Vivian (2)

As time passed, Vivian increasingly pursued power.

The Empire was a nation that embraced the law of the jungle as its national ideology.

To survive in this cutthroat political arena, it was an unavoidable choice.

“Helix, I don’t want to be used.”

“Kiiik…?”

“To avoid being used, one must use others.”

At the time, I didn’t fully understand what Vivian meant.

But as I grew older, I gradually began to grasp the meaning behind her words.

‘The symbolism of being chosen by a Dragon is too strong.’

She had no other options.

Either be used for life.

Or pursue power and seize strength.

And Vivian’s choice was, naturally, the latter.

“What can a mere bastard do? Just ignore her, my older brothers.”

“That’s right, even if she has a Dragon, no one follows her.”

The Imperial Nobility of the Empire thoroughly ignored such a Vivian.

A bastard Empress with no support base whatsoever.

Indeed, staking one’s political life on her was nothing short of madness.

However…

There are always audacious investors in the world.

Was it still worth taking a gamble, simply because she was chosen by a Dragon?

People willing to invest in Vivian, risking everything, began to appear.

“Her Imperial Highness the Empress, I wish to be your strength.”

“Our trading company will provide the funds.”

“I wish to be Her Imperial Highness the Empress’s political advisor. Please contact me if needed.”

As people flocked to Vivian like clouds, other Imperial Nobility who had been observing the situation also grew anxious.

“Let’s send assassins. We must nip her in the bud before her influence grows further.”

“Let’s hire an assassination organization. We must send the best assassin, even if it’s a strain. The Dragon will surely protect the bastard, after all…”

And sure enough.

Assassins came for Vivian in the dead of night.

Vivian, perhaps not expecting this far, was sound asleep.

“Kyaaaak!!”

“Ugh…!”

The moment they crept in, intending to plunge a knife into Vivian…

I, who had been hiding under the covers, immediately sprang out and pounced on the assassin.

And right there, I mercilessly tore at the assassin’s neck until their breath was cut off.

“He-Helix…!?”

“Kiiing…”

“Is he dead?”

Only after my head cooled did I realize what I had done.

A cold corpse lay there, eyes rolled back.

Just now, I had killed a person.

“Kiiing…”

Even if they were targeting Vivian…

I had taken a life.

I trembled all over with fear.

A terrible sense of guilt washed over me.

“Helix.”

“Kiiing…”

“Helix, thank you. For fighting for me.”

“…”

“You saved me. Your courage rescued me.”

Vivian picked me up, my mouth covered in blood, and soothed me like a baby.

In the warmth of her embrace.

In her gentle voice directed at me.

Even the guilt melted away, and my heart became peaceful, as if by magic.

“Shhh, good boy…”

“…”

I was afraid that my sense of guilt would dull if I stayed with her, but…

I was even more afraid of losing this warmth, so I burrowed into Vivian’s arms.

*****

After that, assassins targeting Vivian never ceased.

Their methods also diversified, such as setting fires or poisoning food.

Their relentless determination, as if to deny Vivian’s very existence…

Forced me to become equally ruthless.

“Kkuaaaak…!!”

“Kill me…! Please, just kill me…!”

This is what happens if you touch Vivian.

As a warning, I killed the assassins even more horribly.

My cruelty was so extreme that even I thought it was insane…

“Kyaaaak!”

“Uwaaaak…! This damned evil Dragon…!”

I would gouge out their eyes with my claws while they were still alive.

Or tie them up and blast them with my breath, roasting them alive…

It was only when my brutality became widely known in the assassination world that no one would accept a contract to kill Vivian anymore.

“Helix. You don’t have to go this far.”

“Kiiik.”

“Haha, was that a foolish thing to say? Well, if I don’t do this, I’ll die, won’t I?”

A shadow of worry fell over Vivian’s face.

Her eyes were filled with guilt towards me.

“I should die. Then you wouldn’t have to get your hands bloody anymore.”

“Kiiik!”

“It’s a joke, a joke. Don’t be angry.”

Still… Vivian did not lose sight of her original goal.

All she had to pursue was power.

She had to cultivate strength so that no one could touch us.

Perhaps it was around that time.

Vivian became obsessed with building her power like one possessed.

She gathered people, accumulated funds, and proved her abilities in the political arena.

She also did not neglect to invest in herself.

“I need to cultivate enough strength to protect myself. I can’t rely on Helix’s help forever.”

Vivian decided to invite a separate teacher to learn Magic.

As it happened, she had enough talent to become a Magician in her previous life.

“Her Imperial Highness the Empress has a particular talent for fire Magic. How about delving into that area?”

Just four years, that was enough time to reach Magician-level.

Even this was a slow pace compared to her previous life.

If she had received direct guidance from me, a Dragon, she might have achieved it faster…

But Vivian was in a position where she had to solidify her political standing while also studying Magic.

