CHAPTER 124: THE NIGHT'S SHELTER; THE DRAGONS' SHACKLES

Wang Yu, Sieg, and Noelle arrived at the small chapel where Darkness, the incarnation of the Lady of the Night, resided.

This chapel was, in reality, nothing more than Wang Yu's original safehouse, but the followers had repaired and renovated it with bricks and other materials to make it look like a proper church.

For some reason, the Lady of the Night particularly enjoyed sitting in the rocking chair she had set up at the entrance of the small safehouse.

Occasionally, she would take a walk inside the church at the request of her followers to observe what they were doing.

At times, she would also use the title of "Saintess" to convey the will of the Lady of the Night—that was, her own will—or even Wang Yu's intentions.

When Sieg and Wang Yu arrived at the chapel's entrance, what they saw was Darkness lazily reclining in the chair, rocking back and forth slowly. It was, admittedly, not a very dignified sight, but the Lady of the Night's natural aura of serenity and leisure gave her a unique kind of presence.

"Greetings, Lady Darkness. I am Sieg Wilsbach, Wang Yu's friend. I have come today to request the assistance of the Lady of the Night."

Darkness sat up, glanced at Sieg, then blinked. She then looked at Noelle, who was peeking out from behind Sieg's leg while clutching her brother's trousers, before finally turning to Wang Yu and giving him a meaningful look.

Wang Yu was confused. Was the Lady of the Night trying to give him a signal? She was becoming more and more humanlike and less like a deity.

Surprisingly, despite not being particularly skilled at reading people, Wang Yu quickly understood her intent. She was questioning whether Sieg could be trusted. Wang Yu nodded in affirmation.

"Hello, Mr. Sieg. I am Darkness, an incarnation of the Lady of the Night," Darkness said, standing up from the reclining chair and shaking Sieg's hand.

Her words caused even the worldly Sieg to rear back in surprise.

"My apologies for my earlier lack of respect, Lady Eunice, Queen of the Night," Sieg quickly corrected himself, realizing that he had addressed her incorrectly. Now that he knew the truth, he couldn't afford to be careless.

"Please, do not call me Eunice. Though that may have been my name in the past, I have since shed my shackles. I now prefer to be known as Darkness," she corrected him seriously.

"My apologies, Lady Darkness," Sieg replied.

"Very well. So, what is it that you and this adorable little dragon seek from me?" Darkness knelt down and extended a hand covered in black gauze to gently stroke Noelle's red hair.

Noelle looked a little nervous, but the Lady of the Night seemed to have a natural affinity for her. In the end, Noelle didn't shy away and allowed Darkness to pat her head.

"I would like to request that she be granted sanctuary in the Church of Nightfall for some time. If possible, I would also seek the blessing of the night for her, so as to prevent certain powerful entities from perceiving her," Sieg requested carefully. His tone was as warm and composed as ever, tinged with a rare trace of earnest pleading.

"Powerful entities? Did you provoke... Ah. The being from whom Wang Yu concealed you with the Firmament of Eternal Night Canopy? That was no god, though it was more powerful than anticipated. Was it perhaps a dragon?"

"Yes, Lady Darkness. I am a rebel—or, more precisely, my older sister is one."Sieg's tone turned grave. He rolled up his sleeve and unveiled the aura unique to dragons. Even in his human form, a layer of dragon scales appeared on his arm.

"Ah... I didn't expect you to be a dragon, too. I couldn't even sense it. Your concealment is quite formidable. With that level of skill, do you really need my protection?"

"No—this isn't the result of concealment, but rather an inherent defect. Those who know my situation call me the wingless dragon. My true name is incomplete, and my draconic circuits are flawed. I can neither use the Dragon's Tongue nor wield magic." Sieg shook his head. His expression remained unchanged. He had long since come to terms with this reality, and he had found his own path.

"Is that so? But dragons are beings of limitless potential, are they not? I imagine you have nevertheless managed to seek out strength."

Darkness nodded in understanding. She now recognized that the man before her was the very same crippled dragon whom Avia had shielded that day with the Firmament of Eternal Night.

"Indeed, I have found my own path. But as you said, the limitless potential of dragons has, in the end, also shackled our entire race," Sieg murmured, placing a hand over his heart. Even in his human form, that blazing heart still pulsed with intense heat.

"Is that so? I would like to hear more about your people's past. As for the protection you ask for, this is but a small favor. Since you are Wang Yu's friend, I will not refuse you." Darkness readily agreed to Sieg's request but also revealed her curiosity about his past.

Sieg was taken aback. It was his first time speaking so intimately with a god. He hadn't expected the Lady of the Night to exhibit such human-like curiosity.

Glancing up at the pitch-black sky, Sieg smiled wryly. "I suppose even Hugin can't complain that I told my story to a deity first. Lady Darkness, might I ask if we're secure against eavesdropping?"

"You need not worry. My domain has already enveloped this area. No other deities can perceive what you discuss here, nor that extraordinarily powerful dragon," the Lady of the Night assured him with calm confidence.

Sieg exhaled in relief.

"You two go ahead and talk." Wang Yu waved dismissively, having no intention of eavesdropping.

"It's fine. You can listen too, Wang Yu." Sieg clapped Wang Yu on the shoulder. Though he had not known Wang Yu for long, he trusted his judgment and believed in him.

"Thanks for the trust." Wang Yu didn't refuse. After all, it would be a lie to say he wasn't curious.

As Sieg began to recount his story, the reason the once-mighty dragons had faded from the world and become mere legends came to light.

