Chapter: 37
She couldn’t understand the intent behind the question.
If he had already read a book that supposedly contained everything about the Golden Dragon—though surely it couldn’t truly include everything, no matter what the author claimed—then why was he asking her?
That wasn’t to say she knew nothing.
In her previous life, she had seen a real Golden Dragon exactly once.
It was right after she had blocked the monster invasion on the front lines and defeated one of the Demon King’s commanders.
As she struggled to raise her utterly exhausted body, a dragon clad in golden scales that shone like the sun appeared before Jeanne.
Not only Jeanne, but every soldier present was struck dumb with shock. It was the first appearance of a Golden Dragon since King Charles had ordered one executed centuries ago.
There was no way it was a coincidence. As everyone braced themselves in tension, the Golden Dragon spoke first.
[There is no need to be so afraid. I have merely come to meet the one who bears my mother’s power.]
[Your mother?]
[The being you call the Goddess is also the one who created me, Jeanne Leclerc.]
Soon after, a light so intense it was hard to keep her eyes open poured forth from the massive dragon. Its form slowly shrank, transforming into a beautiful human with flowing golden hair. The figure was so stunning that it was hard to tell whether they were male or female.
[A Golden Dragon…]
[You are one who has inherited my mother’s power, so I shall grant you special permission to call me Orléans.]
[Orléans?]
[It is the name bestowed upon me by the Goddess.]
Learning the name of a Golden Dragon—one never recorded in any history book—left Jeanne both stunned and curious.
Why did you appear now?
At the very least, it was clear that the dragon harbored no hostility toward her or the soldiers.
[I must admit, it’s unsettling for someone who hasn’t shown themselves in centuries to appear so suddenly.]
[I could no longer stand by and watch as Harmageddon—the Demon King’s power—continued to grow.]
[Pardon?]
[I intend to stop Harmageddon by aiding you, who possess my mother’s power.]
Hearing Orléans’s answer, Jeanne felt no surge of emotion.
She was exhausted, and the ground around her was littered with the corpses of monsters and humans alike.
[…You say that now?]
Over the past few years alone, hundreds of villages had vanished from maps due to monster invasions.
If one were to pile up the bodies of soldiers, knights, and civilians slain by the Demon King’s army, it would easily form a mountain.
As despair deepened, people had cried out to the heavens.
Goddess, please save us.
Golden Dragon, judge the wicked.
[When people were begging to be saved, you blocked your ears—and now you show up late, offering help. Did you think I’d be grateful?]
[…]
[You should have appeared sooner! Then we could have saved so many more people!]
[…]
[Look properly! Look at the bodies of the soldiers and villagers here!]
Pointing at her fallen subordinates, Jeanne unleashed all the resentment she had been holding back at the Golden Dragon.
She wasn’t asking for an apology.
She just wanted something—even a flimsy excuse.
Why had a being recorded as nearly divine, one who was said to appear anywhere at any time, not stood on humanity’s side sooner?
It didn’t take long for her to realize the question was meaningless.
[I am not one who exists to protect humans. I merely chose not to remain a bystander to Harmageddon.]
The reply made it clear that no amount of protest would change anything. Jeanne’s vision went white, as if she had been struck hard on the back of the head.
[Ah. Is that so?]
Realizing she had wasted her emotions on something pointless, a hollow laugh escaped her. After chuckling bitterly a few times, her expression hardened, and she turned her back on the Golden Dragon.
[Then look elsewhere. There’s another child of the Goddess besides me.]
Whether Orléans went to Claude afterward, or said the same thing to him, Jeanne didn’t know.
That encounter was both her first and last meeting with a Golden Dragon.
“Honestly…”
Judge. Bystander. Orléans.
That was all Jeanne knew of the Golden Dragon.
“I don’t really know.”
The memories that surfaced briefly stung her heart, like salt rubbed into an open wound.
But she pretended nothing was wrong, shrugging casually.
