The golden eyes shone with an otherworldly brilliance. They radiated such a divine aura that they seemed more suited to the dark night sky than a human face.
Mikhail found himself unable to speak as he gazed into Luce’s eyes. At that dramatic moment, Luce had reclaimed the power of the dragon and was smiling broadly, his lips drawn wide. As the noble energy coursed through his entire body, he felt as if all life in the world lay beneath his feet.
Power surged in his palm, and the mana cloaking his body rippled and pulsed. Responding to it, his golden-blond hair undulated and curled in waves. Overcome with a profound sense of fulfillment swelling in his chest, Luce tilted his head back and laughed.
“Yeah… this is what it felt like.”
As much as he wanted to revel in his restored strength, there was something he had to do first.
Luce walked briskly toward the spot where the assailants lay collapsed, as if he couldn’t even feel Mikhail’s gaze. With a nonchalant expression, he reached down and smoothly drew Fellen Deeps’ sword from where it was strapped to one of the fallen men’s belts. The man’s belt rose slightly with the motion, but Luce flicked his wrist and effortlessly undid the buckle.
Fortunately, Fellen Deeps’ sword was intact—no cracks, no breaks. Luce glanced over the blade once, then turned his eyes to Mikhail, who was still staring at him. Tilting his head slightly, he offered the sheathed sword toward him.
“Well? What are you waiting for? Come get your sword.”
Only then did Mikhail’s eyes regain focus, snapping back to awareness.
“…Yes.”
He had to step over the unconscious attackers sprawled across the floor. Calmly, Mikhail passed by them and walked to where Luce stood. As he took the sword Luce was holding out, the familiar weight settled heavily into his hands. Silently, he looked down at the weapon he’d never thought he’d see again—Fellen Deeps’ sword—and ran his palm along the sheath. The finely carved patterns etched into it met his touch. Now that he thought about it, the sword’s previous owner, Fellen Deeps, had also been a warrior of considerable renown across the continent.
Luce watched him with a satisfied expression.
Yes. Turning Mikhail into a hero—at least that much, he could do. You should’ve just said so from the start. He silently blamed Ordinas for no good reason. Still observing Mikhail, who was lost in thought over the sword, Luce asked:
“How’s the sword?”
Mikhail raised his head at Luce’s question.
“…”
He opened his mouth to answer, but froze the moment their eyes met, lips pressing into a tight line.
Luce’s presence felt different. Of course, this must be his true self—but the contrast with how he’d been until now was so stark that it was jarring. Mikhail shifted his gaze slightly aside before responding.
“…It seems fine.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Yeah. That’s… good.”
Mikhail murmured in a strange tone. Once he secured the sword to his belt, a sense of stability returned to him with the familiar weight at his side.
“Then, shall we head back? Looks like those bastards moved around more than I expected. We’ve still got some distance to Hildeke.”
At Luce’s suggestion, Mikhail’s eyes sharpened. Whether he noticed or not, Luce continued, his face casual, as if laying out a list of options for Mikhail to choose from.
“Hmm, you said you hate teleportation magic, right? It’s not that far anyway, so flying could work.”
“…”
“Or, well, we could just walk back slowly—”
As he continued, Luce caught sight of Mikhail’s expression and abruptly stopped. He stared at Mikhail’s face, now rigid as though he were angry, and tilted his head.
“None of those work for you?”
The dragon’s eyes, shining as brightly as the noonday sun, narrowed ever so slightly. It wasn’t a smile born from joy—rather, the sheer perfection of his appearance in that moment was almost chilling.
Mikhail glanced down at the floor briefly, then suddenly raised his head with newfound resolve. Staring directly into Luce’s eyes, he spoke.
“Is it because of Ordinas?”
His voice, in contrast to his previous hesitation, rang out clearly and firmly. Luce’s smile vanished at once.
“What?”
Here I am offering all kinds of help…
Luce frowned, clearly displeased by the question. But Mikhail—boldly, almost arrogantly—refused to back down as he continued.
“I was asking if you’ve decided to follow the fate that’s been laid out for you.”
His crimson eyes burned, as if trying to pierce through and uncover Luce’s true intentions.
“You regained your power, so I figured that must be the case.”
“Hmm.”
Luce tilted his head, considering it briefly.
