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Chapter 60
“What happens if I don’t have dragon blood?”
“You may go down.”
“You’re really saying that now…!”
Pavron’s sharp eyes flashed with killing intent.
He glared as if he could tear the servant apart, yet the servant’s expression remained blank.
‘As expected…’
To brainwash a being capable of complex thoughts like a human, an enormous amount of mana had to be infused.
But a human’s frail body couldn’t withstand that much mana.
‘So they destroy the mind with drugs first.’
They erase the person’s identity, leaving only an empty shell, slowly poisoning it with mana that won’t kill.
Then they train it to obey only the dragons’ commands, turning it into a “puppet.”
Seeing proof of a real living puppet before his eyes, a strange thrill stirred deep in Pavron’s chest.
Filling his mansion with such puppets had always been Pavron’s dream.
A kingdom of silence, free from noise or insolent subordinates daring to question their master.
Sometimes, he found it disgusting that any being with a mind, servant or otherwise, moved freely in his mansion.
So this… this was perfectly quiet, perfectly obedient.
“You… a puppet?”
“……”
“I never thought such things actually existed… I like it very much.”
“Hurry, Count.”
The servant only repeated the programmed words, saying nothing else.
It was definitely a puppet, given that it didn’t even respond when questioned.
‘How many of these puppets must they have made and are using?’
It was a perfect method to completely prevent betrayal.
“Interesting.”
If it’s a puppet, it would be almost powerless.
Except for a few combat-type puppets, they were designed carefully so they couldn’t rebel against their master.
Even Pavron, lacking in physical power, felt a surge of confidence.
“I wonder what happens to someone without dragon blood….”
“……”
“Yes, I’ll find out myself.”
He reached out and grabbed the servant by the scruff.
“……!”
For the first time, the servant’s empty eyes wavered violently.
It seemed to malfunction at the unexpected action.
Without hesitation, Pavron threw the servant into the barrier, toward the basement stairs.
The barrier flashed, glowing with bright red light.
“Ahk!”
A piercing scream echoed as the smell of burning filled the air.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The sound of the servant rolling down the stairs echoed heavily.
“Tch.”
Pavron clicked his tongue and leisurely followed the stairs.
The servant lay twisted on the floor, writhing like a crushed insect.
Veins had burst across his body, his eyes bloodshot, and his scorched skin was grotesque.
“He’s going to die soon anyway.”
Pavron kicked the almost-dead servant out of his way.
The viscount might disapprove, but this was minor compared to the test he had forced upon him.
‘…Chilling.’
As he descended deep underground, a coldness beyond sweat made him shiver.
He habitually pulled out a handkerchief to wipe his brow, but nothing came off.
Outside, the summer air had been sticky and humid; here, it felt like a different season entirely.
It wasn’t ordinary cold, but a chilling, bone-deep dampness.
“Finally.”
After a long descent down the narrow, unlit stairs, an open space appeared.
A massive fireplace blazed, but the icy cold remained.
“Viscount Soro.”
In the center of the basement, three people stood around a red magical circle drawn on the floor.
Viscount Soro, his wife, and their daughter, Drury.
“Come closer.”
Viscount Soro’s wife gestured to Pavron, who had paused at the entrance.
Her tone was refined, but Pavron could detect the subtle disdain in it.
To them, proud of their pure lineage, Pavron was a lowly human, not even a half-blood.
“Has His Highness the Prince returned to the capital?”
He rubbed his hands together, trying to appear friendly, but only a cold silence greeted him.
His face stiffened in embarrassment.
“Hurry, there’s no time.”
At Viscount Soro’s urging, Pavron gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
When Drury moved aside, a vintage coffin in the center of the circle caught his eye.
‘A coffin?’
At the same time, the bundle tied beside the viscount writhed.
“Eek! P-please, spare me!”
It was a bloodied man. His tearful eyes pleaded with Pavron.
One of his arms had been ripped off.
Pavron frowned. The sight offended his sense of aesthetics.
“P-please… just spare my life…”
“Shut up! You’re noisy!”
Drury grabbed the man by his hair and lifted him effortlessly.
Despite her delicate appearance, her strength was terrifying.
“Aren’t you a dragon as well?”
The trembling man was a lower-rank dragon, secretly running errands for the Soro family.
Yet no one answered his question.
“Let’s begin.”
At the viscount’s command, the masked subordinates brought heavy boxes and tried to place them on the magical circle.
“Don’t touch them!”
Drury shouted fiercely and lunged at the boxes.
She lifted one to examine it and wore a rapturous expression.
‘What could be inside to cause such a reaction?’
The mystery was quickly revealed: random items like fountain pens, handkerchiefs, and used ink bottles spilled out.
Just as Pavron’s tension began to ease, he noticed a small dagger among them, marked with the Sarkis family crest.
“Those… aren’t the Duke’s belongings?”
Drury buried her nose in the Duke’s handkerchief and inhaled deeply.
Pavron knew she was obsessed with Kashian, but he hadn’t expected her to collect trash too.
Her fixation was far thicker and more disgusting than anticipated.
“Why did you call me here? What is this for?”
“We will perform the descent ritual.”
Pavron’s mouth dropped open.
“What? You haven’t even confirmed whether he can be resurrected yet!”
“……”
“You said you needed to see if the Duke would be a suitable vessel first, didn’t you?”
“The Duke is making things difficult. If discovered, we’ll have to kill him anyway, so testing his usefulness first isn’t a bad idea.”
Though Kashian was weakening daily under the curse, as a descendant of the blessed Sarkis bloodline, he had endured surprisingly well.
The dragons’ goal was to make his body a host for the divine dragon’s descent.
The seal that had suppressed the divine dragon’s curse had weakened, so it was time to begin preparations.
But it wasn’t the right moment yet. Acting now would be far too risky.
Pavron opened his mouth to object.
“Besides, the woman’s background hasn’t been uncovered yet. Since the Duke is protecting her, it will be difficult.”
When Damia Ponti’s name came up, Pavron shut his mouth.
“Why did you take an interest in that woman? Do you know something?”
Count Pavron swallowed dryly.
“The Ponti viscountess approached me first. I only noticed her daughter because she was pretty.”
“Is that really all?”
“Of course.”
Actually, it wasn’t.
Being a half-blood with faint dragon blood, he was like a bat walking the line between humans and dragons.
Though closely connected with the Soro family, he wasn’t truly on their side.
So he didn’t need to reveal why he had initially taken interest in Damia.
‘The secret of that woman is mine to hold, no matter what.’
It was better not to participate in today’s descent ritual, which was practically a gamble.
But Kashian had been interfering with Pavron’s illegal gambling halls and businesses under the guise of maintaining order.
If the Duke died and power shifted to the dragons, it wouldn’t benefit Pavron—but it was a chance to remove an obstacle.
It was worth considering.
“State the real reason you called me. You didn’t bring me here just to watch.”
Viscount Soro gestured, and the masked subordinates opened the heavy coffin lid.
“Ugh…!”
As soon as it opened, a fetid heat filled the space.
The suffocating pressure made Pavron’s knees buckle.
Gripping the floor to lift his head, he saw inside the coffin.
“The divine dragon…!”
Inside was a massive eyeball, far beyond human scale.
Its vertically slit pupil was bright red, like blood.
The once lifeless, preserved eye now focused precisely on Pavron as he approached.
