Chapter 32 : Uninvited Guest (1)

The bright full moon shone on Emila, who sat leaning against the window frame.

Emila stopped crying and gazed at the full moon.

She continued to ask herself questions.

‘Why, exactly?’

‘What are you trying to do for me now?’

‘…I’ve already lost everything, so why?’

‘What do you expect from me?’

No matter how many questions she asked, the once noisy status window remained silent now.

As if telling her to figure it out on her own.

Seeing this, Emila looked at the full moon once more.

“…Is it okay for me to be happy?”

At her tearful question, the full moon simply smiled brightly, radiantly.

Dumbfounded, Emila glanced at her status window.

[Title: The Most Unfortunate Lucky One]

Perhaps, this was the most fitting title for her.

That’s what Emila thought.

At the same time, a question arose.

She had wished to be happy, and she had gained power.

But how could she be happy?

She had no family.

No place to return to.

No one to take care of her.

In a world that had done nothing but take from her, how could she possibly find happiness?

Emila pondered over it repeatedly.

And at last, she arrived at a conclusion.

“Revenge.”

Revenge on the empire that had destroyed her.

Revenge on the dragons that had abandoned her.

Revenge on those who had taken everything from her.

Yes, there was no doubt about it.

The reason the gods had not yet forsaken her was because they wanted her to achieve vengeance.

And to show her that revenge was the only happiness the world had allowed her.

“…Can I be happy?”

“If I take my revenge, will I be happy?”

There was no need to hesitate.

Such worthless thoughts would only drag her deeper into the abyss.

For now, she just had to move as the gods willed.

After all, she was a saved being.

Emila’s already twisted way of thinking only became more corrupted as she gained power.

“…I need to start.”

She couldn’t defeat the Grand Mage yet.

Then, at the very least, she would destroy his domain and flee.

And from wherever she fled, she would take revenge again.

On those who had ignored and oppressed her.

“Grandmother, Grandfather.”

On the one who had feigned concern while dripping with hypocrisy.

“Uncle.”

With a small smile, Emila whispered.

“…Wait for me, I’ll be back.”

What expressions would they make?

Would they point fingers at her, saying the filthy half-dragon had returned? Or would they welcome her?

“…No, not a welcome.”

Emila quickly shook her head, erasing the thought.

“…They will all despise me.”

“Because I’m dirty. Because I don’t have pure blood…”

Muttering to herself, Emila summoned her status window.

“Give me power.”

[Would you like to use the title: Child of the Moon?]

“…Yes. I’ll use it.”

[Stats are being granted.]

[Divinity of the gods—Rank increased.]

[Duration: 00:15:00]

[The gods are watching over you.]

After the messages appeared, a soft lavender light enveloped Emila’s body.

“I want to destroy this place.”

[Effect: Searching for a suitable skill from Divine Proxy.]

[…]

[…]

[Confirmed. Skill: Crimson Moon will be used.]

As soon as the status window displayed the message, a massive crimson moon appeared above the Grand Mage’s chamber.

[For the user’s safety, you will be moved beyond the blast radius.]

The mountain behind the fortress—one she had always only looked at through the window.

From there, Emila witnessed a breathtaking sight, one that could be seen only once in a lifetime.

A gigantic crimson moon rising above the fortress.

And then, as it fell, the fortress crumbled beneath it.

The view was nothing short of spectacular.

As she stared at the collapsed fortress, now wiped clean by the moon’s descent, Emila felt a sense of emptiness.

But convincing herself that she was happy, she forced a smile.

“…I’m happy, to the point of tears.”

With those words, Emila turned away without hesitation.

“There was no paradise where I ran away…”

“…But going back to hell doesn’t seem like a good idea either.”

“Then, what if I just erase hell altogether?”

With a faint smile, Emila took a step in the direction of the Dragon Kingdom.

The cold autumn air somehow felt warm and comforting, as if it were embracing her.

“Beautiful.”

For the first time in her life, Emila muttered such a sentiment while looking at the Empire.

And then, in the depths of the forest—

“…H-Heuuuk.”

Sophia, who had been searching for a rare, extinct herb at the Grand Mage’s request, collapsed onto the ground, her legs giving out from sheer terror.

“Wow~”

There were so many dragons.

Banners hung all around, grabbing my attention.

A roughly drawn crayon portrait of myself.

Beside it, a surprisingly high-quality illustration of me drooling in my sleep.

And then, messages of celebration scattered everywhere—

[(Cong)ratulations, Princess Minho!! (rats)]

[(Wel)come, Princess Yuri, don’t get sick!!! 😭😭😭 (come)]

[(Cheers) Hey, you too can be royalty! Welcome, Princess Yuri! (rah)]

[(Best) Princess Minho, come here!! (go)]

[(Cute) Princess Minho and Princess Yuri are adorable! (love)]

It seemed like they were quite invested in us.

Being the center of attention felt surprisingly nice.

“Come on, princesses, this way~”

Mom stepped onto the platform first and sat down in front of the feast.

My older sister, distracted by the overwhelming sight of so many dragons, awkwardly lifted me into her arms and carried me to our seats.

