This Villain Is Mine Now

Chapter 69

How could something like this happen?

Elaina’s body froze. She had completely forgotten about Moonshadow. No, even when she read it every night in her dreams, she had focused solely on its devastating content, never thinking about the language in which it was written. It had seemed natural that she could read it, simply because it was a dream.

But now, at this moment, looking back, it was anything but natural.

The memories were vivid enough that she could transcribe them. Only now did Elaina recall that the language written on each page of that book wasn’t the imperial language.

“[The result of showing even a sliver of mercy is this. Humans are, after all, always the same.]”

The man shook his head, his eyes hollow and sunken. He was gaunt, and his complexion looked unhealthy. His gaze shifted to one side—toward Lyle.

“[So, once again, you’re the one filling these humans with hopeless courage. A fool who doesn’t value his life. If I kill you, these insignificant ants will scatter like dust.]”

He raised his hand high, apparently intending to create another gust of wind.

In that instant, Elaina shouted desperately,

“[Stop!]”

The man’s hand halted as though caught in midair.

Creak. His gaze, which had been fixed on Lyle, turned toward Elaina. The look in his eyes was one that could kill, and Elaina felt as if her entire body had turned to stone. She had thought she was like a rabbit facing a wolf, but now it felt more like she was a mouse under the watchful eyes of a snake, unable to escape his gaze.

“[Who are you, human woman? How is it that you can speak the dragon’s tongue?]”

“[I… I don’t know. But I can speak it.]”

Elaina stammered, trying to explain. The mention of reading a book in her dream made the man’s face twist into a deep scowl.

“[Propheta. That damn being.]”

Yet despite his harsh words, there was a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes.

“[So it was you that the Propheta prepared. Yes, you are… a mediator, perhaps.]”

“[What do you mean by that?]”

“[You said you read a book in your dream. Teaching a human the dragon’s tongue? Only the Propheta would do such a thing.]”

At Elaina’s bewildered reaction, the dragon responded with irritation. He pointed his chin toward Lyle and continued.

“[I came here to kill that human man. But if you are indeed the one the Propheta prepared, that changes things.]”

The dragon’s eyes remained fixed on Lyle without moving an inch.

“[If you dreamed of the Propheta, then you must have some idea. I know this human’s future, woman.]”

Dragons were born with unique abilities. In his case, he was born with immense magical power. For dragons, magic was life itself, and thus he had lived for an extraordinarily long time.

However, as light cannot exist without shadow, his unparalleled magical power came at a steep price—he was born into unending pain. The greater his agony, the more powerful his magic became.

Other dragons shunned him, believing that his suffering was because he was not pureblood but rather a half-blood, born of a human and a dragon.

Propheta had been his only friend, his companion for many years. Possessing foresight and the ability to influence dreams, Propheta had allowed him to sleep, free of pain, and had maintained that dream.

It had been Propheta who suggested that he make his lair in the Mabel Mountains.

At first, he had refused, as it was too close to human territory. But, yielding to Propheta’s insistence, he moved to Mabel, where he found that the faint scent of herbs in the mountainous region helped alleviate his pain, if only a little.

He awoke from his slumber ten years ago. Waking from the dream that never seemed to end meant that Propheta had died.

“[That damned Propheta showed me in the dream. That human will one day become a madman and set Mabel ablaze. He is a man who will burn everything here to the ground.]”

The dragon told Elaina of Lyle Grant’s ultimate fate.

“This land belongs to House Grant, you wretched creature!”

It was what the deranged Lyle Grant had said to him in the dream.

The fire Lyle started burned everything. The herbs that had eased his pain and the lair that held whatever small meaning he could find in his otherwise barren existence—all of it reduced to ash.

In his fury, he killed Lyle in an instant. It was so swift that Lyle didn’t even feel the pain, and that only made the dragon’s rage burn hotter.

Thus, he resolved to burn the entire country that Lyle had been born into.

Eventually, he would burn down the entire empire and, drained of his strength, meet his end.

That was the fate Propheta had shown him.

“[Then why didn’t you kill Lyle sooner?]”

Elaina looked at him in shock. If what the dragon said was true, Lyle was someone who deserved to die. The dragon responded to her question with a sardonic smile.

“[Do you know how old I am? To survive for so long is to be strong, human woman. Unless that man sets fire to the mountain, I will not die but continue to suffer endlessly.]”

