The dragon lay on the ground, dazed.
It took a heavy breath.
Slowly, it pushed itself up and shook its head.
When its senses returned, it turned toward Shinju.
"You…"
"You could have killed me just now."
Koharu and Swen stood tense, waiting for the dragon's reaction.
Shinju didn't answer.
He just looked at it.
The dragon stepped closer, stopping right in front of him.
Its eyes locked onto Shinju's.
"Poison… would have meant death for me."
"And you… dispersed it."
A pause.
"Why?"
Shinju tilted his head slightly.
His voice was calm. Almost friendly.
"Because you're not an enemy."
The dragon's eyes narrowed.
"I attacked you."
Shinju shrugged.
"You attacked the wrong person."
A brief silence.
Then, more clearly:
"That's… not a reason for me to kill you."
The air shifted.
The dragon froze.
Not metaphorically—
it truly froze.
As if, for the first time…
it had encountered something it couldn't understand.
"…Strange," it murmured.
Its gaze grew heavier.
"You're either a fool…"
A short pause.
"…or dangerous."
Swen whispered:
"I vote for the second one…"
Koharu nudged her to be quiet.
A faint smile formed on Shinju's lips.
"Maybe both."
For a brief moment—
the dragon smiled.
But it disappeared just as quickly.
Its expression turned serious again.
This time, it looked deeper.
"But something is still missing."
Its voice grew heavier.
"I can smell that curse on you."
"And despite that… you saved me."
It stepped even closer.
"So… what exactly are you?"
Shinju stayed silent.
For a moment…
Then answered without looking away:
"I don't know."
He took a breath.
This time, there was a clear edge in his voice.
"You didn't even listen."
"You attacked before we could speak."
Then, firm and clear:
"I'm the one who removed that curse."
The dragon's pupils shrank.
"The one… who removed it?"
"But I can still smell it on you."
"What kind of dragon… carries something so disgusting within?"
Shinju raised his finger, pointing at the dragon's face.
"First…"
"That power doesn't control me."
"I control it."
He took a step forward.
They stood eye to eye.
"Second…"
"I'm not a dragon."
The dragon growled.
Its voice echoed through the valley.
"Liar!"
"That aura… no other being has it!"
Shinju smiled slightly.
Not a challenge.
More like… quiet acceptance.
"I'm just human."
"You're a massive creature."
"Can't you see the difference?"
The dragon narrowed its eyes.
Then…
a faint curve appeared on its lips.
"That's easy enough to fix."
Suddenly—
its body was engulfed in golden light.
Its wings dissolved into radiance.
Its scales melted away like fragments of light.
Its massive form began to shrink.
When the light faded—
a young woman stood before them.
Red hair. Crimson eyes.
But her gaze…
was still the same.
Ancient. Heavy. Overwhelming.
Shinju spoke without thinking:
"…What… is that even possible?"
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"Taking human form… is something every dragon can do."
Then her gaze sharpened.
"Now I'll ask again…"
Her eyes pierced into Shinju.
"Who… are you?"
Swen stepped forward cautiously.
She placed herself between them and bowed slightly.
This time, her voice wasn't panicked.
It was controlled.
"Honorable dragon… allow me to explain."
She glanced at Shinju.
"Because this… isn't something he can explain."
Then she turned back to the dragon.
"It's completely normal that you sense a dragon-like presence from Shinju."
"Because he absorbed Mikail's Spear."
Her voice lowered—
but grew heavier.
"…Elysium."
The dragon's eyes narrowed slightly.
Swen noticed—and continued.
"A dragon's birth is never a coincidence."
"Without Elysium… a dragon cannot exist."
She stroked her chin, thinking—but she was certain.
"Sometimes… very rarely…"
"At the peaks of volcanic mountains, Elysium from a planet's core is carried to the surface with lava."
She gestured around them.
"If the environmental conditions are right…"
"That energy accumulates… condenses…"
A brief pause.
"…and eventually becomes life."
Her eyes met the dragon's.
"Yang creatures."
"In other words… your kind."
Her voice remained calm, but firm.
"This mountain…"
She glanced at the ground.
"…is one of those rare places."
She lifted her head again, more direct now.
"So Shinju is not a dragon."
"But he obtained the same Elysium that exists within your nature."
The woman's eyes changed.
But the suspicion…
had not completely disappeared.
"…I see."
She exhaled slowly.
"Your words… are not empty."
A short pause.
"For now… I'll accept them."
Her gaze shifted back to Shinju.
"But I'll be watching you."