I kept walking toward home. My feet kept moving forward, but my mind was still deeply lost in thought. I was thinking about how I could adapt my Sequence more efficiently, and how I could eventually find the ingredients and ritual required to advance to the next Sequence—Sequence 2.
I was immersed in these thoughts when suddenly I collided with someone. I lost my balance and fell straight onto the ground. As I tried to get up using my hands, a voice came from in front of me.
"Hey kid, are you okay?"
I was about to reply, slightly irritated, but then my gaze lifted upward. And I saw an incredibly beautiful girl standing in front of me. I just kept staring at her.
Her hair was completely white—long and straight, like flowing streams of silver. Her eyes were golden. So golden that for a moment it felt like light itself lived inside them. I had never seen such a beautiful girl in my life.
She was holding a cone of ice cream in her hand. For a moment, I was stunned.
Has ice cream already been invented in this world?
But the girl calmly licked her ice cream and spoke again, "So… are you okay?"
For a few seconds, I just stared at her. Then she picked up my leather bag that had fallen on the ground and handed it toward me.
"Here."
I reached out to take the bag, and at that moment, our hands lightly brushed against each other. I felt her skin—extremely soft. So soft that an unwanted thought crossed my mind.
I've never touched anyone's skin this soft before.
After handing me the bag, she went back to focusing on her ice cream. I thought to myself that I had to talk to this girl now.
"It's nothing—" I started to say, but she wasn't listening at all. Her entire attention was on the ice cream. I got annoyed.
Then I blurted out, "Hey, girl! Can't you hear me?"
Without getting bothered, she replied, "Yes, speak. I'm listening." "You're the one shouting your throat out."
I said, "Look, you knocked me down." "So you should pay a fine for this."
She looked genuinely surprised. "What?" "You have to pay money for this too?"
"Alright. Tell me. How much is the fine?"
I smiled. "A beautiful girl like you doesn't need to pay money." "Just…" "Tell me your name."
Her expression immediately changed. Narrowing her eyes, she said, "I know boys like you very well." "You're first-class perverts." "People like you should be thrown into jail."
I thought to myself—Brother, I only asked for your name… why so angry?
Now my mood also got ruined. "Hey, girl," I said, "watch your language." "Do you even know who I am?"
She replied, "Oh?" "Then tell me." "Who are you?"
I straightened myself and said, "My name is Jona Desk." "Son of Narco." "A Senator Council member." "I belong to a respected noble family of the Empire."
She paused for a moment. Then said, "Narco from the Senator Council?" "Who is that?"
I went completely silent. I didn't even know how to react to that. She continued licking her ice cream and said, "If it were up to me, I'd eat boys like you."
Now strange thoughts started appearing in my mind. Eat me? What does that mean? Either she would literally kill and eat me… or the other meaning everyone would think of.
I thought to myself—This girl talks such dirty nonsense.
Then I noticed a carriage stop behind her. It had the Royal Family's symbol on it. At that moment, another woman stepped out of the carriage. She was wearing a soldier's uniform, resembling something like a 19th-century British soldier.
The woman said, "Madam Mercury, it's time to return to the palace."
Mercury.
The moment I heard that name, alarms rang in my head.
Mercury…? Could she be from the royal family?
A wave of nervousness passed through me. Had I just said all that nonsense to a royal family girl?
Mercury turned toward the woman and asked, "Did you buy my ice-cream bowl?"
The woman replied, "Yes, madam. It took some time, but I got it."
She showed a bowl completely filled with different ice-cream flavors. Mercury's eyes lit up. She snatched the bowl from the woman's hands and happily said, "This ice cream only comes to that shop twice a week." "And it gets sold out immediately! That's why I have to wait so long to eat it."
Then she sat inside the carriage and started enjoying her ice cream. The woman lightly glanced at me and ordered the carriage to move forward. The carriage started moving.
I stood there frozen, my heart pounding loudly.
I narrowly escaped today…
I thought to myself—if Mercury wanted to, who knows what punishment she could have arranged for my behavior.
I took a deep breath of relief. But still, I couldn't help thinking—she was really beautiful.
Hopefully, I'll meet her again sometime. And next time, I'll try to make a better impression.
For now, I was safe.
Now, I just needed to reach home.
I started walking again.
After that, I returned straight home. Without talking to anyone much, I quietly went to my room. As soon as I entered, I placed my leather bag near the study table, opened the drawer, and took out the Paragon notebook.
