‘Oh my god… I was feeling so ecstatic and wonderful… Disgusting?! Revolting?!’

Sera felt like she was about to lose her mind from the shock.

“I’m sorry. But others will feel the same way. Not only is it impossible to feel sexual desire for someone without pheromones, but the act itself feels unpleasant. It’s not that I dislike you, Sera.”

‘Unbelievable. Does that mean I’ll never be able to have sex or even kiss for the rest of my life?!’

Due to the successive shocks, Sherburn’s words didn’t register in her ears.

“To put it simply, attempting a relationship with someone without pheromones is like trying with a minor, a child who hasn’t gone through the coming-of-age ceremony. So, mentally, there’s a sense of guilt, and it feels unpleasant.”

“Then, does that mean… I will… forever…”

“You won’t be able to. The other person won’t be able to endure the discomfort. Even if they try to endure it somehow… I found it extremely difficult just from a few seconds of kissing.”

Sherburn covered his mouth with his hand, showing a gesture as if he was nauseated. Sera, with a shocked expression, thought to herself.

‘I was so looking forward to a thrilling, intimate relationship… Ah… This can’t be happening~!’

Seeing Sera’s gloomy face, Sherburn sincerely felt sorry and said.

“It seems like you were interested about it, Sera. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.”

“Ah…! If I find my real name… Solving it is possible, right?”

Upon reflection, it was a problem that could be solved simply.

“Yes. I think the reason you have developed sexual desire but not pheromone manifestation is because you know your name but not your family name. Once you find out your family name and your full name, it should be resolved.”

‘My family name… my family name, you say… I have no idea about my father’s family.’

“Is there anything else you’re curious about? I’ll help as much as I can with what I know.”

Sherburn looked at Sera with pity and said.

‘It’s a shame. If the pheromone manifestation had occurred… it would have been quite delicious.’

Sera seized the moment to ask.

“Hmm. The necklace you gave me earlier. What exactly is it? A magic necklace? My ankle healed yesterday, and Yuni came back to her senses…”

Sherburn fiddled with the necklace.

“A magic necklace… Yes, that’s right. This necklace was made by Marquis Lafjehill two years ago. It’s mainly used for collecting pheromones to calm them.”

“Ah, does it absorb pheromones?”

Upon closer inspection of the black bead, a dense form of pheromones was swirling inside.

“Yes. Basically, pheromones can be collected by a priest. Priests pray to the gods to neutralize the collected pheromones. Yesterday’s necklace absorbed the rampaging pheromones and contained them in the bead to neutralize them.”

Sherburn took off his necklace and handed it to Sera as he continued.

“The pheromones of Marquis Lafjehill were so strong that it took twenty high priests to attempt to collect them, and even then, it barely calmed down. They couldn’t hold out for more than a few days. Perhaps out of pity, the great dragon visited the Marquis. The dragon created a necklace with magical abilities to directly absorb and store the Marquis’s pheromones.”

“Magic… a dragon?!”

“Yes. Have you heard of the dragon Jake?”

“A dragon… isn’t it like a guardian god? Like a god…”

Sera glanced at the statue.

“That’s how it was in the history we learned. But for some reason, the dragon awoke after a thousand-year rest and began its activities. I don’t know the details, but the Marquis was able to create a necklace to calm pheromones with the dragon’s help.”

“Wow… a dragon… I’d love to meet one someday. Uh… but isn’t there also a method for calming pheromones through sexual relations, aside from the priests’ calming methods, for someone like the Marquis?”

“The Marquis… does not engage in such relations. There are even rumors circulating that he might be frigid.”

Sherburn and Sera showed expressions indicating they couldn’t know for sure.

“There are two types of necklaces. The silver-stringed necklace you saw yesterday and the gold-stringed necklace you have now. The two necklaces serve different purposes.”

Upon closer inspection, the color of the bead’s rim and the string differed from yesterday’s.

“The gold-stringed necklace you’re holding is the Emit Necklace, from which the black pheromone inside the bead flows out. The silver-stringed necklace from yesterday is the Collect Necklace, which absorbs pheromones.

“Ah… so that’s why Yuni was calmed. This bead absorbed Yuni’s pheromones. But how did my ankle heal?”

