Just before dawn, it was the darkest hour.
Behind the towering, unseen tree, it was a place hidden from sight.
The nameless dragon knelt before me, holding my hand.
With solemnity, she prepared for the ritual of oath.
“I will serve you as my master for the rest of my life.”
She began chanting the spell in a calm voice.
Simultaneously, a faint light emanated from her hand.
She extended her hand towards me, presenting the light to me.
The faint glow settled lightly in my hand.
“It’s the mark.”
“The mark?”
“Yes. It’s a mark to signify our oath. I would appreciate it if you could inscribe it on my body.”
It could be seen as evidence of the contract made.
“Is there any specific place you desire?”
“I would be grateful if you could inscribe it wherever Seo-Hyun desires.”
She left the choice solely to me.
Slowly approaching me, she unbuttoned her robe.
She opened her garment, revealing her body to me.
Her fair skin was exposed, and a sweet fragrance wafted around.
It was a sight that would undoubtedly be misunderstood by others.
There was a reason the nameless dragon sought solitude.
‘Perhaps somewhere easily concealed would be best.’
There was no desire to show the mark to anyone.
She sought a place easily hidden.
After a moment’s consideration, my gaze fell below her chest, just above her navel.
I took the glowing light to the lower part of her ribs.
“Eugh…!”
A slight embarrassed groan escaped as my palm touched her abdomen.
I worried if it might hurt, but seeing her flushed expression, it seemed unlikely.
I waited until the light faded away.
After ample time had passed, I removed my hand, revealing a small pattern drawn on her abdomen.
She gently traced the mark on her body.
Simultaneously, she let out a satisfied smile.
“The mark has settled safely. Now, let’s begin the oath.”
The nameless dragon covered herself with her robe again.
Then, she carefully took my right hand and placed it on her chest.
With a solemn expression, she continued reciting the oath.
“I will acknowledge you as the strong one. From now on, I will serve you as my master.”
Contrary to the solemn tone, the content of the oath was quite weighty.
“My life, soul, thoughts, actions, and even death are no longer mine but belong to my master.”
It was too blindly devoted to call it an oath.
It sounded more like a curse at first listen.
The oath was so heavy that it burdened even the listener.
However, she didn’t stop reciting the oath.
Rather, she continued the contract without hesitation, showing genuine sincerity.
“I will protect you as my master for the rest of my life, and if there are obstacles in our path, I will crush them with all my might.”
The oath continued for quite some time afterward.
Listening to it all, my mind began to drift.
I hadn’t imagined the contract would be so severe.
‘Surely, not all the things she’s saying are sincere.’
It must be just a tradition passed down through generations.
But even so, I couldn’t imagine keeping all the oaths she just made.
I would rather stop, even if it meant feeling burdened.
But it was already too late to stop.
“Finally, even if I have to die, I will keep the contract. And if I were to break the oath, I will offer my life as penance.”
It took a good thirty minutes before the nameless dragon stopped speaking.
As the ritual of the oath finally ended and she tried to move, her hand was held back.
Was it not over yet? I looked at the nameless dragon again.
She seemed hesitant, as if contemplating whether to speak or not.
“Is there something wrong?”
After a moment of hesitation, the nameless dragon took my hand to her head.
With a gesture that seemed like petting, she bowed her head in front of me.
“…There’s one thing I hadn’t thought of.”
“What is it?”
“A name.”
As you know, she had no name.
She awkwardly responded that she didn’t have one when asked for her name at our first meeting.
From then on, I always called her “you” and Erina treated her like she didn’t exist.
But to form a contract, the name of the party involved was necessary.
“Long ago, I also had a name. But after being betrayed, I discarded that name.”
“… ”
“No, not discarded. No one called me by that name, so it naturally faded away.”
She said that whenever she remembered that name now, it reminded her of past mistakes and regrets.
That’s why the nameless dragon asked me.
“Could you please give me a new name…?”
She decided to abandon her previous name to put her shameful past behind her.
As my companion and now her master, she wished to live a new life under a new name.
“Would it be alright if I gave you a name?”
“Yes. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.”
Suddenly, my heart sank heavily.
