TDAA Ch 9

“But the person in question isn’t here.”

The members were buzzing, discussing various possibilities. The person in question was right here, but no one could realize that fact. Moreover, the companion of the Blue Dragon and the one who stabilized the dragon this time were completely different people.

‘All I did was put out an urgent fire—’

Siol muttered to himself.

“It’s not a dream.”

Interrupting the members’ conversation, Eorzen spoke.

“I clearly remember. It was someone with pretty ankles.”

His languid tone was soft but carried a strange atmosphere, like a predator trampling a fragile creature without guilt.

“Their back was beautiful, and their lips—”

Siol felt a strange sensation sweep down his spine. A peculiar pain flickered from the ankle, the back, and the lips where Eorzen had bitten.

“Sizool?”

At that moment, Ryufen peeked out from the kitchen and called. Startled, Siol bolted toward the kitchen as if escaping.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

Siol let out a heavy sigh and stabbed a piece of steak with his fork. His stomach had been full for a while, but dreading the time that would follow after finishing his meal, he forced himself to chew the meat. Ryufen, watching him, smirked and placed another piece of meat on Siol’s plate, as if telling him to do as much as he wanted.

“Delaying it a bit won’t mean anything. Tsk tsk.”

Siol glared with his lips tightly shut, but Ryufen only responded with a “what are you gonna do about it” look.

Of course, Siol knew this was meaningless.

Eorzen was drinking tea in the hall. The members, who had been discussing his companion for a while, concluded to search the surroundings and left. Eorzen was probably waiting for Siol to finish his meal.

“…I’ll get scolded a lot, won’t I?”

“Of course. He might even spank you.”

“Spank?!”

‘For three days, I was terribly tormented, you know?!’

Siol barely suppressed the words raging in his mouth. He couldn’t reveal what happened during those three days. If he did, first, he wouldn’t be able to face Eorzen, and second, the curse gripping his heart would surely not forgive him.

Siol slammed the fork down on the table and stood up.

“Spank what?”

“Forget it. I’m going to get scolded.”

“You should finish your meat first.”

“No way. I feel like my stomach’s going to burst.”

Siol glared at the grinning Ryufen and slowly walked toward Eorzen in the hall. His shoulders slumped, and he felt utterly wronged. It was true that he had disappeared for three days, but it was all to guide Eorzen. If it weren’t for him, the Blue Dragon would still be rampaging. Yet, he couldn’t boast of his contribution and was only going to get scolded—it was so unfair.

He had somewhat prepared himself for this from the start, but…

“Lord Eorzen.”

“Sit.”

As Siol hesitantly approached and called out, Eorzen pointed to the chair beside him.

His expression had a somewhat cold edge. Compared to how he had always smiled kindly, it was the complete opposite.

“Um… I messed up.”

Sitting on the chair and mumbling, Eorzen looked down at Siol coldly and asked,

“Why didn’t you stay in a safe place?”

“…Back then, leaving Lord Eorzen alone felt… too unbearable.”

Siol stared at his hands on his knees and confessed sincerely. His fingers fidgeted involuntarily.

A rampage was an unpredictable phenomenon. Having seen ability users abandoned after rampaging multiple times, Siol couldn’t help but overlap them with Eorzen, even knowing the Blue Dragon wasn’t in a position to be abandoned. The fact that he had rampaged several times before and turned out fine didn’t guarantee the same for the future.

Fortunately, Eorzen was now sitting in a chair, sipping black tea, with his mind intact and body unharmed. Siol had saved Eorzen, who could have been otherwise, who might have been rampaging for at least another week.

“So I couldn’t help it. I wanted to go to Lord Eorzen. To be by your side… to help you.”

Even though he was now sitting in front of him, making excuses for his three-day absence, he had saved him.

“…Sizool. When I rampage, sometimes… I use life-draining magic on creatures around me. You probably collapsed the whole time because of that magic.”

“…Yes.”

Even if no one would acknowledge it.

