Chapter 6: The Gold Dragons and the Shadow of Dread

“What is this?”

Lulona gazed at the glittering golden object before her, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Her inquisitive expression was utterly adorable, and I couldn’t help but gently pat her little head.

“This is a Gold Dragon, child. It’s the most valuable thing in the world.”

“Oh…”

She picked up one of the coins, weighing it in her palm, seeming to find it somewhat interesting.

“How many loaves of bread can one of these buy?”

“Many…” I estimated roughly. “Perhaps several hundred.”

“Then you must guard it carefully!”

Lulona anxiously stuffed the Gold Dragon into my pocket, her gaze scanning the surroundings with alert suspicion, as if fearing someone might covet the shining object.

“Heh heh…”

I gathered the Gold Dragons into a cloth pouch and then handed it to her.

“Eh?” She looked a little bewildered. “Wait, these are too valuable…”

I shook my head, solemnly telling her, “I have no use for these things anymore. Just keep them. You can spend them however you wish.”

“But…”

“If you truly don’t want to spend them, then simply keep them safe for me.”

“…All right!”

Only then did she nod, carefully tucking the Gold Dragons into her clothes pocket, her small hand pressed tightly against it, afraid of losing them by accident.

Then, she looked at me with a somewhat strange expression and asked, “Why are you suddenly giving me so much money?”

I had already anticipated that she would ask this question.

“I need to leave for a while.”

“Leave?” Her pupils flickered noticeably. “Why? For how long?”

I couldn’t tell her the real reason, only vaguely explaining that it was to help the Lord with some matters.

As for the time…

“Don’t worry, Papa will be back very soon.”

I forced a reassuring smile onto my face for her.

Lulona was still just a child, after all; she didn’t fully understand adult words and easily believed me, only asking that I return quickly.

Watching her worried expression, I couldn’t help but recall my other daughter from long ago.

‘How was she doing in that world? Was she still worried about me?’

‘Perhaps she was doing very well, perhaps she had already forgotten about me, her irresponsible father.’

My emotions were a complex blend, but I knew I absolutely couldn’t show it in front of this child.

This was the strength of a father.

The very night I bid Lulona farewell, I boarded Lord Axas’s carriage.

It was my first time inside his carriage, and the interior decor was incredibly lavish.

Solid wood seats were covered in soft velvet, embroidered with the Viper family’s crest. Green silk curtains hung around the carriage, providing excellent privacy, their edges meticulously embroidered with serpent patterns in gold thread, proclaiming the Viper family’s nobility and inviolability.

The noble and imposing figure now sat idly in the main seat of the carriage. Noticing my presence, he slightly raised his eyes, then slowly picked up the scepter in his right hand and pointed to a seat a little further away.

I sat down, feeling somewhat apprehensive, my hands clasped together, my head bowed, my mind filled with conjectures about this journey.

Lord Axas had not explained much to me, and perhaps I wasn’t meant to know too much.

I only knew that I had to be here tonight, accompanying him to some unknown destination.

‘Where exactly were we going? What were we going to do?’

I had no idea.

“*Pa—”

The sound of the coachman urging the horses reached us from outside the carriage, and this opulent carriage finally began to move across the land.

I didn’t dare pull back the curtain to look outside, merely estimating the time in my heart to gauge the distance.

After about an hour, the bumpy journey finally ended, and the carriage came to a halt.

“My Lord, we have arrived.”

The coachman outside proactively opened the carriage door, bowing slightly to indicate.

I couldn’t see the coachman’s face, as they wore a cold, black metal mask.

However, judging by their sturdy physique, I surmised this individual might actually be one of Lord Axas’s knights. Moreover, being involved in today’s mission, they must undoubtedly be one of the Lord’s trusted confidants.

“Mm.”

Lord Axas disembarked first, walking ahead with his hands clasped behind his back. The orange glow of a torch elongated his shadow, making it stretch like a serpent.

I hastened to follow, periodically glancing around, only to discover this was a place I had never visited before.

It was dark and cold, surrounded by many plants I couldn’t name, making me feel as if we were deep within some primeval forest.

The chilly night wind swirled around me like ghosts, and I once again felt the fear I had experienced when I first arrived in this world.

Looking back, the path behind us had already been swallowed by inky darkness, and unknown dangers seemed to lurk within it.

‘What in the world is this damn place…’

I cursed inwardly, then looked at the figure ahead.

Lord Axas walked without pause, seemingly very familiar with this place, moving freely with only a single torch.

Before long, we stopped in front of a wooden cabin.

I looked closely, observing that it was a rather ancient-looking wooden house.

The cabin was hidden between a dead tree and moss-covered stones, its appearance rustic and weathered, exuding an air of mystery.

As we drew closer, I could even make out the nearly rotten surface of the wooden walls and the dirty, mottled moss.

Dark vines intricately climbed and parasitized the wooden house, weaving over its decaying surface and the moss.

‘There was an evil beauty to it…’

Such a thought surfaced in my mind.

Just then, the wooden cabin’s door slowly creaked open, emitting a low groaning sound.

This sound was so distinct in the silent forest, like the moan of a dead person.

A figure emerged from the darkness, gradually approaching us.

The figure was slender and tall, draped in a deep purple robe, its hem sweeping softly across the ground with a subtle rustling sound.

As they drew nearer, I even noticed that the robe was adorned with countless shimmering silver star patterns.

‘This is definitely not an ordinary person,’ I concluded.

When the figure was about ten paces away from us, they suddenly stopped.

They had been halted by Lord Axas’s sword.

“You can stand right there.”

For the first time, I saw such a grave expression on Lord Axas’s face.

“Take one more step closer to me, and this sword will cleave your head from your shoulders!”

He was like a serpent sensing danger, baring its sharp fangs.

But… danger?

‘Where was the danger?’

I couldn’t help but look at the distant figure. With the faint light of the torch, I could just barely discern a pair of deep, lake-like eyes, radiating a faint blue glow in the cold night.

“Heh heh heh… after all this time, are you still so afraid of me?”

The beautiful, low murmur of a nightingale’s voice came from all directions.

“Why, does a being like me inspire such dread in you?”

The figure spread their arms wide, utterly defenseless. Even though I couldn’t see their face, I could sense they were laughing, laughing with arrogant abandon.

‘What in the world is that thing!?’

Lord Axas took a deep breath, his voice cold. “Enough with the nonsense. I’m here to make a trade with you.”

“A trade? How rare! Wasn’t the last trade a decade ago? So, what do you want this time?”

Lord Axas stated his demands to the figure, who then burst into hearty laughter upon hearing them.

“Interesting! Very well, I accept. This time, I only require the organs of ten virgins!”

“No problem. I will return here in one month.”

Lord Axas seemed unwilling to linger here for another moment. After saying these words, he actually turned back immediately.

I stood frozen in place, utterly at a loss, watching the figure in the distance gradually approach me.

“Uh…”

For some unknown reason, I suddenly felt a sense of danger too, as if some man-eating monster was closing in. I wanted to retreat, but my body inexplicably stiffened, leaving me only able to watch those eerie blue eyes draw nearer, and nearer, until…

They were right before me!

“Heh heh… so, you’re the one who wants to become a woman?”

At that moment, as the clouds parted, the hazy moonlight finally allowed me to see their face clearly.

In an instant, a fear that pierced through the heavens made me unleash the loudest shriek of my life!

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