CH 4

Contrary to the concerns of Lathyrus, who returned to the tavern after learning Lisianthus’s name, she did not see a single hair of Chris. And since Madame Margot didn’t say anything, it seems like he didn’t say anything to his mother.

‘Are you going to go on like this…?’

With her hope that Chris would pass on like this, her anxiety could slowly be put down. However, it was only Lathyrus’s easy-going illusion.

Lathyrus, who was lying on the bed in the attic and slowly drowning in suspense, felt a very eerie and strange feeling. She couldn’t explain it in words, but somehow she got goosebumps on her forearms and instinctively opened her eyes. And when Lathyrus saw what was in front of her own eyes, she almost screamed.

“Eup…!”

Lathyrus, who had become accustomed to the darkness, recognized Chris’ face at once. But before she could even call Chris’s name, her mouth was shut. Chris covered her mouth with his hand.

“Hey.”

In her quiet silence, Lathyrus felt the fear creeping up on her toes.

It was unusual to see Chris grinding his teeth. He was the angriest she had ever seen him.

“Who was that man?”

His hand, which was covering Lathyrus’s mouth, was getting stronger.

“Did you run to the forest whenever you had time to play with that bastard?”

“…”

“Have you been arrogant towards me all this time?”

Her mouth was closed and she couldn’t even explain.

“You are mine! Like a toy my mother bought me!”

Of all the crises she has been through, she thought that maybe this moment could be as dangerous as the moment I saw the dragon. Lathyrus’s body began to tremble as if shivering in the cold.

‘Someone help me…!’

It was when Lathyrus was desperately looking for someone. A small intruder appeared through the gap in the slightly opened window.

Whoosh-

Those little invaders were the most feared creatures in the world for the great tyrant before her.

“Huh? What? Ahh! A rat! Rats!”

As the rats crawled into his clothes, Chris jumped and scrambled to get them out. Lathyrus walked out of the room with her uncomfortable legs and hung the broom between the doorknobs. It was to prevent Chris from getting out easily.

If he woke Madame Margot up now, she was more likely to scold her. If it’s Madame Margot, who has overflowing love for her son, she might even allow Chris to beat her.

‘I need someone to help me…’

But who can help? There was no one on her side…

She escaped from Madame Margot’s tavern, but it was as if she had lost her way because she could not ask anyone for help.

“What’s your name…?”

However, at this time, someone suddenly came to mind.

“You already called my name.”

The person who always told her to leave, but even helped her from Chris…

Lisianthus, she thought he might be able to help her.

Lathyrus ran along the path she was already accustomed to for her only hope, for help.

~*~

At dawn, when everyone was asleep, a huge dragon descended to the ground covering the moon. Lisianthus, who was leaning against the tombstone and closing his eyes quietly, as usual, woke up to the appearance of an intruder that was not allowed.

“Oh my God, what kind of bullshit is this?”

The red dragon, who had transformed into a human female, could not hide her smirk as she looked at Lisianthus.

“The first creature on earth, the first dragon, the father of dragons-”

The woman bowed with courtesy, but it was rather an insult to Lisianthus.

~pls read only at pinkmuffintl~

The first creatures on earth.

First dragon.

The father of dragons.

Obviously, there was a time when he was called that.

A temple was built for him on the earth, and after the Mother of Heaven, who created the world, all living things worshiped and supported him and considered him sacred. But not now. Most of the dragons lost their strength and lived in hiding, or went into hibernation on their own, or both.

“Shall we build a temple how it was in the past?”

“There are no words on my mind, Akert.”

“I’m glad. Were you really nervous about asking me to bow down?”

Feeling the slight pain in one of his obscuring eyes, Lisianthus stared at Akert with an expressionless gaze. He was already mentally exhausted long enough to fight horribly with those who invaded his own realm.

Even waking up from hibernation wasn’t his intention.

At first, he wondered if the kid who had always been bothering him woke him up, but he answered. It would never be. There was no way that a mere human could have awakened him, who had no will to wake up.

It was just that the girl who had entered through the cracks of the broken barrier after a long time had happened to meet him when it was time to wake up.

The fact that God has awakened him must mean that the promised time for war has finally come.

“The Lisianthus under the heavens is still guarding the graves of mere human beings. All dragons will be sorry…”

“Akert.”

When Lisianthus recited her name, that alone stopped the gentle wind blowing.

“I don’t intend to play with you at your level, so tell me your business.”

Akert pouted her lips and shrugged.

“I just stopped by because I felt the energy of the same dragon while passing by. But looking at what you are doing, it seems that there is no other companion that God has appointed yet.”

“My God-ordained companion will never be here.”

