Editor : Amethyst00



Starting at the entrance of Dragonia and retracing his memories, Leo arrived at an ancient ruin that reconstructed the former appearance of Dragonia.

“Black Rabbit. Are you saying this ruin is the place we should visit?” Aru, who had entered the deserted ruins, looked puzzled.

The students of Wisdom had already returned with Enkinas.

“This area is a bit complicated, so let me guide you.”

At that moment, Melina stepped forward.

“Since we’re here anyway, how about turning this into a field study?”

“I’m not too keen on that.” Aru shook her head.

“I said, how about a field study?”

“I told you, I don’t really…”

“We are doing a field study, right?”

“…”

Faced with Melina’s face suddenly inches from her own, Aru could only nod in defeat.

“I fully support it! These ruins are a prime example of the dragon race’s architectural beauty from the age of the gods!”

Drianna clenched her fists with enthusiasm.

“This is a chance to reinterpret that beauty with my own hands.”

“I mean this seriously: don’t. If you keep doing that, you might actually get cursed by the dragons.”

Aru advised earnestly, but Drianna didn’t listen.

Lunia clicked her tongue as she watched.

“No matter how you look at it, she probably needs to meet Dweno again.”

“If she does, Dweno might actually break her skull.”

“That’s exactly why I said it. It’d probably be for the best.”

Lunia was dead serious.

“Anyway, Leo, what are you trying to find here in these ruins?”

They’d followed Leo because he said he had something to do, but he hadn’t explained the exact purpose.

“I’m thinking of finding something Lysinas hid here in old Dragonia.”

“Something Lysinas left behind?”

“What?! Could it be a powerful divine artifact? That would be amazing!”

“Even if it’s not a divine artifact, if it’s something left behind by Lady Lysinas, it has to be extraordinary!”

Lunia and Chelsea raised their voices in excitement.

“What’s with the fun conversation?”

Suddenly, Aru popped her face between Lunia and Chelsea.

Lunia and Chelsea quickly played dumb.

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Aru squinted at them suspiciously.

“You two… you’re hiding a secret, aren’t you?”

“Not at all.”

The fact that Leo is the Hero of Beginnings, Kyle, is still a secret.

Even Aru can’t be told unless Leo himself reveals it.

“Black Rabbit! What secret are you hiding?!”

“Don’t pester Leo-oppa.”

“Yeah, look over here instead.”

Lunia started waving around some kind of weed like a puppy toy.

“You think I’m an idiot?!”

“Ugh, didn’t work.”

Lunia clicked her tongue, having failed to distract Aru.

Aru’s eyes lit up with fury.

“You think I’d fall for such a lame trick—”

Jingle—!

“Nyaa!”

Whap—!

As Leo pulled a keyring from his coat and jingled it, Aru instinctively swung toward it.

“…”

“…”

Lunia and Chelsea stared at Aru in exasperation.

“I said stop treating me like a damn cat!” Aru hissed and shook Leo violently.

Meanwhile, Drianna was busy examining the ancient architecture, paying no mind to the commotion behind her.

Melina smiled softly as she watched the group.

‘These kids are the future of the world.’

It’s not that she doubted Leo’s choice. Not exactly…

‘But… will they be okay?’

With a slightly worried look, Melina led the group into the interior of the ruins.

bl

Whoooosh—!

The group had arrived at a high vantage point within the Dragonia ruins that overlooked the entire city.

Before they knew it, night had passed and dawn was approaching.

“It’s almost morning already.”

“Yaaawn… We’ve probably seen most of the city now.”

“We’ve been walking these ruins all night…” Lunia muttered, arms crossed.

Aru yawned and rubbed her eyes, while Chelsea massaged her legs, shaking her head.

Leo stood slightly apart from the group, silently observing the scenery of Dragonia.

“What are you thinking about?” Melina cautiously asked as she approached.

“Old memories.”

Leo gazed over the flourishing Dragonia.

“Five thousand years ago, when I first came here, it was a living hell.”

“…”

“That was the first time I ever saw Lysinas show weakness.”

“Dragons love their homeland.”

Melina could understand how Lysinas must have felt back then.

“So I made a promise to Lysinas. That even if it took a lifetime, I’d help rebuild Dragonia.” Leo smiled bitterly.

“Well, in the end, we didn’t really accomplish much. But if she could see how Dragonia is thriving now, she’d be happy.”

“You two didn’t accomplish much? No way. The world today exists because of you great heroes.” Melina said firmly.

Leo nodded.

“Still, I’m surprised. Given Luna’s free-spirited nature, I thought she’d travel the world once peace was restored. But she decided to settle in Dragonia?”

Melina asked curiously.

Leo replied as if it was obvious.

“Like she’d ever settle down here. That lunatic had to revive the elves, remember? If she were still alive, she’d probably dump everything on Velkia and go gallivanting around the world.”

“Of course…” Melina nodded—then suddenly furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Wait, didn’t you say you helped Lysinas rebuild Dragonia?”

“I did.”

“And Luna traveled the world alone?”

Leo nodded again.

‘Wait… weren’t Leo and Luna lovers? Then why didn’t they stay together?’

Melina looked confused.

‘Is it just because they’re both such free spirits? Still, something doesn’t add up…’

If this was all true, then didn’t Leo and Lysinas seem more like the real couple?

