The black pupil hovering in midair hadn’t truly left the world of shadows.

After all, it only appeared when Alon used magic.

Despite that, the fact that the Spirit Dragon could perceive the pupil stemmed from its inherently superior existential rank compared to other life forms.

This was also true for the Shadow Spirit Dragon, which, despite the name, shared the same essence as the Spirit Dragon.

Thus, the Shadow Spirit Dragon noticed the pupil that belonged to the world of shadows.

Having only just been born, it failed to realize that it wasn’t supposed to perceive such a thing.

And because of that…

Tremble… tremble… tremble…

The Shadow Spirit Dragon froze on the spot.

It instinctively understood that the pupil before it was a being fundamentally different from itself, one whose rank was so overwhelmingly high that the gap between them was indescribable.

That ridiculous difference in rank restored the Spirit Dragon’s wisdom and intelligence, which had been lost when it consumed human blood.

Though the Shadow Spirit Dragon was newly born, it began thinking for itself—how to survive in this situation.

With black shadows dripping around it, the first thought that crossed its mind was, “Should I fight?”

Even though its wisdom and intelligence had returned, its feral temperament remained intact.

However, it soon abandoned that idea.

Even if it were to fight, there was no chance of victory against a being so powerful, especially when its master had supplied it with magical power.

The Shadow Spirit Dragon continued to ponder deeply.

Eventually, it found the best way to survive in this blatantly antagonistic situation: submission.

The moment it made that decision, it began scanning its master’s office.

Although it had just been born, it instinctively knew that earning the favor of a supreme being required an act of submission.

Dozens of red eyes rolled around before they finally settled on something sitting on Alon’s bedside desk—a small statue.

It was the cat figurine Alon had received as a gift from the oil merchant.

The Shadow Spirit Dragon’s eyes gleamed.

***

The next morning…

“…?”

The first thing Alon saw when he woke up was a black cat sleeping on top of him.

A short while later…

“So, you’re telling me… that’s the Spirit Dragon?”

“Yes.”

The creature, which was now curiously exploring the office, was undeniably a cat—or rather, the Shadow Spirit Dragon.

“…That looks like a cat.”

“It is.”

“But how is that a dragon?” Evan asked, his face full of doubt.

His skepticism didn’t last long, however, as he soon noticed the black cat’s silhouette shimmering like a heat haze.

“It… doesn’t look normal, but still, it’s more of a cat than a dragon. How can that be the Shadow Spirit Dragon?”

“The egg is gone.”

“The egg?”

Evan finally noticed that the black egg, which had previously been behind Alon, had completely disappeared.

“Oh, you’re right.”

Regardless of whether the two were paying attention, the Shadow Spirit Dragon roamed around, observing its surroundings with its red eyes.

“It really just looks like a cat.”

“But it’s not an ordinary cat.”

“Well, true. Its fur is… flowing in an unusual way.”

Alon remained expressionless, but inwardly he felt a strange sense of unease.

‘It’s definitely the Shadow Spirit Dragon…’

The red eyes left no room for doubt.

Even so, Alon couldn’t help but feel uncertain because of what he knew about the Shadow Spirit Dragon’s nature.

‘Even if its appearance is that of a cat… it doesn’t seem violent.’

According to what he knew, a Shadow Spirit Dragon would massacre every living being around it the moment it was born.

Yet, the one before him showed no such tendencies.

In fact…

Tap, tap~

The creature gently tapped at a book sticking out from the bookshelf with its front paw.

…It looked more ridiculous than terrifying.

After a moment of contemplation, Alon called out softly,

“…Blackie.”

[Meow?]

The Shadow Spirit Dragon immediately turned around and ran toward him with little hesitation.

“…Blackie?”

“It’s a name.”

Evan, finding the name unexpectedly sweet, gave Alon a strange look.

“Don’t you think that’s… a bit too soft for something like a Shadow Spirit Dragon? Also, its cry… doesn’t really sound like a cat, does it?”

Evan felt slightly uneasy, but that didn’t stop the small kitten-sized Blackie from reaching Alon.

‘…It listens well too.’

Alon continued to stare at the Shadow Spirit Dragon with a perplexed expression.

No matter how he looked at it, this dragon was nothing like the descriptions he had read in the manual or the information he had heard from Rine about the ‘Egg of the Spirit Dragon.’

For a brief moment, he wondered if this was truly a different entity, as Evan suggested.

However, he quickly shook his head.

This creature, which looked like a cat, was definitely the Shadow Spirit Dragon.

He could sense the strange, almost extraordinary aura emanating from it right away.

“Hm.”

After quietly observing the Shadow Spirit Dragon for a while, Alon placed both hands under its front legs and lifted it into the air.

And then…

The cat’s body stretched out.

“…Huh??”

Evan’s startled voice broke the silence.

It was only natural—although Alon had lifted it with his hands, the cat’s legs, which should have left the ground, remained on the floor, while its body stretched longer.

In the blink of an eye, the Shadow Spirit Dragon, which had been about the size of Alon’s forearm, grew until its head reached Alon’s waist.

Noticing the odd stares, the creature belatedly lifted its legs off the ground.

Swoosh.

Thus, a moment later than expected, the Shadow Spirit Dragon ended up properly in Alon’s hands.

Alon put the creature back on the floor and lifted it again.

Once again, its body stretched out.

After repeating the action a few times, the small creature began to catch on and hurriedly withdrew its body a little faster each time.

“…It really is the Shadow Spirit Dragon.”

“See?”

“Yes.”

The two were now certain.

[Meow?]

While being lifted, the creature tilted its head slightly in an adorably curious manner.

Alon stared at it quietly for a moment before setting it down and standing up.

