Camille (1)

Why, you ask…

Even if she said that, I had nothing specific to tell her.

“W-Why are you suddenly like this…?”

Camille stammered, unable to hide her bewilderment.

Her eyes were bloodshot as if tears would gush out at any moment, and her gaze endlessly followed me.

“Why… are you saying no…?”

“Because I don’t want it anymore.”

“Why don’t you want it anymore!”

I calmly replied to Camille, who had suddenly raised her voice.

“I can no longer see you the way I used to.”

Finding words to soften and rephrase it was surprisingly agonizing.

I didn’t really know how to speak eloquently.

“Is it because of what happened before…?”

After much thought, I nodded.

At that, Camille bit her lip tightly.

“Is it because I stabbed you…?”

“No.”

I firmly denied it.

It was true that Camille had stabbed me, but that wasn’t the reason.

Rather, it could be said that my anger had somewhat subsided because of it.

If she hadn’t even done that, I wouldn’t have had the heart to talk to her at all.

“Then why the hell…!?”

“Do you want me to say it out loud?”

I sighed and looked at Camille.

“Camille, dragons originally desire only one partner.”

“…!!”

“But you broke that.”

“Helix, I was just….!”

“Of course, I know. That your intention wasn’t necessarily bad. That’s why I can’t speak harshly to you.”

Even if her intention wasn’t bad in her own mind, it wasn’t the same for me.

My mouth felt dry from frustration.

Camille still hadn’t fully grasped the situation.

To explain it would be quite a complicated and long story.

Why I had become disappointed in her, that is.

******

Before talking about Camille, there’s something that needs to be addressed first.

Her way of thinking is somewhat peculiar.

This peculiarity led to discord.

So, why is it peculiar?

To understand that, one first needed to understand her country, the Holy Dominion.

The Holy Dominion.

A country located to the east of the Albes Mountains, which divide the continent.

This nation is, in name and reality, the strongest power in the world.

Its vast plains are blessed and fertile.

Hundreds of large and small rivers flow through it, making it suitable for farming.

The western mountain range is rich in various underground resources, so there’s no worry about resources.

However, the Holy Dominion’s most significant feature is, without a doubt, its Dragon worship.

In the Holy Dominion’s founding myth, there are records stating that a dragon directly founded the nation.

No one knows if it’s true or if it was fabricated by later generations.

In any case, because of this, the people of the Holy Dominion claim to be descendants of dragons.

Their pride in this also reaches the sky.

Naturally, the Holy Dominion is a theocracy.

The higher one’s understanding of doctrine and scripture, the higher their social status.

However, within this theocratic Holy Dominion, there is a separate entity that stands at the very pinnacle.

[Saint]

All positions in the Holy Dominion are determined by people.

But the sole exception is the Saint.

Only a young girl blessed by a dragon is chosen as the Saint.

However, this dragon’s blessing is by no means given to just anyone.

In particular, it was said that no Saint had been born for nearly 100 years recently.

For various reasons, voices of concern within the Holy Dominion inevitably grew louder.

‘A Saint! Saint-nim has appeared!’

And then, the Saint who appeared was Camille.

In truth, Camille’s background was humble.

She was a war orphan and wasn’t even born within the territory of the Holy Dominion.

But merely by receiving the blessing, she ascended to a position above all others.

Most of the Holy Dominion’s citizens purely rejoiced at the Saint’s appearance.

However, even if the Holy Dominion was a theocracy, it was still a place where people lived.

There were bound to be those who viewed the Saint, who had seemingly fallen from the sky, as an eyesore.

‘How can a lowly Dragon’s Priestess be a Saint… I cannot accept it!’

Dragon’s Priestess.

Female orphans from wars were primarily selected.

They were educated in scripture and raised as future leaders of the Holy Dominion.

Camille, the Saint, was originally a Dragon’s Priestess.

Their education proceeded strictly according to the Holy Dominion’s scriptures.

Their way of life was also determined by the scriptures.

And among them, the most important was communal living.

From a young age, the Dragon’s Priestesses shared everything with their comrades.

Clothing.

Food.

Bedding.

The concept of “mine” did not exist for any of these things.

That was the ideal way of life taught by the Holy Dominion’s scriptures.

Of course, Camille was an anomaly compared to other Dragon’s Priestesses.

She caused a lot of trouble and was curious in many ways.

However, that didn’t mean she neglected the Holy Dominion’s doctrines themselves.

On the contrary, she deeply loved the organization of the Dragon’s Priestesses, from which she originated.

There were many who didn’t approve of her as the Saint.

The only place she could give her heart to was among the Dragon’s Priestesses.

‘Saint-nim, you worked hard today too! Have this!’

‘It’s good to pray diligently, but please take care of yourself too!’

‘Yes, thank you, everyone.’

Her sisters were her most precious family and supporters.

It was not strange for affection to grow.

But then…

A great upheaval occurred that completely overturned the existing order.

One day, a white egg was discovered by a lake in the Holy Dominion Capital.

That’s right.

It was my egg.

And who do you think hatched that egg?

‘Saint-nim has awakened the Dragon!’

Well, as you might expect, it was Camille.

