The silver-haired Dragon, Kendall, left his seat, and Pope Casillia raised her head. An empty chair became visible. She, kneeling on both knees, silently gazed into the empty space.
"Holy Pope."
A Bishop approached her.
"Has Kendall-nim left?"
"Yes."
"Did he say he would go directly north?"
"He didn't say much. Just told me to prepare a team. And that he would take some Inquisitors and servants."
"He moves swiftly."
The Pope's calm posture in responding remained the same as always. The Bishop fell silent for a moment but soon parted his lips.
"Did the Lord say anything?"
The Bishop recalled the words that the Pope had told Kendall when she had overheard him talking outside the room.
'You'll have to go north.'
'Orders from the Lord?'
'Yes. Oh, God of Victory.'
But today, the Pope had not received such an order from the Lord. In fact, she had never informed the Lord about it.
"Hehe."
The Pope let out a soft laugh.
"Bishop."
"Yes, Your Holiness."
"Summon all the Bishops."
"Yes!"
Ten Bishops scattered across the continent. Only the Pope had the authority to summon them all, and such a summons required approval from the Lord. The Bishop hesitated for a moment, but soon asked calmly.
"May I inquire about the reason?"
The Pope kept looking at the empty chair.
"The Lord has left his seat."
The Dragon Lord. He not only ruled over all Dragons in Aipotu but also was the sole law governing this world. And now, he had left his seat.
"He has gone to another dimension. I don't know why, but there must be something he's searching for."
Casillia, the Pope, had an expression without a smile on her face.
"We have observed that rules are being violated again in the North. And there's no contact with the Eradication Team. And in Har Kingdom, isn't that White Snake there? That b*tch in hiding."
Although the Pope's words were harsh, neither the Bishop nor the Pope showed any reaction.
"Surely, the Eradication Team has been annihilated."
"If the White Snake and Har Kingdom are involved, the Eradication Team might have been defeated."
"Exactly. They're unpredictable, so we don't really know how strong they are."
The Pope slowly stood up from her seat. As she lifted her hand to smooth her slightly messy hair, a part of her skin became visible on the inside of her arm, revealing scales that resembled those of a reptile.
"Now is the chance, while the Lord is not here."
Ascending the stairs and sitting in the chair, the Pope looked down. Opening her mouth while looking at the place where she had been kneeling.
"Two hundred years ago, we fought like dogs, shedding the most blood. Bishop, we fought with hands stained with blood. We wanted to create a land where we, who were neither Dragons nor Humans, could live."
The bishop remained silent. The Pope continued speaking.
"However, even after the Catastrophe Era, we are still nothing more than subjects of the Dragons."
Heh, heh.
She let out a low laugh.
"Dragons are Gods."
She nodded and murmured.
"I can't wait any longer."
"But, Your Holiness, even if the Lord went to another dimension, we don't know when he will return. So, we must be very careful, shouldn't we?"
"Bishop, I have only one year of life left."
The bishop's eyes opened for the first time.
"Casillia..."
For the first time, he called her by her name.
"Elder brother, there is no world for us, the Dragon Half-Bloods."
The Bishop read anger and hatred in the Pope's eyes.
"I want to fill the world with chaos once again."
She finished speaking and fell silent for a moment, and the Bishop sighed and said:
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Two hundred years have passed. Don't you think Dragons should also die a little?"
"Hmm."
"If we sacrifice a small kingdom like Har to hunt a Dragon, it will be a good deal."
"...Can we really hunt Dragons in Har Kingdom?"
At that moment, the Bishop saw the Pope's smile.
The Pope's voice, spoken with a gentle smile, was incredibly soft.
"White Snake. If it's her, she might somehow manage to kill a Dragon, right? She's not the type to die alone, is she?"
"But, Your Holiness. This is not the Catastrophe Era, and with the current Kendall-nim, even if he has the lowest rank among the Ten Gods, it would be too much for White Snake."
"Heh, heh."
Casillia chuckled.
"We have received news."
She looked at the Bishop with a kind expression.
"He is beside White Snake."
"....!"
The Bishop didn't understand the meaning at first, but soon realized and spoke with a tense voice.
"...Have you found the whereabouts of that Dragon?"
"Yes. The Dragon who sees the 'past.'"
One of the two Dragons who rejected the laws of this world ruled by the Dragon Lord.
