Chapter 62: Opening an Era
Ascal arrived at work in a daze, haunted by a peculiar dream.
‘Who was that white dragon appearing at the end?’
Upon opening the door to his office, Ascal was confronted with an ominous sight.
“You mustn’t come this way, Lord Ascal!”
Lia, pale as a ghost, was blocking something. It was the first time Ascal had seen her so panicked, her fear palpable.
Ascal stopped in his tracks.
Lia, a future swordmaster and Arcmage, scared? Could it be that a hero has finally come to assassinate us?
No point in running from an assassin of that caliber.
Better chances of survival if he joined forces with Lia.
‘I was once praised by my father Arthur for my talent. Perhaps it’s time to showcase the swordsmanship skills I’ve kept hidden.’
Ascal reached for the ceremonial sword that was a staple accessory for high-ranking officials of the empire.
The Debrue Magic Swordsmanship, Debrue’s Third Form.
The First Form...
“Bark!”
A dog’s bark echoed.
A puppy, sized somewhere between a small and medium dog, was padding around the office.
It resembled a Pomeranian.
Lia, trembling, managed to say,
“You couldn’t possibly lay a hand on Lord Ascal.”
“What’s the matter, Lia?”
“Bark!”
“Eek!”
Ascal approached the white puppy.
“Hand.”
The puppy placed its paw in Ascal’s hand.
“Good.”
-Pant, pant.
“Are you a lost dog? How did you get in here?”
No matter how unassuming it may seem, it’s still one of the empire’s critical facilities, the Evaluation Department. Only someone with the force of the dwarf that broke in before could breach the security with ease.
Ascal glanced at Lia.
Lia, still pale, had her hands clasped together in a defensive stance.
It then occurred to him, even Yulia, near perfection, had one weakness.
Her fear of dogs.
Ever since being chased and bitten by a dog in her youth, she developed cynophobia. Knowing this, the rebels would often depict dogs on their flags and decorations.
“If you’re afraid of the dog, why don’t you step outside for a moment? I’ll send it out and call you back in.”
“No, if by some chance Lord Ascal were to get bitten, it could lead to illness. I’ll take it outside. Eek!”
The white puppy dashed through Lia’s legs.
Lia collapsed to the ground.
-Jump.
The white puppy made a beeline for an orb placed on a shelf in the office.
-Jump!
But it was too short to reach.
“Do you want to play with that? Shall I get it down for you?”
Perhaps it wanted to play ball.
As soon as Ascal touched the orb.
- No.
A familiar voice reached Ascal.
It was Cloud Dragon. But this time, the direction of the voice was slightly different.
-Hiss.
It was a snake, a pale one at that.
- It’s me.
“Why in that form?”
- Do you have any idea how much power it takes to manifest? This is more taxing than summoning a bolt of lightning.
“So why?”
- That’s a White Dragon, the guardian deity of the Kingdom of Kelli. And that orb you’ve brought here is the Dragon Pearl, the source of the White Dragon’s power.
When bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information all at once, the human brain can seize up. Ascal watched, orb in hand, as the white puppy playfully jumped around.
“That’s the White Dragon? Not a Pomeranian?
- The White Dragon was once a worthy opponent for me...
Lost in thought, the snake was picked up barehanded by Lia.
“Where did this snake come from? I’ll take care of it.”
Despite her fear of dogs, she had no hesitation in grabbing a snake with her bare hands. Isn’t it usually the other way around?
- Please, save me.
Cloud Dragon pleaded plainly.
“Hold on. Wait. This snake is my pet. I’ve recently taken up snake-keeping as a hobby.”
“I see.”
Lia gently placed the snake down. Into a bucket.
- Get me out of here.
As Ascal reached into the bucket, the snake slithered up onto his shoulder.
“Grrrr!”
And then, the white puppy charged.
Towards the snake on Ascal’s shoulder.
Cloud Dragon skillfully dodged the attack. The White Dragon persisted in its pursuit. Their battle was fierce.
It was a match made in heaven, or rather, a dog chasing a snake.
“Hiss!”
“Bark!”
Ascal made his judgment.
“What a mess.”
The clash between the two dragons ended only when both were utterly exhausted.
The dog lay sprawled on the floor, panting heavily, while the snake was too limp to move.
- Truly a worthy adversary, White Dragon.
But why could Ascal hear Cloud Dragon’s voice and not the White Dragon’s?
Ascal looked puzzledly at the white dog.
- It’s because you haven’t made a pact.
Then, the white dog suddenly stood up and extended one paw towards Ascal.
- It seems to be asking for something. That might allow it to speak.
“Is it okay to give it?”
- It’s up to you.
Ascal fetched a cookie and gave it to the dog.
The white dog took the cookie from Ascal and scurried to a corner to nibble on it quietly.
As the dog finished the cookie, another voice echoed in Ascal’s head, sounding drowsy and dreamlike, like a young girl’s.
- Give me another one.
Ascal pulled out another cookie.
The dog retreated to the corner again to devour it.
- It’s delicious. So very delicious.
Ascal turned to Lia.
