LGT Chapter 4

2. Their First Encounter

Dragons refer to the act of blending into human society and hiding their true identity as a form of play.

“And now, we have the final winner of this gladiator tournament! Introducing the greatest gladiator of our time, who has never once lost a single match on their way to the finals! Ladies and gentlemen, give a round of applause!!”

Whether it was swordsmanship—

“To think you could simplify mana formulas this much…! I’ve never seen a young genius like this! Please, illuminate the Royal Court’s Association of Magicians by taking the lead!”

Or magic—

Whatever the dragon touched blossomed into something far greater and more beautiful than any human achievement. Humanity’s progress is often said to be the work of a few scattered geniuses, rather than the collective effort of all. He thought to himself that perhaps those geniuses were dragons enjoying a playful game.

He had witnessed the founding of kingdoms through his playful pursuits, and later saw those same kingdoms crumble in wars. He watched as his comrades in adventure were wounded or killed, standing beside them not as a dragon, but as a human companion. All those adventures, from a distance, were driven by mere causes, wealth, or sometimes love.

Their goals always seemed trivial.

Yet, even that amusement eventually faded, and the Gold Dragon grew bored again.

What triggered his interest in venturing back into the human world was something quite trivial.

He had discovered an unfamiliar group of plants in his lair. Plucking one that seemed unusual, he brought it back to his lair for observation. But no matter how much he searched, he couldn’t find its name. He combed through every book on herbs and botany he owned and even looked through academic papers, but to no avail.

Without hesitation, he took the plant he had collected and chewed it thoroughly. The taste he imagined spread across his tongue. The sharp bitterness awakened a desire long dormant inside him. It was curiosity.

For a while, the Gold Dragon had been buried in parchments, but now he suddenly lifted his head. A rare smile crept onto the face of the man who usually only wore an expression of boredom.

“I found it.”

The Gold Dragon had finally found something to keep him interested for a while.

Though thinking of something he wanted to do had been difficult, carrying it out wouldn’t take long. To live among humans, he needed an appropriate status. A few gems stored in a corner of his lair were more than enough for such trivial preparations.

The dragon assumed the identity of a merchant’s son within the kingdom. Since one needed a certain level of wealth and reputation to enter the Royal Academy unless they were royalty or nobility, the merchant’s status offered more freedom than the strict confines of nobility.

The Royal Academy’s application didn’t require much information. Status was the most important factor for admission. Lacking a formal title, he enclosed a check with his application. The Gold Dragon placed the papers into an envelope that he already had in his lair and walked over to his desk.

On his desk sat a five-tiered storage cabinet. Each drawer was large enough to hold thin papers or documents. At the very top of the cabinet was a small bell, the kind one might see in a store. This storage system connected to mailboxes installed throughout the kingdom, all linked by his magic. He placed the envelope in one of the mailboxes and gave a short tap on the bell above. With a soft swish, the sound of paper moving was heard—the sound of a postman collecting the letter.

A few days later, he received a reply to his letter.

He was just about to head to the garden with a cup of freshly brewed coffee when the bell on top of the storage cabinet rang with a clear “ding.” A letter had arrived in one of the mailboxes.

Hearing the sound, the Gold Dragon set his coffee down on a nearby table and walked over to the cabinet. It wasn’t until he opened the third drawer that he found the letter. The fine quality of the envelope and the elegant handwriting—likely penned by a professional scribe—made it clear without even opening it that this was from the Royal Academy.

With a light scratch of his fingernail, he opened the envelope. Inside was a pearlescent letter, delicately sprinkled with fine sparkles.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━  

[Admission to Basamiel Academy]  

Recipient: Adrian Heather  

We are pleased to inform you of the result of your application to Basamiel Academy. Basamiel Academy has long dedicated itself to advancing scholarship and the development of the kingdom. We grant admission to individuals who possess exceptional talents and the spirit to pursue academic exploration.  

With the approval of the King of the Rustabaran Kingdom, we hereby grant your admission to Basamiel Academy for this year.  

