* * *
“Please go ahead. I will follow the Golden Dragon’s trail from above.”
Nodding at Ber as he flapped his wings, I watched him disappear into the clouds.
Left alone with the girl, I exchanged an awkward glance with her.
She broke the silence first.
“By the way… you really are as beautiful as they say.”
“As they say?”
“Lily and I exchanged letters now and then. Would you believe that about half of her letters were filled with praises about your looks?”
Come to think of it, there were times when Lily stared at me unabashedly, making me self-conscious.
Clearing my throat in embarrassment, I walked toward the horse.
Up close, it was a fine steed with a sleek coat.
As I approached, the horse lowered itself naturally, letting me stroke its nose and climb on.
The girl swiftly mounted as well, taking the reins.
Even as we rode, I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
It felt as though Lily had come back to life.
Noticing my gaze, the girl smiled briefly.
“I look a lot like Lily, don’t I?”
“…”
“There’s no need for that expression, Sir Jean. Now that you’re finally here, all my sister’s wishes have come true. I’m truly glad.”
I stared at the girl as she spoke warmly.
If I were her, I might have felt some resentment toward me, yet she showed no such emotion.
Tentatively, I asked a question.
“Don’t you resent me?”
The girl, surprised by my question, laughed heartily.
“We are not like humans, Sir Jan.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“We are dolls, created to serve the Golden Dragon. Of course, the Golden Dragon gave each of us unique names and roles, treating us like family… but in truth, we’re all fakes.”
It all made sense now—why she looked so eerily similar to Lily.
I recalled Lily once mentioning she had many siblings back home.
It seemed those siblings were all creations of the Golden Dragon.
But even if they were created beings, they must have felt sorrow.
“Even so, I’m sorry. Back then, I was too weak to protect Lily.”
“…”
“I’m truly sorry.”
Hearing my heartfelt apology, the girl’s hand on the reins trembled slightly.
After a moment of silence, she replied in a soft, delighted voice.
“You really are as kind as they say.”
She then shared various stories.
After Maya’s death, the Golden Dragon created twelve children, naming each after flowers Maya had loved.
Lily was the fifth child, and the girl who came to greet me was named Daisy.
These details showed just how deeply the Golden Dragon loved Maya.
‘Perhaps they really believe Jean is Maya’s incarnation.’
If that was the case, it explained why the Golden Dragon had helped me without any apparent reason.
The problem was, it made it even less likely that he would willingly help me achieve my goal of reaching the Underworld.
Resolving myself, I hugged Daisy’s waist tightly.
‘I’ll meet him first. Then, I’ll persuade him or beg if I must.’
After riding across the vast plains for hours, enduring the biting cold against my cheeks, the horse finally stopped.
Daisy dismounted first and helped me down.
“That’s where the Golden Dragon resides,” Daisy said, pointing to a solitary cabin atop a hill. My heart pounded as I thought about finally meeting Camille.
Just as I prepared myself and started walking, a mighty roar froze me in place.
Daisy, gazing up at the sky, chuckled.
“Looks like he’s just returned from hunting.”
Berr once told me that the Golden Dragon was a sacred, legendary creature among dragons.
Emerging from the clouds, a massive dragon radiating golden brilliance appeared.
Overwhelmed by awe, I found my mouth falling open.
With a resounding thud, a buffalo carcass dropped at my feet, startling me so much that I fell backward.
Daisy, flustered, muttered under her breath.
“Oh dear. I told him countless times that humans don’t appreciate gifts like this anymore.”
“A gift?”
“Please wait inside for a moment, Jean. I’ll prepare a delicious water buffalo dish for you.”
Daisy, effortlessly hoisting a water buffalo larger than herself, disappeared somewhere.
As I sat there blankly, a large shadow loomed over my head.
A mysterious man was looking down at me with a disinterested expression.
The moment I saw his pale, almost white eyes, words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.
“Are you… the Golden Dragon, Camille?”
The last time I’d glimpsed her, the dragon hadn’t left much of an impression.
But now, meeting Camille properly in the light, she was breathtakingly beautiful—enough to make me gasp.
Did dragons choose their queens based on looks?
Camille, who had been quietly observing me slumped on the ground, extended her hand.
As I took her scarred hand and stood up, I spoke directly.
“There’s something I want to say first.”
“…”
“I’m not Maya.”
“I know. Maya didn’t have such an airheaded face.”
The immediate and firm response left me feeling awkward.
It was a relief that she already knew, but why did it still feel vaguely annoying?
After pausing as though lost in thought, Camille spoke in a neutral tone.
“Or maybe not… was it? I hardly remember her face anymore. It was thousands of years ago, after all.”
“…”
“But your soul’s color is undeniably similar to Maya’s. It’s no wonder the other divine beasts mistook you and caused such a ruckus.”
