Chapter 1
O Saint of the dragon.
O reviver of magic.
When you and the Guardian appear, the world of magic shall return.
However, O Saint, beware the Guardian.
The Guardian is one who commands mana.
Like a merciless god of magic…
— From an ancient manuscript discovered in an abandoned temple —
❀ ❀ ❀
Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
A luxurious carriage, escorted by several knights, cut across a country road.
Inside the carriage, a pale-faced beauty looked out the window.
“Is that it?”
“We still have a bit farther to go, Your Highness.”
The woman, called “Your Highness,” leaned weakly against the window with a ghostly complexion.
“Ugh, just say that’s it… I feel like I’m going to die…”
“Your Highness, no one dies from motion sickness. Please bear with it a little longer.”
“I feel like I might… cough.”
Despite her playful tone, her slender body trembled with every faint cough. The attending physician quickly offered her medicated candy.
She placed the candy in her mouth. Her pale, radiant face, slightly disheveled platinum-blonde hair that still looked fairy-like, and sparkling blue eyes—at a glance, she appeared perfectly healthy and beautiful.
However, the physician looked at the princess with concern.
Rea Piart, the only daughter of the Piart ducal house—one of only three ducal families in the kingdom—renowned for her unparalleled beauty. In high society, she was called the “Lily of Peyren,” always surrounded by admirers.
She seemed to have it all—noble blood, beauty, popularity—the life of an elite celebrity… but even Rea had a fatal flaw.
Her health.
She was the weakest of the weak.
People in high society said of her that her pale face at every party was pure and delicate, that her occasional coughing made her seem like a fragile flower swaying in the wind.
Rea herself, however, despised such remarks.
“Don’t compare people to flowers so ominously! Flowers fall off when the wind blows! I’m already terrified of dying from pneumonia every time I cough!”
Her condition was that serious.
She had been born weak, with fragile blood vessels, and even with medication, she only occasionally improved. Without the Piart family’s constant supply of medicine—and Rea’s stubborn will to endure—she would have long since been lost.
Now nineteen years old. After barely surviving and growing up, she still remained constantly unwell, which led her anxious physician to make a decisive recommendation.
“Under these circumstances, this will not do. You must recuperate in a better place.”
“Will I get better if I rest in a better place?”
“If you don’t… you will die!”
And so, abandoning the social season and everything else, she had come to the northern region of Helkan—the place in the Kingdom of Peyren known for its fresh air and pristine environment.
Rea looked outside and muttered,
“Now that I’ve come all this way… I should at least get healthier…”
“Your Highness, you must have the will to recover.”
“That’s why I came all the way to the north… cough!”
The physician continued to encourage her.
“Stay strong. Have you not endured twelve years of illness? They say the Hel Mountains possess exceptional spiritual energy—there must be a way.”
“Spiritual energy, huh…”
Rea looked toward the Hel Mountains visible through the window. Even from a distance, they seemed mystical.
“I hope something miraculous happens in the Hel Mountains.”
❀ ❀ ❀
The carriage carrying Rea arrived in front of the villa late in the afternoon.
“Her Highness has arrived!”
As the knights escorting her called out, the grand front gate opened.
“…Why is the path from the gate to the mansion so long?”
“I heard the garden was expanded so Your Highness could take walks during your recuperation.”
Rea pressed her hand to her head, feeling a headache coming on. She had clearly asked for a modest villa, but the ducal family had once again spent lavishly on their own accord.
Within the spacious, extravagant estate, numerous knights and servants moved busily about.
“…I underestimated the scale of a ducal house again.”
The scale of the naturally wealthy was something she simply couldn’t match.
Grumbling inwardly, she stepped down from the carriage and looked around the villa. The Hel Mountains rising behind the carefully maintained garden drew more of her attention.
“I wanted a more cozy place to recover, but oh well. Still, being right in front of the mountains means the air should be good.”
As Rea tried to console herself, someone spoke to her.
“The Hel Mountains run deep. There are quieter, more comfortable spots as well.”
“Who are you?”
An outsider in the ducal villa’s garden? She asked cautiously and coldly, whereupon a mysterious woman bowed.
“I’m an herbalist who travels the Hel Mountains. I heard that Your Highness was arriving and came to offer assistance.”
Rea studied the woman carefully.
For an herbalist, her movements seemed refined, and her sudden approach was suspicious. Perhaps noticing her gaze, the herbalist smiled innocently.
“I’m sure you’ll like it.”
“…I see.”
Rea nodded lightly.
Though her sudden appearance was suspicious, a local herbalist was a valuable asset. Someone who roamed the Hel Mountains likely knew rare and potent herbs well.
