Chapter 7 – Dragon's Heart

Count Belkman was in the usual underground bar, but this time, he wasn't delivering documents—he was being lectured.

"The preparations for war should have been complete by now, yet here we are!"

The hostility between the Principality and the Kingdom had cooled to an unprecedented degree.

"No one wants a war with the Principality, and the Principality itself has no intention of attacking the Kingdom."

Over the past few years, thanks to what happened with Alex that day, the people of the Kingdom had begun to realize that the Principality wasn't the villain they had been led to believe.

And the Principality, seeing him come and go freely, no longer saw hostility where it had once been assumed.

This led both nations to question: "Is this conflict really necessary?" Trade flourished as a result.

And the hooded man was not pleased.

"You and I both know who's to blame for this. Fix it. Quickly. If war doesn't break out, you won't be able to flee here, and everything I've invested will be for nothing!"

Count Belkman hated being lectured, but the fury in his eyes was sharper than ever.

(This is all that damn brat's fault!)

◇

Three years had passed since my reincarnation, and I was finally fifteen. My physique was now far superior to what I'd had in my past life.

I was still growing, but I stood at 170 cm tall and could finally run and jump without tiring—my body had fully adapted to moving with greater strength.

And so, today, I would finally achieve one of the goals I'd set since reincarnating.

Jason stood before me. Both of us held blunt steel swords—we'd abandoned wooden ones, as they would only hold us back.

"Are you sure about this? You can still back out."

"Shut it, old man. It's time you paid for all that hellish training."

"Let's go!"

We both shouted and moved at the same time. We knew each other's movements inside out—every feint, every trick of using the environment to our advantage.

The only real test left was raw strength.

If I could overpower him with brute force, then everything else was trivial.

Our swords clashed as we pushed against each other with all our might.

I had prepared for this day. I wouldn't lose for anything.

Before I knew it, Jason's sword flew from his grip as he collapsed onto the sandy ground.

Seeing him lying there, I finally understood.

This was the pinnacle of strength.

I had finally toppled the wall that had treated me as weak for years.

I could keep going. I could defeat him.

"You win. I surrender."

"Huh?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Help me up."

"Sure."

I pulled him to his feet, and he gripped my shoulders. His expression was that of a proud father watching his son graduate.

"Well done, Alex. I'm proud of you."

"You disarmed me without even using your full strength. If you can do that, you don't need to prove anything else."

"I suppose I can finally retire as the Principality's strongest knight. That title is yours now."

"Wait a second, what do you mean you surrender?"

"I still haven't kicked your ass, and I won't be happy until I see you humiliated on the ground!"

"Still a child at heart, I see."

"Congratulations, A-kun! You actually defeated Jason-sama! You must be so happy to finally surpass your father."

"I'm not happy. This geezer's just using his age as an excuse not to fight me."

"Not at all. Age isn't stopping me from kicking your ass, but it's true I'm getting older."

"My back's been hurting lately. But even so, I gave it my all. You were just stronger."

"Be happy. You finally kicked my ass—just not the way you wanted."

"If you say so…"

I felt cheated. Disappointed. But I didn't think he'd held back.

Just because I beat an old man didn't mean I could let my guard down.

"Alex, here."

Jason walked over to a table where a strange case lay. He opened it and handed me what was inside.

"What is it?"

"A gift. This has been passed down through the Leone family for generations, given only to the heir who surpasses the current head."

"This sword symbolizes the power and strength of someone who has overcome their predecessor."

"Huh? Are you… crying?"

"I'm not crying. There's just sand in my eye."

"Thanks for the sword. I'll put it away later—I've got something to take care of first."

"What is it?"

They both asked, and before leaving, I answered:

"Hunting a certain beast."

◇

After arriving at the palace, I requested permission to visit a certain place.

You couldn't go anywhere without paperwork—typical bureaucracy.

"Rex, you come to the palace and don't even greet us? That's incredibly rude."

"She's right, Rex-kun. At least give us a good morning kiss."

I turned at the familiar voices.

