The Fiery Dragon's Embrace
The neatly folded letter lay on the desk as we continued our passionate kisses in the night-duty room. Gulp! This was no ordinary kiss. A hot bead traced down my throat and flowed into my body. Then, finally…
[Love Pact with the Empathy Target has been established!]
……
[If the Empathy Target’s jealousy is provoked or they are neglected for too long, they will reveal murderous intent toward you, even at the risk of breaking all pacts.]
[The Dragon Heart accumulated in your body resonates with the new Dragon Heart!]
[A Dragon Heart from the same clan has been confirmed (Attribute – Fire).]
[Due to the Love Pact, the sealed Dragon Heart has been activated (Currently activated: 3/6)!]
[Dragon Hearts remaining until the sealed pact is unlocked – 3]
The moment I swallowed Raylin’s Dragon Heart, countless system messages flooded my vision. Once again, the Dragon Hearts had resonated. This confirmed that I had formed pacts with the ancestors in the past. The primordial dragons who became the roots of countless clans. No one else came to mind. Besides, Sofia had mentioned yesterday that she saw five ancestors surrounding me. Adding the Death Clan’s heart to those five would make exactly six.
‘Then which clan among the original six ancestors is missing? And why didn’t that ancestor hand over their heart? Is there some special reason?’
It had nothing to do with me now, yet every time I saw these messages, curiosity stirred. If I ever learned the truth about this body, I might even be able to leave the academy. After spending that heated time with Raylin, my mind cleared and my thoughts sharpened. The intensity had brought on a powerful sage moment. Thanks to that, questions I had never properly pondered before rose one by one.
The sealing process of the Demon Dragon and the trigger that released the seal five hundred years ago. The contents of the pact sealed inside this body. And why the Death Dragon’s heart resided within me… There were still far too many unanswered questions.
“Hohwawa? Whitey, are you okay? Don’t tell me you fainted with your eyes open…?!”
“Ah, Noona? I’m fine.”
“Thank goodness! I was worried because you didn’t react at all even after accepting the heart!”
Raylin, who had been clinging to me all this time, pressed even closer and stared straight into my face. She must have been concerned by my dazed reaction. Her red eyes scanned me from head to toe, checking every corner for anything wrong. The predatory glint had vanished, replaced by a gaze filled with worry.
“Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”
“Huh? Thinking? Did something suddenly come up?”
“It’s nothing really……”
I trailed off, debating whether to voice my questions or let the moment pass naturally.
“What is it~? What’s there to worry about between us? Tell this noona everything!”
“Well… how did you materialize the Dragon Heart?”
“Hohwaa? That’s what you were curious about? I thought you were worried about my ranking or something!”
“Hahaha……”
I deliberately changed the subject. Raylin wouldn’t know about such ancient history anyway, since it wasn’t even recorded in the history books.
“I didn’t think it would actually work either. I was really worried it might fail if the Love Pact didn’t activate.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The Love Clan branched off from the Flame Clan, right? So I figured if they could do it, I could too. That’s why I just went for it without thinking too hard.”
“Th-that’s all it took?”
Truly a fiery decision worthy of a Flame Dragon. She acted instead of overthinking. It was a resolve as fierce as flames.
“Honestly, I never would have figured out how to materialize the Dragon Heart if I hadn’t overheard it.”
“You mean the method Sofia told Derke earlier?”
“Yeah. It was simpler than I expected.”
“What was it?”
“Umm, well……”
When I asked, Raylin lowered her gaze. Her face flushed crimson as she mumbled shyly.
“Wh-while recalling your sincere feelings toward the one you love…… Just imagining a happy future together with that person was enough to make it materialize…… Whitey, the moment I thought about spending happy days with you, my Dragon Heart reacted on its own……”
“Huh? That’s it? Sounds pretty simple.”
“Simple…?! It wouldn’t have activated at all if it wasn’t someone I truly loved!”
“Truly loved, huh……”
“Yeah! If it wasn’t real, I wouldn’t be doing this with you right now……!”
Swish…! Raylin suddenly shouted and pressed her face right up against mine. Her cheeks were still burning bright red.
“S-so, Whitey? I love you with all my heart……”
Even so, Raylin looked me straight in the eyes and slowly moved her lips.
“Uh, um?”
“H-how much do you like me?”
Raylin wanted verbal confirmation even though our bodies had already answered plenty. We had never really spoken about our true feelings before.
“Ah, well, of course……”
“Don’t give me some half-hearted answer! I’m being serious right now!”
