Chapter 124: Night Shelter, Dragon Clan Shackles

Wang Yu, Sieg, and Noelle arrived at the small chapel where the Lady of the Night had taken the form of Darkness.

This place was, in fact, Wang Yu’s own base of operations, though the believers had renovated the exterior with brick and stone, giving it the appearance of a proper little chapel.

For reasons unknown, the Lady of the Night had developed a peculiar fondness for sitting on a lounge chair She had conjured right outside the entrance.

Occasionally, She would indulge the requests of Her followers, walking through the church to observe the progress of their congregation.

Sometimes, She would even use the identity of the "Saintess" to convey the will of the Lady of the Night—Her true self—or perhaps the will of Wang Yu.

Thus, when Sieg and Wang Yu reached the chapel door, they were greeted by the sight of Lady Darkness lounging and swaying gently in Her chair. It did look rather unrefined, yet when the serene and detached aura of the Lady of the Night manifested in Her chosen vessel, it possessed a unique, otherworldly presence.

"Greetings, Saintess Darkness. I am Sieg Wilsbach, a friend of Wang Yu. I have come today to seek the assistance of the Lady of the Night."

Darkness sat up, cast a glance at Sieg, and blinked. She then looked at Noelle, who was hiding behind her brother’s legs, peeking out with only half her face, before finally turning to Wang Yu and giving him a meaningful look.

"?" Wang Yu was baffled. Was the Lady of the Night actually winking at him? You really are becoming more human and less like a deity with every passing day.

However, Wang Yu was adept at reading the room. He understood Her intent: She was questioning whether Sieg could be trusted. Wang Yu gave a slight nod.

"Hello, Mr. Sieg. I am Darkness, the avatar of the Lady of the Night." Darkness stood up from the lounge chair and shook Sieg’s hand.

The words she spoke caused even the well-traveled and knowledgeable Sieg to tremble.

"My apologies, I have been disrespectful, Lady Eunice, Queen of the Night." Sieg hurriedly apologized for his previous misidentification. While he could be forgiven for not knowing the Saintess's true identity earlier, he could no longer afford to be negligent now that he knew the truth.

"Please, do not call me Eunice. That is a name from my past. I have shed those shackles, and I prefer to be called Darkness now." The Lady of the Night—or rather, Darkness—corrected him with earnest sincerity.

"Forgive me, Lady Darkness." The professor paused, but quickly adjusted his address to match her request.

"Very well. Now, what request do you and this adorable little dragon have for me?" Darkness crouched down, extending a hand covered in black lace to stroke the red hair of Noelle, who was cowering behind Sieg.

Noelle seemed frightened, but perhaps due to the Lady of the Night’s natural affinity, she did not pull away, allowing Darkness to pat her head.

"It is like this: I hope she can stay at the Church of the Night for a while. If possible, I ask that you use your authority over the night to shield her, so that she may avoid being sensed by certain powerful entities."

Sieg spoke his request with great caution, his tone as gentle and mild as ever, though there was a hint of supplication in the voice of this high-ranking professor that was rarely heard.

"Powerful entities? Have you provoked something, or... oh, is it the existence that was obscured when Wang Yu borrowed my power to cast the 'Eternal Night Firmament' that day? That thing, in my eyes, can hardly be called a god. Or perhaps, is it a dragon of unimaginable power?"

"Yes. I am a rebel, or rather, my sister is a rebel." The professor’s tone turned grave. He pulled down his sleeve, revealing the true nature of his dragon lineage; dragon scales had begun to manifest on his human arm.

"Ah... I did not realize you were of the dragon race. I failed to sense it; your ability to conceal yourself is quite formidable. With such skill, surely you have no need for my protection?"

"No, this is not a concealment ability, but a congenital defect. Those who know the truth call me the 'Dragon of Broken Wings.' My true name is fractured, and the magical circuits in my dragon body are shattered. I can neither use the dragon-tongue magic inherent to my kind nor cast spells with my own power."

