After Putting the Slayer of the Night to Sleep, I Ran Away - Chapter 109

It had been over five hours since Ayla had locked herself in the Imperial Library.

Her hands, covered in dust from rummaging through countless books, finally stopped.

“I found it.”

A faint sense of relief mingled with the breath she exhaled in elation.

Her eyes began to follow the lines of text written on the old paper.

The title of the book was ‘On the Birth and Myths of Neighboring Countries’.

The page she stopped at contained the founding myth of the North, which was once a duchy.

“In the barren land where fierce snowstorms blew along the mountain range,

a dragon with black scales and red eyes made its nest in the desolate and harsh North.

This dragon, mixed with human blood, often took on human form and walked the land.

One day, the dragon fell in love with a woman.

Their love bore fruit, bringing adorable children into the world.

For his beloved woman and children, the dragon built a castle with treasures he had collected over the years.

The dragon, transformed into a human, was blindingly beautiful.

People naturally flocked to him with admiration and trust, among them a woman called ‘Shan’.

Shan earned the dragon’s trust with her outstanding martial prowess and loyalty, and was tasked with protecting his children.

However, Shan was blinded by the dragon’s power and beauty, neglecting her duty as she watched over him.

As a result, the dragon’s eldest son lost his life.

Not long after, the dragon’s wife also passed away, deeply heartbroken.

Only then did the dragon realize how weak and foolish humans were.

He decided to leave, entrusting Shan with his remaining children and giving her a final gift.

It was a carving made from the tears he shed for humans.

─ Just once, if you say what you desire, it will be fulfilled.

Shan knelt before it and swore an oath in blood.

That she would eternally repent for the sin she committed, fascinated by what she could not have.

─ I will only see and hear for the sake of protecting.

From that day on, the dragon never appeared before people again.

Some say the dragon left the land of the North, while others say he fell into a deep sleep, but none of it has been confirmed.

However, sightings of those with unbelievable abilities have been steadily reported, and people call them ‘Shan’s Daughters’.”

“…It’s similar to the story Bella told me.”

Ayla closed the book and quietly exhaled.

Something was knocking deep inside her heart.

‘The only difference is that Bella called her ability a divine punishment.’

It was understandable.

If Shan’s will was passed down to her descendants, they could certainly feel it as a punishment.

Shan in this myth repented for her sins and begged for the ability, but wasn’t it an unwanted ability for her descendants?

Shan may have sworn an oath as a price for her mistakes, but her descendants were a different story.

Having suffered all sorts of hardships with an unwanted ability, it made sense that it was called a divine punishment.

‘She definitely said it was a dragon when I asked about her ancestor, the god. The name…’

Ayla, retracing her memories, murmured as if realizing something.

“Artien.”

It was also the name of the god Bella had told her, and the name of the magician she had met in the Grand Duchy.

After leaving the library, Ayla returned to her room under the escort of an Imperial Knight waiting in front of the door.

As soon as she was free from the knights’ surveillance beyond the closed door, she sighed involuntarily and moved her feet.

She didn’t like the darkness hanging over the unfamiliar room.

As Ayla trudged towards the table to turn on the lamp, she sensed something was wrong and stopped.

“…Leo?”

The man, sitting silently like a shadow, smirked.

Even in the unlit room, his red eyes were looking directly at her.

Ayla felt her heart sink.

The Imperial Knights should be stationed right outside the door!

“Why are you here?!”

Leo cut off her words of protest.

“You are always testing my patience.”

He slowly approached, hiding in the shadows of the corner.

His red eyes gleamed in the darkness.

“If you truly didn’t want me to come running.”

Leo, who had come to a stop in front of her, added through gritted teeth.

“At least you should have been where Wiltus’s eyes could reach.”

Ayla, inferring one thing from his words, which sounded like a complaint or a scolding, asked back.

“How long have you been waiting?”

“Three hours.”

He spat out the words.

“If it had been any later, I would have turned the Imperial Palace upside down. You know better than anyone that my patience isn’t that long.”

Only then did she realize how anxious he must have been.

What kind of imagination would he have had, standing here blankly, waiting for her to come?

Ayla held his hand tightly and opened her mouth in a soothing tone.

“I’m sorry. I just went to the library for a while. There was some data I wanted to look up.”

“Ha. My wife is so relaxed. The library in the midst of all this.”

“If I had known you could come and go in the Imperial Palace like it was your own home, I would have gone to the restaurant instead of the library. How can you lock someone up and not even feed them?”

Ayla, who threw the words like a joke to change the atmosphere, glanced at Leo.

Leo’s eyebrows twitched at her pouting words.

“Did you skip your meal?”

“Yes. They didn’t give me any.”

“These sons of bitches. Haa. Just wait a little bit.”

Ayla hurriedly grabbed him as he turned away with a displeased face.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get you something to eat.”

“I don’t want you to. I’ve only just seen your face.”

Leo’s hardened face slowly relaxed at her outburst of sincerity.

“You said you were hungry.”

“I can bear it. And that’s not what’s important right now.”

Ayla carefully grabbed his arm and moved to the corner, worried that they might be heard outside the door.

Then, she carefully pulled out the necklace she had put inside her clothes and showed him the pendant.

“Can you see this?”

Excitement was evident in Ayla’s voice.

“It’s what the magician I met in the Grand Duchy gave me. That man, I think he’s a dragon.”

“…A dragon?”

“Yes. Have you heard of the founding myth of the North?”

“I remember hearing it when I was young. I listened carefully because it was a story about my mother’s country.”

“The name of the dragon that appears there is Artien.”

Compared to Ayla’s tone, which seemed to have discovered something great, Leo’s expression as he nodded and replied was calm.

“I know. That’s why the name Artien is common in the North.”

“Ah!”

Ayla, who had a look of not knowing for a moment, continued.

“Anyway, if that magician is a dragon, then everything fits perfectly. Besides, this pendant he gave me. I think this is the dragon’s tear that appears in the myth. He told me that. Just once, it will grant you what you desire.”

Ayla held the faintly glowing pendant tightly in both hands.

Then, she said to him as if confessing.

“Leo. The situation is not good. After drinking the wine I gave him, His Majesty collapsed.”

“…Don’t worry too much. Basically, the Imperial Family has resistance to poison.”

It was a calm tone as if trying to reassure her, but it didn’t fool Ayla.

Seeing him more subdued than ever, Ayla felt a pang in her heart.

How could he be okay?

His father was struggling between life and death in the hands of his enemies.

Ayla pulled herself together and continued.

“Alexander said that His Majesty’s life is not in danger. But who knows how long that will last.”

“I’m going to strike the Imperial Palace soon.”

“You’re going to strike the Imperial Palace…?”

Leo’s resolute voice was etched into Ayla’s ears, who was surprised.

“My knights have already completed their assembly. You will escape from here with me, and the Empress will try to fight right away, but in the end, she won’t be able to help it.”

His red eyes sparkled fiercely.

“Because the son that the Empress loves so much is in my hands.”

“His Highness the Second Prince?”

“Yes. I can’t understand the Empress who started this while keeping Edward and me together. Does she still think I’m just a twelve-year-old child.”

Leo clicked his tongue briefly and intertwined his fingers with hers.

“So don’t worry about anything. If we go back like this and wait a few days, I’ll take care of everything.”

Ayla smiled softly and leaned her head against his chest.

Since some time ago, he has always been a place for her to lean on.

However, that didn’t mean she was going to rely on him every time.

She quietly shook her head and said in a persuasive tone.

“If I disappear too, the Empress won’t stay still.”

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