READING GUIDANCE
" This is a direct sentence in the present time."
" This is a direct sentence in the past time."
' This is a character's inner thought in the present time.'
' This is a character's inner thought in the past time.'
[ This is a direct sentence in sign language in the present time.]
[ This is a direct sentence in sign language in the past time.]
HAPPY READING!
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After the first dragon moment, all her skeptical thoughts about this world dramatically changed. In that very instant, she fell in love with this world. Especially as time passed and the landscape around them began to change so dramatically. It seemed impossible—she hadn't even expected it—but when she was in the village, the surroundings were something anyone could imagine from a simple countryside: cottages where lanterns lit the night, chickens and cows, and daily farming activities. The village was beautiful, the air always refreshing, and the skies stunning both at night and in the morning. Yet, it was just ordinary. It reminded her of her previous world; there was no fantasy-like atmosphere, even after living there for eight years. She had learned about this world from Pope Joseph's books, but never seen it firsthand, so she had remained skeptical.
However, after a month on the road and through the dense forest—where all she could see were trees—she finally arrived in a truly 'fantasy-like' world, and it was fantastic.
It all began with the first dragon moment—the one that shook her and filled her entire body with excitement. From that point, a very strange and unique atmosphere began to emerge. When they finally exited the forest, as far as the eye could see lay a wide plain covered in green grass. The expanse seemed endless, so vast that it would take a full day to reach its middle. In the distance, a few enormous cylindrical pillars rose from the plain, their perfect circular tops gleaming in the sunlight. They were humongous—so tall that if she compared them to something from her previous life, their height rivaled the Eiffel Tower, and the circular tops were roughly the size of a baseball field. Only a few were visible from where she stood, but their sheer scale made them impossible to miss.
"We are going to take a rest there," Haya said, looking at the two sisters, who were so mesmerized by the pillars that they didn't seem to hear him. After a month spent with them, he had adjusted to their excitement and expressive reactions to new things. All the members of the group found the sisters lovely because of it.
"Hey," he poked them, and they looked at him. "We are going to rest at the pillars."
"Really?!" Arisha jumped excitedly, while Irisha's face showed quiet enthusiasm.
Haya smiled. "Yes. The ones you are looking at are the Lumnae Pillars. There are twenty-one of them." He signed as he spoke. "I've never seen them myself, but on a clear day, if you were high enough in the sky, you could see all the pillars surrounding the great Malum Empire."
"Woaaa..." both sisters gasped in unison.
It always made Haya giggle, seeing their expressions. "People say that, back when the holy ancient dragons still existed, the dragons were so huge that they used these pillars as perches—basically, only their feet would fit in the tops."
"Ooo..." they both murmured again in awe.
"Hey, pull up—we need to find a spot here," another coachman yelled from his carriage, which was catching up. "Gotta get a good spot; the wives are gonna cook the best dinner."
Haya nodded. "Seems tonight will be a feast."
"The old men got a big catch in the forest—are we going to cook that?" Arisha asked.
"Seems so," Haya replied, galloping the horse closer to one of the pillars. As they approached, the sisters looked up in awe. The enormous pillar had many attached stairs leading to several caves, and people were walking on it as well.
From a distance, the plain had seemed empty, but up close, there were many people and carriages lined up near the pillar.
[Are we not going into the cave?] Arisha asked.
"You can," Haya said, "but the master prefers the cheaper option." He helped Arisha out of the carriage. "We'll camp like usual."
[Do people live there?]
"Yes. Inside, it's quite spacious. There are houses, taverns, restaurants, hotels, and many other city-like amenities. But it's inconvenient to transport resources up there, so everything is expensive—only wealthy people go inside."
[Make sense.] Arisha nodded, understanding the system instantly.
And that explained why Haya's master wanted this woman to work with them. When he was first assigned to pick her up from an isolated village, he had been skeptical. She was deaf and mute—why would his master want her? The master, known for her love of money, had paid him extra to ensure the sisters arrived without a scratch.
At first, Haya had thought, ' What could a mute and deaf woman possibly do?'
But after spending a month with her, he realized she was extraordinary.
"Irisha, help us here?" one of the wives called from the open kitchen once they had settled.
Irisha nodded and went to help, with Arisha following her. The wives initially struggled with sign language, so they didn't approach her, but she took the initiative. At first, they were skeptical, thinking she was helping out of pity—but soon, they saw she was capable, kind, and humble. She shared secret recipes and traditional skincare techniques, all while taking care of her little sister.
She had proven herself by volunteering all night for the sick and running to the river when one of the carriages caught fire. Her quick actions had saved their goods. The sisters' sincerity and warmth gradually won everyone over, and the little sister's bright, kind-hearted nature reflected Irisha's care.
Yet, what really impressed Haya was her way of thinking. She saw the world differently and did things most people couldn't. The story she shared about her life in the humble village, how she transformed ordinary goods into something profitable, convinced him of her extraordinary abilities.
' Oh, it's her,' he thought. No one would have expected a caravan to come to an isolated village. There was no way a humble village could produce profitable goods on its own.
"Of course, the master wants her," he muttered.
