The center of the Dragon Palace, the Hwangryong Palace.

A certain amount of time had passed since the mercenaries hired by the dark forces had attacked, carrying a replica of the Dragon King's sword.

While Hwangryong was overseeing the organization of the palace after receiving a report from Unryong, he suddenly looked up and stared toward the north.

Yoon Yeorang, sensing something, turned her gaze in the same direction as Hwangryong.

"Looks like the ownership of the Black Dragon Palace has returned to us."

"Black Dragon must be upset! Do you think Yi-shin could send it as a gift to him again?"

"If we return the Black Dragon Palace to the benefactor of the Dragon race, Black Dragon will surely be pleased."

The two were speaking in a tone that would surely not sit well with the noble clan who were finally relieved at having one palace cleared. Hwangryong, speaking calmly to Yoon Yeorang, seemed unfazed, but Unryong, influenced by Hwangryong, appeared somewhat uneasy and anxious.

Having been cleaning up the traces of the mercenary battle, Unryong hastened his work, eager to finish quickly.

Hwangryong spoke softly to ensure that Yoon Yeorang would not be surprised.

"I must tell the Priestesses to finish what they were doing. It’s better to prepare to heal the injured right away."

"Prepare?"

"The return of the Black Dragon Palace means that Yi-shin has granted a wish."

"Ah!"

The clever Yoon Yeorang immediately understood what had happened from Hwangryong's words.

Yi-shin often casually mentioned granting wishes, but fulfilling a wish was never simple.

Of course, Yi-shin had occasionally acted on a whim, such as granting someone’s wish with a lighthearted, “Do you want me to keep my mouth shut? If that’s your wish, I’ll do it.”

However, using the Gwanglim known as ‘Yeoui Boju Hyunhyeon’ to perform miracles was a different matter altogether. It had strict conditions and placed a burden on Yi-shin.

Yi-shin’s desire to grant the wish, the one who made the wish having the ability to pay the corresponding price—both had to be met for the wish to come true.

Moreover, if a major wish was granted, Yi-shin would be rendered immobile, as he had been on Christmas Eve, making him unable to fight.

Thus, Yi-shin's wish was intended to be used as a last resort.

"Since Yi-shin had no choice but to grant a wish, it means someone was injured. It’s unlikely they fled without fighting, or even if they fought, no one would have been unscathed."

In this operation, Yi-shin had moved with the Red Lion Team, including Yeom Bang-yeol, the King of Flames.

The Dragon race of the Uhee Realm and the world’s greatest team had teamed up, and even if the situation was unfavorable, it was unlikely they would retreat immediately.

Even if some were injured, they could be treated later, so they would likely take bold actions.

Yoon Yeorang suddenly jumped to her feet.

"I’ll go prepare with the Priestesses!"

"Wait a moment. I changed the structure of the Dragon Palace to hide the invader’s sight, so if you go looking for the other Priestesses, you’ll likely get lost. I’ll call them; you go and prepare with Unryong."

Hwangryong stopped Yoon Yeorang. Without the change in structure, she often got lost, so Hwangryong intervened.

Soon after, visitors and the injured arrived at the palace, floating on clouds.

The visitor was someone unfamiliar but strong, and as he approached, the Dragon Palace's colorful aura intensified. However, as soon as he revealed the identity of those he brought, a path opened through the clouds.

Though they had no consciousness and their strength was diminished, among the injured was the Dragon King’s favorite, Yi-shin.

The existence of the injured was expected, but Unryong, who had been pacing in front of the palace doors, could not imagine that it would be Yi-shin himself. He stood, mouth agape, staring at the unconscious Yi-shin.

After a moment, his face seemed to struggle against tears, and he gathered the clouds to carry the injured inside.

At the Dragon Palace's main entrance, Hwangryong stood silent, staring at Yi-shin and the others.

"Hwangryong, are you alright?"

"...I’m fine. My apologies for the late greeting."

"I almost forgot to greet you and was about to open the palace doors myself. It seems we’re both in the same boat. Tell me, what happened?"

Despite manipulating multiple clones and using his Kundun to arrive at the Dragon Palace from Jeju Island in no time, Jecheon Daeseong didn’t show signs of exhaustion.

He organized what he had figured out in chronological order and relayed it to Hwangryong.

Though Hwangryong seemed momentarily absent-minded, he quickly regained his composure and listened to Jecheon Daeseong, occasionally asking questions to better understand the situation in Jeju Island.

Admiring Hwangryong’s ability to remain calm after being alone for such a long time, Jecheon Daeseong mischievously asked,

"Your younger brother has become like this, yet you remain surprisingly calm."

"Weren’t you the same? Muji was in a far worse state than Yi-shin, but you didn’t lose your composure."

Jecheon Daeseong felt as though he had been given back what he had said, recalling how Muji's predicament was never concealed and was, in fact, publicly revealed. He hadn't expected to be countered with this at this moment.

Jecheon Daeseong smiled awkwardly, once again realizing that Hwangryong was not an easy opponent.

