‘What did I just do?’
Sigmund was incredulous. But then, something even more absurd happened. Romiya, who had been frozen in tension, suddenly went limp. Sigmund instinctively embraced her.
‘No way, did she faint?’
She couldn’t be dead, could she? As he tried to check her condition, Romiya mumbled. Sigmund flinched. For some reason, he couldn’t take his eyes off the movements of this small human woman.
Romiya whispered.
“Blood…”
“What did you say?”
Her voice was so quiet that he couldn’t hear it properly. Romiya only gasped for breath.
Hesitating, Sigmund pulled her a little closer with the arm that was awkwardly wrapped around her.
Romiya seemed to lack the strength to stand properly and leaned against him. As Romiya looked like she might slip away, Sigmund tightened his embrace.
Through the thin tunic fabric, he could clearly feel the outline of her shoulder blades. Even the soft and warm body heat. The breath that came hot against the nape of his neck made Sigmund involuntarily frown.
He felt anxious.
“What about the blood? Say it again.”
“I need to wipe it…”
“What?”
“I need to wipe the blood…”
“……You want to wipe it? Are you talking about the blood on me?”
Romiya nodded her head slightly. Only then did Sigmund notice the cloth she was holding. Everything from start to finish was absurd. He wondered if she was joking, but no, Romiya was serious. She had such a terrified look on her face.
Eventually, the bundle of cloth touched his cheek.
In that moment, he had a strange premonition that he wouldn’t be able to forget the stiff, coarse texture of the cloth for a while.
He should tell her to stop with this nonsense, but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.
In the end, Sigmund frowned and quietly entrusted his face to Romiya’s hand, staring down at the ground.
Regret washed over him.
He should have wiped off the blood.
* * *
Then Romiya fainted.
“Haah.”
Sigmund looked at Romiya, who was in his arms, with a troubled expression.
Just to be sure, he checked her over, and indeed, there was no physical abnormality. It was just the mental pressure that had caused this.
“How foolish.”
After confirming her temperature by placing the back of his hand against Romiya’s cheek, Sigmund shook his head.
He couldn’t understand why she had pushed herself to this extent.
Deciding not to try to understand Romiya any longer, Sigmund said, “For now, we need to move.”
Since there were no physical issues, the power of the dragon was useless. Rest was the only answer.
As he picked up Romiya to carry her to a place where they could rest, he suddenly thought that if the humans saw him, there would be chaos.
‘I need to wipe off the blood first.’
As he thought that, golden grains rose like a mirage. They wrapped around his body like a gentle breeze and, in an instant, erased the bloodstains.
Sigmund, who was about to move with a lighter feeling, hesitated. Seeing the fainted Romiya made him feel frustrated.
‘It should have been enough to say I could erase it with my power.’
He never said that, leading to this trouble. It seemed that living among humans had made him a fool.
The greatest influence among them was undoubtedly the woman in his arms.
‘I need to leave this place as soon as I can entrust her to a suitable place.’
Sigmund resolved.
* * *
Before long, deep darkness settled outside the window. According to his plans, Sigmund should have already left the Shulmir territory. Yet, he was still here. He was even guarding Romiya’s side.
There were three reasons why his plans had gone awry.
First, as soon as he returned to the city to entrust Romiya to a suitable place, an unusual scene unfolded.
Armed knights roamed the alley with fierce expressions.
People were terrified and at a loss, glancing nervously at the knights. Among the frightened people was the restaurant owner who had previously flustered Sigmund. The same restaurant owner who had treated the Black Dragon like a beggar.
‘What on earth is happening?’
It was natural for the territory to be in chaos after the count’s death, but the feeling was unsettling. No human would dare harm a dragon like him, but still, it felt uneasy.
Through the experience with Count Shulmir, Sigmund realized how ignorant he was of humanity.
Without Romiya, he would not have easily understood the true nature of Count Shulmir.
He even promised to help such a villain he found appealing. Thinking about how he would have been used by the count still sent chills down his spine.
‘For now, I should wait until the woman wakes up.’
If he had his way, he would want to leave as soon as possible, no matter what happened to the territory, but that was not possible.
Sigmund owed Romiya. Despite his feelings becoming increasingly strange because of her, it was thanks to Romiya that he had learned about the true nature of Count Shulmir.
He could not abandon her like this. Even if he was to leave, he had to ensure her safety first.
Moreover, the only human he could trust in this territory was Romiya. No, she was the only human he could trust in the entire world.