Anne and Mary stood before me, dressed in elegant gowns that matched their eyes.

They were fifteen now—officially adults.

The twins were so identical that they'd taken to wearing their hair differently to tell each other apart—one with a side ponytail, the other with braids.

Though if you asked me, the real difference was that Mary's chest was bigger. I'd wager both were well into the 90 cm range.

They'd grown beautifully, to the point where their presence alone could eclipse other women.

"Where do you think you're looking?"

Anne scolded me, but as she did, her chest jiggled slightly—just enough to make it seem like they bounced. Truly dangerous assets.

"I was thinking about the request I'm submitting."

"A request? And that requires staring at my cleavage?"

"I wasn't staring. It was just in my line of sight while thinking."

"If you want, you can look at mine! I worked hard to grow them this biiiig~!"

Mary raised her arms, emphasizing her chest even more. Without a doubt, she was the more dangerous of the two.

A deadly combination of cuteness and unintentional eroticism.

Any man who courted her would probably think she was teasing him on purpose.

"Mary, I told you not to do that in front of him!"

(So it's fine as long as I'm not around!?)

A palace attendant approached with a signed document.

"Your paperwork is ready. You may proceed immediately."

"Thank you."

(With this, we're just a few months away from the prologue of the second game.)

(Once it starts, it'll only be a matter of time before the heroine and the villainesses become a problem.)

(I'll be busy, no doubt about it.)

"By the way, Rex-kun, did you know?"

Mary interrupted my thoughts before I realized she had grabbed my arm and pulled it between her firm breasts.

"My sister and I have a dilemma. One of us has to go study in the Kingdom as a gesture of goodwill for improving international relations."

"One goes, one stays."

"I see. Must be a tough decision."

"It is—but not because of who's going. It's about who gets to stay."

"Neither of us wants to leave you alone, giving you an excuse to go chasing after other women."

"Wait, Mary, don't lump me in with you!"

"Oh? Onee-chan, are you saying you don't care if I stay behind with Rex-kun and play all day?"

"Play!? And why did you say it like that!? Besides… who said you'd be the one staying with him?"

Somehow, Anne had developed a tsundere personality over the years.

"I-It's not like I want to be with him or anything! But as the older, more responsible sister, I have to keep him in line! If I leave, who's to say he won't get into trouble?"

Her voice trembled as she spoke, like she was forcing herself to sound convincing.

"Then you stay with him."

"I don't want to! I already said I don't!"

"Fine, I'll do it then."

"Rex-kun, you can pamper me every day! I'll make sure you turn me into a spoiled princess—exclusively yours~!"

Mary leaned in to kiss my cheek, but Anne turned red as a tomato and yanked her away.

"Who said you get to keep him!?"

"That mutt is mine! As his master, it's my duty to take care of him!"

(Since when was I a dog!?)

"No! Rex-kun, Onee-chan's turned into an ugly, big-foreheaded ogre!"

"Don't call me that!"

Anne started chasing Mary around me. It was heartwarming to see—I'd managed to partly avert the cruel fate awaiting these sisters.

Since I was from the Principality, I couldn't study abroad without the scholarship the heroine would receive.

An annoying voice cut through the air.

"Well, well, look who we have here."

Count Belkman had appeared out of nowhere. The twins immediately hid behind me—their dislike for him was obvious.

"I was just looking for you."

"Me? Why?"

It was strange for him to seek me out unless he wanted a favor.

"I heard from a little bird that you finally defeated Jason. That means you'll soon be his replacement."

"Did you really do it?"

"Incredible."

"Which means it's time you started working properly."

"Here. A merchant submitted a request about a monster horde causing trouble. Eliminate them."

"Why me specifically?"

He smirked unpleasantly.

"Jason never complained about doing this kind of work. And here you are, whining? What a fine future knight you'll be."

That pissed me off. I took the paper.

"This location is…"

"Is something wrong?"

"No. I'll head out immediately."

(This is exactly where I needed to go.)

"Good. But since it's your first time going there—and your first mission—I've arranged for a reliable companion to accompany you."

