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~Chapter 20~
The Dragon’s Secret
Is it because I’m a mage? That I can’t instinctively reject the dragon’s magic…?
“Don’t go near it. Rena, wait.”
But before she realized it, she was already standing before the dragon.
“Rena!”
Calix’s shout echoed faintly behind her.
I hesitated, my hand outstretched to touch it. Something felt wrong… yet I couldn’t stop.
She felt an irresistible pull.
I wanted to return to it… Return?
The thought struck her, but too late. Her hand touched the dragon’s body.
“…Ah.”
An intense shock coursed through her. Vast magic surged into her.
My lungs froze. My cells felt like they were boiling, my blood bubbling under my skin. My legs gave out.
It felt as though all my magic drained out at once and refilled in an instant—ecstatic yet excruciating.
Worst of all, I couldn’t let go. It was like someone had hypnotized me to stay.
“Rena…!”
Calix grabbed her, pulling her away and dragging her far from the dragon. She sat trembling in his lap, realizing only then that she was bleeding from her nose.
“I….”
“Don’t talk. Keep your head down.”
Her racing heart gradually calmed.
“Calix, I think I’m okay now… let go.”
But he checked carefully and pressed the cloth against her again.
“No.”
Finally, when enough time passed, he let go. She leaned weakly against him.
“What… was that?”
Calix bit his lip, looking like someone who knew too much.
“That’s the last dragon left in this world.”
“Dragon….”
The last dragon…
She searched her memory. Was there anything about dragons in the original story?
Calix stroked her cheek gently.
“All magic in this world comes from dragons. It circulates from them and returns to them. This place is its center.”
“Why is it under our estate?”
“Because of an ancient contract.”
He fell silent.
“Ever wonder why your family is born with strong magic?”
“I just thought… it was hereditary.”
Was it because of the dragon sleeping beneath them?
She asked softly:
“Which came first… the dragon or the mansion?”
“The dragon.”
“Then the mansion…?”
“At first, it was camouflage. Later, your ancestors settled here after making a contract.”
“Ancestors?”
“The Troxia family.”
Ah…
Her head spun. The magic density in this space pressed down on her like deep water.
So… was I drawn to the dragon because I inherited its magic so directly?
Calix continued:
“Dragons aren’t really ‘dragons.’ That’s just what humans call them. They’re primordial gods.”
“They created this world, breathed magic into it, and left. All except one.”
“This one.”
Rena’s thoughts tangled.
“I… don’t understand. Why didn’t I know any of this?”
“You would’ve been told eventually. But things… didn’t go as planned.”
He squeezed her hand.
So if things hadn’t gone wrong, I would have inherited this secret as Troxia’s heir…
She whispered:
“Why didn’t this dragon leave…?”
“I don’t know.”
What?
Seeing her baffled face, Calix added:
“I don’t know everything. The previous duke didn’t have time to teach me everything.”
He paused, then spoke solemnly.
“The night you were born… something went wrong. Your soul… it wasn’t complete.”
Her breath caught.
Incomplete soul…?
Calix didn’t notice her stiffening.
“The magic overflowing from this place filled the gaps in your soul. That’s why you’re so attuned to magic.”
Incomplete… soul…
Her mind swirled with memories of possessing this body. Was that why she ended up here? Did her soul fill the empty parts left in Regina?
Nothing makes sense…
She felt dizzy, her head spinning in the dense magic.
“Let’s leave for now.”
She tried to stand, but Calix didn’t move.
“What is it? Do you want to live here or something?”
His face turned grave.
“We’re not done.”
“We can talk outside.”
“No. It has to be here. This is why I brought you.”
He exhaled shakily, continuing:
“The Hertrio family… we’re bound by contract to guide the dragon when it awakens to leave this world.”
“Because you can’t sense magic?”
“No. We can’t sense magic because of the contract.”
They couldn’t leave Troxia. Hertrio’s duty tied them to the dragon.
Maybe that explained everything about Calix’s obsession with finding her and the ring.
If the dragon woke up now—would he be freed from this duty?
Calix seemed to read her thoughts.
“Rena… because your incomplete soul was filled with the dragon’s magic…”
He gripped her arm tightly, lowering his head.
“If the dragon leaves… I can’t guarantee you’ll survive.”
