Unlike my master's crude personality, he is the Dragon King—the only dragon in this world to reach the level of a Half-Virtue.
Not only that… since dragons are a noble race by nature, they naturally learn techniques. So with a lifespan spanning countless ages and millennia, the number of abilities my master possesses is beyond imagination.
And yet—someone this powerful just started bleeding… and even took damage?
What kind of trick is he trying to pull on me now?
"Your face really screams disbelief, you ungrateful brat…"
"Well, how am I supposed to believe this?"
He filled our tiny teacups and forced me to sit back down.
Sigh "Even I can't believe I got hit like that… If my predecessor saw this, he'd disown me on the spot."
"I'd do the same, honestly."
I tried provoking him, but contrary to his usually lively nature, he looked genuinely exhausted.
Could he really… have been hurt?
"What did you see, exactly? What could possibly have shaken you like that?"
"How do I explain this... How many Paths do you actually have?"
"I already told you, but you didn't believe me."
"Of course I didn't. What I saw was far more terrifying than what you claimed."
What??
"You may not believe me—but at least this time, listen carefully. I'm speaking to you not just as a friend, but as your teacher."
What in the world did he see to make him so serious?
"…Alright, I'll believe you."
"Good… Telodeos, my son, your fate is more tragic than you can possibly imagine. And the day will come when you'll reap the bitterest harvest from what your hands have destroyed…"
"Are you joking, old man!?"
"Listen! You carry more Paths than any one person should. But if you follow your own true Path, then fate itself will no longer be able to chain you.
Your Path is the enemy of your Fate… and your Fate is the enemy of your Path. I hope you understand that before it's too late."
For some reason, I partially understood what he meant—but the rest, especially that last part, eluded me.
I already know my fate is pathetically tragic after all the wishes I was forced to bear—wishes beyond my limits…
But still…
"What Paths did you actually see?"
"I won't say. If I speak another word beyond what I've already said, I'll vanish from existence. I've already pushed the limit just by warning you."
I see… So he's bound by a speak-and-die law. The only ones I can imagine having the power to enforce such a law on my master… are those three:
Greed, Wrath… and Pride.
Still blocking my path, you insane bastards?
Fine. Since I've already defied you once, I won't stop now. I dare you to try.
From what my master said, I seem to have a trump card on my side…
But I don't know whether it's my Chaotic Mana or my true Path—the Path of Despair.
Speaking of Chaotic Mana…
"If you saw all that… then what race am I now?"
My master gave me a defeated look, as if silently saying I should've never taken you as a student…
"Unknown."
"What?"
"Your race is unknown, brat!"
"You expect me to just believe that too?!"
He gave me that look again… If he weren't my teacher, I'd have slapped him.
"How am I supposed to know your race better than you?"
"But you saw it, didn't you?"
"Ughh… You brat! Don't you get it? I couldn't see it. It was the only thing I couldn't see. So I've narrowed it down to two possibilities: either you're raceless… or you belong to a race higher than mine. And I—the Dragon King—am a ⟦High Dragon⟧. But the second one's more likely. After all, nothing in this dimension lacks a race."
"Yeah, I'll give you that."
Even I've never met a being without a race—let alone this monster who's lived longer than me.
But… a race higher than a High Race?
"Based on your appearance, anyone would assume you're a fairy. Your aura resembles a dryad's. The mana leaking from you is sacred and typical of high races. And your curse… carries the presence of dragons."
My master went quiet for a while, then looked at me again.
"You're a bloody abomination."
Why, you—
"Speaking of fairies… and judging by how you look now, I might have an idea what your race is."
"Really?"
"Well… It's a long story. Have another cup and listen carefully—don't interrupt."
Then he began to tell the tale.
A long time ago, fairies didn't exist. They were just myths—fantasies born from humans occasionally glimpsing the Spirit Race, with their ethereal beauty and radiant presence.
But then came a grim, tragic day.
A day when an Ancient Demon descended upon this world…
It's said that this demon was a hybrid—born of a human and a noble elf. A forbidden union that resulted in a living catastrophe… They called him The Eternal Demon.
That ancient demon wreaked havoc, slaughtering and butchering all life without restraint… until he began to develop self-awareness and a degree of wisdom. That's when he discovered war… and breeding.
He mated with the strongest beast ever born of our lineage—the Nine-Tailed Hellfox. And from that union came the first generation of demons we now know as the Ancient Demons.
This continued until they had bred an army of demons—and declared war on the entire world.
When the world was on the brink of collapse, and all peoples and races had lost hope…
A visitor descended upon this world.
His mere presence was so overwhelming that even this world—a world that rejects the existence of Virtues—bowed to him and welcomed him without resistance.
His aura was so majestic that even humans instinctively knelt before him, forgetting for a moment their despair—until the memory of the Eternal Demon returned to them like a cold slap.
One of my ancestors once said: "If he dares call himself a Virtue… no other Virtue in existence would ever dare use the title again—his power was so vast, it terrified even the other Virtues."
When the humans hosted him despite their state of war, the Spirit Race—who had long supported the other races from behind the scenes—finally stepped forward.
They made an agreement with the one who called himself ⟦Æsir⟧.
That pact became known as The Accord of Racial Unity, and the continent upon which Æsir descended became known as:
The Continent of the United Races.