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How amusing. Hahaha.

Lodbrok’s light laughter echoed like a melody.

「It seems my charm, both in the past and present, transcends species. Being so popular is quite the burden…」

Lodbrok chuckled, trying to brush off Theo’s words as a joke.

However, Theo raised the corners of his mouth and shook his head.

“There is no such trend. And this is no joke.”

Lodbrok’s laughter abruptly stopped.

Her gaze, now sharp, locked onto Theo.

Chills!

For a moment, Theo felt a shiver run down his spine.

‘A dragon is a dragon after all. The Dragon’s Fear is overwhelming.’

He attempted to release a bit of Lesser Drake Fear to somehow resist the intense pressure, but it was far from easy.

If it was impossible, then it was simply impossible.

Dragons instinctively dominated all lower beings.

Ku-ku-ku…!

Still, Theo endured.

If his will broke here, he would never get what he came for.

Drip!

Cold sweat trickled down his cheek and dropped to the ground.

「Do you truly desire me?」

“Yes, I do.”

「Are you planning to take all the treasures here, along with my knowledge, just for a little wordplay?」

Theo merely smiled, offering no response.

Right now, it was best to let her make the decision ‘on her own.’

「No.」

Lodbrok, after staring at Theo for a long moment, shook her head.

“No? But didn’t you say I could take anything I wanted from the treasures in this nest?”

「But I am not part of that deal.」

“What else would a ‘Guardian Dragon of Ragnar’ be, if not a treasure?”

「I am a dragon. I am the gatekeeper of this place and the sentinel that guards the Winter Mountains. I am no mere… treasure!」

“You never gave any specific definition of what counts as a treasure beforehand, did you?”

「…!」

For a moment, Lodbrok was at a loss for words.

“So, I believe it’s up to the one receiving the reward to determine whether something is a treasure or not.”

「…」

“Give me Lodbrok. You promised by oath.”

Grrr…

Lodbrok’s eyes narrowed, now filled with frustration.

The gaze that had been full of warmth toward Theo moments ago had shifted to annoyance.

‘Looks like she’s really mad.’

Theo swallowed dryly.

Considering that Lodbrok, the ancient dragon, was known for her immense pride, it was no surprise that Theo’s words must have felt like an insult to her.

He had heard that some ancient dragons considered humans to be nothing more than mere insects.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she spewed flames at him at any moment.

‘Still, this gamble is absolutely necessary.’

But Theo didn’t attempt to retract his words.

In truth, he was well aware that his argument was absurd.

However, for a being like an ancient dragon bound by a sacred oath, it was likely a troublesome predicament.

Even so, Theo pressed on without hesitation.

‘If I push this, I might be able to gain something even greater.’

Theo wasn’t naïve enough to believe that he could actually take Lodbrok as his “reward.”

There was no way she would willingly leave her nest.

She was bound by her duty to protect the Winter Mountains from the Demonic Sea. How could she possibly offer herself as a reward?

Even aside from that, there was no chance she would submit to Theo, a descendant of her old comrade.

For an ancient dragon, such an event would be a deep blow to their pride.

Thus, Lodbrok would inevitably propose some kind of deal.

She would likely suggest replacing herself with something of equivalent value.

‘I don’t have time to sift through all the treasures here. The best move is to get Lodbrok to bring me the most valuable item herself.’

Theo bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.

He needed to shake off the dizziness clouding his mind.

And then…

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh—

As if it were all a lie, the dragon’s oppressive presence suddenly subsided.

「…I see. So, that’s how you’re playing this?」

Lodbrok let out a hollow laugh.

‘She saw through my intentions.’

Theo said nothing, only lowering his head slightly in silence.

But even as he did, he kept his gaze firmly fixed on her, silently urging her for a response.

「Very well.」

“Yes. Very… wait, what?”

For a moment, Theo thought he had misheard and quickly lifted his head.

And there he saw it.

Lodbrok’s eyes, now brimming with playful mischief.

‘No way…?’

「Why are you so surprised? I can’t break a promise sealed by an oath, so I’ll honor the agreement.」

Lodbrok’s eyes narrowed even further into a sly grin.

「My new partner.」

“…!”

Whooosh—!

At that moment, a violent gust of wind began swirling around Lodbrok’s massive form.

The wind was so intense that Theo could barely keep his eyes open.

As he forced himself to look up, a blinding burst of light filled the cave, as if it were about to overflow.

Flash!

Soon, in the place where the ancient dragon had stood, a woman appeared.

Her short, dark blue hair was cropped just above her shoulders, shorter than Theo’s.

Her eyes, a mix of sharpness and playful mischief, gleamed like molten gold.

She was tall, about 175 centimeters, and draped around her neck was a vibrant, colorful silk shawl, giving her an exotic elegance.

Theo, seeing her, couldn’t help but flinch in surprise.

He had never imagined that Lodbrok could polymorph into a human form.

But what shocked him more was what he glimpsed beneath her collar.

“Hu-hu! You seem quite mesmerized by my human form. But don’t even dream of it. I’ve lived for over two thousand years, and to me, you’re nothing more than a newborn baby.”

Lodbrok’s teasing barely registered in Theo’s ears.