“Your actions were dangerous. They didn’t help either.”

Siol bit his lip, struggling not to shake his head. He wanted to scream that he had helped, but he held it back.

“Yes.”

“So never do that again. If I rampage, you must run far away from me. Understood?”

Eorzen lifted Siol’s chin, which had been facing the floor, and said. Since the Blue Dragon had given an order, Siol had to comply, even if it was something he didn’t want.

“…Yes.”

“Good. That’s the end of your scolding.”

As Eorzen smiled softly and kissed Siol’s forehead, Ryufen, who had been watching with a grin from the kitchen, jumped out and shouted,

“What…! That’s it?!”

“Sizool has reflected enough, hasn’t he?”

“You punched me!”

“You and Sizool are different. I can’t hit a kid.”

“……!”

Ryufen’s face twisted with indignation, his mouth agape. Unable to believe that Siol got off so lightly, he alternated between glaring at Siol and Eorzen before turning away with a clearly hurt expression.

Siol giggled and hopped off the chair. He approached Ryufen and tightly hugged his neck. Normally, Ryufen would lower himself for Siol, but this time he stood stiffly, forcing Siol to stand on his tiptoes.

“Sorry. I’m reflecting, so please forgive me, Ryufen. Okay?”

“…Ugh. Just know I’m letting you off easy this time.”

“Okay! Thanks, Ryufen.”

“Do it again, and I’ll spank you till your butt’s on fire.”

“Got it.”

His words were rough, but his actions weren’t. Ryufen bent down so Siol didn’t have to stay on his tiptoes, then, slightly embarrassed, cleared his throat and licked Siol’s cheek.

That’s when it happened.

“Sizool.”

Eorzen called him in a slightly subdued voice. It was rare, so Siol, wondering what was up, hurriedly ran over. Eorzen stared at Siol for a moment.

Siol couldn’t read what was in those eyes.

It wasn’t the affectionate gaze from earlier, nor was it reproachful. But there was something heavy in them. Siol instinctively held his breath and took half a step back.

That look was almost, almost—

“Come here.”

Then, after a brief pause, Eorzen smiled gently. Siol felt that the strange atmosphere surrounding him had vanished, and the usual Eorzen had returned.

Just moments ago, he had seemed like the Blue Dragon. The Blue Dragon from yesterday.

Trying not to focus on his pounding heart, Siol approached Eorzen. It wasn’t just his heart—his cheeks burned, and his body felt hot.

“Do you know what this is? Budril asked me to ask you.”

Eorzen showed Siol a small pouch. The bottom was leather, the top was cloth, and it was a palm-sized pouch that could be tied shut with a string. It was something brought from the cabin, something Siol used to use often but had tucked away in a corner after making a better one.

There shouldn’t be anything special about it, so why did Budril go through Eorzen to send it? Tilting his head, Eorzen explained.

“It looks like an ordinary pouch, so Budril used it to store some items, but they disappeared without a trace.”

“Disappeared… you say?”

Siol took the pouch and examined it.

He didn’t recall adding any strange functions when making this pouch. It was just a pouch with standard features like space expansion and weight reduction to carry a lot of items easily. Of course, it had a security feature that only provided its full functionality to the registered owner, so it wasn’t surprising that Budril thought it was an ordinary pouch.

Siol inspected the outside thoroughly, then opened it and turned it inside out. The inner lining was adorned with several alchemical runes.

“Ah…”

At Siol’s soft exclamation, Eorzen leaned in.

“Do you know what it is?”

“I’m not sure, but… it seems like a pouch used to hide secretive items.”

“Hiding them means they can be retrieved, right?”

“But what was the lost item?”

“…A master key, apparently.”

Siol looked at Eorzen with an exasperated expression, and Eorzen shook his head with a look of disbelief. Neither could fathom why Budril would store something so important in a suspicious pouch.

Anyway, Siol shrugged and pocketed the pouch.

“I’ll figure something out. But not everything from the cabin is something I know about… I’ll need to do some research. Can I keep it for a while?”

