The dragon who hated humans spread a curse throughout the world.

The scattered curse came to humans as a disaster every night of the new moon, and there were three fates for those caught in the curse.

Die on the spot, go mad and kill any living thing in sight, or become something mixed with that curse.

The worst was the last one.

The birth of something mixed with the curse.

And it seemed that now was that worst situation.

Kyaaaah!

It was a sound like dozens of children’s screams overlapped.

People who were in light sleep woke up in panic and looked out the window at the blood-chilling cry.

A white and disgusting form revealed itself in the darkness.

It had the shape of a dragon.

But its skin was torn in places, revealing bones and blood vessels. The huge skull was full of teeth and horns like icicles, and the wings that scraped the ground were tattered and hideous like cobwebs.

It looked like a half-rotten corpse.

Moreover, it was bewilderingly large.

As it raised its body, its head rose endlessly high, and soon it stood so tall it could be mistaken for the shadow of a castle.

“What is that……”

Ibi turned pale at the grotesque sight.

Even Ibi, who was from Bis, had never seen anything like this before.

The risen dragon corpse staggered and took a step.

At that sight, people sobbed in unison. It was heading towards the village.

People agonized intensely over whether to flee or keep hiding in extreme fear.

Salt could no longer stop a curse that had already taken form. To deal with that, Duchess Bayen’s army would have to come.

Unable to withstand the pressure, someone ran out of their house. As one person fled, soon everyone kicked down their doors to escape.

With that, the once quiet street quickly became chaotic with fleeing people and screams.

“Butler……”

Ibi also looked at Dies, feeling like she should run away.

But Dies, who would normally have moved before Ibi, was staring out the window without moving.

He had a face as if waiting for something.

Just then, the body of the curse that had been crawling sluggishly suddenly tilted to the side. Then it fell sideways with a thunderous sound like an old tree collapsing.

Kyaaaaaaak!

It screamed with hundreds of voices. The fleeing people screamed along with it.

“Wh-what?”

“It must be the Count.”

Dies calmly said to the startled Ibi.

Ibi was too preoccupied with the curse to hear it earlier, but Dies had heard it clearly.

The sharp whistle from upstairs earlier. And the sound of wings passing overhead, pretending to be the wind.

At the mention of the Count, Ibi looked out the window again in surprise.

The curse shook its huge skull as if irritated. Then it collapsed in the opposite direction.

The curse screamed and people shrieked along with it, not knowing what was happening.

“……Yesterday, a lady said. That since the teacher came, the damage on new moon nights has been greatly reduced.”

“But you wouldn’t have thought that teacher would be there, right?”

Ibi nodded blankly at Dies’ words.

Even knowing the Count’s identity, the situation felt like a dream.

At the same time, she could be certain. That this place was quite precious to that person.

After being thrown around several times, the rotten body of the curse finally began to collapse.

As the already dead dragon dissipated again, people finally realized something and stopped fleeing.

“That Count is really unnecessarily talented. Is it the price of giving up his personality?”

Ibi spoke frivolously as the tension eased.

Even the curse of a dead dragon did not work on one who could bring down dragons.

Why did I have to get involved with such a guy, Ibi grumbled lightly to herself.

The dragon’s form slowly crumbled. So when people were about to sigh in relief, thinking it was over, without knowing what had happened.

Kyaaaaaaah!

It wailed one last time.

With a death cry full of resentment, it spewed something towards the village.

A glowing white mist rushed in like a tsunami described in ancient texts.

People sensed the danger. But they froze in place, not even daring to attempt to avoid it.

Just as that white mist was about to engulf the village, lightning struck, tearing through the dark sky.

Kwaaang! With a thunderous roar, the mist spreading towards the village split.

It tore like paper and veered to either side of the village, and people collapsed where they stood, not knowing what had happened.

Everyone felt like years had been shaved off their lives.

But it wasn’t over yet.

A bitter smell spread from the mist surrounding the village.

And people soon realized it was poison.

.

.

.

What happens on the night of the new moon is just bad luck.

There is no other way to explain it.

No matter how much you prepare, no matter how much purifying salt you hold, even if some unknown help stops the dragon’s ghost.

Still, the resentment lingering on the new moon cruelly extinguishes life.

That malice was enormous and eternal, too much for weak humans to bear.

The waning moon passed and dawn broke.

Though it was the time everyone had desperately wished for, people just stared blankly at the traces left by the curse instead of rejoicing.

The mist spewed by the cursed dragon spread to the eastern and western edges of the village. It remained there with a distinct mass like cotton.

The rye fields covered by the mist were rotting black. So the situation of the few houses engulfed by that mist was clear without needing to check.

Moreover, there was another village beyond those rye fields.

Considering the speed at which the dragon’s breath had surged, the mist must have surely reached that village as well.

So people were at a loss for words at the destruction achieved in just one night.

Sion, who had returned to the village, also gritted his teeth at the sight before him.

The mist that had swallowed part of the village was bitter and poisonous. Even Sion, accustomed to the poison of Amanecere, felt his throat burn.

So he rushed straight to a house buried in the mist. Then he dragged out a woman and two children.

They seemed unconscious and could not control their bodies, with parts of their skin turned black.

Yet one child painfully opened their eyes, as if sensing Sion’s touch.

“Teacher……”

“We’re going to another village. Hold on until then.”