As she stood perplexed, Leo, watching the sunrise, suddenly murmured:

“Yes. I remember now.”

“Pardon?”

“The location of Lysinas’s house. I just remembered it.”

Leo arrived at a small house.

The ruins had been reconstructed from Dragonia’s blueprints dating back to the Age of Calamity, so it was unclear who actually lived there.

Creak—!

Leo opened the door and stepped inside.

Clomp, clomp—

The group followed him in.

There was no furniture, but the room was small and cozy.

It had been faithfully restored to the style of the Age of the Gods.

“What is this place?”

Chelsea asked with a puzzled look. Melina glanced at Leo’s back and answered:

“This is believed to be the house where Lady Lysinas lived as a child.”

Everyone’s eyes widened.

“This is where the Wise Queen lived as a kid?”

“Incredible!”

“I can’t believe this place still exists! Dragonia really is something!”

Melina smiled at the excited students.

“Yes. Of course, it’s a reconstruction based on data from after the Age of Calamity. So it’s not the actual house she lived in. But this is the exact spot, rebuilt in the same way.” Melina calmly explained, though in truth, she was the most excited of them all.

‘Must maintain dignity… but still…’

She gazed around the house with trembling eyes.

This was the childhood home of the most respected dragon, the Wise Queen.

While everyone else looked around the house, Leo entered one of the rooms.

He knelt on the floor, brushing it with his hand, recalling the ruins from his memory.

‘Is it here?’

He felt a faint trace of magic—so subtle that only he could sense it.

Leo activated his mana.

A magic circle lit up on the floor.

It was a seal that only Lysinas could open.

But with Leo’s mana, imbued with the essence of Lysinas’s own, the seal responded immediately.

The sudden surge of magic startled the group, who rushed into the room.

“Black Rabbit, did you find something?!” Aru asked excitedly.

Leo reached into the magic circle.

Inside the subspace, he found a small wooden box.

He pulled it out.

Though 5,000 years had passed, the box looked just as he remembered, preserved in the subspace.

“Is this something Lysinas left behind?”

“A magic tome? Is it a magic tome?!”

“Open it, Leo!”

“Now, now, let’s calm down, everyone.” Melina chuckled at the girls crowding around Leo.

Though she desperately wanted to urge him herself, she held it in.

Leo opened the box.

Click—!

Inside was a thin shard resembling obsidian.

Chelsea blinked.

“What’s that?”

“This is… a dragon eggshell. A black dragon’s, in fact… Don’t tell me—?” Melina’s eyes widened.

“Lysinas’s hatching shell?”

“Huh?”

“You mean that survived all this time?”

If true, it was an incredible discovery.

As everyone stood in stunned silence…

Leo turned the shell over and smirked.

'There it is. The slave contract.’

A memory of Lysinas signing her name with that wicked, mischievous grin flashed through his mind.

“Hmm. It’s in Draconic.”

“What does it say?”

“It’s got the names of Kyle and Lysinas written in Draconic. Judging by the handwriting, Lysinas wrote her own name.”

Lysinas’s penmanship was fairly well-known due to the amount of knowledge she left behind.

“So then… did Kyle write his?”

Just as Drianna tilted her head at the name Kyle—

“I-it can’t be…?” Melina’s trembling voice rang out.

Everyone turned to her.

Lunia asked, seeing the shock on her face:

“Lady Melina, what’s wrong? Is it something special?”

“S-special? Y-yes… T-to us dragons, it’s… it’s very special.”

Melina’s voice quivered as she looked at Leo with an indescribable expression.

Leo frowned.

“What exactly is this?”

“In dragon tradition, writing your name on the egg you hatched from… it’s a binding contract between life partners.”

Everyone fell silent.

Chelsea stammered:

“S-so… this is…”

“I-if it’s authentic… then it’s a marriage contract between Lysinas and Kyle.”

Everyone’s faces turned pale with shock.

“What the hell?! This is a marriage contract?!”

“Black Rabbit! Don’t be so rude to Lady Melina!”

“Why are you freaking out so much?”

Aru and Drianna scolded the stunned Leo.

“It’s our dragon tradition. A custom passed down since the Age of the Gods.”

Hearing that, Aru protested:

“Hold on! Wasn’t Kyle in love with Luna? Then what’s this? A love triangle?! Are you saying Kyle two-timed?!”

“Hmm… if that’s true, then Kyle really was a scoundrel.”

Drianna muttered seriously, arms crossed.

Just recently, Luna, the Poet of the Star, had declared her love for Kyle.

And now a marriage contract between Kyle and the Wise Queen had surfaced.

This reality, beyond all imagination, fired up the girls’ fantasies.

“Wait. Then does that mean… Luna was the second woman?”

“Do you want to die, you stupid cat?! Who the hell are you calling second?! Want me to burn your entire brain?!”

“B-but! Isn’t it weird?! What the heck is going on?!”

As the situation spiraled deeper into chaos, Melina looked at Leo with conflicted eyes.

Eyes that once held pure respect now also carried a faint shadow of doubt.

Leo looked at Lunia and Chelsea.

Their eyes weren't much different from Melina’s.

Leo stared at the marriage contract in his hands, eyes trembling.

‘You insane lizard bastard… Of all the cons to pull, this is how you stab me in the back?!’