“Where are you going?”

“I thought I’d read the letter again, just in case. I fell asleep after thinking about its contents last night. I’ll fetch it—keep an eye on things.”

“Yes.”

Tap tap—

[Meow?]

After Alon left, Evan turned to look at the Shadow Spirit Dragon—now called Blackie—with a curious expression.

As soon as Alon disappeared, the creature began inspecting its surroundings again, occasionally tapping interesting objects with its front paw.

Even someone as indifferent to pets as Evan couldn’t help but be intrigued.

Though Blackie’s form seemed slightly off for a cat, it was undeniably adorable.

Compelled by curiosity, Evan approached and, just as Alon had done earlier, lifted Blackie.

“Oh.”

Evan marveled at how Blackie’s body stretched endlessly, nearly doubling in length compared to when Alon had lifted it earlier.

Though it was somewhat bizarre, the creature’s wide, innocent eyes were so cute that he couldn’t help but admire it.

However, just then…

“…Huh?”

Evan noticed something.

With a sudden squelch, dozens of red eyes began appearing along Blackie’s long body.

But that wasn’t all.

A huge mouth, lined with sharp teeth, emerged in the middle of its elongated form.

“Graaahhhh—!”

With a grotesque sound, Blackie opened its gaping mouth wide toward Evan, who could only stare in stunned silence.

Then, without a word, Evan slowly crouched down and set Blackie back on the floor.

Pitter-patter—

As though nothing had happened, Blackie began glancing around with its bright, curious eyes.

And just then…

“…Why are you kneeling there?”

Returning to the office, Alon noticed Blackie rubbing its head against his feet and gave it a gentle pat. He also noticed Evan, who remained frozen in a kneeling position, looking bewildered.

“Evan?”

“Lord Marquis.”

“?”

“I think… that’s definitely the Shadow Spirit Dragon.”

“…Why the sudden certainty?”

“It’s… really, very scary.”

He replied absentmindedly, still shaken.

Alon, puzzled by his words, glanced at Blackie.

[Meow?]

Blackie simply tilted its head, looking up at Alon with slightly larger-than-normal, innocent eyes.

***

After some time had passed, Alon ultimately decided to postpone any decisions regarding Blackie.

There were two main reasons for this decision.

The first reason was that Blackie was much tamer than expected and followed Alon obediently.

Of course, Evan seemed to avoid going near Blackie altogether at some point, but that was beside the point.

The second reason was the letter sent by Rine, which mentioned that if Alon managed to successfully subdue the Shadow Spirit Dragon and establish a bond with it, there would be no need to dispose of it.

“…”

Alon glanced down at Blackie, who was napping on his lap, and then shifted his gaze to the small symbol drawn beneath his right wrist.

This marking hadn’t existed before the Shadow Spirit Dragon hatched.

It had appeared right after Blackie was born, and Alon was certain that it was a submission mark.

In other words, the chances of Blackie posing any threat to him had vanished.

However…

‘…When did it happen?’

The problem was that Alon had no idea when this mark had appeared.

Based on both his prior game knowledge and what he had learned about magic in this world, it was said that preparing a submission mark required a specific process.

Yet, Alon pushed that thought aside as he was used to doing.

What mattered was that Blackie no longer posed a threat to him.

As for the mark, he knew he wouldn’t figure anything out by dwelling on it.

‘I guess I’ll have to ask Rine about it when we stop by the border.’

Having sorted out his thoughts, Alon spoke up.

“Evan.”

“Yes, Lord Marquis.”

“It’s time to move.”

“Oh, we’re heading to the border?”

“Yes. All the work here is done.”

After informing Evan, Alon added,

“That’s true. But weren’t you planning to research the Shadow Spirit Dragon further? You mentioned something about its magic.”

“We can figure that out on the way.”

“In that case, I’ll make the preparations.”

Watching Evan leave the room, Alon lowered his gaze.

Blackie was still sound asleep.

‘Unity with shadows, huh. What could it mean?’

Alon quietly pondered the phrase he had seen written when he first obtained the Spirit Dragon’s egg.

***

Around the time Alon was preparing to leave for the border,

Yuna was finally about to participate in the long-awaited Blue Moon meeting.

Filled with excitement and anticipation, she suddenly recalled Hidan.

More precisely, she recalled the words of her close friend and comrade, with whom she had worked as a member of the Blue Moon for over a decade: ‘Don’t get your hopes up too much.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

She was certain that Hidan had been just as eager and full of admiration at first. Hadn’t he been thrilled and bragging about being able to attend the meeting back then?

But the image of Hidan with his jaded expression last time briefly crossed her mind.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Yuna focused on arriving at the meeting on time.

Inside the meeting room,

The five moons, revered by all members of the Blue Moon, sat elegantly, exuding an air of dignity.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Despite her tension, Yuna lowered her head, feeling the solemn ambiance she had imagined all along.

‘Why did he tell me not to get my hopes up? It’s exactly how I pictured it.’

She glanced at Hidan, who sat quietly in a corner with a composed expression, and felt puzzled.

About thirty minutes passed.

“…Rejected. Erecting a statue is not allowed.”

“Why not?”

“If it were like the case of the Merkilane territory, where they were saved from a crisis, it would be understandable, but erecting statues recklessly would be too conspicuous.”

“So, as long as we rescue a territory from a crisis, like Merkilane, and attribute it to the Great Moon, there’s no problem? Hidan, how many Abyssal Forms did we retrieve?”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Well, we’ll hold onto a few for now and create plausible reasoning—”

Yuna watched as the First Moon casually spouted such bizarre ideas without batting an eye.

‘…What?’

At that moment, she realized something was off.