“…Guardian Dragon, your chest…”

“Oh, this?”

Lodbrok nonchalantly lifted her shawl slightly.

Beneath it, there was a gaping hole on the left side of her chest, large enough to fit a human head.

That’s right.

She had no heart.

“This is an old wound. Because of it, I am dying a little more each day.”

For a moment, Theo’s body stiffened.

“You mean…?”

“Why are you so surprised? Is it because I said I’m dying?”

Hu-hu.

Lodbrok chuckled lightly.

“It’s true. I lost my Dragon Heart, the organ that holds the core of a dragon’s magic, about fifty years ago. Since then, most of my powers and magic have been lost.”

“…!”

“I’m barely holding on now, sustained by the remaining magic within my body.”

Lodbrok gently touched the empty cavity in her chest with her fingertips.

“Soon, I will return to the embrace of nature. Two years? Maybe three? Like my kin who left this world long ago, I will eventually depart as well.”

“…”

“That’s why I asked you several times—if you wouldn’t reconsider the reward.”

Theo pressed his lips tightly together.

“Even knowing all this, do you still wish to take me as your reward?”

Lodbrok was smiling.

He could sense that her smile was her own form of kindness, her way of offering him a way out.

But.

For some reason, Theo couldn’t tear his gaze away from the faint bitterness in her eyes.

It was the same expression he had seen during the last moments of his previous life.

Under a rain of arrows pouring down like a waterfall, he had looked out with those same eyes.

Despair.

Defeat.

Melancholy.

Sorrow.

“…How did it come to this?” Theo finally asked.

“Hmm? Didn’t you already use up your three questions?”

“…”

“I see. Your expression is so serious that I can’t even make a joke. What a stiff last chosen one for a Guardian Dragon, don’t you think? It’s hardly any fun at all.”

Lodbrok grumbled before casually throwing out a remark.

“It was Kyle.”

But that one word hit Theo like a hammer to the back of his head.

“He’s probably your grandfather or great-grandfather, right? Am I correct?”

“…He’s my father.”

“What? Ha! A human well over 70 years old still having kids? I remember he said he wanted to have as many children as possible to revive the family. Tsk! Males, I swear, as long as they can manage to cross the threshold, they’ll keep doing that…”

Theo didn’t hear the rest of Lodbrok’s rant.

All he could hear was a dull ringing in his ears.

‘Father did something like this?’

Why?

Why would he do such a thing to the family’s Guardian Dragon?

The Kyle Ragnar Theo knew was a man filled with immense pride for the House of Ragnar.

He was someone who relentlessly strove for the highest position and had many descendants, bringing the family to its peak.

Though this process had caused conflicts and divisions within the family, he paid no mind to them.

Kyle’s gaze was always fixed on the highest places, leaving him no time to care about what happened below.

If Kyle had met the Guardian Dragon, he would have undoubtedly tried to secure her as a powerful asset for the family.

So why would he harm the Guardian Dragon?

What reason could there possibly be?

“Was my father also a chosen one?”

“That fool? Absolutely not.”

A fool?

What did that mean?

“You’re asking if your father harmed me to monopolize the relic, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You’re wrong. Your father couldn’t have been chosen for the relic in the first place. He didn’t have the talent.”

Talent.

That word struck Theo’s ears like a sharp spike.

It didn’t make sense.

His father, without talent?

“And yet, despite lacking all of that, he broke through every barrier and shattered every chain to become the head of the family—one of the few with such exceptional drive. The bastard who did this to me… well, his abilities and determination are certainly worthy of respect.”

“…”

“So, as a human, you should be proud of your father. He’s… yes, a human in body, but not quite a human. And yet, he is the most human-like of all, a monstrous being who gazes toward the realm of gods.”

A body unfit to be chosen by the relic.

Lacking talent.

And yet, he became the head of the family.

A man who defeated the Guardian Dragon and now even gazes toward the realm of the gods.

A monster wearing a human mask.

‘Father once told me he defeated my grandfather, the previous head of the family, and took his place. Could this be related to that?’

At that moment, Theo suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of just how colossal his father truly was.

“I’ll ask you again. Even knowing all this, do you still intend to take me with you?”

Lodbrok interrupted Theo’s thoughts.

She lowered her shawl, covering her left chest, and locked eyes with Theo.

Theo swallowed dryly as he met her gaze.

A being with only a few years left to live.

At most, she had two, maybe three years. Even if he were to take her, how much help could she truly offer?

No—there was also the possibility that Kyle might discover her, putting Theo’s own life in danger.

The Kyle. Theo knew would never leave any potential threat to him alive.

Lodbrok’s question encompassed all of this.

Could Theo handle the consequences of taking her?

That’s what she was really asking— urging him to forget such a foolish idea, pick some suitable treasure, and leave.

“If you want, I can even recommend a treasure that would be most useful to you right now.”

She had said it, giving the answer that Theo had originally expected.

He couldn’t mistake it for anything other than her final gesture of kindness.

Many thoughts flashed through Theo’s mind.

“I—”

Just as he was about to make his final decision and speak,

Boom!

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the cave as if hit by a powerful impact.

Rumble…!

Both Theo and Lodbrok instinctively turned their gazes toward the entrance.