"Experience is invaluable."

Isel arrived shortly after, as if he'd been waiting in the shadows.

"Ah, Count Belkman. Just the man I wanted to see."

"You've already told him about the request?"

"Yes. He's accepted and will go with you."

"Good. Brat, I'll show you what real fieldwork looks like. Pay attention."

"..."

I stared at both of them before turning back to the twins, who looked uneasy about the request.

"I'll go get ready. See you later."

"Rex, wait."

Anne approached, and just as I thought she was going to say goodbye, she whispered something odd.

"Be careful. Something's off with the pro-war faction lately. I think they're planning something."

Now that Anne was an adult, her mind was sharper—she could analyze things she couldn't as a child.

Thanks to me, she hadn't developed the twisted patriotic mindset that would have made her a puppet for the pro-war faction.

"It's fine," I said. "Just some monster extermination."

"Rex-kun, take care."

"I will."

I smiled and left with Isel, but I didn't miss the strange look in Count Belkman's eyes.

◇◇◇

"This is it. A remote area of the Principality, but still our territory. No borders, so no foreign guards to worry about."

The place we'd arrived at was where my target lay—a certain monster I needed to meet.

"Let's head to the designated spot."

Isel dismounted and began leading me into the forest, but halfway there, I took a different path.

"Hey, wrong way."

I stopped and said, "No, this is exactly right. My target is here." Then I glared at him. "Besides, if I don't do this, you'll obviously try to kill me the moment I turn my back."

Isel's smile vanished, replaced by a cold expression.

"Tch. Annoying brat."

In an instant, he closed the distance and swung his sword at my head. I blocked it with my still-sheathed blade.

"You brought me here for something shady. The question is—why? What do you gain?"

His face twisted into something terrifying.

"Simple. Bandits disguised as Kingdom knights would attack you. Then I'd present your head, sending the princesses into grief. They'd hand all power to the pro-war faction, starting a war with the Kingdom."

"But thanks to you, the war we wanted is dying out. You're a nuisance."

(I figured the pro-war faction would push for conflict like in the game, but I didn't expect them to go this far.)

(If something happened to me, the twins would blame the Kingdom—another reason I had to come here!)

I kicked him back and drew my sword.

He took a combat stance, then charged, slashing diagonally.

Thanks to years of training with Jason, I could see my opponent's movements clearly. To me, normal people seemed to move in slow motion.

I dodged his strikes and, not wanting to waste time, drove my knee into his ribs. Even through light armor, it hurt. Then I swung my sword down, burying it in his skull.

It stuck fast.

"Damn… you…"

Isel died with those words.

This was the first time I'd killed someone in this new life.

I knew the feeling of taking a life. In my past life, as a soldier, my first night after graduation had been spent in a basement full of gagged prisoners—murderers and rapists.

We were ordered to slit their throats. If we couldn't do that, we couldn't shoot to kill.

I hesitated, but I'd enlisted to make the world a little better.

Hypocritical or not, I'd wanted somewhere to belong.

Eventually, I got used to killing. But after reincarnating, I'd forgotten—until now.

My hand trembled. The weight of taking a life was something you only got used to with a cold mind.

After a moment, my hand steadied, and I walked toward my goal.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting.

I hurried deeper into the forest.

Why was I doing this?

In the game, a certain character had explained—in great detail, complete with flashbacks—how they'd obtained a certain power.

That power made them one of the toughest enemies to defeat.

Night fell, and I lit a Kingdom-made candle that absorbed magical energy.

The area was thick with bushes, branches, and annoying roots.

I felt lost, but the shape of the trees matched the flashback perfectly.

I followed them without hesitation. No turning back now.

If I found nothing and got lost, at least I'd tried.

If I died—no, death wasn't an option.

That's why I needed this. No matter what.

After a long walk, I finally found it—hidden behind bushes, illuminated by moonlight, lay a massive object as red as blood.

A dragon.

◇◇◇

Long ago, there was a dragon that terrorized the world.

