news that Elizabeth’s health was improving thanks to Sejun, along with the news about having a younger brother.
Thanks to my Sejun, I’m so happy!
Ever since Sejun came to the Tower, good things had been happening one after another.
“Kihihihi. Time to work.”
As Aileen began managing the Tower with a happy smile…
Vwoom.
The crystal orb vibrated.
And then,
[Former Administrator Elizabeth Pritani has been detected.]
[Activating the return protocol that could not be executed in the past.]
[Elizabeth Pritani will return here in 3 seconds.]
“Huh?! Mother is coming?! No!”
Mom hasn’t recovered enough to meet with us yet!
“Is there another place I can send Mom to?!”
Aileen hurriedly searched for an alternative location to redirect Elizabeth.
[She can be returned to the 99th floor of the Black Tower.]
“Then send her there!”
[The return protocol is being executed.]
The great Black Dragon, Elizabeth Pritani, returned after 150 years. To the 99th floor.
***
Black Tower, 99th Floor.
Gooooo.
Elizabeth appeared in the sky with an overwhelming presence.
Moo?!
kueong?!
Startled by the sudden appearance of the great Black Dragon, the Minotaur King and Pink-fur quickly bowed toward the sky.
Kkweeeek!
104.28.193.250
Whirrr!
The Mushroom Ants and Poisonous Bees also hurriedly lowered their heads in reverence toward the great being’s arrival.
And then,
-Oh! Isn’t that Elizabeth?!
-It’s been a long time.
-You’ve worked hard.
Kellion, Ramter, and Tier welcomed Elizabeth’s return.
***
Meanwhile.
Pok. Pok. Pok.
“But isn’t it strange that my brother-in-law can talk right after being born? Do dragons receive education even before they hatch?”
Sejun asked Anton curiously while receiving a massage from Theo.
After thinking about it, it was indeed surprising that the baby dragon could speak right after hatching.
-It’s less education and more of a transfer. Basic knowledge is passed down through knowledge transfer magic.
“Oh.”
That’s amazing. If only I’d had knowledge transfer magic as a kid, I would’ve scored 100 on every memorization test.
“Alright. Shall we come up with a name for our dear brother-in-law?”
When Sejun held the frightened baby black dragon in his arms
Dad, help me!
The baby Black Dragon flailed desperately, sending pleading looks to Anton for rescue.
But,
Hahaha. Our Sejun is so good with kids. I might have to leave the little one with him from time to time.
Anton, oblivious to his child’s plea for help, simply looked at Sejun fondly.
Oh no! Dad’s fallen for Brother-in-law’s innocent facade too. I saw it just a moment ago! The evil demon hiding behind that smiling face!
‘I must stay sharp!’
The baby Black Dragon made a firm resolution not to be deceived by his brother-in-law.
However,
“Brother-in-law.”
“Yes, Brother-in-law.”
“Want to receive a good name?”
“Yes!”
The baby Black Dragon, who had yet to receive a name, quickly forgot his earlier resolve and eagerly nodded his head.
“Really? That doesn’t sound like the voice of someone who truly wants a good name.”
“No! Brother-in-law! I really, really want a nice name!!!”
Desperate to show how much he wanted a good name, the baby Black Dragon raised his voice as earnestly as he could.
“Hehehe. Alright. Let me think about it.”
Pat. Pat.
When Sejun patted the baby Black Dragon’s bottom,
So warm…
Puhyu-puhyu-
The baby Black Dragon quickly fell asleep.
Let’s check if my brother-in-law’s heart is okay.
Although Anton had already confirmed the baby’s health, Sejun decided to check again just to be sure.
My brother-in-law is precious, after all.
When Sejun placed his ear against the baby Black Dragon’s chest,
Thump-thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump.
The heart was beating incredibly fast.
“Hm?”
Do dragons normally have such a fast heartbeat?
As Sejun pondered this question,
Inside the Baby Black Dragon’s Dream.
“How dare you call the butler stupid?!”
“Waaaah! I’m sorry! I won’t do it again!”
The Baby Black Dragon was desperately running away from the members of the Blackie family – a giant wolf, a stone giant, a spider, butterfly, and others. �
Moments later.
“Ahhh! I’m sorry!”
With a scream, the Baby Black Dragon woke up from its dream.
“Brother-in-law seems weak. We need to give him some nourishing food.”
Hehe. Brother-in-law is a sunfish too.
With a satisfied smile, Sejun carried the Baby Black Dragon on his back and began preparing porridge for him to eat as baby food.
