Chapter 3 Part 3

A dragon was drawn on the first page—its image stretched across the preface.

「Tiassat, with two massive horns; Harpax, with one; and Lux, with three. These are the three known dragons, all differing in size and shape. However, all of them are female and capable of bearing eggs.」

「Unlike Harpax, Tiassat has thick eyelids and an exceptional sense of smell. Known as the rain-bringing dragon, Tiassat’s scales are covered in soft spines and are white—though their reflective quality makes it impossible to define their color precisely.」

「Half-dragons created through the fusion of Tiassat’s scales and mana stones are docile and easily tamed, which is why most of the half-dragons in Tavalon are descended from Tiassat. They are named ‘Halftia’.」

The dragon was so enormous that she hadn’t seen its full form, but based on the book’s description, the dragon she saw was most likely Tiassat. The vivid sensation she felt atop Tiassat was far less distinct in the bedroom but grew clearer the farther she moved from the estate. At the command tower, Asung, the tingling in her fingertips was almost painful.

‘It depends on the location.’

She concluded that this power functioned differently depending on the space. She wanted to study it further, but… she became conscious of Boris beside her. The middle-aged knight, who seemed uninterested in anything but criticizing his master, occasionally failed to hide his sharp gaze. He paid close attention to what Melissa read, never missing a single movement. Her only truly private time was in her bedroom, and even that was guarded by sentries outside the door and windows.

She continued reading the thesis. It detailed the process of summoning rain over a dried dam using Tiassat, the amount of mana consumed, exact rainfall measurements, and the environmental impact in great detail.

「…The 16th head of the Bergritz family, Alexandro de Bergritz Rosciita Hakerion, became the first contractor in nearly a hundred years to command both Tiassat and Harpax…」

She rapidly flipped through the pages.

「Tiassat, Harpax, and Lux—all three dragons are encompassed by one: Harmonia. She is presumed to remain undiscovered within the Otherworld.」

Melissa had some knowledge of dragons. However, it was only now that she realized the dragon she had to kill—Harmonia—was the one that encompassed the others. The reason Harmonia had not yet been discovered was… because she still existed in the form of an egg.

‘The dragon egg Bright showed me was Harmonia’s.’

Harmonia. Whoever commands that dragon would also be able to control the others. But here lay the question—if dragons were immortal beings, why was Bright so certain Melissa could kill one?

「Harmonia, a dragon that embodies water, fire, and earth, is close to a deity. She obeys the words of her imprinted contractor and remains by their side until the end of their life.」

Obedience, or perhaps submission. Melissa suddenly wondered if dragons were defined as immortal simply because no one had ever witnessed one’s death. If she, the one Harmonia is imprinted to, were to command her to die… wouldn’t a dragon be able to die, too?

***

As Tiassat sliced through the sky, clouds gathered and rain began to fall. Rain poured onto the mountainous piles of monster corpses. Their flesh dissolved upon contact with the rain, leaving only bones behind. The ruins, darkened by the toxins of monsters, returned to their original color. The process of nature reclaiming itself carried a bleak mood.

Alexander, drenched in both blood and rain near the corpses, bit down on his cigar. A half-dragon, one of the Halftia, approached and spread its massive wings to shield him from the rain.

This operation had been a subjugation to clear the path to Rempran, a territory southwest of Tavalon. Once the ridgeline was cleared, claiming Rempran would only be a matter of time. Most territories around Tavalon were blocked by monsters, making subjugation an unavoidable prerequisite.

‘How tiresome.’

Kill, purify, kill again. He had been repeating this cycle for nearly ten years. It would have been ideal to wipe everything out in one swoop using the dragon, but dragons couldn’t fully leave the Otherworld. Even bringing one out briefly consumed the majority of his mana, and there were considerable side effects to forcing a dragon.

The side effect was this: the dragons’ wills would dig into his mind, dulling his thoughts and making him impulsive. Dragons were inherently destructive beings, and the half-dragons derived from them were no different. He recalled the day when an untrained half-dragon was loosed and ended up slaughtering all the sheep in a pasture.

He lit a calming cigar. As the bitter scent stabbed into his lungs, he pulled a letter from his coat. It was a report written by Boris. It detailed everything Melissa had done, and between the lines was a subtle warning: if he had any personal feelings for her, he should drop them early.

It took him a while to get through the sentences, as he ended up rereading the first line three times.

「Ms. Melissa visits the library almost daily. I’ve attached a list of the books she read, so please check separately.」

The list consisted mostly of texts about Tavalon and dragons.

「She is kind to those beneath her and courteous to those above—makes you think she’s far too good for someone like Franz. Still, she’s smart enough to control her husband and live well enough. At least, better than staying in Tavalon.」

“Is this a report or graffiti?” He chuckled dryly.

