Chapter 40 : The Dragon God’s Messenger

The place they headed, following the Count, was a room located in a corner on the second floor.

It was a space that seemed lonely enough to be considered isolated, but now it was almost crowded with the people from the Count’s residence.

“The Count has arrived!”

At the sound of someone’s voice, several people blocking the door quickly moved to either side, creating a space to pass through.

The Count, Failer, and Jonan passed through and entered the room.

Inside were Lady Aria, the young daughter of the Count, and the elderly maid, Mirey. Mirey was grooming Aria’s hair, shedding tears as she did so.

“Young lady, I’m so glad…” Mirey murmured.

“Thank you, Miss Mirey!” Aria said with an innocent smile, her eyes curving like a crescent moon. Even her white hair swayed gently with the rhythm of her heartbeat.

The Count, seeing his daughter moving again, unknowingly sat down on the floor. It was a sight he hadn’t witnessed in two years. At the same time, it was a sight he had so desperately longed for.

“Aria…” the Count softly called.

When Aria noticed his presence, she ran to him, her smile blooming even brighter.

Arnus Count opened his arms and received his small daughter.

“Daddy!!”

“Aria… Aria…!” The Count repeated, his voice trembling. “Weren’t you in pain? You’ve suffered so much.”

Many words floated in the Count’s mind, but none came out. He could only repeat his daughter’s name, which he had said so many times before.

Aria understood her father’s feelings well, so she didn’t say anything else. She simply embraced him, comforting him in return.

It was a beautiful sight—the father and daughter reunited. Not only Failer, but even the servants of the Count’s residence, who were watching from outside, wiped away their tears.

Jonan, too, felt an ache in his chest as he watched the touching scene.

It was a feeling he had experienced when he almost lost Rachel.

Suddenly, his thoughts turned to his own daughter, who was waiting at the inn. He remembered Mirey’s words and thought that he would spend a few days playing with Rachel, letting her enjoy herself before everything was over.

Without thinking, Jonan muttered his daughter’s name as his gaze shifted to the bed where Aria had been resting.

“Rachel… Rachel?”

Then, something caught his attention—a small foot protruding from under the curtain that covered the window.

The shoes worn on that foot and the hem of the skirt that peeked out were incredibly familiar to Jonan.

‘No way…’

It was an absurd thought, but Jonan couldn’t help but entertain it.

There was no way Rachel, who was supposed to be at the inn, could be here. It was impossible for a child to make it this far on her own, not without the guards noticing.

“It must be a child brought by one of the servants from the Count’s residence… Wait, Rachel?!”

“…Ababa?”

As he slowly opened the curtain, a girl slowly revealed herself.

It was Rachel. There was no mistaking it.

Rachel glanced at her father, who had found her, and slowly averted her gaze. Jonan called out her name, and the people in the room, still caught up in the emotional reunion, turned to notice the second father-daughter moment unfolding.

“Who is that child?”

“Tha—that is…” Jonan’s heart sank as the Count spoke. Rachel had committed a crime, and that was an undeniable fact.

No matter how smart and sweet his daughter was, Jonan had always disciplined Rachel when she did something wrong.

But the problem was that Rachel’s misstep was tied to the Craystist family.

‘A felony…’

No matter how young Rachel was, only five years old, she couldn’t escape the consequences of her actions.

That’s why Jonan couldn’t bring himself to answer.

Then, salvation came from an unexpected source.

“Ah! That child is a star!” Aria exclaimed.

“Aria?” the Count asked, bewildered.

“A star?”

“Young lady? What do you mean by that?”

Everyone in the room looked confused. But Aria, having regained her composure, answered clearly.

“That child woke me up!”

“What!” the Count gasped.

“Is that true?!” Mirey and the others echoed, astonished.

Aria had suffered from petrification. She was in a state where, once someone inhaled or touched the magic stone dust, they would lead normal lives for a few weeks before eventually collapsing into unconsciousness. The magic stone’s bloom destroyed the body, making it impossible to regain consciousness without a cure.

For Aria to be awake meant something miraculous had happened. And the little girl standing before them—the one they had just recognized as Rachel—had done it.

“Rachel?”

“…Hic.” Rachel hiccupped, and the adults, including her own father, stared at her in disbelief. She had done something no one else could, healing the disease that had plagued Aria.

Jonan, like everyone else, was confused. How could Rachel, a mere child, have done such a thing?

But the fact was undeniable: Aria, the patient, pointed to Rachel and said that she had healed her.

Jonan decided to use this as leverage, a breakthrough.

“…Count.”

“Jonan, I’m sorry, but I have to ask about this child’s identity first…” the Count said, his voice full of wonder.

“This child is my daughter,” Jonan said, looking at Rachel, who was hiding behind the curtain.

“…Daughter? But she seems to be avoiding you.”

Rachel hid behind the curtain, her hands pressed to her mouth, afraid of being scolded. Jonan, shocked by how she was avoiding him, froze, unable to reach out to her.

“Rachel.”

“…”

“Daughter? Daddy won’t scold you. I won’t tell Mommy either.”