But,
“Huh?!”
“Wow! Brother-in-law, this is so delicious!”
Instead of eating the porridge, the Baby Black Dragon boldly used a spoon to scoop up Sejun’s rice and started eating it.
How dare you eat your brother-in-law’s rice?!
Sejun stared at his impudent brother-in-law, debating whether he should teach him a lesson, but eventually let it slide.
Upon closer inspection, the Baby Black Dragon already had a full set of sturdy teeth capable of chewing through meat.
That’s my mistake.
“Baby brother-in-law, isn’t your brother-in-law’s cooking delicious?” (TL: I am translating it as baby brother-in-law from now on to make it more easier to understand.)
“Yes! Brother-in-law’s cooking is the best!”
The baby black dragon who started his first meal with Sejun’s cooking. Thanks to this, his tolerance for bad food significantly decreased.
“Hehehe. Baby brother-in-law, eat as much as you like.”
“Yes!”
And so, the Baby Black Dragon eagerly devoured Sejun’s cooking.
Thud.
Just one meal later, the Baby Black Dragon became twice as strong.
The Great Dragons differed slightly in their abilities and talents, but they were beings that fundamentally processed anything they ate with several times the efficiency of ordinary creatures.
At this rate, baby brother-in-law might become stronger than me in just a few days!
Feeling threatened by the Baby Black Dragon’s rapid growth, Sejun clenched his resolve.
I’ll stay stronger than him for at least a month!
Sejun realized that if he didn’t try hard now, he might never be able to surpass his brother-in-law again. Determined, Sejun ate his own food with renewed enthusiasm.
“Ahh. I’m full.”
As Sejun patted his stomach
“Huh?!”
Sejun felt his back had become damp.
Puhyu-puhyu-
The Baby Black Dragon, who had fallen asleep while being carried on Sejun’s back, had drooled all over him.
Sejun thought about laying the Baby Black Dragon down on the floor, but,
“Puhihihi…”
Hearing the soft, contented laughter of his brother-in-law as he tightly clung to Sejun’s clothes, Sejun decided to carry him a bit longer.
At that moment, Sejun had a thought. He realized he had just gained a trump card he could use if he ever needed to win an argument with his brother-in-law in the future.
I raised you on my back.
Hehehe. Perfect. This should give me the upper hand for at least a year.
As Sejun basked in satisfaction over his newfound trump card,
To think he can smile even when his back is soaked with my son’s drool.
‘As expected, Sejun is so kind.’
Anton thought, watching Sejun with a pleased smile.
And then
-I think we can leave now. Let’s go back.
He said it’s time to return.
Normally, a dragon wouldn’t travel for several years after hatching to ensure stability. However, there was no mother here to look after the Baby Black Dragon.
Fortunately, thanks to Sejun’s cooking, the Baby Black Dragon had grown strong enough to endure short travels.
“Yes.”
At Anton’s words, Sejun packed their belongings and moved through the dimensional gate created by Paespaes with the others.
***
The Capital of the Thunham Empire, rulers of Hamk.
“Do you understand the gravity of your sins?!”
A gigantic hamster, so fat that moving seemed difficult, roared angrily.
“I don’t know! I really don’t know! Why are you doing this to me?!”
Kalchi flailed about, shouting in protest.
Kalchi was being put on trial in a religious court.
The charge was…
“Did you not spread rumors about a cat that disrespected the great gods?! How dare you praise a cat in the holy Hamster Empire?! Are you claiming to be innocent while worshipping a cat idol?!”
Cat idol worship.
The Kalchi’s stories about Theo, which he had shared with the hamsters in his village, had spread like wildfire throughout the Empire and eventually reached the ears of the religious order.
“Worshipping? I just told the truth…”
“Silence! Heretic! It’s clear that the cat demon has possessed you! Guards, lock this heretic up in prison! In ten days, we shall burn this heretic in front of everyone to drive out the demon!”
“No, no! I’m innocent!”
And so, Kalchi was dragged off to prison.
Five days later.
Flap.
A few locusts started flying around Hamk.
After a day passed, the Six Calamities revealed themselves.
Kuooo!
With the ogre’s roar, the calamities descended upon the Thunham Empire.
***
Black Tower, 99th Floor.
We’re back.
As Sejun stepped out of the dimensional gate,
(Pip… Sejun-nim, can I close the gate now?)