“Let’s see your skills… cough!”
“Oh my.”
The herbalist clicked her tongue slightly.
“The northern air is quite cold. They’re probably lighting the fireplace inside the villa—how about you join me for a hot spring bath?”
“A hot spring?”
“If you take a short path up behind the villa, you’ll find a maple tree with silver leaves. Near that tree lies a very special hot spring.”
Rea became intrigued.
Her body was chilled from fatigue—an outdoor hot spring would be perfect.
“Then I should call my escorts…”
“Your Highness, the villa is right beneath the Hel Mountains.”
The herbalist whispered to her.
“It should be fine to step out briefly and enjoy the breeze.”
Normally, she would have refused such a suggestion.
But Rea, almost as if enchanted, followed the herbalist.
“This way, please.”
Passing through the villa and out the back door, they followed a narrow path uphill. As the herbalist had said, a single maple tree with shimmering silver leaves came into view.
The leaves are really silver.
Rea approached the unusual tree.
“I don’t see any hot springs nearby…”
Rea turned around.
“Herbalist?”
The herbalist who had led her here was nowhere to be seen.
Whoosh.
Wind blew across the empty mountain.
On the ridgeline behind her, only Rea and the silver-leaved maple remained.
Whoooosh.
Her hair fluttered in the wind as she blinked, feeling as though she had been bewitched.
“What? Herbalist? Where did you go?”
A growing sense of unease made her approach the tree.
Surely the tree wouldn’t disappear too…?
The moment she reached out to touch it—
“Eh?”
Her body tilted forward with no support.
“Eek!”
Thud!
“Ow…!”
Rea, having fallen, clutched her ankle and groaned.
It seemed she had twisted it during the fall.
“What…?”
She quickly looked around.
“A cave?”
She had clearly touched the silver maple tree—so why was she somewhere else?
Sitting on the ground, she surveyed her surroundings.
It was an artificial cave.
The stone walls emitted a faint glow, and large, transparent pillars reflected the light, shining blue in various places.
“Eh?”
And at the center of the cave stood a man.
A silver-haired man with his hair scattered, eyes wide open, like a statue frozen in place.
Rea spoke to him.
“Um, excuse me?”
No response.
She staggered to her feet and approached him, her twisted ankle aching.
“Can you hear me?”
Still no reaction.
As she got closer, she realized something was strange.
His expression remained fixed, unmoving like a sculpture. Though no wind blew, his hair was spread out in all directions.
It was as if he had been frozen in the exact moment he was angry.
Wow.
She couldn’t help but be impressed.
His tall, well-proportioned body, visible beneath his flowing, ancient-style garments, looked strong at a glance.
His broad shoulders and firm build gave off a wild yet refined presence, while his long silver hair flowed smoothly around his striking features. A high nose bridge, sharply defined jawline, and deep-set gray eyes… he exuded a noble aura.
What is this…
Overwhelmed by his unreal beauty, she felt slightly tense.
Why was a man who looked like a legendary elven king standing here frozen like this?
Is this some kind of trap or demon? If I touch him, will my soul be bound…?
No, that’s too far.
Shaking her head, Rea decided he was probably harmless—but still suspicious.
“Maybe he’ll know how to get out of here…”
Let’s just touch him once and step back.
Press.
She poked his arm like pressing a button.
“…Um?”
“….”
Rea swallowed nervously.
Feeling uneasy, she slowly stepped back.
Clack.
A firm hand grabbed her.
❀ ❀ ❀
Rea held her breath.
The cold face looking down at her resembled a mask. His glass-like gray eyes slowly shifted into focus like a mechanical doll.
“…Did you awaken me?”
“Pardon?”
Rea’s expression stiffened.
What was with that oddly elderly tone?
The mismatch between his face and his speech was striking.
“I asked if you awakened me.”
His casual, superior tone made Rea frown. Speaking so rudely to someone he just met?
Then she would do the same.
She shook off his grip.
“Could you at least let go before talking…?”
“You might try to run.”
Rea glanced over his sturdy build.
“I don’t think you could catch me if I ran.”
Given his physique, he looked like he could catch ten people like her.
The man spoke firmly.
“You’ve entered a dragon’s lair. You cannot be an ordinary human.”
“A dragon’s lair? This place?”
At her question, his expression hardened further.
“Are you saying you don’t know?”
“I don’t.”
“That’s impossible…”
He exuded a chilling aura as he looked down at her suspiciously.
“What happened to the dragons?”
Why is everything like this?
Awakening, dragons… It sounded like something out of legend or riddles.
Though bewildered, she answered properly.
“I heard dragons went extinct long ago.”
At Rea’s answer, the man glared at her.