Nothing could pierce his skin; nothing could pierce his heart. Propheta had shown him Lyle Grant in the dream because Lyle was the only human who could kill him.

“[At first, I tried to kill him. But he dodged my magic. That’s when I realized—I had seen him before, in my dreams. His appearance had changed, so I hadn’t recognized him at first. So I let him live. But then I thought—why should I wait for him to grow old and mad?]”

The dragon’s expression and gestures were casual. To an uninformed observer, it might have looked like a foreigner having a conversation with Elaina in a language other than the imperial tongue.

She knew she should attack now—strike while the dragon was off guard.

If she loosed the arrow fitted with a scented sachet, it would fly straight to the dragon, but neither the knights nor anyone else could move a single step.

The dragon’s gaze was fixed on Elaina, but he was simultaneously watching everyone else. Experience on countless battlefields told them that even the slightest movement would result in immediate death.

“[You seem to understand your place well.]”

The dragon gave a faint smile as he watched the knights remain wary but unmoving.

“[Continue talking.]”

He had watched with growing frustration as the humans ventured into his territory again and again to hunt monsters.

He had seen it all in the dream—every step of Lyle Grant’s descent into madness.

The dragon would fail in the subjugation and return to the capital, only to face an even greater failure. After the death of his wife and losing all support from his father-in-law, Lyle would become a ruined man, eventually driven mad.

It would be a long time before Lyle Grant became the madman who set the fire. To the dragon, it might be a fleeting moment, but waiting in agony was another matter. To one who had lived as long as he had, it felt like an eternity.

So he thought.

Was there really any need to wait for Lyle to grow old and insane?

The answer was no.

If he was to die from exhausting his magic, he could set Mabel ablaze himself, could burn the empire to ashes himself.

“[So it would be wise for you to answer carefully, human woman. If Propheta showed you that dream, there must be a reason.]”

Elaina lowered her gaze to the sachet of herbs in her hand.

“With further refinement, it could also serve as a pain reliever.”

If dreaming of Moonshadow hadn’t been solely for Diane’s happiness, then… if it had truly been for the sake of this sick and weary dragon, then perhaps it had all led to this very moment.

Because she had married Lyle instead of Diane, Diane had been able to wed Nathan.

Because she had married Lyle, he had arrived in Mabel sooner than expected.

Because he had come to Mabel, he had gifted her with a sachet of mountain herbs.

Because of that gift, Nathan, a botanist, had taken interest and begun his research.

Because Leo had relayed Lyle’s situation to her via letters, she had come to Mabel.

Because she had come, Nathan had told her about the herbs just before she left.

And now, standing before this dragon—

Maybe it had never been a coincidence at all.

Elaina took a step closer to the dragon.

“Elaina!”

With a clatter, Lyle dropped his sword and ran toward her, grabbing her hand.

“What do you think you’re doing? Don’t you know what that is?!”

“[Oh? The man who was just ready to kill me has dropped his sword. You must be quite precious to him. And come to think of it, you stopped me from killing him too.]”

Elaina hesitated before responding, “[He is my husband.]”

At her words, the dragon’s expression twisted. Was this truly the same wife of Lyle Grant he had seen in the dream?

The change in his expression alone made the knights’ tension skyrocket. Sweat began to bead on their foreheads as they fought against the overwhelming pressure.

Lyle was no exception. His grip on Elaina’s wrist was so tight it hurt.

Gently, Elaina pried his hand away.

“It’s okay. I’m not in danger.”

“How can you talk to that… thing? Who are you really?”

“I’ll explain later. Just let me go for now. The dragon won’t hurt me.”

Lyle shook his head, drawing a short dagger from his waist. He pulled Elaina closer, shielding her within his embrace. The scent of him filled her senses.

“I’m going with you.”

Lyle still eyed the dragon warily, while the dragon merely shrugged.

“[It doesn’t matter. That toy called dagger can’t kill me.]”

Elaina nodded to Lyle, and the two cautiously approached the dragon. All eyes in the camp were on them, tense and fearful.

“[This is a sachet made by my botanist friend. It still needs refinement, but… but… if I’m truly the one you were waiting for, then it must be because of this.]”

“[A sachet, huh.]”

Elaina handed him one from the basket.

Tearing it open, the dragon took a deep breath.

For the first time, his expression softened.