Paespaes, perched on Sejun’s palm, asked in a slightly tired voice. Maintaining the dimensional gate for over a day had worn it out.
“Yes, go ahead and close it.”
(Pip. Understood.)
Once Paespaes closed the gate,
“Paespaes, you did well.”
Sejun gently petted Paespaes, which was still on his palm.
(Pahehhehe.)
Baerorong.
Paespaes chuckled happily and immediately fell asleep.
Whoosh.
It then activated Stealth to hide its presence.
Shuck.
Carefully, Sejun moved the now-invisible Paespaes to his shoulder.
And just as he was about to do the work he couldn’t finish before
“Son-in-law Park, welcome.”
A graceful woman emerged from the kitchen area to greet Sejun. freёwebnovel.com
She had a mature appearance that made her look like what Aileen might become in about 10 years by human standards.
“Mother-in-law?!”
“Yes. Thank you for bringing back my baby. You must be hungry, right? I’ve prepared some food, so come in and eat.”
“Yes. Uh… Where’s Father-in-law…? Huh?!”
By the time Sejun looked around, the Black Dragon statue controlled by Anton was nowhere to be seen.
What? Where did he go?
Puzzled, Sejun followed Elizabeth into the kitchen.
“Wow!”
Gulp.
The dining table was covered with dishes that looked absolutely mouthwatering.
Ahhh, as expected of the mother-in-law’s love for her son-in-law!
Sejun was moved by Elizabeth’s food.
The aroma was also fantastic.
Her cooking skills were on a completely different level compared to Aileen’s.
If only Aileen hadn’t been separated from her mother, her cooking skills would’ve been great, too.
Then I wouldn’t have had to suffer.
Sejun briefly recalled all the “meals of love” he had endured from Aileen in the past.
“Mother-in-law, thank you. I’ll enjoy the meal.”
With gratitude, Sejun took a big bite of the food Elizabeth had prepared.
And then,
…?!
He realized.
He understood now why Anton had suddenly disappeared.
The appearance and aroma of the food were different, but the taste… the taste was unmistakably similar to Aileen’s cooking.
No, in fact, it seemed Aileen’s cooking might be a bit better then this now.
“Son-in-law Park, what’s wrong? Does it not taste good?”
“…No, it’s delicious. Ha.Ha.Ha. Very delicious.”
In response to Elizabeth’s question, Sejun forced himself to chew the food and gave her a mechanical reply.
And then
Help me, guys!
Sejun frantically signaled to the others for help, but,
“Meow… I have to do the work that’s piled up, meow!”
Kueng…
[Cuengi wants to go harvest herbs now…]
Kking!
[Big brothers, take me with you! Save me!]
Seeing the look on Sejun’s face, everyone scattered and fled outside.
Traitors!
Abandoned by his companions, Sejun sat there helplessly.
At that moment,
“Huh?! Mom!”
The Baby Black Dragon, who had been sleeping on Sejun’s back, woke up.
“Oh my, my baby, did you sleep well? You must be hungry. Here, try some of the food Mom made.”
“Okay!”
Elizabeth offered her food to the Baby Black Dragon.
This is my chance!
“Let brother-in-law feed you, baby brother-in-law.”
“Okay! Ahhh-”
The Baby Black Dragon obediently opened its mouth wide at Sejun’s words.
Sorry, brother-in-law, but I have to survive, too.
Feeling guilty, Sejun silently apologized in his heart as he filled a spoonful of Elizabeth’s food and placed it in the Baby Black Dragon’s mouth.
And then,
…Huh?!
The Baby Black Dragon froze in shock, its mind momentarily going blank from the taste.
This reaction was understandable. Having been spoiled by Sejun’s incredible cooking as his very first meal, the Baby Black Dragon now had impossibly high standards. To him, this wasn’t even food.
Cry out, brother-in-law!
“Waaaaah! This isn’t food! It’s garbage!”
The Baby Black Dragon screamed and cried, voicing the exact thoughts Sejun couldn’t express aloud.
***
Black Tower Administrator Area.
“Kihihihi. So, I really take after my mom.”
So, my bad cooking skills were inherited from Mom.
Watching the scene unfold in the kitchen through the crystal orb, Aileen chuckled.
At that moment,
Woong. Woong.
The crystal orb vibrated rapidly.
[The Black Tower has detected the world of Hamk being invaded by Destruction.]
[Black Tower initiating protection of Hamk.]
[Installing 120 Black Towers in Hamk.]
The Black Tower had connected to Hamk.
*****
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