Knights, honestly—they seemed more interested in attacking him with pens than with swords. Still, the fact Boris was doing his job thoroughly meant Melissa must be struggling in her own way. Bright had surely given her some kind of directive. He could more or less guess what it was, but she was likely in turmoil, unable to see a step ahead.

Not long ago, even Tiassat had responded—however faintly—to Melissa. He had sensed it too. A human who could naturally resonate with a dragon… She was a kind of being long thought extinct.

Even this was surprising, but he couldn’t shake the suspicion that there was something more. The image of her innocently smiling face surfaced in his mind. Drawing deeply from his cigar, Alexander muttered,

“We ought to look into things ourselves.”

He summoned a few sentries and handed them a message from the letter case hanging from his belt.

“You’ll deliver this to our agents in Lua Territory. Don’t use carrier birds—it’s too dangerous. Go in person. Keep your identities hidden.”

Lua Territory bordered the Gallandia Barony. Gallandia had always been too insignificant to bother planting agents in, but the ones stationed in Lua would now move into Gallandia as soon as they received the message.

It was to investigate what kind of betrayal Melissa’s mother had committed twenty-some years ago. While they were at it, they’d gather information on Baron Gallandia’s current state.

From the sky came a dragon’s cry, flute-like in tone. It had seemingly finished dispensing all the rain. The dragon, which had been circling the skies, suddenly stopped midair, and a few soldiers held their breath. With a cry bordering on a screech, the dragon dove toward the ground.

Control had slipped.

Alexander dropped his cigar and raised a hand. As the mark on his hand ignited, a massive gate appeared instantly at his feet. The dragon, creating a storm in its wake, was sucked into the portal as if swallowed whole.

He did not lower his hand until the dragon’s entire body—including its tail—vanished inside. Blood dripped from between his clenched teeth.

“Sir.”

A knight who had been standing by approached and offered a cloth.

Alexander wiped his mouth absently and tossed the cloth to the ground.

Damn dragons.

Melissa wouldn’t be this unstable when handling one. No—she had to be more adept. She needed to justify the time and effort he had spent bringing her all the way to Tavalon.

The crumpled letter he had yet to finish reading remained clenched in his fist. He rubbed his brow and unfolded the paper to continue reading.

「She’s been practicing with a bow for the upcoming hunt for two days now. She can barely draw the string, so it’s been grueling, but I suppose there’s something to be said for doing it diligently every day.」

Aha. So she really was planning to catch even just one rabbit.

He recalled the way she had looked at him with those rabbit-like eyes, as if baffled by the entire idea.

「She’s getting her form down better by the day… but there’s still no real progress, so young Philip’s been watching over her.」

Philip—that would be Boris’s squire.

「Looks like Franz will be arriving within the week. Seems he took a ship. Someone ought to meet him, right? I mean, I hate the guy too, but isn’t he Melissa’s fiancé? We should at least keep up appearances.」

Tucking the letter away, Alexander yanked the reins of the half-dragon, Halftia. The beast, massive as a house, let out a low growl and bowed its head.

Useless creatures—unable to even fly unless they were on purified land.

With a cold grimace, he yanked the reins tighter, stepping on its neck and hoisting himself up into the saddle.

“Reception, my as$.”

He kicked the stirrup hard. With a loud cry, Halftia flapped its wings and soared through the rain-slicked sky.

***

Melissa had been diligently practicing her hunting.

It wasn’t much—just pulling back the bowstring with all her might—but the upcoming festival was the only chance she had to be outside the estate alone.

‘I have to at least pretend I’m hunting.’

It was her only opportunity. She’d be able to shake off Boris under the pretense of tracking game.

As she focused on pulling the string, she suddenly remembered sixteen-year-old Alexander carefully aiming a bow.

She had only seen it from afar, but the image was seared into her mind with crystal clarity.

The golden eyes fixed on the target, the long fingers pressing against his cheekbone, the shape of his hand—

And the fleeting moment when their eyes had met.

“Let’s try the woods today,” said Philip cheerfully, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Melissa nearly dropped the bow.

“Miss Melissa?”

“Ah, ah—sorry. I was just… thinking.”

“Your face is completely red. Do you have a fever, maybe…?”

Philip reached out, concern in his expression. The back of his hand touched her cheek.

Melissa flinched slightly but, thinking it was part of southern custom, made no protest.

“It’s nothing. Just a bit warm.”

“Here.”

He picked up an arrow and handed it to her, watching as she raised the bow again.

It was a high-quality bow used by knights, yet she struggled even to draw the string.

She seemed astonishingly weak.

And yet she saved me…

Philip swallowed dryly as he looked at her upright posture and elegant profile.

Currently, the territory was abuzz with rumors about Melissa.

For starters, she was set to marry Franz, which earned her the wary glares of the townsfolk and household staff alike.

Worse still, among the servants, gossip had begun spreading—

that she might also have a secret relationship with the lord.

Some even whispered she had used barbarian magic to bewitch him.

Complete nonsense.

Utterly ridiculous.