Chapter 31 : Path (4)
In front of me, the two dragons held a conversation so terrifying it sent chills down my spine.
“Who will tear open the chest?”
“He’s your cherished one, so you should do the cutting.”
“Fine. Then you’ll handle the fragment implantation.”
Tear open my chest?
I had braced myself, but fear threatened to paralyze my mind.
“Don’t move and endure it well. It’s my first time cutting a human’s chest. Polarin, if you so much as flinch, my claws might rupture your heart.”
There was no time to feel fear.
Hike’s claw slashed down my chest in one swift motion.
No anesthesia, no preparation.
Agony enveloped my entire body.
The Dragon Heart, as if resisting the dragon’s claw invading its domain, unleashed a torrent of mana.
Blood gushed, splattering even my face.
I clenched every muscle, desperately holding still. Hike’s claw was still embedded in my chest.
As she said, if I thrashed…
I just wanted this to end quickly.
But Baden, holding the rim of his father’s heart, chanted solemnly.
[── ─ ── ───── ──.]
Dragon Speech, incomprehensible to me, flowed from Baden’s mouth.
[── ─ ──!]
Something gripped my heart tightly.
The exposed Dragon Heart resisted fiercely, spewing mana against the force, but an overwhelming power disregarded it.
An unknown force manipulated my heart, twisting and repositioning it.
Then, as if ready, it anchored the heart firmly in place.
At that moment, light poured from Baden’s hand, which had been chanting Dragon Speech.
The transparent rim of the heart absorbed the light and began to fragment.
Only then did Baden approach with the glowing rim, implanting the fragments into the chest Hike had torn open.
“Ugh…”
A scream, barely a sound, escaped me.
It felt like a blade piercing the center of my heart.
My Dragon Heart didn’t accept the fragments easily.
It raged, as if furious at the intrusion.
The pain was unbearable.
Yet, at the same time, new power and knowledge flooded in.
The enlightenment of the previous Lord, preserved in the rim.
His strength, wisdom, and mastery of mana.
I clung to my senses, desperate not to miss a single insight from the dragon’s wisdom.
“Hike, now that I think about it, maybe we should’ve chanted the Dragon Speech before cutting the chest.”
“Ah, I didn’t think of that.”
…I ignored the infuriating chatter beside me.
* * *
“Are you awake?”
“Ah, Lady Hike… Yes, I’m awake.”
By my side was Hike, now in human form.
She wore a gentle smile, one I’d never seen before.
After absorbing a portion of the previous Lord’s knowledge, I had fainted.
That made it twice I’d lost consciousness in the High Dragon’s Nest.
Feeling awkward, I tried to rise, but Hike’s hand pressed my shoulder.
“It’s fine. Rest a bit more. You’ve been through something big.”
I didn’t refuse and lay back down.
The heart, now implanted with the first fragment, greedily devoured the surrounding mana.
Hike shattered a Dragon’s Crystal within the cave, increasing the mana density in the space.
Tap- tap-.
The pain didn’t subside easily, but the pounding of my heart gradually calmed.
As the pain eased, I asked Hike something I’d been curious about.
“Where did Baden, I mean, the Lord, go?”
“He’s meditating, holed up in a cave he dug. He might not come out for years.”
Meditating for years?
A question arose but quickly faded.
Through the previous Dragon Lord’s knowledge, I naturally understood the dragons’ sense of time.
“…Thank you.”
The first stage of the engraving was successful.
I knew this instinctively.
The previous Lord’s heart had been overlaid onto mine like armor.
I could feel the two hearts harmonizing within me.
“Later, when you see Baden, thank him. He’s essentially let go of his father.”
“Yes, I’ll be sure to thank him.”
Even without Hike’s words, I knew, thanks to the Lord’s knowledge.
Dragons believed they hadn’t fully parted with their parents until their heart’s rim was gone.
‘Baden must be in his own period of mourning.’
I hadn’t expected Baden to give me his father’s heart rim.
He didn’t get along with the Adjak family, and it seemed he disliked me, their blood, as well.
Yet, unexpectedly, I received a great gift.
Whatever his reasons, I owed him a huge debt.
I rose again.
Hike looked concerned but didn’t stop me.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes, I feel fine now.”
Whether Hike or Baden helped, the wound on my chest had healed cleanly.
To receive an engraving directly from dragons—I had far surpassed my initial goal of obtaining a Heart Engraving.
“Was I… out for about a week?”
“Seven days and four hours. Are you heading straight back to Chilgong Fortress?”
“Yes, I plan to follow the family’s tradition.”
Hike nodded calmly.
As an elder of the Adjak family, she likely knew the procedures well.