Sion tried to take them out of the mist.

Then the watching people cried out.

“Don’t move!”

“What if the poison spreads!”

Their cries froze Sion’s heart.

He was furious but could not bring himself to rebuke them.

Being weak is not a sin. Neither is the weak trying to survive.

So even if their weakness leads to cruelty, it must be tolerated. For it is their inevitable way of survival.

In the moment Sion paused, the child coughed.

The child was dying rapidly. Too weak to even withstand the breath of a ghost.

Sion gritted his teeth and raised his head. He was prepared to call upon the daughter of Tardes if necessary.

But an unexpected figure came into his view.

Ibi Ariate.

The girl who should have been quietly at home was coming this way.

Ibi had already walked up to the mist, and Sion warned her before she could come closer.

“It’s poison.”

“I know.”

The voice that came back was absurdly calm.

So when Sion furrowed his brow, Ibi spoke again.

“Put those people down.”

Sion could not understand Ibi’s intention. So as he looked at her suspiciously, Ibi lightly urged him.

“Hurry.”

Sion hesitated but reluctantly put down those he was holding. Ibi’s calmly demanding face was so serene that somehow he could not resist.

And Ibi recognized the face of the child lying on the ground and smiled bitterly.

It’s you, the one who said you’d marry the teacher.

You need to become an adult first to get married, what are you doing like this.

Ibi inwardly chided as she took a breath. Then she calmly began to sing.

It was a simple humming, as if just casually singing to herself.

People stared at Ibi in bewilderment at her singing in such a situation.

Nevertheless, Ibi paid no heed and sang in that precarious silence.

As her clear voice continued, people one by one lowered their heads. It was because the song felt like a lament for the dead, breaking their hearts.

But Ibi had no intention of lamenting.

As Ibi sang, suddenly the sky brightened.

People raised their heads thinking the sun had suddenly come out, but gasped in surprise.

Tienda floating high above was pouring blue light into the sky.

Along with it, Ibi’s long hair was dyed a watery color.

People unconsciously stepped back at the mystical sight. They did not know whether to retreat or kneel.

Though the surroundings were in turmoil, Ibi continued singing without concern.

Then Manyana, hearing Ibi’s gentle voice, poured its blessing upon the world.

The endlessly spread mist melted away like a lie. Even the blackened rye fields gradually regained their green color.

The child’s cheeks also brightened again, and their precarious breathing eased.

People lowered themselves one by one at the miracle unfolding without warning. Some collapsed as their strength gave out, while others deliberately knelt.

The child opened their eyes. Then they asked Ibi in a faint voice.

“Are you really the Saint…?”

“Not yet.”

Ibi answered in a small voice and smiled gently.

People could not say anything and just looked at that noble girl.

The same was true for Sion Laurel.

Sion could not take his eyes off Ibi, whose hair had turned black again, yet still retained her mystique.

So for a very long time, he just gazed at her endlessly.

The village finally regained stability late in the afternoon. It was because they had been through too much in just one night.

At that time, Ibi Ariate was in that two-story house as usual.

At one point people had crowded to see the Saint, but Dies had blocked access so now it was quiet.

So Sion was able to sit face to face with Ibi without much interference.

“How is that child?”

“Healthy. ……Thanks to you.”

Ibi asked as soon as she saw Sion. So Sion answered briefly, then added after some hesitation.

As Ibi looked at him as if surprised, Sion averted his eyes and changed the subject.

“This incident will soon be reported to the Tower.”

“I suppose punishment will come down?”

On Ibi Ariate, who borrowed Manyana’s blessing without the Tower’s permission.

Ibi spoke lightly, as if she already knew her fate. So Sion felt even more uncomfortable.

The Tower thoroughly manages its possessions. From Manyana to purified water, salt crystals, and even the songs of purifiers.

So there are strict rules for purifiers, and the first one was this.

Do not sing without the Tower’s permission.

But Ibi not only sang without permission, but also borrowed Manyana’s blessing.

Both were serious violations of rules that were enough to revoke a purifier’s qualification.

Of course, Ibi Ariate with her marvelous abilities will not be expelled from the Tower.

However, with this, the path to becoming a saint should be considered completely cut off.

Having incurred the wrath of Laurel while also breaking the Tower’s rules.

Now Ibi cannot become a saint.

Though it was clearly what he had wished for, Sion was not pleased at all.

“Why did you step forward knowing this?”

“It seemed fair that way.”

It was an incomprehensible statement.

As Sion furrowed his brow, Ibi explained with an awkward smile.

“Just once, I was saved without any price. So I thought it would be fair for others to have something like this at least once too.”

Ibi’s explanation was calm yet strange.

So Sion felt even more conflicted.

To say such things after throwing away the saint position she had been so obsessed with.

He could not understand what kind of person Ibi was.

He thought he already knew everything through the astrologer, but Ibi in person had been impossible to grasp from the moment they met until now.

Ibi Ariate, to whom that foolish man had devoted everything, acted recklessly without caution.

She made frequent mistakes and talked about being calculative herself, yet was slow in calculations.

Precarious and fragile, yet stubborn, she kept getting on his nerves.

But then at times she made it impossible to take his eyes off her, constantly confusing him.

“I have something to say to the Count before returning to the Tower.”

Ibi said as Sion remained silent for a long time.

Then she added this.

“Actually, I am cursed right now.”