ATPL 18

Anais’s hand was fine, with only some faint scars remaining. Anne hurriedly brought a mirror. Honestly, when Anais looked at her reflection, she was struck speechless.

“…”

She fought to hold back the words that threatened to spill out. She didn’t want to make the same mistake as before.

Still, the fact that her lips didn’t hurt anymore was somewhat encouraging.

Her face hadn’t returned to its original state, though. She had hoped for her soft, fair cheeks to reappear, but the burn marks were still a reddish hue. Her hair was a tangled mess, and she had no eyebrows.

Anais glared at herself in the mirror.

Eyebrow-less!

“I told you. It’s the life force of the dragon. It’s not an unlimited power that can heal everything fully.”

“…Anais didn’t even say anything…”

“…Regrettably, Lady Fleur is quite charmingly honest.”

“You’re criticizing me for showing it all on my face?”

Elliot closed his mouth, the silence settling in. But the truth was, there was no other way.

The healing power of the dragon was unlike anything else—it was a gift from the gods. Even the Dragon Knights could only use this power by drawing life force from the divine.

And unlike recoverable magical energy, life force was finite.

So, the Dragon Knight commanders used this power sparingly, only as much as necessary.

“Still, since it’s the power of the dragon, if you wait, your burn scars will heal. It won’t hinder movement, and the dragon’s power enhances natural healing.”

“Yes… Thank you…”

Anais replied, her voice quiet as she gloomily tied her bonnet back on. But when she noticed the ease with which she moved, a small glimmer of hope rose within her, and her expression brightened a little.

As they left the Great Hall, Anais noticed a horse standing at the entrance of the mansion.

Wait a minute.

“…Why is there only one horse?”

“I heard your horseback riding skills are truly fitting example of a noble lady’s education.”

Anais turned around with wide eyes. Anne took a step back, clearly nervous.

“Anne!”

But it was too late. Anais’s luggage had already been strapped to the horse, and Elliot was already standing before it.

Anais stepped back, but Atlas’s disapproving face blocked her way.

“How can I ride with a man? Anais is unmarried!”

Elliot, rarely showing emotion, squinted his eyes and replied,

“I am also unmarried, and pure, with no scandals to speak of.”

“…Ugh!”

Anais clenched her fists tightly.

But there was no other way. Despite how unreasonable the situation felt, what could she do? They had guaranteed her debt and even treated her burns.

In the end, Anais muttered under her breath as she reluctantly mounted the horse with Elliot’s assistance.

“Anais is going to get married anyways…”

“I’ll still be unmarried. Quite unfortunate.”

Elliot responded nonchalantly, mounting the horse in one fluid motion. He wrapped the reins around Anais’s back before leaning in to whisper in her ear.

“Don’t worry. I will also make every effort to maintain my pure and scandal-free status.”

“…Anne! Tell Grandpa! Anais tried her best to keep her honor until the end-!”

Her words were almost choked with frustration and the tears she was trying to hold back.

Elliot spurred the horse before Anais could finish. It was a relief she didn’t end up biting her tongue.

Clop, clop…

As they rode away, Anne’s voice echoed behind them.

“Miss, come back healthy!”

Anais couldn’t even respond. She wanted to ask Elliot, “Commander, did you start on purpose?” But she was too busy trying not to bite her tongue as her teeth rattled.

* * *

Traveling alone with a man she had met just three days ago could easily have turned into an endless story.

But after much effort, Anais finally arrived at Fortuna in the Vidna Mountains.

This was the furthest journey Anais had ever taken in her life—stretching from the southernmost point of the continent to the central Vidna Mountains!

However, there was no time for sentiment.

“Hee, hee, hee…”

Anais gasped for air. In front of her was something she never imagined she would see.

A giant lizard.

Oh my gosh! A lizard that big!

Anais blinked in disbelief. The lizard before her was truly repulsive.

Its body was the size of a house—or perhaps even the size of the imperial capital’s royal palace.

No matter how much Anais craned her neck, she couldn’t see the end of its black body.

Its scales, black and shiny, each larger than Anais herself, scraped together with a chilling noise as it flicked its tongue.

Hey, you’re a lizard! Why are you flicking your tongue like a snake?

But the most unsettling part was hearing Elliot address it respectfully.

“My Lord, I have brought Lady Anais Fleur.”

Elliot Resaloniki knelt in front of the lizard.

The noblest knight on the continent! Why was he kneeling before a lizard?!

Anais felt a rush of disbelief as she stared at his sturdy back.

The lizard’s yellow pupils rolled toward her, making her skin crawl.

Ew! Ew! So disgusting!

<Ho.>

It spoke too!

Anais knew…

Anais had heard stories about the black dragon who maintained order across the continent ever since she was a child.

She knew dragons were enormous, scaled, and had yellow eyes.

She had even respected Fortuna, the black dragon, as a child.

Everyone on the continent swore by the name of the good dragon when making important vows and prayed for the dragon to bring peace to the continent.

Anais too, had sworn by the name of the good dragon just a few days ago in front of her debt collectors.

But now, facing the massive creature in person, Anais felt more fear than respect. Was it because she was the prey before a predator?

The magical power she’d felt while passing through the gate had made her nauseous, but this was even worse.

“Lady Fleur?”

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Anais gasped for air. Instinctively, she felt she was facing something unnatural, something she wasn’t meant to encounter.

How should she put it, it felt unpleasant.

Elliot frowned as he noticed Anais’s distress. He turned to the dragon.

“My Lord. Please withdraw the dragon fear. Why are you being so harsh?”

Only then did Anais realize that the fear and unpleasantness she felt were due to the dragon’s aura.

The giant black dragon responded as if it was unfair.

<I did nothing.>

Oh my gosh! Such unrefined language from the dragon lord!

While Anais was inwardly stunned, Elliot sighed, removing his cloak and wrapping it around her carefully.

“T-t-thank you…”

“The cloak of the Dragon Knight Order neutralizes curses and magic. It should help with the dragon fear.”

“Th-th-th-the commander is…”

“I am fine.”

“Th-th-thank you…”

Anais couldn’t finish her sentence, but her trembling softened as the cloak worked its magic.

The dragon snorted at the sight of them. The gust from its nostrils knocked Anais off balance, but Elliot held her shoulders, preventing her from falling.

“G-greetings, My Lord…”

<Oh. So you are the one who smelled like salt.>

Salt smell?

Anais wondered what that meant, but Elliot soon cleared up her confusion.

“Yes. The thirty-third possessor was in Belfast.”

<I told you it was by the sea. It seems it’s not yet my time to die.>

“If my lord dies, it would be a big problem for us as well. How would we handle your remains?”

Elliot replied, his voice steady. The dragon chuckled, clearly amused.

<That’s none of my concern once I’m dead. Anyway, if I get rid of you, I can sleep peacefully again.>

The black dragon raised its paw, clearly intending to crush Anais.

Frozen in place, Anais glared at Elliot.

Excuse me! That’s not what you said! You promised you’d save me!

Elliot, too, was taken aback but quickly blocked the dragon’s paw.

“My lord! I have something to say! Lady Anais Fleur is not a possessor!”

The dragon, who had raised its paw, paused for a moment. Anais could tell it was a sign of surprise.

<What? Explain in detail.>

“That is…”

Elliot frowned. He hadn’t expected the dragon to act so hastily without verifying things first.

He could feel Anais trembling behind him, and for a moment, he hesitated.

Should he speak about the invocation in front of her? But he quickly made his decision.

“I used the invocation on Lady Anais Fleur.”

The dragon’s mouth opened slightly, saliva dripping from it. Anais winced at the sight.