“The dragon designed it to be beneficial for humans. While it was made for absorbing pheromones, it can also absorb minor injuries as an additional feature. The Emit Necklace allows the pheromones contained within to leak out, exposing the wearer to pheromones. It’s mainly used by priests for exposure to pheromones and for training while offering prayers for retrieval to the gods. Also, for those with weak pheromones, it’s used for strengthening pheromones… and for infertility treatment purposes.”

“Aha… it’s been crafted very usefully.”

“Wait a minute. Does that mean… I’m being exposed to pheromones right now?”

Sera fiddled with her necklace.

“I don’t feel anything at all right now.”

“Even when holding the necklace, if there’s no special reaction, it might mean that you, Sera, are a strong pheromone holder.”

“What? What do you mean… I haven’t had a pheromone manifestation?!”

“Hmm. Well, if there’s any sexual desire, there should be a reaction to pheromone exposure. The Emit Necklace exposes you to pheromones just by holding it, but wearing it around your neck increases the effect.”

Sherburn sipped his tea and spoke in a detached, business-like manner.

‘What a waste. Such a waste. I was hoping to see her get aroused and maybe even masturbate… It’s rare to meet someone with such strong pheromones.’

“I see. So that’s why I felt a bit of a reaction earlier. Thank you. You’ve explained a lot of things I was curious about.”

“Not at all. It’s what we naturally do at the temple. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

“No… Ah. What are these small buildings? Are they accommodations for the priests?”

“No. The accommodations are separate. These are called care rooms, and there are at least two built at each shrine. They’re used for those in heat to use in emergencies. They’re used to calm pheromones through sex or masturbation. Since the necklace was created, they’re used less often, but because the pheromones in the necklace beads are limited, unless it’s a dire situation, priests like me usually help calm people here directly.”

Sherburn showed the most genuine smile Sera had ever seen on his face.

‘Sherburn, the priest, here… ahem…’

Sherburn chuckled as he spoke to the embarrassed Sera.

“When you find your name and experience pheromone manifestation… please visit us if you wish to calm yourself. We will serve you with utmost sincerity.”

.

.

.

“Thank you.”

Sherburn and Emil escorted her to the temple’s entrance.

“If you need assistance, feel free to visit anytime.”

“Sera, it’s nothing much, but please take this. It will be helpful.”

Having heard the situation, Emil hurriedly went to his room and brought back a small box to hand over. Sera couldn’t tell what was inside.

“Thank you.”

Sera thought it would be impolite not to accept it, so she took it and returned to Seren.

“What did you give her, Emil?”

Sherburn asked Emil with a blank expression.

“It’s a… female self-pleasure item. It’s shaped like a cute seahorse… ouch!”

Sherburn sighed and pinched Emil’s cheek.

“Why do you even have something like that? Well, it’s a good idea, though. Heheheh.”

(4 years ago.) [Imperial Year 326]

In a deep cave in the mountains of Letren.

Jake awoke from a long sleep, having restored his magical power.

‘How much time has passed…?’

Stretching, Jake crawled out of the cave.

‘Let’s see…’

Swoosh.

With his restored magical power, he expanded from the size of a small lizard to a magnificent, imposing golden dragon, large enough to have broken the cave if he had grown inside.

Jake was originally only 10 years old when he was sealed. As time passed while he awoke from the seal and restored his magic, he was now 18 years old.

At 18, Jake’s body had fully grown into a massive dragon.

‘There’s no one around… but I can’t be seen.’

Swoosh.

Jake, having transformed into a human form, spoke out loud.

“Ah, hmm. Ahem! Oh, my voice has changed like this. Let’s see…”

Jake looked at his reflection in a puddle by the nearby lakeside.

His soft, flowing light yellow hair and mysteriously opalescent lavender eyes.

True to a dragon, his slender and elongated face looked youthful, yet it was quite a beautiful face.

He had a low, resonant voice that contrasted with his face, but his everyday speech was childlike, so he chattered in a lighter tone.

“Not a bad appearance. Now that I have an adult’s body… can I do what humans do? Hehe…”

He tried to bring out what was called pheromone with a light laugh, but no pheromone came from his body.

‘Huh? What’s going on? Isn’t this how it’s done?’

He tried again, but there was no sign of pheromone coming out. Jake headed to the nearby shrine to communicate with the gods.

Emil, who was dozing behind the podium, didn’t notice Jake’s presence and continued to nap.

Jake placed his hand on the statue of the god and attempted to pray to initiate a conversation.

‘God! What’s going on? Why can’t I produce pheromones? Hey! God!! Come out! It’s me, Jake!’