Sieg's family was rather odd. He had no idea what kind of dragon he was, but it was obvious that he was crippled in some sense. His sister was a silver dragon, and his younger sister was a red dragon. Apart from him, they were all healthy.

His parents had been missing since their birth—a common occurrence among dragons. But for some reason, the three eggs in their clutch had hatched into three different types of dragons.

After Sieg was born, his older sister took care of him. Sieg quickly noticed a stark difference between them—his sister naturally grew stronger over time and developed various magical abilities.

But Sieg was different. Not only was he crippled, his true name was incomplete. His wings were malformed and his magical circuits crippled. No matter how much he aged, he gained no additional strength.

His body grew tougher with time, as was natural for dragons, but the magical and supernatural traits that should have defined his species were entirely absent for him.

For a time, Sieg felt lost, cast adrift. He was by far the weakest among the dragons. When he asked his sister why he had no powers, her answer was this: "The dragons lost the god who once bound them, only to have our king shackle us anew. And you, Sieg, were born in the brief window between those two events."

At the time, he didn't understand what his sister meant—not until the being his sister addressed as king appeared above the dragons' domain—an existence so powerful, so vast, and so overwhelming that he would never forget it.

A golden dragon's eye emerged from the clouds, followed by an enormous claw. Everything about it embodied the peak of draconic power—so much so that to the young Sieg, it felt almost unnatural.

Every dragon within their native lands seemed unable to resist worshiping it, fearing it, and submitting to it—all but Sieg and Sieg's older sister. Sieg, due to his own imperfections and the rift that had formed between him and his race, seemed to have developed unique resistance against it.

As for Sieg's sister—he still remembered that distinct presence she carried. That female dragon, standing in the cave where Sieg lived, shielding him and his unhatched sister behind her, her silver hair whipping in the wind as she faced that terrifying being. Uttering her own name, Aurelian, she forcibly shored up her own mental defenses and retained an independent will.

"When it departed, those who failed to hold onto their will became its subjects—or rather, its believers. To this day, I still don't know what it truly is. Aurelian only told me that our king replaced the god we once worshiped and that he has become our new shackles.

"The dragons who knelt to him form the majority of our race. They sealed themselves away on an island in the Endless Sea, now the one remaining nation of dragons.

"As for my sister, Aurelian—she entrusted Noelle to me and then set out in search of other dragons who had resisted, seeking to rebel against that being. She was always so confident, so strong-willed. Sometimes, I envied her; other times, I felt that she must be exhausted. Now that I think about it, it's been centuries since I last saw her. Noelle has grown so much since."

Sieg reached out and ruffled Noelle's head. He had long since bottled up this story, which could invite trouble just by being spoken aloud. Revealing it to trusted confidants now brought an unexpected sense of relief.

"An interesting story," the Lady of the Night murmured.

"Indeed," Wang Yu agreed.

"It doesn't surprise you?" Sieg asked Wang Yu. It was one thing for a deity like the Lady of the Night to be unfazed, but as for Wang Yu...

"It's too far removed from me. That thing must be absurdly powerful. Even if I cared, it wouldn't make a difference. Given my current strength, I can only treat it as a legend."

Wang Yu had always had a clear sense of his own relative importance. The professor's story was nothing short of shocking. It might well be tied to the hidden mysteries of the continent, but for Wang Yu, it still had no real impact on his present situation. His task remained the same: to focus on what lay before him.

"Ah, that's true." Sieg acknowledged Wang Yu's perspective and turned to thank the Lady of the Night once more. "I'm deeply grateful for your help. Please let Noelle stay with you for a while. I haven't been a very competent brother, and she's suffered because of that."

"It's no trouble. She's a lovely little one—no one here will mistreat her." Darkness spoke with fondness as she watched Noelle gradually grow more comfortable in her new environment. The little red dragon was actually quite lively, but she had suppressed her emotions to avoid burdening Sieg. She only seemed reserved because she had endured the disdain of other dragon children without fighting back.

"Well then, I'll be taking my leave. There's still much to do. The Nightblades will provide some funding to the Church of Nightfall—a token of my gratitude and a gesture of friendship. I hope your church prospers."

Sieg gave his little sister a hug, one she returned tightly. She was reluctant to part with her older brother, but understood the necessity of things. Then, he prepared to leave. Wang Yu, having nothing else to do, also planned to return to the capital.

On the way back, Sieg handed Wang Yu a jar.

"This is my gift to you. You've helped me a lot, Wang Yu."

Wang Yu took a look at the large jar of bright red liquid and was momentarily stunned.

"This... this isn't dragon's blood, is it?"

"Quite right. It's blood from near my heart. Back when I had no footing in the world, I used to sell it for money. It should be helpful for your training as a knight, but my blood doesn't contain the magical properties unique to dragons, so it won't awaken any magical potential in you—it will only strengthen your body."

"...Thanks. The fact that it lacks magic might actually suit me better." Wang Yu hadn't expected Sieg to gift him dragon's blood, a priceless treasure. The lack of magical interference, it might be even more compatible with his path.

"It's not a big deal." Sieg suddenly chuckled. "Dragon blood did make me feel rather arrogant back in the past. After all, this is one of the few things I share with 'proper' dragons. After struggling to integrate myself with human society, though, that arrogance faded away.

"Humans have had a profound impact on me. My imperfections may have robbed me of the strengths unique to dragons, but I've found something beyond their supposed ‘infinite potential.'

"The professors at the academies, the magicians—they all chose their own paths. And I can choose mine: knowledge.

"I believe knowledge is truly infinite in potential. Dragons, even that entity—they all have limits. But knowledge has none."