The stillness settled over the round table like a thick fog.
The Elders sitting around held their breath after hearing the report just flown in from the Royen Sea.
No one spoke a word.
However, amidst the heavy silence, a few Elders could not contain their twitching shoulders.
“Ahem, the Dragoness Zane has been kidnapped.”
The Elder conducting the oracle muttered as he stroked his chin, casually forcing down the corners of his mouth that were creeping up in a slight smirk.
“It’s truly unfortunate.”
“The Dragon God must be grieving as well.”
The other Elders chimed in, each offering their own word. There wasn’t an ounce of sincerity among them.
“Cardinal Theosender must be heartbroken.”
“After all, he was quite fond of the Dragoness. Honestly, I find his taste hard to understand.”
“Ahem, traditionally, women are…”
Suddenly, the conversation shifted direction. The Elders, who had been maintaining a serious atmosphere until just now, began to utter remarks that were hard to imagine coming from them.
After a round of their ridiculous battle of wills, sharing their preferences and stories of which women they had lain with, the conducting Elder finally opened his mouth with a satisfied smile.
“Then let us commemorate the Dragoness while simultaneously selecting the next Dragoness.”
“Ah, that sounds good. We happen to have prepared some candidates.”
At that, piles of papers covered in profiles were presented as if they had been waiting for this moment. They had already conducted some unofficial discussions about dismissing the current Dragoness and had candidates ready.
“Then let us leave the eradication of the pirates to the Cardinal. From now on, under the mighty will of Dragon God Shakallim, we convene the ‘730th’ oracle to select a new Dragoness.”
Bang bang bang.
The declaration of revision.
In fact, it was now the 731st oracle.
The 729th oracle had revolved around discussing compensation humans owed the Dragonkin due to pirates’ actions.
The 730th was the vote to dismiss the Dragoness scheduled for the very next day.
But the Elders conveniently disregarded the previous 730th oracle.
It had been a disgraceful sight for them to conspire to dismiss the Dragoness, yet they were forced to carry it out since Zane was an eyesore to them.
But now that the Dragoness had simply stepped down, there was no need for records stating that the Elders had forced her dismissal.
Thus, the dismissal of the Dragoness naturally became a non-issue, and now the council seeking a new Dragoness would be labeled as the 730th.
“How fortunate that the Cardinal asked for a bit more time.”
Because Cardinal Theosender pleaded with the Dragoness Zane not to announce the results, they had been waiting.
Thanks to that, they could conveniently bury the 730th oracle without a trace.
A satisfied smile broke out among the Elders.
They all thought it would be best to select a woman who would dance in their palm.
“We need to pick one quickly.”
“Right, we must also pay our respects to the Dragon God.”
“Tsk, I find riding wyverns quite challenging.”
*
“Is this where the Dragon God resides?”
“Yes, it has no particular name. We wouldn’t dare name the abode of the Dragon God.”
Zane started to guide us like a tour guide in response to Eve’s inquiry as she stared around.
“However, we must go deeper inside. We can’t meet him directly.”
“Hmm, the Dragon God seems wilder than expected.”
“Wild, you say?”
Zane moved closer to ask what that meant, but Eve, scribbling in her notebook, started to dash ahead.
“Daniel, I feel something uneasy here.”
“…”
Perhaps because she was sensitive, Sen immediately picked up on it.
A mighty pressure lingered throughout the island, alerting the invaders, but that wasn’t all.
Subtle disturbances layer under the dragons’ warnings were too sharp to simply be dismissed as wildlife.
I could roughly guess their identities.
They were the Chokugen Faction.
They had entered the Dragon God’s island before us, and they were not ordinary members but elite warriors gathered.
Because of that, Sen hadn’t quite grasped their killing intent. She only sensed a vague unease.
‘It’s okay to fight them now, but…’
Doing so might upset the Dragon God, causing him to awaken.
For now, I nudged Sen’s back, following Zane and Eve’s lead.
‘They don’t seem to plan to kill us either.’