The curtain moved slightly. Jonan took it as an opportunity to coax Rachel even more.

“I’ll buy you something delicious. Remember the candy you begged for yesterday? They sell it in the market.”

“…Candy?”

“Yes, candy. I’ll buy you as much as you want! So don’t worry and come to Daddy.”

Everyone was silent as they watched Jonan, trying to coax his daughter like a pet hiding in the corner.

“It seems like you’re just luring her with food…” Failer whispered.

“Shh.”

After a moment, the curtain fluttered, and Rachel finally reappeared. Jonan scooped her up in his arms.

He then looked at Arnus Count, who was observing him, and made a serious expression.

“Count, I will introduce you. This is my daughter, Rachel. And…”

Jonan paused for a breath before continuing.

“She is the Miko cherished by the Dragon God.”

It was all part of the plan. Jonan needed to present himself and his daughter in the right light, to cover up Rachel’s crime and ensure the revival of the Cheongnyongsingyo. His acting had to convince everyone in the room.

And the Count took the bait beautifully.

“…Ah.” The Count knelt before Rachel, his eyes filled with wonder. “Lady Rachel!”

“…Hieek!” Rachel squeaked, startled.

“Co, Count. Lady Miko is surprised,” Failer said, trying to calm the situation.

The Count’s excitement was quickly suppressed, and the servants were dismissed. Only Mirey, Failer, the Count and his daughter, and Jonan and his daughter remained in the room.

“Rachel’s grown a lot. The last time I saw her, she was three years old…?” the Count said.

“It was two years ago, so that’s right. Rachel, this is Grandma Mirey. She’s like a grandmother to Daddy too.”

“Helloooo…” Mirey greeted.

“You’re polite too. Oh dear, should I call you Lady Miko?”

“Jonan, this child was the daughter you hid so much,” Failer joked.

“Sir Failer, I didn’t intentionally hide her…” Jonan replied, a little defensive.

“It’s a joke. Seeing how cute the child is, she must take after your wife.”

“…”

They exchanged pleasantries, while the Count continued a long conversation with Aria, mostly about her recovery.

“I really don’t have any pain.”

“That’s good. It’s a relief…”

But then, Rachel interrupted the touching father-daughter moment.

“Um…”

“Huh? Rachel?”

“Lady Miko? What’s wrong?”

“That…” Rachel hesitated, looking nervous, but soon her expression firmed as if she had made up her mind.

“Sister Aria is still sick.”

“…What?”

“Me? I’m not sick…?”

Everyone in the room questioned Rachel’s words, understandably so. Aria appeared perfectly fine, her magic stone fragments having disappeared completely.

But because Rachel was the one who had healed her, the Count listened.

“Aria is still sick? What do you mean?”

“That… so… the disease is still there. I keep getting bad feelings from here.” Rachel pointed to her chest.

“It keeps trying to make me feel bad…”

“Does that mean the cause of the petrification hasn’t been fully removed?” the Count asked.

“It probably will be, Count,” Jonan intervened, seeing his daughter struggling with the conversation. She was too young for such weighty matters, and she had already done so much.

The Count didn’t blame Rachel for her incomplete cure. He was just grateful that his daughter was awake again.

“And besides,” the Count continued, “you, Jonan, and Lady Miko have saved my daughter’s life. The Dragon God has saved our family. There is no reason not to listen to the simple words of waiting.”

“Thank you,” Jonan said.

“Instead, can you stay at our mansion? I will definitely treat you well.”

“I don’t mind, but I don’t know if Rachel wants to.”

Jonan couldn’t quite understand Rachel’s preferences, so it was up to her to decide.

“Hmm…”

“Rachel!”

“…Sister?”

“If you stay here, you can play with me. And you can eat a lot of candy…”

“I’ll stay!” Rachel declared.

Jonan nodded quietly, relieved. It seemed Rachel had made her decision, albeit for candy.

So, from that day on, Jonan and Rachel stayed at the Count’s residence.

Rachel enjoyed her time like a noble, playing with Aria and living a life of luxury. But Jonan didn’t share her joy.

“Again, get up,” Failer instructed.

“…Ugh. I understand.”

Jonan was training in swordsmanship under Failer’s guidance, hoping to become a knight worthy of his title.

“If you wield that sword carelessly, the Dragon God will be angry too.”

“…I’m going!”

Jonan trained tirelessly every day, honing his skills to prove himself worthy of being the first knight of the Cheongnyongsingyo.

A week after settling at the Count’s residence, Jonan was awoken in the middle of the night.

“Who… Ah.”

“Good morning, Sir Jonan. I’m sorry to wake you up.”

It was one of the maids, the one who had been caring for both Aria and Rachel.

She spoke quietly.

“Lady Rachel asked for you, Sir Jonan. She said the Dragon is looking for you.”

“…I understand.”

At her words, Jonan’s eyes lit up. He immediately grabbed his sword, Haeilgum, and rushed out of the mansion. The scent of the sea, a familiar smell, led him to a specific destination.

The Dragon God was calling the knight.