Sieg shook his head, his expression unchanging. Over the years, he had come to terms with it, and in doing so, he had found a path of his own.

"I see. But the potential of such a powerful creature as a dragon is infinite, is it not? I trust you have found your own path and a direction in which to grow stronger."

Darkness nodded in understanding. She now recognized the identity of the dragon in human form before her—the very same broken dragon that Aivia had shielded with the Eternal Night Firmament that day.

"Yes, I have found my own direction. But as you said, the infinite potential of the dragon race has ultimately shackled us all." Sieg touched his chest; even in human form, his heart beat with a burning, fervent rhythm.

"I see. I would like to learn of the history of your kind. As for the protection, since you are a friend of Wang Yu, it is but a small favor. I will not refuse." Darkness agreed to his request in advance, yet her curiosity about his past was evident.

Sieg was stunned. It was his first time interacting so closely with a "god," and he had not expected the Lady of the Night to show curiosity no different from that of a human.

Looking up at the pitch-black dome of the sky, Sieg offered a wry smile. "If Hugin knew I hadn't told him this, but told a god instead, I suppose he couldn't blame me. Lady Darkness, is it sufficiently concealed here?"

"Have no fear. My domain has already enveloped this area. Other gods cannot perceive you speaking of Him here, and that unprecedentedly powerful dragon cannot sense it either. Rest assured." The Lady of the Night’s tone was calm, yet filled with confidence.

"Then I am relieved." Sieg let out a long breath.

"You two talk," Wang Yu said, waving a hand. He had no intention of eavesdropping on secrets.

"It is fine, Wang Yu. It is no problem if you know." Sieg patted the shoulder of Wang Yu, who was turning to leave. For a friend he hadn't known for long, Sieg was confident in his judgment; he was trustworthy.

"Thank you for the trust." Wang Yu did not stand on ceremony. To say he wasn't curious about Sieg’s past would be a lie.

As Sieg spoke, the reasons why the powerful dragon race had faded from the sight of intelligent species and gradually become creatures of legend began to emerge.

Sieg’s family was a strange combination. Sieg himself did not know what kind of dragon he was, but it was a fact that he was born broken. His sister was a Silver Dragon, his younger sister a Red Dragon; all were healthy except for him.

Their parents had vanished since birth, which was common enough among dragons. Yet, for some reason, the three eggs in their clutch were of three different species. Since dragon incubation periods varied greatly, this was how they distinguished siblings from the same nest.

After Sieg was born, his sister took care of him. Sieg discovered that he was vastly different from her; his sister’s power seemed to grow with age, and she mastered various magical abilities.

But Sieg was different. He was not only broken; his true name was shattered, his wings were deformed, and his magic circuits were ruined. He would never grow in power as he aged.

Only his physique grew stronger with time, but he lacked everything else a dragon should possess—neither magic nor anything else.

For a time, he was quite lost. In the dragon territory, he was the most pathetic of them all. When he asked his sister why he lacked those powers, she replied that the dragon race had lost the god who once imprisoned them, only to have their "King" place new shackles upon them. Sieg’s birth had occurred exactly in the gap between those two eras.

He did not understand then, not until the thing his sister called "The King" appeared in the sky above the dragon territory. It was a creature of such immense power, such distortion, such grandeur. He could never forget the golden dragon eyes that peered from the clouds that day, nor the massive claws.

Everything about it corresponded perfectly to the power of a pure dragon bloodline. The "He" in the sky possessed every trait a pure-blooded dragon should have. Yet, because it was too perfect, to the young Sieg, it felt like a twisted existence.

Every dragon in the territory seemed unable to do anything but revere, fear, and submit.

Except for Sieg and his sister. Because of his defects, Sieg had a certain distance from the dragon race, which seemed to give him a special resistance to "Him."

As for his sister, Sieg still remembered that woman of unique temperament, standing in their cave, shielding him and the egg of his younger sister. Her silver hair danced as she recited her own name, "Arielian," forcing herself to stabilize her will.

