~Chapter 103~
When our eyes met, Calix smiled softly. His gaze was full of affection, as if no matter what happened, he would always take my side.
But I could tell something bothered him. He was clearly thinking about what Prenia had said earlier. Others wouldn’t notice, but to me it was obvious—his eyebrow twitched slightly.
Still, he tried so hard not to show it. That effort alone made me proud of him.
‘Too kind for his own good.’
Well, that was fine. As long as he was kind to me, wasn’t that enough?
Looking at his handsome face reminded me of something I had forgotten.
‘First, I need to take back what’s mine.’
I gestured toward Prenia.
“Hand it over. My ring.”
“……”
She hesitated but, surprisingly, gave it back without much resistance.
‘I thought she’d refuse.’
It seemed she believed the ring was necessary to sever the bond with the dragon.
I looked down at it in my palm. Only a few days had passed, yet it already felt strangely unfamiliar in my hand.
Prenia, unable to hold back her curiosity, asked,
“How did you enter here without the ring?”
“I can open it without one.”
Her breath escaped in disbelief.
“Then… that means…”
But then her face lit up in sudden realization.
“From the very beginning… you gave me the ring for this reason, didn’t you?”
I stayed silent.
“You wanted me to come here and kill the Emperor. That’s why you let her in as well…”
She muttered like she was piecing the puzzle together.
“You wanted me to kill her here without anyone knowing, didn’t you?”
I neither confirmed nor denied it. There was no reason to give her assurance when she already knew the answer.
“I thought the guards at the entrance were strangely lax… and even when you had chances to fight back, you didn’t.”
She narrowed her eyes.
“You lured me here to kill me, didn’t you?”
I replied honestly, without hiding it.
“That was my plan then. Not anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Killing you now would only benefit the prince.”
“……”
Her face twisted in humiliation.
“So you’re sparing me because of him? That’s degrading.”
“Then go die if you’d like.”
That wasn’t me—it was Calix who spoke, his voice cold.
“If you don’t want to leave here alive, we can grant that wish.”
“Wait, Calix—”
“Yes, Rena?”
I had only called out in surprise, but he turned immediately, smiling at me. My heart pounded wildly—not from love this time, but from fear.
‘He’s doing this on purpose…’
I should have sealed Prenia’s mouth earlier.
Just as I was debating if I should silence her now, she muttered,
“…It doesn’t matter.”
“Hm? What doesn’t?”
To my surprise, she actually answered.
“Whether you tried to kill me or Adrian abandoned me—it doesn’t matter. As long as I get the dragon.”
‘Oh?’
I tilted my head.
“You still haven’t given up.”
“Of course not.”
She smirked.
“You’re too stupid to understand the dragon’s true value…”
“……Stupid?”
Calix and I flared up at the same time. But she cut us off and suddenly asked me,
“Do you know why the Emperor desperately craved the dragon?”
I blurted out without thinking.
“Uh… to conquer the world? To destroy mankind?”
She let out a scoff.
“Wrong. The Emperor…”
At that moment, Calix suddenly pulled me tightly into his arms, glaring fiercely at Prenia.
“Why do we need to know her reasons?”
“……”
“I don’t care. And we don’t need to care.”
In his arms, I nodded. He was right. Even if we learned the truth, nothing would change.
But why was Calix reacting so strongly?
Prenia ignored him and continued anyway.
“The Emperor was sick.”
“…Sick?”
“A hereditary illness. It often appeared in the royal family.”
I glanced at Calix and instantly realized—he already knew.
‘Since when has he known this?’
I’d have to question him later.
Prenia sneered.
“She thought the dragon would cure her. Every night she screamed in hysteria, and it was common gossip among the maids.”
“……”
“Only a sorcerer can handle the dragon, yet she still believed…”
I nodded slightly.
‘So that’s why.’
It didn’t make me pity her, nor did I want to forgive her. But at least her obsession had some reason behind it.
Still, I asked,
“And so what?”
Why was she telling me this?
Prenia snapped impatiently,
“Don’t you get it yet? The dragon is powerful enough to erase an illness that plagued generations!”
“Ah…”
Her eyes burned as she declared,
“The dragon shouldn’t rot in this dungeon. It should be used for something greater—by someone great like me!”
“…I’m great too, you know.”
I muttered under my breath, but she didn’t hear. Her gaze was locked on the dragon.
“That’s mine.”
“…No, it’s mine.”
“I came all this way for it. I won’t leave empty-handed.”
“You didn’t exactly come empty-handed… you left the Emperor like that.”
At my words, Prenia suddenly shouted,
“That wasn’t me!”
Her blazing eyes bore into me.
“I wanted to kill her myself!”
I reminded her calmly,
“Didn’t you already know? Anyone without magic goes mad just by entering here.”
“Of course I knew! But I thought she’d last until I came. I wanted to finish it with my own hands. How could I have known she’d lose her mind so quickly?”
“…Scary.”
She said it so casually, as if eager to savor the kill.
Clearly, she would never give up until her last breath.
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
There was only one solution.
‘She’ll never give up. Better to just drive her out.’
I waved my hand dismissively.
“Conversation’s over. Leave now.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Didn’t you hear me? I said I won’t leave without the dragon!”
“Then try. If you can.”
Of course, she couldn’t.
Her face darkened, burning with rage. She shook with fury, as if deeply insulted.
Without warning, she raised her hand.
“Eh?”
Boom!
A boulder crashed against my barrier and shattered.
She really attacked.
And then, without pause, she continued.
Ice rained from above—dissolved before it touched me.
Arrows shot through the air—curved away mid-flight.
Vines surged from the ground—withered before they reached me.
Wind like blades sliced toward me—but not a single hair of mine was touched.