Where Sigmund and Romiya were was on the rooftop. He glanced down at the alley. The restaurant owner who had fed him that terrible food closed his shop with a face full of worries. He could hear his voice in the wind.
“Today was a bust. I should stop the business and go back…”
At that moment, Sigmund immediately recited the activation phrase. The familiar bedroom revealed itself. It was the lodging attached to the restaurant where he had reluctantly spent the night due to the shock of eating that terrible food. Sigmund carefully laid Romiya down and stepped outside. He needed to gather information.
* * *
“The count died? Is that true? Who is the culprit?”
“What? Lady Romiya? That can’t be! She’s someone who couldn’t even kill an ant!”
“There’s no way Lady Romiya could be the culprit! I heard she’s also said to be dead?”
“What on earth is going on?”
The situation outside was more chaotic than he had anticipated. What was even more absurd was that Romiya was being pointed to as the culprit in the count’s murder. The source of the rumors was, as expected, the armed knights.
They were the knights serving the vassals of Count Shulmir. Even though Count Shulmir had died, they were using force to maintain their power.
When Sigmund learned the full story of the incident, he wanted to tear his hair out.
‘Why are humans so foolish?’
Everyone in the count’s castle knew that the Black Dragon had visited the territory. The vassals of Count Shulmir would have certainly known as well.
‘If they have at least a minimal level of intelligence, shouldn’t they realize that I might have been involved in this incident?’
Yet, how dare they spread such a lie? Are they not afraid of dragons?
Once again, the priests of the Altatang Temple came to mind. Those entities of irrationality that could see no further than an inch ahead.
‘Why is this happening… No, let’s not think about that. Let’s focus on finding a solution.’
The priests of the Altatang Temple had scattered after destroying the temple to resolve the issue. Should he do the same this time? In the worst-case scenario, he might have to show his power. He could just bury the problematic vassals in the desert.
‘For now, I’ll decide after Romiya wakes up. I’ll check if it’s okay to eliminate all the vassals, and then it won’t be too late to act.’
He felt somewhat dependent on a human, but Sigmund made an effort to ignore it.
The rampant rumors in the streets. That was the second reason he couldn’t leave Romiya behind.
And lastly.
“Please take me with you, Lord Sigmund.”
Romiya held onto him.
“I’m your guide. I can really do well. I’m not lying when I say I’m a guide. I really worked in a guild. It’s true.”
It was something Sigmund had never imagined.
* * *
When Romiya opened her eyes, she froze upon seeing Sigmund beside her. Sigmund, who had been by her side all along, felt a bit hurt. He had waited for hours for her to wake up. Such a reaction was unexpected.
‘Though, it is to be expected.’
He purposefully instilled fear in Romiya. Even though it was only for a moment, he displayed the power of a dragon directly to a human.
If she were an ordinary human, she wouldn’t go anywhere near a dragon until the day she died. No, just seeing a dragon statue would make her tremble.
Given that, it was strange that Romiya had come to him to wipe away the blood. Of course, she eventually fainted, but still.
In any case, Romiya’s reaction was entirely normal.
It was natural for her face to turn pale upon seeing Sigmund, for her to tremble, and for her to curl up without being able to meet his eyes.
Romiya wasn’t even aware of all those actions.
And that was only to be expected.
Knowing that it was expected, he still couldn’t understand why his mouth felt so bitter and why he felt so bad. Sigmund couldn’t grasp it. Nevertheless, he forced himself to explain what had happened during the time they were apart.
He told her that the Shulmir territory was in chaos, that the vassals were moving armed knights through the territory, that fear had engulfed the land, and finally, that Romiya was being falsely accused.
“The vassals are trying to pin the count’s death on you.”
He also spoke of the future plan.
“It’s my principle to minimize interference in the human world, but this time I plan to deal with all the problematic humans. If they’re the vassals of Count Shulmir, they might know of his evil deeds. They may have even colluded. I don’t want to leave those who sacrifice innocent humans alive.”
Saying this, Sigmund asked Romiya.
“What do you think? Do you also believe it’s right to deal with all of them? I’m curious about your opinion. Please tell me if there are any side effects I might not have anticipated, or which vassals I can eliminate.”
“……”
“Are you listening to me?”
For some reason, the more Sigmund explained, the more blank Romiya’s expression became. Her face looked so dazed that it was hard to believe she was a human who had caused major incidents multiple times. Thinking she might be in shock, Sigmund called her name.
“Romiya.”
“……”
“Romiya?”
Only after calling her multiple times did Romiya startle back to reality. Seeing the confusion reflected in her blue eyes, Sigmund narrowed his brow.
