The Temple's Revelation
The temple dedicated to the Beginning Dragon, beloved by dragons yet despised by dragonkin, was truly magnificent in structure. “It looks even bigger up close. Damn huge.” The building featured rows of stone pillars reminiscent of Ionian architecture, each one easily exceeding twenty meters in height. Atop them rested an enormous marble roof. Despite its massive scale, the layout was simple. The vast interior, like an open field, contained only a single main sanctuary. A large golden bell hung near the entrance of the main sanctuary. Even at a glance, it dwarfed the Bosingak bell in size. If that thing rang from above, it would surely burst one’s eardrums. Everything here was scaled to match the dragons’ massive stature.
—Kkigigigigik…!
“Breeder? Please come in.”
Sofia, who had been leading the way, opened a side door beneath the main gate and gestured for me to follow.
—Tap! Tap! Tap!
Footsteps echoed through the empty main sanctuary. The inside of the temple was darker than expected, creating a solemn atmosphere that made it feel as though ancient mythical gods might suddenly appear. There was no artificial lighting in the main sanctuary—only sunlight filtering through the colored glass. The vibrant stained-glass windows cast a soft glow over the central dais, lending an even more mystical and reverent air to the space. The sheer grandeur was so overwhelming that I found myself instinctively lowering my head. Overall, the atmosphere resembled that of a cathedral, except for the enormous dragon mural carved into the central wall. It was likely modeled after the Beginning Dragon, whom the dragons revered.
“Breeder? Would you kneel in front of the dais?”
Sofia stepped onto the central dais and pointed to its middle, where a brilliant beam of light converged.
“…By the way, Lady Sofia? Can you really see through to the truth?”
I asked as I climbed onto the dais as instructed. At first, I had been genuinely surprised. The idea of confirming my identity… It was simply bewildering. Still, there was no real reason to refuse. I was curious about this body’s true nature myself, and if it turned out I wasn’t human but dragonkin, perhaps I could escape this unfair treatment. Of course, the chances of me being dragonkin were low. A pact between dragons was an impossible feat. Yet this Breeder’s body already housed six Dragon Hearts. I simply wanted to know what had happened and what this body’s identity truly was. Just how extraordinary must its origins be for it to be classified as a Beginning-grade character?
“Of course. If it is the Beginning Dragon who watches over us, there is nothing He cannot see through.”
“But how exactly…?”
—Touch!
“Please stay still. It will be over soon.”
Sofia’s hand interrupted my question. Her soft palm rested against my forehead. She stood facing me with her back to the Beginning Dragon’s carving on the wall. With a devout expression, she gazed at me and began to move her lips.
“Please close your eyes for a moment. I will finish before the worship service begins.”
“Ah, yes.”
—Fwoooooosh…!!!
The moment I closed my eyes after her words, an intense flash of light struck me. It was so blinding that pure white beams seemed to pierce through my eyelids.
—O Ancestor of all beings, this humble descendant of the Dawn’s light dares to speak. By the light that reveals all things, I beseech the Beginning Dragon’s authority to strip away the veil of falsehood from the one seated before me…!
Sofia recited the prayer in an utterly serious voice while radiating the light power of the Dawn Clan.
—Flash!
As the prayer ended, an endlessly bright light blacked out my vision. Even with my eyes closed, the overwhelming brilliance made it impossible to see anything. The glare was so intense that opening my eyes now would surely blind me forever.
‘Can a simple prayer like this really reveal the truth?’
Though a dazzling light had flashed once, I merely furrowed my brows at the brightness. No change occurred within me.
—Thud…!
“Hah…?! H-How could this be…?”
“Hm? Lady Sofia?”
But Sofia’s reaction was entirely different. She suddenly collapsed as if her strength had left her, her face filled with awe. Whatever she had seen, it had clearly shocked her deeply. The light gradually faded, and my vision returned. Before me, Sofia sat dazed on the floor with a thoroughly startled expression.
“…Um, Miss Sofia? Are you all right?”
“I-I’m fine, Breeder. But how could such a result…?”
I hurried to support her, yet she still looked as though her soul had left her body. She merely stared blankly into the air with unfocused eyes, murmuring that she couldn’t believe it.
“What exactly did you see to react like this?”
“Breeder…? Who exactly were you in the past…?”
“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden…?”
“I saw the figures of the ancient ancestors overlapping with your form. Not just one… but several of them…!”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about—”
“Please tell me honestly…! I beg you.”
Though I had approached to help her up, she refused and pleaded with me earnestly. Her eyes, gazing up at me from her seated position, were filled with something akin to reverence.
“But no matter what you say…”
“Breeder? For just an instant, the ancestors I saw overlapping with you looked as though they were trying to—!”
「Doooonnnng……!」
At that moment, a resounding bell suddenly rang out, cutting off Sofia’s words.
