TDAA Ch 6

The voice from behind pointed out snidely.

It was Ryufen. Ryufen, who was filling the tower with the aroma of food since morning, was cracking eggs into a frying pan.

Siol yawned long and hard, responding only in his mind. Ryufen wouldn’t know, but Siol was exhausted and tired from guiding all night and from Eorzen refusing to let go even when he tried to stop, draining his guiding pheromones the entire time.

“Seriously, you’re probably the only beastman who sleeps on top of the captain.”

“Yawn…”

“Stop yawning and come eat breakfast, hurry up!”

“Alright…”

Just as Siol was about to get up, matching the rhythm of Ryufen’s grumpy shouting, he suddenly paused, huh? and replayed what he’d just heard.

‘The only beastman who sleeps on top of the captain is probably you.’

“Huh?”

Only then did Siol realize he was sitting on Eorzen’s body. Eorzen, lying down, was happily watching Siol, who was swaying sleepily atop him. Siol shot up, his eyes rolling in panic.

“Uh, I, uh, Lord Eorzen, I—”

“It’s fine, Sizool. I slept very well.”

“—What?”

“You were very warm.”

“Y-Yes, yes…”

At the teasing tone of reassurance, Siol, turning bright red, mumbled his response.

He had firmly resolved last night to act convincingly, but somehow, feeling shy made it hard to pretend to be composed.

“Captain, stop teasing and come eat. Sizool, you too.”

Thankfully, Ryufen called out at just the right moment, or Siol would’ve stood there awkwardly, rolling his eyes, not knowing what to do. Siol happily ran to the table.

Taking a plate with two fried eggs, bacon, two small pieces of steak, and a salad, Siol eagerly picked up his fork.

“…Captain? What’s with that look?”

“Hm?”

Eorzen, who had been walking over slowly, inspected himself. Nothing seemed out of place.

“No, I mean your shoulder and neck. What’s that?”

“Ahh…”

Only then did Eorzen realize what he was referring to and chuckled. The area around his trapezius was a mess, covered in bite marks. His skin was red and inflamed, with holes here and there from sharp fangs.

“The little wolf’s teeth are quite sharp.”

Oh no! Siol, who had been shoving eggs into his mouth, froze.

Even Eorzen, half out of his mind with the aura of frenzy, had only held Siol and slept without groping him, but Siol couldn’t believe he, in his right mind, had done such a thing. Yet with clear evidence before him, he couldn’t deny it either.

Seeing Siol so shocked he couldn’t even chew, Eorzen approached, laughing heartily and ruffling his hair vigorously.

“Haha, it didn’t hurt, so don’t worry, Sizool.”

“I-I… Lord Eorzen…”

Unable to finish his sentence, Siol looked up as Eorzen spoke.

“When your fangs are newly grown, you can’t help but want to chew on something.”

“…Ah… Fangs.”

“It’ll be fine once they’re fully grown.”

“Y-Yes…”

Siol quietly let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t an attack; he’d just bitten a little.

Of course, the fact that he’d covered this beautiful dragon’s shoulder with bite marks right after resolving to remove all obstacles in his path wasn’t exactly a pleasant outcome, but at least he hadn’t attacked him.

“The stew is delicious, Ryufen. How did you make it so tasty?”

Siol subtly changed the subject. Ryufen looked a bit incredulous but shook his head and went along with it.

“I just brought what the chef made and heated it up.”

“Aw…”

“Why are you disappointed? How would I make something like this? You should be grateful I hauled it all the way up here from down below and warmed it up!”

Ryufen grumbled, shaking his head. Anyone would think Siol had complained or something. Feeling wronged, Siol hurriedly explained.

“No, I’m grateful. I am, but since you built a campfire and all, I thought you made it yourself…”

“I did make the fried eggs. Are they good?”

“They’re delicious.”

“Good. I’m studying cooking because of you, so you’d better eat it gratefully.”

“…Why are you picking a fight?”

“Me? When did I…”

Ryufen paused and continued.

“You’re right. I was picking a fight a bit.”

“…Ryufen? You’re acting weird today. Are you sick?”

“No, it’s not that, it’s—”

Ryufen, who had gone out of his way to light a fire in the tower and prepare a feast without waking the two sleeping, hesitated for a moment. He seemed to be gauging something, maybe feeling awkward.

Siol let out a soft “Ahh,” realizing what was going on.

“If you need anything else, just say it. I’ve decided not to be scared anymore.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to work hard from now on. I want to help both of you. Everything I know, I’ll give to you.”

Siol said, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Don’t overdo it, Sizool. You don’t have to force yourself to overcome your fear.”

Eorzen, approaching from behind, placed a hand on Siol’s shoulder to soothe him. But Siol answered energetically.

“I’m not overdoing it. I’m okay now. If anything happens, you two will protect me, right?”

