Chapter 25

Chapter 25

A pillar of flame wrapped around my entire body.

Yet, for some reason, I didn’t feel it was hot. Rather, it felt gentle and warm—like being held in my mother’s arms as a child.

I thought I heard my siblings muttering something outside, but no sound reached my ears.

‘Is the inside and outside separated?’

It was the kind of bizarre phenomenon that should’ve made me uneasy, but perhaps because of the comforting warmth, curiosity came before worry.

That was when it happened.

As if mocking my complacent thoughts, an excruciating pain surged through my entire body.

Thump!

Starting from the tips of my toes, this thing settled in my heart like a spark.

“Dragon contract!”

Since I had already gone through this procedure once in my previous life, I immediately recognized it. This was where the real hell began.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself.

‘One… two… three!’

It began.

The spark embedded in my heart started to burn.

Ah. It’s hot.

So incredibly hot.

My heart was cooking. It was burning in real time. I never imagined I’d have to feel this damned pain again, but life is full of surprises.

‘Artica. If you were going to make the contract, you could’ve at least given me a warning.’

I blamed Artica for no reason. I had experienced many types of pain while living as Van Descartes, but the sensation of one’s internal organs burning from the inside—this was, without question, the worst.

Whoooosh!

It wasn’t just my heart—my whole bloodstream felt like it was bubbling and boiling.

‘This is just in my head. It’s all an illusion. Even this pain is nothing but an illusion.’

I tried to calm myself down.

In truth, the pain I was feeling now was phantom pain. This was a necessary procedure one had to go through in order to form a contract with a dragon.

However, the pain I felt was real.

“Phew…”

Somehow, it felt even more intense than what I remembered from my past life. There wasn’t much information available about dragon contracts, so even I didn’t know much.

The dragon chooses the human it wants to contract with, and if the so-called bond isn’t formed, the contract itself isn’t possible.

The contractor could draw upon the dragon’s magical power, and in some cases, they even experienced physical growth.

In a way, it was the contract I needed most right now.

‘But why the hell won’t this pain end already?!’

It seemed there was a difference from the contract I had made in my previous life.

No way...

Was it a Binding Contract?

Unlike a standard contract, a Binding Contract put the dragon’s life on the line as well. It tied the life of the dragon to that of the contractor. To put it simply—if I died, Artica would die with me.

Of course, natural death was an exception. To be exact, death would occur if the contract engraved in my heart was destroyed by someone else.

‘Was she that lonely, enough to risk her life…?’

Now I had yet another reason I couldn’t afford to die.

‘What is this? My body feels light?’

Suddenly, the pain vanished. And my body felt light. I looked down at myself to find the cause—and just like a bird breaking out of its shell, layers of my skin were peeling off, one by one.

I decided to accept the strange sight before me as it was. There wasn’t much I could do about it now, anyway.

Artica had put her life on the line to form a contract with me—so shouldn’t I, at the very least, endure it with everything I had?

‘How curious. Even if this is just a spiritual realm, my body feels unbelievably healthy here.’

I had no idea how much time passed after that.

When I opened my eyes again, the pain that had once dominated my body was completely gone, without a trace.

‘Is the contract over?’

The pillar of fire that had erupted from the ground had disappeared, and at last, I began to see my siblings’ faces. All of them were staring at me with such intensity, it felt burdensome. Somehow, though, it felt like their gazes weren’t on my eyes but somewhere… lower.

‘What is it? Why are they all looking down?’

Lux Winterbell was the first to speak.

“Little brother. Before we get into the details, I think you ought to put something on.”

Next was Lin Winterbell.

“You little brat. You proud of that thing, huh? Acting all manly?”

Then Marian.

“So, he is a man.”

Then Ron Winterbell.

“...As expected of a rival I’ve acknowledged.”

Finally, Cecil stared silently, expressionless as always, eyes fixed in one direction. It was only then, sensing something strange, that I lowered my head and looked at my body.

A skin-colored body with not a single thread on it.

Indeed, I was completely bare—top to bottom, without a shred of clothing.

In the truest sense, I was naked.

What they had been staring so intently at…

Naturally, I lowered both hands, and just then, Cecil, finally seeming to come to her senses, draped a robe over me—who knew where she’d gotten it from.

“You’ve become a man, young master.”

“…What are you saying, Cecil?”

“It’s nothing.”

“But why am I naked in the first place?”

“After the pillar of fire that rose from the ground disappeared, so did all the clothes you were wearing—without a trace.”

I slowly clenched and unclenched my fists. Then I moved both legs. Next, I checked my shoulders, arms, neck, and more.

‘My bone structure’s changed?’

There was an overwhelming surge of strength in my body—far beyond anything I’d felt before. To be precise, it felt as though my entire physique had evolved into something new.

It made me wonder if what I had witnessed earlier in that spiritual space had really happened to my body.

It was, quite literally, a shedding of my old self.

It must’ve been the effect of the contract… probably.

I couldn’t say exactly what had happened.

But there was one thing I was sure of.

‘At this level, I should be able to stay active for over ten hours without issue.’

Even without borrowing magical power, I could now move both legs freely without any major hindrance.

However, looking at it another way, it meant that it took the Poison King’s specially crafted elixirs, countless potent tonics, and now even a Binding Contract with the Red Dragon King for me to finally reach the point where I could walk normally again.