Twenty-four meters long, weighing as much as a transport ship, its crimson scales earned it the title "Crimson King"—its fiery breath was unmatched.

The world knelt before it. No living creature, not even other dragons, could oppose it.

One day, it attacked a village. The villagers, begging for their lives, offered all their alcohol.

The dragon accepted, planning to slaughter them once it finished drinking.

What it didn't know was that this village brewed liquor so strong, a large enough dose could kill in minutes.

After draining its hundredth barrel, the dragon passed out.

The villagers were stunned. Their liquor had accomplished what no army could.

Their first thought: "We have to kill it."

But its scales were too tough. Their weapons couldn't pierce its hide.

Then a wounded soldier resting in the village had an idea.

When the dragon awoke, it found the villagers staring at it.

It wondered what they were doing—until the pain hit.

"What the hell are you doing, miserable humans!?"

The dragon was being skinned alive.

Nearly all its scales had been ripped away, leaving raw, bleeding muscle exposed.

Its proud horns had been sawed off, reducing it to a mere lizard.

Its wings had been severed at the base, leaving only bloody stumps.

Its limbs had been hacked down to stumps, leaving it turtle-like.

Its tail was missing chunks of flesh, bone peeking through.

And as if that wasn't enough, they were slicing open its belly, draining its blood into buckets, and trying to remove its organs.

"Damn you all!!"

It couldn't move, but that wasn't the problem. Its rapid regeneration made even the most advanced nations' attacks useless.

A smirking knight approached.

"The fearsome Crimson King, Lindwurm, reduced to this pitiful state."

"After your last defeat, the Kingdom developed a weapon using the scales you shed. It was theoretical, but seeing this, it clearly worked."

"Don't worry. The Kingdom will use every last gram of your body. Nothing will be wasted. The holy lance Dainsrave will remain embedded in you forever."

"We won't kill you. We'll keep you on the brink of death so you can't regenerate. Who knew stabbing your heart was the key?"

"Now become the foundation of the Kingdom's glory."

Before losing its sight, Lindwurm glared at the humans with hatred. It had tormented them for pleasure—this was its punishment.

That was the story I knew from the game.

But there was more—details not mentioned there, only in the lance's item description.

The real reason it couldn't regenerate was a sealing spell cast by a mage.

Sealing magic normally lasted only five minutes, preventing magic or swordsmanship. But because of its regeneration, the effect persisted.

That same dragon from the game now lay before me.

A rotting corpse.

Barely any flesh remained—mostly bones, with only remnants of eyes.

In the game, it was still alive. Was that true here too?

I crept closer. Its massive maw opened.

"Who are you?"

(It heard me. Just like in the game—no doubt about it.)

In the game, this dragon became one of the most terrifying enemies because a Demon King general found and devoured it.

After the Demon King himself, it was the strongest foe. If Jason was the most dangerous human enemy, this flaming monstrosity with endless regeneration was even worse.

Only the heroine could defeat it.

That's why, as I grew stronger, I kept thinking: "How can I face the game's dangers and save the villainesses?"

No matter how much I trained, I was just an ordinary human. No special powers.

So I came up with a plan.

(I'll take this dragon's power for myself—the only being in the game with four-digit stats.)

(The Demon King had multiple health bars, making him dangerous, but this general had stats reaching 4000.)

(With that, I'd stand a chance against the demons. Even if this world has no status windows or skills.)

"Good evening. I'm well aware of who you are—Crimson King Lindwurm."

"I've come to—"

"Leave."

Its voice was weak but commanding.

"Humans left me like this… who knows how long ago. I want none of you near me."

"I may not move, but my aura remains—strong enough to kill you. Only demons and dragons can withstand it."

"I know. I know everything about you."

"...?"

"I know what you did. As a child, humans drove your family from their home and hunted them for their hearts. You got lost in a forest, ate a strange, colorful fruit, and gained automatic regeneration."

"But that same regeneration is what keeps you in this dying state."

"How do you know this…?"

The dragon was deeply curious.

I decided to tell the truth—it didn't matter if it believed me.

