The news that a subordinate of one of the Seven Dragons—the Shadow Dragon—and its remnants had appeared in the Bayralell Forest quickly spread across the country and to neighboring nations.

Unluckily, during a knightly training exercise in the outskirts, the Shadow Dragon's subordinate and its remnants manifested and attacked the knights. Why did phenomena related to the Seven Dragons, which hadn’t been seen for decades, suddenly surface?

The reason remains unclear. However, the subordinate and remnants of the Shadow Dragon that appeared this time caused devastating damage to the Chronostaria Kingdom's Order of Knights. Even those who didn’t directly see the dragon’s subordinates or remnants were affected by the overwhelming magic and shockwaves that spread throughout the forest.

Fifteen were injured, twenty were killed or gravely harmed—over half of the knights participating in the training were threatened by the dragon's menace. The Bayralell Forest, where this calamity occurred, was left in a ravaged state. It seemed as though the Kingdom of Chronostaria was defenseless against the manifestation of the Seven Dragons, destined to be annihilated. But one hero stood against this fate.

That hero's name was Feid Granger.

As the current instructor of the Knights' Order and the former first-ranked of the Seven Peerless Swords, the Crimson Blood Demon Emperor, he single-handedly repelled the Shadow Dragon’s subordinate and remnants with his might. Thanks to him, the Kingdom of Chronostaria avoided certain doom. The sudden threat of the Seven Dragons left the kingdom in shock, and before the danger could truly sink in, it had already vanished. In truth, the dragon appeared briefly and vanished just as quickly, leaving little time for panic. The nation remained relatively calm.

"Praise the hero who repelled the Seven Dragon’s calamity alone!"

These were the words of King Laikas Chronostaria. And so, Feid, who had driven away the dragon, was decorated by the king and lauded as a hero by the citizens.

That concluded this particular incident.

But in reality, things weren’t as simple as “all’s well that ends well.” To an outsider, it may have seemed like the Seven Dragon threat had been eradicated despite significant losses, and peace had returned to the kingdom. Everything seemed resolved.

Yet, for me, nothing felt resolved at all.

A week had passed since I regained consciousness. The training exercise had, of course, been suspended, and before I knew it, I woke up in a hospital bed. Shamefully, after witnessing Grand Uncle’s battle with the Shadow Dragon's remnants, I’d lost consciousness and somehow ended up back in the royal capital.

Having been left near death from the battle with the dragon's subordinate, I was initially in critical condition due to my recklessness. It wouldn’t have been strange for me to die at any moment. But, thanks to my Bloodline Magic, I somehow survived. I was discharged two days ago. Though my body, battered as it was, had fully healed, the wounds from that night still felt far from mended.

"Haah..."

Since returning to the mansion, I’d spent my days idly gazing at the sky from a corner of the backyard where I usually trained. Normally, after finishing my morning training, it would be time for studies, but after such a major incident, it wasn’t possible to return to daily life immediately. Even my father, Zeke, wasn’t so harsh as to demand it. “Take your time to rest,” he’d said, and I followed his advice to the letter.

When was the last time I had spent so much time doing nothing?

It was truly an idle, dull, and unproductive time. In my first life, I think I had countless moments like this. By nature, I was someone who enjoyed wasting time like this.

Having encountered the dragon, fought its subordinate, and survived with all my limbs intact—this miracle was something my family and retainers celebrated greatly. Even I couldn’t help but feel it was nothing short of miraculous. Normally, I should have been overjoyed.

"Tch..."

But I couldn’t bring myself to feel genuinely happy.

The reason was clear. Alice still hadn’t woken up.

Although I had managed to rescue her when she was suddenly targeted by the Shadow Dragon, for some reason, she remained in a coma. Even the doctors couldn’t determine the cause or treat her; all we could do was wait and monitor her condition. The guilt from this fact weighed heavily on me.

Why was it only me…?

Adding to my unease, Grand Uncle, who was now being hailed as a hero, wasn’t in great shape either. After the incident and Alice’s plight, he bore a deep sense of responsibility. Despite regaining consciousness and tirelessly working to address the aftermath of the incident, he had suffered a critical blow during his battle.

It was the mark of recognition—a blessing and a curse—left by one of the Seven Dragons, who look down upon the world. The Shadow Dragon’s Shadow Curse had stripped Grand Uncle of all sensation in his right arm and rendered him incapable of using magic. For a knight, this was fatal—a clear and undeniable flaw. Yet, he concealed this truth from the public and continued to play the role of the hero.

Why?

Because that is the duty of the strong.

"Heh... What a joke."

This was the reality of the situation. And as I reflected on it, I was painfully aware of my own powerlessness. I had thought I’d become strong, that I’d gained enough strength. But I was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.

It wasn’t enough.

Faced with overwhelming power, I could do nothing but despair. I couldn’t protect those I held dear. I was powerless.

I’d been complacent, arrogant, and lax—utterly full of myself. I thought I’d learned the lesson during my first life, but I hadn’t. Not at all. I repeated the same mistakes.

"Don’t mess with me—!"

Everyone told me not to worry about it. They were just glad I survived. But I couldn’t take comfort in that fact. In my first life, I might have been able to accept it.

"Who cares as long as you survive?"

A vile voice whispered.

"It doesn’t affect the future you want, does it?"

That might have been true. Right after returning to the past, I thought it was fine as long as I survived. I could abandon all my responsibilities and burdens, leave them to others, and just run away. But now, I couldn’t think that way at all.

Running away alone was unbearable, miserable, and pathetic. It was irresponsible and foolish. I realized I had to change my way of thinking. My goal for the future hadn’t changed. But before I could reach it, there was something I needed to do—something I had to do.

And that was—

"I’ll absolutely crush that dragon."

It wasn’t out of a sense of duty or revenge. Unless I did this, I wouldn’t be able to truly accept the future I desired. Ultimately, this was a selfish decision to give myself peace of mind.

Grand Uncle had said:

"Alice will likely wake up soon, but she’ll have lost something, just like me. The Shadow Dragon’s favor is also a curse. No holy power can break it. The only way to lift it is to destroy the source of the curse."

He had also added:

"You don’t have to feel responsible, nor do you have to do anything. It was just an unfortunate accident."

I remembered his cautionary words well. But I couldn’t help feeling responsible. I felt compelled to act.

That’s why I made up my mind.

"If I can’t do it, then I’m no better than the scum I was in my first life."

Until I kill that dragon, until I kill that dragon no matter the cost, I will leave no room for compromise or leniency. Whatever it takes, by any means necessary, I’ll slay that dragon with my own hands. To do so, I’ll need to become even stronger.

What I must do hasn’t changed from the beginning. I just have to train as if my life depends on it. That’s all. Nothing significant has changed.