Chương 129: Reborn as the Dragon — Chapter 129 - The Ritual Begins

Su Nian rushed back to the Saint Augustus Royal Capital under the blazing sun. He hadn't brought Anna this time. Not for the attack on the Third Fortress. She hadn't been happy about it. But the moment he mentioned that some preparations were needed before the treatment, the adorable little elf girl fell into line immediately. She could only stand there, eyes glistening with barely-held tears, and let go of his claw before trudging back to her room to wait like a good girl.

"Everything is ready." Su Nian entered the hall, his gaze settling on the Kaguya Priestess and Celestine.

"But before we begin, you and I are signing a Master-Servant Contract." He didn't ease into it. No preamble, no pleasantries. The Kaguya Priestess seemed to have expected this. A flicker of conflict moved through her eyes — brief, almost hidden — and then it was gone. Acknowledging a dragon as her master would not shake her faith in the gods. That faith was hers alone, and it would hold. If the day ever came when her faith and her master stood on opposite sides, then that would simply be the day she died.

"As you wish." She lowered her head and walked to him. She half-knelt on the floor, expressionless, every movement precise and reverent. Su Nian gave a slight nod. He touched one dragon claw gently to her smooth forehead. A single drop of heart's blood sank in. The Kaguya Priestess opened her mind and let the dragon blood do its work, felt it move through every part of her as it reshaped her in the image of the Black Dragon before her. A soft, papery sound.

Fine black scales surfaced along the back of her neck, circling her pale skin in a neat ring. From a distance, it looked almost like a collar. Her rose-red eyes shifted. The pupils narrowed into vertical slits, like a dragon's. The contract was sealed. Her loyalty wasn't especially high. But she would never again be able to form a single thought toward harming him. With that settled, Celestine gave the order. The entire Saint Augustus Royal Capital locked down. Guards at every gate, soldiers at every street.

And outside the room where the ritual would take place, Alicia Alucutorus had already deployed her troops in a full cordon. Nothing was getting in.

"Brother..." Anna lay on the velvet bed, her face pale, her big bright eyes full of both anticipation and nerves.

"Be good." Su Nian folded his wing around her head in a gentle stroke.

"Sleep for a little while. When you wake up, you'll be cured. I promise." His gaze was soft. All patience and warmth.

"Anna has a small wish," she said, her voice going quiet and pleading. Her small hand curled around one of his claws and refused to let go.

"She wants to see brother first thing when she wakes up. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is." He wasn't going anywhere.

"Hehe." Anna smiled, sweet and small.

"Okay, brother. Anna will be good." The little furrow between her brows smoothed under his wing. The smile stayed. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. It was time. Su Nian glanced at the Kaguya Priestess. She nodded and raised one hand, bringing it to rest gently against Anna's cheek. A soft, milky light bloomed at her fingertips. Anna's eyes fluttered shut. The tension left her all at once, and she was asleep. Su Nian exhaled slowly.

He said sorry, inside where no one could hear it. What came next was not something Anna could watch. He knew her too well. She'd fight it with everything she had.

"System. Use system points to transform my heart." He pulled up the System interface and began moving through the plan, one step at a time. [Ding! Transformation initiated. This transformation is accompanied by mild pain. Please prepare yourself, Host.] Mild pain. Sure. He didn't even bother responding. The next moment, his chest caved in like something had swung a sledgehammer straight into it. Pain. Real pain. The kind that lit up every nerve at once. His skull buzzed.

His heartbeat spiked, faster and faster, and then it felt like a fist was slowly closing around his heart, squeezing, not stopping. His vision scattered. His lungs couldn't find air. If he could have seen inside his own chest, he would have watched his heart rapidly shrinking, its architecture dismantling and rebuilding itself into something suited for a humanoid body. Blood vessels snapped. Muscle tissue came apart in pieces.

But something, some force woven from the rules themselves, was holding each broken piece in place, knitting together in long, ribbon-like strands, keeping the dragon's body running while the work was done. It went on for the better part of ten minutes. Then it stopped. Su Nian sagged to the ground. He was still a fourth-tier creature. That hadn't changed. But the weakened state had carved a significant chunk out of his effective strength.

On land, right now, even a fourth-tier warrior like Guts might give him genuine trouble in a brawl. He'd need to wait for the weakness to pass before he'd be back to himself.

"I'm ready." His voice came out low, a rumble from somewhere deep in his chest. His eyelids drooped. He exhaled. The Kaguya Priestess approached and pressed one hand gently to the Black Dragon's chest. She closed her eyes. She reached out with her senses. And what she felt stopped her cold. Her master had actually done it. He had genuinely reshaped his own heart — size, structure, every last measurement, into something fit for a humanoid body. More than that: it matched the elf girl on the bed exactly.

Every dimension aligned as though this heart had been made for her from the beginning. A legendary creature indeed. She opened her rose-red eyes. They were full of quiet awe.

"Then please wait a moment. I'll begin the ritual." She went to Anna's side and lifted the sleeping girl carefully into her arms. She let her gaze linger for just a second. The pink lips, slightly pouted. The smooth, rosy cheeks. The fox ears twitching in sleep. The tail swaying behind her in slow, gentle arcs. Even unconscious, she was disarmingly lovely. No wonder her master was so taken with her.

The Kaguya Priestess was a woman herself, and she couldn't help but feel a pull of affection toward this tiny, perfectly-carved half-elf girl. What she didn't know was that cuteness was only part of it. Su Nian loved Anna because they had faced death together. Lived together. Built something together from nothing. When he first arrived in this world, the first face he saw was hers. The System had tangled their fates together from the very start.

And Anna, who had been walking toward a miserable end with no way out, had found her life take a different turn the day the Black Dragon carried her off. It had grown slowly, one small thing at a time. The time between then and now was short. But what had formed between them was already impossible to pull apart. This world was not the modern era. Feelings here were simpler. They didn't require the test of years or the proof of material things. They didn't leave room for suspicion or second-guessing.

All they required was two honest hearts. The Kaguya Priestess laid Anna gently beside the Black Dragon. Then she turned and retrieved a red ribbon from the ritual altar. She had already woven the ritual's power into it. During the exchange, it would serve as the bridge between them. She came back to stand before the Black Dragon, ribbon in hand.

"Master. Are you certain you want to proceed?" Her voice was careful. She couldn't quite keep the reluctance out of it.

"I want to confirm one more time. An elf's heart is not compatible with your body. After the exchange, there are two possible outcomes: immediate death, or a prolonged, indefinite sleep."

"I'm sure." Su Nian didn't even lift his head.

"Begin." He wasn't going to explain the System to her. She wouldn't understand, and it didn't matter. Die? Not a chance.

"Alright." She nodded. Then, quietly: "I will still do everything I can to keep you alive. If you die, the Princess and I die with you." She didn't linger on it. She placed one end of the red ribbon against Anna's chest and the other against the Black Dragon's. Then she stepped back two paces, closed her eyes, and spread her hands open with her palms facing the ceiling. Ancient power, old and strange, began to move through her. The ritual began.

PS: I know a lot of readers hate seeing the protagonist weakened, but the male lead will still be plenty strong after the heart exchange. It won't put a dent in his ability to steamroll everything in his path. Are you going to attend Teacher Anna's lesson, or not?? ➤ Next: Dream (1) — What Was Lost