“By the way, you just read that book yourself—why ask me?”
Jeanne closed the book and asked.
“Well, um… I was looking for records of the Golden Dragon’s judgments, but this book doesn’t go into detail. So I wondered if you might’ve learned something at the Royal Military Academy.”
“I see. But why are you looking for judgment cases?”
“Eh?”
She had asked without much thought, but Gaston visibly flustered.
Is that really something to be that surprised about?
Jeanne waited, puzzled, and after hesitating for a moment, Gaston finally spoke.
“Just… as someone who serves His Highness, I thought it would be good to know.”
The vague answer, paired with his awkward expression, made it obvious he was hiding the real reason. Still, she decided not to pry further—there had to be a reason for his secrecy.
It’s not like I’m that curious anyway.
She nodded as if taking him at face value, and Gaston slowly backed away, as if preparing to leave.
“Then I’ll be going. I have something to attend to.”
Lowering his voice, Gaston excused himself and left the library.
Left alone again, Jeanne pulled out books related to the Goddess and the Golden Dragon, starting with the one Gaston had handed her. Before she knew it, both arms were full of books.
Just one more, then I’ll sit down and read the rest.
She reached toward a book placed on a shelf higher than her height. It was wedged in tightly, making it hard to pull out.
She managed to extract it with effort, but a thin book beside it was dragged out as well, dropping to the floor with a dull thud.
As she bent to pick it up and return it, an open page caught her eye.
“…After creating two dragons, the girl was no longer lonely, and she said to them,
‘We’ll be together forever. Promise.’
The two identical dragons laughed brightly and nodded.”
Beneath the short, simple passage was an illustration of a silver-haired girl smiling alongside two golden dragons.
A children’s book should be on the opposite shelf, though…
Jeanne picked up the fallen fairy tale and flipped it over.
There was no title written anywhere.
It was an odd book, but her interest quickly faded, and she returned it to its original place.
Back at her seat, she opened the books she had gathered and began researching, wondering if the Goddess or the Golden Dragon might possess the power to turn back time.
Unfortunately, she found nothing of the sort.
At most, there were records of the temple’s history or instances where the Golden Dragon had appeared in Loren and Brienne.
I should probably give these to Sir Gaston.
As she continued reading, she glanced out the window and saw that the once-blue sky had been dyed crimson by the setting sun. The library would soon be closing, so she stepped outside.
She planned to return the next day, but having already read all the promising books, she wasn’t particularly hopeful.
Maybe I should just bring Father here for now.
She had joined the Loren Knights and had made her intentions clear to Alexis. There was no longer any reason to hide things from her father.
He probably wouldn’t be pleased. No matter the reason, she had deceived him and joined another knight order.
But what if events get pushed forward again, like with Megalodon?
She knew worrying about things that hadn’t happened yet was pointless.
She knew that—but she was afraid of losing everything again, powerless as before.
So she resolved to take the time to persuade him, until he understood her choice, until he opened his heart.
Just as she let out a heavy sigh, dark as the lengthening shadows—
“Lady Jeanne!”
She lifted her lowered head to see Iris running toward her. With a frantic expression, she said something Jeanne never expected.
“Your father has arrived.”
“…Who did you say?”
“He said his name is Jacques Leclerc. He came to see you.”
“……”
“That is your father, right?”
“Y-Yes… it is…”
She answered blankly, as if stunned.
“Fa… Father…”
How did he find out?
How did he come here in that condition?
Did he learn that I became a knight?
Was it a coincidence? No—that can’t be.
Her thoughts spiraled into chaos. Questions without answers poured forth endlessly.
“Why—what’s wrong?”
Iris grabbed her shoulders and shook her once.
“Is it really that surprising for your father to visit?”
Only then did Jeanne snap back to her senses. Iris didn’t know her circumstances, and as she said, family visits weren’t unusual.
“Where is he now?”
“In the knights’ reception hall.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
After thanking Iris, Jeanne hurried off at once.