In fact, they seemed more cautious, shrinking further as we approached, perhaps having not yet achieved their goal on this island.
“Don’t get too far ahead.”
I warned Eve and Zane, who were racing ahead, like it was a running competition.
The path was already formed.
Rather than constructed by the Dragonkin, it had naturally developed from the frequent passage of people.
Eve gazed around in awe.
“There’s a book that details discussions among scholars. One claimed the Dragon God resided on an island, and it seems he was right.”
“Is there such a book?”
Zane’s expression twisted slightly, perhaps displeased that tales of the Dragon God were shared elsewhere.
Eve slowed her pace to sidle up to me, instinctively seeking refuge at my side.
“Some scholars suggest the Dragon God is hiding in a dragon’s retreat, or in the depths, while others claim he is already… dead. Humans love to gossip like that.”
“…Indeed.”
Zane seemed to have many words to say, but she held back, gauging our reactions.
After that, no further conversation ensued.
Eve continued to marvel at the sights, while Sen occasionally twitched her head as though feeling the lingering subtle killing intent.
“Here we are.”
Before us stood a cave hidden behind a massive rock cloaked in dense underbrush.
At first glance, it was an intriguing sight that could easily be overlooked.
Zane carefully placed a hand on the rock, channeling mana into it, causing it to roll aside and unveil the path.
In that instant, the killing intent that had surrounded us vanished. They had likely been wandering for quite some time, unable to find this entrance.
“I’m sure someone is here.”
As the original presence faded, Sen finally became convinced and reached for her dagger, but I placed my hand over her blade.
“I knew it.”
“Let’s keep it quiet for now.”
“…Got it.”
We could deal with the Chokugen Faction anytime. The priority now was not to create a disturbance on the island.
Only then might the Dragon God be willing to converse with us.
The cave turned out to be deeper than expected, but the end was clearly visible. Torches were unnecessary, as a dim light seeped in from the end, illuminating the whole space.
“I feel like an explorer.”
Perhaps due to having read many novels, Eve couldn’t suppress her thrill and closely followed Zane.
If not careful, Eve’s fierce chest might just bump against Zane. In fact, Zane turned to glance at Eve and pressed her lips tightly.
“Hmm? Is something the matter?”
“…No. Let’s go.”
Zane turned back and pushed toward the light within the cave. Watching this, Sen muttered with a blank expression.
“I recognize that feeling of defeat as well.”
“…”
Though it was a little out of the blue, it was true.
As we emerged from the cave, the sunlight greeted us with a refreshing chill.
It felt even colder than inside the cave, as the snow that had nearly melted outside remained thickly accumulated here.
The surrounding mountains bordered the area yet inside was a flat basin.
From a distance, the massive figure stood in full view.
A grand being curled upon the vast plains.
It existed not only on this island but seemed to declare itself the center of the entire world, standing proudly alone.
Though it bore the title of God amidst this continent, its body was firmly grounded to the earth.
Dragon God Shakallim.
The enormous body glimmered with golden hues, seemingly so peacefully asleep that one might question its very existence, yet the faint sound of breathing and a soft breeze stirred the nearby grass.
“I’ll go first. You all wait here.”
Naturally, it was fitting for Zane, the Dragoness, to approach first. Maintaining a respectful distance, Eve and Sen whispered lest they provoke the dragon’s displeasure.
“Dragons truly are magnificent. I can see why the Dragonkin revere them as gods.”
“To me, it just looks a bit larger than other lizards.”
“Sen! Be careful. The dragon might hear you.”
“…Lizard.”
Regardless of the mumbling beside me, my gaze remained fixed on Zane.
Zane approached the Dragon God’s enormous presence and cautiously knelt, beginning to utter something in a whisper.
‘Now, how will this unfold?’
I had heard the Dragon God occasionally communicated with the Dragoness.
I figured Zane was probably explaining the reason for our visit.
Chomp!
In an instant, the unfathomable eyes of the dragon snapped open, and its massive mouth chomped wide.
It devoured the Dragoness whole.