Yes, it was definitely a confused emotion.
It wasn’t fear.
“Are you asking for my opinion right now?”
“Yes. I need your advice.”
“Advice from me, Lord Sigmund?”
Her repeated questions frustrated Sigmund.
Why was this woman so exasperating?
He thought she was fairly wise and bold.
“But I’m just a human. There’s no way someone as insignificant as me could help you, the transcendent Lord Sigmund.”
“No, that’s not true.”
Sigmund held back his frustration and continued to explain as kindly as possible.
“I don’t know much about the human world. I came here suddenly, unprepared, and made several mistakes.”
“……”
“I trusted your uncle for that reason. I don’t want to make that mistake again. So I need your help.”
As he spoke, he suddenly thought of the reason why Romiya was being so uncharacteristically frustrating.
Perhaps it was because he had pressured her with the aura of a dragon earlier.
After all, she had fainted from being unable to overcome her fear.
Moreover, the being who had caused her to feel that way was still right in front of her.
It was more unusual for her to be fine.
Sigmund’s tone softened.
“I understand that it’s uncomfortable to see me asking for your help after treating you so harshly earlier. No, you probably dislike it.”
“……”
“Still, I hope you’ll help me. I will pay a sufficient price. I am a transcendent being. I can give you more than you can imagine.”
Perhaps his persuasion was effective.
Romiya, who had been hunching her shoulders while listening to him, lifted her head.
She still seemed confused, but she was better than before. The lantern’s light flickered in her blue eyes.
As he waited for her answer, Sigmund thought absentmindedly.
Her eyes were like a sea holding stars.
At that moment, she asked.
“Why me, of all people?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Why did you choose to ask me for help? There are many humans here.”
This question was easy. Hoping that his sincerity would reach her, Sigmund looked into her eyes.
“Right now, you’re the only person I can trust.”
“……Huh?”
“I’m saying that you’re the only person I can trust in this world, Romiya.”
…No, forget what I said about it being easy.
Romiya’s face, which had been blankly staring at him, suddenly flushed bright red.
What was even more astounding was Sigmund’s reaction to Romiya’s appearance.
The moment her face turned red, his heart sank with a thud and then began to race madly.
‘What’s happening?’
Surprised, Sigmund sprang to his feet.
Romiya was just as shocked, her eyes wide open.
Seeing that made his heart pound even harder.
Sigmund quickly turned his body.
He felt an overwhelming urge to escape from this place immediately.
“Lord Sigmund… Ack!”
Bang!
At that moment, a sound from behind caught his attention.
Sigmund ended up unable to turn the doorknob and turned his body instead.
Romiya, who had been hugging one knee in pain, finally managed to get up. As she limped toward him, Sigmund unintentionally shouted.
“Why are you getting up instead of lying down nicely!”
“C-can I come with you? Ack. Can I go with you?”
“What?”
“I’m your guide, right? You still need me, don’t you? I’ll do it. I’ll help you.”
Sigmund was left speechless as he looked at Romiya. She seemed to be in considerable pain, yet she forced herself to smile through her tears.
“Just tell me where you’re going. I’ll guide you. I’ll explain about the vassals too.”
“A guide? How are you going to guide me?”
Sigmund finally yelled.
“Aren’t you trembling? How do you expect to guide me like that!”
Romiya flinched.
“You can barely stand in front of me, and you can’t even look me in the eye! How do you expect to guide me while still shaking like that!”
“……!”
“Stop being so stubborn. You can’t endure this. No matter how hard you try…!”
Sigmund couldn’t finish his sentence.
Romiya unexpectedly grabbed his hand. He stiffened at this completely unforeseen action.
After a moment of being frozen, Romiya finally spoke.
“I-I’ll get used to it.”
As she said that, her body began to tremble like an aspen tree.
“I know that you scared me earlier for my sake. So I’ll get used to it. I’ll try.”
Even then, she didn’t let go of his hand. It seemed she was trying to practice enduring him somehow. Despite her efforts, tears continued to drip from her eyes.
“I’m sorry. I’m not the type to cry this often… I don’t want to be scared… but it’s just so hard. I don’t even know why I’m like this. I’m really sorry.”
Sigmund’s lips twisted.
Why did this woman keep saying such foolish things?
Why was she apologizing to him?
She had come to fear him in the first place because of his power.
Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to blame her.
Just a moment ago.
Her words about getting used to him had resonated deeply within him, to the point of making him feel cursed.
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