The Villainess Proposed a Contractual Marriage

Chapter 19: The Courage to Become Real

Poetic sentiments rooted in the mortal realm have trampled heaven and earth.

Art, flesh, love, villages, cities, and even power and civilization were demolished through play. It reigned as the incarnation of violence, not distinguishing between the world's beauty and ugliness. Like a natural disaster, it lived as a calamity that broke even the will to plead.

Human lives change and fade with fleeting speed. Therefore, that which remains nearly unchanged even after a thousand years clearly has the right to plunder them as a superior being.

When even exercising such rights became boring, people called it the Bloody Dragon.

This Bloody Dragon occasionally acted on a whim.

Sometimes it would transform into human form, set a time limit, and erase its memories.

Living with the values of a being other than a dragon is quite stimulating. Insignificant beings become special.

It helps things feel alive, things once looked down upon.

However, when memories return, the stimulating daily life becomes nauseating just by recalling it.

Sharing affection and making marriage vows with a human woman were not something it wanted to do even as play.

As soon as the memories returned, it would chastise itself for erasing them.

Until finding a new toy.

"So this is supposed to be my bloodline."

The Bloody Dragon curiously observed Tina immediately after returning to its lair.

To think a tiny human body could contain a dragon's energy.

It was the first such case even for the Bloody Dragon with its vast lifespan. This both piqued its curiosity and ignited a strong desire for possession.

Could this be what humans call paternal love?

At least if she's tucked away in a corner of the lair, the urge to kill won't arise. After all, one human offspring is more precious than countless piles of glittering jewels.

"Even if I cut her tendons... they'll regenerate quickly."

Surveillance is troublesome, so he should put a collar on her.

Obedience training is most effective when the subject is young.

While the Bloody Dragon was thinking its options, it happened.

"Keck, hueuk..."

Tina retched and vomited bile onto the floor. Her complexion was pale, and her body trembled.

The Bloody Dragon, coiled up motionlessly, coldly muttered its observations.

"Perhaps the human body couldn't withstand the high altitude temperature and wind pressure. Well, no matter. Being half dragon, she'll recover soon enough."

For now, let's determine how to treat this newly arrived daughter.

If we were to travel the continent together pretending to be human father and daughter... that too would be exceptional amusement.

The Bloody Dragon commanded Tina, who had stopped retching.

"Call me father. You should at least be qualified for that much."

When ordered, one must obey. The inherent hierarchy was transparently visible in those bored blue eyes.

But Tina refused in a hoarse voice.

"I don't want to..."

She added, trembling but resolute to the end:

"My real dad... my real dad... doesn't do this to me. He doesn't grab me and drag me away, and if I say I'm hurting, he worries about me. You're not my dad... This isn't what a dad is..."

Tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks, falling to the cold floor. Even though her whole body shook with fear, she couldn't simply obey the command.

Because he had said so.

That from now on, he was her real dad.

That no parent who doesn't take responsibility for their child's mistakes could possibly exist.

So it's impossible for someone like this to become a dad.

"Hmm, is that so."

It was defiance mixed with courage and tears, but far from enough to elicit any emotion from the Bloody Dragon.

Rather, it resulted in giving birth to a hint of sadism.

"Well, no matter. I'll just tie her up and teach her gradually."

Tina's treatment, ignorant of the hierarchy, was decided simply. The Bloody Dragon turned its gaze to an appropriate bundle of chains. Surely there must have been something made of star iron nearby.

At last, the Bloody Dragon found a chain no thicker than a fingernail.

Just as the chain, moving like a living snake, was about to strangle Tina's neck.

A golden aura filled the lair, and the transparent space was gently pulled back like a curtain.

"Break"

As soon as Harte appeared, pulling back the space, Tina quickly ran into his arms.

"Dad!"

"Tina."

Harte swiftly tore away the chain that was about to wrap around Tina's neck. Then, narrowing his eyes, he quietly apologized.

"I'm sorry. To let you slip away right in front of me... to make you go through such a frightening experience."

"No, no... I'm fine. Really..."

"I see..."

He doesn't believe it outright.

There was still saliva around her lips that she hadn't managed to wipe away, and her body was cold overall. It was easy enough to infer how much strain the dragon's flight had put on her body.

And then there was the chain that was about to strangle her neck...

If Harte had been a powerless villager, it was horribly clear what would have happened to Tina.

That's when it happened.

"Well, something interesting has appeared."

The red giant body moved.

Blood-red energy dripped and evaporated repeatedly like a waterfall. Immense vitality surged like lava from an active volcano.

In contrast, Harte was surrounded by only a faint golden light, incomparably calm and static compared to the Bloody Dragon.

In an instant, the Bloody Dragon's claws rushed towards Harte with enough force to pierce his chest.

"If you truly despise that person, give them three chances. Perhaps they simply lacked the opportunity to change."

Harte recited a verse from scripture.

Having somehow moved to a spot away from the claws, he was still holding Tina like a princess.

Then Harte's footsteps turned towards the outside of the lair.

There's still a chance for change.

One chance was used up when Tina was kidnapped, and the second chance was shattered by the recent attack. But the final chance hadn't yet flown away.

