* * *

Even if you explain it like that?

I understand it has something to do with the founding myth of Velon, but as an outsider, it’s not exactly surprising or awe-inspiring.

I still couldn’t grasp what it meant about the guardian dragon.

When I squinted my eyes, I finally saw the tail of the boy, which had a long, scaled, fluttering extension behind him.

[I am an ancestor who only shows up when needed.]

“……???”

Seeing that I was completely confused, Hernan exhaled sharply and briefly.

“As the Guardian Dragon said, this is the guardian dragon of Velon. It’s confined to the shrine and can’t go outside, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

[Come on. At least pretend to show some respect in front of me.]

The being claiming to be the guardian dragon pulled out a long staff from thin air and struck Hernan’s head with it.

[I’ve spoiled you too much.]

Hernan, looking aggrieved, rolled his eyes and retorted.

“I don’t recall being spoiled.”

[The fact that you haven’t had your head chopped off despite acting so arrogantly in front of me is precisely the spoilage.]

The Guardian Dragon snorted disdainfully and struck Hernan on the head again.

It felt like a conversation with an elderly person, with no specific gender—whether it was a grumpy old man or an old woman.

I still didn’t understand what was going on.

I knew this strange being was the guardian dragon of Velon and had been watching over Hernan since he was young.

But why I was dragged here remained a mystery.

“Um… excuse me?”

Putting aside the bickering between the two, I raised my hand to get their attention.

Faces with similar expressions immediately turned to stare at me.

“I understand that Ryuudene is the guardian dragon and has connections with the Grand Duke, but why am I here?”

“That’s what I’ll explain now.”

It was Hernan who jumped in first with an answer. However, Ryuudene wasn’t backing down.

[Is there really more to explain? You came here to discuss the vessel. Am I wrong?]

“Uh…?”

What does that mean? Hernan didn’t immediately refute but instead pouted his lips.

“Aren’t you a bit too blunt?”

[What can I do if it’s the truth?]

Ryuudene raised his chin again and sneered at me with a dismissive snort.

Despite the trivial banter with Hernan, every time his amber gaze turned toward me, I felt a crushing pressure on my chest, as if I were being weighed down.

The survival instinct I had experienced in dreams continued to boil within me.

The thought of fleeing from that burning gaze persisted.

[Hmm… But do you even know? This fellow, the existence here…]

“Whoa, wait a moment!”

Startled by the sudden remark from the dream, I waved my hands in surprise.

[What, is it a secret? It doesn’t seem to matter much. Though I’ve lived for thousands of years, it’s my first time encountering something like this.]

As Ryuudene suddenly approached and closed the distance, Hernan quickly stepped in between us.

“Please don’t trouble him. You can just check on the matter I asked you about.”

Ryuudene’s face twisted in disbelief at Hernan’s swift intervention.

[Do you think I’d lay a hand on this insignificant one? How rude and absurd. Really, outside of Hildia, all humans look like mere caterpillars to me.]

Having been treated like a caterpillar out of the blue, I wanted to make sense of the situation.

“Um, it seems like you two understand each other perfectly, but I’m can’t make sense of anything. Could you explain what’s going on in a bit more detail?”

Hmph, Ryuudene folded his arms and snorted.

[You probably already know.]

The young dragon, looking around thirteen or fourteen years old, spun around and sat on a throne that far exceeded the height of an adult man, leaning slightly.

His white hair, shimmering like Hernan’s, swayed as if stirred by the wind with each movement.

[Humans are divided into three types. One type can wield magical power. Another type can receive magical power. And the last type, like you, can neither wield nor receive it.]

It was Alpha, Omega, and Beta in that order.

Even I knew that much.

My cousin, who was adopted as my sister, Berta, was an Omega.

It was a reproductive system distinguished by magical power, not gender.

[Humans create other humans through the mating of magical powers. However, since humans cannot plant or contain magical power, conception occurs through the physical mating of females and males, not through magical power.]

Well, it’s not like I could comment on titles since they’re not human, but calling them females and males made me feel as if I were being referred to as livestock.

