Chapter 52 : Divine Bonds and Hidden Powers

The Count soon regained his composure and looked at his daughter again.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a fleeting dream or anything like that. Aria was still smiling brightly and looking at her father.

Arnus Count stroked his daughter’s hair for the last time before getting up.

He wanted to be with his daughter for hours right away, but he had a lot of work left. He needed to clean up the situation outside.

“Aria, I’m sorry, but Daddy has to go out.”

But Aria wouldn’t let him.

“Aria?”

“You don’t have to go now.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

But Aria didn’t answer the Count’s question and turned around. She slowly lifted the blanket that was bulging.

And there, a figure the Count had momentarily forgotten was curled up and dozing.

“Lady Miko…?”

“Rachel.”

Aria gently shook Rachel’s body to wake her up.

“Ugh…”

Rachel struggled with Aria’s call but managed to get up with her help. Her still-closed eyes and gaping mouth showed how exhausted she was.

The Count was puzzled to see Rachel, who looked like she might fall asleep at any moment.

‘She’s too tired, isn’t she?’

“It’s because she healed my body.”

The Count was momentarily at a loss for words. Rachel, that is, the Dragon God’s Miko, healed Aria?

It was an unbelievable story.

‘Did she not destroy that stone to cure the petrification?’

But Aria’s next words made the Count dismiss his doubts.

“It’s true that Daddy helped me get better. But before that, Rachel saved me. Even while sharing the energy of the god.”

“…What?”

Received the energy of God. For a moment, the Count couldn’t comprehend what that meant.

“To save me, and to lead me to my destiny, I’m trying hard.”

Aria was saying something, but the Count couldn’t react easily.

Suddenly, his gaze turned to Aria’s back.

“Ari, a. That’s…”

“Daddy. Please listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

Aria turned around without waking Rachel and looked back at the Count.

Somehow, Aria’s tone felt different. It sounded more mature than a child’s words.

His gaze shifted to something shining silver near Aria’s back.

“About me, Rachel, and the god.”

Soon, a silver ore that bloomed in the shape of a wing began to glow slowly.

A plain girl from an unremarkable village received the power of God.

But the girl was unaware of that power, and so was the god.

Then, one day, the girl met a sick girl. The girl who had received the power of God, as if connected by fate, shared some of the divine power she had with the sick girl.

And, the sick girl learned about her destiny.

“It is my destiny to protect and care for the god and Rachel.”

The Count didn’t say anything until then. No, he couldn’t.

He was absorbed in the distant story his daughter was calmly presenting.

“These wings are the trace of that. It is a record that I was sick and proof that I received God’s help.”

Wings. Aria said so. That meant the wing that caught the Count’s eye was not an illusion.

But the wings didn’t matter now.

Divine power or whatever, if his daughter was fine, everything was fine.

“Destiny…”

What Arnus Count considered most important was Aria’s own destiny.

It was a transcendental and mythical story, too much for a single human, and a young girl, to accept.

“Daddy.”

Aria’s eyes met Arnus Count’s. Her eyes were so clear that it was hard to believe she was just a 7-year-old child.

“Maybe even if I didn’t tell Daddy, I would have ended up as destined.”

Because that is fate. It is almost impossible for beings living a mortal life to escape the great axis of fate.

Even if the Count tried to stop it, Aria would eventually be destined to serve God.

“But the reason I told you before is, I wanted to let you know that this is what I want to do myself.”

The Count accepted her destiny seriously.

Because he thought that his beloved daughter would live a life she didn’t want and feel unhappy.

Even if the Dragon God saved his daughter, he was against letting her live the life of a priest she didn’t want.

But Aria emphasized her choice, as if to soothe her father’s worries.

“I love Daddy. So I hope you will look favorably on me helping Rachel and the god.”

Arnus Count couldn’t disagree after seeing his daughter. There was no need to—he simply hugged Aria.

7 years old. It might be too early for her to accept her destiny, but even so, the Count decided to support and guide her future.

“Aria. I’m always on your side. If you want, anytime… I’ll help you.”

Of course, he didn’t intend to just stand by.

‘I’ll do whatever it takes to help. If you try to get out of that path… I’ll definitely do that.’

So the Count renewed his determination for the future, following his daughter.

“The god is coming.”

“…The Dragon God?”

“Yes. Rachel.”

When the silver wings disappeared, Aria returned to her innocent, child-like appearance.

After talking with the Count, she suddenly said that and started waking Rachel up again.

“Awooong…”

But unlike before, Rachel struggled, trying to get up somehow.

And Aria was pulling her out of bed as if she knew that.

“…I’ll help you.”

The Count, who was watching the two struggling, eventually held Rachel.

“Let’s go out!!”

Then, following Aria, who took the lead, they passed through the hallway and went outside the mansion.

The cool morning breeze greeted them.

