Chapter 27 : The Third Girl (2)

I could no longer stand by and watch.

This time, I had to shatter their foolish actions and the stupid deeds born from their vain beliefs.

I decided that I must carve fear into their very bones, so they would never even dream of such things again.

Of course, it was a bothersome task.

As a dragon, not even a human, I had no desire to intervene directly in human affairs.

However, every time I saw the children growing peacefully inside the cave, the sense of duty to protect them from the cruel outside world weighed heavier on me.

And now that responsibility mixed with rage, igniting a fierce determination to end this vile practice once and for all.

Grrrrr!

As if in response to my will, a low growl escaped from deep within my throat.

The air inside the cave instantly grew heavy.

The children showed signs of unease.

Mir also turned to me with wide, surprised eyes.

[…Mir. Take care of the children.]

I spoke briefly through telepathy.

Mir seemed hesitant for a moment, but soon understood the situation and nodded.

“I understand. Be careful.”

I raised my massive body.

The sound of my hard scales brushing against each other echoed through the cave as I slowly walked toward the entrance.

With each step, the ground trembled slightly.

The fury and magic boiling within me seemed to shake the air around the cave.

When I reached the cave entrance, at last, I saw them.

Dozens of armed soldiers.

They all stared at the cave entrance with faces pale with fear, eyes filled with a mix of caution and terror.

Their armor looked much sturdier and fancier than during the last sacrificial procession, but it did little to hide the fear inside them.

Army.

Behind the soldiers, carts loaded with all sorts of trinkets that seemed like treasures followed.

Shining gold and silver, expensive-looking clothes and ornaments.

The moment I saw the treasure, I lost my reason in an instant.

‘What…?’

It was as if another self inside me emerged—or rather, it confidently raised its head as if it were the real me.

Were they trying to appease my fury with that? How utterly laughable.

The rage boiling in my dragon blood could not be soothed by such trivial material things.

And at the center of the procession.

A richly decorated palanquin approached slowly, guarded by soldiers.

And standing before that palanquin, a human girl dressed in white.

My gaze instantly locked onto the girl.

A presence distinctly different from the other humans.

The aura considered sacred by humans felt revolting to me.

I could tell immediately that the source of the artificial and refined aura I sensed earlier was ‘that girl.’

Her pure white robe was spotless, and she wore a small, faintly glowing crown-like object on her head.

Her face, even from afar, was neat and pretty enough to be called cute, but her expression was strange.

One side of her was clearly terrified, but ironically, a faint smile lingered on her lips.

‘A sacrifice…?’

Judging by their habit of offering young children as sacrifices, this child was undoubtedly this year’s offering.

However, I clearly saw that someone was inhabiting the body of this young child.

‘No, it’s not just a shell—someone has possessed a living child.’

Realizing this filled me with revulsion, and a fierce desire to burn everything down.

The palanquin came to a stop, and the girl in white took a step closer to the cave entrance.

Our gazes clashed in midair.

I could clearly see the terror in the child’s eyes, even though she tried to maintain a calm exterior.

But still, she desperately tried to keep her noble posture with a trembling smile.

The moment I saw that, I could endure no longer.

Perhaps because I confirmed that the child hated this, the rage within me finally passed its breaking point and exploded.

ROOOAAAAAR!

A deafening roar shook the entire mountain range as if tearing the sky apart.

The ground quaked, and trees bent as if they would snap.

The soldiers screamed, dropping their weapons, and either threw themselves flat on the ground or fled in a panic.

But the girl in white, even amidst the overwhelming terror, did not run away.

Though her legs trembled and her face turned as pale as paper, she still stood there looking up at me.

The being possessing the child was forcing her to stand as a shield.

Though my body shuddered with disgust, I did not forget the original warning I intended to give.

[…Another sacrifice?]

This was not merely a sound.

My will, carried through the air, would have felt like a physical shockwave.

The one inhabiting the child’s body had descended not to fight me, but by borrowing the too-young body of a child.

It didn’t seem to be some foolish attempt at extermination.

It seemed that “I” disliked the idea of killing the girl, so letting her go unharmed was the best choice.

As originally intended, I would warn them that no sacrifices were needed.

It was time to end this wretched “game.”

[Fools.]

Like a sharp ice pick, like a burning iron brand, my will stabbed directly into the minds of all the humans present.

The soldiers clung to each other with even paler faces or began to mutter meaningless prayers.

The terror filling their eyes had reached almost beast-like levels.

Only one person, the girl in white, did not avoid my gaze.

Of course, her legs were trembling thinly, and the smile she forced was about to shatter at any moment.

But the being was stubbornly enduring.

Using the child’s shell as a shield while struggling to maintain its dignity.

[We need no sacrifices!]

Once again, my will coldly stirred within their minds.

This time, it was not mere rage.

It carried a cold, iron-clad determination.

Several soldiers flinched and exchanged uneasy glances.

Some of them might have been there when the sounds first lured sacrifices away or when Lisette was abandoned.

[The children you offered have not died, nor have I devoured them. Even now, they are alive and breathing inside my cave.]

My words, sharp as blades, slashed apart their shallow beliefs and superstitions about dragons devouring children.

I forced them to confront how meaningless and futile their actions had been.

[And yet you bring another sacrifice? With these worthless treasures? Dragons need neither treasure nor children!]

My will, filled with mockery and contempt, shook their very minds.

The murmuring grew louder.

Some soldiers trembled with their heads bowed, while others stared at the girl in white with confused eyes.

She bit her lip, finally unable to withstand my pressure, and tried to avert her gaze, but my will only gripped her tighter.