If the hostility is withdrawn by the time they reach outside the lair, nothing will happen.

"You arrogant thing."

In an instant, the red energy took on mass and stretched out its demonic hand in the form of a claw.

At that outrage, Harte finally set aside the teachings of the temple for a moment.

Leaving behind the red demonic hand that seemed to melt in the golden light, Harte cast a barrier of divine power around the space surrounding Tina.

"Could you wait for a moment, Tina? It's okay to close your eyes if you're scared."

"Uut, yes. Be careful... Dad."

"By the way, which dad?"

When Harte jokingly asked, Tina blushed shyly and answered faintly.

"... My real dad."

"Then there's no need to worry."

The hand of the real dad Tina had named passed through the barrier and neatly wiped away the traces of vomit on her lips.

"All dads in the world are strongest in front of their daughters."

The father turned his back on his daughter and moved forward.

'That's right, I was the strongest.'

Harte had been curious since his time at the temple. What it would feel like to have a family.

Once, he saw a woman kneeling for seven days and nights in front of the temple, holding a sick, dying child. She prayed earnestly, believing that if her prayers reached the gods, the child would regain health.

Of course, a priest is not a doctor.

Also, the very few beings who use divine power do not intervene in human affairs. That was the principle. Therefore, the woman's wish was likely in vain.

Nevertheless, Harte secretly gifted a miracle to the woman's child.

Since then, even now when offering prayers, the child's mother trembles and sheds tears.

Human emotions are inherently volatile and difficult to hold onto for long. Yet it was fascinating how she still shed tears in gratitude for saving her child.

Where does the will come from for a frail woman to kneel for seven days and nights on the cold ground?

Where does such strength to care for one's child come from?

How is such selfless devotion possible?

That was when he first questioned it.

'Now... it seems I've found an answer, even if just a fragment.'

It rushes in like a flash of lightning. Harte's bare fist plunged into the center of the Bloody Dragon.

"Kuheok!"

With a choke, blood spurted from the Bloody Dragon's mouth. Not energy reminiscent of blood, but real blood flowing inside its body.

At that moment, Harte twisted his head at the instinctively felt threat.

A thin, slender thorn pierced through the air. The dragon's blood freely reconstructed its shape according to its will.

Blood manipulation is an innate racial trait of the Bloody Dragon. Harte was aware of this.

"I've faced plenty of priests before. You'll be no different!"

Red blades raise their heads in midair. Their size was easily five times that of a human. The massive volume of dragon blood sharpened its edge without warning from all angles.

Kaddeuk, kkagagak!

Each time Harte evaded, the sharp blades left deep cuts all around.

After dodging dozens of times like this, Harte suddenly stopped still.

"... Ah."

He didn't know the dragon's limits. Though the Bloody Dragon claimed to have faced priests many times before, this was Harte's first encounter with a dragon.

Three-dimensional attacks that transcend spatial constraints. Truly a convenient ability.

Blades can be freely drawn from anywhere blood has been splattered.

This can't be the end. Surely this isn't the entirety of its repertoire, but...

"How disappointing."

Harte ran. He ran very quickly, ignoring even the rising blades. He accelerated fast enough that the belated blades couldn't reach him.

The slow-reacting blades tear at the bare ground. At the end of that cruel slicing sound echoing emptily, the small human had arrived right in front of the dragon.

Once again, a fist plunged into the center of the Bloody Dragon. Instantly, thick blood splattered into the air.

Kugugugugugu...!

The blood-soaked giant body rolled disgracefully to the edge of the lair. Harte silently watched that unsightly spectacle as he slowly walked.

"When I first met Tina, I thought."

That a dragon's instinct was truly worthless.

That it was a fragment of power that crumbled far too easily.

That such a pathetic thing persistently tormented a small child.

"You've twisted people's fates quite well, just for your amusement."

It was when Harte stepped into a puddle of blood.

"You've stepped in my blood!"

The blood crawled up from his ankle like a carp swimming against a waterfall. The blood flow that had thus seeped in through his clothing soaked into his flesh like a sponge.

"You fool, you let your guard down! Now that my blood has seeped in, you're my puppet..."

Sreuk sreuk.

"A puppet... you should be..."

Sreuk.

A large amount of blood poured out from Harte's body. The dragon blood that had infiltrated came out all at once. But Harte's body and clothes were clean as if washed, far from being soaked in blood.

"Who's the arrogant one..."

At their first encounter.

The Bloody Dragon branded Harte as arrogant, but the truly arrogant one was someone else.

"For a mere beast to try and sully a baptismal name, how far will your arrogance go?"

"Baptismal name...!"

The Bloody Dragon had no idea. It never dreamed that Harte would be the bearer of a baptismal name.

The advantage of living long is not just power. The knowledge accumulated over long years is a great advantage.

While it had torn apart and killed priests many times, bearers of baptismal names were different. Basically, they didn't come out to the human world, so there wasn't even a chance to meet them.

However, some say.

That baptismal names are humanity's final line of defense.

That they are beings who only set foot in the mortal realm when believers face the crisis of extinction.

Literally, the living incarnation of God. That is what the bearer of a baptismal name was.

