#002

Cullen, or perhaps from now on he would be known as Cullen Larkan, lived a life as unremarkable and ordinary as any other. Cullen was born to a wise and kind mother and a gentle and affectionate father.

He had a younger sister, four years his junior, who, unlike his own reserved self, was as lovely and sweet as their father.

Having been born and raised in the mountains, he always took his sister with him wherever he went, cherishing her. This pleased his parents, and his sister was his only friend.

Up to this point, Cullen’s life could be considered rather fortunate, even beyond ordinary.

Mount Tesnia, where Cullen lived, was located in the northernmost part of the Larciel Empire, the highest and most rugged region on the continent. With half the year being winter, there were few beasts, and it was so barren that even Demonic Beasts did not venture there.

Beyond the mountain range lay barbarians whom the Empire had neglected to subdue, but the terrain was so treacherous and deep that they could not cross into the Empire.

That is, until Cullen’s thirteenth birthday.

“I mentioned the color of your eyes, didn’t I?”

Lasano turned his head at Cullen’s question, who had remained silent throughout their ride down the mountain. The knights, who had set up a campsite midway up the mountain, planned to spend a short night there before heading straight to the Imperial Palace with Cullen.

“That is correct, Lord Cullen.”

Lasano replied, his red eyes gleaming even in the darkness. Cullen fell silent for a moment.

His reason for readily following along, despite this sudden and absurd situation, was not due to excitement over unexpected fortune or dreams of the future.

He had business with Lasano. More precisely, he was interested in a fact that Lasano himself did not know.

“Why is that?”

Lasano spoke in response to Cullen’s formal address.

“I am your subject, so please speak to me comfortably.”

He did not wish to. He was comfortable with formality. Cullen replied indifferently.

“That is my prerogative.”

Lasano let out a low chuckle and opened his mouth.

“In this world, only the great beings born with the Larkan bloodline possess purple eyes. Those who can see royalty are extremely rare, usually unable to do so. Even among nobles, few have encountered them directly. It is a fact that ordinary nobles forget.”

Looking back, Cullen had never seen anyone with purple eyes. He knew his appearance drew attention and always kept his face hidden, so he had never gotten into trouble, but upon reflection, that was the case.

“How can you know that without observing every human in the world?”

“It is the same principle as all of us who have become Servants of the Goddess possessing silver hair and red eyes. The Larkan surname flows with the Goddess’s blessing, which is why my eyes and yours are of a similar hue.”

Cullen fell into thought. He briefly replayed the events of an hour ago. Even after witnessing the scene of over a dozen knights and the High Priest kneeling before him, Cullen had no intention of following. What changed his mind were the words Lasano spoke.

“Lord Cullen’s mother was Kashyella, affectionately known as Ella. She was His Majesty the Emperor’s esteemed younger sister and a beloved Princess.”

The name of his mother, which he had never heard for so long, moved Cullen. The past, which he had spent his life trying to trace, flooded his mind in an instant.

Cullen had lost his family on his thirteenth birthday. They were attacked when he took his sister to a village for the first time at her foolish request.

There was only one strange detail about the attack, which he had assumed was a barbarian invasion. It was that only his mother’s corpse was not intact.

No, to be precise, his father’s corpse would have been the most horrific.

His mother was found dead, her beautiful purple eyes gouged out. It was unknown if she was alive when her eyes were removed. The scene, which alone often drove Cullen to the brink of madness, had also been the driving force that kept him alive for 29 years.

The High Priest was speaking of his mother, whom he had never known. He needed to verify it. Cullen thought there was a high probability that the High Priest had mistaken him for someone else, but he decided to take the risk.

“Then why have you appeared now? Assuming I am a ‘Larkan,’ I don’t understand why you’ve only come to find me now.”

The outcome of a war is ultimately determined by the difference in information. Right now, he knew nothing. Lasano laughed at his sharp question. The man laughed often, to the point of seeming frivolous.

