The ancient House of Draco.
They were a lineage that had taken shape since the primordial era, when mysticism still pulsed throughout the world.
Although they were currently undergoing a period of great calamity, the foundations they had built were not so fragile as to collapse overnight.
For example, the Hall of All Gods that belonged to House Draco was one such thing.
In the Eastern Mountains—within the temple that served as their base of operations—lay the weapons and idols of the enemies the Draco family had fought against for countless generations, all under the ticulous care of elder monks.
Among those items were treasures of such power that they could astonish the entire world.
The artifact I’m about to introduce, the Karma Changer, was one of them. A mysterious hand mirror capable of altering a person’s appearance.
In the novel Villain Hunter, it had been a treasure owned by a wicked necromancer, one of the masterminds behind an episode.
It had also appeared when Mirna once used it on , asking to "pretend to be her fiancé." Though that whole affair fizzled out in the end.
Hearing the na ntioned again, I couldn’t help but feel a strange wave of sentintality, realizing how much the story had changed since then.
That was when Elga asked:
"So, this Karma Changer thing—what is it? How do you use it?"
It was a simple question, and Mirna answered just as simply.
"Basically, it's a tool that lets you change your appearance once a month. It's quite the marvelous artifact. With that in hand, becoming soone else wouldn’t be difficult at all."
"What a weird thing. But hey, if sothing like that really exists, creating a fake identity and entering under that na wouldn’t be hard at all. So? Where is it? You got it on you?"
Elga scanned Nare and Mirna’s bodies up and down. Mirna let out a faint sigh and turned her head toward her twin sister.
"It should be in the villa mansion over in Ark... Nare, where’d you put it?"
"If you an the Karma Changer, I think I moved it to the main temple in the Eastern Mountains? Keeping it at the villa seed like it’d just rack up maintenance costs."
Elga’s expression twisted into a scowl.
"Wait, so you’re saying we have to go all the way to the Eastern Mountains? Even if we start riding now, that’d take months. Isn’t this a total nonstarter?"
Elga wasn’t wrong.
The main sanctuary in the Eastern Mountains was quite far from this northern city of Sandora, and the Draco family's ancestral grounds—The Hundred Thousand Peaks—were even farther still. Even on the fastest and sturdiest horse, it’d take several months to reach.
Of course, that was assuming you went on horseback.
"By any chance, is there a dinsional gate in the main sanctuary?"
For , distance wasn’t much of an issue anymore—I had the ability to leap across great expanses via dinsional gates.
No matter how far the location, if I was willing to burn a little more mana, I was confident I could retrieve the item and return in under an hour.
However—
Ti was still tight.
Shlk.
Elga turned her head and glanced toward the grandfather clock near the dining room, clicking her tongue.
"It’s about ten o’clock now. The opening ceremony’s at «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» noon. You all know that anyone who isn’t present before their match automatically forfeits, right?"
I was well aware of the tournant rules. I had even helped draft most of them—it would’ve been odd if I didn’t know.
As Elga said, the opening ceremony for the Bimuje was at noon today.
Assuming about thirty minutes until the first match began...
That ant I had to be back here by 12:30 PM.
"Of course, before that, we’ll need to register a fake identity to enter under. Elga, could I ask you a favor? It wouldn’t be hard if we requested it from Lady Stella."
"Sure, if we ask that professor, whipping up a fake identity should be easy. What na and background do you want?"
At Elga’s question, an image suddenly flashed in my mind—a scene from character creation screens in the gas I used to play, where you’d choose a nickna.
Change appearance. Create a new character—
It felt exactly like that.
Then, like a shooting star, an idea struck my mind.
"How about we do it like this?"
I spoke softly as everyone leaned in with expectation. Once I finished explaining in a calm and asured tone, Elga furrowed her brow deeply and muttered:
"You’re insane."
***
"Sir Teo, as far as I know, there is a dinsional gate installed at the main temple. But it hasn’t been used in so long—I’m not sure if it’ll still function."
"Still, just the fact that there’s a gate at all is sothing to be thankful for."
Dinsional gates were a technique devised by Solomon several decades ago. So if one had been installed, it was safe to assu that Solomon had once passed through.
And considering that the Draco family had maintained friendly relations with Solomon, it wasn’t strange that their sanctuary housed one of his gates.
It was now 10:30 AM.
Two hours remained.
Two hours was more than enough ti to travel through a dinsional gate and retrieve the item. But as today’s events had already shown, things rarely go according to plan when people are involved.
Shlk.
Standing atop the dinsional gate in Sandora, I gathered my mana.
As I gently closed my eyes, strange flickering patterns began to rise in the darkness like candle flas.
They were the sigils representing each city—emblems, you could say, of the lords who ruled them.
Among them, I sought the symbol of the farthest eastern edge. A dragon embroidered in silver thread on a black background. That was the emblem of House Draco.
"I’ve found the coordinates. I’ll begin the dinsional leap now, so hold on tight. We don’t want to end up sowhere strange."
I felt the Draco sisters grab hold of my waist. If the spatial teleportation were to go wrong, it’d be best to cling as closely as possible.
Press.
Feeling the warmth and scent of the won pressing in closer, I drew more mana from within. At the sa ti, I could sense Bael, housed within , performing complex calculations for coordinates and trajectory.