This all ultimately meant one thing—my body had been hopelessly ruined before. That only made me more determined to find and crush the bastard responsible for putting me in that state.

In my previous life, I had reached the edge of the 10-Star realm.

Though I regrettably never crossed the wall of transcendence, this life would be different.

“Daddy! I made the contract! I did well, right? Now you definitely can’t leave my side, okay~? Promiseee?”

As Artica rubbed her face against my chest, I gently stroked her hair and replied.

“Thank you, Artica. I’ll stay by your side for the rest of my life.”

“Hehe!”

With the contract now complete, it was time to clear up my siblings’ doubts. I would have to report all of this to Father once we returned to the family estate anyway…

‘Though I doubt he’ll let it slide this time.’

That was a problem for later.

.

.

.

“So what you're saying is… all of this happened thanks to some magical beast from the Mythical Age? That thing told you the answer? Goddamn it. How long are we supposed to keep swallowing this nonsense?”

“Hmmm… Is that really true, little brother?”

“Difficult to accept.”

As expected, their reactions were full of doubt.

I replied without changing my expression.

“Yes, it’s the truth. The Behemoth told me the Red Dragon’s true name, and based on what I heard from him, I acted the part of Artica’s father.”

“You’re saying the dragon couldn’t tell the difference between her father and you?”

I naturally covered Artica’s ears and responded.

“Isn’t it obvious she’s still a young creature? She was once known as the Light Dragon, so her memory might not be so clear. Besides, dragons having families—human families at that—makes no sense to begin with. It must be a coincidence that I resemble that man she thought was her father. Either way, I had to take a gamble to survive. I never expected things to turn out like this.”

“……”

Lin glared at me, speechless.

But so what if she didn’t believe me?

How exactly were any of them going to verify it?

If I said it was true, then it was.

Let’s be honest—would they believe me even if I told them I was a reincarnator? What more do they expect from me?

I couldn’t just stand by and watch Artica die right in front of me. In the end, this was the only choice I could make.

“You’re right. This might not be something we can judge ourselves. We should head back to the family estate for now. In any case, the situation’s resolved safely. Good work, little brother.”

“Not at all. You’re the one who worked the hardest, big brother.”

Marian looked at me and asked,

“…What about me?”

The sudden question caught me off guard, but I soon gave her a smile in return.

The classic business smile.

She was likely connected—directly or indirectly—to the one who crippled my legs. But there was no need to make enemies unnecessarily right now.

If they showed goodwill, then I, too, would respond in kind—and make full use of them.

“Of course. You worked hard too, Marian.”

Only then did Marian Winterbell nod in satisfaction.

That was when it happened.

Sensing movement from behind, my siblings and I turned our heads at the same time.

“Who’s there?”

“What the hell, are there still some stragglers left?”

Then, a group of people began to reveal themselves, one by one.

Judging from the multiple cargo wagons and the weapons at their sides, they seemed to be traveling merchants and the mercenaries hired to guard them.

A woman who appeared to be the leader stepped through the group, walked a few steps in our direction, then stopped and called out.

“We’re the mercenaries escorting the KOSDAQ Merchant Guild.”

She clearly looked like the commander of the mercenary band. Upon hearing this, Lin Winterbell snorted.

“Mercenaries? What the hell are a bunch of mercenary trash doing poking around here? You wanna die?”

Instantly, the mercenaries’ expressions hardened. But perhaps thanks to solid discipline, none of them made a rash move.

Before Lin Winterbell could say anything more, Lux Winterbell stepped forward and asked,

“Mercenary band? State your name and rank.”

“I’m Camille, commander of the Gold-Ranked Mercenary Band ‘Harlan’.”

“A gold rank, huh. Why are you here?”

“We came to inquire about the red dragon that was floating above. Do you know where that red dragon went?”

Lux Winterbell hesitated for a moment, then replied.

“…If you mean the red dragon, we took care of it.”

“You people did?”

Camille, sounding doubtful, cautiously added,

“May I ask your name, sir?”

“Lux Winterbell.”

The moment that name was spoken—

Camille, along with the mercenaries behind her, all dropped to their knees and paid their respects. Then, in a loud and ringing voice, they shouted:

“We greet the Little Wolf of the North!”

“We greet the Little Wolf of the North!”

It was a fresh reminder of the prestige carried by the Winterbell Ducal Family. For a mere mercenary band to react like this…

As someone originally from a rural village, it was a rare sight for me, but my siblings didn’t bat an eye. It was as natural to them as breathing.

“Rise.”

At Lux Winterbell’s word, Camille immediately stood.

“You said you were escorting a merchant caravan—where were you headed?”

“We were on our way to the Winterbell family’s territory.”

Upon hearing this, Lux Winterbell looked at me.

I figured he was thinking the same thing I was, so I nodded in agreement.

“Then we’re headed in the same direction. Would you mind if we accompanied you? We’ll make sure you’re properly compensated.”

Camille looked to an elderly man who seemed to be the caravan master. The old man rushed over in a fluster and exclaimed:

“Goodness, compensation is hardly necessary! It’s an honor for our guild just to escort such noble guests!”

A smooth-talking old merchant, clearly.

And then—

Among the cluster of mercenaries, I caught sight of a woman’s face that I knew all too well.

Wait.

Was I seeing things?

I rubbed my eyes just to be sure.

Rubbed them once, twice, again and again…

But that woman’s face remained crystal clear.

Thump. Thump.

“Bes…tia?”