Episode 3

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t sleep and didn’t understand what was happening. So, she got up and carefully left the room; it was still early morning and it seemed there weren’t even guards around, which was perfect for escaping. She made her way through the hallways until she finally reached the kitchen, where she spotted a door leading to the back of the castle. Exiting cautiously, she ran until she arrived at the walls, which were tall, making them difficult to climb, especially with her weak body. She searched for a tree, but it was too far away, so she tried to climb the vines instead. Luckily, they were sturdy; she climbed, but when she reached the top, there was only darkness, barely able to make out the trees in the forest.

"If you leave, the demons will take your soul, little pink rat."

Beryl felt a chill at the sound of that deep voice, laced with a hint of sensuality. Turning around, she could barely see a tall, seemingly attractive man standing on the wall, his eyes glowing in the darkness.

Beryl crawled back in fright but slipped and fell from the wall, letting out a scream like a young girl. Just when she thought she would break her soul, she felt herself afloat, realizing she was nearly hovering before she landed gently on the grass. The palace guards grabbed her by the arms and dragged her back inside.

"Let me go, you thugs... I won’t become dragon food, I’m too young and beautiful... and I don’t think he would like chewing gum, my flavor is bitter" she shouted as she kicked and flailed.

In the end, she was locked in the room and continued to scream until she curled up on the carpet and fell asleep. In the morning, someone knocked, and still drowsy, she granted permission for them to enter, seeing it was the head maid, who introduced herself as Rina, the head of the maidservants, and that the lord of the castle asked her to take care of Beryl and explain everything, which left Beryl confused.

Rina told her that she, like Beryl, was one of the girls offered as a sacrifice, that was twenty years ago, and since then, she had lived in the castle as a maid. Rina explained that the dragon did not kill them as said in the kingdom; he simply brought them to the castle and gave them two options, to leave or to stay and work there. Some had chosen to leave, so the dragon provided them with gold and took them to a place where they could live in peace and start a business to help them survive.

"Wait, if he doesn’t kill them, why ask for a sacrifice? Isn’t that illogical?" she crossed her arms.

"His majesty has never asked for anything; it is something the kingdom invented. The temple said that for protection, a sacrifice was necessary..." Rina lowered her gaze.

She continued recounting that the first time, over a hundred years ago, to offer the sacrifice, the dragon saw the chosen young girl being killed at the castle gates. The priest declared that the blood of the virgin was for the dragon, as they asked for his protection. However, seeing that it didn't work and they received no response, more girls were brought, and just before they were to be killed, the dragon stopped them, stating that he would not protect a kingdom that shed the blood of innocent young girls and that he would even burn the village if needed. The priest begged for forgiveness, pleading for their protection.

The dragon ignored them and walked away. Soon after, a servant of the dragon informed her that those young women who weren’t sacrificed were sold into slavery, and nearly all had perished at the hands of their buyers. Moreover, the temple was already planning to sacrifice more virgin women, this time in the forest, so the demons would take their souls and not attack their kingdom. The worst part was that the king agreed with this plan.

After learning this, the dragon arrived at the cliff where the young women were about to be killed and ordered them to stop, thus saving the girls and taking them with him. But that was not the end; the temple attempted the sacrifice again, desperate as they could not defend themselves against the demons. So the dragon proposed a deal: to hand over a young virgin to consume her mana and protect them from the demons. Thus, every ten years, a young woman is delivered to the dragon, but he, as he said before, either lets them go or they become part of the palace staff.

"That temple just looks for any excuse to make sacrifices"he murmurs.

Though he was shocked to learn the truth behind the sacrifices, something that was never mentioned in the history, the inept protagonists killed an innocent being.

"So, you will be free to leave or stay. The master will return soon, and then you can inform him of your decision. In the meantime, you may use everything in this castle"Rina informs.

"Everything? Is there gold?"he rubs his hands like a fly.

"The gold is not at your disposal; I mean food, clothing, and other things"Rina replies.

"Oh no, what a joke. Well then, can I go out for a walk?"he asks.

"Yes, just do not leave the walls; the demons roam the forest. A maid will accompany you"

Rina calls a girl a little younger than herself, who introduces herself as Angela. Beryl greets her and leaves the room to explore the place; it was quite a large castle, and he felt that if he wanted to explore the entire building, it would take at least a week. Angela guides him to the garden, which was quite beautiful, hardly seeming to be in the middle of the forest.

***This work has been signed with NovelToon, and piracy such as reprinting without permission is strictly prohibited.***

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***