“Kyaa~~!!”

“The baby is holding a baby!”

“So cute!!”

The dragons squealed like fangirls.

For the record, the first one to scream “Kyaa” was a male.

A little flustered, I gave an awkward smile and waved, which only made their reactions even louder.

Startled by the overwhelming response, I quickly composed myself and sat beside Mom with a dignified expression.

“…?”

“Minho? What’s wrong?”

Feeling a strange sense of unease, I glanced around.

Mom noticed and asked me gently.

After a brief moment of contemplation, I finally realized what felt off.

“Where’s Dad?”

Wasn’t he supposed to have arrived before us?

Why couldn’t I see him anywhere?

As I kept scanning the crowd, Mom chuckled and explained,

“Your dad had something urgent to take care of.”

“He ran off right after watching you both stand there with your mouths open in awe.”

Oh, I see.

That’s a shame.

Now that the ceremony was about to begin, Dad was too busy to attend.

With no other choice, Mom took over the opening of the Birth Festival.

“Minho!!!!”

“Stay still, will you?”

“Shut up, human.”

“What?!”

While scanning the crowd for familiar faces before the ceremony, I spotted Void and Damian bickering in the middle of the crowd.

They sure got along well.

But why were they sitting all the way over there?

Grandma and Grandpa were sitting comfortably in the front row with chairs prepared for them.

“…Why are Damian and Void stuck in the middle like that?”

I asked, and Grandpa Hader chuckled warmly as he replied,

“Even cold water has a hierarchy.”

“No one under 4,000 years old gets to sit in the front row.”

“We made that rule yesterday.”

“They were being noisy, so we set the rule to keep the peace.”

“Imagine having those little brats sitting among us elders.”

As Grandpa Hader spoke, the other elders sitting beside him nodded in agreement.

So that’s why they were stuck in the middle.

It was a little pitiful, but it couldn’t be helped.

Hierarchy must be maintained, even for something as simple as seating.

A group of ancient elders versus kids barely past 500 (or 800 if you count reincarnations) and a barely 30-year-old.

Yeah, they definitely didn’t belong in the same row.

Leaving behind the NO Priority Seating sign, I looked at the countless people staring at me.

Seeing the pickets with my face drawn on them made me feel a little embarrassed.

My face looked much cuter than I expected.

Maybe they edited it.

“They drew your face really well.”

My sister looked at me and said so.

I blushed but agreed with her.

I mean, they really did draw it cutely.

“Yeah, it’s drawn really cutely.”

“Right? Though, of course, it can’t compare to the real thing.”

My sister grinned at me from across Mom.

Even though I knew it was just flattery, it still felt nice.

“Even if it’s just flattery, it makes me feel good.”

“What do you mean, flattery? I’m being serious.”

“Huh?”

“I said, I’m serious.”

My sister’s expression suddenly turned terrifying.

As if demanding that I acknowledge my own cuteness.

Mom, noticing my nervousness, gently patted my sister’s head.

“Yuri~? Minho looks scared.”

“Ah, sorry. I did it unconsciously.”

“It’s okay. Even if it were Mom, she would’ve done the same thing.”

“…Wait, what do you mean, even if it were Mom?”

What does that even mean?

Amidst the Countless Dragons…

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

“Huff, huff, huff…”

Covered in a tattered cloak and using the rags of her clothing to hide the wounds on her arms, Emila struggled to breathe.

It wasn’t due to illness.

She was simply overwhelmed with confusion, her mind spiraling into chaos, causing her breath to hitch.

“Wh-why…?”

A dragon beside her, noticing the cold sweat on her forehead, called for help while trying to support her.

“Why…?”

Something was wrong.

This wasn’t the kingdom she knew.

These weren’t the dragons she knew.

A half-dragon sitting proudly beside the queen…

Why?

How?

Half-dragons were supposed to be filth.

That’s how it should be.

Otherwise, what was the point of all the suffering she had endured?

Why did her parents have to meet the most miserable end possible?

“Hrk… kuhh…”

“M-Miss?! Are you alright?”

Emila collapsed to her knees, a searing pain tearing through her chest.

As she desperately tried to think, she finally reached a conclusion.

“…I see.”

“So that’s how it was…”

It wasn’t because she was a half-dragon.

It was because she was the dirty one.

I… I was the one who killed my parents.

But they were the ones who made me dirty in the first place.

So don’t pretend to care now.

Don’t try to help me now.

“Over here! A woman has collapsed!”

“Oh my! Hurry, we need to treat her!”

“Are you okay?!”

Surrounded by worried dragons, the light faded from Emila’s eyes.

“…I wish you’d all just die.”

“I don’t know anything anymore.”

“I… I don’t understand anything anymore.”

“Maybe… my mind is broken.”

“Maybe it’s too late to go back.”

“What should I do?”

“…I just want to be happy.”

Emila muttered lifelessly.

A system message appeared before her.

[Would you like to use the title: Child of the Moon?]

With vacant eyes, she stared at the words.

And then, she whispered softly.

“…Yes, I’ll use it.”