First Reunion (1)

A sudden reunion with Camille.

I tried my best to face her calmly, but…

“Helix, then when are we getting married again?”

To my surprise, Camille brought up the word ‘marriage’ again.

How dare she utter that word in front of me…

I barely managed to suppress my expression from twisting into a frown.

“Sorry, I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Why…?”

She demanded an explanation, her face looking as if the sky had fallen.

Reason?

There were too many to explain one by one.

But if I had to pick just one, it would still be this.

“Camille, a Dragon desires only one mate.”

“Helix, I just…!”

“You broke that.”

I swallowed the rest of my words.

And that it really went the way she wanted.

That I met many women, formed bonds, and shared joys and sorrows with them.

And as if competing with each other, every single one of them met the worst possible end.

“H-Helix. Please don’t say things like that…”

Camille pleaded with me, her voice trembling with tears.

Does she truly believe we can go back to how things were before?

Unfortunately, it was impossible now.

“I’m too tired.”

Those words weren’t just directed at Camille.

They were also for my other five wives.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to reunite with them later, but…

No matter who I meet, my answer will be the same.

“I was wrong… because I was wrong…”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m truly reflecting on it. I agonized endlessly while searching for you… about how I should apologize to you…”

I barely managed to suppress a bitter laugh.

“If you’re really sorry, just leave me alone for now. My head is a mess right now.”

“But…”

“I’m not telling you to disappear from my sight right now. I just… don’t know how to treat you right now.”

This much is true.

It’s hard to forgive Camille in my heart.

Yet, I’m in a position where I need her help.

But just taking her help and not forgiving her would be nothing more than using her.

It’s an utterly awkward situation, one way or another.

“So, for a while, let’s not talk about the past.”

“Alright, if that’s what Helix wants, I’ll follow…”

Camille took a step back with a crestfallen expression.

Just as my heart was about to soften at her pitiful appearance, thinking of the past incidents made anger surge up again.

“Do you think I’m being too harsh?”

“No! I absolutely don’t think that! I know Helix is holding back right now…”

“It’s a relief you understand.”

Right, considering how self-centered Camille has been with me all this time, I shouldn’t be too harsh with just this much.

“Actually, it’s a lie that I’m not angry.”

“Helix…”

“The more I talk, the angrier I get. I didn’t really intend to at first.”

Camille is self-centered.

She was self-centered from beginning to end.

She regarded me not as her mate, but as a kind of possession.

That’s why she made me embrace the Dragon’s Priestesses,

and demanded a Geas of absolute obedience from me.

“I really don’t know how I should treat you…”

“I was wrong… I have no intention of making excuses…”

A single tear streamed down Camille’s eye.

At the sight of her shoulders trembling as she tried to suppress her sobs…

Pity and resentment intertwined within me.

“You’re really despicable, you know.”

“Sorry…”

“If you had just been brazen, I would have felt more at ease.”

I placed my hand on Camille’s forehead.

Camille flinched, thinking I was about to hit her.

“Why did you flinch?

“Helix, I…”

“I’ve never hit you before, so why are you scared? It’s a bit unfair.”

I cast a spell simultaneously, forcing a bitter smile.

“Heal.”

I cast a healing spell towards Camille, who was in a mess.

Along with a gentle breeze, a warm golden aura enveloped her.

At the same time, the scratches on Camille’s body began to heal.

“Huh…?”

Was it that strange that I healed her?

Camille blinked in surprise and looked at me.

“Is it okay to use Magic…? You’ve just been born, so you must be short on Magic…”

“This much is fine. And if you’re counting, Polymorph takes much more.”

“Thank you, Helix…”

It’s just that I no longer want to be with her as a lover.

As a comrade, Camille isn’t a bad person to have around.

At least she’s not a woman who lies.

“Lead the way. You didn’t come looking for me alone in that state, did you? You were with the Holy Knights of the Holy Dominion, weren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“If I suddenly appear in human form, the Holy Knights might suspect me. I’ll return to my Dragon form for now.”

Vwooom!!

I released Polymorph, returning to my baby Dragon form.

Perhaps because Polymorph itself is a Magic that consumes so much Magic.

My Magic is running low, more than I expected.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that form…”

“Kiiik…”

Camille hesitated for a moment, then cautiously reached out her hand to me.

A very warm touch, befitting a child’s hand.

“Can I hold you…? It’s a long way. You’re still a baby Dragon, so you need to conserve your stamina, don’t you…?”

Camille proposed to me with a trembling voice.

I pondered for a moment… then gently nodded.