I placed it on the table and paused for a moment. I thought—it's still evening… I'll have to keep it here until night.
Thinking this, I picked up the notebook and tried opening it again. This time, the pages turned. One page opened with just a light press. There was writing on both sides. A wave of happiness surged inside me.
I pulled the chair and sat down, then started reading the notebook. On the first page, Narco mentioned an organization called Order Eye Group. He wrote:
"This is an evil organization, believed to be around 2600 years old."
Narco further wrote that this organization worships a gray god named The Giant Black Eye, though its members completely deny this name and associate their god's name with justice instead.
They lure villagers with money and fulfill their demands, recruit them into the organization, and make them worship the Giant Black Eye. Their influence is strongest in the eastern regions of the Gupta Empire. There, they provoke people using issues like communal rights, agricultural rights, and caste, inciting riots. Their goal is to slowly establish control within the Empire, remove the royal family from power, and rule with communist ideology.
Because of this, the organization has become a headache for noble families like ours.
Narco further wrote that according to capital intelligence, their real headquarters is somewhere near the Aravali Mountains. "The exact details are unclear, but tribal civilians say the entrance looks like a broken cathedral." "Inside, worship of the Giant Black Eye takes place. Technically it can be called a Church, but inside it is a complete labyrinth."
The page ended there.
I let out a breath and looked at the next page. Another organization's name was written: The Child Prophecy.
Narco wrote that according to records, this organization is not very ancient but is at least 800 years old. It has only one goal—to obtain the crown of the Gupta Royal Family.
I thought—Why create an entire organization just for a crown? What's so special about it?
Narco continued writing that the crown was none other than Angel of Dragon – Mercury.
My mind jolted.
Dragon… Mercury?
I kept reading. Narco wrote that this organization's headquarters is also near the Aravali Mountains, but completely opposite to the Order Eye Group. According to the Church of Surges Sea, this place looks like a luxurious palace—with golden grills, lush green gardens inside, and a grand white palace at the center. Organization members are often seen walking in the garden.
That page also ended.
I tried turning the next page, but couldn't. The notebook froze again. I closed it and started thinking deeply.
My mind was stuck on one thing—Angel of Dragon.
All the pieces started connecting. The dragon I saw flying in the sky earlier today wasn't ordinary. It was the Gupta Royal Family's dragon. And the Child Prophecy wants to obtain it.
But why?
Is that dragon's name Mercury?
Today, I had collided with a girl—white hair, golden eyes. I closed my eyes. The dragon's color, its golden eyes—it all matched that girl.
So was that girl the Angel of Dragon?
But then another question arose. She looked my age. And an Angel cannot be below Sequence 7.
Then I remembered Den's words: "Sequence 7 possesses power almost equal to a God."
So does she have multiple forms? A human form and a dragon form? In my world, I've read about many nobles—acid dragons—that also have human forms.
Then I remembered her words: "If it were up to me, I'd eat boys like you."
Was that not a joke? Was she talking about her dragon form?
My throat went dry.
So that means… the girl I argued with on the road today wasn't random at all. She was the Sequence 7 Angel of Dragon.
My hands started trembling.
At that moment, Den returned from the Underworld. Seeing me, he was shocked. He asked, "Why are you sitting like you've seen a ghost?"
I told him everything. Today's encounter. Mercury. The notebook's information.
As he listened, his face grew pale.
"You…" he stammered. "Have you gone insane?" "Good thing I didn't make a contract with you." "I'm leaving. Right now. Forever."
Saying this, he turned to go. I panicked and grabbed him. "Wait, brother!" "Don't leave me!"
Den glared at me. "You're actually insane." "You literally picked a fight with the Gupta Royal Family's crown—Angel of Dragon." "And you want me to stay with you?"
I quickly said, "How was I supposed to know she was a royal family dragon with a human form?"
Den thought for a few moments, then took a deep breath. "Fine." "Maybe she won't even pay attention to you." "On one side is the Gupta Royal Family's crown—Dragon Angel Mercury." "On the other side, you're just a random Sequence 1 Thunder Nature Paragon from a noble family." "There's no comparison at all."
He looked at me. "So for now, don't worry." "You're not in danger from her yet."
I slowly nodded. But my heart was still racing.
Today, I had truly passed very close to a massive storm.