Rex Draco had once met a Saintess.
At the time, he was no longer a young dragon and he had started approaching his calmer years when he spent the days mostly napping, eating or practing magic.
He should have been around three hundred years at the time. At that point, he had let go of most of his ambitions, he no longer cared about growing stronger or finding out about his past.
His day had become dull, spent entirely on a boring routine that was sometimes interrupted by meddlesome humans and other races, not for long of course, they ashes ended up decorating his cave just the same.
One day, a Saintess appeared.
At that point he had already met several Saintesses of different generations, each one of them accompanying a Hero. They varied in appeareance and personality but there was always something that never changed.
They always looked at him in confusion.
Unlike in the current era, Rex Draco did not bother hiding his Karma, he did not care what it showed nor was he afraid of having his past deeds read.
However, on that day the Saintess appeared alone.
No Hero, and no other companions.
Compared to other Saintesses she was absurdly weak. Her Divine power did not even compare to some common priests.
That fact reflected on her clothes.
They were rags, sewed clumsly by a unpracticed hand, a combination of several different cloths that did not match with each other at all.
She had short black hair and bright amber eyes.
"Oh Dragon, what kind of life have you lived?"
She had asked.
Rex Draco was confused not knowing how to answer. Instead, he asked her a question.
"How foolish must one be to present themselves in my lair alone and unguarded?"
"I'm not alone, nor am I unguarded. The Gods watch over us mortals and guide us towards a future. I have nothing to fear, every pain and agony, even my death, are simply the gifts of the Gods that my humble self must accept."
"... Why have you come?"
"I received a vision. My Divine power is weak, but my mother was a diviner, even a droplet of power is enough for me to see into the future. Oh, Dragon, your Karma perplexes me."
"You speak in a weird way, Saintess. You speak of a vision but then mention my Karma?"
"Your Karma does not resemble that of a demonic being such as you claim to be. In the future that I foresaw, a Hero will appear, and the world shall see your battle as his victory, not knowing that you were the ultimate winner, securing a better future for yourself."
The dragon fell silent, however, he was not interested in prophecies, nor was he interested, like he had said, in what his Karma said.
Instead, he was more curious about something else.
"Why come here? What is it that you sought to come here and tell me this."
"I don't know. I just knew that on this day I would come to this place and see your karma as I told you about your future. However, seeing it now, I must ask, oh Dragon-"
She looked at him, her amber eyes turned golden.
"-What is your True Self? And how can I help you find it?"
**********
How long ago that was, and here he was once again, hearing a Saintess saying that she wanted to help him find his true self.
In the past, his encounter with the Saintess had been disregarded by him as another encounter with a Saintess, not knowing how important her words were.
Had he accepted her help then, how different would his life be?
It doesn't matter. He had refused to dismiss the Saintess and only remembered her face and the fact that she was the only Saintess that he hadn't tried to kill and the only human that had shown concern for him in that era.
He looked at Arianne, her resolute face a far cry from the gentle and sorrowful expression on that Saintess of the past.
"Are you serious about this? Why me?"
"Like I said, you left a deep impression, and I just couldn't forget it. Besides, like I said, I want to help everyone I can. I decided to start with you, Ray, even if it feels like I'm biting off more than I can chew."
' "I have been told to follow a single way of life since I was born. And there is nothing different that I want to become. So I can't tell you the answer", huh?'
"Is helping everyone really your wish, or just a part of the person you were forced to become?"
Arianne paused, she didn't seem panicked or frustrated in the slightest. She seemed to be in tought.
"I don't know, I've been this way for so long. My life has always been about my identity as the Saintess. Do I want to help people, or was I forced to want it? Regardless, it doesn't matter to me. I want to help, and even if that desire comes from something false, it is an undeniable truth that I want to do so. So I will."
'How pityful.'
Ray felt weird, perhaps he just identified himself with her position. He had thought that his life as a Demonic Dragon had always been himself, but was it? Were his desires from the past false just because he figured out about the corruption of demonic power or because he had found a new way to live? Did it matter?
'I don't know either, but something deep inside me wants-'
"I don't like owing people, so I will help you too."
His words left his mouth more naturally than he expected.