At Lisianthus’ resolute remarks, Akert’s gaze swept across the grave.

“I have nothing to do with you without a companion, so I’ll just leave.”

It was at the moment when Akert, who had confirmed that Lisianthus had no companion, was about to return to her body shape again.

At that time, they felt a human presence slowly approaching. The scales rising from Akert returned to human soft skin. Instead, she turned her head in the direction with her pupils ripped like snakes.

“Lisianthus!”

Not knowing that the best predators were preparing to hunt, Lathyrus finally appeared before their eyes. And before she could recognize the stranger, Akert quickly approached and strangled Lathyrus.

“Uh, huh!”

Her nails were elongated like the claws of an eagle. Lathyrus struggled even more as she strangled her throat and she saw her hands transform into a beast’s hand Before Akert tried to stick her claws into her left chest,

“Stop.”

It was Lisianthus that spoke.

“She is not my companion.”

“Then it doesn’t matter if she dies.”

“I don’t want innocent lives to die.”

The dubious Akert approached Lathyrus, sniffed her, stared at her, touched her, and then put Lathyrus down as if she had concluded.

“Huh…”

Lathyrus, who fell to the ground, caught her breathe and moved towards Lisianthus’s side. She seemed to be able to help herself with this. 

‘Besides, that woman was no ordinary person. I’ve definitely seen her hands turn bizarre!’

“But…there is no way God can give another companion to a man that even an old woman can’t forget. Right?”

Lathyrus grabbed Lisianthus’s arm.

They weren’t friendly enough for her to ask for his help, of course, but Lathyrus had no one else to turn to.

Lisianthus looked down with a bit of annoyance at Lathyrus, who looked at him with her tearful eyes.

Unless God was crazy, it was natural not to give him a new companion. No matter who she is, he will no longer love anyone else.

A young child with blonde, wavy hair, and green eyes like a forest on a summer day.

“Yes, you are right.”

Lisianthus replied quite willingly.

“I will never have a companion in the future.”

Lisianthus, who smiled at the girl who didn’t understand his words, grabbed the small hand that reached toward him and removed the cumbersome Lathyrus.

That was then. The moment Lisianthus grabbed Lathyrus’s hand, the hand that touched each other began to glow.

A divine blue light engulfed the forest in an instant. It didn’t take long for Lathyrus, who instinctively closed her eyes, to open her eyes again. In the aftermath of the excessively dazzling blue light, Lathyrus opened her eyes with tears in her eyelids and trembling. And the first thing Lathyrus saw when she opened her eyes was the blue pattern engraved on the back of their hands.

When a pattern reminiscent of a butterfly was suddenly engraved on the back of her hand, Lathyrus was embarrassed and couldn’t say anything.

“Hahaha!”

While Lathyrus was bewildered, Akert laughed as she recalled. The frightened Lathyrus clung to Lisianthus again. However, Lathyrus’s hand was mercilessly thrown away.

“Lisianthus…?”

When Lathyrus looked up at him again, what she saw was the cold golden eyes of Lisianthus.

“Lisianthus, I guess God has no intention of letting you get out of this fight? What are you going to do?”

Amidst the unexpected turn of events, Lathyrus once again reached out to him. However, Lisianthus slapped Lathyrus’s hard-stretched hand too harshly.

“Do whatever you want.”

The last hope has abandoned itself. Lathyrus’s hand, which was thrown out of the air by Lisianthus, was completely lost.

“If this child dies, I will be free.”

Unlike Lathyrus, who plummeted to the bottom, Ackert laughed wildly.

“Oh, I’m glad. Actually, I didn’t want to fight with you.”

“…”

“Good. Now that I can easily steal her heart, shall I enjoy hunting after a long time?”

‘Stealing my heart…?’

Lathyrus found a question in Akert’s words.

“Little girl. I’m only counting to 100 seconds, so should you hide well?”

Akert’s skin gradually grew scaly. Then she slowly grew bigger and knocked over the trees around her.

“No…”

The terrified Lathyrus couldn’t say anything. In front of her was a dragon. A dragon before burned her village and stole her sister’s heart right before her eyes…

They may be different dragons, but in Lathyrus’s eyes, the dragon that killed her sister and the dragon that tried to kill herself was the same.

『One, two, three…』

The dragon started counting. It was then that Lathyrus remembered what the dragon had said earlier.

100 seconds. She must hide.

Lathyrus looked at Lisianthus once more, but his eyes were telling her: I also want you to die.

Lathyrus, who had no place to lean on, struggled to get up with a sore leg. Lisianthus was not resentful. She believed in him, and she was just an idiot.

‘I have to live, I want to live…!’

Lathyrus started running. But no matter how much she ran, this dark forest had no end in sight.