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In it, Ayla moved forward silently with a nervous expression.
The road to the ruins was very long and rough, but thanks to Duke Argenta and the Kistar Knights accompanying her, the journey was relatively smooth.
Ayla couldn't hide her surprise at the fact that a Red Dragon was staying in the Forest of Darkness.
"How has the existence of the Red Dragon not been exposed until now?"
Duke Argenta chuckled briefly at her question.
"The Forest of Darkness is a habitat for countless Monsters. It is almost impossible for ordinary people to reach the deep inside."
"But even so..."
"I'll explain in detail as we go."
She didn't understand it well at the time, but now she had a sense of it.
The Forest of Darkness was more than just a habitat for Monsters.
As if all kinds of Monsters in the world were lurking here, attacks poured in from all directions.
Kyak!
Clang! Chaang!
Duke Argenta and the Kistar Knights quickly defeated the Monsters with expressionless faces.
In an instant, only the corpses of Monsters remained around them.
Ayla asked Duke Argenta with a fed-up face.
"Why did the Red Dragon choose the Forest of Darkness as its base?"
"Well, that guy doesn't like people very much. So I think he chose a remote place where human hands can't reach."
Ayla nodded as if she understood. Then, she suddenly recalled a passage from a book she had read recently.
'But according to ancient records, there was a time when Dragons lived with humans...'
She wondered why all the Dragons had disappeared now.
Even Piyo wasn't the type to hate humans. Rather, he followed Peony, who wasn't even his owner, quite well.
'It's hard to see it as just a difference in personality... It seems that the Dragons of the past did not reject humans.'
Ayla asked Duke Argenta with a serious expression.
"I heard he hates humans, but wouldn't he be upset if I suddenly visit him?"
"Don't worry too much. After all, only those who inherit the blood of the Argenta Duke can enter the ruins. Whether or not he meets you depends entirely on the Red Dragon's choice."
"Then..."
"Yes, if the Red Dragon doesn't want to meet you, he will probably refuse the meeting itself."
Ayla bit her lip slightly and nodded.
After a while, they arrived in front of the Dragon's ruins without any major problems.
As the knights carefully placed Piyo on the grass, the Duke turned to Felix and said.
"It would be better for you to go inside and call the Red Dragon. And..."
The Duke received something from the knight and handed it to Felix. It was a crimson cloak embroidered with the family crest.
"Take this with you."
Felix looked up at Duke Argenta with questioning eyes.
"Why the cloak...?"
Duke Argenta smiled briefly and said.
"You will know the reason when you meet the Red Dragon."
At those words, Felix didn't ask any further, nodded quietly, and stepped into the ruins.
Was it because he had been here once before?
The second visit was not as nerve-wracking as the first.
When Felix arrived at the underground cavity, he placed expensive jewels one by one on the altar, just like when he had visited this place a long time ago.
After a while, blue flames began to burn on the altar.
At the same time, the Dragon-shaped statue vibrated and caused a huge echo.
Kuooh-.
Cracks appeared on the surface of the statue and it began to split apart, and huge pieces fell off.
And from within, a Red Dragon with huge red wings and scales appeared.
It was an awe-inspiring sight no matter how many times he saw it.
The Dragon's closed eyes slowly opened, and sharp yellow eyes stared straight at Felix.
Felix met his gaze with a nervous face.
The Debens he knew was quite eccentric and selfish.
In other words, there was a high possibility that he would refuse to meet Ayla, or that persuasion itself would not work.
'How can I get that Dragon out?'
He had been worrying about it all the way here, but he couldn't find an answer.
First, Felix decided to pretend to be as polite as possible and opened his mouth.
"It's been a while, Debens."
However, the Dragon ignored his greeting and raised his head to gaze into the distance.
[I feel a familiar energy.]
Soon after, the Dragon's yellow eyes turned to Felix.
[It seems you want to ask me for advice?]
"Yes? Ah, yes. Actually..."
[Good. Lead me to where the Black Dragon is.]
Felix looked up at Debens with a start.
This was because Debens had mentioned the existence of the Black Dragon before he could even explain the situation.
'Does he already know what we came here for?'
But the surprises didn't end there.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a light began to emanate from the huge Dragon's body. The red scales gradually blurred and scattered into the air like smoke.
Crack. Crackle.
The sound of bones twisting and flesh shrinking echoed vividly. Felix held his breath at the bizarre sight.
The Dragon's horns gradually shortened and disappeared, and the huge Dragon's form quickly shrank.
A beautiful man with red hair and yellow eyes stood where the dazzling light had scattered.
It was a perfect human form.
'...Dragons can really turn into humans.'
Only then could Felix understand why Duke Argenta had given him the cloak.
He tried to avert his gaze from the young man's naked body and held out the red cloak he was holding.
"...Wear this."
Debens took the cloak and put it on his shoulders without a word.
Then, he followed Felix and moved his steps obediently.
Ayla looked at the entrance to the ruins with a worried heart.
Before long, two figures flickered at the entrance, and Felix and a strange man with red hair walked out of the ruins together.
'That person is... no, not a person. The Red Dragon?'
Even though she knew she would meet him soon, her body stiffened when she faced the Dragon in front of her.
Still, it was a relief. She felt relieved that the Dragon had not refused to meet her.
Soon, Ayla looked at the red-haired man with curious eyes.
Looking at him like this, he looked like a perfect human being to anyone. Except for the subtly felt alienation and intimidation.
'Will Piyo be like that someday?'
Ayla looked at Piyo, who was closing his eyes in the cocoon, with a fresh feeling.
She couldn't imagine that Piyo, who was still young, could turn into a human.
'Still, if he humanizes... he'll be quite cute.'
It was then that Ayla was continuing her pleasant imagination.
The red-haired man strode towards her.
"A woman blessed by the Gold Dragon."
Ayla was startled and raised her head at the thick voice that fell into her ear.
"Is she a daughter of the Blanche Noble house?"
"How did you know...?"
"The power of the Gold Dragon is felt so strongly, it would be strange not to know."
Debens' eyes shone meaningfully as he looked at Ayla.
"Hmm, amazing. Among the daughters of the Blanche Noble house I've seen so far, the energy of the blessing is felt the strongest."
"..."
Ayla couldn't say anything and only made a troubled expression.
It was Duke Argenta and the Kistar Knights who were surprised to hear the conversation between the two.
'Ayla is a daughter of the Blanche Noble house...?'
Clearly, she was known to be a fake who had been switched with the real daughter of the Blanche Noble house.
The Aristocratic society was in an uproar for a while because of that gossip.
But now, the Red Dragon himself has acknowledged that she is the real daughter of the Blanche Noble house.
Debens had a fickle side, but he had never lied.
'Then what the hell happened...? What is the identity of Rosia Blanche?'
A perfectly fine daughter of Blanche was falsely accused and kicked out.
The Duke stared at Ayla, who couldn't open her mouth easily, with a bewildered look.
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