The Aftermath of Resonance
Same-clan Dragon Heart confirmed (Attribute – None).
Due to the Love Pact, the sealed Dragon Heart has been activated (Currently activated: 2/6)!
Dragon Hearts remaining until the sealed pact is unlocked – 4
“Huh? What’s this……?”
So the Death Dragon’s Dragon Heart was already inside my body too??? I couldn’t help but go blank for a moment. The sudden resonance was already dizzying enough, but now the seal was breaking and activating it? When I accepted Eros’s Dragon Heart earlier, no notification like this had appeared. And that had been a Love Pact too.
Just like Sofia had roughly explained yesterday, this must be connected to this body’s past. ‘I knew this body was the problem. First-grade and all that…… What the hell is its true identity?’
The body I currently inhabited—Breeder’s. I’d tried not to dwell on it if possible, but the more I thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed. Right? A body that had possessed six Dragon Hearts from the very beginning……? Breeder must have been extremely close to the Primordial Dragons in the distant past. These six Dragon Hearts were probably theirs as well.
It was only a hypothesis based on the story Sofia had told me yesterday, but it felt quite plausible. ‘I’ll have to ask her properly about the rest of the past story later. There hasn’t been a single opening since yesterday.’
Ideally, I should have heard everything yesterday. Instead, Sofia hadn’t shown me this body’s past at all—she had used her entire body to let me taste paradise. Ahem, moving on……
Now that I thought about it, the history book I had borrowed from Sofia last time had also contained stories about the Six Ancestors. Even though several days had passed, the memories came back vividly the moment I recalled them. As if the pages were unfolding right before my eyes.
—Fwoooosh…!
Was this also a function of Dragon Speech? It felt miraculous every time I experienced it. Though I still couldn’t tell if it was Dragon Speech or not……
The earlier parts I had skimmed over to roughly understand the worldbuilding now unfolded clearly in my mind. The yellowed parchment pages written in Dragon Speech.
The six Primordial Dragons now called the Ancestors were divine beings who governed [Water, Fire, Wind, Ice, Light, and Lightning] on the Drango Continent. However, after the Great Dragon War, no records of their whereabouts could be found. I flipped through the pages in my head and searched as thoroughly as possible, but strangely, there was no mention of them at all.
‘Come to think of it, Sofia said she saw the five Ancestors at the temple yesterday. If what she said is true……’
Putting it all together, Breeder must have been friends with the Primordial Dragons long ago. That would explain why exactly six Dragon Hearts had accumulated in his body. No, perhaps they had been even closer than that. After all, he had received their Dragon Hearts, which were as precious as their lives. Simply calling them “close” felt inadequate.
“…Now things are finally starting to add up.”
Things I hadn’t been able to recall yesterday were finally falling into place. No wonder—I had been far too busy and exhausted yesterday. Anyway, back to the main point……
Sofia’s Light attribute made sense. Since one of the Ancestors possessed the Light attribute, her heart had resonated with my body and broken the seal. But Eros’s Love attribute was different. The Love attribute was a derivative clan from the Fire attribute. It seemed the seal only broke and resonance occurred when the attributes matched exactly. That must be why nothing had happened earlier.
And finally, the Death Dragon’s None attribute……
‘Huh? What’s this……?’
By the same logic, Derke’s attribute didn’t match any of Water, Fire, Wind, Ice, Light, or Lightning either. So shouldn’t it have passed without any notification, just like Eros’s case? Then why? How? How had resonance occurred?
Just when I thought things were finally sorted out, everything became a jumbled mess again. The None attribute’s seal suddenly unlocking……?
“…Um, Breeder oppa?”
“Ah, yeah? Derke?”
“Why are you making that blank face again-yap? Aren’t you happy that you’re connected with Derke-yap……?”
While I was wrestling with the complicated setup, Derke’s voice called out to me from below. Her clear voice became a lighthouse for me, adrift in a sea of confusing information.
—Squeeze…!
Derke, who had shoved a Dragon Heart the size of her fist into my chest, was now clinging to me again, hugging me tightly. She pulled me even closer with more force. Her emerald eyes trembled. There was anxiety in her gaze. She was probably startled by my curt reaction. Even though it was a moment she had longed for, my indifferent response must have hurt.
