I Raised A Black Dragon

“Let’s just hurry up a little bit. Go down further, Mu.” Kyle instructed.

At his words, the young dragon vigorously stirred its tail and propelled forward. Even though Noah had no longer problems with breathing, her heart began to pound stronger as they neared towards the lake bed. It seemed to be the psychological pressure that she felt when she was thrown into the deep waters.

“Wait, Mu.” 

However, she was the only one who felt that way. Beside her, Kyle looked completely unnerved. He kept his eyes fixed on only one thing without showing any hint of admiration at the surrounding scenery.

“That way,” pointed Kyle. 

As Noah followed Kyle’s gaze and looked down, she saw a red string tied between the pointed coral. A long line of ribbons at the bottom of the lake stood out from afar; it was like a milestone to give directions.

Muell immediately began to advance forward in the direction of the ribbons, and the workshop at the top had shrunk into a dot. Noah could see the end of the string of red ribbons which were tangled in corals. Far away, a round black hole emerged over the surface of the water.

“Is it there?” Kyle squinted his eyes and measured the size of the entrance. “I don’t think Mu can get through.”

Even with their own estimate, it seemed difficult for the humongous dragon to push its head in, let alone pass. But this time, Noah succeeded in predicting what Kyle was thinking. 

This guy, obviously… As soon as she thought of it, Noah jumped over Muell’s back and got up. Suddenly, a very playful and daring impulse arose within her.

“Mu, the…”

“Mu, get rid of the barrier!”

Noah succeeded to be one step ahead of Kyle. At the same moment he looked back at her with astonished eyes, Noah took a breath as deep as she could. Then, in a blink, the barrier vanished. 

The water poured in at once, drenching their bodies. The pressure wasn’t strong since they were already approaching the surface of the lake. Noah flapped her arms, and her body began to rise rapidly. Soon, she reached the surface. She gasped for air, brushing away the wet strands of her hair that stuck to her face. Then, she bobbed her head sideways to drain the water from her ears.

“You can’t do that, Miss Noah!” Kyle shook the water off his hair, glancing at her with an angry look. But Noah only shrugged her shoulders and slowly swam away from him.

“You’re suddenly doing things without informing me beforehand. I don’t act  recklessly without the assurance that I’m safe. Do you think I don’t think of that?” Kyle gritted his teeth and grabbed Noah’s arm, pulling it to him. “Why are you being impulsive? Even now, when it could be dangerous.”

“Oh my god.”

“When I’m with you, I’ve often wished I had four eyes. Don’t make me worry.”

“Don’t nag. You once told me that proper exercise is good for stamina,” Noah retorted. 

Kyle could only clench his jaw when she had answered in a nonchalant manner. He obviously had nothing to say. However, the more sensitive Kyle was, the more absurdly satisfied Noah became. The man’s attitude had changed dramatically since a month ago when they departed trains. Noah believed he was not conscious of her as she was of him yet, but the mere fact that he became easily stirred by her felt as good as if he was already in her grasp. 

A faint satisfaction rose within Noah and a question that she would not have thought much normally arose. However, the question was immediately buried in the complacency of her ‘whatevers.’ 

She lightly darted through the current and hung her arm around Kyle’s neck. “Okay, I’m sorry. I won’t do anything unexpected. What can I do for you to sign a lifelong contract with me?” she teased.

“Nonsense.” 

Kyle answered bluntly and earned a punch on the shoulder from Noah. Muell, who had returned as a little child, popped his face to the surface. They kicked their legs under the water and swam ashore. Kyle reached the land first, then pulled Noah and the little boy out of the water at once.

Water dripped from their soaked clothes. When they untied the straps of their boots, a bucketful of water spilled onto the floor. Noah’s curly waves clung to her cheeks like seaweed. 

She looked around, wringing her hair. Unlike the previous workshop, this place looked close to a naturally formed underwater cave. The numerous stone pillars and the stalagmites on the ground and ceiling of the cave could not be created by human hands.

Noah took a few steps toward the inside of the cave while Kyle patted Muell’s back, who vomited a great amount of water. Then, she found something on the floor — a pair of goggles and small oxygen bottles. Perhaps they were used by the miners as they crossed over here. As she took a few more steps, she discovered pickaxes and mana detection rods. Seeing the traces of the pickaxes on the wall, it seemed that the magical ore was mined at this cave as well. As evidence of that, there were octagonal-shaped gleaming stones on the ground.

“How much seaweed did you eat… Miss Noah?”

“I’m not going far. It’s just, there’s something here.”

As soon as she touched one of the stones, she confirmed it was the Mane Ore. In the rock, which perfectly fit on the palm of her hand, Noah felt a slight wave of mana. There was more than one or two precious ore that fell on the ground. Noah picked them one by one and walked into the cave.