“Could you step outside for a moment? It seems safe now.”
“But...”
“It’s an order.”
“...Understood.”
Lia quietly stepped outside, sneaking peeks through the door crack.
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“I said I’m fine.”
“I’ll be nearby. Call me if it’s dangerous.”
“Understood.”
Watching the dog eat cookies as if a monster devouring human flesh hardly seemed credible.
Ascal firmly shut the door, leaving Lia looking disheartened.
Ascal poured some water into his palm from a bottle.
Thirsty, the dog licked it from his palm, tickling him.
- I’ve gratefully received your offering.
“So, you’re the White Dragon?”
- Yes. I am the guardian deity of the Kingdom of Kelli, the master of the ancient eternal snows...
- And a poor dog who can’t even mimic a human properly due to lack of power.
- Uh... You’re in the same boat, Cloud Dragon.
- I’m better off than you. Behold, this magnificent breath.
The snake exhaled a breath. A tiny puff of breath, like from a humidifier.
- Envious?
- Yes, envious...
“So, what brings you here, White Dragon?”
The dog turned to face him.
- Return the orb you took. It’s mine.
Ascal held the orb, contemplating.
It was logically right to return it to its original owner. But the situation he was witnessing transcended mere logic, a mythological scenario in miniature.
- If you give it back, I won’t be able to protect you.
- Return it, and I’ll make you a king. Humans all want to be kings, don’t they?
- As I said before, give it to me, and you’ll be an emperor. You do understand an emperor ranks above a king.
“Enough.”
Ascal raised the orb high.
The eyes of both the snake and the dog followed the orb.
This situation, it’s like something out of a book from a past life he has read.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Paris comes across a golden apple by chance. Soon after, three goddesses descend, each promising wealth and glory in exchange for the apple.
And what happened to Paris after he awarded the apple to the most beautiful goddess? He was struck by a poisoned arrow, suffered terribly, and died a miserable death.
Reflecting on this, Ascal thought.
If he were Paris, with the golden apple...
.
.
.
“This orb is now yours, Bernstein.”
“No, I don’t want it. Take it, please.”
.
.
.
His attempt to offload it failed.
Returning home to ponder, Ascal laid down on his bed, exhausted, and placed the orb on the bedside table.
Seros, his pet, leaped up to greet him.
Perhaps it was the tonic it had, but Seros seemed much larger than before and appeared to understand him better...
“Ha. Do you want the orb?”
It was meant as a joke.
Seros flicked out its tongue and gobbled up the orb.
Then Seros began to change. Its scales turned transparent like glass, shimmering beautifully. Seross, in its new form, hopped onto Ascal’s shoulder.
And nuzzled Ascal’s face.
“Ticklish, you little rascal.”
****
- It doesn’t matter.
Cloud Dragon was surprisingly calm upon hearing that the frog had eaten the orb.
- Instead, use the frog’s droppings as fertilizer for the divine tree. It might not even take a hundred years, perhaps much less.
Following Cloud Dragon’s advice, Seros’ droppings were used as fertilizer for the tree, which had doubled in size by the next day.
The branches stretched out, creating a cool shade. It seemed to occasionally fan a breeze like a handheld fan.
- The divine tree acknowledges you as its master, or perhaps, as a parent.
“That’s quite the responsibility.”
- Take good care of it. Once the divine tree fully matures, it will...
Cloud Dragon’s words became inaudible, as if filtered out.
- Oh dear, am I revealing too much? I can’t ignore it, even with my limited power.
****
The next day.
A young girl with white hair entered the office.
She had an air of mystique about her.
“Give me more to eat.”
From the voice, it was clear it was the White Dragon.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, Ascal pulled out a generous amount of cookies. The girl nibbled away at the cookies.
“You used my orb as food, didn’t you?”
“...It seems so.”
“It’s fine. The Divine Tree is gradually restoring my strength. I should recover in about a hundred years. But I’ll need to stay around here.”
These dragons have a different concept of time. A hundred years, as if it’s just someone’s name?
“Besides, aren’t you curious? Why do all these strange things happen only to you, why do things turn out differently than intended?”
Ascal looked at the White Dragon.
“Why?”
The White Dragon was about to speak.
“First, among the people around you...”
“Stop.”
Ascal cut her off.
“I don’t want to hear it. If something is hidden, there must be a reason for it. I don’t want to know by force. If you want to tell me, you’ll do so on your own.”
It was the sharp intuition honed from years in public service.
‘Are you listening to know what’s going to happen?’
Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
“I see.”
The White Dragon said, almost enviously.
“If only I had someone like you around me.”
It seemed like a strange misunderstanding.
****
Someone was eavesdropping outside Ascal’s office.
Initially, they intended to enter boldly, but missed the timing and it seemed like a serious secret conversation was taking place.
‘Minister-nim... someday I must tell...’
Sushia bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and then turned to leave.
****
“I don’t want to hear it. If there’s something hidden, there must be a reason. I don’t want to force it. If they want to talk, they will.”
And there was one more person.
‘...Lord Ascal.’
Yulia bowed her head and sat quietly in front of the office door, for quite a long time.
