Contracting the White Gold Dragon, Meirina

The first thought that crossed my mind upon seeing Meirina, the White Gold Dragon, was that she was some kind of deviant with twisted desires. A dragon falling in love with a human? Does that even make sense? To put it bluntly, it's like a human getting aroused by a dog. That alone made me thoroughly dislike her from the start.

But I'm magnanimous. Broad-minded and understanding. I was willing to overlook a flaw like that to some extent. Yet here she was, charging at me without knowing a thing—a mad dragon. A deviant with noticeably low intelligence on top of it. It was only natural that I didn't like her. Which meant my favor toward this Einhardt fellow was pretty damn low too.

...Well, it's not like there's enough history there for favor to even build up.

In truth, there wasn't much I could know about Einhardt. At best, he'd led that useless bunch called the expedition team, showed up briefly in front of my lair, then turned tail. And he carried the auras of numerous "blessings" from the gods—that was the extent of my memories related to him.

Yet it was those very people who...

The gods targeting them? I couldn't wrap my head around it. White Gold Dragons are strong, sure, but not enough to have built up any real "divinity rank." Assuming she clashed with the dragon hunters who'd even fought ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Leviathan, she'd probably wage a grueling battle for days before barely scraping by with a win—or a loss. In other words, there was zero reason for the gods to target her.

What about Einhardt, then? He didn't have that vibe now, but thinking back to when he came to my lair... He was infused with the auras of blessings from multiple gods. Meaning he was, in his own way, favored by them. I couldn't understand why they would target someone like that.

"In truth, a priest of Verinal tried to recruit me. It seemed like they were gathering a new expedition to kill you."

And with that, Einhardt answered my unspoken question.

"Verinal probably harbors intense hostility toward you. After all—"

"...Yes, that's right."

Verinal. That name again. Lately, I'd noticed that anyone tied to the elves was sly as hell—no tales of them upholding faith or honor. Wasn't it their own fault for failing to manage their creations properly in the first place? Self-inflicted wounds, plain as day, yet here they were pulling this crap. No matter how I sliced it, Verinal was an evil god. Crushing the elves en masse had clearly been the right call. Seeing the Draconic Elves' behavior next to theirs just confirmed it.

Still, since Verinal had already made his move, I had a duty to track down his priest and exact that "price."

"Hmm, Verinal is the creator of the elves, but also the God of Life. As the God of Life, he has a ton of followers."

Leviathan shot back at Einhardt as he spoke.

"So, in other words, impossible to pinpoint."

"...My guess is he's from Aidon. The accent matched."

"Wasn't that your country too?"

"...Yes, it was."

Aidon again. Most of my problems stemmed from that damn place. The kingdom that dragged me out into the world, never letting me rest even for a moment. A deep-seated urge to burn Aidon to the ground bubbled up from the pits of my soul.

But I'd caught something crucial in the conversation just now.

"Y-Yes... that's right."

He'd been the expedition leader. And if he was from Aidon, then the expedition must've been sent by them too. They'd already backed off once, yet here they were gearing up for another? Clearly suicidal, begging to die sooner rather than later.

But before that...

I needed to test him. An Aidon native whose wife bared fangs and claws without question. A man Verinal's priest had tried to recruit. They could turn on me anytime without it being strange. No matter that this White Gold Dragon was Leviathan's acquaintance—some lines couldn't be crossed.

"Th-That's not it. After that expedition, I truly did nothing—"

I bellowed over Einhardt's protests, my voice laced with threat.

"Y-Yes...?"

I said, slowly closing in on him. Meirina moved to block me, but...

I laid down the stern warning and pressed Einhardt again.

"... "

Einhardt fell silent for a moment. Fear seemed to grip him; he bowed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his head without a word. But the silence didn't last.

The air grew thick with the stench of sulfur, as if ready to kill him right then and there. Sensing it, he lifted his head.

—Clank.

He removed his armor.

—Thud.

He shed his upper garments. And there, etched into his arms, back, and abdomen—letters remained even in my memories.

Rune script was carved into him.

"I don't particularly believe in gods. I merely... 'swore'."

I knew his words rang true. He hadn't been empowered by divine election.

Those who grew strong through oaths to themselves. Forsaking much in exchange for power via self-suggestion akin to magic. Einhardt seemed to be one—a paladin.

"I swore 'not to tolerate injustice,' 'to do good,' and... 'not to stand by evil deeds.'"

He dressed again as he spoke, his voice heavy with deep regret or loss.

"But honestly, now... I don't know anymore."

"You might've been a calamity in the past, but at least when I came to you, you weren't one."