It wasn’t the kind of question that demanded an honest answer. Questioning someone’s intent to help was an incredibly arrogant thing to do. Especially when the other party knew full well he was a dragon. Under normal circumstances, he would have killed someone for far less.
But this wasn’t a normal situation. If he was going to stick around and watch this brat become a Hero, there was no reason to sour the relationship unnecessarily.
“Yeah. I’ve decided to do what Ordinas wants.”
“…I see.”
But even with Luce’s candid reply, Mikhail’s expression remained lukewarm. In fact, it almost looked like he didn’t like that it was because of Ordinas.
Why? Luce asked again, incredulous.
“Isn’t that good for you?”
A dragon offering his protection—why the hell was he acting so indifferent about it? Luce had never once met a human who didn’t welcome a dragon’s help.
“…”
But even Mikhail couldn’t quite say why he didn’t like it. If Luce stayed by his side, he’d no doubt be an incredibly powerful ally. But if this wasn’t something the dragon genuinely wanted, and he was just going along with some predetermined fate dictated by Ordinas…
Mikhail bit down on the inside of his cheek.
“I’m sorry. It was a pointless question.”
“How dull.”
Luce shrugged lightly.
“…The teleportation magic.”
Mikhail spoke again, voice low. When they first summoned the dragon at the capital, he’d rejected the offer flat-out, not trusting Luce in the slightest. He hadn’t expected the dragon to remember such a trivial detail—especially since he didn’t seem like the type to care about personal preferences.
But now, there was no reason to refuse.
Mikhail slowly shook his head side to side and made his choice.
“Teleportation magic is fine.”
“Yeah? Good.”
Luce flashed a toothy grin at Mikhail’s response.
Faster and more precise than anything in this world—such things were mere child’s play for a dragon. His golden eyes lit up in response, glowing brilliantly. A warm breeze, summoned by the surge of mana, began to swirl around their bodies. Their hair lifted gently into the air, defying gravity as if nature itself bowed to them.
“I’ll have us there in the blink of an eye.”
With those words, their figures vanished in an instant—pop.
***
“Your Highness!”
As soon as they arrived via magic at the middle of Mount Hildeke, one of the knights called out as if he’d been waiting for them. He’d apparently spent all day at the base of the mountain, and by the time they’d climbed to the top, the two had vanished—leaving behind only traces of a sleep spell. The knights had immediately begun a search, splitting into groups—one tracking Luce and Mikhail through the mountains, the other following the traces of magic. Now, the knight who had remained behind finally relaxed, his face softening as he sent a message to the others.
“Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Let everyone know they don’t have to worry.”
A lot had happened, but in the end, everything was fine.
What’s that…?
Mikhail’s eyes were fixed on a cargo wagon parked behind the carriage they had taken to get to Hildeke. One of the escort knights gestured toward it.
“Ah, Your Highness—that’s the shipment from Basamiel—”
Just as the knight began to explain, Mikhail gave a slight shake of his head, cutting him off. He already seemed to know what the shipment was.
“Yeah. Hold on a moment.”
“Yes. In any case, I recommend you get plenty of rest tonight.”
Mikhail acknowledged the suggestion with a nod and stood in silence for a moment, imagining what lay within the cargo wagon. As far as he knew, there was only one thing he had requested from Basamiel.
This was where it had all begun.
He suspected that Ordinas had used what was in that wagon to communicate his will to the humans. The All-Seeing Eye that silently watched over the past, future, and destiny of everyone who entered Basamiel Academy. Mikhail clenched his fist tightly in anticipation.
Which meant… he had to check what was inside. As Mikhail took a step toward the cargo wagon, his stride was stopped by Luce’s voice.
“So? When do you want me to bring it to you?”
“…Bring what?”
Luce tilted his head at the question, looking genuinely confused.
Wasn’t that what we were after this whole time? Shrugging casually, Luce reminded Mikhail of the thing he seemed to have completely forgotten about.
“Adrian Heather’s corpse.”
Now that he had his power back, all that was left was to dig up the mandrake from the lair. Then Mikhail’s convoluted wish would finally come to an end.
Ah…
Mikhail’s expression instantly turned cold. His lips twisted slowly, and a bitter scoff escaped—sharp and utterly incredulous.
Ik the manhwa retconned a lot but whoa I just didn’t expect him to get his power this early either
Or at all like in the manhwa