|| Chapter 10 ||

[Sigh… Lucian.]

“Yes?”

He answered properly, but he still refused to look at me. Somehow, that only made it more amusing.

[Do you really think I’d go through all this just to send you away?]

Lucian’s shoulders trembled.

[If I truly didn’t want you here, I would’ve scared you away a long time ago. Why would I bother cooking food I can’t even eat, teaching you how to read, or training you in swordsmanship?]

“That’s…”

[I’m doing all of this for your future.]

His puffed-up cheeks slowly relaxed.

[Do you know how all the people who lived in this mansion died?]

At the mention of death, Lucian nervously shook his head.

[Every one of them died longing for other people. They spent years living here alone.]

Sometimes, people would visit.

But they only brought supplies.

They never stayed or talked.

Most of the people sent here lived lives no different from exile.

[Do you understand now? No one can live completely alone.]

“…What about you, Bride?”

[Hm? Me?]

“Yes. You’ve lived here alone for over three hundred years.”

His unexpected question left me speechless.

“They couldn’t meet anyone for just a few years and became lonely…”

“You must’ve suffered so much.”

Lucian reached out toward my face.

Of course, his hand only passed through empty air.

Even so…

For some reason, I almost felt the warmth of his hand.

Just as he said…

I had been trapped in this mansion for three hundred years.

I had spent so much time alone…

That I had even forgotten what loneliness was.

Yet somehow…

This child understood the loneliness of those three hundred years.

[…You’re a strange child.]

“Huh?”

[It’s nothing.]

Even though Lucian complained that he hadn’t heard me, I stood up and ignored him.

More accurately…

I didn’t know what kind of expression I was making right now.

I couldn’t bring myself to face him.

Ahem! Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you must keep training your body. It’s for your own future.”

“But it’s so hard…”

[Then let’s make a deal. Train for one month. If your body doesn’t change at all, we’ll stop. I’ll teach you another way to make a living instead. But until then, no complaining. You do exactly as I say. Deal?]

“Hmm…”

To a child, one month probably felt like a very long time.

People say it takes at least two weeks to build a habit.

If he trained for a whole month, his body would improve, and he’d get used to exercising too.

“If I still hate it after one month… I don’t have to do it anymore, right?”

Good.

He took the bait.

[Of course. Promise me.]

Only after making me promise over and over again did Lucian finally agree.

Sigh…

With how much he hated exercising…

I wondered if he’d really quit after a month.

That evening…

After finishing everything for the day, including brushing his teeth, Lucian climbed into bed.

[I’ll read you a fairy tale before you sleep. Which one do you want tonight?]

I floated several storybooks into the air.

Lucian’s golden eyes sparkled as he carefully looked through each one.

His favorite time of day was story time before bed.

The first time he had been able to see me, he suddenly asked if I could read him a story.

Since then…

Reading fairy tales before bedtime had become our nightly routine.

“King… and… Dra-gon? And Wi… Witch…”

Even though he had learned all the letters, he still didn’t know enough words to read fluently.

I looked at the book he was pointing at.

[‘The King, the Dragon, and the Witch.’ This one?]

“Yes! Isn’t this the story of the First Emperor?”

[That’s right. So you already know it?]

“Yes! It’s my favorite fairy tale!”

Lucian jumped up on the bed and happily pretended to swing a sword.

“The First Emperor defeated the evil witch together with the dragon and founded the Empire!”

[…An evil witch?]

“Yes! An evil witch!”

Something was wrong.

That wasn’t the story I knew at all.

According to Lucian…

The story went like this.

Long ago, an evil force invaded the continent.

They harmed innocent people, looted villages, and covered the once peaceful land in darkness.

As countless people lost their loved ones and fell into despair…

A hero appeared.

With brilliant golden eyes like the sun, he defeated evil, helped the people, and slowly purified the darkened continent.

Beside him was his friend…

The Red Dragon.

The Red Dragon became humanity’s guardian dragon.

Eventually, they reached the leader of the evil army.

She was a terrifying witch.

The evil army had committed all its crimes because they had been brainwashed by her.

The witch possessed unmatched beauty, graceful words, and overwhelming power.

But in the end…

The hero and the Red Dragon joined forces to defeat her.

To make sure she could never return…

They sealed her away forever.

Peace returned to the world.

The hero built a castle where the witch had been defeated.

That kingdom later became today’s Odelian Empire.

…That was the story Lucian knew.

[What kind of story have you been reading? There’s no way the witch was the villain.]

“But that’s what everyone says.”

“The fairy tale says so too.”

“Everyone says witches are evil.”

What in the world happened outside?

Witches weren’t villains.

If anything…

I was about to correct him myself.

Then I realized…

It would be much better to show him the original story instead.

[Lucian, I don’t know where you learned that version… but everything you know is wrong.]

“That’s impossible!”

