“Dragon Knight?”
I had heard of it before. But it was a familiar yet strange word.
Literally, it refers to a knight acknowledged by a dragon.
But other than that, there was nothing more known about it.
It was just a passing piece of information during the game.
It was a word forgotten in memory until the nameless dragon mentioned it.
“Yes. I would like you to be my knight.”
The nameless dragon proposed to me to become her Dragon Knight.
But I couldn’t answer hastily.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her.
Without any information about Dragon Knights, I couldn’t just accept it outright.
As the deliberation continued, the nameless dragon continued to explain.
“It means that I acknowledge you and will serve you as my master. It’s like forming a master-servant relationship rather than just being companions.”
Upon hearing the explanation, the proposal didn’t seem so bad.
In fact, it was filled with content that could benefit me.
That’s why I became even more suspicious.
It felt too sudden of a proposal, so I instinctively doubted it.
“It’s okay for you to command me from now on. I will fulfill any wish you have.”
What would happen if I declined the request?
She would probably be disappointed, but I wouldn’t press further.
But she was earnestly pleading.
It was clear that this proposal held a special meaning for her.
“If you’re not pleased with the contract, I can change its contents as you wish.”
The choice was solely mine.
To become a Dragon Knight or to refuse the request.
“To be honest, I’m not sure.”
What being a Dragon Knight entails, what responsibilities I must bear. I didn’t know what I should do.
It was too good of an offer to accept recklessly.
So, I decided to take a step back for now.
“Is that so…”
With a voice full of regret, the nameless dragon shook her head.
I felt sorry, but I decided to be as rational as possible.
I knew that the proposal was meant to help me.
But a master-servant relationship was never a light matter.
Above all, everyone warns not to enter contracts recklessly.
During the brief pause in the conversation, I observed the nameless dragon’s state.
She was still deeply lost in thought with a serious gaze.
She seemed determined not to give up.
After finishing her thoughts, she finally spoke up.
“In that case,”
After taking a moment to collect her breath, the nameless dragon uttered unexpected words.
“Don’t you want to become stronger than Erina-nim?”
“What?”
I never expected Erina’s name to come up in this situation.
I could understand why she hesitated until she spoke.
I couldn’t hide my surprise.
Unintentionally, the nameless dragon hit the nail on the head with my desires.
“Erina-nim is strong. She single-handedly annihilated the Demon King’s army, so I can’t evaluate her lightly.”
But I was different.
I struggled even against ordinary demons, let alone confronting the Demon King’s army.
“I felt something odd when I saw Erina-nim commit murder.”
She had killed people before.
But unlike Erina, she wasn’t indifferent to murder.
Even if someone is wicked, feeling instinctual guilt after killing a person is normal.
But she didn’t show any remorse.
Instead, she defended herself countless times, claiming she had done nothing wrong.
“And then, the same thing happened again.”
“…”
“I thought Seo-Hyun would be furious. But you weren’t. No, you couldn’t be.”
She was merely criticizing Erina in a calm tone.
I also wanted to scold Erina.
I wanted to get angry and tell her never to kill anyone.
But I couldn’t.
I couldn’t lay a finger on her other than calmly reprimanding her.
She was stronger than me.
There was no way to stop Erina.
Even now, I don’t know what Erina thinks of me.
The good news was that, as the Goddess said, she had no intention of treating me poorly.
But if Erina were to try to kill me right now, I wouldn’t be able to resist at all.
The nameless dragon saw through the exact nature of my relationship with Erina.
“You’re right.”
Therefore, I needed a means to control Erina.
To do that, I needed to become stronger.
I needed to consider her proposal more seriously.
“What happens if I become a Dragon Knight?”
It didn’t just mean providing help as a comrade.
The nameless dragon spoke as if she had been waiting for that question.
“According to legend, the dragons who served a Dragon Knight have never been defeated by anyone.”
It couldn’t simply be dismissed as a legend.
No matter how simple the MacGuffin was, it would not have contained lies in the information.
However, to have never been defeated even once. How could that be possible?