Noticing the change in my expression, the great dragon smacked my head with his staff.

“Ouch.”

[Why are you frowning when an adult is explaining things? Anyway, no matter how many magical seeds are planted, you cannot conceive because you cannot accept magical power.]

To summarize, it meant that I wasn’t a woman or an Omega, and therefore couldn’t have children. It was obvious.

“So?”

As I rubbed the spot where I had been hit, Hernan looked at me with a pained expression and fidgeted.

The great dragon clicked his tongue in annoyance, crossed his legs, and continued speaking.

[If neither magical nor physical mating is possible, there is a method involving planting a vessel to grow one. Isn’t that why you came for help?]

Snap.

As Ryuudene snapped his fingers, a small, scale-like crystal appeared in the air and floated towards me.

Reflexively, I reached out my hand, and the crystal gently landed on my palm.

“What is this?”

When I asked, puzzled, the great dragon answered.

[It’s a scale to create a vessel.]

“Excuse me?”

[It’s a vessel to gather magical power. If you make me explain again, I’ll kick you out.]

The great dragon struck my head with his staff once more.

Hernan, unable to stand it any longer, stepped in front of me.

“Ancestor, please stop hitting him. After living for thousands of years, shouldn’t you have learned to control your temper?”

The great dragon, more annoyed, hit Hernan on the head and retorted.

[This is me controlling my temper. You need to plant this in your body and nurture it into a baby.]

The great dragon’s staff pointed directly at me, right in front of my face.

My body? It was quite unsettling.

“Me?”

[So, should I plant it in that guy’s body instead of yours?]

“Oh, if you find it difficult, I can do it for you but….”

I reached out and covered Hernan’s mouth.

As I maintained my stance of “What the hell is this nonsense?”

Ryuudene clicked his tongue in frustration.

But seriously, what can I do?

Who can just say “Oh, I see” when suddenly faced with such absurdities?

[It doesn’t matter who does it, just say quickly whose body it will be planted in.]

I immediately responded.

“I don’t want it.”

As soon as I expressed my extreme dislike, the expressions of the two—well, one dragon and one person—were in stark contrast.

Ryuudene’s eyes widened as if he had found something interesting, while Hernan looked at me with furrowed brows.

[Hmm… what’s this situation?]

When Ryuudene asked Hernan, Hernan subtly averted his gaze.

[You rascal. You brought him here without explaining anything, you piece of shit.]

Ryuudene snapped his fingers again.

The crystal that had fallen from my hand floated back up into the air.

[Then it’s meaningless to even try planting it. You two need to at least come to some agreement first. If one side has no thoughts on the matter, will it grow just by planting the seed?]

Clicking his tongue in disdain, Ryuudene looked at Hernan, who shrugged and spoke up.

“I just wanted to say that if the successor is the issue, there are plenty of methods.”

[So bland.]

I glared at the two entities and then sighed deeply.

“No matter how you explain or persuade me, last night will remain a mistake. Forget about it. I’d like to go now and finish reviewing some documents.”

It was clear that I must have been too drunk and momentarily lost my senses.

Or perhaps I was swept up by that guy’s pheromones.

I don’t know why I felt nostalgic for that smell, and I don’t want to know.

Customs and whatever, I don’t care; if you dislike it, deal with it.

All I wanted was to lie down.

Seeing that things were different from what he expected, Ryuudene sighed briefly and shook his head.

[That’s your own business. Do you think I enjoy listening to your whining? If the discussion is over, don’t loiter around and get out of my sight.]

Then, shifting his stance to a more arrogant position with his hips lowered, he looked down at me and added:

[No, wait a minute… Setting aside the issue you guys had among yourselves, you…]

I instinctively took a step back, feeling as though I was being penetrated to the core.

A shiver ran down my spine, as if being pricked by a cold ice pick.

Ryuudene narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing me intently, and warned:

[It would be wise for you to be cautious in many ways. Don’t be reassured just because you’re a beta. You can’t even remember what you’ve been up to, can you, you fool?]

* * *