The feast continued late into the night. The passion hidden in the nobles' blood found its release in the dimly lit hall.
Before the dancing began, Rhaegar excused himself.
He returned to his room, drowsy and ready for bed.
At midnight, the bright moonlight streamed through the stained-glass window, falling across the head of Rhaegar's bed.
In his sleep, Rhaegar furrowed his brow and mumbled something unintelligible.
At that moment, Rhaegar was trapped in a nightmare.
As a small child, he drifted across a boundless sea. The sky was dark and gloomy, and thick fog obscured his sense of direction. He could barely see his own hand in front of his face.
Rhaegar stood on a tiny island. He shouted as loudly as he could, but no sound came out. The silence around him was terrifying.
At some point, the calm sea grew turbulent, and waves began to rise.
The tide swept over the island. Cold seawater submerged Rhaegar's ankles, forcing him to retreat to higher ground.
The island was little more than a speck, and even its highest slope could not withstand the vast ocean.
Rhaegar struggled to climb a coconut tree. Below him, the water had already reached halfway up its trunk and continued to surge higher.
Fear of being submerged filled his heart. Rhaegar could do nothing but watch helplessly as the water rose.
Suddenly, a shadow passed over his head, covering a vast area below.
Rhaegar tried to look up, but his body wouldn't obey him.
"Hiss... Gaa..."
Just as he was growing frantic, a roar—both familiar and strange—echoed from every direction.
The piercing sound burst through Rhaegar's eardrums, leaving him with a painful feeling of suffocation.
"Water... So much water... Cold..."
The sudden turn of events shook Rhaegar to his core.
In the outside world, the little figure sleeping in bed tossed and turned, sweat beading on his forehead.
"No! Don't!"
In the dream, the seawater submerged Rhaegar's ankles. Terror jolted him awake, and he opened his eyes with a panicked cry.
Knock, knock...
A series of knocks sounded at the door, followed by Illyric's voice.
"Are you all right, my prince?"
"Hah... There's no water. I'm still in my room..."
Rhaegar looked around in a daze. The familiar furnishings and soft feather bed came into view.
After a long while, just as Illyric was considering whether to enter and check on him, Rhaegar answered.
"I'm fine, Ser. It was just a nightmare."
Hearing this, Illyric relaxed and said softly, "If you need anything, just call out."
They had been together long enough that he was used to Rhaegar's nightmares.
At most, he felt a little sorry for the little prince and his restless sleep.
Rhaegar said nothing more to Illyric.
He curled up alone beneath the covers, hugging his pillow despondently.
This nightmare had felt so real, and it was more frightening than any of his previous dreams.
The pounding of his heart in his chest told him just how badly it had shaken him.
"Another nightmare. If this is the Dreamer's talent, I'd rather not have it."
A shadow fell over his heart. Thinking of the golden talent described on the system panel, Rhaegar murmured despondently to himself.
He hadn't dreamed at all for a while, and had thought his sleep was finally back to normal.
Tonight's nightmare had come out of nowhere, catching him completely unprepared.
Rhaegar was sure he looked utterly miserable right now.
Like a stray kitten or puppy left to wander in the cold wind.
"Exploration complete. Please collect the lost treasure."
Just as he was feeling dejected, the System prompt broke the gloomy silence.
Rhaegar held out his arm and looked at the silver bracelet on his wrist, remembering that he still had to finish the exploration task.
[ Mysterious Valyrian steel bracelet ]
Exploration progress: 100%
The System panel appeared. Rhaegar suddenly remembered how long it took to explore a relic.
This exploration task had started at around two or three in the afternoon.
He glanced at the low-burning flames in the brazier. Judging by when they usually went out at dawn, it was probably around ten at night.
"Looks like eight hours..."
Rhaegar worked it out silently as he picked up the blue glow that had fallen onto the bed.
"Relic collected successfully. Scanning..."
"Scan complete. Classified as an excellent relic: Fire Mage's magical artifact."
