Chapter 21
“Y-You mean a wyrm?”
Shurandis smiled without a word. I struggled with all my might to suppress the scream that threatened to escape.
‘A wyrm?! Are you insane?!’
Wasn’t potential supposed to be something granted from the start? And now they’re saying Erina had the potential to become a wyrm?!
‘I thought the three of us caused character inconsistencies as soon as I possessed this body… but was I a misfit too?! Is that it?!’
Or was this the character’s original design, and the author just nerfed it to make the heroine shine?
My head spun. I mean, whose name is “wyrm” anyway? In the original story, the only wyrms were Shurandis before me and the saintly heroine.
And yet, Erina had the potential to become a wyrm? And because it wasn’t fully realized, her Awakening nearly failed?
As soon as I tried to catch my breath, more shocking truths hit me, making my head spin as I gasped.
“Calm yourself, Lady.”
A soft, soothing voice tickled my ears. I blinked hard at the sound.
“I… I’m a little… confused.”
“I understand. It’s not a light topic, after all.”
Shurandis, nodding gently, widened his eyes slightly.
“But I have no reason to lie to you. Even if it’s a truth that any living being on this land would yearn for.”
My mouth went dry. Shurandis’ words were true. To become a wyrm… that was something any living being on this land would desire.
A world where humans, animals, and even plants could become wyrms.
Wyrms leave the land behind, become whole, and fly between worlds with godlike power, using it wherever it’s needed.
I recalled the original story’s words: perhaps wyrms were another form of the gods. That only made it more confusing.
Then… why couldn’t Erina become a wyrm?
Shurandis said that sometimes, due to certain circumstances, someone awakens without fully realizing the power they were given.
That circumstance… could it possibly be…?
A grim thought arose in my mind. If what I suspected was true, then those people were truly garbage.
“…In that sense, I cannot grant your request. However, there is something else I can offer you.”
Shurandis’ voice stopped my spiraling thoughts.
When I lifted my head, Shurandis had a faint smile on his face.
“I’m not forcing you to answer right now. I just wanted to let you know that while I cannot fulfill this request, the other proposal I made is still valid.”
Something felt… off.
‘Was Shurandis always this kind?’
The opportunity to make a request had arisen because of Shurandis’ caprice, but the unfamiliar gentleness kept poking at my mind.
Of course, he had been kind to the heroine. Thinking about that, his attitude made sense… but to someone other than her?
‘The Emperor was obviously a rival, so that’s understandable. But other characters? Did he even interact with anyone else?’
…Not much. And strangely, I couldn’t recall much about Shurandis. It was as if someone had scribbled over the pages, making the words illegible.
“…Th-Thank you for your kindness.”
“It’s hardly something worthy of thanks… But if you insist, may I ask you a question?”
“Eh? Yes, anything I can answer.”
A question for me? What could he possibly ask? Did Shurandis have anything to ask Erina?
I straightened and met his gaze. At that, he let out a low chuckle.
His eyes had changed again—narrow, reptilian, with a mysterious glint.
“Do you… remember me?”
A sudden question.
‘Remember you? Why would I? There was nothing in the original story!’
Erina and Shurandis never met alone in the original story! And now he asks if I remember him? What kind of bomb is this?!
Flustered, I couldn’t answer and stared blankly at him. His gray eyes darkened, as if sensing something.
“…You don’t remember?”
His low voice carried an unusual weight, but I had no choice but to nod.
‘Of course I don’t! The original story never described Erina meeting the candidate for the main male lead!’
I didn’t dare voice that, keeping my gaze down in silence. Then, a gentle voice reached my ears.
“That doesn’t matter. Then or now, I only look to you.”
His once-weighty voice was now filled with warmth and affection. And it was directed at me alone, which left me stunned.
‘That means he must have met me… but when, where, and how?’
Confusion swirled in my head, rivaling the chaos when I realized the three of us caused character inconsistencies.
Erina has a connection with Duke Shurandis? And yet, in the original, they never met alone?
“This must have been a difficult question,” his gentle voice said, pulling me back to the present. His eyes had returned to normal gray.
“I did not intend to trouble you… Are you all right?”
“Ah… yes. I’m fine. It’s just that the question was so unexpected.”
“I see… I suppose that’s understandable.”
I barely heard his last murmured words. What did he say?
“If you and I had met, the rumors would have already spread throughout the social circles.”
Of course. Anyone with a connection to a wyrm—especially Shurandis, who never leaves the Southern Duchy—would be the subject of gossip.
‘So even meeting like this, we’re bound to be noticed. Ah, maybe it’s already out there.’
That thought drained me. I wanted to grasp even a clue about Awakening, and now it seemed impossible.
No, not completely impossible…
“Then… how can I fully realize the power given to me?”
Shurandis’ eyes narrowed. He stroked his chin, appearing lost in thought for a moment.
“There are many ways, but I sense you want a certain, definite method. Is that correct?”
I nodded. I wanted certainty. Only then could I avoid the fate Erina suffered in the original story.
“The most common method, known to you and used by most nobles, is this: before the Awakening Ceremony, experience many things and stabilize your mind and body. There is no better way to draw out latent potential.”
That explains why, before Awakening, Russell couldn’t meet the Duchess—any negative influence could harm the process.
‘And in this situation, stabilizing my mind and body seems impossible.’
After three simultaneous character inconsistencies, my mental state was a mess. Stability? Not happening.
Worse, thinking that they might have abandoned Erina, resulting in a failure-level Awakening, made my blood boil.
“Of course, that’s the orthodox and general method, but I assume it’s not what you desire.”
There was a hint that another method existed. When I met Shurandis’ gaze, a trace of amusement appeared in his gray eyes.
“The other method is generally difficult, but for someone like you, it is possible.”
“What… method?”
Something about the feeling was complicated—neither ominous nor safe.
“Pioneering a path is difficult, but following one already made is easy.”
…Wait. Could it be?
“Do you know why nobles try to stay near a wyrm? Because they hope, even a little, that a wyrm might appear in their bloodline.”
Shurandis’ eyes narrowed slightly, as if recalling an unpleasant memory.
“The simplistic and selfish notion that proximity alone could yield a wyrm… I don’t know why anyone would imagine it. But if I were to help you, it would not be impossible.”
The wyrm smiled. Though in human form, he seemed beyond human, examining me as if testing me.
“What do you say? Would you choose this method to become a wyrm?”
I swallowed hard. A wyrm… a wyrm.
I let out a laugh. The answer was already decided.
“I don’t need anything so grand.”
His gray eyes blinked slowly.
“It would be nice to become a wyrm, yes. But I don’t particularly wish to.”
In the original story, a wyrm was too distant and unattainable to grasp.
Even if Shurandis said I could become one, no one could know for sure if it would happen.
“However, I was worried after hearing what Your Highness said. I was anxious and afraid. I thought I couldn’t become like my brothers.”
At least, I just wanted to avoid the original scenario where my powers would be crushed before they could bloom.
“Even if I’m not a wyrm… I at least want to reclaim what was crushed. I don’t seek more than that.”
Meeting Shurandis’ gaze, alive with surprise and admiration, I concluded,
“Can you help me? Great Wyrm?”
