Flames surged out, cutting off the pact that was moments away from completion. Artoria turned and saw the massive black dragon.
Its scales were pitch-black, horns blood-red.
Its enormous wings were lined with maze-like veins, and each flap stirred up a storm.
Its claws gleamed with dark light, threatening to tear through space itself.
"ROAAAR!!!"
The dragon rose into the air and lunged at the spot where the hand had appeared.
Boom!
Spiraling fire and wind surged forth.
The air heated so quickly it seemed to solidify like a mirror.
"...Another dragon? How?"
The disembodied voice trembled with disbelief.
Petals scattered.
The phantom hand vanished, replaced by chains made of flowers.
They rushed the dragon, wrapping around its wings and limbs.
Despite looking delicate, the petals burst with overwhelming power, halting the dragon midair.
"This..."
Everything unfolding stunned Artoria.
Someone was clearly fighting this dragon—someone unlike anything she'd imagined.
Before she could gather her thoughts, the dragon roared again.
ROAR—!
ROAR—!
The mirrored air around them began to crack and shatter.
The chains of flowers holding the dragon shook violently.
Crack—
Crack—
The dragon began to break free from the chains.
What sheer strength!
"You..."
Even the unseen entity seemed shocked.
More chains flew in from all directions, trying to bind the beast again.
But this time, the dragon allowed no opening.
ROAARR—!
With a savage roar, it broke all the chains.
Scarlet flames burst forth, burning everything that tried to restrain it.
Through the sea of fire, Artoria glimpsed a figure.
It looked like the owner of that phantom hand—clearly stunned by the dragon's appearance.
In the next moment, that shadowy figure disappeared from her vision.
And all the chains vanished with it.
"…"
Artoria stood there, completely at a loss.
Everything had happened so fast, she couldn't even understand what was going on.
But the dragon didn't wait for her to make sense of it.
It flapped its enormous wings.
A fierce wind swept through.
The beautiful vision that had filled her dream faded—then vanished completely.
"…"
No matter how confused she was, Artoria now understood the dragon's message.
"You're saying all of this was fake?"
Roar—
The dragon gave no real answer, but the increasingly violent winds made everything clear.
"But… it's not necessarily fake, right?"
Artoria looked at the now colorless scene before her.
"Food shortages are real."
"There are fewer and fewer fish in the rivers."
"Even the wine's starting to turn sour…"
"People really aren't living good lives."
"If I could really do something about that, then—"
Before she could finish, a fireball whooshed past her cheek.
It didn't hurt her, but the heat made her heart race.
"You…"
Looking at the source, Artoria realized why.
"You don't agree with what I said?"
"But… there's nothing wrong with it, is there?"
"If I become king, and I make people happy, then…"
She scratched her cheek.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Another fireball landed even closer to her.
Before she could say more, the dragon raised a forelimb.
"Hey, hey! Don't get mad!"
Her weak protests didn't help.
The dragon's claw came down.
"Ugh—"
Artoria instinctively raised her arms to block.
Whoosh.
The girl in bed suddenly sat up, realizing everything around her was just as she remembered.
"Huh? It was a dream?"
She murmured to herself.
"But it felt way too real…"
That final moment—the dragon bringing down its claw—was still vivid in her mind.
But thinking back—
Artoria narrowed her eyes, recalling the feeling.
Just like the two earlier fireballs, the final claw never actually hit her.
Instead…
It struck in front of her.
As if smashing the entire dream apart.
That's right.
It wasn't trying to hurt her.
It just didn't like the promise she had made.
"Huh?"
Artoria suddenly realized something.
She looked over at Ian, asleep in the other bed.
Why… did it feel so much like him?
But—
She reached out of her blanket and held her fingers in an "L" shape, comparing the size of the dream dragon and Ian with a serious look.
No way.
Absolutely no way.
If that dragon really was him—
Then the first time they met, it wouldn't have ended with just a scratch on her chest.
She'd have been completely devoured.
And going by that scale…
Artoria looked at her thumb and index finger, shaped like a little ruler.
Ten times?
No… thirty times bigger?
To match that body, he'd need to be that huge.
If that's the case, then that "bump" from before should've…
No, no!
What am I thinking?!
She shook her head, banishing the strange thoughts.
But still—
Staring at the soundly sleeping Ian…
It wasn't entirely impossible.
After all, it's him we're talking about.
Hmm…
I'll ask him tomorrow.
She made up her mind.
"For now…"
"I should get some rest…"