Chapter 44
The hatchling had no name.
No one had given it one. The handlers only treated the dragon as merchandise.
Bagis Fedwick was willing to sell anything if it made money.
That didn’t mean he ignored the danger of dragons.
“Even newly hatched, a dragon is still a dragon. Use every method possible to suppress its power!”
Dragons were not ruled by demon lords. They kept their own society, and if relations went wrong, they even waged war against demons.
Their strength was terrifying—one grown dragon could fight several demon lords at once.
To avoid disaster, the trainers shackled the hatchling the moment it broke from its egg.
“When its body grows, replace the bindings with bigger ones. If it resists, beat it until it obeys.”
The nameless dragon’s world was only darkness.
The handlers never once removed the blindfold.
They gave commands through its hearing and touch, forcing it to crouch or fold its wings with brute strength.
“Kyaaahh!”
“This brat again? Even after all that beating, you still won’t listen?”
Though forced into obedience since birth, the hatchling never submitted.
It resisted again and again.
Even blindfolded, it tried to escape, only to be dragged back and thrown to the ground.
The golden scale Ariella had found had come loose during such struggles.
In pitch-black darkness, it endured endless, incomprehensible training.
That was the only life it knew—pain, bondage, and lost freedom.
I hate this.
Even without learning or seeing other possibilities,
the dragon’s blood whispered.
Something was wrong.
This wasn’t living.
It must escape. It must keep resisting.
I don’t want to die. I want to live. But not like this.
Yet it didn’t know how to flee.
Until today—
for the first time, it heard the words:
Someone would rescue it.
Someone invited it to leave together.
Who was that?
Clang!
The shackle on its foreleg shattered.
The bindings did more than restrain its body.
Layered magic drained its strength, leaving it weak and sickly.
When the first broke, the crushing weight on its body lifted.
Clang! Clang!
One after another—the shackles on its neck, chest, wings, and hind legs all broke apart.
Energy surged through the hatchling’s whole body.
Mana boiled in its chest.
For the first time since birth, it felt like freedom.
My body is light. Like I could fly.
Something that had been twisted inside it finally snapped back into place.
The hatchling spread its bent wings wide.
The chains no longer held it down.
It wanted to roar, to scream, and to soar into the sky.
It had never flown before.
No… not yet. I have to hold it in.
Even blindfolded, its ears were open.
It understood what was happening in this cave.
If it cried out now, the trainers would hear.
At the thought of those trainers, rage flared.
From the moment it hatched, they had tormented it.
If it disobeyed, they pulled the chains or whipped it.
“Now I’ll remove the gag.”
A cautious hand touched it. Soon, the muzzle disappeared.
Cool air filled its mouth. Breathing felt easier.
And the dragon finally asked the question it had held inside.
“Where will I go?”
Its voice cracked.
From the darkness, the stranger answered.
“Where we came from. Far away, a safe place.”
“That cold, painful thing… I won’t wear it again?”
“Don’t worry. Shackles don’t belong on dragons.”
“What about training?”
“You don’t need it.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Live.”
“Live?”
“Just live. We’ll help you do that.”
The voice trembled slightly.
It was so different from the trainers’ cold, cruel tones.
The hatchling was silent for a moment.
“You’re… the first to ever say you’ll help me.”
Until now, all it had heard were commands and curses.
Its small, harsh world was collapsing.
Rip!
Something was cut. The blindfold fell away.
The hatchling blinked its eyes open.
“Ah!”
Light flooded in.
For the first time since birth, its sealed sense of sight was freed.
Tears blurred its vision, but slowly the shapes and colours became clear.
It saw the world it had only imagined.
The experience was overwhelming, like its head would burst.
So this… this is the world!
Even in the narrow cave, awe shook it to the core.
Its eyes locked onto one figure.
“……!”
She was there.
The first person it ever truly saw.
Her eyes held many emotions—fear that the sudden light might hurt it, anger at Fedwick’s cruelty, and relief that it could still be saved.
The hatchling didn’t know how to name such emotions.
But it knew one thing: Even if it lived for countless years, it would never forget this moment.
“……Who are you?”
It asked the late question.
The one who would pull it out of hell.
The rope to a new life.
It carved her image deep into memory—every feature, every strand of her hair.
“Ariella.”
She answered.
The hatchling repeated the name silently.
It felt like more than a name – like a word with its own meaning.
It stood on four legs and stepped carefully toward her.
Ludwig tensed, ready to intervene, but Ariella raised her hand to stop him.
The hatchling stretched its neck.
It sniffed, then rubbed its cheek against her face.
The scales were softer than she expected.
The gold dragon pressed close to her and spoke.
“You feel warm… and good, Ariella.”
“The hatchling is gone!”
“Wake everyone! Emergency!”
Ariella’s intrusion had been discovered.
The guards found the hatchling’s pen open, the soldiers inside dead.
“Search the whole area!”
Panic swept them.
Their master’s precious hatchling was missing.
If they failed to recover it, they knew Fedwick’s punishment would be merciless.
Meanwhile, outside the overturned camp—
Clop clop!
Two horses raced through the dark wilderness.
Ariella and Ludwig were fleeing at full speed.
Unlike before, they couldn’t use invisibility.
Ariella had no mana left.
And even if she borrowed Ludwig’s, spells slid off the dragon.
The hatchling’s natural resistance repelled Ariella’s magic.
Too young to control it, it didn’t know how to let it pass through like Ludwig did.
“Even if we used invisibility, it’d slow us down. Better to run full speed.”
Ludwig’s judgement was quick.
Their enemies were Fedwick’s soldiers—rich enough to carry mana-detecting artefacts.
Even invisible, they’d likely be found.
But another problem came up.
The hatchling couldn’t fly yet, nor could it keep up with horses.
So it had to ride with one of them.
“Whinny!”
Ludwig’s horse refused to carry the dragon, foaming at the mouth in terror. He gave up.
Ariella’s horse resisted too, but she didn’t yield.
When she muttered a chilling spell under her breath, the horse shuddered and finally let the hatchling climb on.
“Are you alright?” Ludwig asked.
Ariella rode with her usual skill and answered,
“No problem.”
The hatchling, about the size of a large dog, sat between her and the horse’s neck.
Clop! Clop!
The escape was urgent.
“……!”
But the hatchling seemed to forget their danger.
Mouth open, eyes wide, it turned its head in every direction, trying to see everything.
The night wind brushed its golden scales.
The small dragon’s face was lit with joy and wonder.
