The story opens in a bleak, perpetually grey land where the sun is always hidden by clouds. A young man with long, white hair, dressed in a black cloak, kneels before a stone altar in the middle of a desolate grassland. He speaks to an unseen entity within a hole in the altar, apologizing for the cold and wishing it a warm rest, before the altar trembles and a deep rumbling sound emanates from below. This youth, described as delicate and beautiful with grey eyes, bears a long, ugly scar on his neck, a mark of a guillotine.
The narrative then shifts to a grand stone castle, where a knight in full armor kneels before a throne. He addresses the unseen ruler, lamenting the poverty of his homeland, Coffin, which struggles to grow food due to the lack of sunlight. The native Coffin people survived by foraging and hunting sustainably, but their way of life was destroyed when the empire of Snowba invaded from beyond the mountains. Snowba conquered Coffin, plundered its resources, and forced its people to rely on imported food. The knight accuses Snowba of violating a treaty that promised to respect the dignity of the Coffin people.
From the throne, a cold voice dismisses the knight's words. The ruler is revealed to be a young general, no older than fifteen or sixteen, with crimson hair and sharp eyes. He mocks the knight for his defiance and then addresses three subordinates: a woman with a long sword, a man wielding a massive battle axe, and a scantily clad young girl named Mariella. The general asks Mariella, who drafted the treaty, to explain the meaning of "human dignity" as promised to Coffin. Mariella, with a provocative demeanor, states that Coffin's dignity lies in their survival, which Snowba allows by providing food. The knight protests, but the man with the battle axe, identified as Makito, silences him by driving his axe into the floor. The general then removes the knight's helmet, revealing golden hair, and mockingly calls the knight "Princess," a "female dog."
The knight, now identified as Lucina, leaves the castle, lamenting the complete loss of Coffin's resources and dignity. She walks through Snowba's stone-built city, filled with foreign goods and settlers, while her warrior escort, Garol, warns her about the disrespectful "adventurers" who inhabit the city. Lucina expresses her frustration and grief over her father, King Lugassa, who was killed by Snowba's "god." Garol explains that their limited weaponry is due to the treaty and that their only hope lies in gathering information about Snowba's weakness. They discuss the "god" that Snowba uses as a weapon, controlled by Mariella, a "God Caller."
Meanwhile, the white-haired youth from the beginning, Dust, observes a large owl and a feather. A lightning flash reveals a colossal winged silhouette in the clouds, identified as Morg, Coffin's guardian dragon. Dust laments that Snowba's myths seek to destroy Coffin's worldview. He speaks of King Lugassa and his warriors as sacrifices and predicts the next target will be the "wandering knight," the "hero of the people," the "Crow Knight."
A Snowba army marches west towards a village. Lucina and Garol are forced to accompany the general and his subordinates. Garol suspects Snowba intends to intimidate the villages, which have been spared direct interference until now, due to the recent exodus of Coffin's royal capital residents. Lucina is angered by the prospect of civilian massacre. The Snowba soldiers, clad in silver armor and emotionless iron masks, are a chilling sight.
As the Snowba soldiers approach the village, they find it empty. Suddenly, a knight in old Coffin armor, adorned with crow feathers, appears. This is the Crow Knight, a legendary figure. He confronts the Snowba forces, including the general, Makito, and Mariella. Lucina, held hostage by the general, is used as bait. The general reveals Snowba's plan: not to kill Coffin's people, but to break their spirit by destroying their culture, heroes, and legends, forcing Lucina to submit and become a slave. The Crow Knight, however, fights back with incredible skill, injuring Makito. But Makito, empowered by a "sacred snake," regenerates. The Crow Knight is ultimately defeated and killed by Makito, his head presented as a trophy.
Dust, living in a hollowed-out ancient tree, reflects on Coffin's plight and Lucina's potential fate. He drinks a homemade liquor and hears a strange sound. He rushes to the stone altar, where he finds a woman in a strange helmet, her leg caught by a skeletal hand emerging from the hole. She dropped a Coffin coin, which the "adventurers" (Snowba settlers) claim as their property. Dust intervenes, and the skeletal hand, revealed to be an artifact of "Demon King" Raykels, multiplies, decimating the adventurers. Dust, who identifies himself as a criminal named Dust, explains that he manipulates existing things through rituals and prayers, not creating them from nothing. He reveals that the skeletal hands are the remnants of Raykels' failed attempt to resurrect his loved ones.
Lucina, now dressed in a lemon-colored dress, is brought to a gladiatorial arena where Coffin citizens are forced to fight. The general, identified as Yuk, and his subordinates, including Mariella and Makito, watch. Yuk reveals that the fights are a form of "salvation" for Coffin's people and criminals, sanctioned by Coffin's Senate, who secretly communicated with Snowba. Lucina is enraged by this betrayal. Leo Sandra, the head of the Snowba Adventurer's Guild and a minister, reveals that Yuk is a former adventurer who led a revolution against Snowba's emperor, establishing a "revolutionary government." Lucina is further humiliated as the general plans to break her spirit and make her a slave.
Meanwhile, in Dust's refuge, he explains the history of Coffin and the "magic" he uses, which involves manipulating existing elements. He reveals that Coffin's ancient people used a powerful magic to exterminate giant creatures, but this poisoned the land. He also recounts the legend of Demon King Raykels, who attempted to resurrect the dead, creating the skeletal hands.
The story then focuses on Lucina's continued humiliation and the growing resistance. Garol, Lucina's loyal warrior, learns from a child rescued by a legendary hunter that the guardian dragon Morg has a nest and was once injured by the hunter. This revelation sparks hope, as Morg's existence on land could make it vulnerable to Snowba. Garol and Lucina realize Snowba's ultimate goal is to destroy Morg, Coffin's last symbol of hope.
Dust continues to research Raykels, learning about his failed resurrection magic and the "Raykels' Ring" artifact. He also reveals his own past as a criminal, exiled after his father's death during a guillotine execution. Ash, the woman Dust rescued, expresses her desire to see Morg and her belief in her parents' research on dragons, which led to their execution in her home country.
The narrative culminates with a confrontation between Snowba forces and a hunter protecting a child. The hunter is killed, but his bow, adorned with Morg's scale, is recovered. Lucina, witnessing the brutality and the Snowba general's manipulative rhetoric about "adventurers" and "revolution," is filled with defiance. The general is then fatally wounded by a thrown axe, revealing the hunter's last desperate act. The story ends with the Snowba army returning to the capital, displaying the hunter's trophies, and Lucina vowing to rebuild Coffin. Garol, defying orders, arms the Coffin warriors and heads to the Senate, implying a new phase of resistance.