"When He retreated, the dragons who could not stabilize their wills became His subjects, or rather, His believers. I still do not know what He is. Arielian only told me that our King had replaced our former god, and he had become our new shackle."

"The dragons who knelt to him became the majority of the current dragon race. They sealed themselves away on an island in the Endless Sea. That is the Dragon Kingdom of today."

"My sister, Arielian, entrusted Noelle to me and then set out to find other dragons who had resisted, to oppose that path. She was always so confident, so strong-willed. Sometimes I envied her, and sometimes I felt she was too tired. It has been hundreds of years since I last saw her. Noelle has grown so much."

His words were filled with emotion. Sieg reached out to pat Noelle’s head. He had never had anyone to share these stories with—stories that could invite the gaze of "Him" if spoken aloud. Now, saying them out loud, he felt a weight lifted.

"A fascinating story," the Lady of the Night nodded.

"Indeed," Wang Yu agreed.

"Do you have no thoughts on this?" Sieg asked, curious. He found it understandable that a god could be so detached, but Wang Yu had shown no surprise at all.

"It’s too far away, isn't it? How powerful must that thing be? Even if I cared, it would be useless. With my current strength, I’ll just listen to it as a story."

Wang Yu’s self-assessment remained as clear as ever. The professor’s story was shocking—it likely involved secrets of the entire continent—but for Wang Yu, it still had no impact. He had to focus on the task at hand.

"Ah, indeed. Thank you again for your help, Lady Darkness. Let Noelle stay here for a while. I have not been a competent brother; I have let her suffer too many grievances." Agreeing with Wang Yu’s perspective, he thanked the Lady of the Night once more.

"It is no trouble. She is a lovely little thing. No one here will bully her." Darkness looked with affection at Noelle, who was gradually growing familiar with Her. The little red dragon was actually quite lively, but to help Sieg and avoid exposure, she had endured discrimination from other children without fighting back, making her seem silent.

"Then I shall take my leave. There is much to attend to. The Blade of Night will provide funding to the Church of the Night as a token of my gratitude and our hope for your friendship. May the church continue to prosper."

After giving his sister—who was reluctant but sensible enough not to make a scene—a hug, Sieg prepared to leave. Wang Yu, having nothing else to do, also planned to return to the Royal City.

On the way back, Sieg handed a jar to Wang Yu.

"This is my gift of thanks. You have truly helped me a great deal, Wang Yu."

Wang Yu looked at the large jar of bright red liquid, bewildered. This was...

"This... this isn't dragon blood, is it?"

"Yes. It is blood from near my heart. In my early years, when I had no foundation, I relied on selling this to make a living. It should help with your knightly cultivation. However, my blood lacks the magic-related components unique to dragons; it likely won't awaken any mage talent in you, only strengthen your physique."

"This... thank you. If it lacks magic, it might actually be more suitable for me." Wang Yu had not expected Sieg to gift him dragon blood. This could be of immense help, and special dragon blood without magical interference was, in a sense, even better for him.

"Ah... it is nothing. When I was a dragon, I seemed to have a strange, arrogant pride. It seems this stuff was one of the few things I had that related to my dragon bloodline. But after coming to the human world and struggling to survive, that pride gradually faded."

"Humans have truly influenced me greatly. Although my defects caused me to lose many powers unique to dragons, I seem to have found a path that does not belong to that so-called 'infinite potential' of the dragon race."

"The professors in the academies, the mages—the paths they choose, I can choose too. That is knowledge."

"I believe that this is what truly holds infinite potential. Whether it is the dragon race, or even 'Him,' all have limits. But knowledge... knowledge has no limits."

Wang Yu gazed at the professor, whose own contemplations had propelled him toward a realm of understanding that likely surpassed the vast majority of humanity, and he offered a heartfelt, unrefined exclamation: "Badass!"

(Haha, the professor is truly remarkable; why should the denizens of another world be any less than those of Earth? It is only natural that each should carve out their own magnificent path.)