The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 1492: Chapter 212 - Lucielle Of Pride (1)

There was a girl following a Great Dragon.

Not because she had been ordered to.

Not because she had been forced to.

She followed because she wanted to.

Once upon a time, she had been a slave. The sort of slave nobody wanted to become. She had been destined to be sold as a sex slave, her future already decided by people who saw her as nothing more than merchandise with a pulse. Her life had been headed down a path that would have ended with her belonging to someone else forever.

Then the Great Dragon appeared.

The Dragon had saved her before that future could become reality.

Ever since that day, the girl had followed.

The strange thing was that the Dragon never really encouraged it.

The Dragon never spoke.

Most of the time, the Great Dragon simply traveled wherever it pleased, crossing mountains, forests, deserts, and frozen lands as though the entire continent were nothing more than a garden path.

The girl wasn’t much of a talker either.

So the journey continued mostly in silence.

The Dragon would move.

The girl would follow.

That was how things had been for a very long time.

The Dragon often flew high above the world, gliding through the sky with effortless grace. Watching it was enough to leave anyone speechless. Its massive form cut through clouds as though they weren’t even there, disappearing into the horizon before most people could even comprehend what they had seen.

Yet despite that, the girl continued following.

She didn’t really know why.

At least, not entirely.

Whenever she asked herself the question, the answer always felt simple and complicated at the same time.

The Dragon had saved her.

That was where it started.

Perhaps that was where it ended too.

Even when the Dragon flew while she remained trapped on the ground, she kept walking.

Even when her feet hurt.

Even when she was exhausted.

Even when common sense repeatedly informed her that chasing a flying Dragon on foot was possibly one of the stupidest decisions a person could make.

She still did it anyway.

The girl wanted to remain by the Dragon’s side.

The Dragon was her savior.

The Dragon was the one who had given her freedom.

The Dragon was the reason she was still alive.

Because of that, the girl wanted to serve the Dragon.

She wanted to offer her life in return.

After all, what value did her life even have before?

Had the Dragon not intervened, she would have become someone’s possession. Someone’s entertainment. Someone’s toy.

Compared to that future, walking until her feet bled almost felt preferable.

At least this was her choice.

At least this belonged to her.

Yet despite all her efforts, the Dragon barely acknowledged her anymore.

The Great Dragon simply continued forward.

It flew.

It traveled.

It wandered.

Whenever it landed somewhere, the girl would desperately try to catch up.

Sometimes she succeeded.

Sometimes she arrived only to watch the Dragon take off again moments later.

It almost felt intentional.

Almost.

The Dragon would rest.

The girl would finally reach it.

Then the Dragon would leave again before she had even finished catching her breath.

It happened so often that the girl wondered if the Dragon was testing her.

Or perhaps the Dragon simply didn’t care.

Either possibility hurt a little.

Still, she continued walking.

Day after day.

Week after week.

Month after month.

At this point, it had probably been over a hundred days since she first began chasing after the Dragon.

Her feet constantly ached.

Her legs felt heavy.

Her body begged her to stop.

The fact that she was still moving at all felt almost miraculous.

Most people would’ve given up long ago.

Some people probably would’ve called her crazy.

Honestly, they might’ve had a point.

Yet every time she considered stopping, she remembered what awaited her before the Dragon saved her.

And so she kept moving.

One step.

Then another.

Then another.

Until eventually her body decided it had enough.

There was always a limit.

No matter how determined someone was, there was always a point where flesh and bone simply refused to cooperate anymore.

The girl finally reached that point.

She collapsed onto the sand.

Her knees hit first.

Then her hands.

Then the rest of her.

The world felt heavy.

Even lifting her head became difficult.

All she could do was stare into the distance and watch the Dragon continue flying away.

"W-Wait..." she called weakly.

Her voice sounded terrible.

Dry.

Cracked.

Barely audible.

She hadn’t eaten properly.

She hadn’t drank nearly enough.

Whenever she found food or water, she took only what she absolutely needed before continuing her pursuit.

Looking back, it was probably a terrible strategy.

The Dragon certainly wasn’t going to disappear forever.

At least she hoped not.

But back then, all she could think about was catching up.

Now her body was paying the price.

Her vision blurred.

Her eyelids grew heavier.

She fought against it.

She really did.

But exhaustion wasn’t something determination alone could overcome.

Eventually, darkness claimed her.

The girl lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself somewhere warm.

That alone felt strange.

The continent had grown bitterly cold recently.

The freezing winds had become relentless.

Even with the resistance she had gradually developed throughout her travels, surviving those temperatures while weakened would’ve been difficult.

Yet she wasn’t cold.

Not at all.

Confused, she slowly looked around.

Then she froze.

The Dragon was beside her.

Its enormous body had curled around her protectively.

Like a living wall.

Like a shield.

Like a blanket crafted by nature itself.

The warmth radiating from its scales pushed away the cold entirely.

The realization hit her immediately.

The Dragon had saved her again.

Before she could fully process that thought, a voice reached her.

"Why dost thou follow me, child?"

The girl blinked.

For a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming.

The Dragon hadn’t opened its mouth.

Its jaws remained still.

Yet somehow she knew.

Without a single doubt, she knew.

The voice belonged to the Dragon.

"Because..." she answered softly.

Her throat still hurt.

"You saved me."

The Dragon remained silent.

The girl lowered her gaze.

"You saved me from a future that would’ve been my entire life. If not for you, I would’ve remained trapped forever."

She hesitated briefly.

"I wanted to repay that."

"And how wouldst thou repay such a thing?" the Dragon asked.

The girl swallowed.

"By serving you."

The Dragon’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"By serving me, dost thou mean to place thyself into mine service?"

The girl nodded.

A low chuckle escaped the Dragon.

The sound rumbled through the air like distant thunder.

"Child, dost thou truly believe a Great Dragon hath need of a servant?"

The girl didn’t answer.

The Dragon continued.

"What task couldst thou perform that I cannot? What burden couldst thou carry that would trouble one such as I?"

Its voice remained calm.

"I have crossed ages long forgotten. Kingdoms have risen and fallen beneath mine gaze. Servitude is not something I seek."

"B-But I still want to follow you," the girl said. "If I stop now, it feels like I’ll lose my purpose."

The Dragon studied her quietly.

Then it spoke once more.

"Then thou hast misunderstood thy purpose, child."

The girl looked up.

"The fate prepared for thee was never meant to be this."

The Dragon’s gaze seemed impossibly deep.

"As thou standest now, thou art no longer the girl destined for chains."

The girl listened carefully.

"Thy path changed the moment freedom was granted unto thee."

The Dragon shifted slightly, its massive form remaining wrapped around her.

"Thou wert not saved so that thou mightest exchange one master for another."

The girl’s eyes widened.

"Now that thou art free, live freely."

Its voice softened.

"Seek thy own path. Discover thy own purpose. Find the life that belongs to thee."

The Dragon’s crimson eyes remained fixed on her.

"And let not gratitude become another chain around thy neck."