She was the Saint chosen by the Divine Dragon, after all.

I later heard that the moment Camille touched the egg,

the hard eggshell crumbled like a boiled egg, *Kwajik*.

“Piiik.”

That’s where I first met Camille.

She smiled gently, looking at me.

I thought that smile was solely for me.

“You’re cute. I thought dragons would look a bit scary.”

“Piiik!”

“Shall I give you a name first?”

Camille’s lips parted after a moment of thought.

“Helix. Your name is Helix.”

That name, which would never change no matter how many regressions occurred in the future.

It was Camille who gave it to me.

“Piiik!! Piiik!!”

“Stop following me around. Are you a dog? A dragon should maintain some dignity.”

From my days as a baby dragon, I blindly followed Camille.

At her every word, I trailed after her like a puppy.

There was no particular reason.

I simply liked Camille.

Whether she was a Saint or not didn’t matter.

‘Your name is Helix.’

Camille’s voice, calling my name with a warm tone.

For me, that alone was enough.

“Wow… Saint-nim. Baby Dragon-nim is so adorable.”

“Well, it might get annoying if you’re with me all the time, you know?”

“I know it’s rude, but can I touch it just once?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. What’s rude about it?”

One of the Dragon’s Priestesses, having received Camille’s permission, reached out to touch me.

But I had no intention of allowing anyone other than Camille.

“Kyaaak!!”

Kwajik!!

“Ah!”

I bit the Dragon’s Priestess who tried to touch me without permission.

Camille’s eyes narrowed in anger when her sister was hurt.

“What are you doing, Helix! Why did you bite Sera?!”

“Kiiing…”

“This won’t do. You need to be disciplined.”

“P-Please stop, Saint-nim! You shouldn’t treat the dragon like that!”

Other Dragon’s Priestesses tried to dissuade her, but Camille was firm.

That day, I was kicked out of Camille’s room and had to sleep alone in the hallway.

“I’m sorry, Baby Dragon-nim… I tried to touch you without permission…”

“Kiiik.”

The same Dragon’s Priestess subtly brought a blanket and covered me with it.

I was about to act sulky towards her… but I stopped.

Honestly, this Dragon’s Priestess hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Come in.”

“Kiiing…”

“Don’t do that again, okay? Biting people without permission is a bad thing.”

That dawn, Camille let me back in.

Perhaps feeling sorry, she held me in her arms all night long.

But this was just the beginning.

“Kiiik!!”

“Baby Dragon-nim… I’m not trying to harm you…”

Even after that, I continued to act territorial towards the Dragon’s Priestesses.

Honestly, I was jealous.

I wanted to monopolize Camille’s affection.

I didn’t want to share it with anyone.

“Helix, are you really going to keep doing this?”

Camille also chastised my behavior and protected her sisters.

However, no matter how much I growled, the Dragon’s Priestesses always clung to me, saying they liked me.

In truth, for a long time, there had been no dragon, so their role had faded.

The Dragon’s Priestesses were originally an organization created solely to serve and attend to dragons.

To them, I was like a living incarnation of a god.

I was not a being they could hate, even if they wanted to.

Then, something happened.

An assassination plot targeting Camille.

It was the work of those who had always resented the Saint, a war orphan.

“Die! You fake Saint!”

“Kyaaak!”

Camille merely screamed in extreme terror.

Around her were only nuns who were not skilled in combat.

I was the only one who could protect Camille.

“Kyaaak!!”

“Why is a dragon…!!”

I succeeded in separating the assassin from Camille.

But the assassin lunged again, aiming for Camille’s life.

‘I must protect Camille.’

That was the only thought in my mind.

At that moment, magic activated in response to my fervent wish and will.

Polymorph.

The ultimate magic that transforms a dragon’s body into a human form.

No incantation or magic circle was used.

It manifested solely through my will to protect Camille.

“Get lost!!”

“Kuhok!!”

Thus, I succeeded in beating down the assassin.

I rushed to Camille and checked her complexion.

“Camille, are you okay?”

“Helix, is it really Helix…?”

“Yes, it’s me, Camille. It’s okay now. Shh.”

I hugged Camille tightly, who was trembling with fear.

Even though she had lived ten years longer than me, she was still like a child.

A sense of duty welled up within me, that I had to protect her from now on.

“Helix.”

“Yes?”

“Shall we date?”

“What…?”

“I like you.”

At the sudden confession, I stammered but nodded.

Although it was bewildering, wasn’t this a way to get closer to Camille?

There was, of course, no reason to refuse.

And a few years passed…

“By this, I declare that the two of you are husband and wife.”

The wedding ceremony was held beneath the magnificent grand cathedral of the Holy Dominion.

As the pure white veil was lifted, her radiant blonde hair was revealed.

My terribly beautiful Saint.

Camille met my eyes and gave a mischievous smile.

“Are you ready? Ready to enter the hell called marriage, I mean.”

“Of course.”

Camille and I exchanged a kiss of vows, blessed by everyone.

“I love you, Helix.”

“Yes, me too.”

I vowed to definitely protect my beloved Saint.

At least that promise, at that time, was sincere.