“Do that.”

It was a bit unfair to Eorzen, who readily entrusted the pouch, but this pouch wasn’t that kind of item.

The moment he heard the item had disappeared, Siol recalled the last spell he had inscribed in this pouch. If that spell had been activated for some reason, causing the master key to vanish—

“I’ll run some tests first!”

Trying to stay calm, Siol went to the table where he had been writing and began drawing an alchemical formula on a piece of paper with a pen. It was a tracking formula. If this paper “disappeared,” he could trace where it went.

Siol secretly added more writing to the paper.

[Are you alive?]

He slipped the paper into the pouch and checked it periodically, but even by the time he ate dinner and went to bed, it hadn’t disappeared.

Siol said goodnight to Eorzen and Ryufen, went to his room, and opened the pouch. He could see the piece of paper he had placed inside.

Maybe he was mistaken. Perhaps the master key’s disappearance was a coincidence, or the old alchemical pouch had malfunctioned and sent its contents somewhere unknown.

Siol lay in bed, closed his eyes, then sat up abruptly.

Just once. One last check. Really, just one more time.

Siol pulled the pouch from the bedside table and carefully opened it. The piece of paper was still there. Disappointed, he was about to close it when he tilted his head and took the paper out. The paper’s color seemed different.

With trembling hands, Siol unfolded the paper, and inside—there was different writing.

In shaky handwriting, it read—

[Yes]

…a short reply.

His heart raced.

The news that the girl who had nearly shared death with him, who had rushed to save his life, had survived sent him into a state of exhilaration.

Siol recalled the day the cozy laboratory, his home, had turned into a horrific battlefield.

Unaware that Nathaniel had stolen everything he had built over the past decade, Siol had been living leisurely until he lost his life. Awakening in the mana pool, Siol was out of his mind with despair. Despite trying to stay calm, betrayal, anger, helplessness, and fear overwhelmed him, and confusion enveloped him.

That day, surrounded by beastmen he didn’t even know existed, Siol began to doubt his own identity. He had lost virtually everything—wealth, power, and even himself. If she hadn’t taught him the truth, if she hadn’t told him to learn about the world, he might now be…

Siol stopped his spiraling thoughts and took a slow, deep breath.

This pouch was connected internally to the one he had given Ladie that day. When he made a new pouch to replace the old one, transferring all the contents from the space-expanded pouch was too tedious, so he temporarily linked them. He thought it would have broken after so long, but it still worked…!

However, he couldn’t blindly trust this small note. It was possible that Ladie had been sent somewhere and died, and someone else had picked up the ownerless pouch.

[That day, what juice did I ask for?]

[Apple juice.]

It’s Ladie!

Siol hugged the pouch tightly, shouting inwardly at the reply.

This time, the handwriting was neat. The first reply’s messy writing must have been because Ladie was shocked and flustered. It was his first time seeing her handwriting, but he could tell it perfectly matched her.

Siol ran his thumb over the writing and let out a sigh of relief.

Though he could now stand on solid ground thanks to Eorzen’s kindness, he couldn’t escape the traces of his past. Even now, Siol felt pursued by the specter of the Alchemist of Death.

But hearing that Ladie had survived made that specter feel a little fainter.

He had thought everyone important in his life had either betrayed him or died, leaving only debts to repay as the Alchemist of Death.

[It’s really you. Are you okay?]

[Thanks to you. You escaped safely that day.]

Siol looked down at his small body. He couldn’t call this “safe,” but explaining his situation to Ladie would only worry her. He decided to skip answering.

[I’m learning about the world, like you said.]

[I’m sorry for deceiving you.]

[It wasn’t your fault. I’m grateful to you. Thanks to you, I’m discovering the world.]

[Thanks to you, I ended up with my father’s friend. I used the things in the pouch. I’m sorry.]

Siol had thought Ladie, who lost her entire family to monsters and was sent to his lab, had nowhere to go, but thankfully, she had found a place to stay.

