Trash of the Count's Family

Dodori tilted his head to one side. His curly hair wiggled as his head moved.

"Why are you clutching your head? Is my offer too thrilling?"

– ...Human. Unlike him, I think I know why you are clutching your head.

Cale looked toward Raon who was talking to him in his mind.

Raon was looking back and forth between Cale and Dodori with a pitying gaze.

Cale felt it at that moment.

'He's grown.'

He felt that Raon, who had already figured out why he was clutching his head, had grown a lot and started to caress Raon's back.

– Human! It's because you don't have any faith in the history scholars that pink Dragon will bring, isn't it? How can you leave the distribution of your biography to a Dragon you just met?! Don't worry, I have recorded almost all of your exploits on my video recording device! Mary, the crazy Clopeh, and I will write your biography for you! Do not worry!

'Hmm?'

– I feel sorry for the pink Dragon. He's so excited about something you're not going to ask him to do. Let's just include him briefly at the end!

'Hmm? What the hell are both of these Dragons saying right now?'

Cale looked at Raon with disbelief before turning toward his last pillar of hope. Yes, he looked toward Choi Han.

"Please drink some tea as you chat."

Choi Han had an innocent expression on his face as he put three cups of tea on the table (one for himself), along with juice for Raon.

He had a friendly smile toward Dodori.

Cale felt betrayed for some reason.

Dodori clasped his hands together while looking at Choi Han.

"Ah! Are you Choi Han of the Black Blade, Cale Henituse's guardian knight and his first-ever party member?"

'What the hell is up with those dazzling and useless titles?'

Cale started to frown but Choi Han had an embarrassed smile as he waved his hand.

"I have not done much at all."

"No! You can't say that! The party member of a hero who will never be seen in this world ever again is also a hero! Rosalyn of the Red flame, the ruler of mana! Future King Alberu, the Spear Knight of the Radiant Sun! Mary, the Commander of the Dead! I know about all of the others as well!"

'Wow. All of their titles are no joke.'

Cale just blankly nodded his head.

Dodori's sparkling eyes headed toward Cale at that moment.

"I watched numerous heroes being born this time!"

Cale made a comment with an expression that was changing from blank to delinquent.

"...Through the books?"

"That's right! I saw it through the books! Do you think I saw it all in person? That's a funny joke! Hahaha!"

Dodori pounded his chest again.

"That is why I personally came here to give the perfect happy ending to your hero's journey!"

'Reality and stories are different, Mister Dragon.'

Ironically, this was the comment made by someone who actually ended up in a story and was living that life as his new reality. Cale Henituse had a lot of things he wanted to say, but asked the question he needed to ask first.

"...Could you please explain in detail how you ended up here?"

"Of course. Whatever you want."

Dodori plopped down on the couch opposite Cale and leisurely picked up his teacup.

He then brought it directly to his mouth.

Cale opened his mouth after seeing this action. Dodori jumped up at the same time.

"Ahhh!"

...His bandana was drenched in tea.

'Is he really a Dragon?'

Cale couldn't help but wonder after seeing Dodori's extremely clumsy nature. Dodori just took off the bandana and acted as if nothing had happened.

'Mm.'

Cale was wowed by the Dragon's beauty.

Features that suddenly made the curly hair look like an artistic masterpiece appeared once the bandana was off. He wasn't as beautiful as Eruhaben, but it was still quite mesmerizing.

He looked as androgynous as his voice.

He started to shout.

"Ow, hot hot hot hot! Why is the tea so hot?!"

"...Tea is usually hot."

Cale's voice was becoming more delinquent, but Dodori did not notice at all. This Dragon didn't seem interested in that at all.

"Ahem, anyway, I will share my story for a moment."

Dodori looked up at the air with a fleeting gaze.

"I, Dodori, have wandered far and wide because I could not trust anything in the world at one point. I guess you could say that I was searching for the meaning of life."

'...What the hell?'

Cale opened his mouth to speak because he could sense that the story was going to take a weird turn. However, Dodori was faster. The pink Dragon looked toward Raon.

"I was quite rebellious when I was about six years old. You're going through puberty right now, aren't you?"

"Pink Dragon! You truly are peculiar!"

The pink Dragon just ignored Raon's retort.

"But on the day that this Dragon turned seven years old... I read a book as if I was fated to read it."

Dodori's heart was beating quickly thinking about that time.

"It was the story of the hero, the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain."

– Hmm?

The Super Rock suddenly reacted.

Cale flinched as well. The Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain. That title felt extremely familiar.

– ...Is he talking about me?

The Super Rock mumbled as a passionate voice reached Cale's ears.

"I, the noble Dodori, could not stop myself from admiring the hero's honorable mindset! I am extremely selfish in nature and only care for myself! However, I couldn't help but approve of his noble mindset to sacrifice himself!"

Bang!

Dodori slammed the teacup down on the table, breaking it into pieces and only leaving the handle dangling in his hand.

"I chose to trust in the world at that point! It was because the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain was someone who truly did exist during ancient times! It is not a lie, but a true tale of sacrifice! A hero truly existed! My heart is beating wildly right now just thinking about it! Huuuuu."

