Chapter 37: That Which Is Never Inherited (3)

She wanted to form a deeper relationship with the Hero.

Even if love wasn’t part of that relationship, she wanted to be the Hero’s lover.

She believed that love would eventually blossom if they were together.

When she first met the Hero, she saw him as someone to be wary of.

Looking into his eyes gave her headaches for no reason.

But it didn’t take long before she fell for his kindness.

It was only natural.

The Hero’s noble heart, wanting to save everyone, captivated every woman who knew him, Laura included.

However, Laura was more perceptive than others.

She had long realized that there was something different in the way the Hero looked at her.

It all started simply.

No matter how she tried to entice him, the Hero wouldn’t falter.

As a last resort, Laura decided to sneak into his bedroom—completely unclothed.

Even if she got thrown out, she wouldn’t complain.

No, the Hero would surely scold her, saying it was improper behavior.

But that night, something unexpected happened.

The Hero, after briefly lowering his gaze upon seeing her bare body, permitted their union.

From that moment, the Hero accepted her whenever she desired.

Even when Natalia joined in unexpectedly, Laura didn’t mind.

She was too deeply in love with the Hero.

Rather than compete, she thought it better to share him as a lover.

Though she understood the guilt in his gaze, Laura didn’t hesitate to exploit it.

Perhaps it was due to his mesmerizing gaze, but her feelings defied all logic.

What was certain at the time was that Laura interpreted the Hero’s guilt as disdain for being with multiple women.

She convinced herself that was the case.

Then came the incident at the fortress.

When Laura learned the truth about the Hero’s power back in the capital, she realized the harm she had caused him.

The Hero had chosen to sacrifice himself for everyone.

The Saint had chosen to sacrifice herself for the Hero.

Was there even room for Laura between them?

When she thought about it, Laura concluded that she had simply taken the first step.

Blaming everything on the Hero’s gaze didn’t fit; the mental fortitude of the Dragonkin should have been strong enough to resist it.

For someone like Natalia, an ordinary human, perhaps resistance was impossible.

But Laura came to understand that she simply hadn’t rejected her own desires.

Why hadn’t the righteous Hero refused her?

While those thoughts did occur, the Hero’s kindness, wrapped in guilt, ultimately won over her reasoning.

She entrusted everything to that desire, knowing it was wrong yet unable to stop.

And now, here she was.

After learning the truth about the Hero’s gaze, Laura couldn’t bear to look at him anymore.

The wedding ceremony, which would have delighted her before, now felt unbearably uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”

Three hundred years ago, the Hero and the Five Champions had sealed the Demon King at the cost of being tainted by demonic energy.

It wasn’t surprising that their bodies underwent unnatural changes.

For the Hero, the curse he bore was the mesmerizing gaze.

The gaze that could hypnotize anyone just by looking at them—a power designed for nothing more than treating others as playthings.

It was a curse that should have belonged to the Demon King.

The Hero chosen by the gods was supposed to be just and righteous.

The first Hero had abandoned his power and glory, choosing to return to his original world to escape the curse.

But that power had been inherited.

The Heroes, bound to the mesmerizing gaze, could never truly be free.

Once tainted by demonic energy, there was no turning back.

Even Selene had only managed to separate the energy from her body, but the process left her crippled, unable to walk properly.

To store the demonic energy, she had sacrificed the staff known as the Dragon’s Soul.

The Saint, the Archer, the Thief, the Knight, and the Hero—all tried to overcome their corruption in their own ways.

But none of their endings were beautiful.

Compared to the Thief, Knight, or Saint, who had short lifespans and died quickly, the others suffered far worse fates.

Thus, Laura’s overwhelming guilt toward the Hero only grew.

While the Hero struggled desperately to suppress his gaze, she had taken advantage of him.

She wanted to apologize, but she didn’t know where to start.

She no longer wanted to stay in a relationship built on lies.

Though she didn’t want to yield the Hero to anyone else, their current relationship was wrong.

She wanted to face the Hero as proudly as Sarah, the noble Saint, could.

“This is the annex. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Okay. Thank you for guiding me.”

After the pre-wedding ceremony ended, with everyone’s blessings, the first thing Laura did was take the Hero’s hand and head to the annex.

A path filled with the sound of insects.

Guided by the red glow of a small lantern, they arrived at a small annex tucked behind the pine trees.

It was the place they would stay together until the formal wedding.

Laura wanted to confess everything and apologize to the Hero, but her lips couldn’t form the words.

Instead, they moved automatically, explaining the annex.

“It’s not like this is anything special. Just follow the procedure.

Nothing more, nothing less.”

“Right… It’s only to suppress the dragon’s blood.”

“Yes, that’s all it is.”

After having taken full advantage of the Hero, Laura now emphasized that their relationship meant nothing.

Even to herself, her inability to apologize properly felt cowardly.

How much pain had the Hero endured because of her?

She was afraid of being hated by him.

Though she had been influenced by his gaze, she hadn’t completely succumbed.

If she hadn’t rationalized everything to herself, none of this would have happened.

Laura felt pathetic for not being able to say that out loud.

Learning about the corruption of the Hero and the Five Champions, including the power of the mesmerizing gaze, during the wedding preparations, Laura felt deep resentment.

If she had remained ignorant, she could have continued looking at the Hero without hesitation.

“Shall we begin?”

“Yes.”