[I understand your fear. Fear of the unknown is an instinct shared by all living beings. But you have nurtured that fear yourselves, twisting it into a warped belief. And with that mad belief, you justified the sacrifice of innocent lives. Is that the way of you humans?]

A brief silence fell.

No one could answer my rebuke.

Only the rough sounds of breathing and whimpers of fear filled the stillness.

[Disgusting.]

At last, the loathing condensed within me burst out.

[Get lost!]

I roared once more.

It wasn’t just a mere sound.

It was a shockwave of power, embodying the magical energy boiling within me, shaking existence itself.

With the roar, the air around my body began to churn violently.

A crimson aura of magic rose like a haze, wrapping around my enormous body.

The ground rumbled and vibrated, and the rocks around the cave entrance trembled and started to crack.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, covering the sun in an instant, and the world was dyed in dim, murky light.

“Ahhhhhh!”

“A m-monster!”

“Save me!”

The soldiers finally collapsed completely.

They threw down their weapons and fled, screaming.

They shoved and trampled over each other, causing a chaotic stampede to survive.

The carts loaded with treasures were overturned and smashed, spilling their contents miserably onto the dirt.

The gold and jewels that once gleamed now lay cold and dull amidst fear and despair.

Even amid that chaos, the woman in white remained in place.

No, rather than standing firm, it looked more like her legs were frozen in fear.

Her face was now completely bloodless, and her trembling body seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

The forced smile she had worn had long since disappeared.

Yes, who were you raising your head before, until just now?

‘…Now this is a sight worth seeing.’

That is the true form of your so-called god.

Once the glamorous shell is stripped away, what’s left is just a fragile, fearful mortal.

I slowly approached her, feeling the ‘memory’ within me gradually unravel.

A giant shadow completely engulfed her.

She looked up at me with lips trembling blue, as if she had forgotten even how to breathe.

[Look closely.]

My will was now as low and calm as a whisper, but the oppressive force within it was stronger than ever.

[This is the result your curiosity has brought.]

I slowly lowered my head to meet her gaze.

Reflected in her eyes were my own, burning red, filled with a cold, destructive will.

[I will give you one last chance.]

My voice echoed as if engraving itself directly onto the soul possessed within the girl.

Even if it was a borrowed body, losing it would be a loss—this was both a chance and a warning.

[Leave this place immediately. And never again—never set foot on this mountain again. Cease your dreadful, foolish ritual of sacrifices forever.]

I paused for a moment, watching her reaction.

[Spirit and flesh… You notice it instantly, don’t you, Valakas.]

The girl, too terrified to speak, remained silent, but the woman wearing the ‘Crown of Harmony,’ one of the seven gods who ruled the middle realm, emerged from the girl’s body, biting her lips with a twisted smile.

[Your petty little experiment ends here. If you wish to continue your pathetic god-play, make sure never to awaken me again.]

[I came thinking your spiritual form was collapsing at last, but to find you so intact… I’m losing interest.]

The ‘being’ clinging to the girl detached itself from the saintess’ body.

Even while leaving, it seemed to gauge me.

[Amusing… You’ve expanded your spiritual form through a new self—surely that’s your limit, Valakas!]

Sneering heavily, it soared into the sky.

Seeing the troublesome being who had caused this commotion disappear, I surveyed the surroundings.

The soldiers lying helpless before my might, the shattered carts and scattered treasures, and the sky plunged into darkness.

[…I warn you again. If you offer sacrifices once more, your territory, your kingdom—whatever you hold dear—will be reduced to dust before my wrath. Everything you have built will collapse, and your very existence will be erased from this land. Do you understand me?]

As the final ultimatum ended, a heavy silence, like the disappearance of all sound, fell over the once chaotic surroundings.

Only my rough breathing and the faint groans of terrified humans split the silence.

I looked down at the woman in white whose role as spirit vessel was over.

In her eyes, along with fear, I thought I caught a glimpse of another faint emotion.

Love? Affection? Humans are truly incomprehensible.

But right now, that didn’t matter.

What mattered was whether my warning had reached these primitive humans.

I did not move yet.

Now the ball was in their court.

Depending on their choice, the fate of this land would be decided.

Time seemed frozen, hanging in an extreme tension.

The silence after my ultimatum did not last long.

It was like a taut bowstring, destined to snap at the slightest touch.

The first crack was the sharp scream of a soldier.

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

Unable to overcome his fear, one human finally snapped, screaming and turning to flee.

That was the signal.

His scream spread among the soldiers like a plague.

The once-frozen crowd exploded into uncontrollable chaos.

“R-Run!”

“Save me!”

“The evil dragon! It’s going to kill us all!”

The shouts, mixed together, became a hideous noise.

Soldiers shoved and trampled each other, running madly for survival.

Spears and swords were discarded as burdens, and even heavy armor was thrown off by many.

All that remained for them was the primal instinct to survive.

Into the forest, behind rocks, retracing their steps—they frantically moved their feet, desperate to escape from my giant shadow even for a moment.

Some fell and rolled, others collapsed crying, some even laughed into the air like madmen—
a vivid display of how weak and ugly humans can become before fear.

The horses, losing their masters, rampaged wildly, smashing the treasure carts to pieces.

The once-glittering gold and jewels, symbols of human greed, now lay miserably mixed with dirt, blood, and the filth of those overcome by terror.

‘The fusion with the new spiritual body is still incomplete.’

I judged quietly as I looked down on the scene.

Originally, a continuous sleep would have forcibly fused the spirit forms.

But the new spiritual body seemed too much like a young soul sincerely playing “family.”

Of course, since that soul was also ‘me,’ I had no intention of opposing it.

As my rage gradually subsided, it was time to return control to the new spiritual form.

Hoping that everything had gone well as ‘I’ wished, I once again sank into sleep.