Chapter 169……………………………………….
“Chosen by the Guardian Deity?”
Of course, I didn’t think that was entirely a lie.
The paladin, Rubleon, possessed extraordinary power, and most of the Empire’s people boasted that he was special because he had been chosen by the gods.
In a similar sense, it wouldn’t be wrong for the people here to say that they, too, had come after being chosen by the Guardian Deity.
“Not a prophetic dream, but an actual selection. How intriguing.”
This place was the castle of the Black Dragon, secretly managed by the royal family.
To outsiders, it was called a temple, but in reality, it was a place where followers of the dragon gathered.
Of course, they wore the robes of temple attendants, and the reason for that went back to the First Emperor.
The First Emperor had hidden the fact that he had made a contract with the dragon from the entire world.
If word got out, he wouldn’t be seen as an emperor but branded a witch and killed.
So the story of the dragon’s love was invented.
Of course, the dragon did love the First Emperor—but it wasn’t human love.
It was love manipulated to bind him with merciless chains.
‘I thought dragons, who despise humans, would never love…’
To Kyle, the Empire was a disgrace of the dragons.
A foolish dragon blinded by love had hidden itself, living its entire life under the title of “Guardian Deity.”
Even seeing the death of the human it loved, it could not leave the Empire and spent the rest of its life tending to it while mourning the human it had killed.
And the story ended with the dragon unable to bear the pain, taking its own life. How could such a story ever seem beautiful?
If it had ended there, it wouldn’t have been so revolting.
The fact that the responsibility had been passed down, forcing successive generations to tend the Empire, was pitiful. This was why this place was not a particularly pleasant one for Kyle.
Other dragons had spoken of wanting to experience eternal love at least once before death, but Kyle was different.
He never wanted to be blinded by love and hand over the reins to a human.
‘It’s impossible from the start. The moment a dragon loves a human, its “eternal” love can no longer be eternal.’
The love they called eternal was obviously false. Humans were far too fragile compared to the long life of a dragon.
Humans disappeared from the world as if they had never existed, leaving only descendants who resembled them behind.
To love such humans was to love something fleeting.
“It’s miraculous to meet the Guardian Deity again in my lifetime. I’m just so glad it feels like a miracle.”
The human, unaware of his true self, seemed to still believe that a dragon’s love for a human would lift the Empire to greatness.
Kyle glared at the man with white hair and a notable beard, then averted his gaze. Whether he touched him or not, the man’s lifespan would end today or tomorrow.
“A miracle, huh.”
As Kyle strode into the prayer hall, the priests waiting inside bowed deeply with arms outstretched, faces full of awe.
What they desired was called the peace of the Empire, but Kyle still didn’t truly understand what that meant.
If peace meant living according to one’s own desires, then peace itself was selfish.
“I first saw the Guardian Deity when I entered the temple, so it’s been exactly fifty years since I last saw you. Of course, for the Guardian Deity, it must feel like a short time.”
The priest chattered excitedly, reminiscing.
For a dragon, fifty years wasn’t exactly short, but compared to humans, it was negligible, so Kyle didn’t dispute it.
Then, the face of the young Elupe Inferna suddenly came to mind.
‘Will Elupe look like this after fifty years?’
Humans became adults in a short time and aged just as quickly.
If Elupe Inferna ever became an old woman like the priest before him…
He didn’t even want to imagine it.
Not because he disliked imagining her face aged, but because he hated accepting that she would someday leave this world.
Even as a mere hypothesis, just thinking about it made his chest feel heavy, and that irritation was unpleasant.
“They say you had an engagement ceremony in the capital? I never imagined such a great event would happen in my lifetime. I even dared to wonder if a new emperor might be born…”
At the priest’s words, Kyle felt as though he’d found the reason why he hesitated to reveal his true feelings.
Seeing Elupe Inferna made his heart race uncontrollably. Looking at her clear face, he often felt an urge to take her in his arms and hold her close.
Yet he never expressed these feelings. The reason was simple.
“……”
‘Are humans’ ambitions truly endless?’
The dragon’s bond with the First Emperor should have ended long ago.
With the death of the mad dragon obsessed with love, the contract could have been considered fulfilled.
Yet the mad dragon entrusted this place to Kyle, its human descendant.
And humans began to feel uneasy.
Why?
Because a dragon who didn’t love humans was protecting the Empire.
“We, who know the story of the First Emperor and the former Guardian Deity, knew that one day the Guardian Deity would create a new history, just as they had. Though we did not expect it would take so long, we believed.”
Kyle scoffed.
Humans had guessed at his love without knowing it themselves—it was foolish.
At the same time, he felt a sense of self-destruction, as if he’d been tricked by human cunning.
In the end, just as humans predicted, he had taken a human to heart.
“Ridiculous. To reveal ambition to revive the Empire by using the heart of a dragon.”
A mere handful of human lives shaking a great dragon, all through fragile love.
Kyle’s gaze grew cold.
We ate the temple meal in silence.
Seeing Kyle’s seemingly angry expression made it difficult to eat; my throat felt blocked.
Eventually, I couldn’t finish my meal and set down my fork to look at Kyle.
“Did something happen?”
“…Not really.”
“You don’t look well. If this temple makes you uncomfortable, you don’t need to stay for my sake.”
I said this because the priests’ expressions toward Kyle seemed unusual.
As if confirming my intuition, Kyle’s red eyes turned to me. When they met mine, as if asking whether it was okay, I felt relieved.
‘He’s not mad at me.’
“There’s no need to show up in a carriage. I’m quite a capable magician myself.”
‘Even if I am a dark magician.’
Kyle gave me a puzzled look. I lifted my knife and pressed it into my palm.
Blood pooled immediately, and I clenched my fist to draw more freely.
“El!”
Startled, Kyle rose as I created a duplicate of both of us.
Seeing figures identical to us, Kyle’s eyes widened.
“What… is this?”
“It’s nothing compared to your magic. It’s called a shape, a dark magic. Usually it requires many materials, but I can make it with just my blood. Lucky, isn’t it?”
If I didn’t have this skill, I might have ended up embarrassed while pulling Kyle’s hair.
Kyle, staring at me silently, followed my gaze to my hand.
“Do you really need to solve things using blood?”
“Well, this shape can stay here, so one problem is solved.”
I smiled lightly, but the next problem remained.
Kyle approached and grasped my bleeding hand firmly, biting his lip in frustration.
“You didn’t have to go this far because of me.”
“I just wanted to help, don’t worry.”
“How can I not worry? You’re bleeding right in front of me. I should be the one bleeding instead.”
Angry Kyle was incredibly… sexy.
I knew admiring him in this situation was strange, but it was impossible to resist—it was exactly my type.
I caressed Kyle’s head with my uninjured hand and smiled, showing that I was fine.
“Since we’re engaged, we should protect each other. I don’t want you bleeding or sacrificing yourself for me.”
“…El.”
For some reason, Kyle’s voice sounded pitiful.
I felt the need to set boundaries.
We were not in love merely because we were engaged.
“If it’s not mutually beneficial, we never had a reason to be together. So, don’t hesitate to tell me when I’m not of benefit to you.”
This wasn’t really for Kyle.
It was to prevent my feelings from deepening.
Instinctively, I knew falling deeper for Kyle would be dangerous.
