Chapter 06
Anyway, he explained that while the ring didn’t contain any magical curse or blessing, it was made from the horn of the demon dragon, Kaiseus.
“Didn’t they say dragon bone never melts?”
I narrowed my eyes coldly.
Right now, even if I coughed up blood, my body showed no abnormalities—but you never know.
If things went wrong…
“Grind it so fine not even a particle remains and scatter it into the sea. Then just say it got lost.”
If the grand ducal family found out their heirloom disappeared, they’d turn the place upside down—but it couldn’t be helped.
I just had to become so important to them that they couldn’t pressure me, even with such a fatal flaw.
‘In the end, it’s back to building favor again.’
Having reached that conclusion, I groaned and rubbed the damp cloth someone had placed on me—
“…?”
Tremble.
The ring shook.
No, seriously—the ring shook.
The ring in my hand trembled.
‘What is this?’
Staring at it in disbelief, the ring, which had been quivering, suddenly stopped as if pretending nothing had happened.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Am I that weak? Now I’m even hallucinating.”
Then I rose gracefully and walked toward the display case.
Inside were my lovely collections I had brought from the Seton estate.
Among them, I picked up a crystal hand hammer that sparkled like fine glasswork.
“Do you know what I hate most in this world?”
Humming lightly, I forcibly removed the ring—which seemed strangely unwilling to come off—and fixed it under the hammer.
“Ghosts. You can’t assign them any value.”
And just as I raised the crystal hammer high—
[Waaah!]
The ring suddenly rolled away on its own, slipping out of my hand.
Then—pop!—it transformed into something else.
A plump black body, tiny red eyes, a pair of small fluttering wings on its back, and a stubby tail.
And on its head, two sharp horns.
‘No… one and a half?’
The left horn, so translucent it looked mystical, was cleanly cut halfway.
I stared at it with a baffled expression.
“A lizard?”
[I-I am not such a lowly creature!]
“Oh? It talks?”
[Gasp…!]
The lizard clamped its mouth shut with its pink jelly-like paws.
I looked down at the pitiful ring impostor with a crooked smile.
“As expected, just a hallucination. Better get rid of it.”
As I approached, the lizard flapped its wings desperately as if trying to escape.
But compared to its chubby body, the tiny wings were completely useless.
It barely lifted itself about 3 centimeters before dropping back down.
I immediately grabbed it by the scruff and carried it toward the window.
Then I flung it open wide.
[Waaait!]
“Got something to say, you ring-impersonating lizard?”
[I told you I’m not a lizard!]
“Then what are you?”
The lizard puffed up its tiny chest and shouted proudly.
[I am Lord Kaiseus!]
…Kaiseus… Kaiseus… Kaiseus…
His voice echoed.
“Oh, really?”
I smiled sweetly and held the lizard out the window.
Whoooosh—
A fierce wind blew upward. Even in spring, the northern winds were brutal.
“Then off you go. You impersonating, identity-faking lizard.”
The proud little creature’s wings drooped.
[…Please spare me, human.]
“So you’re really the demon dragon Kaiseus?”
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I stared at the tiny black lizard in front of me.
It was barely a hand and a half in size—two hands if you counted the horns—so I had to place it on the table to meet its eye level.
‘No matter how I look at it, it’s suspicious.’
My instincts were telling me this thing was connected to my coughing up blood.
So I gave it a light scare.
The lizard—no, Kaiseus—quickly nodded.
[More precisely, I’m Kaiseus the Second. I inherited the name.]
“I don’t understand a single word you’re saying.”
[As expected, humans are dull—]
“You’d better choose your words carefully, flightless lizard.”
Kaiseus trembled, glaring at me like I was a villain.
[Wicked human…]
“You say you’re a dragon, so why can’t you fly?”
[That’s because I’m not fully grown yet. Once I am, you won’t even be able to look down on me!]
Kaiseus puffed up proudly.
“That’s not exactly something to brag about.”
Though a bit dumbfounded, I grew genuinely curious.
“Then how old are you now?”
[One hundred!]
Watching him spread his tiny front paws proudly, a possibility suddenly crossed my mind.
‘He said he inherited the name… and he’s only 100?’
I asked cautiously.
“Are you the dragon who made a contract with the Grand Duke of Runein 100 years ago?”
[That’s right.]
“And the dragon who started the Thousand-Year War?”
[That was my predecessor. Kaiseus the First.]
My mind spun rapidly.
I stared intently at his broken horn.
Noticing my gaze, Kaiseus rubbed it with his jelly-like paw.
[That horn is what the ring was made from.]
“…Why? Why didn’t you continue the war like your predecessor?”
Because he was still young? Saving his strength?
I eyed him suspiciously.
Even though we were casually talking like this, he was supposedly a demon dragon—the king of monsters that brought bloodshed and slaughter, according to legend.
At my question, Kaiseus pouted.
[I’m a pacifist.]
What?
[Just because I inherited the name doesn’t mean I’m the same as my predecessor! That’s offensive.]
A pacifist demon dragon… I was speechless.
“…Do you happen to be vegetarian too?”
[How did you know?]
He proudly added that his favorite food was red, round fruit, and that I could offer it to him if I wished.
I quietly raised my hand.
Smack!
[Waaah! Why did you hit me?!]
“Because your mouth isn’t peaceful at all.”
After flicking his forehead, Kaiseus teared up, clutching his head with his short arms in protest.
How was this thing supposed to be a demon dragon?
Clicking my tongue, I organized the information.
“So, you’re Kaiseus the Second, a peace-loving demon dragon, and you’ve been hiding as a ring?”
[H-Hiding?!]
“Of course. If you’re a pacifist, why disguise yourself as a ring?”
[Th-that’s… it was part of a vow we made 100 years ago.]
“A vow?”
Kaiseus looked up at me.
[‘Eternal rest upon this land.’]
His voice, unlike his earlier whining tone, suddenly became solemn and resonant.
[100 years ago, I made a promise with the Grand Duke of Runein. In exchange for helping me inherit this name, I would bring peace to this land.]
It was the exact same voice that had urged me to change the future—and pay the price.
“—You.”
[Hmph, now you understand how great I am—]
“Who are you calling ‘great,’ you tiny thing?”
I smiled and ruffled his smooth head.
His face crumpled miserably.
I never knew dragons could make expressions like that.
“Well, obviously no one would believe you if you showed up like that. So you hid as a ring. Honestly, good strategy—I wouldn’t have believed you either.”
[Grrr…!]
“So why me?”
[… …]
“What’s the reason?”
Why did he show me the future?
Kaiseus stayed silent for a moment before answering with a sigh.
[Because ‘that person’ wanted it.]
“That person? Who’s that?”
[I can’t tell you.]
“What?”
[I said I can’t tell you.]
Then, like the 100-year-old baby dragon he was, Kaiseus clamped his mouth shut.
I was dumbfounded, but seeing no sign of him budging, I gave up.
[I told you I’m not a lizard!]
“Yeah, yeah. Fine, kid. Happy now?”
[It’s Kaiseus!]
“Sure, Kaiseus kid. By the way, can you read my thoughts?”
[…I can’t help it. The owner of the ring can hear them.]
“Wow, it even has Bluetooth.”
“Anyway, kid.”
[… …]
“Are you sulking?”
[…What?!]
“What did you mean when you said I have to ‘pay the price’?”
Even if I learned the future, coughing up blood out of nowhere was a bit much.
At my question, Kaiseus—still sounding sulky—answered in a grumpy voice.