Arianne's eyes widened.
"Huh?"
"You will help me find my answer:'What is my True Self?', and I will help find yours: 'Do you truly desire to help people?'. I believe it is a good deal, no?"
Arianne stared at him for a moment, struggling to not let her mouth hang loose in shock.
Ray extended a hand, a small smile appearing on his face.
It was different from the smiles she had seen in his face before. It was not mocking, prideful, or mischievous. It was gentle and embarrassed?
A smile appeared on her face as she shook his hand aswell.
"It is a good deal. I hope for a great success for the both of us."
"Same."
They stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to say next.
"About that outing..."
"Oh! Yes, I will contact you once I am certain of the date. I still have to contact the Academy to seek permission and check with the priests in the Temple about certain logistics. I should have an answer in about a week, though."
"Ah, I see. Why a temple, tough?"
"Well, this temple in specific is said to be the only temple built during the time of the Age of Monsters. Apparently it was built by a Saintess that supposedly survived encountering Rex Draco, which I share a name with. And it was also where the Saintess that teamed up with the Last Hero grew up in."
"A Saintess that survived Rex Draco?"
"Yes! You and the others most likely will hear more about her once we visit the temple."
She said with a smile before looking away with a slight hint of embarassement.
"Of course, if you are very curious, I can talk to you about her. Because we share a name, I kind of made her my Idol, so I know a lot."
"I see. Well, I am interested, but maybe we can talk another time?"
"Hm? Sure!"
He stood up and waved as he walked away.
"See you tomorrow in class."
"Yes! See you tomorrow, Ray!"
As he left the church, a man in priest robes approached Arianne.
"Saint Arianne, who was that young man?"
"Oh! He was a classmate, Father. I apologize if his behavior offended you and the other believers, he is not aware of our rules."
The man closed his eyes in understanding.
"Are you close, Saint Arianne?"
Arianne's eyes widened.
"Huh? N-not really. We are classmates, and I suppose we are beginning to understand each other more now, but we are not close."
"I see. Then, Saint Arianne, if you are planning to meet up with him again, please do so outside the Gods' territory or teach him about the rules that must be followed in the presence of the Gods."
"I will, Father."
**********
In a place that no one could see, hear, feel, or sense.
A golden cathedral stood tall. Its brilliant walls gave an aura of ancient might, and yet there was no sign of time's burden on its walls.
At the center of the cathedral, a round area exists. In it there are several thrones surrounding the middle of the room. Most thrones were occupied by golden statues, all of them representing women of indescribable beauty.
Only two thrones were occupied by humans instead of statues.
Two women sat in those thrones, each facing the other, from one side of the room to the other.
"It is quite surprising for you to choose to wake up at the same time as me, Senior. Are you interested in what is going on out there?"
The woman that talked was a beauty even surpassing those statues. She wore white robes with golden details, various accessories adorned her clothes and hair, giving a sense of luxury.
She had pink hair that flowed into blue tips. Her golden eyes brimming with divine power, looking mischievously at her 'Senior'.
"I sensed the presence of Rex Draco."
The Second woman, the 'Senior', was almost the opposite of the first one. She was wearing rags that seemed to belong to a beggar rather than a Saintess.
She had short black hair, and her once amber eyes now shone with golden light. In her neck, a simple necklace with what seemed to be a fragment of black scale hung close to her heart.
"Me too. It seems that our new Junior has met him again, not only that, she went into direct contact with him this time. What do you think about that 'Ray'."
"He is Rex Draco."
"Thought so. Should we warn her then?"
"No. It is not yet time for her to make contact with us. Besides, I can't risk you trying to reincarnate again, Senior."
"Oh, so you figured that out, huh? How boring."
The first woman relaxed into her seat and soon turned into a golden statue.
Meanwhile, the short-haired saintess simply looked upwards at the various paintings that were present in the ceiling of the cathedral, as if watching something beyond, her hand grasping her necklace tightly.
"Oh Dragon, as that time finally arrived. For you to find the answer to my question?"
**********
Author's Note: Another Chapter, hope you are enjoying it.
Check out my other novel: This Novel's Plot has Completely Changed