My Love Debts Are Everywhere!

Upon hearing that, Leon was slightly taken aback. He exchanged glances with Elina, who looked just as surprised.

Both of them nodded subtly and continued listening in silence to the ongoing conversation.

"Are you sure? Wasn't that Sea Dragon defeated by a hero two hundred years ago?"

"I'm not sure either. But I heard the monster wasn't truly killed. They say it still appears near the beach every year, disturbing people trying to relax."

"That's strange. Could it really be the same dragon? Or maybe its offspring—left behind before the Sea Dragon was slain?"

"Possibly. It's not impossible. Either way, we need to be extra cautious when heading to the beach. The sea may be calmer between fall and winter, but that's exactly when the monster tends to show up. In fact, I saw its shadow just yesterday while I was fishing."

Their conversation continued, serious and tense.

Elina swallowed hard and turned to Leon, her eyes filled with worry.

"Young Master, is it true? Weren't the Sea Monsters supposed to stay in the middle of the strait and never come this far? If things are like this, how are we supposed to cross over to the land where the dwarves live?"

Leon narrowed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "I don't know either, Elina. Maybe there are legends or rumors we haven't heard of yet."

As he had once said, the Horizon Strait was an extremely dangerous stretch of water.

Not only were its waves fierce enough to sink even large ships, but the sea itself was teeming with terrifying monsters lurking beneath the surface.

Yet, coincidentally, when they crossed it aboard a large ship over a month ago, not a single monster had appeared, allowing their journey to proceed without incident.

Had the monsters appeared, their journey could have taken much longer than expected.

He recalled that such creatures typically only emerged in the deep sea, far from the coast. But now, this sudden news left him puzzled.

Leon took a deep breath, then looked at Elina with a calm expression. "Wait here. I'll ask them directly."

Before Elina could respond, Leon stood up and walked toward the table where the two people were still deep in conversation.

"That monster is incredibly strong! I heard a ship was wrecked just by the impact of its massive body, and—"

Before the man could finish, Leon pulled out the empty chair beside him and sat down without hesitation.

His sudden presence startled them both. They exchanged confused glances.

But before they could say anything, Leon reached into his pocket, pulled out a silver coin, and slid it across the table toward the man.

"Tell me everything you know about the Sea Dragon," he said, his tone calm but firm.

The man fell silent for a moment, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the silver coin.

With trembling hands, he picked it up, then looked at Leon with a broad grin.

"Sir, you've come to the right person," he said eagerly, slipping the coin into his pocket. "I'll tell you everything I know."

His friend beside him looked a bit envious of his sudden good fortune—but knowing he'd likely get a free beer out of it, he leaned back and took a slow sip of his drink.

Wasting no time, the man began to recount everything he knew about the monster—speaking with excitement and surprising detail.

Judging by his fluent storytelling and detailed knowledge, Leon guessed the man was likely a native of Nerivale City.

In just fifteen minutes, Leon had managed to piece together a clear picture of the situation from his account.

"So that's how it is," Leon muttered, narrowing his eyes.

At first, he had assumed the Sea Dragon they were talking about was just a low-level creature. But it turned out he was completely wrong.

The creature in question was a Sea Dragon Emperor—the highest rank among all sea monsters.

Although they carried the blood of dragons, they lacked intelligence and reason.

Because of this, they were never acknowledged as true dragons and were instead classified as mere monsters.

Not that it was surprising. The dragon race was known for its pride and arrogance.

There was no way they would ever recognize mindless beasts as part of their noble lineage.

Even so, Sea Dragon Emperors were terrifying creatures—powerful and not to be underestimated.

According to the man's story, the monster had first appeared two hundred years ago and was slain by one of the Three Heroes of Mankind.

Unfortunately, no one knew exactly which hero had defeated it.

But now, the creature had started appearing again—often near the coast during mid-autumn, when the sea was typically calmer and less violent.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Leon smiled at the two men and said, "Alright, I got it. Thank you for the information."

"Hahaha! You're welcome, sir! If you ever need more info, just let me know," the man replied eagerly.

Leon gave a slight nod, then stood and returned to his table.

Elina looked at him expectantly. "So, did you get the information, Young Master?"

Leon sat down slowly, took a sip of his coffee, then replied, "Yes, I did. And it's... quite interesting."

He then began to recount everything he had just heard.

Elina listened closely, her expression shifting from fear to excitement to deep focus.

"So that's how it is," Leon concluded, leaning back in his chair.

Elina fell silent, gently rubbing her chin. She hadn't expected the monster to be that powerful.

"What should we do, Young Master? If we don't deal with it, doesn't that mean we won't be able to leave the island?" She asked, her tone curious but tinged with concern.

To reach the land where Mount Dunrhak was located, they would have to cross the sea once again.

The distance wasn't as great as when they first came to the island, but the journey would still be long.

Coincidentally, the route they needed to take passed through the waters near the coast—a place where the monster often appeared.

"Pffft!" Leon let out a soft chuckle, sensing the worry in her voice. He waved his hand casually and said, "Don't worry. Tomorrow, we'll go see the dragon—and I'll take care of it."

With Athena, the Dragon Empress, as his wife—and half the blood of a pure dragon flowing through his veins—how could he possibly fear a mere dragon monster?

Hearing his confident tone, Elina simply gave a small nod.

"In that case, I'll leave it to you."

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A/N: I have a question for you, dear readers.

Would you prefer that I also narrate Leon and Elina's journey in detail—making the world feel more vivid and giving you a bit more background about the setting—or would you rather I skip ahead to when Leon arrives in the Dwarven territory or another race's land?

Let me know in the comments below. Thank you!