"Ha, I felt like smashing everything, but there were helpless little ones around, so I couldn’t." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"I feel the same. Yi-shin will be taken care of by the Dragon King’s Priestesses, but I’m more worried about the others’ hearts."

Hwangryong glanced in the direction of the Dragon King’s Priestesses and then at Jecheon Daeseong outside the palace.

Turning to Jecheon Daeseong, Hwangryong spoke formally,

"Thank you for bringing Yi-shin and our family here."

"You’ve already thanked Cheongryong, so it’s alright. If you’re grateful, please don’t interfere when dealing with my younger brother’s benefactor."

Before Jecheon Daeseong could finish, Hwangryong cut him off and glanced toward the approaching figure.

A guest, long connected with the Dragon race, was arriving in a luxury air limousine, the vehicle emblazoned with the noble clan's symbol in gold.

Though Hwangryong and Jecheon Daeseong both had their eyes closed, they could still clearly see through the limousine’s window, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) where Yi-shin’s closest friend, Jeho, was about to disembark.

Having finished his classes at Eungwang High, Jeho was carrying an analog briefcase filled with paper materials.

Clutching the bag tightly in his hands as though uneasy without it, Jeho was clearly unsettled.

Without thinking, Jeho approached Hwangryong.

"Hwangryong-nim, I’ve heard the news. Is it true that Yi-shin is gravely injured?"

"Yes, that’s true. It will take a while, so it’s best to rest for now."

Once he received confirmation, Jeho bit his lip and slumped his shoulders.

Hwangryong, seeing the exhausted Jeho, took the bag handle from his hand and placed Unryong’s hand in his.

Seeing that Jecheon Daeseong felt it was not the time for greetings, he left with a somewhat awkward remark.

"Yi-shin truly hasn’t lived in vain. He has such a thoughtful friend."

Jeho barely heard the words.

Though he had seen Yi-shin injured before, he had never imagined him so gravely hurt. When Yi-shin coughed up blood on Christmas Eve, he had still been standing, spitting insults at Jeho.

Thus, the idea of Yi-shin getting injured was unfathomable, leading Jeho into negative thoughts.

"This must be the first time since that battle that Yi-shin has been this injured after acquiring his divine status."

As Unryong led Jeho down the palace corridor, Hwangryong recalled an old memory.

Hearing this, Jeho’s hazy consciousness was dragged back to the past.

Yi-shin rarely spoke of the battle, for it was a painful memory, and it had left a lasting impression on Jeho, especially the image of Yi-shin as a child, severely injured.

The scene had not faded in Jeho’s mind.

"Yi-shin will be fine. You know well that Yi-shin’s methods won’t harm him."

Upon hearing Yi-shin’s name, Jeho’s thoughts cleared, as his faith in Yi-shin’s abilities returned.

He looked up and saw the Priestesses finishing their ritual, and Yoon Yeorang, upon recognizing him, waved enthusiastically.

"Hwangryong-nim, Kim Shin-rok-saseong! Welcome! The healing’s done!"

After hearing this, Jeho absent-mindedly touched his face and awkwardly smiled, realizing that he was now wearing Kim Shin-rok’s face.

Still, he managed to answer Yoon Yeorang’s greeting and walked over to Yi-shin, who still lay unconscious. His face was expressionless, but the color had returned, thanks to the successful healing.

"...Yi-shin must have gotten hurt doing something reckless, thinking he could play hero in the Uhee Realm."

Jeho muttered to himself, seeing the blood-soaked hair and damaged clothes, and unconsciously moved to wipe the blood from Yi-shin’s hair with a handkerchief.

Though the blood had already dried, the memory of trying to wipe Yi-shin’s blood from his hair as a child still lingered, and the task felt impossible once again.

Rather than stop Jeho’s futile actions, Hwangryong praised the Priestesses for their hard work and then asked about the condition of the three.

"They should wake up soon, but Yi-shin might take longer!"

"Yi-shin doesn’t seem to have any external wounds, but is there any other part that still needs healing?"

"Not really, but I think he’ll sleep for a while. The Dragon King said to let him rest."

Since the Dragon King had said that, Hwangryong refrained from commenting further.

He gazed at Jeho, who was sitting beside Yi-shin, and said,

"If Yi-shin sleeps too long, there will be many who will worry about him. I hope he wakes up soon."

"Me too! Yi-shin is popular, you know. If he doesn’t show up at school, other kids besides me will worry too."

Hwangryong nodded at Yoon Yeorang’s words.

Though he was confident that Yi-shin would return to normal once he woke, he knew others wouldn't take it as lightly.

Especially, Jeho, Yi-shin's close friend, and Yi-shin's disciple and the one who proposed this plan, Yi-shin, were on his mind.

However, Hwangryong decided not to hide his concerns.

"When Yi-shin asks about Yi-shin’s condition, don’t hide anything."

"Yes!"

After Yoon Yeorang’s reply, Hwangryong made his way to the front entrance of the Dragon Palace to welcome another guest. One by one, those concerned about Yi-shin and the other injured were arriving at the palace.