“Sizool, you belong to me. That’s only natural.”

“So I want to try too. I’m not overdoing it.”

“Alright. If that’s your conclusion, do as you please.”

“Yes, I’ll do as I please.”

Siol smiled happily at Eorzen before turning to Ryufen.

“Ryufen, you can tell me anything. I’ll help with anything to rescue your sibling.”

“No, that’s not what I—”

Ryufen, momentarily speechless and dazed, stomped his foot in frustration.

“I was just trying to say thanks for teaching that Burdril guy stuff at the lab yesterday! Thaaanks, Sizool!”

Ryufen stomped over noisily, roughly ruffling Siol’s hair.

“Thank you! Really, thank you, okay?!”

“Ow, that hurts…!”

For some reason, Ryufen got emotional, vigorously ruffling Siol’s hair, hugging him tightly, and then letting go. Afterward, he slumped onto the floor beside the table, seemingly drained. With his back turned, resting his chin on his arms, he looked sulky, though he insisted he wasn’t and shouted to just eat. As he said this, Ryufen’s tail slapped the floor with a thwack-thwack.

There was definitely something bothering him.

Siol was concerned but quietly ate his meal for now. Warm stew, sandwiches, grilled meat, and his favorite apple juice.

It was a lavish feast for breakfast. Far better than the hellish barbecue party Ryufen had thrown last time.

Siol glanced at Ryufen, then at Eorzen. Eorzen, tearing into savory bread, met Siol’s eyes and gave a warm smile.

“By the way, what is this place?”

“The Star-Reading Tower. That’s what it’s called.”

“Like fortune-telling or something?”

“Each dragon has a star of their own. At night, when you look up from this tower, my star appears right in the center. Coming here to see the stars sometimes lets me learn about changes in myself that even I don’t know.”

“What kind of changes?”

“Well… last night—”

Eorzen seemed in a good mood. Looking up at the sky, where the stars were no longer visible in the daylight, he said,

“I could see my mate’s star appearing beside mine.”

“What?!”

Ryufen shot up, shouting. His earlier sulkiness vanished as if it had been a lie, replaced by an exaggerated reaction. The wolf, eyes sparkling, placed his front paws on the table.

“Is that for real? Your mate’s star actually appeared?”

“Yes, it appeared.”

“My goodness! That story from before was true! When you said it was about time for you to go berserk, I said you seemed fine, didn’t I? That you looked okay! It seems you really did meet your mate somewhere. Something must’ve influenced you, right?”

Siol, unaccustomed to Ryufen’s excited chatter, recalled what he meant by “the story from before.” It was about the day after he’d sensed the aura of frenzy and gone to Eorzen. The day he’d resolved to secretly guide Eorzen.

But what puzzled him was the term “mate.” Wasn’t a mate an old-fashioned word for someone you’d spend your life with?

Siol felt his heart pound for some reason.

“Um, what’s a ‘mate’? And what’s going berserk?”

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know, Sizool. The captain is a dragon, you see. Dragons go berserk and rampage at certain intervals. But once they find a mate, they stop going berserk. A mate is a partner. It’s complicated to explain in detail, but that’s the gist of it.”

The human king had once told Siol that there were no “ability users” in this world. After seeing Eorzen panting in pain with signs of frenzy, Siol had thought that was a lie, but it seemed it wasn’t.

In this world, dragons were the only beings who needed guiding, like Earth’s ability users.

Then what did that make him, a guide?

Siol asked, almost entranced.

“So if you fall in love, you don’t go berserk?”

“It’s not about falling in love; it’s about meeting the person you’re destined to love.”

“I don’t understand…”

Eorzen smiled lightly and explained.

“Dragons experience fated love. There’s a predestined partner in the world’s timeline, and you inevitably fall in love with them. As soon as you meet.”

“How do you know… if they’re your mate?”

“According to other dragons, you just know when you meet them.”

“Just by meeting?”

“Yes. Some know the moment they lock eyes, while duller dragons might take two or three days, I’ve heard.”

Oh. So it wasn’t me.

Siol sighed blankly, then flushed red. He realized he’d been hoping. How shameless to hope he might be the dragon’s mate!

Siol gulped down cream stew, scolding himself.

To begin with, he was from another world. There was no way he could fit into this world’s order.

A human who was also a beastman, a guide, an alchemist, and from another world—who in this world could accept him?

“Two or three days to figure it out? How do you even find them then?”

Ryufen grumbled discontentedly.

Eorzen, a dragon, stayed in the castle most of the time. Even if he was looking among beastmen, he’d have to go to the city, stay for months, and meet all sorts of people. If his mate was human, it’d be even more problematic. Who’d spend days with someone they met on a battlefield, assuming they were their mate? Kidnapping them seemed like the only option.

“Since my fated star has appeared, I’ll meet them no matter what. I’ll find them eventually.”

