Help! I'm in Another World and the Dragon Man Want Me To Get Pregnant!
Chapter 78: The Fading Trail

Chapter 78: The Fading Trail

"It’ll be too late by then! He... Shen Xinghui is so fragile, and he knows nothing about this world. If he’s left defenseless, someone with ill intentions could take him away! He—!"

"Calm yourself!"

How could he possibly calm down?

Ignatius pleaded desperately.

His body could barely move, and yet he still tried to force himself forward.

His head spun just from standing, but staying still was not an option.

Staggering to his feet, he immediately lost his balance and nearly collapsed.

A sigh of exasperation came from behind him, followed by a firm hand covering his eyes.

"—!"

"Honestly... so stubborn, so rigid, so infuriatingly earnest. You really are a troublesome man."

The familiar voice, along with the sudden, overwhelming pull of magic, dragged him under.

Exhausted and weakened, he had no strength to resist.

In mere moments, darkness consumed him.

...

When Ignatius opened his eyes, night still lingered.

Lying in bed, he felt as though time had rewound to the previous night.

If only it had.

If that were the case, he would never make the same mistake again.

Shen Xinghui would come to him soon, trembling with unease, struggling to find the right words.

This time, he would listen.

This time, he would be honest about his feelings.

He would tell him—

I love you. I want your heart.

And the child... the child should be a symbol of that love.

But time had not turned back.

Shen Xinghui was gone.

Gabriel and Augustine stood nearby, and the sight of them made Ignatius’s chest tighten unbearably.

He raised a hand to cover his eyes.

"You’re awake."

Augustine sighed, though his tone carried unmistakable concern.

"That young man—Shen Xinghui, was it? We’re already searching for him. Dominus, who knows him, is combing through the forest. The household staff are checking the nearby towns for anyone matching his description."

"Well, that is... assuming he went to town in the first place," Augustine added.

"If he left money behind, he may not be there at all. If he chose to leave of his own will, then he’d try to make sure you never find him. Even if he doesn’t know the roads, as long as he keeps walking, he’ll reach somewhere eventually."

"Augustine!"

Gabriel’s reprimand came sharp and immediate, but Ignatius knew Augustine was right.

Shen Xinghui didn’t want to see him.

That was why, despite his desperate calls all day, there had been no answer.

"Oh, right," Augustine continued, voice suddenly light. "It seems food has been prepared for you."

The unexpected change in conversation made Ignatius glance toward the table.

There, neatly arranged, were dishes that Shen Xinghui had made for him.

All of them were foods he had once said he liked.

"This was made earlier this evening. He said he wanted to cook something for you."

Ignatius’s breath hitched.

Tears welled up.

What had Shen Xinghui been feeling when he made this?

What did Shen Xinghui think of him now?

Augustine picked up a piece of karaage and placed it into Ignatius’s mouth.

It was delicious—just as it had always been.

But it hurt.

It was cruel.

This food held nothing but memories of shared smiles, of happiness.

And yet, the one who had given him those moments was no longer here.

The emotions crashing over him were suffocating, and yet he remained frozen in place, unable to act on them.

Forcing himself to swallow, he packed the rest of the food into his magic bag.

If he never found Shen Xinghui, he knew he wouldn’t be able to eat it.

But this was all he had left.

He couldn’t bring himself to throw it away.

His magic bag was still filled with the meals Shen Xinghui had made—each one carrying the echo of a bright, joyful smile.

And so, Ignatius continued searching for Shen Xinghui.

For two weeks, there had been nothing—no sign of where he had gone.

He had scoured the forests, checked the borders, even searched dangerous areas for any sign of an accident.

But Shen Xinghui had simply vanished.

"The apothecary’s house is here," Gabriel said, marking a spot on the map. "She’s the one who provided him with food and shelter for a night."

An elderly woman living deep in the forest had taken in a young man matching Shen Xinghui’s description.

He had been found curled up on the ground late at night.

Concerned, she had approached him, only to find him weak and unsteady on his feet.

He had looked pitiful, she said.

So she had given him food and a place to sleep.

But he had spoken little about himself.

By morning, he was gone.

"The next sighting was here," Gabriel continued, marking another spot.

An old fisherman by the river had encountered a young man washing his clothes.

The boy had been thin, small—

And when asked, he had admitted, "This is the only clothing I have."

The old man, pitying him, had given him a cloak to wear while he waited for his clothes to dry.

"And here," Gabriel added, pointing to another location. "A couple running a stable sheltered a child for the night."

Living on the edge of the forest, they had found a small boy curled up outside.

They had given him food, offered him a place inside their home—

But he had refused, saying he was too dirty to enter.

Instead, they had made a bed of hay in the stable and given him a blanket.

"He’s moving through the forest, but he’s lost."

Gabriel traced the points on the map.

"He isn’t following the roads. He may have passed through some towns, but every night, he sleeps outdoors."

"But from here on, we’ve lost his trail again." Augustine sighed.

"He looks too similar to other black dragons. It’s difficult to identify him at a glance."

"Looks like he’s passing through small villages and towns without bracelet authentication. That makes it even harder to track him."

Ignatius stared at the scattered trail on the map.