I could have thought of it as an exaggeration in the legend, but surely there must be some underlying meaning.
“It is said that the Dragon Knight’s oath pledges one’s life as collateral, but instead offered the Dragon Knight a power stronger than anyone else’s.”
“An oath?”
“I heard so. Although it was made with the magic of the dragon, practically it’s no different from a vow.”
Though it’s said to pledge the life, it’s only a constraint for the dragon.
To put it simply, even if the dragon dies, there’s no hindrance to the Dragon Knight, but if the Dragon Knight dies, the dragon also perishes.
In essence, it’s a condition disadvantageous only to the dragon.
There was a reason it was called an oath rather than a contract.
‘Hold on.’
The Dragon, and the Dragon Knight. A lifelong contract. And an oath.
Suddenly, one assumption crossed my mind.
If my assumption is correct, then the dragon’s words and the stories handed down in legends could somewhat make sense.
‘Rare class.’
If it’s not just a contract but granting a class, then everything starts to make sense.
Swordsman. Archer. Healer. Magician.
Basic classes could be easily obtained with a test from the training ground’s instructor.
However, there were also hidden classes that couldn’t be easily obtained.
Quite literally, hidden classes. The method to obtain them was unknown.
Sometimes people who obtained hidden classes posted strategies in the community, but none of them could make use of it.
There were speculations about specific triggers or pure luck, but a definite answer couldn’t be reached.
‘Interfered with the System.’
The words of the Goddess came to mind. She said she manipulated the system to provide assistance.
That’s how I acquired the skill “Special Connection”.
Thanks to it, I could meet the nameless dragon and become companions with her.
While it was unheard of to have a companion event from a skill or item, hidden classes were possible. They were occasionally reported in the community.
‘I see.’
No matter how much of a Goddess she was, she couldn’t create nonexistent skills.
So, she included obtaining a rare class as a benefit.
Now, everything finally made sense.
The nameless dragon had come up to me, right in front of me.
“Seo-Hyun, could you please trust me?”
She bowed earnestly towards me once again.
She sincerely reached out to me.
Unlike Erina, she seemed to have no intention of deceiving me.
So, I decided to believe her sincerely.
“I trust you more than Erina.”
“What…?!”
The nameless dragon was taken aback by my sudden words.
From her perspective, it was enough to be surprised.
Even I found it a bit surprising to say it myself.
If you think simply, there was no comparison.
Erina was a character I created.
The nameless dragon was an opponent I encountered in the first round.
But now, facing Erina’s true self, the story was different.
Erina and the nameless dragon.
If I had to trust only one person, who should it be?
I decided to side with the nameless dragon.
Erina was deceiving me.
Not only did she bring about the destruction of Heaven and imprison the Goddess, but she also brought me to this world.
I wanted to deny the Goddess’ words, but I had to think objectively.
It was too dangerous to blindly believe in her just out of affection.
Even if I couldn’t defeat her, I had to become strong enough that she wouldn’t be able to treat me poorly.
I needed to have means to resist even if she betrayed me.
But it was impossible with conventional methods.
Even looking at the levels Erina had accumulated, I couldn’t reach them in a short time.
However, if I were with the nameless dragon, the story might be different.
Objectively, she was very strong.
Even though she belittled herself, she belonged to the ranks of formidable individuals.
Even in the first playthrough, she was the most difficult opponent among the Four Heavenly Kings.
She was stronger than her master, Alfred.
If she cooperated with me, Erina wouldn’t be able to move recklessly.
“I want to believe in you.”
At the very least, she hadn’t lied to me.
Instead, she had laid bare her dark past without reservation.
She had bowed her head to me, someone much weaker than herself, and urged me to form a master-servant relationship.
A rare class. A trustworthy companion. An opportunity to become stronger.
Everything I had hoped for was right before me.
There was no longer any reason to hesitate.
“You mentioned entering into a contract, right?”
“Yes, yes…!”
“Can we do it right now?”
I decided to trust the nameless dragon.
I hoped she would prove that I had made the right choice.
