A Generous Friend

A Generous Friend

A new friend had left without saying goodbye, and Rhaegar felt an indescribable pang.

They hadn't even had time to talk much.

"I still wanted to ride it around a few times."

Rhaegar joked with Illyric.

"If fate allows, perhaps we'll meet again."

Illyric replied with a soft laugh.

Once he was sure the little prince had calmed down, he stood and began dealing with the pheasant's carcass.

Rhaegar glanced at Illyric's white robe, pressed his lips together, then picked up the waterskin nearby and took a long drink.

"Ahh, I'm alive again."

As the water soothed his throat, Rhaegar suddenly remembered the System prompt he'd heard before losing consciousness.

"I wonder if I imagined it."

With a thought, the System panel appeared.

[Rhaegar Targaryen]

Talent: Dreamer (Gold), Long Life (Green)

Bloodline: Valyrian Dragonlord (+10%)

Skill: Valyrian (Fluent)...

Relic: Blood of the Dragon (Fire Resistance +50%)

Evaluation: "Lucky boy, you've made a generous friend."

Staring at one line of small text on the System panel, Rhaegar's eyes widened.

"A new talent, Long Life?"

Rhaegar blinked and checked again and again to make sure he hadn't read it wrong.

"I really did get a new talent!"

His heart thumped wildly. Rhaegar clutched his chest, barely able to contain his excitement.

"What does Long Life mean? Can I really live to be a hundred?"

Rhaegar knew the state of his body. It wasn't just riddled with problems; he was practically half-dead.

His heart beat faster and faster. His hands and feet went cold, but his spirits soared.

His frailty stemmed from organ failure.

That was why he became breathless after just a few steps, and why even the slightest excitement left his heart unable to pump enough blood.

Now, he felt as though his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

Yet he felt only a little discomfort.

His hands and feet weren't even trembling.

"Haha, I can live to be a hundred! That damned frailty will never kill me again!"

After a long illness, he'd finally recovered. Unable to contain his surging emotions, Rhaegar suddenly burst out laughing.

Illyric had just finished plucking the pheasant and was about to roast it. The sudden laughter startled him.

He turned around and saw the little prince lying on the ground, laughing without a care for his dignity.

His arms flailed wildly, scattering dirt in every direction.

The overwhelming joy swept away the composure of Rhaegar's young mind, leaving him unable to do anything but let it out.

Otherwise, he would have gone mad from holding it in.

Though to Illyric, Rhaegar already looked like a little madman.

"Seven hells, don't torment me anymore."

Illyric let out a groan. Forgetting all about the roast, he hurried to check on the little prince.

Rhaegar had only just woken from a faint. The last thing he needed was to lose his mind.

Sneaking the prince out was already enough to get him judged by the king.

If he brought back a deranged little prince, the king would surely have his head chopped off.

"Dear brother, I hope you won't be caught up in this."

Illyric silently prayed that his brother Aleric wouldn't be dragged into it when he was beheaded.

As it turned out, Illyric had worried for nothing.

After letting Rhaegar carry on for more than ten minutes, the boy wore himself out.

He lay flat on the ground, unwilling to move.

When Illyric asked why he had been laughing, Rhaegar gave just one answer.

"If a cripple can throw away his crutch, isn't that worth celebrating?"

Illyric didn't understand.

But he realized that the little prince seemed to be recovering well.

He probably wouldn't faint or go mad.

"My head's safe."

Illyric shook his head. He couldn't keep up with the way Targaryens thought.

Better to finish roasting the pheasant and take care of the more pressing matter of dinner.

Rhaegar lay quietly on the white robe Illyric had spread out, his thoughts drifting.

He thought of many things.

The System's evaluation: "a generous friend"...

Illyric had said the White Hart fed him a red fruit...

The Valyrian Dragonlord bloodline listed under bloodline, which kept rising...

He checked the System panel.

The System had detected that the White Hart was a rare species with exploration potential.

While Rhaegar was unconscious in its arms, the exploration had been completed automatically.

The red fruit was the exploration reward.

[Magical Creature: White Hart]

Exploration progress: "100%"

"Relic automatically collected. Detecting..."

"Detection successful. Classified as an Epic relic: Blessing of the Auspicious Beast."

"Activate relic?"

"Relic automatically activated."

"Congratulations! Blessing of the Auspicious Beast activated successfully. You have received..."

[Long Life]

Grade: Good (Green)

Effect: A sacred beast's blessing for a new friend, capable of granting the most heartfelt wish.

Evaluation: "The red grapes are too sweet. Sweet-and-sour oranges suit my taste better..."

Seeing that deeply personal evaluation, Rhaegar smiled from the bottom of his heart.

His disappointment at the White Hart leaving without a word vanished completely.

"Thank you, my friend."

Rhaegar silently offered his thanks to the White Hart.

At the same time, he spotted a discrepancy.

The sacred beast's blessing had been classified as Epic.

But after activation, the [Long Life] he received was only Good.

It was nowhere near the Legendary [Blood of the Dragon], or even the Excellent mastery of Valyrian.

After a little thought, Rhaegar decided it must have to do with the nature of a "blessing."

Deep down, what he wanted most was a healthy body.

The blessing had answered that wish.

It had given him the healthy body and lifespan of [Long Life].

Looking up at the crescent moon in the night sky, Rhaegar felt lighter than ever. Even his dark circles seemed to have faded.

"Starting tonight, starting now, I'm no longer a sickly boy."

"Rhaegar Targaryen, no longer threatened by an early death, will bring this world a legend that will be sung for ten thousand years."

He raised one hand above his head and clenched his fist, making a solemn vow.

He would make the whole world know his name!

Nearby, Illyric sniffed the golden-brown roast pheasant and looked puzzled.

"Strange. It's not burnt?"

The next day.

Early in the morning, Rhaegar was hauled onto a horse's back while still half-asleep, mumbling, "Dragonflame."

As they followed the path back to camp, Illyric's lips curled into a smile. "A true Targaryen. He's dreaming of riding a dragon."

The morning dew gradually vanished as the sun climbed higher.

Around eight o'clock, Illyric appeared at the camp entrance on his black horse.

"Illyric, you're finally back!"

Before he could enter the camp, a figure darted out from a corner, his voice full of delight.

Rhaegar, who had woken some time ago, looked over and saw another face just like Illyric's.

It had to be Illyric's twin brother, Arryk Cagell.

Arryk looked frantic. He snatched the reins and, before his brother could answer, demanded, "Where did you go yesterday?"

Faced with his brother's anger, Illyric dismounted with Rhaegar in his arms and replied helplessly, "What do you think?"

Arryk grew even angrier. "The king ordered you to bring Prince Rhaegar to meet him, but instead you took him and snuck out of camp. That alone is enough for the king to order you hanged!"

Illyric's expression grew complicated. His lips moved, but in the end all that came out was a sigh.

Yesterday's events had been so bizarre that he was still struggling to make sense of them.

How could he possibly explain them to his stubborn brother?

Seeing his difficulty, Rhaegar spoke up to smooth things over. "Ser Arryk, I asked your brother to take me out of camp. It wasn't his idea."

Arryk looked down at Rhaegar, who barely reached his thigh. "Your Highness, I don't mean to criticize you, but the king waited a long time for you and the princess yesterday. He was furious.

"Do you understand what I mean?"

Hearing the warning beneath Arryk's words, Rhaegar answered earnestly, "Don't worry. I understand that you're worried about your brother. I'll do everything I can to explain things in Illyric's defense."

"This happened because of me. I'll take responsibility for all the consequences."