“A prophecy was delivered.”

“What prophecy?”

“It would be best if I explained in detail after you’ve rested from your journey.”

As Cullen continued to ask questions, Sir Gabi, who was leading the way, glanced back. Their eyes met, and he quickly lowered his head.

Cullen had already grown accustomed to such gazes. Ever since he heard from Lasano that he was a candidate for Emperor, all the knights who had knelt had been subtly observing him.

It was untrue to say they hadn’t noticed him noticing, but that was the situation.

“According to your words, I am the highest being present right now.”

Cullen said slowly, looking at the torches of the campsite that were gradually appearing. Sir Gabi’s gaze snapped back, feeling the unspoken tension in Cullen’s dry, monotone words. It seemed to be a conflict between ‘How dare you speak to Lord Lasano like that?’ and ‘This person is a Larkan.’

“Then, should it not be me who decides when to receive the answer to my questions?”

“Indeed, it is so.”

Lasano smiled as if he had heard a delightful story. He was a beauty with a face that looked younger than Cullen, but his speech was like that of an old man.

“However, Lord Cullen, there are many ears listening now.”

If one were to observe his evasive manner, he might be more fittingly described as a slippery eel.

The knights on guard were preparing to receive them. There were more of them than expected. It seemed they had made at least minimal preparations.

“Then I shall ask something else.”

“I will gladly answer.”

“What magic were you intending to use on me?”

At that, Lasano let out a thin, prolonged laugh, then whispered in a shy voice.

“It was nothing much, but it was magic that would burn my entire body alive.”

Cullen silently imagined himself burning to death on the spot. After a few seconds of silence, he looked at Lasano’s face and said softly.

“Are priests not meant to be merciful?”

Goddess Aksha is known as the goddess of justice. It is said that she saved the continent from its chaotic and barbaric beginnings, bestowing mercy upon suffering humans and rescuing them.

The detailed myths of Goddess Aksha are as shrouded in mystery as the temples where the High Priests reside, and many scholars strive to uncover their origins.

However, this High Priest did not seem merciful at all.

“The mercy of the Goddess and that of humans have different meanings.”

Cullen reined in his horse. Lasano slowly reined in his as well. The young knights, who had arrived ahead of them and were waiting, cautiously approached Cullen and Lasano. Cullen ignored the knight’s outstretched hand and spoke to Lasano.

“Even someone ignorant of royalty would likely deem that an act worthy of decapitation.”

Unlike Cullen, who ignored the knight waiting for him, Lasano elegantly reached out, took the knight’s hand, and dismounted. Standing on the ground, he looked up at Cullen and winked.

“That is a matter of interpretation.”

Lasano’s voice was calm.

“What is the reason?”

“If Lord Cullen were merely a commoner, there would have been no significant issue even if you had perished by my magic.”

Lasano met his gaze, then bowed slightly again, adding his final words politely.

“However, fortunately, those who carry the blood of Larkan are unaffected by any magic, so is it not a good thing for everyone?”

How merciful.

Cullen scoffed. Ignoring the knight who had nervously offered him a hand, Cullen leaped off his horse.

If Lasano’s words were true, he had just narrowly escaped death. Returning to his homeland had clearly made him complacent. He cursed his own foolishness.

Yet, no emotion showed on his face. To make an excuse, Lasano was the first magic-user he had ever seen.

After losing his family, Cullen was raised by Gale, a close friend of his father. He raised the boy who had been out of his mind for a year after seeing his mother’s corpse, and after Cullen regained his senses, he left Mount Tesnia and worked as a mercenary throughout the entire Larciel Empire.

His nearly sixteen years of wandering life provided him with much experience, yet Cullen had never seen a magic-user. Sorcerers were only employed by high-ranking nobles, and even then, he had no memory of hearing of anyone capable of doing what Lasano did.

But ultimately, it was an excuse. Cullen had foolishly risked his life just now.

He sharpened his resolve. If this was the case now, he would face many more unfamiliar situations at the Imperial Palace.

