WCSVL 10

Chapter – 10

Dragon King.

The world into which Ruri had been summoned consisted of one continent.

That continent was home to many countries, among which there were four particularly great powers.

The Dragon Kingdom, ruled by dragon demi-humans.
The Beast Kingdom, ruled by lion demi-humans.
The Spirit Kingdom, ruled by qilin.
And the Empire—the mightiest of them all, ruled by humans.

If these four nations went to war, it was clear the continent would face catastrophe. For that reason, long ago, they had formed an alliance to refrain from fighting each other.

—

The Dragon Kingdom, one of those four, was now a place where demi-humans and humans lived together regardless of race. But in ancient times, it was founded by the dragon clan, who had liberated demi-humans from slavery at the hands of humans.

Although demi-humans were superior to humans in both magic and ability, they had lived in small, isolated tribal settlements and rarely interacted with other tribes beyond what was necessary. They lived closed-off lives, honoring each race’s traditions—but that very insularity became their downfall.

No matter how high an individual’s abilities, they were no match for overwhelming numbers. Some were killed, some were enslaved, and some took their own lives rather than be captured.

Among those who managed to escape, a few sought salvation from the dragon clan—the wisest and most powerful beings in the world.

The dragon lord of that era, enraged by the arrogant humans’ atrocities, freed the slaves and established a nation to accept and protect them.

The first king—that dragon lord—opened his arms to all, whether demi-human or human, who were wounded and had lost their place in the world. That was how the Dragon Kingdom, with its many tribes, came to be.

The king was always the most powerful among the dragon clan, and rule had been passed down through generations.

The current Dragon King, who had ascended to the throne at a young age due to his recognized strength, was now of marriageable age. Proposals had come not only from within his own kingdom but also from other nations—yet he showed no interest at all, remaining stubbornly single.

Those around him grew increasingly anxious about the Dragon King, who never even seemed to glance at women.

—

This day, too, Klaus gave a wry smile as he watched the king’s advisor, Agate, enter the royal office carrying a large stack of portraits—carefully selected, meticulously vetted candidates for marriage interviews from both domestic and foreign sources.

“That’s quite a lot this time, Agate.”

“This time, His Majesty simply *must* take a look. With this many, surely at least one will meet his standards. Here, Klaus, help me out.”

Klaus thought it would be better to just give up already, but he kept that to himself and followed Agate’s enthusiastic instructions to arrange the portraits on the desk.

“………By the way, where is His Majesty?”

“He’s gone out into the city.”

“Again? If only he would take a fancy to someone and bring them back.”

“That…… would be difficult, I imagine.”

“I wish His Majesty would learn from the Beast King of that other country. I heard he welcomed his nineteenth consort last month.”

“That does seem a bit excessive, doesn’t it…”

“Indeed. But think of our side—we have to send congratulatory gifts every time he takes a new consort. It costs money, and the finance and foreign affairs officials have been grumbling about how hard it is to avoid giving the same gifts as the other nations.”

As they chatted, the office door quietly opened, and two men entered. Klaus and Agate turned toward the one who stepped in first and immediately bowed.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty.”

“Yeah.”

The Dragon King gave a brief nod, then laid eyes on his desk—the one he used for work—now completely overtaken by portraits of women. His mouth twitched involuntarily.

“What is that?”

“Why, they are candidates for Your Majesty’s bride, of course. Not just one—if any strike your fancy, you may take as many as you like. Each and every one is impeccable in lineage, appearance, and magic, worthy of becoming queen.”

Agate’s eyes sparkled with expectation. The Dragon King gave him a glance, stood silently before the desk, and raised his hand over the portraits. Flames roared to life across the desk, and the portraits turned to dust, carried away mournfully on the wind out the window.

“Ahhh!! What are you doing?! After I stayed up all night carefully selecting these ladies!”

“I told you, I don’t want them. In the first place, the Dragon King is chosen by strength—there’s no need for me to force myself to find a partner.”

“Nevertheless, it is also true that those with greater power tend to bear powerful children! If none of these suit your fancy, just bring *anyone* here. It’s not as if there’s anyone anyway, is there!”

“……………”

Agate had been so sure there was no one. But the king’s silence, his lack of denial, made Agate’s eyes go wide. Even Klaus, who had been watching from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow.

“………Could it be… that there *is* someone?”

“………It’s not necessarily about a partner. I just… thought I’d like to talk with her a little more.”

Though he hadn’t exactly confirmed it, the fact that there was a woman he viewed favorably became clear, and Agate’s face lit up with joy, his blood pressure shooting up.

“What?! That’s wonderful! Where is she now? What race? How strong is her magic? Tell me everything!!”

“Agate, perhaps you should calm down a little…… Incidentally, Finn, do you know anything about this?”

Klaus asked the man who had entered the room with the Dragon King and had been standing quietly by the entrance. If anyone knew, it would be Finn, who always served as the king’s guard and was constantly by his side.

But Finn crossed his arms, tilted his head as if thinking, and then shook his head.

“Finn doesn’t know either? Who is she, then?”

“I don’t know.”

“………Huh?”

“As I said, I don’t know.”

The Dragon King recounted what had happened that day in the capital’s back alleys—the woman being chased by thugs, how he’d tried to help but she had dealt with them herself before he could.

“We exchanged only a few words. I don’t even know her name. It’s just… her platinum-blonde hair was beautiful……”

The Dragon King looked at his own hand, as if recalling the silky texture of the hair he had unconsciously touched.

“My, what a rare color. Well done, Your Majesty.”

Sensing something, Agate gave a sly, knowing chuckle, then turned to Finn and pointed sharply.

“All right, Finn! Mobilize the dragon knights immediately to capture—no, to *escort* that platinum-haired woman to the castle with the utmost courtesy! We must not be rude to our future queen!!”

“Wait, wait, wait—I never said I was interested in her as a potential partner!”

Agate was practically ready to welcome her as a bride right then and there, and the Dragon King panicked.

“Come now, if you were drawn to her after just a brief exchange, that means something about her resonated with you. That’s just how dragon-kind are. It reminds me of my younger days.”

Agate spoke as if it were already decided, and the Dragon King held his head in his hands.

It was true he had been intrigued by the woman with the unusual hair color he’d met that day. But he had no intention of rushing into anything.

He had simply grown tired of Agate’s increasingly relentless advances. He’d mentioned having someone he was interested in, hoping it would calm things down—but it had backfired completely.

“Please, I beg you, don’t use the dragon knights.”

If word got out that he’d mobilized the dragon knights to search for a woman just because he was interested, he’d surely be met with knowing, warm-eyed looks from everyone around him. He’d be too embarrassed to walk through the city.

Sensing the Dragon King’s feelings, Klaus stepped in.

“Then let’s recall Joshua. Since the information gathering in Nadasha is no longer necessary. With such a distinctive hair color, we should be able to find her without using the dragon knights, Agate.”

“That’s true, isn’t it.”

Agate seemed convinced, and the Dragon King breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, he recalled the woman from that afternoon, and felt a quiet joy and relief at the thought of seeing her again.