Chapter 37: The Master of the Dragon

[Luceille’s POV — Elven Village — Continuation]

DA-DUNNNNN!!!!!

The moment we stepped through the green portal, I immediately regretted every decision that had led me here because there weren’t just a few elves waiting for us.

There were dozens.

Tall elves stood all around us, some holding bows, others carrying swords and spears, while several more simply stared at us with expressions ranging from suspicion to outright disbelief, and almost every single pair of eyes kept drifting toward the same thing.

The rusty sword in my hand.

I slowly looked down at it, then back at the elves and then down at the sword again.

. . .

. . .

Okay, something was definitely wrong with this sword.

I had originally thought I had found some ancient piece of metal buried beneath a tree. At this point, however, I was beginning to suspect that I had accidentally picked up the elven equivalent of a nuclear launch button.

I leaned slightly toward Cassian.

"Why is everyone staring at my sword?"

Cassian’s eyes remained fixed on the elves surrounding us. "I don’t know."

That wasn’t particularly comforting. I tightened my grip around the sword. "I feel like we’re being kidnapped."

Cassian glanced at me.

"We are."

I stared at him; he said it so calmly that I almost wondered whether I’d heard him correctly.

"We are?"

"Yes."

I looked around at the armed elves surrounding us.

. . .

. . .

Oh, he was right.

We had literally been kidnapped by elves. Ironically, this was exactly where we had wanted to go. Just... not under these circumstances.

I had imagined entering the hidden elven village dramatically after solving some ancient magical puzzle, perhaps being welcomed by an elegant elf elder who would say something mysterious like, The forest has been waiting for you.

Instead, an angry elf had sprinted toward us, screamed that the dragon had awakened, threatened to force us into his village, and dragged us through a glowing green portal.

Five-star hospitality, absolutely no complaints.

Except several.

The elf who had brought us here stepped forward. "Stay where you are."

"We weren’t exactly planning on running."

He ignored me; his eyes remained fixed on the ancient blade in my hand. Several elves whispered among themselves. I couldn’t understand what they were saying, but judging by their expressions, I was fairly certain the general conversation was

Who woke the dragon?

Why is the sword with a human?

Are we all going to die?

Honestly, I had similar questions. I slowly turned my head and finally took in the village properly and... It looked surprisingly normal.

There were wooden huts scattered throughout the forest, connected by narrow paths covered with moss and fallen leaves. Small lanterns hung from branches, casting a soft greenish glow across the village. Some elves moved between the houses carrying baskets, while others stood outside their homes, staring at us as though we were some sort of travelling circus that had suddenly crashed into their peaceful lives.

In the center of the village stood an enormous ancient tree. It was so massive that several of the surrounding houses looked tiny beside it. Its trunk was thick enough to require several people holding hands to circle it, and its branches stretched high above the forest canopy.

But what caught my attention wasn’t the tree itself. It was the elves guarding it.

Several heavily armed elves stood around the enormous tree, wearing armor that looked far more refined than that of the ordinary villagers.

They weren’t looking at us; they were looking at the sword.

I swallowed.

"Cassian..."

"Hm?"

"Why do I feel like we’re in trouble?"

His hand tightened around mine, and with straight face he said, "Because we probably are, but every sacrifice comes with a price."

. . .

. . .

"You really don’t know how to comfort someone."

Then he glanced at me, tightened his hands around me, and said, "Any danger that comes towards you...will have to face me, beloved."

. . .

. . .

My cheeks went all pink as he said those words for some unknown reason.

Well...at least he knows how to comfort someone.

I turned to look at elves; they are still staring at us. I had come here to find someone who could cure my babies.

Instead, I had arrived carrying a mysterious sword into the middle of a secret elven village and apparently triggered some kind of ancient emergency. I looked down at the rusty blade again.

"You know..."

I whispered.

"I really should have left this thing where I found it."

Cassian looked at the sword. "Probably."

I looked at him.

"You could have told me that earlier."

"You wouldn’t have listened."

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

. . .

. . .

Fair.

Before I could say anything else, a deep voice suddenly echoed from somewhere beyond the enormous tree.

"Bring them to the Elder."

Every elf around us immediately went silent, and the guards surrounding the ancient tree straightened. The elf who had brought us here stepped aside, and for the first time since entering the village, I noticed something that made my stomach tighten.

The enormous tree...was glowing. A faint green light pulsed beneath its ancient bark, and then—the sword in my hand answered.

FWOOM.

Golden light burst from the blade, and every elf in the village froze.

I froze too.

Cassian immediately stepped in front of me, his body shielding mine as his hand tightened around my waist. His sword was already raised, his blue eyes fixed on the enormous tree.

Then something beneath the ancient roots growled, a deep, rumbling sound rolling through the forest.

My heart jumped; before I could even ask what that was, the sword in my hand suddenly began glowing again.

"AGHH—!"

I dropped it immediately.

"It’s glowing again!"

The instant the blade left my fingers, it didn’t fall. Instead, it floated into the air. I stared at it; the sword slowly rose higher, golden light spilling from its ancient markings as it drifted toward the enormous tree in the center of the village.