Even if magic did not affect him, he could not blindly believe Lasano’s words. His eyes, beneath his dark brows, quietly observed Lasano.

“Do all High Priests wield power like yours?”

Lasano, too, studied Cullen, who continued to ask questions instead of showing anger or displeasure. He shook his head.

“No. All magic comes with a price. There is only one being in this world who can wield the Goddess’s power without a price.”

Cullen seemed to know the answer.

“Is it a Dragon?”

“That is correct. A great being that protects the Empire.”

Lasano and Cullen were led to the tents at the campsite. They walked slowly, with the murmuring whispers of the knights as their backdrop.

“Can I meet a Dragon?”

“That remains to be seen. Only the Emperor can command Dragons. If Lord Cullen becomes the rightful heir, then yes, you might be able to see one.”

Lasano’s words still lacked a sense of reality. Cullen listened to him with a detached heart, as if it were someone else’s affair.

Dragons, along with Goddess Aksha, are known to all beings in the Empire. They appeared alongside the first Larkan and were the very ones who unified the continent under the Larciel Empire. Unlike the Goddess, about whom little is known, there are some accounts and legends of the Dragon.

It only reveals itself during times of war.

When a force threatening the Emperor’s dignity and peace appears, the Dragon reveals its magnificent form and turns the enemies’ lands into a sea of fire. The shadow cast by its colossal wings covers the land like storm clouds, and fire that turns everything to ash erupts from its mouth, revealing sharp, massive fangs.

The Dragon has also mastered magic, protecting the Emperor of Larciel with its omnipotent power. That is the very power that sustains the Larciel Empire. The Empire did not need an army.

The Dragon was the strongest army on earth.

“What kind of being is a Dragon?”

“Well…”

They stopped in front of the tent. Lasano politely stepped forward and lifted the tent flap. On the makeshift bed lay a rug made of tiger hide and a blanket. It did not seem like a tent for an ordinary person.

Only when his eyes met Lasano’s did Cullen realize the tent belonged to him. Finally, this situation began to feel real.

“As the poets say, the strongest being in the world.”

Cullen imagined the Dragon’s form. The Dragon, which only appears during wartime, has not shown its full body since the Duchy of Jenix incident seventy years ago.

According to historical texts drawn from oral accounts of that time, the Dragon had golden scales protruding sharply, and its tail alone was said to be as large as a mountain.

It did not seem like a particularly pleasant sight. He wondered if it might resemble the Ashhorn Lizard, known for its monstrous appearance.

“I will answer the rest of Lord Cullen’s questions tomorrow. It is late.”

Then, the fatigue he had forgotten washed over him. He needed rest. Lasano’s words were a suggestion and a command, but Cullen decided to go along with it.

“May the breath of the Goddess touch your dreams.”

Lasano said, lifting the tent flap further to allow Cullen to enter. Cullen did not reply to his greeting. He entered the tent without a word.

Lasano let out a low chuckle and lowered the flap, leaving him finally alone. Inside the tent, a portable stove burned wood.

He slowly surveyed the inside of the tent, confirming there was nothing dangerous, and then sat on the bed. Cullen wanted to organize the information he had gathered so far, but he surrendered to the fatigue that had been pressing down on him since earlier. He had not slept for nearly three days.

Rubbing his eyes, he placed a dagger under his pillow and lay down. Having cultivated a habit of light sleep his entire life, he knew that even a short rest would alleviate his fatigue.

Cullen closed his eyes. Sleep came quickly.

Before the vast darkness swallowed him, Cullen recalled a legend about Dragons that his mother used to tell him at bedtime. His mother, while telling the story, had a somewhat sorrowful expression.

“It is truly a sad tale.”

Did she say that because she was truly a Princess? If so, had she met a Dragon?

If that were the case, Cullen had to meet it. If it held clues to the stalled case, Cullen would do anything to obtain them.

Absolutely.