While Laura hesitated, the Hero prepared a small knife and a white bowl filled with clear water.

Without hesitation, the Hero pricked his ring finger, letting a drop of blood spread in the water.

Laura hesitated for a long time before finally gathering her resolve and mimicking him.

The pure dragon’s blood rejected human form, striving to return to its original, majestic state—Ancestral Regression.

But with regression came the curse of the gods, which turned dragons into mindless beasts.

To avoid that fate, the dragon’s blood needed to be weakened.

The marriage ceremony served this purpose: to share blood and swear eternity.

The ritual had to be performed every day for the next month until the wedding.

The water in the bowl turned red.

Without hesitation, the Hero took a sip and handed it to Laura.

All of it was for the sake of saving the Saint and Laura.

But watching this, the Hero’s guilt only deepened.

“Hero, what do you think of Sarah?”

“What do I think of her? She’s just… a precious comrade.”

“I see…”

To truly face the Hero, Laura knew she needed to apologize.

But because she could sense the falsehood in his words, she was too afraid of what might happen next.

For now, she pretended not to know anything, even though she knew she could never stand in Sarah’s position.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

The next morning, Selene thanked Louis as he helped her walk.

Though she had succeeded in separating the demonic energy, her body had grown too weak.

For someone who had lived so long, there weren’t many days left when she could still move.

There is no eternity.

Unless one is a god, all living beings are destined to die.

Knowing this made Selene feel even more miserable about her situation.

“How is the Hero doing?”

“He shared blood with Lady Laura last night.”

“That’s a relief. Since I can no longer pass down the Dragon’s Soul because of my condition, at least I can be of help this way.”

Even though they had chosen human forms, magic remained the essence of their existence.

For the Dragonkin mages, their staffs carried their memories and will.

A second soul, so to speak.

As Selene neared the end of her lifespan, she had intended to pass down the staff known as the Dragon’s Soul to Laura, who bore the gods’ blessing.

But because Selene had transferred the demonic energy into the staff, the succession ceremony was no longer possible.

The Dragon’s Soul, an artifact passed down since the gods walked this world, now faced the risk of disappearing along with all its inherited powers and memories.

She couldn’t lift her head in shame.

“This is not your fault, Your Majesty. A mage and their staff are one.

Even if you hadn’t transferred the demonic energy, the result would have been the same.”

It was a fact.

If the demonic energy hadn’t been separated, far greater damage would have been caused.

There was no vessel capable of containing so much power.

Had Selene succumbed to the corruption, the Dragon’s Soul would have been corrupted along with her.

“Hmm, what’s this? A secret conversation without me?”

“… Princess Fran.”

“I told you, no need for formalities.

It’s not like I’m actually related to the queen by blood, right?”

Interrupting the serious conversation between Selene and Louis was a playful voice.

The girl who joined them had icy blue eyes adorned with brilliant blue gems and sky-blue hair that gave off a warm impression.

Though she was small and spoke lightly, she exuded a curious maturity.

This was Fran, another Dragonkin princess.

Laura and Fran, though both princesses, were not related to Selene by blood.

They were chosen for their exceptional magical talent.

The two princesses had traveled across nations, gaining experience to support the Hero when the time came.

Fran had recently returned to Edirne from her work in Eureka.

Unlike the emotionally reserved Laura, Fran openly expressed a wide range of feelings.

Though not connected by blood, the contrast between the two princesses was striking.

“This is an important time.

Remember, even walls have ears in the palace.”

“Why so stiff?

Laura’s the chosen one anyway, not me, so why does it matter?”

She giggled.

Laura had received the blessing of the gods and was destined to assist the Hero in defeating the Demon King to lift the curse placed by the gods.

Compared to Laura, Fran was a secondary figure.

Not that she minded—she was even relieved to avoid participating in such a dull adventure.

“Fran, the Hero chosen by the gods and the Saint are here in Edirne.

Be mindful that your actions could incur divine wrath.”

“Oh, is that why everyone’s so cautious?

Still, you think the gods will punish us again?

After all, the queen has already made her decision.”

“What decision?”

“Isn’t it obvious?

Three hundred years ago, it was for the Hero, and this time it’s for the Saint.

Well, that’s what dragons exist for, isn’t it?”

Fran laughed loudly, dismissing the idea of further divine punishment.

She dipped her hands into the pond, splashing water playfully.

Her carefree attitude didn’t even anger Selene anymore; it was so typical of her.

“It’s all to return to our former greatness.”

“Of course!

Returning to the glory of the great dragons—that’s the duty of queens and princesses, isn’t it?”

Until the day they earned the gods’ forgiveness, the Dragonkin were prepared to dedicate everything to the Hero and the Saint.

This was their penance for their arrogance in challenging the gods.

Because of this, neither Selene nor Louis imposed strict limits on Fran’s reckless behavior.

The Dragonkin’s greatest masterpiece was their unwavering goal to return to the grandeur of the dragons.

Though not connected by blood, Selene had no doubt that Fran shared her vision for the future.

“Well then, shall we go meet the Saint?”

“Fran, do you even know what we were just talking about?”

“Hehe, sometimes you really do act like a real mom, Your Majesty.

And that’s why I like you so much!”

Unable to contain herself, Selene raised her voice, prompting Fran to splash water at her before running away.

The young princess couldn’t wait to meet the Saint and have many conversations, especially about the gods.

See you in the next chapter!