Chapter 163

An ominous tension flowed through the spirit realm.

This was because the gatekeeper had been cruelly murdered, and it was revealed that the culprit was not the black mage, but the great spirit Shinsurial, who had been with them for many long years.

In particular, Igni's fury was tremendous, having not only witnessed the horrific death of a cherished subordinate but also being unable to take revenge with her own hands.

When she heard through Targan that Shinsurial was the true culprit and had betrayed everyone, the heat Igni emitted was so intense that even the horned tribe members suffered burns.

Eventually, unable to control her anger, Igni chose to dig a deep cave and seclude herself.

Then one day, a loud voice was heard from outside the cave.

"Lady Igni! Are you here?"

Igni's face contorted.

"I'm sure I told you not to come anywhere near here!"

"I apologize. But there's news you must know..."

"What disaster has happened this time? Has the dragon finally turned into a magical beast?"

"N-no, that's not it!"

Under extreme stress, Igni's hair turned even more fiery red, like metal subjected to heat.

"Then what on earth..."

―Igniiii! I have returned!

Hiccup!

Instead of the volcanic anger that was about to erupt, a hiccup burst from Igni's mouth.

"Could it be...?"

Igni came out of the cave with an expression mixing doubt and hope.

―Igni!

"G-Guardian Spirit?"

A red-furred beast with horns on its head rushed toward Igni.

―I really missed you!

The guardian spirit expressed its joy of reunion by circling around Igni. But something was strange. Igni had her head deeply bowed and said nothing.

―What's this, you heartless one! Aren't you glad to see me?

The guardian spirit, disappointed by Igni's bland reaction, approached closer.

―Oh? Are you perhaps crying?

"Sob."

With that word, the fiery leader of the horned tribe began to cry as if about to cause a flood.

"What's that? What's that sound?"

The crying was so loud that horned tribe members who were far away came running, thinking something had happened, but upon seeing the crying Igni, they naturally stepped aside.

After a while, having stopped crying, Igni finally felt embarrassment wash over her and gave an awkward smile.

"S-so what happened? We searched for you for a long time but couldn't find you. I thought we'd never meet again."

―Well, about that...

The guardian spirit told what had happened. From leaving the spirit realm to meeting Kinaine, and finally being able to return to the spirit realm thanks to Asad's actions. Igni wore a complicated expression at the part where Kinaine had saved the guardian spirit.

"We owe him a great debt."

Perhaps the thoughts she had harbored were misunderstandings. In the end, Kinaine wasn't the culprit who killed the gatekeeper, and if he had truly harbored bad intentions, he would have monopolized the guardian spirit's power rather than setting it free.

"Come to think of it, this means that human perfectly won the third test of the selection."

Kinaine had recovered the guardian spirit. That was tantamount to saving the entire horned tribe. None of the other bride candidates had accomplished anything close to that.

Though she had lost the competition, Igni didn't feel frustrated at all. Rather, she was pleased.

"That's great. I was worried that Prim might be bearing too much of a burden. Now that the Guardian Spirit has returned, we no longer need to rely on the dragon's wish!"

―I'm more surprised that that human isn't the dragon's bride. Then how did he hear my voice? Though thanks to that, I regained my freedom.

"Hmm, that is indeed strange. Surely he couldn't have become a mate without even holding a wedding ceremony."

Igni quickly ended her brief pondering, as if it didn't matter much.

"More importantly, now that the Guardian Spirit has returned, we should hold a welcome party. Since we've finally had some good news, let's enjoy it to the fullest!"

"Lady Igni!"

Just then, an urgent voice called Igni. It was the same horned tribe member who had brought the news about the guardian spirit earlier.

"You again? What is it this time?"

"T-the dragon has returned!"

―Oh, he's finally back! It seems he's dealt well with that wicked human!

"We should also thank Lord Asad. Where is he now?"

Igni asked with a bright smile. However, the moment she heard the words that followed, the smile on her face disappeared as if washed away.

"B-but, the dragon..."

Listening to the voice that trembled like an aspen leaf, Igni realized that this time, truly unwelcome news had arrived.

* * *

The news that the horned tribe's guardian spirit had returned spread instantly within the dragon palace as well.

"The guardian spirit has returned, that's really great! Now the horned tribe can finally ease their minds a bit."

"That's right. How fortunate that the dragon went to the human realm!"

The atmosphere of the dragon palace, which had been heavy all along, lightened considerably with this rare good news.