━ Hiiioooong...!
Truly brilliant.
If I hadn’t acquired Bael, it would’ve taken half a day just to find the eastern coordinates and construct the necessary incantation.
Thinking of it that way, everything I’d experienced felt like it had been part of a long-prepared plan.
As if this were a predestined Royal Road.
And now, I would walk it.
"Teleport."
Swooooooosh—
As the dinsional gate activated, I felt my body flatten from top to bottom. Like my head and feet were being crushed by a massive vise.
WOOOOOOOM.
The crushing pressure made it impossible to even open my mouth. Then, just as I thought I’d been compressed into a tiny sphere—
PAAAH—!
My body, having been compressed to the extre, exploded outward in every direction. Was this what it felt like for a seed to burst from its shell and sprout?
Saaaaaah—
When I ca to, the first thing that greeted was unfamiliar, entirely new air.
The cool, crisp air unique to high mountain altitudes. Dozens of visible peaks in the distance, and clouds hanging around their midriffs like mystical veils.
Next ca the sight of buildings, their elegant curves topped with deep blue tiles.
Stone floors, and here and there, statues of spirit beasts like rats, oxen, tigers, and rabbits—it truly felt like arriving at an ancient temple.
"Did we arrive properly?"
I helped Mirna and Nare up from where they had collapsed on the floor. No surprise—it must’ve been tough crossing such a vast distance in an instant.
"Hoo... dinsional gates really are unpleasant."
Mirna gracefully pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and dabbed her lips. Then, as she scanned the surroundings, her expression quickly brightened.
"But the result is undeniable. This scenery... I’m sure of it. I ca here once when I was very little. The Grand Sanctuary, the ancient capital of Armina..."
The Ancient Capital Armina.
I’d heard it was an old fortress atop a mountain, steeped in long history. So even said, with a touch of exaggeration, that its tiline paralleled that of humanity itself.
Of course, that city was located at the mountain’s base—this was the temple above. It felt like we were here on a school field trip to a monastery.
Whoooooosh—
Just then, a strong gust blew past, and I squinted to keep the dust from my eyes. The sound of dragon-emblazoned flags flapping in the wind could be heard all around.
"I heard the dinsional gate activated for the first ti in half a century, so I ca to see. You all look like travelers from afar. What brings you to this sanctuary?"
A voice called out toward us. I opened my eyes and lifted my head to see an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed in blue silk robes, peering at from beneath long eyebrows.
How old was he?
Hard to guess.
His wrinkles were so deep that he could easily be over a hundred. Yet his tall stature—clearly over 180 centiters—and upright posture gave him the presence of an immortal.
Soone who could decapitate enemies with a single swing of a Blue Dragon Sword.
"Ohhh...!"
His brown eyes soon shifted toward Nare and Mirna. As his heavy eyelids lifted, he looked truly astonished.
"You! You’re the young ladies! Incredible! I can’t believe this is real! Everyone, co out! The young ladies have returned! Co quickly!"
***
Before long, a crowd had gathered, recognizing and greeting Mirna and Nare. Fortunately, their faces bore only goodwill—there was no need to be on guard.
It was only natural.
This was Armina, the Draco sisters’ holand in the East. Here, they were quite literally beloved princesses and rightful heirs.
"To think the young ladies have returned! If only I’d received notice ahead of ti, I, the old monk Eliesel, would have prepared a grand feast!"
The elderly man who had greeted us first—his na was Eliesel.
"Do you rember? When you were just little fledglings, I used to give you piggyback rides and such..."
As it turned out, he was the one who oversaw and managed the sanctuary in the absence of the Draco family. Essentially, he was like a high bishop or head monk for this land.
"To see you return as fine adults... Miss Mirna, Miss Nare—though I don’t know why you’ve been separated, much must have happened. But now, this old monk Eliesel... can rest easy."
"......"
"......"
Despite Eliesel’s over-the-top welco, Mirna and Nare both looked a bit stiff. Like cats on leashes taking their first-ever walk, they seed frozen in place.
I could more or less understand why.
Though this place was technically the holand of all Dracos, Mirna and Nare had lived their whole lives in the theocratic city of Gracia. This place might as well have been a foreign land to them.
Strange and unfamiliar.
Of course, both of them were capable of separating public from private matters. Mirna was the first to steady herself, clearing her throat before addressing the elder monk.
"Thank you for the warm welco despite our unannounced arrival. But Eliesel, we are pressed for ti. We’ve co here to open the Hall of All Gods."
The Hall of All Gods.
At those words, I noticed shadows—or what could be called concern—pass over the faces of the previously cheerful crowd. Tuning in with my keen fairy ears, I picked up their hushed murmurs.
—"The Hall of All Gods is undergoing purification rites right now, isn’t it?"
—"Even for the young ladies of Draco, opening it recklessly could bring disaster..."
I didn’t quite know the details, but clearly sothing was going on. Then again, trouble always finds people, no matter the place. I had anticipated as much.
So I stepped forward and said to the elder monk:
"Whatever the issue is, I’ll take care of it. Please, guide us there."
Eliesel’s already deep-set brow furrowed even more.
"My ladies... this man... who is he, exactly...?"
Wait—he didn’t know ?
Well. That was... surprisingly refreshing.
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