Dodori took a deep breath to calm himself down. He then continued to speak in an upset voice.

"However, I have not been able to find another hero who makes my heart beat wildly since then. That is why, I, personally! I decided to find my hero on my own!"

Dodori quickly turned passionate again as if he had never sounded upset at all.

"Hero novels always have positions for party members! Isn't it too obvious for a Dragon to be a mage? That is why I picked up the bow! The archer! Doesn't that sound cool?"

Cale nodded his head with a stoic expression.

"...It's cool... I guess you're good at using the bow."

"Of course! My mom taught me how to use it!"

'Hmm?'

Cale's eyes clouded over at that moment.

"You have a mother, Dodori-nim?"

Dodori did not notice the look in Cale's eyes that seemed as if he had found his prey and nodded his head.

"Of course! My mom congratulated me for overcoming my wandering nature and finding my own path! This is what my mother told me. 'Dodori, you won't listen to anything I say, so just live however you want.' Hahahaha! My mom accepted me for who I am!"

'...It doesn't seem like she accepted you...'

Cale had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he was satisfied with gaining a new piece of information.

'There is at least one more Dragon.'

If he added these two Dragons to the Dragon that Mayor Obante and the Dark Elves were looking for, then there were a good number of Dragons by their side.

"And then, one day..."

Dodori looked at Cale with a stiff expression.

"I heard the story of a young master Silver Shield."

He then snorted.

"I wasn't interested. Why?"

Dodori looked toward Cale with a haughty expression.

"He wasn't as cool as my first hero, the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain."

– Mm.

The Super Rock groaned as if he was getting a headache.

However, the corners of Cale's lips were slowly going up.

– Human, are you planning a scam?

Cale naturally ignored Raon's comment.

"Cale Henituse!"

Dodori suddenly moved his head very close to Cale.

"Then one day, I learned that you used the power of boulder at the Gorge of Death. Boulder! You were the first person who has used the power of boulder since the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain!"

Dodori looked as if he didn't know how to act because he was so ecstatic.

"That is why I deemed you as a second generation hero and came to meet you! Do you know why?"

The Dragon's purple eyes that had seemed extremely light sank very deep.

They became so deep that it reminded Cale of the deep ocean. The eyes looked toward Cale full of numerous emotions.

"Our noble hero, the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain, did not have a good ending. He lost all of his friends before dying a terrible death."

The Super Rock was silent.

"His sacrificial mindset was amazing, but there is no need to really sacrifice yourself like that. That is how I feel, although that might be because I am a self-centered Dragon."

A majestic, heavy, and mysterious voice filled the bedroom.

Dodori continued to speak to Cale.

"Your history is currently in progress. Nobody knows how it will end."

A gentle smile appeared on Dodori's face.

"I like happy endings."

Dodori, who had started with the records of the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain and had looked into the histories of many other heroes as well, realized that not many of them had happy endings.

The world might have ended up with a happy ending, but the hero themselves rarely ended with happy endings.

That was why the pink Dragon had come to Cale.

"I will turn you into a happy ending." (TL: ...The pun is too strong with this one)

Cale quietly observed the pink Dragon.

– My goodness, I'm very thankful to this Dragon. The future I hoped for was one where nobody has to sacrifice themselves and people don't miss the ones who had to sacrifice themselves. It is impossible to achieve, but I'm glad to find someone with the same goal that I had. This is a trustworthy Dragon.

The Super Rock praised the pink Dragon with a voice full of admiration.

Cale felt as if he could trust this Dragon for a moment as well.

"Definitely."

Dodori continued to speak as if he was confirming it to himself.

"No matter what! Happy ending all the way! That way!"

Jump!

Dodori suddenly jumped up.

"That way, small Dragons like my hoobae over there! Dragons that are still growing!"

He pointed to Raon.

"These small Dragons can read the stories and become a magnificent Dragon like me without wandering!"

"I am already magnificent, great, and mighty, pink Dragon!"

"My hoobae Dragon! Just trust me!"

"I won't trust you, pink Dragon!"

"Hahahaha! Are you already in your wandering phase?!"

"...Human, he's weird!"

That short moment of admiration that Cale had felt for the pink Dragon disappeared after hearing his conversation with Raon.

Choi Han cautiously started to speak at that moment.

"Dodori-nim, why did you like the Guardian Knight-nim of Boulder Mountain of all heroes?"

Cale had been curious about this as well.

Why was it the Super Rock of all people?

He turned toward Dodori as well.

"He was the obvious choice!"

Dodori confidently responded as if such a question was not necessary at all.

"My specialty is boulders!"

'Hmm?'

Cale's shoulders flinched.

Dodori looked down at his hands with an emotional gaze.

"I ended up wandering because I thought that my attribute was useless. Boulder! My mom did tell me about an extremely strong and arrogant thug of a Dragon who took down Dragon after Dragon with his dust attribute, but still! I, I... the only thing I can do is creating boulders......"

– Human! Isn't that dust attribute Dragon he's talking about Goldie gramps? But Goldie gramps is no thug! He is a very good Dragon!