[Impossible? Then do you know when this book was published?]

I pointed to the publication year printed inside The King, the Dragon, and the Witch.

It read:

Kingdom Calendar, Year 1.

[This book was published when the Empire was still a kingdom. In other words, right at the beginning of the kingdom.]

Lucian’s eyes shook.

Even then…

He still looked unconvinced.

[Here. I’ll read it to you.]

Before he could argue any further, I quickly sat beside him and opened the book.

◆ ◆ ◆

Long ago…

A boy was born in a village deep within the mountains.

His name was Leon.

He was an ordinary child.

He grew up surrounded by his parents’ love in a peaceful village.

Following his father, who was a hunter, Leon learned how to hunt.

He believed that one day…

He would become a great hunter just like his father.

But that peaceful life didn’t last.

A cruel lord came to their village.

“From now on, you’ll all pay taxes every month! Anyone who can’t pay will be driven out of this village!”

The lord demanded an amount equal to an entire month’s living expenses.

Those who resisted or failed to pay were beaten by his knights.

The women were taken away by the lord.

Leon’s father hunted tirelessly to earn money.

But no matter how hard he worked…

It was impossible to gather enough every month.

Eventually…

More and more villagers joined together to overthrow the lord.

Leon’s parents were among them.

Armed with weapons, they attacked the lord’s castle.

But they failed.

Instead…

They were captured.

Leon lost both of his parents forever.

“Father… Mother… I swear I’ll avenge you!”

Carrying his hatred with him…

Leon left the village.

Using the hunting skills his father had taught him…

He learned swordsmanship.

As he traveled across the world…

He realized there were many lords just like the one who had destroyed his home.

“The rich only become richer… while those with nothing lose even more.”

Leon decided the world had to change.

He searched for people who shared his dream.

Many agreed with him.

But none were willing to follow him.

“Why? Why won’t anyone stand with me?!”

“Because they’re used to living like this.”

A woman’s voice answered him.

She was so beautiful…

She looked almost like an angel.

“…Who are you?”

“I’m Aria.”

“A witch.”

Aria became interested in Leon.

She believed his ideals could change the world in fascinating ways.

Among all witches…

She was known as the greatest.

She possessed incredible power.

After witnessing her strength…

Leon asked her to travel with him.

She gladly accepted.

Together…

They continued searching for companions.

While traveling through forests and villages…

They wandered into a cave.

There…

They found a Red Dragon covered in wounds.

“I’ll help you.”

Using the power of the Great Witch…

Aria healed the dragon’s injuries.

Leon asked how he had been hurt.

“A cursed human tried to capture me.”

“He believed eating my heart would grant him eternal life.”

The Red Dragon had been attacked by humans.

The one responsible…

Was a nearby lord.

The dragon wanted revenge on all humans.

But Leon and Aria persuaded him to take revenge only on the lord who had wronged him.

With the Red Dragon joining them…

More and more people gathered around Leon.

“This world must change!”

“Let’s join forces and change this rotten world!”

Inspired by Leon’s words…

The people captured the lord’s castle.

With the Great Witch’s magic…

The Red Dragon’s strength…

And Leon’s brilliant strategies…

Their enemies were easily defeated.

As one cruel lord after another fell…

No one remained to govern those lands.

To prevent chaos…

Leon united every territory under one kingdom.

He became its king.

“No matter where you go… we’ll always stand beside you.”

“As long as I’m here, no one will ever harm you.”

With the protection of the Red Dragon…

And the oath of the Great Witch…

Leon became king.

He declared the birth of a kingdom centered around the village where he had grown up.

Leon became the First King.

A wise ruler…

Who welcomed all people.

◆ ◆ ◆

[That… is the true story of The King, the Dragon, and the Witch.]

“It’s so different from the version I knew.”

Maybe it was because I had read it so passionately.

At first, Lucian had been doubtful.

Now…

His golden eyes sparkled with excitement.

[Maybe this is because it’s the original version.]

“What’s an original version?”

[It means the very first edition ever published. The version you read was probably rewritten to make it easier for children to understand.]

The version I had just read was indeed difficult for children.

Things like corrupt lords…

And people’s deaths…

Were described very directly.

They had probably been simplified into “evil forces” and “darkness.”

[Even so… they’ve changed the story far too much.]

The witch…

Aria…

Had always been on the Emperor’s side.

She had never once stood with the enemy.

She had remained by his side until the very end…

His strongest ally.

“But then…”

“Why does the version I read say the witch was the enemy?”

[Who knows?]

[Remind me again. What exactly did your version say?]

“It said the witch was the leader of the enemy army.”

“And that the Emperor and the Red Dragon defeated her and sealed her away.”

That part…

Wasn’t mentioned even once in the original fairy tale.

I understood that stories changed over time to suit people’s tastes.

But…

Why would someone go so far…

As to completely rewrite the original story itself?