A firm resolve appeared in Raylin’s eyes, still tinged with embarrassment. She was determined to hear my sincerity.
“Heh……”
“Wh-why are you laughing…?! Whitey, I said I’m serious?!”
“You’re cute. Earlier you told me to treat you like my woman instead of a little sister, but now you’re calling me Whitey again.”
“D-don’t change the subject…! That’s not what I’m trying to talk about right now—”
“—Smooch!”
“Hah……?!”
This time, I kissed her first to convey my feelings. Her lips were still hot and moist. It was a very brief kiss, more of a peck than anything. We had already confirmed our physical connection earlier. Now it was time for emotional intimacy and a proper expression of affection. After all, Raylin was a dragon I owed a great deal to. She had been incredibly understanding despite my attention being divided among the other juniors.
Chu……
“Wh-Whitey? A kiss all of a sudden……?”
When our lips parted, Raylin’s eyes widened in surprise, unable to hide her flustered expression.
“Hey? Raylin?”
“Huh? Ah…?! Aah, what did you just say……?!”
“Why are you so surprised? Earlier you told me not to call you noona and to treat you as my woman instead.”
“Th-that’s true, but…… You’re just so sudden that I’m flustered……”
Raylin didn’t know what to do when I called her by name. Her body grew hot, just like when we had been intimate earlier. With a single kiss, the initiative had shifted to me. Now was the time to drive the point home.
“Raylin? I love you too, with all my heart. If you prefer being called noona, I’ll keep doing that.”
“I-it’s fine…… Call me whatever’s comfortable for you……”
“Pfft, then Raylin? You’ll stay by my side from now on, right? Just like the pact we made here last time.”
“……”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Raylin’s entire body turned bright red, as if she might melt away at any moment. She looked like she had just stepped out of a furnace. Heat radiated from her like an electric blanket set to maximum.
“……I-I refuse.”
“Huh? What did you just say……?”
The answer that came after a long pause was unexpected. At first I thought I had misheard. She still had her head turned away, saying she refused. It was the last thing I had anticipated. I thought my sincerity had reached her, so why?
Whoosh!
“Eek……?!”
Suddenly Raylin pushed herself up and climbed on top of me.
“Sorry, I can’t do that—!”
“Wh-what do you mean all of a sudden……?!”
“I don’t think I can protect you tonight, sorry—♥”
“What……?”
“How am I supposed to hold back when you keep saying such sweet things……?”
“──?!”
“Besides, tonight is my time to do whatever I want, right? The night is still young~?”
“Ahahaha……?”
So that was what she meant. I never would have guessed. Well, at least she seemed satisfied…… Would I even be able to get up tomorrow? No matter how many Dragon Hearts I had accumulated, enduring an entire night like this……
‘Absolutely impossible.’
My head felt fuzzy and dizzy. It was as if my soul had been thoroughly shaken. Every muscle in my body ached. Each time I moved even slightly, the muscle fibers screamed in protest, as though I had caught a cold.
“Ugh…… I’m dying. Has the sun already risen…? What time is it……?”
When I finally managed to lift my heavy eyelids, bright sunlight poured down beside my head. From the view outside the window, it seemed about time to get up.
“Haa, what good is the lounge being closed? The dorm supervisor works year-round……”
Complaining about my own fate, I forced myself to move. I barely managed to sit up on the edge of the bed. My body still needed more time to recover.
‘Hmm? Did Raylin leave first? When did she go?’
I leaned my back against the wall and looked around, but I was the only one left in the night-duty room.
“Haa, and I look like a total mess……”
As I glanced around, my reflection appeared in the window. My current appearance was practically wrecked. Haggard face, dark circles, and kiss marks all over my body. I looked like a succubus had drained every last drop of my vitality.
‘Last night was something else…… Just how many times did we do it?’
I couldn’t even remember properly because Raylin had kept me pinned down and squeezed dry all night. That aside, I needed to get up quickly. If I was any later, things could get bad. I should set the alarm and take another nap.
Thud, thud……!
Just as I stood up and approached the desk, something caught my eye.
“Huh? What’s this? A letter?”
Instead of checking the time, a small note on the desk stood out. It was a neatly folded piece of stationery.
Gulp……!
‘Don’t tell me this is from Raili again? Come to think of it, she did say she’d be here this week……?’
A chilling sensation ran up my spine. With this uneasy feeling, I couldn’t help but open the letter.
Rustle……!
“……?!”
When I unfolded it, the contents written inside were……