Dodori lowered his head.

His curly hair started to shake.

"...I thought I was amazing because I realized my attribute pretty quickly for Dragons, but I lost my way because my attribute was useless... Yes, I was drifting without a cause... However!"

Dodori suddenly raised his head and his eyes were sparkling.

"I am no longer useless!"

Dodori grabbed both of Cale's hands.

"Join me and let's destroy everything with boulders!"

"...I thought you were going to be an archer, Dodori-nim?"

"I'm going to do that too!"

Shhhhh.

Cale slowly pulled his hands away.

He then crossed his arms and his legs.

"Hmm."

Cale's nonchalant gaze headed toward Dodori.

Dodori subconsciously became a bit tense after noticing that Cale did not seem scared of him at all despite the fact that he was a Dragon.

Cale started to speak at that moment.

"Dodori-nim, do you know about Puzzle City?"

Dodori immediately responded back confidently without any hesitation.

"Not at all!"

"I see. It is understandable that you don't know about it."

Cale's voice slowly became quiet.

"Puzzle City is a city where they stack quite a lot of rock towers. There are a lot of rocks there. Even though the Roan Kingdom is known for having a lot of rocks... That city has quite a lot of rocks even compared to the rest of the Roan Kingdom, the home kingdom of the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain."

"Hooooo. Is that so?"

Dodori seemed quite interested after hearing about rocks.

Cale threw bait once he had Dodori's full attention.

"The White Star is planning on charging into Puzzle City."

"What? Are you talking about that terrible villain bastard who deserves to die?!"

Cale calmed the pink Dragon down before he became too excited again.

"Please calm down."

"Okay. I became too angry for a moment."

"It's fine, I understand, but Dodori-nim."

"Hmm?"

"You see..."

Cale prolonged saying what he wanted to say and looked at Dodori dead in the eyes before quietly whispering to him.

"The White Star has ancient powers of numerous attributes, all except the earth attribute! He does not have that at all."

Dodori's eyes opened wide.

He looked right at the casual look on Cale's face.

"I took his too and have two earth-attribute ancient powers."

Cale shrugged his shoulders.

"But he wants to fight in a place with a lot of rocks?"

Gulp.

Dodori imagined the battlefield using the information Cale just gave him as the foundation. He couldn't help but gulp multiple times.

Smile.

Cale's mouth looked quite villainous for a supposed hero, but Dodori waited to hear what he had to say next.

"Did you know?"

He threw another bait.

"I am the successor to the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain. That esteemed hero's power, the power that the esteemed hero left to protect this world... I have carried on its legacy."

"Ohhhhhh, my goodness. My hypothesis was correct! Unbelievable! Mommy, I think I'm going to become a hero!"

Dodori was blurting things out subconsciously because he could not calm his wildly beating heart.

Cale calmly continued to speak to the excited pink Dragon.

"In Puzzle City, a city full of rocks. Fighting against the White Star who has no earth-attribute ancient powers at all. Oh my! On the other hand, I have the power of the Guardian Knight of Boulder Mountain."

Gulp gulp.

Dodori's eyes were burning up with anticipation.

"And if Dodori-nim is there with me? A magnificent Dragon with the power to create boulders just happened to appear in front of me?"

Cale reached his hand out.

"Will you fight by my side?"

"Of course! Absolutely, totally, yes, yes, yes!"

Dodori tightly grabbed Cale's hand with both hands. Cale smiled warmly toward the Dragon.

"Thank you very much. Dodori-nim."

"Yeah!"

"Then please go bring your mother."

"...Hmm?"

Dodori flinched. Cale continued to speak as if he was not phrased.

"Our Henituse Duchy has a rule where we only hire adults. However, just for you, Dodori-nim, we will make an exception and accept you if we meet with your guardian and she agrees to accompany you. This is a special exception. Just. For. You."

Having a 1+1 Dragon was great.

It would be really nice to drag in an extra Dragon if he could do so. Cale tightly grabbed Dodori's hands that were going weak.

– Wow. Human, I haven't seen you smiling like a scammer for a long time. You're acting so elegantly that the crown prince would be shocked enough to give you a cookie!

Dodori flinched at the weak hands holding onto him and started to speak.

"...You need my mom to come?"

"Yes. She must be here."

Dodori turned toward Raon for a moment.

Cale immediately started to speak.

"Ah, I am Raon's guardian. Raon's mother has also approved of it. We have some other children as well, there are some Cats and Wolves, but I am all of their guardian. I am pretty much their parent. That is why they are allowed to accompany me."

– Hehe. We're all one big family!

Raon seemed happy about something and fluttered his wings.

But Cale was more focused on the two jackpots that might come his way.

"...Do you really need me to come with my mom?"

"Yes. If it is difficult for your guardian to accompany you, we must at least have a meeting with your guardian."

The curly-haired Dragon was rolling his eyes as he thought about something before nodding his head.

"Okay! I'll be back with my mom tomorrow!"

"Of course. That is a wise decision, Dodori-nim."

'Yes, yes indeed. How many allied Dragons is that now?'

Cale couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.