And familiar faces appeared in front of them.

“Count!”

“Failer, Jonan. You were all safe.”

The knights and Jonan, who had calmed down the chaos in the city to some extent, had entered.

“…Rachel?!”

“Don’t worry. She’s just sleepy.”

Jonan was startled to see Rachel in the Count’s arms for a moment, but he was able to calm down thanks to the Count’s words.

Jonan rubbed Rachel’s eyes and carried her in his arms. Failer approached the Count and reported the situation outside.

“First of all, the outside has been cleaned up to some extent. However, I think it will calm down faster if the Count comes out in person.”

“Is that so? But I can’t go out now.”

“…?”

Failer’s doubts were short-lived, and suddenly, the wind stopped blowing.

At the same time, Rachel, who was in Jonan’s arms, and Aria, who was holding the Count’s hand, simultaneously moved their gazes somewhere.

The north of the barony. It was where the two girls’ gazes touched.

Soon, those in front of the mansion could understand why the children turned their heads.

‘God is coming—that’s what it meant.’

The Count, who thought there would be some hidden meaning, dismissed the unnecessary speculation when he saw the Dragon God descending from the sky.

It literally meant that God was coming to them.

“Dragon…!”

“It’s God, Daddy…!”

Rachel was struggling as if she wanted to touch the Dragon God, and Aria whispered in the Count’s ear.

‘Come to think of it, is this the first time Aria has seen the Dragon God?’

At least, the Count had not heard any reports that Aria had faced God as far as he knew.

So, Aria seemed to be nervous and expectant at the same time.

A huge body that seemed to fill the sky. Manes and whiskers fluttering in the wind, sturdy claws and teeth that seemed to pierce anything.

Blue scales covering the whole body.

The one in the sky was the Dragon God.

“Kyaaaaak!”

“Wh-what is that?!”

Those who saw the Dragon God for the first time screamed in fear. The investigation team and the Count had seen it a few hours ago, but it was their first time to officially face it, so they were very nervous and straightened their posture.

The most relaxed attitudes here were Jonan, Aria, and Rachel.

And among them, the one who acted without hesitation was none other than Rachel.

“Dragon…!”

Rachel, who escaped Jonan’s arms, waved her hands and approached the Dragon God. Then the wind wrapped around Rachel and lifted her into the sky.

[You said you healed Aria. Well done.]

‘This is the voice of God!’

A profound voice that directly pierced the head. It was a voice worthy of being called the voice of God.

“Hehe.”

Rachel seemed to enjoy riding the wind and laughed.

And there was a girl watching that scene.

“…”

Aria was holding the hem of her dress tightly with a stiff expression.

And Arnus Count immediately understood the meaning of his daughter’s actions.

‘Do you want it!’

He had to help with anything. That was the mindset of a parent. Arnus Count took a step forward, trying to calm his trembling heart.

“Dragon God.”

Then the god slowly turned his head. Blue eyes poured out from his body.

[Are you the Count of the Craystist family?]

“That’s right. I am Arnus Craystist. And here, this child is my daughter, Aria Craystist.”

“Ah, Aria is…!”

Aria bowed her head awkwardly. Then, the Dragon God moved the wind as Aria wanted, and she was also lifted into the air.

And soon, she flew up to the sky where the other people’s gazes could not reach.

The Count and Jonan couldn’t stop it and could only watch.

When they came up to the sky, Aria looked down as if it was a little scary.

[Don’t be afraid. You won’t fall. Besides, you have work to do.]

“If it’s work…?”

[It is to awaken and use the power within you. I need to examine all of that power.]

Then, two objects appeared in front of Rachel and Aria.

A withered flower and a red magic stone.

“Bu-but I don’t know how to use it.”

“Strength?”

Aria shook her head, saying she couldn’t, and Rachel tilted her head.

But the Dragon God reassured Aria, saying it was okay.

[Don’t worry. You are connected to me, like Rachel. So you will know the method dimly. Think about it carefully.]

And the Dragon God shifted his gaze from Aria to Rachel. In the meantime, Aria was chewing on the words of the Dragon God.

She knows. But she doesn’t know.

Suddenly, Aria’s wings came to mind. Small wings made of silver stone.

Isn’t that the answer?

Thinking so, bright light poured out from Aria’s back.

The head of the Dragon God, who was persuading Rachel, naturally turned toward Aria.

Aria, oblivious to the fact that God was concentrating on her, touched the flower and the magic stone in front of her.

Then, there was no reaction from the flower, but a change occurred in the magic stone.

Like hot steam, the red energy that wrapped around the magic stone fluctuated and scattered into the air.

And where Aria’s hand touched, there was not a red magic stone, but a gray ordinary stone.

When Aria was dazed by that, the Dragon God’s low voice was heard.

[Aria, you have the power of purification.]