“Huh? It’s not like that at all. I’m genuinely happy to be connected with you too, Derke.”
“Then why are you making that face-yap…? You look like someone who’s been shocked-yap-!”
“It’s just… I didn’t expect to receive a Dragon Heart in this way. Suddenly, wraiths and all came bursting through my chest, you know? That’s why.”
I made up a suitable excuse to reassure her.
“Aah, right…! That’s more than enough to be surprised-yap-! Derke is sorry-yap……”
“Pfft……”
Instead, she ended up apologizing to me. The more I looked at her, the more adorable she was. Even though I was the one who had lied. How many lies had I already told? If even one of them unraveled, my life would be in danger. I had to be careful not to accumulate any more karmic debt.
—Pat pat
I silently stroked her head. Slowly running my fingers through Derke’s silver hair. As if suppressing the pangs of conscience and guilt. The soft texture of her hair beneath my fingertips and her ticklish breath against my stomach.
Holding this small, cute Derke in my arms made my complicated mind feel a little calmer.
“Hehe-♪ Huhihi…♬”
Derke let out a nasal hum, enjoying my touch in my embrace. She sounded just like a kitten purring. Outside was a harsh, cold environment, but right now it felt warmer than ever. Just embracing Derke brought peace to my heart.
Yeah, what did identity even matter? Ancestors, Primordials, attributes—none of that had anything to do with who I was now. I wasn’t the real Breeder from the original story, so there was no need to be bound by past events. In other words, I had no obligation to do anything for the Drango Continent. What did it matter what kind of sealed pact this body held? I was a completely different person now.
Rather than worrying about such things, I should focus on taking good care of the people I had formed bonds with. How long had the semester even been going on, and I already had five bond targets. I was already overwhelmed just dealing with all these complicated senior-junior relationships.
—Throb, throb…!!!
‘That aside, the resonance isn’t settling down at all? It wasn’t like this with Sofia……?’
Ever since Derke’s Dragon Heart resonated, my chest had been aching nonstop. Strangely, only one corner of my heart felt sore. It was a sensation I had never felt in my life before. Like nerves had sprouted in my heart? It felt as if the separate Dragon Hearts were beating independently.
“…Um, Breeder? And Derke?”
It was while I was holding Derke and trying to forget the soreness that a voice called out.
“Sofia?”
“Huat? Senior?”
—Tap, tap…!
Sofia, who had been quietly watching our Love Pact, approached my side. Her gaze was fixed on me. Her expression looked rather serious. Sofia placed my right hand on her left chest and pressed close.
“Since the Love Pact seems to be over, may I receive my turn now?”
“Kuuut…? I-I want to stay with oppa a little longer……”
“Ah, of course you can stay attached like that. What I need right now is……”
—Smooch♡
“Huat? Ah, Miss……?”
“…Breeder’s lips, that is.”
“Chiiiiiit……”
Sofia kissed me without warning. Derke jumped in surprise along with me. But unlike before, she couldn’t actively intervene.
“Derke? Be content with having formed the Love Pact for now, okay? I’ll yield my turn to you again later in this order.”
“Derke understands-yap……”
Derke tried to hide her disappointment with a shrinking voice. Just as Sofia said, it seemed it was time to hand over the turn. After all, Derke had monopolized me for quite a long time, considering it was the seniors’ consideration.
“Breeder…? Are you feeling a soreness in your chest right now as well?”
After leaving a light kiss on me, Sofia pulled her head back slightly and spoke.
“Ah, do you feel it too, Sofia?”
“Yes. The moment I received Derke’s heart just now, my heart resonated as well. It feels like something has been awakened……”
“What? Awakened?”
“When the Dragon Heart resonated just now, I clearly felt it. Besides Derke, there’s another presence’s energy inside Breeder.”
“What? What do you mean……?”
—Shhh……
Suddenly, Sofia’s expression cooled. Along with her meaningful words. Then she silently stared at my chest. As if she had sensed that besides Derke’s heart, something else was residing inside my body.
“If I use my ability to look back at what happened a few hours ago, I’ll know exactly why I’m getting this feeling, won’t I?”
“U-Um, Sofia? There might be some misunderstanding—”
“…Hehe, whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, I’ll know once I look. Anyway, I’ll be borrowing your lips for a bit.”