Dragons Have the Shittiest Tempers

Dragons were such assholes. It was all because of the finicky settings the game devs had slapped on them. Way back when, they'd piled on all sorts of grandiose bullshit like "preserving the world's balance" and whatever. And since they only showed up in the late game story, these bastards strutted around like they owned the place.

That was exactly why I hated dragons in the game. Sure, as a Baby Constellation, I'd been too low-level to do shit about them, but in the end, players always won.

Anyway. Dragons were assholes. The moment they got pushed out, unable to maintain balance, they'd burn their own lives just to fight the enemy in front of them. The problem was, not every dragon bore that massive responsibility, but they all had the same shitty personalities anyway.

Fine, fine. They were dragons, after all. Made sense, right? No, it didn't. From a player's perspective, finding a bigger gang of thugs was damn near impossible.

"Lizard dude, I swear I just came to talk."

-Grraaahh...!!

"You sent your kids to sucker punch me first."

The holy sword clashed with the breath attack. A few scuffles followed, but no matter how much mid-to-late game boss-level power these constellations had, they couldn't stand against me right now.

-How dare you, how dare you...!

The Lord of Dragons was bound tight in the chains I'd set, his presence restrained in this world by the power of the holy sword Secratis. Normally, he'd ditch his body and bail, but the holy sword's power to defy providence changed everything.

This is handy.

They hadn't done jack but watch, yet Star-Baby was chatting like they'd personally helped me out, all pleased with themselves.

"Now, let's talk."

I approached the massive dragon's snout smashed into the ground.

"Why'd you send the kids?"

By "kids," I meant the dragons that had scrammed before the Lord of Dragons could even possess one. The fire dragon, ice dragon, and so on—I'd confirmed their deaths via status window earlier. They might've been big shots in their territories once, but to me, they were all just lizards.

-Because their rage was justified...!

"What rage?"

-Your indifference to our world, your irresponsibility, and you even took one of our kin and abused her!!

Abused? What the hell was this nonsense? My head throbbed at the absurd word salad.

"We only have one dragon on our side—Kallisa. Why's that suddenly—"

Mid-sentence, an inexplicable unease hit me. This baseless fury from the Lord of Dragons, the one-sided beatdown. Our only connection was one devotee. Had something really happened?

"Kallisa."

-...!

And as if confirming my hunch, the Lord of Dragons reacted to the name from my lips.

-Don't you dare soil her name with that filthy mouth!

"Why not? She's our devotee now."

I grinned as I said it, and the Lord of Dragons trembled in rage. But it was fact. Kallisa, once of the dragons, had switched to our cult long ago and worked her ass off. Good ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠workers who were hot were always welcome.

-If only you, if only you didn't exist...!!

"Yeah, yeah."

Sorry, but Kallisa hadn't joined because of my sweet-talking. Sure, better benefits played a part, but the real, straightforward reason was the pressure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of her position.

'I don't want to be a guardian.'

Kallisa had been the strongest, most beautiful dragon, favored by the Lord of Dragons' incarnation. But she craved freedom. Unlike other free-spirited dragons, she'd been born different, showered with intense attention her whole life.

'Then don't.'

'...?'

In the game, Kallisa wanted freedom, and I gave it to her. In the cult, her stress never hit "severe" levels again. Meaning most of it had cleared up after switching sides.

What did that imply?

'They'd been working her like a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dog.'

Love and favoritism my ass—they'd forced her into tough roles despite her saying no.

I shoved the messy backstory aside for now and asked about the devotee at the center of it all.

"So, where's Kallisa now?"

From the Lord of Dragons' attitude and the situation, Kallisa hadn't shown up anywhere since I'd gone missing.

'I wanna see her too.'

Fan meetings with devotees always got my heart racing. Who could say no? Characters I'd babied and bonded with in-game, now real.

-How dare you mock me!!

The Lord of Dragons raged at my innocent question.

"Huh?"

-Not long ago, Kallisa's faint presence completely vanished. You know what that means!

Vanished. Her identity cut off. If dead, there'd be a signal. And it wasn't like she'd just blocked their comms out of spite—

I couldn't track her either.

As the two constellations reacted, devotees couldn't sever the link with their own power. If the world worked that easy, it'd be a clusterfuck of constellations scamming devotees and devotees scamming back. Once forged, the bond couldn't be broken lightly.

"Hey."

I dropped the politeness and called out the Lord of Dragons. Sensing the shift, the massive divine dragon bristled with caution.

"Where's Kallisa right now."

-If you don't know, who the hell would—!!

"I don't. That's why I'm asking. Don't wanna find Kallisa?"

-...!!

It hit me—this wasn't time for chit-chat. Another constellation was probably involved.

A dragon's heart wasn't just some pumping muscle. It was a primal energy source tied to a constellation's origin, setting them apart from other races. Their bones? Naturally infused with mana affinity, fetching astronomical prices on black markets. Blood, eyes, their very existence—revered as treasures. Even stripped of past glory and polymorphed into human form, their value endured.

Kallisa knew her worth all too well, that woman, that dragon. A warm smile always hid sly calculations, her moves dictated by what she deemed valuable. She had the credentials.

And now.

Bound head to toe, surrendering even the freedom she'd craved, committing to deep darkness. It proved her value now pointed to someone else.

"...My love."

Her cracked voice carried his name. The Absolute, Father God, her lord. The one who'd saved her from that vile group, granted her freedom. I'm still holding you in my heart. I don't resent you for leaving us. Just... let me cling to this sliver of hope.

Ahh, my lord. My lord.

"For you, I would—"

And one constellation watched such a Kallisa.

Why dragon flesh was prized treasure. A living dragon held potential to birth new magical possibilities.

-....

The watching constellation desperately blocked Kallisa's external links. Blinded her eyes to mana flow, bound her body to preempt any chances.

Hey, this right?

The Fleshless Prophet of Death asked him via the sacrifice's mouth, but even omniscient constellations couldn't know everything.

-The Backside World. Constellations' dreams and fantasies lay in a new world untouched by interference. That's why they'd planned to snag his devotee during the Absolute's absence.

'He can't harm his own devotee.'

And that devotee now wandered the sweet dream he'd arranged. A unique constellation ability: blurring reality and dream, granting unbreakable rest.

The bound Kallisa thought she'd surrendered freedom willingly, but no. Not just freedom—her very will. Now she'd become a satisfied subordinate, trying to harm her possessing lord without recognizing him.

"You. Ever tested against a holy sword?"

The Fleshless Prophet of Death pressed the dark constellation through the sacrifice's mouth, recalling the horror. Hurry with a plan, or we're both dead.

-Shut up.

Irritated, the constellation smashed the sacrifice's head.

-Crunch!

Blood sprayed; the headless body crumpled. Heavy silence fell.

-Your devotee is already corrupted. Once in the dream, they walk a path of no return.

The constellation's power planted divine force in the devotee's mind, turning her into a puppet. Even an Absolute couldn't save a devotee hit by their own divine power.

He resolved to push the plan forward. For his paradise.