“…Haa, let’s continue this conversation later. The service is about to begin.”
“Lady Sofia? What was that just now…?”
“I’ll explain later. There’s so much I want to ask you right now, but… we need to leave before it’s too late!”
*
The temple’s massive bell served to announce the start of worship. The moment I stepped out of the main sanctuary, the young ladies who had finished their meal began filing inside. Among them were several professors on weekend duty. Benetric had apparently not arrived yet. Dragons poured into the temple. The main sanctuary was a sacred space reserved solely for dragons. Now I understood why Sofia had rushed me out. As a human servant and dragonkin hater, my very presence inside would have been considered sacrilegious.
—Stumble, stumble…
I walked unsteadily. The lingering afterimage of the blinding light still danced before my eyes. I should head to the scenic old tree I had found earlier and rest for a while. But what exactly had Sofia seen? She said she saw the ancestors’ forms in me? Not just one, but several—and all of them seemed to be doing something for my sake…
“Breeder…! Where are you going?!”
“Huh? Raylin?”
While I was walking and mulling over what had happened in the sanctuary, I heard Raylin’s voice.
“It’s worship time…! Hurry to the outer sanctuary…!”
“Ah, there’s a separate sanctuary?”
“There’s a sanctuary reserved for other races!”
“For other races?”
Even worship was divided by race.
“There’s no time, squeak—! Don’t just stand there, come along quickly…!”
Ha, just when I thought I could finally rest comfortably…
*
A small sanctuary separated from the main temple building. Though modest in size, it was fully equipped. Long benches where worshippers sat in rows. The Beginning Dragon mural I had seen in the main sanctuary. An elderly elf preaching doctrine from the dais. The outer sanctuary was packed with staff members and other races who had come to volunteer. ‘More people from the continent have crossed over than I expected. Interesting.’
I sat inside the sanctuary with Raylin, pretending to participate in the service.
—As recorded in the ancient texts, the Beginning Dragon spoke…!
A rabbit-eared figure I had never seen before preached from the humble dais compared to the main sanctuary. He was probably a high-ranking dragon devotee dispatched from outside. The overall atmosphere of the service resembled a church service. In a word, it was extremely boring.
“…Hey, Raylin? When does the service end?”
I lowered my voice as much as possible and spoke to Raylin beside me.
“Weekend services are divided into three sessions. Each session lasts two hours…!”
“Damn, that means it goes until evening?”
“We only need to do one session and leave because of dinner prep and the tea party…!”
“Tea party?”
“On weekends, everyone can enjoy snacks provided by the temple regardless of race. We’re the ones preparing them…!”
At least there was a silver lining. Sitting around all day was out of the question. Besides, I wasn’t religious to begin with.
—Dramen……!
““Dramen……!””
Ah, so that was one reason the atmosphere felt like a church—the word “Dramen” was added at the end of every sermon.
“Not even ‘Amen’…”
I mumbled along with vague lip-syncing. Dramen, huh… I suddenly craved ramen. Even instant ramen would probably spark some newfound faith in me. Anyway, about halfway through the tedious service…
—This is the Beginning Dragon’s blessing. Please each take one…
During the mid-service break, the volunteer other races began distributing something to the worshippers starting from the front row. Judging by the color and texture, it looked like chocolate shaped like dragon scales. In this place, chocolate was considered quite a luxurious dessert. Even though they were devotees from other races, they certainly knew how to give generously. Now I understood how the lower-year young ladies had endured the weekdays. Knowing they could enjoy delicious food and desserts to their heart’s content every weekend, they must have endured just for this one thing. If I had to compare it, it was like the academy’s golden carriage, perhaps?
“Now then, there’s plenty of this chocolate, akin to the Beginning Dragon’s own flesh, so brothers and sisters, please take one each…”
Before I knew it, it was our turn. I had been feeling drowsy, so something sweet would help wake me up. It was fortunate—I hadn’t gotten a proper taste last time when I made the cake.
—Stop…!
“Hm? You’re not giving me any?”
The bright red hand distributing the thin, flat scale-shaped chocolates suddenly halted in front of me.
“…It doesn’t seem there’s any for a brother who is a dragonkin hater.”
“Huh? Maruti?”
The one distributing the snacks as the representative was none other than the lizardman Maruti. He must have held some position among the devotees, as he was personally handing out the chocolate.
“Brother, please come out with me for a moment. There’s a separate task for a human like you, who might as well be a heretic.”
Is he messing with me? Now even the external staff were trying to dump chores on me. He was acting as if he were a dragon himself. I was so dumbfounded that I just stared blankly for a moment. I couldn’t just sit back and take it. This was the perfect chance to show him clearly what happens when you mess with the dragonkin hater beloved by dragons.