“Just for the journey… I’ll hold you. I absolutely won’t bother you…”

Camille carefully picked me up and held me in her arms.

Camille’s heart, still beating fiercely, transmitted its rhythm to me.

Seeing how clearly she had suffered while searching for me…

My thoughts became complicated in many ways.

“Helix, first… let’s just go back. You can be angry later… I’ll even pay the price for my mistakes there…”

Camille babbled incoherently as she hurried towards where the Holy Knights were.

Thinking about it, even though she was a Saint, she had searched for me without a single escort.

‘What were the Holy Knights doing, letting a child wander around alone?’

I briefly wondered about the incomprehensible situation.

But after recalling my past life’s memories for a moment, I roughly understood the situation.

‘She hasn’t been recognized yet, as a Saint.’

Come to think of it, Camille was a war orphan.

Not even from the Holy Dominion, but a war orphan from a foreign country.

Because of that, I heard that even as a Saint, her standing in the Holy Dominion was low until she awakened me.

‘This is a pain in the ass. If this is the case, I can’t openly show my displeasure.’

If I were to reject her and show my disapproval, Camille’s standing as a Saint would be diminished.

If that happens, it would become an obstacle to achieving my goal.

No matter how harshly she treated me in my past life…

Ultimately, there was no one as trustworthy as Camille in this Holy Dominion.

‘I don’t even know my own feelings…’

Seeing her bring up marriage as soon as we met, as if she’d completely forgotten what happened before, made my blood boil, but then…

When I said something else, seeing her shedding tears made my heart soften.

But my heart was too narrow to just forgive her completely….

And in the midst of it all, since I needed her cooperation, I couldn’t treat her carelessly either.

“Helix, we’re here.”

The Holy Knights, with a few bags, fidgeted nervously, waiting for something.

As soon as they spotted Camille, their eyes widened, and they rushed over.

“Saint-nim…!”

“Where were you, Saint-nim? We’ve been looking for you for ages…?!”

The Holy Knights, who hadn’t shown their faces until now, suddenly started scolding Camille.

Their behavior displeased me greatly, so I let out a faint cry towards them.

“Wait, what is that in your arms…?”

“As you can see, it’s the Dragon we’ve been waiting for.”

Camille subtly glanced at me, looking uneasy.

She was probably worried if I would show that I accepted her.

But there was no need for that.

Because I had already prepared myself to cooperate with her.

Vwooom!!

I instantly drew upon the last of my remaining Magic, synchronizing it with Camille’s divine power.

At this, the Stigma engraved on the back of Camille’s hand shone brightly, and then…

Golden wisps of mist began to slowly rise around her.

“O-Oh, chosen one of the Dragon…!”

Perhaps they were Holy Knights at least in their duty?

The Holy Knights, who had forgotten their duty, knelt down with eyes full of emotion, and then…

“Glory to the Dragon and the Saint!”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one who found their sudden change in attitude distasteful.

Camille also glared at those Holy Knights with indifferent eyes, then…

“We’re returning to the Holy Dominion immediately. Request Wyverns from the homeland so we can return as quickly as possible.”

“Understood, Saint-nim.”

Well, I suppose a way to return to the Holy Dominion has been arranged somehow.

Then, I should conserve my stamina well until then.

That way, I’ll be able to beat those damned bastards.

[Termites]

Those damned bastards who infest this world.

Disgusting creatures, indistinguishable from demons or bugs.

They imitate the appearance of any race and infiltrate their societies.

‘This time too, I won’t let you die easily, you damned bastards.’

A terrible, persistent ill-fated connection that continued through six regressions.

Just as I desire their deaths, they desire mine.

Because if I’m gone, there will be no one to stop them in this world.

‘I’ll end it in this life.’

And to do that…

First, I needed to increase my allies.

Even if it meant getting help from my other wives from my past life, if necessary.

Of course, I wasn’t thrilled about it.

Just looking at Camille makes me this angry.

The problem is that there were many wives who were even worse for me than Camille.

Just thinking about reuniting with them already makes my heart complicated.

‘There’s no avoiding it, I suppose.’

Whether they come looking for me first.

Or if I need help and go looking for them first.

Eventually, we were bound to meet again someday.

‘Let’s not think too far ahead.’

I briefly looked up at Camille’s face, who was holding me in her arms.

Perhaps Camille felt my gaze, as a peculiar light entered her eyes.

“Huh? What’s wrong…? Are you uncomfortable…?”

“Kiiik…”

Just Camille alone is already more than I can handle.

As for the problem of the other wives…

For now, let’s stop thinking about it.

Because putting them aside as if they never existed would be at least somewhat beneficial for my mental health.