Even if I gave her a strange name, she would live with that name for the rest of her life.
‘It’s too difficult.’
I don’t know how good I am at naming.
But a few names came to mind.
When starting a game and creating a character, besides the name Erina, there were several other candidates.
Among them, there was one name I regretted not using.
If I could create one more character, I would have chosen that name.
“Kayla.”
From now on, she would be with me not as a nameless dragon but as Kayla.
Kayla rose from her seat with a happy smile.
And she approached me.
“Thank you. It’s a name more beautiful than I deserve.”
Her voice was trembling with gratitude.
She embraced me, leaning against my waist.
For the first time, I could see her happy smile.
Before I knew it, the sun was rising in the sky, and the surroundings were beginning to brighten.
Finally, dawn was passing by.
***
The interior of the inn was noisy.
Even without opening the door, the commotion inside could be heard.
From someone’s loud voice to the sound of glass breaking, it was chaotic.
To have fights this early in the morning.
I hesitated whether to enter or not.
Still, it would be difficult if Erina woke up now.
If she found out that Kayla and I went for a late-night walk alone, she would definitely cause a scene.
“Whatever happens, don’t even glance and just go straight back to the room.”
“Yes. I understand.”
She seemed to have understood my words as she pressed her face deeply into her robe.
Counting silently in my mind, I opened the door. As expected, the inside of the inn was a mess.
Tables were overturned, and glass shards littered the floor from shattered glasses.
I hurriedly tried to go up the stairs.
But I felt uneasy amidst the crowd.
‘No way…!’
I turned my head to see where people were gathering.
In the midst of it all, Erina was throwing punches at someone.
“Erina!”
She, who should have been asleep, was surrounded by people.
Upon hearing my voice, she immediately turned her head towards where I was.
Instantly, the noisy inn fell into silence.
Erina released the man’s collar.
With a thud, the man collapsed to the ground.
Blood was flowing from the fallen man’s face.
In a collapsed state, he tried desperately to distance himself from her.
Even in that situation, Erina only looked at me.
“Seo-Hyun…”
It wasn’t the energetic voice I always heard.
The eyes looking at me had lost their vitality, their focus blurred.
Dangerous. I could instinctively sense it.
She wasn’t in her right mind.
All the commotion that happened at the inn just now was Erina’s fault.
It dawned on me what had just happened.
As soon as she woke up alone, she had caused a commotion to find us.
“Ha, haha…”
She laughed like a broken doll.
With a twisted expression, she slowly approached me.
No, to be precise, her gaze wasn’t directed at me.
It was spewing murderous intent towards Kayla, who was following behind me.
I quickly grabbed Erina’s hand. I had to somehow calm her down.
“Erina. Calm down. Let’s go back to the room for now.”
“…”
There was no response.
Instead, her eyes were moving rapidly.
She kept her gaze on Kayla next to me.
“You.”
“…”
Sharp eyes clashed.
Tension filled the silent inn.
No one dared to speak out of turn.
“Do you remember what I said?”
“Yes.”
I couldn’t just stand by anymore.
If it wasn’t me, there was no one else to restrain Erina.
As I tried to pull her hand, Kayla stepped forward first.
She gently brushed off my hand holding Erina.
Naturally, the tension in my hand eased. And she quietly left a single word.
“It’s okay.”
Kayla approached Erina with a calm voice.
With unwavering steps, she stood in front of her.
“I also have something to say Erina-nim.”
“…”
“Would it be okay if we talked upstairs for a moment?”
She must have instinctively noticed.
The once timid and quiet Kayla had changed.
Likewise, the distance between me and her had decreased.
“Kayla. Are you sure?”
“Yes. It’s really okay.”
“Kayla…?”
As Erina listened to the conversation between me and Kayla, she stared blankly at her.
At the same time, her eyes began to tremble.
She looked at me as if demanding an explanation.
But Kayla intervened to stop her.
“You…!”
Erina swallowed her anger as she looked at Kayla who was blocking her.
But Kayla didn’t back down.
Erina bit her lip tightly, suppressing her anger.
It took a while, but finally, she nodded.
“Fine. Let’s go upstairs for now.”