Please refer to the enclosed materials for more detailed instructions.  

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

While submitting his application to the Royal Academy, he had also made a donation—a sum so large that most common citizens wouldn’t even be able to imagine it. If that donation was considered a sign of talent or academic dedication, he had no complaints.

The Gold Dragon conjured a small flame at the edge of the letter, and with a whoosh, the once-beautiful pearlescent paper turned to ash in an instant. More important than the formal letter were the detailed materials from the academy, which he carried over to the sofa.

His large frame sank heavily into the soft cushions. As he read over the list of necessary items for enrollment, he gestured casually, and the items he already had floated into a corner, gathering in place.

There were many things to pack.

The orientation for new students included a rule that all first-year students were required to live in the dormitory.

“Adrian Heather.”

The Gold Dragon spoke the name aloud, trying to familiarize himself with the word he would now have to get used to.

***

Adrian set off diligently from his lair, heading toward Basamiel Academy in the Kingdom of Rustabaran. For the ambiguous distances, he used teleportation outside the view of ordinary people. He had packed lightly, so his luggage was manageable and didn’t interfere with his plans.

Basamiel Academy was located in a city somewhat distant from the kingdom’s capital. As Adrian approached the academy, several luxury carriages passed by him, their young occupants staring at him with the arrogant expressions typical of the youth. Adrian, mature enough to ignore such looks, paid them no mind.

The first day at the Royal Basamiel Academy was bustling with activity as new students filled the grounds. Many of the freshmen already seemed to know each other, chatting happily with bright expressions. Adrian walked past the crowd of humans and quickly completed his enrollment process. Following the directions provided in his acceptance letter, he made his way to the dormitory building.

True to its royal status, Basamiel Academy was surrounded by vast, forested grounds. It was clear that no expense had been spared on the campus, especially the elegantly designed dormitories, a testament to the hefty admission fees.

Adrian’s room was on the second floor of the dormitory, and he liked it very much. The window faced east, allowing plenty of sunlight, which meant he could even grow something by the windowsill. Adrian was busy organizing the lower bunk of the two-story bed to place his belongings. The room was split perfectly in half, with identical beds and an even division of space, allowing him to choose the side he liked better. He chose the bed on the left side as you entered the room.

At that moment, the door opened, and a man carrying luggage walked into the dorm room.

Adrian paused what he was doing, looked up, and smiled brightly at the man. He assumed the man was his roommate and wanted to make a good first impression since they would be living together for the next year.

“Hello.”

The greeting caused the man to flinch, showing his surprise. Then, in a low voice, he whispered to Adrian, “…I’m just a hired servant. Please don’t mind me.”

Adrian raised an eyebrow at that. According to the Royal Academy’s rules, no matter one’s status, bringing servants into the dorms was strictly prohibited. Which meant Adrian’s roommate was already breaking the rules on the first day.

The man who had introduced himself as a servant began carefully organizing the luggage in the room. Adrian crossed his arms and observed. Judging by the steady stream of belongings being brought into the dorm, it was clear that his roommate came from a wealthy family. All of the items were of high quality—not flashy displays of wealth, but refined and expensive nonetheless. The contrast between Adrian’s modestly arranged belongings and his roommate’s luxurious items was stark and obvious.

Then, the real roommate finally entered. He was around Adrian’s height, with well-kept silver hair, but his sharp eyes and harsh expression didn’t leave the best first impression. This was the person Adrian had been waiting for.

After the servant quickly finished organizing the luggage, he quietly left the room. Neither Adrian nor his new roommate had spoken a word to each other yet.

When Adrian continued to stare at him, the young man shot back with an irritated expression.  

“What? If you’ve got a problem, switch rooms.”

“I’ve got no problem. Nice to meet you.”  

Adrian chuckled and walked over to him, extending a hand for a handshake. His roommate glanced at Adrian’s outstretched hand and, without a word, turned his large frame away in the opposite direction.

…What the—? What a rude brat!  

As Adrian awkwardly lowered his hand, the Gold Dragon lamented the lack of manners in today’s youth.