Even so, this was still an astonishing achievement.

‘If I taught her, it would be faster.’

Dragons are inherently complete Magicians.

If only I could, I would have given Vivian my magical knowledge, but it was impossible for me, who couldn’t even properly manifest Polymorph yet.

Did that ignite a fire in my heart?

After that, I immersed myself in studying Magic as madly as Vivian did.

“What, Helix, are you studying Magic these days too?”

“Kiiing.”

“We both look like students preparing for an exam, ahaha…”

Honestly, I had always scoffed at the level of human Magic.

But with my urgency, I had to learn even human techniques if necessary.

After about three months passed,

I finally achieved results.

“Vivian.”

“You, are you Helix…?”

“Yes, I became human.”

“My goodness… You’ve already succeeded in Polymorph Magic…?”

“Yes, it’s still clumsy, but I think I can use it well enough.”

My body still had wings and horns.

It was a bit of a stretch to call the level of Magic perfect.

Still, this was a problem that time would solve.

Since the goal of freely conversing with Vivian had been achieved, the rest were minor issues.

“It really is Helix… Your golden eyes are the same, and your hair is black.”

“It tickles…”

Vivian touched various parts of my body as if fascinated.

Her silver hair brushed against my neck, tickling me, and I flinched.

“Helix… But why are you so delicately handsome?”

“Huh…?”

“Have you ever seen yourself in a mirror?”

“Yes, I checked just now.”

Vivian stroked my cheek and met my gaze for a long time.

Her eyes held both joy and unease.

What on earth made her so complicated?

“Being too pretty is also a problem.”

“Really?”

“Yes, the maids would go wild if they saw you right now.”

“…”

Vivian seemed somewhat displeased, so I subtly released my Polymorph.

Perhaps I should refrain from staying in this form for a while.

Thus, I watched Vivian’s mood and found a suitable space to research Magic in human form.

“Becoming human has surprisingly many advantages.”

Having hands meant I could use tools, which definitely changed the progress of my Magic research.

It was also much more convenient than turning pages with clumsy forepaws.

However, constantly changing clothes was inconvenient in many ways.

This was because my achievement was still insufficient, and I couldn’t manifest clothes yet.

Knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

“O-O Great Dragon-isiyeo. Do you perhaps need cleaning?”

“Hmm… I was planning to do it soon.”

“Yes, then I’ll clean it right away?”

A small maid scurried in and began cleaning diligently.

But even as she did, the maid kept glancing at me.

Wondering if she wanted something, I subtly asked her.

“Do you need anything?”

“Me? Need something…? Not at all!”

“Is someone bothering you?”

“N-No, it’s not like that! Thank you for your concern!”

The maid quickly finished cleaning and rushed out as if fleeing.

What kind of reaction was this?

I tried to forget it and resume my research, but a similar incident happened the next day.

“O Dragon-isiyeo, perhaps lunch…”

“Don’t you need a snack…? You must be hungry…”

“Would you like a cup of tea? It’s good for post-meal drowsiness…!”

Suddenly, the maids were showing excessive kindness.

When I was a young Dragon, I had never received such excessive attention.

Of course, at first, there were a few peculiar maids who liked me because I was a young Dragon.

But even that disappeared after I started walking around with assassins’ blood dripping from my mouth.

“Helix. Is your Magic research going well?”

“Yes, my progress seems faster since I became human. I’m satisfied.”

“That’s good, that’s a relief. But you know…”

At that moment, Vivian’s demeanor completely changed.

A mood that somehow made one shrink back.

I even wondered if I had done something wrong to her.

“I heard that the maids have been frequenting your room lately.”

“Huh? Oh, they have. Isn’t it because Vivian wants to take care of me?”

Vivian merely offered an enigmatic smile.

As if she found it absurd, yet…

Her eyes were like those looking at an innocent child.

“Ah, Helix. My baby Dragon.”

“…”

“You’re good at everything, but you lack one thing: common sense. What should I do about this?”

“Why are you suddenly like this…?”

“Can’t you tell? Because you’re too pretty, they’re flirting, forgetting their status. Those girls.”

I didn’t quite understand.

Vivian did always tell me I was pretty.

But I just thought it was because Vivian cherished me…

“Why are you looking so awkward? I’m fuming right now.”

“Ahaha…”

“I hope you don’t intentionally test my jealousy. You deal with those girls yourself.”

“Alright. I’ll do as Vivian says.”

After that, I deliberately prevented the maids from entering my research room without permission.

Later, I heard that those maids were disciplined for various reasons and all dismissed.

I had a slight suspicion that Vivian had a hand in it, but at the time, I didn’t even realize it was a problem.

‘There must have been some problem.’

At least until then, Vivian was the center of my world.

She was the universe itself.

But Vivian’s subsequent actions made me doubt that world…

And it was probably from then that cracks began to appear in our relationship.