"Listen to my story first."

After a few minutes, the dragon burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha!"

"Absurd. Too absurd to be real."

"But… knowing my life so precisely makes it hard to call you a liar."

"What do you want, boy?"

"Your power. Like I said, a fire-aligned Demon King general will come for you one day. He'll devour you."

"You'll live on inside him, never dying. But since this world has no health bars, I fear he'll become as immortal as you."

"Well, nearly immortal."

"So you know?"

"Yes."

The dragon understood I wasn't lying. It could regenerate, but it wasn't immortal.

Its regeneration had a condition: it had to satisfy its desires.

It had to kill mercilessly to regenerate. A dark requirement for what was supposed to be a girls' game.

Since it had been tasting its own blood from its mutilated body, that technically counted—why it was still alive.

The dragon fell silent for a moment.

"I don't care. I won't help humans."

This guy was stubborn.

"Let me be blunt."

"I don't sympathize with you. Sure, humans did cruel things to you, but you spent centuries slaughtering them in revenge."

"Those who hurt you? Fine. But the innocent didn't deserve it."

"I won't let the Demon King's general have you. But if you prefer, I can go back and tell them to keep you like this for centuries, piece by piece."

"Or you can die and give me your power as thanks?"

For the first time, its withered face showed emotion.

"You dare threaten me, insolent human!?"

I'd had enough of this idiot.

"Damn right I'm threatening you, you stupid lizard."

"Two options: stay like this forever, or die and give me your power."

"Or maybe I can sweeten the deal?"

"Sweeten?"

Its expression shifted.

"The people who butchered you were from the Kingdom centuries ago. But the Empire stole your parts—the game mentioned that."

"The Empire is my enemy too. I'll destroy them for you as a bonus."

"My body is there?"

"Yes. They call themselves an Empire thanks to your body fueling their economy."

The rage in its eyes was different now.

"Those bastards used my body to expand their lands!? Very well, boy."

"I accept. You'll have my power—in exchange, destroy that Empire."

"Thank you. Glad you saw reason."

That was easier than expected. Finally, I'd get the power-up I needed to fight the Demon King's generals.

"Remove the lance piercing my heart, then destroy it."

"Won't pulling it out just kill you?"

"No. I removed my heart before—it regrew. Destroy it with the lance. That'll stop regeneration as long as fragments remain inside."

"Got it. Here goes."

I lifted its chest—the stench was worse than a sewer. So foul I nearly passed out.

In the darkness, I saw a long, red object like a metal rod.

Using my sword, I cut away the surrounding flesh and grabbed the lance.

Coughing from the smell, I examined the dragon's heart—a massive green stone.

"This is your heart?"

"Ancient dragons have magical stones instead of flesh. Normal dragons have hearts of blood and muscle."

"Now break the lance. The human said only a human could do it. Demons have tried and failed."

(Strange. The Demon King's general must have had the lance inside him then.)

The lance snapped like a brittle branch. I used the broken end to shatter the heart, leaving fragments behind.

"Good. Now I guess you'll—huh?"

The dragon was staring at me—but not just staring.

Its expression was that of a psychopath watching a victim try to escape.

"Ahahaha! You did it! You glorious fool, you actually did it!"

"You threatened me, claimed to know everything—yet you never mentioned that whoever breaks that lance inherits the dragon's curse!"

"What!?"

Suddenly, pain shot through my chest.

"When I awoke with that lance inside me, my first act was to curse them! A dragon's curse transforms the victim into a dragon!"

"But a mage diverted that curse into the lance! That's why no one dared remove it—why they left me here!"

"You bragged about knowing everything, yet missed this! Ahahaha!"

"Now you'll slowly become a dragon! And there's no stopping it!"

The dragon's tail stabbed through me.

"Don't worry. It won't happen immediately. The curse lies dormant until triggered—a parting gift for freeing me."

I collapsed onto the stone heart as something like tissue slithered out, fusing with my stomach.

"Thank you for my freedom… and congratulations on gaining my power! Ahahaha!"

My consciousness faded.