To the Light Dragon's Nest
After leaving Briant, we were staying at a mountain lodge at the foot of the snowy peaks.
There were simply too many points that needed settling before we could even think of climbing the mountain.
"Lin, Rewen—would you two stay behind at the lodge?"
"Wh-why?"
"Bern hyung and Rene noona's goal is to reach the nest at the summit, right? Maybe because I wouldn't be able to handle the environment up there?"
"That's true, but…"
"You could handle the snowy mountain just fine. But then Rewen would be left alone at the lodge. Besides, if too many humans show up all at once, it might put her on edge for no good reason."
"…Understood. Rewen and I will wait here for you, Master."
Lin nodded and readily accepted my suggestion.
It left a sour taste, like I was leaving them out, but there was no helping it.
Not long ago I had introduced my parents to Lin and Rene. This time the roles were completely reversed. Now I was the one who needed to make a good impression on Rene's mother—the Light Dragon.
Holden Kingdom might practice polygamy, but dragons were few in number. Odds were high they stuck to monogamy. Bringing other women along could create problems I didn't need.
"Thanks for understanding. We'll be back before you know it. Stay here with Rewen until then."
"Yes."
I carefully drew Lin's head closer and pressed my forehead to hers.
For a blind girl, touch spoke louder than any words.
Lin smiled bashfully, clearly pleased. Relief washed over me. I'd been half-afraid she might hate it.
"We'll be off, then."
"I pray for your safe return, Master."
"Be careful!"
With the siblings seeing us off, we started up the mountain path.
The classic snowy-mountain event: the summit climb. I was half-excited, half-worried about whatever waited for us this time.
According to Rene, a barrier covered the mid-slopes of the snowy mountain. Only living beings with dragon blood could pass through it from the air.
That meant I couldn't simply hop on her back and soar straight to the nest the way I usually did. If we tried, Rene would sail through without a hitch—while my body would be flung out by the barrier and sent plummeting.
For a human like me to reach the Light Dragon's nest, climbing on foot was mandatory.
"But you don't actually need to climb with me, do you?"
"What are you talking about?! Bern-nim, you don't even know where the nest is! How could I go ahead of you? I have to stick right by your side and guide you so you don't get lost!"
"I could just put a tracking spell on you beforehand…"
"Do you not want to be with me, Bern-nim?"
Rene looked up at me with teary eyes, voice trembling. I hurriedly shook my head.
"It's not that I don't want you with me. I just wanted to set your mother's mind at ease as soon as possible."
"You don't need to worry about that! Mother would have sensed us the moment we set foot on the mountain."
"Then shouldn't she come down to meet us?"
"She hasn't been away from the nest for very long, so she probably thinks I just ran away rather than got kidnapped. She's almost certainly sulking hard right now."
The gulf between human and dragon lifespans was enormous. A dragon's sense of time would be just as different. One human year might feel like a single day to them.
The Light Dragon only went completely berserk two years from now, so the theory had a decent amount of weight behind it.
"Either way, we have to walk up ourselves?"
"Unless Mother comes down in person, yes."
"Haa…"
Once again, nothing was going to be easy. As always, a bothersome trial was waiting for me.
"Sorry, but I'm not planning on taking this like a leisurely date. I want to climb straight to the nest without stopping. That okay with you?"
"Of course."
"Good. Then lead the way."
"Leave it to me!"
I adjusted the scabbard at my waist so I could draw Frach at any moment, then followed Rene as she broke into a run across the snowfield.
High-speed ascent, commence.
The first major obstacle was a pack of Blizzard Bears living at the foot of the northern snowy mountains.
Each stood over five meters tall, their entire bodies covered in fur made of ice. Temperamentally vicious, and those razor-sharp glacial claws were nothing to laugh at.
They were the reason countless people who had tried to climb the mountain without knowing better had died. Northern warriors had challenged them in droves only to end up dead themselves. Not an opponent to take lightly.
"Rene, always watch your back."
"Yes!"
"Grrraaagh!"
"Grrraaaaaah!!"
Crack—!
Rene's reverse kick slammed into a Blizzard Bear. Cracks spiderwebbed across its body as it staggered backward. Seeing their companion bleeding from the mouth and moaning in pain, the rest of the bears that had been hanging back charged as one.
But Rene, who stood near the pinnacle of her species, and I, contracted to Frach, were not so easily overwhelmed.
[A mere magic beast dares to make such a racket before this body? How insolent.]
Without even being asked, Frach lit up her runes and unleashed her power. The characters that usually glowed pure red now burned a deep, dark crimson.
What are you doing?
[Since the opportunity presents itself, let us freely test the newly unlocked ability.]
Not a bad idea.
Grrraaaaaagh—!!
The Blizzard Bears began thrashing and twisting in agony. Their bodies, once tinged blue, suddenly flushed red—then one after another they burst apart.
Blood Explosion.
The fundamental technique of Blood Magic, which used blood as its medium. The very magic that had once made the Vampire Lord a terror of the battlefield.
Whether it was a pool of blood on the ground or the vessels inside a living body, as long as there was blood, it could be detonated. With performance that absurd, Blood Magic barely needed any clever applications.
