Chapter 1: After capturing the female hero, I found out I’m a doomed villain?

In a valley surrounded by towering mountains, a massive silver-white dragon slowly descended from the sky, its purple eyes gazing down at the young girl before it.

“I admire your courage, Hero, to dare challenge me.”

The dragon’s voice carried a slight rasp, yet it was enough to startle birds from the trees within a hundred-meter radius.

The girl, known as the Hero, knelt on one knee, her hand tightly gripping a longsword thrust into the ground, barely supporting her trembling body.

Compared to the unscathed dragon, the Hero was battered, her armor shattered in places, revealing pale skin beneath.

Her delicate face was smeared with blood, her expression one of utter exhaustion.

“There’s nothing to say, Silver Dragon Lucia. I lost because I’m not skilled enough. Do what you will—kill me or worse.”

The girl gritted her teeth, forcing out the words, her voice thick with humiliation.

At this, the dragon’s expression seemed to take on a hint of mockery, as if scoffing at her words.

“Hero Fratina, you trespassed into my territory and disturbed my rest. Did you think I’d just kill you and let you off so easily?”

Suddenly, Fratina’s pale golden hair stirred without wind, and her ice-blue eyes narrowed sharply.

A magic circle appeared beneath her, glowing with an eerie red light.

Sensing the strange changes in her body, Fratina’s heart sank to rock bottom.

She knew what kind of magic this was—the dragon didn’t intend to kill her but to subject her to a worse fate: becoming its servant.

Unfortunately, Fratina’s weakened body could muster no resistance, leaving her at the mercy of the contract’s binding force.

As the red light faded, a dark red iris tattoo appeared on the back of her right hand—the mark of the master-servant contract.

A wave of intense humiliation flooded her heart.

As the Hero bearing humanity’s hopes, she had prepared herself before coming here. Slaying the dragon would have been ideal, but even if she failed and died, she would have been a martyr for humanity.

This outcome, however, was the last thing she wanted.

With this thought, Fratina glared at the dragon, her eyes burning with unyielding anger and hatred.

But the dragon seemed unconcerned with her feelings. Seeing the contract sealed, it let out a satisfied chuckle before speaking.

“Hero Fratina, as my first contracted servant, I command you: in your lifetime, you may not take your own life, you may not disobey my orders, and you must always uphold my dignity.”

At these words, Fratina froze. The fleeting urge to end her life transformed into a deep fear, as if death itself repelled her.

She understood this was the contract’s coercive effect—her desire to die could no longer be fulfilled.

Then, to her surprise, she felt her strength rapidly returning.

She looked at the dragon again, but its purple eyes and expression revealed nothing of its thoughts.

After issuing the command, the dragon lowered its body, sprawling atop a massive boulder, and slowly closed its eyes, as if resting.

Time passed, and Fratina grew puzzled as the dragon remained silent.

Why, after becoming its servant, had the dragon only restored her strength without giving further instructions, instead lying on the rock as if asleep?

Was this some kind of trick to wear down her patience?

As she pondered this, the dragon finally stirred atop the boulder.

It slowly raised its head, and when it looked at her, it seemed to pause for a moment.

Yes, it definitely paused—Fratina felt she could almost read its thoughts.

She stared at the dragon in confusion. Had it actually fallen asleep just now?

As she wondered, the dragon stood upright, scanning its surroundings, its gaze lingering on its own body.

“Fratina… right?”

Fratina’s eyes faltered, tinged with confusion.

What was this about? The dragon had clearly known her name when sealing the contract—had it suddenly lost its memory, or was this a ploy?

Not daring to take chances, Fratina lowered her head obediently, her tone stiff.

“M… Master, I am Fratina… at your service.”

The words dragged out haltingly, betraying her deep resentment toward the dragon.

The dragon nodded at her response.

“Well… I’m going to rest now. If you have nothing to do, you’re free to move about.”

With that, the dragon turned, flapped its wings, and soared into the sky, vanishing from Fratina’s sight.

Left behind, Fratina stood dumbfounded.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that the dragon had changed somehow. Its tone just now was entirely different from before.

If the dragon’s earlier words carried an innate arrogance, now it seemed… almost timid?

It was her master, yet it spoke to her with a hint of negotiation, which felt utterly strange.

And that command.

“Free to move about”? What did that mean?

Was this a test of her loyalty? She had just been plotting to kill the dragon—how could she possibly be loyal?

Still, since suicide was no longer an option, her only choice was to find a way to break the contract. For now, she would bide her time with the dragon and wait for an opportunity.

With this resolve, Fratina nodded and turned to the chaotic valley, still scarred from their battle.

Since she was free to act, she’d start by cleaning up the traces of their fight.

Meanwhile, after returning to its lair, the dragon glanced around to ensure the Hero hadn’t followed before entering the cave.

As a cloud of black mist dissipated, the massive silver dragon shrank into a girl of about one meter sixty in height.

The girl wore a simple black dress, her snow-white hair cascading like a waterfall down her back.

Her purple eyes stared transfixed at her reflection in a mirror.

The girl in the mirror was breathtakingly beautiful, and aside from the small horns on her head, nothing linked her to the dragon.

After another transformation, even the horns vanished.

Lucia had transmigrated into a book she’d read, where the protagonist was none other than the Hero Fratina she’d just met.

After failing to defeat the dragon and becoming its servant, Fratina endured humiliation, eventually finding a way to break the contract and slay the dragon.

But the dragon Lucia had become wasn’t named Lucia in the book, nor was it the same gender as her in her past life.

Since dragons’ appearances didn’t reveal their gender, no one knew she was actually a girl—a strikingly beautiful one at that.

Moreover, something had changed since her transmigration. The magic she should have wielded effortlessly was now unusable.

Even flying a mere two kilometers left Lucia gasping for breath.

In terms of strength or magic, she was far below an ordinary dragon, let alone comparable to Fratina.

Why, when the book’s Silver Dragon Lucia was so powerful, had she become a frail, weakened dragon after transmigrating?

If Fratina discovered her lack of power, given the Hero’s hatred, Lucia would surely be killed.

As Lucia pondered how to save herself, her ears twitched at a sound outside the lair, and she quickly reverted to her dragon form.

Fratina’s figure appeared at the cave’s entrance.

“…Master, I’ve cleaned up the battlefield. Do you have any further orders?”

Hearing this, Lucia took a deep breath.

Trying to keep her tone calm, she spoke.

“Didn’t I say you’re free to move about? I’m resting. Don’t disturb me until tomorrow.”

Fratina paused at the words, then nodded and left.

“I understand. Please rest well.”