"We knew he was playing the role of a fortune teller, so we found his location. A Dragon pretending to be a fortune teller in the world? That's why we couldn't find him until now. Anyway, we have information that he headed towards Har Kingdom. He surely went to see White Snake. And in the village where he stayed, a strange rumor spread."
The Pope paused and then uttered a word.
"Dragon Slayer."
".... What?"
"They say there was a madman shouting that he was a Dragon Slayer alongside the fortune teller. The villagers, of course, thought he was crazy and didn't pay attention. But, you know?"
At her question, the Bishop spoke.
"A Wanderer."
The chosen ones with the qualification to become Gods. They were called Wanderers when, after death, they did not wish to become Gods and preferred to roam.
"Yes. Until a few months ago, this rat wandering all over this continent surely went towards that Dragon."
The Bishop fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking.
"White Snake, Dragon, and even a Wanderer. They are all located in the north of Har Kingdom now. If Kendall-nim moves to catch them..."
The gazes of the Pope and the Bishop met.
"Kendall-nim will die."
"That's right, Bishop."
The Pope stood up from her seat. The direction her steps were heading was where the religious leaders of the continent were located.
"The Dragon Lord has left, and one of the Ten Gods supporting him will die. The continent will plunge into chaos."
She spoke in a flat voice, as if she were talking about someone else's business.
"And in the midst of that chaos, we will get what we want."
Casillia left behind the map of the continent and extended her hands to the Bishop.
Her posture resembled that of a holy pope.
"I want the destruction of this land. And you, Elder Brother?"
"...."
The Bishop bowed courteously.
"I will follow the Pope's will."
He straightened up again and said.
"I will gather all the Bishops."
And he added.
"In secret. Without the Inquisitors knowing."
"An admirable decision."
The Bishop, praised by the Pope, left without saying a word, leaving the Pope alone, looking at the map of the continent.
"...Anyway, we will die soon."
She was not an artificial Dragon Half-Blood, but a true-born Dragon Half-Blood. Her heart would soon burst unable to withstand the dragon blood flowing through her veins.
But Casillia had no intention of dying like that.
Despite her gentle face, her eyes were covered in deep resentment and hatred.
"Overlord."
The Pope's gaze turned to emptiness.
"Father."
The corner of her mouth rose limitlessly.
"Your wishes will be trampled by me, just as you trampled my dreams."
Cough, cough.
She coughed as if she were vomiting. Red blood flowed from her mouth.
Cough, cough.
Once the coughing started, it seemed to have no end, continuously spewing from her mouth. The blood she spat seeped into the floor of the continent map.
Casillia smiled upon seeing it.
It was a smile that seemed beautiful and sacred to anyone's eyes.
* * *
Jenyu, the leader of the Knights First Division of the Holy Empire, struggled to contain his anger as he was gagged and unable to speak.
His uniform, tied at both feet and hands, was torn.
"Does this jewel contain dragon blood, and the one who can withstand this blood is called a Dragon Half-Blood?"
Dodori's mother, Mila, nodded at the Team Leader Sui Khan's words.
"It seems so. And it doesn't seem like a Chimera. We should report this."
Mila walked away without remorse, and Sui Khan silently looked at Beacrox, who was removing his white gloves.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Sui Khan shrugged off the straightforward question and approached Jenyu.
"Are you cold? I'll button up for you."
Although he showed a friendly smile, Jenyu looked at him with a disgusted expression. However, when his eyes met Sui Khan's, he turned away scared.
It was the appearance of someone terrified.
Beacrox looked at the scene with a silent laugh.
"..."
There, the Dragon Half-Blood that had turned into a Bone Dragon was silently staring at Jenyu. Perhaps noticing that gaze, Jenyu turned his head towards the Dragon Half-Blood.
Having met eyes, Jenyu abruptly lowered his gaze. When he saw the Bone Dragon for the first time, he thought it was some kind of Dragon.
"Don't you have anything else to say?"
At Sui Khan's question, the Dragon Half-Blood shook its head sideways.
The Dragon Half-Blood that had come to offer its help in the investigation of the Dragon Half-Bloods of Aipotu had nothing to do. After checking Jenyu's body and seeing the jewel he carried on his chest, they had found out that he was a created being.
"Then, shall we take him to the dungeon?"
"Yes."
Upon the Dragon Half-Blood's response, Sui Khan left with Jenyu from the Black Castle.
Since there was no separate prison in this castle, some rooms were temporarily used as cells.
Even Beacrox disappeared, and the Dragon Half-Blood was left alone.
"Dragon Half-Blood-nim."
