Chapter 5
The Dragon of the Imperial Palace (2)
It was precisely because Bel had not properly used her power that she had managed to survive without being discovered by ‘them’ until now.
[If the guardian uses power, those bastards will notice.]
[Even so, the connection of the stars will not break.]
The spirit spoke in a tone filled with absolute certainty.
[This child is the single seed destined to defeat the calamity. That is why this child’s parents sacrificed themselves to protect her.]
The dragon’s pupils trembled finely.
Argares, the oldest surviving dragon in existence. He knew exactly what the spirit meant.
[…There is no guardian to assist her awakening.]
Unless a child of the Star Clan awakened, they could not fully utilize their power. Furthermore, their very life could be in grave danger. Ordinarily, an adult of the clan would assist, but the Star Clan had completely vanished after the calamity.
…They were likely wiped out.
Because they were beings who maintained the balance of the world, he could feel it intuitively.
[This child needs you.]
The spirit was right. If it were a dragon, he could step into the parents’ stead and provide the necessary guidance for Bel’s growth. In fact, Argares possessed knowledge regarding the awakening of the spirits.
“Yongyong…”
Bel wrapped her tiny hands tightly around the dragon’s giant claw. From her small hands touching his skin, a faint, translucent light began to leak out.
“Ayah. An-dae.” (Ouch. Don’t die.)
A child so young she couldn’t even speak in proper sentences was desperately clinging to him.
Don’t die.
Don’t be hurt.
The child’s pure feelings, composed of simple words, flowed directly into the dragon. Without even knowing him well, Bel was sincerely worrying about him.
[Guardian of the Star.]
Closing his eyes tightly, the dragon let out a quiet sigh.
[So you cling to me after all.]
How could he seek eternal rest alone while leaving this tiny thing behind? How could he possibly turn his back on the last remaining hope in the world?
[If your life feels meaningless and you long for rest, please live for this child left behind from now on.]
The spirit placed its hand on the crown of Bel’s head. For the first time, it was going to borrow and use Bel’s power. If she used this power, Bel would undergo her very first awakening.
[I stake my life, and devote myself to the guardian.]
At the exact moment the dragon made his firm vowā
Kwangā!
The door shattered as a mass of green ether flew straight into the room. It was an exceptionally sharp, harsh, and aggressive wave of ether.
And the owner of that ether was none other than…
“Bel.”
It was Ethan Ibek.
Fiderion Rex Caelus, the Emperor of the Oriana Empire, massaged his throbbing forehead with his hand.
“We found the ruins of the temple said to have been managed by the Star Clan.”
“How was it?”
“It was already burned to ashes without a trace. They said it was a horrific sight, as if someone attempted to erase its very existence.”
A gloomy answer returned.
Were they truly completely wiped out?
Ethan sank deep into thought.
Three years ago, a massive calamity swept across the entire continent. The event was named .
The stars in the sky vanished without a trace, and the oceans churned violently. Ships lost their way and wandered aimlessly, torrential rain poured down like mad, and wild beasts ran rampant. People looked up at the morning sun that refused to rise and the vanished night sky, trembling in pure terror. Everyone had lost their way.
And as if to accelerate that despair, the dragonsāthe most noble creatures in existenceāwent on a simultaneous rampage and attacked human settlements.
Dragons were beings responsible for balancing the elemental ether that formed the world. For such sacred creatures to run amok was equivalent to the world falling apart.
“Block them!”
People who had lost all hope claimed the world was coming to an end. Some even took their own lives, unable to endure the consuming fear.
“Arm yourselves. From this moment on, we subdue the dragons attacking the city!”
Someone had to step up as a hero. Ethan’s biological father, the former Duke Ibek, was the one who stepped up to be that hero. However, standing before a gigantic calamity, human lives evaporated helplessly into nothingness.
“Father!”
The former Duke Ibek met the exact same fate. Ethan swung his sword solely for revenge.
“The young duke killed a dragon!”
“The dragon subjugation succeeded!”
And so he finally cut off the dragon’s breath.