Even her use of sign language added to her uniqueness. Who would have thought that a normal conversation with disabled people could reveal such potential? He remembered a deaf man he once met—if he had accepted him as a partner, could things have turned out as well as they did with her? Haya sighed, feeling a mix of admiration and regret.
"Haa... I feel so bad," he muttered..
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***
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"YO-YOUR MAJESTY, YO-YOUR GREAT MAJESTY! I WAS WRONG, I WAS WRONG!! P-PLEASE... PLEASE SPARE ME—ARGH!"
Brak!
A sharp, final sound echoed through the magnificent palace, its halls lined with gallant knights. One of them swiftly cleaned the blood from his sword, the weapon that had just executed a nobleman.
On the sacred throne sat a charismatic old man, his gray hair and beard framing a face dominated by piercing golden eyes. He observed the limbless body calmly, showing no reaction to the blood that stained the palace floor. Though he sat quietly, the heavy aura that filled the hall left no one at ease. Even the calmest knights shivered, while new recruits on their first shift struggled to contain their trembling.
The family of the executed nobleman had entered the hall, and they paled instantly. The women fainted as their tears fell, the men rooted to the spot in helpless fear.
"...Execute them all," Emperor Salem Isaac Malum declared in a dreadful, low voice.
The hall erupted in screams as blood splattered across the evergreen stone floor. The extinction of a well-known noble family quickly became the talk of the entire Malum Empire. Yet, fear of the Imperial Family was so normalized that, after a time, the populace simply forgot the horrors of that day.
High atop the stone mountains, on the palace balcony, a graceful lady with platinum hair stood, gazing at the breathtaking landscape of her country. The wind tugged at her elegant grey dress, but she remained unfazed.
"...Father did it again, didn't he?" she muttered, leaning on the terrace. A lady-in-waiting approached with a glass of red wine, careful not to meet her gaze. The woman before her was so intimidating that even trained attendants disciplined themselves not to disturb her mood.
"I already knew that foolish family would fall," she said, savoring her wine, "but surely Father did not know how to enjoy the torture, did he?"
Her golden eyes sparkled with allure, a vision of beauty that bewitched anyone who dared look.
"Ash," she began, her voice changing suddenly, drowning all nearby in terror. "You little—"
WHOOOSEE!
A sudden, powerful wind tore through the balcony, knocking most of the ladies to the ground.
"Hahaha, your maids are hopeless, dear sister," said a young boy with platinum hair and golden eyes, around twelve years old, riding a majestic black dragon. The contrast between his childlike face and arrogant demeanor was striking.
The First Princess, Ivy Isaac Malum, glared at him. "ASH!" she screamed, and her aura erupted like a storm of frozen fire—elegant, deadly, and impossibly commanding. From above, an ivory-white dragon swooped down, its wings slicing the air with a terrifying grace. The wind roared around them, scattering banners and whipping hair like living lightning, while the dragon's golden eyes locked onto Ash with unflinching judgment.
Despite the chaos, the young prince smirked arrogantly atop his dragon. "Do you want to fight?"
"You start it, fu—" Both siblings froze as a tall, platinum-haired man with piercing golden eyes appeared. He exuded an aura of such intimidation that even the dragons trembled.
"Stop it, or I will join both of you," he said in a deep, gravely voice.
Silence fell immediately. After a tense pause, the princess chuckled, sending her dragon away. The young prince flew off, grumbling, leaving only the intimidating man with the knights and maids who were trembling to return to their positions.
"F-First Prince, please come back," one called out nervously.
"Where is Father?"
"...His Majesty is resting with Her Majesty in the main palace," came the reply.
The man strode through the grand hallway, where people bowed in fear. "...After causing such chaos, he dares to laze about?"
His personal assistant panicked. "What should we do, Your Grace? The opposition could use this to rebel."
"Kill them before they do," the prince replied, eyes sharp and intimidating. The assistant forced himself to nod, hiding his fear.
"Prepare a blood transfusion," he ordered.
The First Prince, Castra Isaac Malum, entered his office with a measured grace, his tall frame exuding authority. He removed his imperial coat, revealing a fitted black shirt that accentuated broad shoulders and a lithe, powerful build. Golden eyes, sharp and calculating, scanned the room with quiet dominance, and even in stillness, he radiated a terrifying aura that made the servants' hearts pound. Rolling up his sleeves, he settled into his chair with a fluid elegance, as the butler prepared the transfusion. The cold sting of foreign blood entering his veins made him flinch for only a moment—a vile, invasive sensation—but it was necessary to contain the immense power coursing through his body. Even as the blood flowed, his composure never wavered; Castra was a perfect balance of gallantry and menace, the kind of presence that could charm and terrify in equal measure.
Those who inherited the blood of the holy ancient dragon were still only human. Their bodies were not designed to contain such overwhelming power. Unlike the dragons, they needed human blood to stabilize their strength, keeping their ferocity and pheromone in check. Without it, they would become uncontrollable—wretched, enraged, and poisoned by their own power.
Castra muttered under his breath, covering his eyes with one hand. "This damned blood..."
The transfusion continued, the bitter reminder of his heritage coursing through him. He cursed the gift and the burden of the blood he had inherited, knowing it was both power and prison.
***