The joy didn't last long. Someone tilted their head in confusion, pointing at the sky.

"...Wait, why does the sky look like that?"

Though it wasn't yet night, the sky was darkening. Since the dragon palace always maintained clear weather due to magic, there was only one being who could cause such a strange phenomenon.

"Has the dragon returned?"

The spirits' guess was half right. It was a dragon, but not the sacred being they thought of.

"W-what is that?"

It was something ominous and terrible.

The dragon was oozing black slime from every orifice of its body, and the murky demonic energy flowing from it enveloped the dragon palace, making it difficult for the spirits to even breathe properly.

When the dragon opened its mouth, a gloomy voice flowed out.

"Bring the bride. I will hold the wedding tonight."

It was an action that ignored all the procedures of the selection, but none of the spirits could object. They were all terrified.

"Eeeek!"

Finally, one servant who couldn't bear the fear began to run away.

The dragon slowly raised its head and followed the servant's retreating figure with its eyes. Simultaneously, a shadow that sprouted from the floor grabbed the servant's ankle.

"L-let go of this! Aaaah!"

The terrible scream quickly became inaudible.

"......"

"......"

The dragon palace fell into an eerie silence. The spirits saw their own shadows writhing like living beings with pale faces. Fortunately, the shadows were docile, but since everyone had seen what they had done, no one dared move rashly.

Just then, the sound of urgent footsteps was heard. It was Jet, who had belatedly realized that the dragon had returned and had hurried over.

"L-Lord Asad?"

Jet's face turned white upon confirming the dragon that was transforming into a magical beast.

With an expressionless face, the dragon commanded Jet.

"Bring the bride. We must hold the wedding ceremony."

"......"

Jet stared blankly at the dragon.

Transformation into a magical beast had happened several times before, but this time was different from then. A dragon contaminated with demonic energy moved as if destruction was its only purpose. It was impossible to converse with a dragon in such a state.

But now Asad was speaking to him. Though he seemed unstable, it meant he still had his reason.

"W-which bride do you mean?"

Jet swallowed dryly and courageously spoke up.

The dragon blinked. As if pondering something. Then he gestured to Jet.

"Come closer."

"...Pardon?"

"Come closer. They'll be upset if they hear."

Honestly, Jet didn't want to go anywhere near a dragon that had transformed into a magical beast. But since the dragon was staring at him, he had no choice but to move his feet.

Besides, who would be upset?

As he moved his feet, suppressing the desire to run away, Jet suddenly felt a question arise.

"I-is this close enough?"

"Closer."

Only when he stood right in front of the dragon did Jet realize that he was holding something in his arms.

Surprisingly, the black slime covering the dragon's entire body didn't touch whatever he was holding at all. So Jet quickly recognized what it was.

"What are you looking at?"

"N-nothing."

At the eerily low voice, Jet hurriedly raised his gaze. But his eyes still couldn't hide his agitation and were trembling greatly.

At that moment, the dragon slowly lowered his head. The dragon brought his lips to Jet's ear and whispered in a very small voice.

"I need the 'first magic.'"

"......"

"So bring the bride. Anyone will do. As long as I can use the first magic."

The first magic of a full-grown dragon who has taken a mate is an omnipotent power, uniquely exempt from the constraints placed by the gods. Jet could understand why the dragon wanted that power.

"The first magic fulfills the wish of the bride, not the dragon. If the bride wishes for something else..."

"That won't happen. I'll make sure of it."

Jet felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the unhesitating answer, as if he had already thought of a method. Wasn't that statement essentially saying he would forcibly change the bride's will?

"Lord Asad, that's..."

"It would be better if you wished for His Highness to wake up. If His Highness doesn't open his eyes... this place will become like the human realm."

Before Jet could wonder what had happened to the human realm, or why the dragon was referring to the human in his arms as "His Highness," he was seized with fear. Because he knew the dragon was serious.

Though it was Jet's duty to guide the dragon on the right path, there was little choice when the safety of the world was at stake. Eventually, Jet bowed his head.

"I-I understand. I will select one of the bride candidates and prepare for the wedding."

"Good."

The dragon whispered.

"Remember. This time, there isn't even a successor who can kill a mad dragon."

There was nothing wrong with the dragon's words.

Jet had to accept the fact that the fate of two worlds rested on a single human.

When he raised his head, the dragon was already gone. Only the ominous demonic energy left by the dragon lingered in that place.