The moment he drove his sword deep into the gap of the dragon’s reverse scale and released his ether with all his strength, the stars miraculously returned to the sky. The calamity had retreated.
“Young Duke Ibek defeated the calamity!”
He had unwittingly become a hero born out of his father’s shadow.
“The ship His Majesty was aboard has sunk.”
And then, the era changed. Those who remained had to inherit the new era and continue living. Realizing the necessity to prepare against future calamities, they pursued the traces left behind.
The mastermind behind the disaster was an organization calling themselves ‘Those Who Dwell in the Dark Night.’ They barely managed to find a single clue, but…
“It was a wild goose chase again.”
“It might actually be more realistic to hope that the dragon in the basement regains its sanity.”
“How is the purification research by the priests coming along?”
The Emperor let out a sigh and shook his head.
“There’s no progress.”
“…”
It was natural. Purifying polluted ether was a task only a very special existenceāthe Star Clanācould perform. However, those very people of the Star Clan seemed to have been entirely wiped out on the day of the calamity.
If the ether remained polluted, the world would slowly wither and die.
“Then even if we ask the other spirit clans for cooperation…”
“Arggggh!”
Suddenly, a loud, piercing scream echoed thunderously through the hallway.
Irritation flared within Ethan at Aspe’s scream, making him gnash his teeth.
“Your Lordshipā!”
“That crazy bastard. Today’s the day I either rip his mouth open or tie him up.”
Seeing Ethan grab the decorative sword leaning against the wall, the Emperor stood up as well.
“Hey, hey. Control yourself.”
Ethan strode out into the hallway to deal with his woodpecker-loud aide. However, his anger didn’t last long.
“What in the world…”
The situation in the hallway was a complete spectacle.
Aspe, who had been screaming his head off calling for him, was flailing around with the soles of his feet stuck flat to the floor, while the guards were struggling, stuck together side-by-side as if shoulder-to-shoulder.
“Do you all have a group death wish?”
Failing to grasp how to interpret this absurd scene, Ethan scowled fiercely.
“Does it look like I’m playing around right now?!” Aspe shouted back, refusing to back down. “We have a big problem! The child vanished out of nowhere!”
“You’re that old and you can’t even keep an eye on a single kid?!”
“Just hurry up and chase after her!”
Ignoring Ethan’s criticism, Aspe quickly got straight to the point.
“I think the child knows how to use magic!”
The moment his words ended, Ethan’s body moved.
Finding Bel’s whereabouts wasn’t difficult at all. Like breadcrumbs scattered by Hansel and Gretel, guards and knights were scattered here and there along the hallway.
The direction they were facing made the path crystal clear: the basement.
The basement where the cursed dragon was imprisoned.
Ethan’s eyes turned icy cold.
If anything happens to that child…
He would make whoever was responsible beg to be executed instead. His grip tightened on the blunt sword.
What if it’s already too late?
Dark green ether gathered bit by bit, wrapping around the blade.
What if that damn dragon has already harmed the kid?!
The door leading to the basement came into view. His anxiety had already reached its peak. Sharp, surging energy flew out and tore the basement door to pieces like paper.
His pupils, narrowed with excitement and rage, searched for the child first.
“Bel.”
Fortunately, it seemed he wasn’t too late.
Bel was standing right in front of the dragon. With her cute little hands resting on the dragon’s ivory claw, blinking her innocent eyes as if she knew nothing at all.
“It’s dangerous, so come over here.”
“Ayah!”
Bel pointed at the dragon and spoke.
āIt hurts?ā
Misinterpreting her meaning, Ethan examined Bel’s state with eagle eyes. To the naked eye, she didn’t seem injured anywhere.
“Ayah!”
Bel spoke again.
āIt’s in pain.ā
However, Ethan was a complete novice father who couldn’t understand Bel’s words in the slightest.
“As I thought, it’s better to just kill it so there are no lingering problems.”
“Ayah! Dou!”
To Bel’s passionate pleaāāThe dragon is in pain. I want to help it!āāEthan responded with his formidable temper.
“Right. I’m going to execute that dragon right now, so kid, come over here.”
He muttered coldly.