"Uh...Is that supposed to happen?"

Nobody answered, the sword stopped directly in front of the ancient tree, and for one heartbeat, the entire village was completely silent.

Then—

BOOM!

A wave of golden light exploded outward. Every elf in the village dropped to one knee. Some lowered their heads; others placed their hands over their hearts, and then, as if they had rehearsed this moment for centuries, their voices rose together.

"KNEEL!"

The command echoed through the forest, and then the elves bowed their heads.

"WE GREET THE MASTER OF THE DRAGON!"

. . .

. . .

Silence.

My brain was working very hard. Unfortunately, it appeared to be working on dial-up internet.

"Master..." I slowly glanced toward the floating sword. "...of the dragon?"

Cassian’s arm tightened around me.

"Why am I suddenly the master of a dragon?"

Golden light continued to pulse around it, and then something clicked.

Aurelius.

He told me about the legend, the Divine Dragon. The ancient blade forged from the dragon’s blood and bones. The weapon that no one had ever been able to wield and the weapon whose soul was supposedly waiting for its true master.

My eyes widened.

I remembered every single word Aurelius had told me. My mouth slowly fell open.

"No..."

I looked at the sword.

"D-don’t tell me..." My voice became barely more than a whisper. "...this is the legendary Divine Dragon’s blade."

The surrounding elves remained silent, then the elf who had practically kidnapped us stepped forward. His entire attitude had changed; gone was the angry man who had threatened to drag us into the village.

He stood straight, placed one hand against his chest, and bowed respectfully.

"My name is Ilum. I am a guardian of the elven people." He lowered his head again. "I greet the Master of the Dragon."

Master of the Dragon.

It sounded weird.

Ilum continued, his voice filled with something between reverence and relief. "We have waited for you for generations, Master."

I stared at him.

"For...me?"

"For you." He looked toward the floating blade. "The Divine Dragon’s soul has finally recognized its master."

I didn’t know what to say.

A few moments ago, this man had been threatening to forcefully take us to his village; now he was bowing like I had personally descended from heaven to save his people.

Wow...the change in attitude was impressive.

I had seen politicians back in my old world change expressions faster than this.

But there was something much more important than Ilum’s sudden politeness. If this really was the Divine Dragon’s blade...then these elves possessed knowledge about ancient magic.

They knew about divine beasts, they knew about the dragon, and they were supposed to be the greatest healers connected to nature.

I looked at Ilum and finally said, "I was... actually here to seek help from the elves for my fox beasts."

Several elves exchanged confused glances. Ilum’s expression changed.

"Fox beasts?"

I nodded.

"Yes. White fox beasts."

The moment I said those words, the atmosphere changed completely. Several elves looked at me in disbelief.

One of them stepped forward.

"Wait..." His eyes widened. "Are you talking about the White Fox Beasts, Master?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

The elves looked at each other again. I suddenly felt nervous. "Why? Is something wrong?"

Ilum stared at me for several seconds before asking, "You have tamed White Fox Beasts?"

"Well..." I scratched my cheek. "They kind of followed me home."

Cassian glanced at me as I quickly corrected myself. "Okay, fine. I may have accidentally adopted them."

A few elves looked completely stunned. I continued before they could start asking questions.

"They suddenly became sick. Their mana isn’t flowing properly, and none of the treatments we’ve tried have worked. I heard that elves possess ancient healing abilities connected to nature, so I thought...I would do anything to save them."

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then—

"WE WILL DO IT!"

Ilum’s voice exploded through the village. He stepped forward with such enthusiasm that I honestly wondered if he had forgotten about the legendary sword floating beside the ancient tree.

"We will heal them!"

I stared at him.

"...What?"

Ilum looked more excited than he had been when the Divine Dragon’s blade awakened. "I shall help our master with everything."

. . .

I stood there completely stunned because that was...surprisingly easy.

I had spent days worrying about whether we would even find the elves.

I had imagined ancient trials, mysterious riddles, dangerous monsters, and maybe having to crawl through some underground temple while solving a puzzle involving twelve glowing crystals.

Instead, I had walked into the village, accidentally awakened a legendary sword, and then said,

"My babies are sick."

And the elves had basically responded:

"SAY NO MORE."

I slowly turned toward Cassian. He was watching the chaos with the same expression of disbelief I felt.

"Well..." I looked around at the elves rushing to prepare for my fox beasts. "...that was easy, I guess."

Cassian’s lips curved faintly. "It appears your babies have gained the attention of the entire elven village."

I smiled.

For the first time since leaving Ashcroft, a little weight lifted from my chest. My babies might actually be saved.

I released a quiet breath and looked toward the enormous ancient tree. The Divine Dragon’s blade was still floating there, glowing faintly beneath its branches.

There was still that.

I stared at the ancient sword, maybe finding an elf healer had been easy, but awakening a legendary Divine Dragon’s weapon?

That felt like a completely different problem.

And somehow, I knew my peaceful trip to find a cure for my babies had just become the beginning of something much bigger.