Unlike Ryufen’s anxious state, Eorzen didn’t seem particularly excited.

“Compared to when no star had appeared, I now have a certain guarantee, so I just need to wait.”

Eorzen’s eyes, as he spoke, were deeply calm. Not from sadness or pain. They were the eyes of a hunter. The seasoned gaze of a hunter who knew how to set a trap and wait. Something not yet in his grasp, but certain to seize and never let go once it came near.

Siol felt a shiver, as if his nape was being gripped. But the next moment, Eorzen smiled warmly at him again.

“You’ll be kind to my mate when they appear, right?”

“Of course! I… I’ll definitely treat them well.”

Siol, ignoring the slight pang in his chest, clenched his fist and answered.

No. Stop it. Siol pressed his chest, whispering to himself.

Guiding inevitably required spending time feeling each other’s body heat. It could start with holding hands, but as an ability user’s frenzy worsened, it involved sexual touch, sometimes going further. On Earth, guiding without such intimacy was rare. Why just hold hands when doing something pleasurable could lower frenzy levels? That was the common mindset.

The problem was the emotions born from such deep contact. Feelings from physical intimacy didn’t last long. Some mistook it for love and even married, only to grow cold within weeks. There were countless such couples.

Watching those scenes, Siyoon had vowed never to fall for such delusions, but to others, he was just an overly sensitive guide.

Don’t get confused. Repay the kindness. I just want to do anything for this dragon. Anything.

“But Lord Eorzen, you’re a dragon. Does your mate have to be a dragon too?”

“An interesting question. Actually, there’s never been a case where a dragon’s mate was another dragon.”

“Why not?”

Wasn’t it strange that a dragon had never paired with another dragon? Animals typically bonded with their own kind.

“It’s probably because the only outcome of a dragon being a dragon’s mate is ruin.”

“Ruin?”

“Dragons are extremely possessive. Two dragons, both mates, would build a lair deep in a cave to monopolize each other and never come out again. That would be perfect possession and a happy life for both.”

“Only… when the mate is a dragon?”

“Dragons fear being hated by their mate. So they pretend not to be excessive in front of them. Oh, Sizool, you’ll keep this story a secret from my mate, right?”

Would this man, once he found his mate, become a dragon consumed by possessiveness, doing anything for them, even begging to be the only one in their eyes?

Siol couldn’t imagine Eorzen like that, but if it was a species trait, it would happen eventually. He prayed the mate would be worthy of Eorzen.

“Waiting is your plan, Captain, but I’m going to start searching. They’ve got to be among the people you’ve recently met.”

Ryufen declared, as if he wouldn’t take objections, and continued.

“But I’ll do it after rescuing Muriel. Actually, last night, Burdril finished the master key with an all-nighter. We’ll test it this morning, and if it’s verified, the knights will deploy this afternoon.”

“Already?”

“Burdril’s more capable than he looks.”

Siol thought he might’ve been able to get along with Burdril if it weren’t for his prying habits.

For Siol, who had to hide his past, Burdril was no different from an enemy. He’d let go of his fear, but Burdril remained an uncomfortable presence.

“That thing, when I saw it yesterday, it didn’t have much blood left. At most, maybe four or five uses…”

“Then we should assume there’s only one chance. Thanks for letting me know, Sizool.”

It would take a full day to reach the transport caravan. A day to execute the plan, rescue the beastmen, and escort them to a nearby city. And a day to return.

Ryufen promised to return within four days, even if things took longer. He didn’t forget to prepare a huge pot of stew for Siol and Eorzen to eat, along with piles of bread, cookies, and fruit. It was far more than someone planning to return in four days would stockpile.

The next day, Ryufen, seeing Siol’s exasperated expression at the mountain of food, pressed his head firmly.

“Eat a lot! …But not so much you get sick.”

“Got it—”

Siol pouted as he answered, and Ryufen looked skeptical but had to leave. The transport caravan was quite a distance away. Five or six knights, transformed into their beast forms, followed Ryufen, leaping or flying. They had to give their all to keep up with Ryufen, who ran at a speed like a shooting star.

This operation team was a small, elite group chosen for mobility.

With a verified master key, reaching the transport caravan would mean the operation would be over in a flash. Humans without alchemical weapons were weak. They might be capable of kidnapping non-combatant beastmen, but they couldn’t possibly match the might of Eorzen’s knights.

“Don’t worry, Sizool. There’s no weakling in my knights who’d fall to raiders.”

“I believe you. I do, but… I’m still worried.”

“It’ll be fine.”

Siol let Eorzen stroke his head, watching Ryufen and the operation team disappear rapidly into the distance.

Ryufen was a very strong wolf.

If the transport caravan didn’t have fortress defenses implanted, he could’ve gone alone to rescue Muriel long ago. Now that he had the master key to neutralize those defenses, this operation should be a piece of cake.

It should have been.