"Cough…"

I tried to stifle the cough that threatened to escape, mixed with the metallic taste of blood in my mouth.

‘My body….’

Even though I felt a surge of energy, my body wasn’t in great shape. Borrowing someone else's mana was basically like doping. It wasn’t something that could leave me unscathed, especially when that “someone else” was a dragon. Still, compared to the first time I activated the blessing, I was faring much better. Back then, the backlash had left me unconscious for days.

‘I really shouldn’t have touched it back then.’

Curiosity is a sin. My father had no interest in trinkets, so seeing him with a ring had piqued my curiosity. Who would have guessed it would lead to this…? At the time, I didn’t have the strength I do now, and handling the fierce mana of the Red Dragon had been impossible—my body couldn’t even resist it. It left a scar worse than any poison on my still-developing body, stunting my growth as my energy was diverted to recovery.

And, as the one who caused this mess kindly explained to me later...

• "It’s not my fault, is it?"

 

‘You were the one who lunged at me the moment I touched it.’

At the time, I’d only brushed against the ring without any intention of activating the blessing. How could I have known a perverted lizard was living inside it?

• "It’s your fault. How could I resist when you approached with such a tempting soul?"

 

‘….’

Grasid’s way of saying, “You seduced me first,” was shameless. I didn’t even feel like responding. I’d told him to buzz off countless times, but since our first meeting, Grasid had constantly pestered me, making ridiculous offers and commenting on how much he liked my soul. His blessing was practically bound to me at this point.

“K-Kana? It really is you, right?”

“What, have you reached an age where you’re forgetting faces already?”

Oh dear. How unfortunate…

“No! I’m still young!” Daeun shook her head vigorously, looking offended.

• "Is she one of your companions? She smells unfamiliar."

 

‘Mind your own business.’

• "Are you jealous? Don’t worry, I have no intention of leaving you for anyone else."

 

‘…Couldn’t you just leave anyway?’

• "No."

 

Someday, I swear I’m going to pry this thing off my finger and toss it into a boiling volcano… though he’d probably enjoy that. Maybe the bottom of the ocean would be better.

“It was the outfit—I almost didn’t recognize you,” Daeun said.

“Oh, this?” I shifted slightly, causing the light armor on my body to clink and rustle.

“It’s nothing special.”

“Nothing special? It’s amazing! The armor, the cape—you look like a real knight!” Daeun’s eyes sparkled.

“Really…?”

I scratched my cheek, a bit embarrassed. I hadn’t expected such an enthusiastic reaction.

• "A lively girl."

 

‘Yeah, I agree.’

Nodding at Grasid’s remark, I turned my back on Daeun, who was looking at me with awe.

“Um, well—”

“We’ll talk later.”

“Oh, right! Now isn’t exactly the time to chat….”

Even as I spoke with Daeun, pain throbbed through my body. If I felt this bad now, I could only imagine what the aftermath would feel like. I needed to wrap this up quickly, but there was still something I wanted to ask.

‘Grasid.’

• "What is it?"

 

‘Do you know anything about that creature?’

• "That one? It’s a curious creature, I’ll give it that, but it’s not familiar."

 

‘It called itself Krumo.’

• "…Krumo?"

 

That name seemed to catch Grasid’s attention, his indifferent tone sharpening as if he were scrutinizing the creature more closely. After a moment, he spoke.

• "No, that thing is not Krumo. I watched Krumo die with my own eyes—it couldn’t have come back to life."

 

‘…I see.’

• "Still, I think I know what it is."

 

‘What it is?’

• "Yes."

 

Dragons are known as the masters of magic. Their unparalleled ability to wield mana is what grants them that title. Despite having physical bodies, they are creatures closely attuned to mana itself.

• "When living beings die, they often leave behind a trace of will. Usually, those traces dissipate quickly."

 

But a dragon’s will, especially one filled with intense hatred, could linger. After Krumo’s death, his hatred remained as a mass of mana. Grasid had known this, but he hadn’t interfered with it—disturbing something so volatile was risky, even for him. Left alone, it would eventually dissipate into the earth, the wind, the sky. There was no reason to interfere… or so he thought.

But Grasid hadn’t anticipated the malfunction of the great purification system of Silia, the cycle of life in that world. When the demons migrated to Ardina, their presence corrupted Krumo’s lingering will, which transformed into a new creature.

The result? Voilà. The “Shadow of Krumo” monster was born.

‘So it all comes full circle.’

The demons had just been unlucky. They thought they’d found a safe place, only to settle near the site of an evil dragon’s death. And the creature’s delusion of being Krumo? It came from the remnants of Krumo’s will.

‘Couldn’t you have taken care of it if you knew?’

• "Can I be honest?"

 

‘…Go ahead.’

• "I was asleep and forgot about it."

 

‘….’

As always, the lizard was no help. This statement only reminded me of that fact.

“I had a bit of hope, you know. If you’d really come back from the dead—”

Maybe, just maybe, there was a possibility….

