IBWMD 45

~Chapter 45~

‘Why is he so grumpy again?’

Anyway, we couldn’t have a proper conversation like this.

I sighed, deciding to let it go again for now, and turned my gaze to the tower.

‘So that’s why he jumped while holding me.’

To break through the confusion spell surrounding this place, a mage who knows about the spell must use magic to open a path.

Even though Karl seemed more like a warrior, he had magic and knew this place was under a confusion spell.

So carrying me and jumping was the easiest way to enter.

‘Still, he could’ve warned me first.’

He hugged me so suddenly, I almost misunderstood. It felt weird.

He told me not to flirt around, and yet he was doing suspicious stuff.

Now even I was starting to feel annoyed.

‘Hmph.’

As I tried to step onto the lake, Karl quickly grabbed my hand.

I glared at him, but he calmly said,
“It’s dangerous.”

“Even though the ice looks super thick?”

“If someone who’s not allowed steps on it, it will break.”

Since this was a dragon’s relic, that explanation made sense.

Half-doubting, I let him lead me across.

Then I thought of something.

“Did you get permission to walk here?”

“For now, yes.”

“Let’s see… you couldn’t have gotten permission from the dragon itself…”

“……”

“Did the Grand Duke give it to you?”

Since he didn’t answer, I assumed that was a yes.

‘Figures.’

He acted all grumpy, but it seemed he had a closer connection with the Grand Duke than I thought.

‘Should I stop badmouthing the Grand Duke in front of Karl?’

Then, I looked down.

‘Huh?’

There was a dark shape under the lake.

Something black beneath the thick white ice…

I flinched and stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Is that real?”

I couldn’t take my eyes off it and looked closely.

My heart pounded at the unexpected sight.

“Is that… a real dragon?”

What I saw first were the huge black scales.

They were tightly layered like threads woven into a net, and near a large crack, they faded in color.

As I looked more carefully, I realized why the scales were missing there.

“This… is the dragon’s eye?”

To be exact, a closed eye.

So I was standing on the giant head of a dragon—too big to even see in one glance.

Thump, thump, thump.

My heart raced faster.

Seeing a grand, supposedly extinct creature made my chest tighten.

It was more overwhelming and beautiful than I had imagined.

‘I’ve never really cared about humility or respect…’

But in front of this being, I felt small. It reminded me of seeing a huge whale swimming in the ocean in a video.

‘No, this is even more amazing.’

I couldn’t look away. Then something poked my forehead.

It was Karl’s finger.

“You said you didn’t want wrinkles, Elaine.”

“….”

I guess I was staring too hard. But I didn’t feel embarrassed.

‘I mean, it’s a dragon! How could I not stare?’

If someone didn’t feel anything looking at this, they would be the weirdo.

I ignored Karl’s finger and said,

“It’s really beautiful.”

“….”

Then Karl said something that slightly ruined the moment.

“It’s not exactly a real dragon. More like a shell.”

“A shell?”

“You remember the story I told you?”

“….”

“About the dragon transferring its soul into a human form and leaving its body to rot?”

Ah, the story Karl didn’t like?

When I looked up again, Karl was still gently rubbing my forehead and smiling.

“So this is the leftover body the dragon left behind?”

“That’s what the story says.”

“….”

“It might not be 100% true.”

Now that he said it, the black scales didn’t look alive. They reflected light like rock or metal.

Some parts were cracked like fossils.

‘Still…’

It was just as beautiful.

Honestly, I felt moved.

“So… this is kind of like a dragon’s grave, right?”

“That’s one way to look at it.”

As I kept staring, Karl gently lifted my chin.

“It’s a little dangerous to stay down here too long.”

“Hm.”

“You’ll see it even better from above.”

“Wow.”

I let out a breath of awe as I looked around.

Karl was right. From the top of the broken tower, I could finally see the dragon’s shape.

‘It’s so big I can’t even see all of it.’

The dragon’s curled-up body, like an ammonite fossil, was still magnificent.

The tower seemed to rise from near the dragon’s heart—like it grew from the dragon’s ribs.

“So this tower… is built on top of the dragon’s body?”

“Basically, yes.”

“Basically,” he says…

“Now that I think about it, no one gives straight answers about dragons.”

Even Karl, who clearly knows a lot, only tells vague stories.

Even after coming here, where there’s clear proof.

“Saint Fortu has faced extinction from monsters several times.”

“Extinction? Oh…”

I vaguely remembered a boring lecture about monster attacks in knight training.

‘Wasn’t there a big crisis a few hundred years ago? They sent out the Holy Knights?’

I forgot about it because it felt unrelated to me.

“A lot of records were lost back then.”

Karl spoke calmly.

“I’m not sure if they were lost… or destroyed on purpose.”

He sounded pretty sure about that.

Almost like he knew who did it.

‘Maybe he thinks the Holy Knights sent to the Grand Duke’s land did it?’

Well, the temple and the Grand Duke’s territory aren’t exactly friendly.

Still, I acted like I didn’t hear and asked,

“So that’s why there’s no solid proof of any of this?”

“Yes.”

He seemed a little disappointed too.

‘It’s such a beautiful place, and no real records remain…’

I looked through a broken wall at the dragon’s remains.

The calm lake shimmered in the sunlight.

“Still, it’s an amazing view.”

“Is it?”

“And even though it’s wide open, it’s not that cold.”

Actually, it felt kind of warm.

“That’s because the dragon’s magic still lingers here.”

“…You mean the magic that purified the land?”

Karl nodded.

“The magic that spread through Saint Fortu has mostly faded…”

Then he tapped on the wooden table in front of us, as if to show how well it was preserved.

“…but not here.”

Now that I looked around, nothing had any dust on it.

Even after all this time, the wooden furniture looked brand new.

‘And it even smells faintly like flowers.’

The temperature was perfect, and it was clean without anyone touching it.

‘This would be the dream apartment in modern times.’

“Was this tower used by the dragon itself?”

If the dragon in human form used this place, it made sense.

“It’s called the Companion’s Tower.”

“…Not the dragon’s, but the companion’s?”

“Yes.”

“The one that supposedly died young?”

I looked around curiously.

Beds carved with birds, patchwork quilts made of lovely fabrics, brightly colored furniture…

‘Definitely…’

It felt like a space filled with love.

Even if it was made for someone else, it didn’t feel weird.

Building a tower from your own shed body for your partner…

What a romantic dragon.

‘Assuming Karl’s story is true history, of course.’

I looked around a bit more and then said,

“Then this place must be pretty symbolic to the people in the territory?”

“For those who know about it, yes.”

“Meaning most people don’t?”

“Right. It’s basically a secret place.”

Good.

Because if the people knew what I was planning… they probably wouldn’t like it.

Trying to push that thought away, I spoke up.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Looking around, this place seems like it has some… extra space?”

“What do you mean by space?”

With this much beauty and legend around…

“Would I be punished if I stored some of that contaminated blue titanium here?”