His eyes held sincere truth—bold, unfeigned honesty. I didn't mind Einhardt carrying that air.

"There, I felt my life threatened, yet you'd committed no evil for nearly 200 years."

Perfect logic. If the outside world hadn't poked the bear first. If they'd just let me sleep...

Things wouldn't have escalated like this. He knew it all too well.

"So what justification is there to harm you? Because you might turn evil someday? Because you're in some apocalypse prophecy? Or because you're truly a 'calamity'?"

"Einh... "

Meirina had shifted from dragon to human form. She approached and embraced him.

"...Red Dragon. I don't know how 'oaths' work for you, but to the heavens above, you're 'evil.' So retreating before you broke Einh's oath, essentially. ...Yeah."

Now it clicked—why he was weaker than before, why no godly scents clung to him. He'd likely received "general blessings" from the priests accompanying him before entering my lair. Mixed with his oath's aura, that's what I'd sensed as multiple gods.

Still, a paladin's physical prowess didn't vanish. That Verinal priest must've wanted to exploit it.

That's when a plan hit me. If the old oath was broken, just forge a new one, right?

"...Pardon?"

"...!"

I stared down at him more intensely than ever. Spells I'd never bothered with before flashed in my mind. Something stirred in my golden eyes—potent mana from my heart infusing them... my voice.

"...You're saying you'll recarve this 'oath' for me?"

"N-No, don't...! How can you just take the Red Dragon's word—"

I solemnly declared to her, clinging to Einhardt and trying to stop him.

Dragons do not speak falsehoods. At least, not me.

Having heard that much, Einhardt bowed his head. Like a knight kneeling before his king, he curled in quietly.

"...I wanted a peaceful life. To escape swinging swords and spilling blood."

He turned to Meirina.

"But they won't leave me be. They came to our quiet village to threaten me. They're still plotting to capture me and my wife."

"...Einh."

"I'll follow your will. To ensure they never hunt me again, I'll punish them with the sword."

I liked his declaration. His flickering runes stood out sharper in my eyes.

"...If that's Einh's will, I'll follow you too. You're definitely different from the old Red Dragon. And dragons don't lie."

I clicked my tongue at the pair, moving to fully shatter the oath binding his body. For the "contract."

—Roarrr...!!!

"Grrraaah...!!"

His entire body erupted in flames. It scorched his skin, leaving eternal burns. Yet the runes faded, his old oath turning to ash in an instant.

The blaze consuming him finally died down.

New letters etched into his flesh, sealing that he was now fully mine.

"Hah... hah..."

—Thud.

Einhardt endured the agony but finally collapsed. I turned from him to Meirina and spoke.

"...Got it. Red Dragon. Looking forward to working with you."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Yeah, cool. Wasn't planning on it originally, but not a bad haul."

With that, I took to the skies. For my vengeance. And for mine own. Plenty left to do.

Meirina watched the departing Red Dragon, lost in deep thought.

'The Red Dragon has definitely changed.'

Because he was vastly different from the one she knew. The old him would've killed her already. And Einhardt, tied to her, would've been as good as dead.

But now... he was different.

'Still arrogant and overwhelmingly powerful. But...'

Even more ruthless. He didn't miss opportunities. The Red Dragon hadn't been this suspicious before. He'd reveled in destruction and chaos as "efficient." Yet now, he was like a tyrannical enforcer of order.

That made Leviathan's stance make sense.

'...Leviathan. You wanted to make a king.'

Meirina met Leviathan regularly, sharing stories. With few dragons wandering the human world, their chats were frequent. And Leviathan always spoke of wanting a Dragon King.

Humans growing stronger. Dragons turning into prey. Maybe an overwhelming existence like him was needed to fix it all.

'...If this is Einh's will, I need to prepare too.'

She steeled herself. For Einhardt. And for the Red Dragon he'd follow.

She'd do every preparation she could.

'The White Gold Dragons. Will they heed my call?'

He needed allies—whether Red Dragon or Einhardt. The Red Dragon seemed averse to acting directly. He needed limbs for that. And for Einhardt's safety, comrades were essential too.

With Einhardt on her back, she set off. Before heading to the Red Dragon's lair, she had a stop: her kin in the north. To propose they emerge into the world once more.

Northward she flew.

...Of course.

"...You used up all your mana erasing that oath, huh."

"...You could've just taken the one White Gold Dragon. Why go that far? Oaths are like world laws—changing them costs big."

"...Changed or not, that nasty personality's still there."

The Red Dragon just wanted to sleep, pronto.