Somewhat relieved, Siol grinned and teased.

[Think of it as severance pay.]

[That’s some expensive severance pay. I’ll gratefully accept it. Where are you now?]

Taking the opportunity, Siol traced the tracking formula he had written on the paper. Unfortunately, while he could sense the paper’s direction, he couldn’t pinpoint the location. Likely, she was beyond the range of the formula’s capabilities.

Siol opened the window and looked in the direction the tracking formula indicated.

“That’s the direction of human lands.”

[I’m very far away. We probably won’t meet for a while.]

[Are you eating well?]

Siol giggled at Ladie, the former maid, checking on his meals.

Back at the lab, Siol often ate little and skipped meals when focused on work. If he told Ladie that he now ate three square meals a day with meat in every menu, would she believe him?

[I’m eating really well. I’ve met good people who are helping me.]

[That’s a relief. So… will you stay there?]

Siol sensed something in Ladie’s question. She seemed to want him to come to her. Perhaps she needed help.

[Do you need my help?]

Siol clutched his racing heart, waiting for a reply.

The sensation of her strong hand grabbing his to escape together that day was still vivid. Though she could have been safer escaping alone, she ran to Siol, protected him, and led him through the secret underground passage.

Though they were ultimately caught by the Blue Dragon and faced their end, that wasn’t the important part.

In a world full of lies, he too was one of the actors, but at least in the end, he told him the truth. Siol remembered his guilt-ridden face. He believed in his sincerity. If it hadn’t been for him, if he hadn’t told him to see the world, would Siol have been able to trust Eorzen even after meeting him? Would he have been able to accept the truth and change like this?

If he needed him, Siol wanted to help.

[No. I was just worried.]

[Really? There’s really no problem?]

[I don’t know what you’re worried about, but I was just probing because I was a bit suspicious about whether you’re really doing well.]

Siol let out a low groan. For Ladie, who thought Siol had escaped from the Blue Dragon that day, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume he was living in poverty while on the run. While Siol was doubting Ladie’s safety, Ladie was also doubting his.

Both were so worried that the other might be in an untrustworthy place that they didn’t even call each other by name. Just in case someone intercepted the notes, they ensured their identities wouldn’t be revealed.

[I’m really in a safe place. You know what I’m capable of.]

[That’s why I’m worried. Your survival skills don’t match your abilities.]

[I can’t argue with that… but I’m really in a good place, honestly.]

[If you ever want to come to me, just say the word. I’ll come pick you up.]

To say he’d come pick him up from a place so far away that even the tracking formula couldn’t pinpoint it. Siol shook his head and wrote a reply.

[What about you? Where are you living? Are you doing okay?]

[My father’s friend asked if I’d like to take over the family business. I’m going to do it.]

[Taking over the family business is cool. Can I ask what it is?]

[When I can talk about it more confidently, I’ll tell you then.]

What’s that? Siol pouted but decided not to pry.

[Then at least tell me more about how you’ve been doing so far.]

And so, the two talked through the night.

Ladie said that after being teleported that day, she woke up in an unfamiliar forest. She went through many twists and turns but used the items in the pouch to safely reach a city. Afterward, she sought out a friend her father was close with and stayed with her.

Now, she’s studying to take over the family business, living busy and tough days. There’s so much to learn, know, and do. But she said the hectic pace was actually helpful. She seemed to be doing well.

“Thank goodness, Ladie…”

Ladie was just a girl who took care of Siol at the laboratory, never committing any wrongs.

The poor girl, who lost her family and was sent to the lab to serve others, now had the right to forget that horrific glass garden and find happiness.

Perhaps it was vicarious satisfaction. Hearing that the girl he relied on during a moment when life and death hung in the balance was doing well, perhaps Siol was projecting hope onto her. Maybe, after taking responsibility for everything, he too could become like her.

But what did it matter? The joy filling him upon hearing of Ladie’s safety was genuine. Siol sincerely wished for her to successfully take over the family business and live an ordinary life.