Someone approached him. It was Mary, the Necromancer.
It could be said that she was the one who gave him this body.
The Dragon Half-Blood hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
"When Cale Henituse comes, I want to have a conversation with him."
"If it's Young Master Cale, I'm sure he'll gladly agree to talk to you."
"Really?"
The Dragon Half-Blood let out a bitter laugh and bowed as if sinking into a deep sleep.
Mary stroked his wing full of accumulated snow and left him alone.
For some reason, it seemed that the Dragon Half-Blood wanted to be alone. And the Dragon Half-Blood left alone stared at the falling snow and thought.
'...It's terrible.'
Aipotu. This world is truly terrible.
Jenyu was not a human or anything of the sort. They called him a Dragon Half-Blood, but he was closer to being some kind of mechanical device.
It would be more correct to call him a living golem.
'He is a living golem.'
And I was a Chimera.
Wasn't he the one who ate various Dragon hearts?
'Horrible.'
The longer he stayed in peace in the Black Castle, the memories of the past did not fade away for the Dragon Half-Blood; instead, they became clearer.
He continued to regret what he had done and questioned if it was right for him to be alive like this.
Especially...
"Isn't it cold?"
The former Lord Sheritt approached him and spoke softly to the Dragon Half-Blood.
"...Aren't you cold?"
How could someone with only bones be cold?
"A little..."
Sheritt smiled as she cleared the accumulated snow near the eyes of the Dragon Half-Blood. The Dragon Half-Blood felt warmth in her touch. Although he should lack any sensation, he felt warmth and at the same time pain.
The son of former Lord Sheritt, he was the one who ate him.
'I don't understand.'
The Dragon Half-Blood couldn't comprehend the emotions behind Sheritt's smile. Sometimes, she seemed angry, at other times she showed regret. He also saw compassion and sadness in her. Moreover, he felt tenderness.
'No.'
That was an illusion. Tenderness, that couldn't be. Anger, regret, even compassion, he understood. But tenderness was just his illusion.
'Yes. The illusion I desire.'
The Dragon Half-Blood pretended not to notice Sheritt and closed his eyes tightly.
"Cale chose your name, it seems. He said we should talk together when you return to the capital."
The Dragon Half-Blood acted as if he hadn't heard those words. A name.
'I don't want to receive that.'
Yes, he just wanted to remain as the Dragon Half-Blood forever. He couldn't correctly understand what emotion he felt. But even though he didn't feel cold, his whole body felt cold. The pain he felt every moment, as if his body were tearing apart, was more painful than when he had six months left to live.
'But I don't want to leave.'
Still, he wanted to stay here. In this Black Castle. The Dragon Half-Blood felt disappointed with himself for feeling this way. That's why, even though he didn't need to sleep, he stayed in the darkness he saw when closing his eyes. Former Lord Sheritt silently watched him and finally lifted her head.
The snow fell as it accumulated on the black bones of the Dragon Half-Blood.
* * *
Diiing—Diiing—
Oh, really.
Cale was in the middle of a lively conversation with King Dennis when he felt a constant vibration and took out the Mirror from his chest.
And he was surprised.
A message had arrived.
The sender was Central Plains.
[Breaking News!]
[A hidden dragon has been discovered in the Central Plains!]
A Dragon in the Central Plains?
[The discovery location is Sichuan!]
Cale stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"Human?"
Although the voices of Eruhaben and Raon sounded behind him, Cale smiled slowly as he stared at the Mirror.
"...Haha."
Sichuan.
A reason for a Dragon to appear there. And there was a reason for it to hide furtively.
The basement connected to the library of the Lord of Sichuan.
There, Cale picked up three things left by Maxillienne, the Dragon.
A Ring.
A Sword.
A Crown.
Among them, the Ring was from—
'It was from the Dragon Lord.'
The Dragon Lord of Aipotu, the Dragon with purple eyes, was looking for that ring. And that ring was now—
"Human, why are you looking at Goldie Gramps like that?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
The Dragon Eruhaben. The Ring was carefully held in his arms.
In other words,
'He's wasting his time.'
The Dragon Lord had unnecessarily gone to the Central Plains.
'If he continues like this...'
Will the situation become more interesting?
The corner of Cale's lips drew a deeper smile.
"Human, why are you doing that?! Why are you laughing so terrifyingly?"
Raon's voice slipped in.
* * *
If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.
Thank you for reading!
[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]
[Translator – Anowa]
[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]