"Something belonging to a Fire Mage. I wonder what kind of treasure it is?"
His curiosity about magic overcame his fear, and Rhaegar activated the relic at once.
"Congratulations. Fire Mage's magical artifact activated. You have obtained..."
[ Spatial bracelet ]
Grade: Excellent (Blue)
Effect: Contains three cubic meters of space. Living creatures cannot be stored inside.
Description: "A magical creation dating back to the Valyrian era. Its spatial properties make it priceless, and even the noble Dragonlords fought over it!"
Clink—
The Valyrian steel bracelet on Rhaegar's wrist trembled lightly. A pattern split across its surface, and the bracelet crumbled into dust.
When Rhaegar looked at it again, all the signs of wear left by time had disappeared.
Its overall color had changed to a muted silver-gray.
The patterns were more exquisite, as if a master craftsman had carved them anew.
"A bracelet created by magic, a treasure coveted by the Valyrian Dragonlords?"
Rhaegar removed the mysterious bracelet, astonished.
He never would have thought that he'd come into possession of such a treasure by sheer chance.
"I really should thank Uncle Daemon again for such a generous welcome gift."
Rhaegar couldn't help but marvel.
The Explorer came with instructions for using the spatial bracelet, and Rhaegar read them carefully.
"I see. Valyrian steel contains magic. By carving spatial runes into this magical metal, one can create a spatial artifact."
Rhaegar was deeply impressed, and couldn't help admiring the wisdom of the ancients.
Valyrian steel was extremely rare, and mages capable of learning spatial runes were rarer still.
Producing even one spatial artifact every few centuries was considered a high rate of output.
In the Valyrian era, only the most powerful Dragonlord families could possess spatial artifacts, which they treasured as priceless heirlooms.
Among the forty Dragonlord families, the Targaryen family wasn't especially powerful. It ranked only in the lower middle tier.
As a result, there were no records of a spatial artifact in the family.
The Dragonlord families that possessed spatial artifacts had long since been destroyed by the Doom, their treasures buried in the ruins of Old Valyria.
Clutching the spatial bracelet, Rhaegar's breathing grew heavy, and his gaze gradually grew distant.
"I absolutely mustn't tell anyone about this. Otherwise, it'll surely lead to conflict."
Without hesitation, Rhaegar picked up the fruit knife from the bedside table, cut the tip of his index finger, and smeared blood over the bracelet.
Buzz—
A hazy glow spread across the bracelet, then disappeared in an instant.
At the same time, Rhaegar felt an indescribable connection form between himself and the bracelet.
"The bracelet was forged by the greatest Fire Mage. It can recognize bloodlines."
"My Targaryen blood is enough to bind this bracelet to me."
Now that he was the bracelet's owner, Rhaegar focused his mind, and the bracelet slowly shrank until it was the right size for him to wear.
Rhaegar put it on, touched the fruit knife, and silently commanded, "Store!"
With a whoosh, the fruit knife vanished into thin air.
Rhaegar sensed a fruit knife appear inside the empty space within the bracelet.
The novel experience stirred his curiosity, and he repeatedly stored and retrieved the fruit knife.
Then he tried the various objects in the room.
When he'd had his fun, Rhaegar discovered plenty of "treasures" inside the bracelet.
A small mountain of gold, several stacks of books written in ancient Valyrian, a badge bearing the image of a dragon...
The rest were unfamiliar clothes and assorted odds and ends, all of which he dismissed as junk.
The gold made Rhaegar's eyes light up.
He was a prince, but the treasury didn't belong to him.
He'd never left the Red Keep before, and had never had anywhere to spend money.
Now that he was free, this gold could fill his purse. He wouldn't have to worry about running short of pocket money.
Not every Targaryen could hatch a dragon egg.
Aegon and his brother Aemond were examples.
After the upcoming battle of succession, the protagonist would tame a dragon of his own.
Guess which dragon it is?
Before you continue