Muttering to myself, I tightened my grip on my sword. I’d already heard Edel’s answer, so I wasn’t sure what I’d expected. Feeling like a fool, I let out a crooked smile. The shadow seemed to sense something as well, reacting to the red light surrounding me.

• "That red… that flame…! Ah, aaaaah!"

 

The creature twisted in agony, a scream reverberating through the air and shaking the earth.

• "Grasid…! You traitorous scum, blocking me again…!"

 

“Traitor?”

Surprised by the unexpected term, I tilted my head, only for Grasid to respond curtly.

• "Ignore it. It’s just the nonsense of a long-dead wraith."

 

“Hmm.”

Something had happened between them, clearly. But I didn’t really care.

“Whatever happened between you two is none of my business.”

Fwoosh

“But trying to touch what’s mine? There’s a price to pay for that.”

The flames, which had dimmed after splitting the breath attack, reignited. Maybe that’s why they say you should check twice before assuming a fire is out.

The creature, already agitated, went wild upon seeing my flaming sword.

• "Grasid!!!"

 

The shadow abandoned its breath attack and lunged at me with brute force.

“Daeun.”

“Y-yes!”

At just a call of her name, Daeun bolted, clearly understanding my intention. Her sense of timing was impeccable.

“-Actually, you can call me Daeun now!”

“…Is that really important right now?”

To be able to say that while running away… She’s definitely grown braver.

That was enough idle thought. Now was the time to handle the fake lizard charging toward me. Its size was smaller than the dimensional wolf I’d fought recently, but its strength was on par or even greater. I couldn’t underestimate it.

But—

“Just don’t let it squash you.”

I hadn’t lived a life so easy that I’d be flattened by a berserk lizard.

The tip of my sword traced a soft arc. Compared to the creature’s massive frame, the arc I drew seemed pitifully small. But my sword hadn’t stopped moving.

A line became an arc.

The arc turned into a half-circle.

And finally, a full circle of flames hung in the air.

With Grasid’s power augmenting my own, something like this was… achievable.

“This is just the beginning.”

Canaria Style - Wind Slash

The shadow’s body was trapped within the flaming circle. A massive body contained within a tiny ring. My sword, now steady, sliced diagonally across the circle.

Slash!

A deep gash appeared on the creature’s body.

• "Graaaargh!"

 

The shadow twisted, shrieking in pain.

“…Tsk.”

One hit wasn’t enough.

• "What… what did you do?!"

 

At least the damage seemed to have snapped it back to its senses. The creature’s eyes, filled with madness, now flickered with clarity.

“It’s nothing.”

All I did was place its body within the space defined by my sword’s circle, then slice through that space. Simple as that. If I were stronger, I wouldn’t even need to draw a circle.

• "No matter how many times I see it, your talent is absurd."

 

“Thanks for the compliment.”

• "Impossible…! How could a human possess such power…! Of course! Grasid, this is your doing! You coward!"

 

I shrugged. It was true, after all. Without Grasid’s help, I wouldn’t have pulled it off so effortlessly.

“But really,” I said, my voice dripping with mockery as I addressed the shadow.

“Is there any point in being resentful?”

Calmness is the key to battle. Fighting a creature with nothing but instinct is far easier than one with a level head.

“If you’d been stronger, none of this would have happened. In the end, you lost to Grasid because you were weaker.”

• "…What?"

 

“Whining about cowardice after losing…”

I let out a dry laugh.

“It’s pathetic.”

Provoking it into rage was a guaranteed way to make it lose its composure.

The creature’s eyes turned wild again, its rationality vanishing in an instant. It lunged, its massive body bearing down on me. But I wasn’t afraid. A wounded lizard’s final struggle was hardly intimidating.

“Still so foolish.”

My sword grew in size.

One span, two spans, three.

In an instant, the flame expanded until it was massive enough to touch the sky. The creature, faced with a sword far larger than itself, hesitated, some sense returning. But it was too late to flee.

“Goodbye.”

The gigantic blade fell, and in the next moment—

A sea of red flames engulfed the world.

When the seemingly endless fire finally subsided, there was nothing left where the shadow had been.

 

“…Phew.”

I may have overdone it.

Releasing Grasid’s blessing, I slowly sank to the ground. Even that lizard, who would normally pester me, was silent, indicating just how bad my condition was. Likely, he wasn’t silent by choice; my body was too weak to convey his words.

The dragon’s mana had torn through me, leaving me in searing pain.

“Ugh…”

“Kana!”

As I curled up to endure the pain, Daeun’s voice reached me, panicked. She must have rushed over as soon as the shadow was gone. But I couldn’t even greet her properly, as I was focused on holding back the agony.

“W-What’s wrong? Are you okay?!”

“I’m f-fine—” Cough!

Urgh…!

As I tried to lift myself to answer her, something hot rose from my throat. Before I could suppress it, blood splattered onto the ground, staining it red. The metallic scent filled the air.

“B-blood?!”

…Well, I guess telling her I’m fine isn’t going to cut it.

Seeing Daeun’s face turn pale with panic, I couldn’t help but think that.