“Golden Dragon, I… I have a favor to ask…”
Just as I tried to cut straight to the point in my urgency, Camille raised one hand.
Her ivory-white eyes reflected me.
Given her ability to foresee even the immediate future, it was clear she already knew what I intended to say.
“There’s no need to rush. I know what you’re going to ask. The sun will set soon, so let’s just stay here for tonight.”
“But—”
“No arguments. This is my domain. If you truly want my help, you’ll do as I say.”
With those words, Camille entered the cabin.
Letting out a sigh, I followed her inside.
Every figure I’d encountered so far had been difficult to deal with, and Camille seemed no exception.
✽ ✽ ✽
When Daisy returned, having finished preparing the water buffalo, she swiftly laid out a variety of dishes.
From hearty soup to warm my cold body to appetizing meat dishes, the spread was impressive.
Maybe it was because I’d been locked up before coming here, deprived of proper meals for so long.
My stomach growled loudly as soon as I saw the food.
Embarrassed, I sat still, but Camille casually remarked.
“Eat. This feast was prepared for you, after all.”
“I thought you always ate like this.”
“After tasting every dish the world has to offer, I’ve lost interest.”
Camille, cutting a juicy piece of meat and placing it before me, caught my gaze.
I wanted to ask why she was helping me, even knowing I wasn’t Maya.
With an indifferent expression, Camille answered my unspoken question.
“It’s simple. Your soul resembles Maya’s.”
“You’re helping me… just because of that?”
“No. To be honest, I initially considered taking your pure soul to recreate a new Maya…”
“…”
“But on reflection, I realized it wouldn’t truly be Maya. So, I gave up.”
For a moment, an affectionate glint flickered in Camille’s eyes.
It was the look of someone endlessly longing for something they could never meet again.
To her, it might have seemed romantic, but as someone who had narrowly avoided having my soul ripped out, I was quietly horrified.
Camille rested her chin in her hand, her expression bored.
“I only knew her for a few years, but I’ve missed her for thousands.”
“…”
“Giving your heart to someone… it’s terrifying, isn’t it?”
I hesitated, startled by her words. For the first time, Camille smiled faintly.
“Do you know why Sacre is called the land Maya loved? Sacre used to be called the Land of Death. Monsters frequently crossed over from the underworld, the weather was erratic, and the land was barren.”
“…”
“But humans cultivated that barren land, fought off monsters, and built villages. Maya loved that about them—their refusal to give up.”
Interlocking her fingers, Camille closed her eyes. Her next words made my heart sink.
“I’ve seen hundreds of futures. But in none of them do you save Jerome. Every time, you fail to save him and fall into despair.”
“…”
“I know the future that awaits you. You will fail. You won’t save anyone. You can’t perform a miracle. What you’re trying to do is a futile, pointless struggle.”
Camille’s words left me dazed. With her foresight, it was impossible to dismiss what she said lightly. Not a single future where I saved Jerome? The weight of defeat pressed on me. Staring at the steaming food before me, I finally spoke.
“If you could go back in time, would you choose not to love Maya?”
“…”
“Even knowing you’d spend thousands of years longing for her…”
“I’d love her.”
Camille answered without hesitation. Her certainty made me nod and add:
“I think so too. Some things are worth loving, even knowing the outcome.”
“…”
“Even if it’s a futile, pointless struggle.”
I wouldn’t pretend her words hadn’t shaken me, but giving up wasn’t an option. Seeing my unwavering resolve, Camille scratched her cheek, seemingly caught off guard by my reaction. Setting down her fork, she asked calmly.
“By the way, earlier, you mentioned monsters crossing over from the underworld.”
“Yes. Sacre has a gate connected to the underworld. Maya sealed it, so it’s closed now… but I hold the key to open it.”
“Let’s go there now.”
I leapt to my feet, the thought of finally finding a way to the underworld making my hair stand on end.
Clicking her tongue, Camille tilted her head skeptically.
“Going in is one thing. How do you plan to get out?”
“Huh?”
“All I can do is open the gate. But any human who enters the underworld is cursed never to leave.”
My eyes widened as Kelly’s earlier warning resurfaced in my mind:
‘Every curse has a counterspell, but the one tied to humans who enter the underworld is highly irregular. Without Jerome, finding someone capable of unraveling it is practically impossible.’
Kelly was right.
Without Jerome, finding a genius capable of calculating the counterspell seemed impossible.
But I knew something others didn’t—there was a genius of Jerome’s caliber in my pocket.
Pulling out the small Jerry doll he had once given me, I stared at it with determination.
“I’m not worried. I know a genius magician who can calculate the counterspell.”
It was time to meet Jerome again—this time, in the past.
* * *