But she didn’t ask what choice I’d make.
She simply looked into my eyes.
That alone conveyed her support clearly.
Time was short.
To return to Chilgong Fortress within the promised month, I had to move quickly.
“Take care.”
“I’ll visit again.”
And so, I left the High Dragon’s Nest.
Tap- tap-.
The sound of crystals breaking echoed through the nest.
* * *
The promised month had passed.
Everyone gathered in the plaza.
The elder hadn’t arrived yet, but preparations were bustling as always.
Yet, the mood was complex.
The spot where Polarin should have stood at the front of the formation was empty.
No one knew when Polarin, who had left with Hike, would return.
“Polarin will come, right?”
Siriel lowered her voice, asking Kiyot.
“…Polarin likes looking like the protagonist. Don’t worry, he’ll come.”
Kiyot replied in an even lower voice, his tone filled with strong trust.
But that trust didn’t last long.
“The Elder is entering!”
A booming voice rang out, and soon the elder appeared.
As before, he materialized abruptly on the empty platform, as if tearing through space.
Clap clap clap clap!
The applause continued, but the atmosphere wasn’t as fervent as before.
The elder didn’t give a rousing speech to ignite the crowd.
Instead, he stared expressionlessly at the spot where Polarin should have been.
The Coming-of-Age Ceremony participants tensed under his stern gaze.
Slam!
At that moment, the plaza’s gate swung open.
All gazes, including the elder’s, turned toward it.
“Sorry for being late.”
It was Polarin, the one everyone had been waiting for.
‘A real protagonist. A bit late this time, though.’
Kiyot sighed in relief.
Polarin bowed politely, then strode forward.
His appearance was a mess, but his expression somehow seemed refreshed.
Though he hadn’t joined the rehearsal, Polarin naturally took his place at the front.
As the elder gave a brief explanation, the participants, in reverse order of their ceremony rankings, announced their decisions.
Some chose the Yellow Dragon Knights, a tier below the White Dragon Knights, while others applied for administrative roles.
Siriel’s choice stood out.
“I choose the Crows!”
Everyone looked at Siriel in surprise.
Even Blaze, already a Crow, flinched.
It was rare for anyone to volunteer for the Crows.
Choosing another path could ensure a comfortable life within the family, so Siriel’s decision was shocking.
And she wasn’t the only one.
“…I also choose the Crows.”
Kiyot chose the Crows as well.
The other participants, knowing they were Polarin’s close allies, whispered, ‘Is Polarin heading to the Crows too?’
Having made their choices, the two glanced at Polarin.
Polarin hadn’t influenced their decisions.
But deep down, they seemed to hope he’d join them in the Crows.
Next, the fourth-ranked, Balan, stepped before the elder.
“I will apply to the White Dragon Knights, the sword of the Adjak family.”
Balan’s choice was conventional.
The White Dragon Knights, the Adjak family’s official knights and one of the continent’s strongest, didn’t accept just anyone.
Only those pre-contacted by the knights, like Tibou approaching Polarin, could join.
Knowing this, the participants looked at Balan with envy.
Next was the third-ranked, Keldric.
Keldric stepped forward confidently and said,
“I will join the White Dragon Knights!”
Keldric’s choice was also conventional.
With his and Balan’s talents, they were expected to quickly distinguish themselves in the White Dragon Knights.
Keldric returned to his spot with a grin, glancing at me.
He seemed to assume I’d choose the White Dragon Knights too.
Next, the second-ranked, Soler, stepped forward.
“I will join the Black Veil.”
Perhaps because it was an unconventional choice, reactions erupted the moment Soler spoke.
“Why?”
“With Soler’s rank, even the White Dragon Knights…”
The response was stronger than when Siriel and Kiyot chose the Crows.
Their choice, though surprising, was understandable.
Coming from lower autonomous regions, they had spent more time with the group’s leader, Tayon, the current Crow commander, and could have been influenced by him.
But the Black Veil was different.
Though part of the Adjak family, it was closer to the private army of the Third Autonomous Region.
For Soler, who ranked second in the ceremony, to reject a prestigious family organization caused a stir that didn’t subside easily.
But the biggest moment was yet to come.
All eyes turned to Polarin.
Despite the shock, anticipation for his choice filled the air.
But at that moment, Polarin was thinking something else.
‘…Once I say it, there’s no going back.’
I had already decided my path.
But it would likely be as surprising as, if not more than, the others’ choices.
From the High Dragon’s Nest to Chilgong Fortress, I pondered and pondered during my journey.
But my answer never changed.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped before the elder.
Looking straight into his youthful, gleaming eyes despite his age, I declared,
“I will join the Intelligence Department, Tello.”