At that moment, a voice from the god echoed in Jake’s mind.

‘You… damned dragon! Consider yourself lucky to have awakened. I was thinking of never waking you up.’

Jake frowned and spoke to the god in his mind.

‘Ah! But I woke up somehow. Just answer my question. Why don’t I have pheromones?’

‘Hmph. Your punishment isn’t just a seal. Who knows what you’d do if you came out. Pray like humans when you reach adulthood, and I’ll manifest it for you myself.’

‘What?! That’s ridiculous! I’m a dragon! How can you treat me like a human…?’

‘I know very well that you’re a dragon. After all, I created you. I’ve left you with some magic, so it shouldn’t be too hard to manage until you come of age. You’re still 18, after all. Come back next year. Until then, try not to cause any trouble. Poof.’

“Argh! You crazy god! Where are you going?!”

Whack.

Jake felt a blow to his head as if he’d been punched.

‘Did I raise you wrong? Huh? Instead of reflecting on your actions, you go and create pheromones to inject into humans. I spoiled you from a young age. Tsk tsk…’

‘I was wrong. I’ve matured now, haven’t I? So… give me back all my magic and the pheromones too!’

‘No. You can’t. If you achieve something beneficial for humans with the remaining magic… then I’ll consider returning all your magic. I’m leaving now. I’m busy.’

‘Ugh… you villain!’

Jake flinched but nothing happened.

‘Phew… Am I supposed to live like this as a human? Seriously… helping humans, huh… First, I need to go where there are many humans.’

Jake left the shrine and sought out a densely populated city.

‘Hmm. I should head north.’

Jake set off for the capital, Pianta.

A thousand years ago, the god managing various worlds was extremely busy.

Among them, the human world was too complex and the prayers too numerous, so the overwhelmed god created Jake, a dragon, to take charge of the human world.

After Jake was born, the god transformed him into a human form and sent him down to be raised in the shrine.

‘He is my creation and the dragon who will protect your world.’

Jake was raised among humans, but because he was pampered by the priests, he grew into a dragon with no manners.

Nevertheless, with the magic and abilities he possessed as a dragon, he helped create a world where humans could live comfortably.

However, there was one thing that Jake found displeasing: the human methods of reproduction and mating.

He received several requests to terminate unwanted pregnancies, even from young children and those who had suffered incest.

Disgusted by such sights, young Jake decided to grant humans pheromones, ensuring that a child could not be conceived unless at least one person released pheromones.

Furthermore, he made it so that pheromones would only manifest in adults, preventing minors without pheromone manifestation from experiencing sexual feelings.

As a result, the human mating method of sex evolved into acts purely for pleasure, involving various sex toys and play.

Thus, Jake also became interested in human sexual activities.

‘Is that really so enjoyable?’

It wasn’t all progress. As pheromones were released and sex became chaotic, order was lost.

After much deliberation, Jake decided to give humans with different hair colors pheromones that matched their hair color.

By calculating the properties of pheromones in this way, incest also became impossible.

Pheromones of black, which absorbs all light, and white, which reflects all light, became strong and special pheromones that could accept all colors.

Aside from these, the closer to primary colors, the stronger the pheromones were injected.

Due to the sudden change in pheromone properties, the stronger the pheromone, the more dominant it became, inevitably leading to higher status, causing confusion among humans, and many began to pray to the gods.

Believing that Jake had played a prank by granting pheromones, the god immediately sealed Jake away, giving him a thousand years as punishment.

The god, faced with an uncontrollable situation, adjusted it so that pheromone manifestation would only occur with divine permission upon reaching adulthood.

‘Jake, you crazy brat…! Sigh…’

The god clutched his head, but after observing the human world transformed by pheromones for several decades, he found that at least until a pregnant child was born, abandonment never occurred.

‘Well, I guess it’s all for the best..’

The intensity of the pheromones was also adjusted by the god according to one’s disposition, and a special scent was added based on individual tendencies.

For aggressive tendencies, a strong and subtle scent was emitted, allowing one to discern the other’s disposition before engaging in a relationship.

Having observed the human world closely for quite some time, the god found a way to become somewhat attached to humans.

Arriving at Pianta, Jake sought out the mansion of Marquis Lafjehill to find the black pheromone.

“Hello! Could you step aside? I have business with the owner of this house.”

Jake approached the two guards at the mansion with a bright smile.