"Huh?"
Yuki's mind stilled, completely frozen after hearing Mirelia's words. Did she just say that he was a dragon? But how could that be? He did not feel any different. In fact, aside from feeling more energetic and stronger, there were no changes worthy of noting about his body. Everything seemed the same as ever.
"But I don't feel like something changed? Are you sure about that?"
"Idiot, how can there be nothing," the Dragon God snorted. "Ereben, bring him a mirror."
The subordinate dragon did not dally and stretched his hand in front of his chest. Soon after, the space trembled and a mirror came out of it. Without waiting for any further instructions, he walked in front of Yuki and placed the reflective object in front of him.
"T-This…"
What Yuki saw was a reflection of himself. Just as usual, nothing much changed from his appearance aside from looking a bit more robust than he had been before. His black, messy hair that he rarely took care of and his porcelain, white skin remained just the same. His facial structure, too, did not exhibit drastic changes save for some parts that had been chiseled from all the training that he had to do. However, if there was one thing that diverged from his original looks, it was his eyes. His formerly obsidian orbs comparable to the abyss now lit up in golden luster. A vertical slit was present in them just like that of a reptile, similar to the Dragon God's eyes that he was familiar with.
"Damn…" He could only swear.
Although he did not feel weird anywhere in his body, just the mere sight of those golden eyes told him the veracity of Mirelia's claim. Even if he was unsure of it, he could tell that he was now one of them. At least, a part of him probably ceased to be human already. He tilted his head and looked at the two people present in the room with him. Golden eyes… they had it, too, just like him. A sigh slipped out of his mouth after confirming the thoughts in his mind.
"So, it's really true."
"What? Are you unhappy that you became this monarch's kin?"
"It's not like that."
Thinking about it, this should have been something worthy of celebration. He had already equated dragons as powerful creatures in his mind and being in the same league as them would surely grant him immense power that would help him in his search for a way back home. However, somehow, he did not feel as much joy as he expected.
"It's just… I just arrived in this world a few weeks ago. How long was it? About two weeks? I just thought that in only that short amount of time, so many changes already happened to me. Hell, I'm not even human anymore."
He drifted in another world, met dragons, learned magic, got beaten up for training, and now this, being transformed into a dragon, or at least, a part of him. Everything happened so fast that his mind did not have time to catch up. Somewhere in his heart, he felt uneasy. He who did not fear anything felt unsettled in his mind because of the changes that led to an uncertain future.
"Well, this monarch does not really care about it. You just have to deal with it on your own." The Dragon God spoke, uninterested.
A bout of silence enveloped the room. And here he was, showing his concerns for the future. But it turned out that no one actually cared about it other than himself. Could not she be more considerate? Yuki looked at her with a peculiar gaze. However, her antics successfully shattered the melancholic mood inside his heart by a little, and that was enough for him to let her comment slip by. It was not as if he could do anything about it but complain anyway. Instead of minding it any longer, he chose a more productive route and asked about something that he had been curious about.
"By that way, if I'm already a dragon now, then why don't I have horns and scales like you two? I also don't feel that much stronger compared to before I passed out."
"The bloodline has yet to awaken completely. The ritual I performed on you did indeed change your race into a dragon. But since your core existence is originally a human, you would not be able to withstand it if it awakened completely."
Basically, while Yuki was technically a dragon already, it was not a complete transformation. There was only so much that his body could endure, after all. And so, as a defensive mechanism, the rest of the dragon blood in his body went dormant and would eventually wake on its own gradually, giving him time to adapt.
In gaming terms, it meant that he had an experience booster that would constantly strengthen his body and raise his level cap as time passed. With draconic potential sleeping inside his body, he would definitely grow faster compared to everyone else. However, as his thoughts spun without a pause, a realization hit him which made his face as pale as a piece of paper.
"But that means…"
"That is right," the Dragon God chuckled, a smirk planted itself on her face. "If your vessel does not get stronger and the remaining dragon blood inside your body somehow stirred by itself or surpasses what you can hold, then—"
"I will implode!"
It was a double-edged sword. He would indeed grow faster, but that meant that he would be in a race against the gradual activation of his new bloodline. It was this reason why many chose to perform rituals of similar category when they were already stronger. Because while that method would yield lower gains, their safety would be guaranteed.
"Fuck. I'm fucked… Damn it, master! You're crazy!"
"Not a problem. You just have to train constantly. This monarch will personally help you by beating you up after your daily work of rearranging the treasures"
"Gah!"
---
After Yuki woke up, he did not stay awake for more than an hour. Although his vitality intensified even further after the bloodline bestowal ritual, the mental fatigue that he had accumulated after that torture required him to take more rest. So, after chatting with him to check his condition, both Mirelia and her subordinate dragon took their leave.
"Ereben, good work this time for building that room on short notice."
"No, it was not a big deal at all, Your Majesty. It did not take me much effort to make it anyway."
"Still, this monarch will not forget your merits and shall grant you a reward at a later date."
"I thank Your Majesty."
Looking at his liege who walked in front of him, Ereben felt puzzled inwardly. The whole thing about this human named Yuki felt strange to him. It was apparent that the importance that the Dragon God put on the drifter was greater than he had expected, even going as far as allowing his disrespect and bestowing him the dragon bloodline. Although his liege was a benevolent monarch, she was not someone who did things without a reason. And as if knowing what he was thinking about, she spoke.
"My subordinate, the world would be in chaos soon. Those from the Divine realm and the Nether realm are stirring the pot in this realm once again with their silly proxy war. I told you this, right?"
Disdain filled the subordinate dragon's expression when he heard about what she said. Those gods and demons were still like cats and dogs, dragging the humans in their war by using them as their proxies even after thousands of years had already passed.
"But I don't like the way this is going. The problem with the dimensional wall is making this monarch feel troubled."
With his mouth agape, Ereben stared at the back of the Dragon God that he believed in. His liege, the most powerful dragon was feeling uneasy?
"The last time something went wrong with the dimensional wall enveloping the three realms, the world was turned upside down."
"Your Majesty, do you mean…" His voice trailed at the end, not daring to finish his words.
"That's right. It might happen once again."
Ereben was still not born during the era that the Dragon God was talking about. However, he had heard of stories pertaining a certain cataclysmic event that engulfed the world during his childhood. It was a story passed down by the older dragons to the younger dragons, reminding them of the events that occurred prior to their birth.
"Of course, that is just a possibility. Which is why this monarch wishes to prevent their little conflict from exploding until I figure out what is happening with the dimensional wall. However, according to the agreement between realms, we dragons cannot move unless the humans are in danger of extinction. I do not want to give the gods and demons a reason to interfere directly, plunging the world in even more chaos in the process."
"Ah!" The gears in Ereben's head shifted, clicking in place, as he realized where the Dragon God was going with this topic.
"It looks like you have already guessed my intentions, Ereben. That is right. If the Divine realm and the Nether realm can raise their own proxies to fight their war, then why can I not?"
If that was the premise, then Mirelia taking Yuki as a servant and granting him the dragon bloodline did not seem so strange anymore. Him receiving her favor and leniency was the compensation that the Dragon God had in store for him in exchange for his service in the future.