Why on earth would such a mythical being...

"Why...! Are you in a place like this...!!!"

"Pray if you're curious."

Regaining memories of a past life is an impossible task in itself. As Harte, he could only believe that even that was the will of the Lord.

"Kuk... Kuaaaaaaaaak!"

Kieeeeeeek!

An angry roar echoed.

Immediately after, the Bloody Dragon stomped its foot violently.

All sorts of treasures in the lair scattered into fragments, and dirt flew outside the lair.

'Is this its death throes?'

Harte hurriedly tried to step on the Bloody Dragon's giant body, but he felt no mass there.

Kuooooooo!

Following that, a transcendent weight shook the lair. Amidst the chaos of ceiling fragments showering down, a sound that shouldn't be heard pierced his ears.

The resonant sound of the barrier breaking.

Was the transcendent weight solely to break that barrier?

'But how?'

It's impossible not to have felt anything with such a large body moving.

'Finding the reason comes later.'

He immediately ran back to where he had placed the barrier. It would be troublesome if a hostage situation were to unfold here.

Huwook!

As Harte waved his hand, the wind blew. Along with it, all the dirt and jewel fragments flowed out of the lair.

As soon as his vision cleared, Harte frowned.

"Dad!"

"Dad!"

There were two Tinas. A perfectly copied Tina from head to toe was there.

'Polymorph!'

It's a characteristic that dragons naturally possess as living beings. Not only can they transform into all sorts of objects and life forms, but if contact with the transformation target is possible, they can even copy memories.

"Huh...?"

"Huh...?"

The two Tinas looked at each other in bewilderment. They seemed dumbfounded, not yet grasping the situation.

"What is this? Why are there two of me...?"

"Did the dragon transform into me...?"

But the peace was very brief. They immediately clung to Harte's pants with pale faces.

"Dad! It's me, I'm Tina!"

"Don't be fooled...! Dad... Dad...! I'm Tina, I tell you...!"

"Liar...! That's not true! It's me... Hueuk..."

"Please believe me, Dad... It's me... I'm really the real one... Ueuk..."

Two pairs of blue eyes with gathered tears reflecting light. Whichever side it is, they make tearful faces with desperate wishes.

The clumsiest of tricks to deceive people.

"Hah..."

Harte sighed deeply and reproached:

"Even for an ugly death throe, there's a limit."

Showing clear anger for the first time, he ground the face of the Tina clinging to his left pants leg into the ground.

The Tina - or rather, the thing in Tina's form that was slammed down in an instant - groaned in pain.

"Impossible... Half, you say. For one who claims to be a parent to make such a black and white choice...!"

"Let me ask you the opposite."

Harte applied even more force to his grip.

"Could there be a parent who can't distinguish their own child?"

"You madman!"

Kwaaaaaaaaa!

The Bloody Dragon's body, which had been in Tina's form, swelled up in an instant. Returning to its original form in the blink of an eye, the Bloody Dragon glided while causing a storm.

The ceiling of the lair collapsed. As bright sunlight poured into the dark cave, Tina tightly closed her eyes.

"Tina, watch carefully."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to erase the nightmare that's been tormenting you."

Harte and Tina gazed at the sky.

In the cloudless blue sky, the Bloody Dragon was flapping its wings, preparing its final breath in a do-or-die resolution.

A sword carved from divine power shone in Harte's hand as he faced off against the dragon.

Power beyond human reach.

Authority granted in the name of God.

The sword entrusted with humanity's final line of defense.

It was the crystallization of miracles, concentrating the culmination of hundreds of branches of faith into a single point.

Harte swung the radiance.

Golden embers then stretched towards the heavens along the sword's path.

The blazing flames bloomed like lotus flowers, paving the way forward.

The holy fire, imbued with miracles, greedily devoured the breath the Bloody Dragon shot while twisting its neck, and finally completely swallowed up Tina's nightmare.

Tina shed tears unknowingly as she witnessed the golden flames lingering in the sky.

It felt like she could finally truly let go of the past and take a step forward.

Because real family was holding her hand without a doubt.

That warmth seemed like it would melt away any nightmares.

"... Dad."

"Yes?"

"You're... my real dad..."

"Of course."

"Yes... that's right. Of course..."

Because it was so obvious, she had doubted it many times.

Because it was a relationship that could be let go of at any time from the other side. Because it was a relationship where a unilateral full stop could be placed.

She always tried to look good and gauged the lines while being mindful of his reactions.

'But... that wasn't it.'

It turns out she was the one who thought it was fake.

She was the one drawing lines.

She felt so foolish.

If she had trusted Harte from the beginning... they could've been real since then.

She regretfully longed for the time that had passed.

She needs to change herself, even now.

To narrow the gap that was close yet far.

For the sake of cherishing herself, the only one in the world.

And for the sake of the person who cherishes her.

It's time to show true courage.

"Um... can I whisper something?"

"Hm? Of course, anything."

He really is a kind person. To agree without hesitation to such a meaningless request.

That's why Tina gifted him with a very ordinary phrase she had never said before.

"... I love you, Dad."

Somehow steam rose above Tina's head.