…With just Blood Magic, fighting entire armies would be possible.
[Of course! The Dwarf King himself declared this body a weapon that could shake the world. There are still countless abilities I have yet to show my Contractor—do not be so easily impressed already.]
Somehow I get the feeling finishing you would be a disaster.
[There is no need to complete this body if you do not wish it. However, polymorph at the very least is absolutely…!]
I get it, I get it. Enough.
Polymorph this, polymorph that. Day and night. Even though Blood Magic was clearly the superior ability, Frach remained fixated on polymorph. At this point it was a full-blown obsession.
"Over twenty Blizzard Bears in a single stroke… Bern-nim is still so strong! You might even be able to match my mother!"
"That's a bit of a stretch, no matter how you look at it."
"Maybe not right now, but someday you might surpass her! I don't think that's an exaggeration at all!"
"R-really?"
If I completed Frach, maybe I could go toe-to-toe with a dragon—or even a fully grown Kang Junhyuk?
The mental image made me grin for a second before I violently shook my head.
Get a grip. My goal isn't to get stronger—it's to be happy. I can't lose sight of the real objective just because I get drunk on power.
"I appreciate the praise, but try not to say things like that where your mother can hear. Depending on who listens, it could sound pretty disrespectful."
"Yes!"
Even after the mild scolding, Rene beamed and threw her arms around mine. Her eyes were overflowing with respect and affection.
She clearly wanted me to grow even stronger. If I surpassed the Light Dragon, I could override her mother's objections. That was probably why she had unconsciously used her own mother as the measuring stick.
[I do all the work, yet the Contractor receives all the praise… How melancholy.]
I just think it's still too early to introduce you properly.
[Hmm. Very well. Then if the Contractor praises this body in their stead, I shall let it pass.]
I'll do it once we're back down the mountain.
[It's a promise! Should you forget, this body will not forgive you!]
I ignored Frach's furious ranting and resumed the climb.
The second obstacle was an avalanche pouring down from the summit. I answered it with a mixed wind-and-fire spell that generated an extreme heat gale.
The third was the Ice Wraiths dwelling in the crevasses. Normally they would have required holy power, but Frach's necromancy brought them to heel.
There were other hardships along the way, yet for Rene—who stood near the apex of her kind—and for me, who wielded Frach, none of them proved particularly difficult.
Only five hundred meters left. Just a little farther and we would reach the Light Dragon's nest—when it happened.
"Kh…!"
Suddenly a crushing killing intent flooded the entire area. My whole body shuddered. It was heavier and sharper than any murderous aura I had ever felt.
I bit down on my lip, using the pain to fight the instinctive terror, and slowly raised my head.
"My daughter was taking so long to return, so I came down for a look… and what exactly is this?"
An overwhelming gaze looked down on us from the open sky. A dragon vast enough to blot out the sun hovered there, quietly seething with rage.
"Human child. Explain to me why my precious daughter's horn is broken."
"Th-that's…! Ugh…!"
I wanted to offer some excuse, but the killing intent stabbing through my body left me unable to form a single word.
If I completed Frach, I might be able to fight her as an equal?
Arrogant nonsense. What good was a completed Frach if the body that served as its foundation couldn't even withstand the pressure?
I berated my past self for ever entertaining such foolish hope and clung desperately to the fraying thread of my reason. If I relaxed for even a second, I was certain I would faint on the spot.
"If you will not speak willingly, then I shall—"
"Mother, stop!"
"Rene?"
The Light Dragon's gaze shifted to her daughter, and the crushing weight on my body lessened.
"Bern-nim is my savior and the man who will become my husband! How can you treat him like this?!"
"That child is your savior and… h-husband?"
"Yes! While you were away, I was kidnapped by demons—and he rescued me magnificently! That was when I fell in love with him!"
"Then your horn was the work of those demons?"
"Yes!"
"…"
Just as we had agreed when we first met, Rene lied beautifully. Thanks to her, the murderous aura that had been pouring onto me vanished completely.
I finally managed to draw a ragged breath.
Meanwhile the Light Dragon beat her wings and landed before us.
"I apologize, human child. I made a shameful assumption and did something unforgivable."
"I-it's fine. Your daughter suffered a terrible humiliation—of course a mother would be furious."
"Even so, to treat my daughter's savior so outrageously… Hmm?"
The Light Dragon had been solemnly bowing her head in apology when she suddenly cut herself off. Her eyes flew wide open and she stared at me as if she had seen a ghost.
Was something wrong with me? After being crushed by her presence once already, I couldn't help tensing up again.
"How can you possess the exact same color of soul as the one who left…?"
The Light Dragon murmured something incomprehensible. A single sentence, yet my heart began hammering wildly. I had no idea what she intended this time, and that made her infinitely more terrifying.
I clung to Rene's hand like a lifeline. Had she ever felt this reliable before?
While I stared at Rene in wonder, the Light Dragon—who had maintained a long silence—finally turned her head toward her daughter and bowed deeply.
Rene's voice rose another notch.
"Mother! You should be apologizing to Bern-nim, not me…!"
"Daughter… would you mind sharing your husband with this mother of yours?"