TDAA Ch 36

In the jet-black night, ripples began to spread in the middle of a lake in the forest, bathed only in moonlight. It wasn’t the wind or raindrops that caused the ripples, but a strange magical power flowing from within the lake. The magic didn’t just ripple across the lake’s surface; it gradually spread outwards, waking sleeping birds and making monsters rampage. The magic swirled around the lake like a tornado before abruptly stopping.

And not long after, a man walked out of the lake.

“…Damn it. Why did it fail?”

His dark red, long hair was soaked and stuck to his body. He irritably shook the water from his hair and kicked the water roughly as he exited the lake.

The forest was originally the land of monsters. Yet, the man showed no trace of fear as he advanced into the night forest. On the contrary, with a dignified attitude as if he were the master of the forest, he stepped on the grass without hesitation and walked deeper inside. As if he had walked the same path dozens of times, he reached a small altar with familiar steps.

That altar was a keepsake left by the man’s mother, a witch, long ago.

The altar, which the witch had painstakingly created, had not lost its mysterious power even after her death and willingly lent its power to her successor, Nanthiel. That’s why Nanthiel would come here whenever he had to perform high-level magic that he couldn’t handle on his own.

Of course, that was also the reason he had chosen this place for his resurrection. Not just for the resurrection, but because there was more magical help to be received.

“…That son of a bitch.”

Upon arriving at the altar, Nanthiel ground his teeth, chewing on a curse.

The altar was a complete mess. As soon as he saw the scene, Nanthiel could guess who the culprit was.

There was only one person who could have found out the location of Nanthiel’s precious space and bothered to come and do such a thing. Swallowing a curse, he picked up the fancy letter paper that the great intruder had left in the middle of the altar.

[You woke up later than I thought. When you wake up, come to Barbash.]

Nanthiel’s face contorted as he read the command, which specified a location as if he was obviously supposed to come. He imagined the man who must have written the words with a nonchalant face, as if Nanthiel would never be able to refuse the order, and his stomach churned. But unfortunately, Nanthiel had to follow that command. Because the man had stolen something important to Nanthiel from this altar.

Nanthiel first calmed his boiling anger by cleaning and tidying his precious mother’s altar.

His resurrection ritual was not perfect. Nanthiel’s clone was not a perfect transfer of the soul into a new body, as in Sizool’s case, but rather closer to cutting off a part of the soul and moving it into a new body to make it move. There was no way to reconnect the severed soul. It meant losing a part of his soul every time he made a clone, but it was better than dying. If he thought of it as paying with his soul for his life, it wasn’t that expensive, Nanthiel thought.

But memories were different.

The death of the clone meant that the plan had gone awry. He had made a perfect plan and believed he could naturally obtain the blue dragon. If the clone had acted according to the plan, there was no reason for it to fail. Yet, to be resurrected in a new body like this meant that an unexpected new element had appeared and he couldn’t handle it.

He had to get his memories back. Only then could he make a new, more perfect plan.

Originally, Nanthiel had cast a spell so that the clone’s memories would return to this altar. Of course, he had also cast various security spells to make it difficult to access. But this intruder had nonchalantly walked up to the altar and stolen only the clone’s memories.

The man could have killed the sleeping Nanthiel, submerged in the lake, at any time. But he didn’t, and took only his memories. That fact brought a deep sense of shame to Nanthiel.

Nanthiel clenched his fists and suppressed his anger.

Just get the dragon, just get the blue dragon, and I’ll kill him.

But now was the time to obey the command. After cleaning the altar, Nanthiel put on the clothes he had prepared before falling asleep and took out a small test tube sealed with a cork stopper from a leather pouch. When he pulled the cork and blew on it, spreading the scent around, monsters flocked to him.

Nanthiel looked down arrogantly at the six monsters staring at him as if waiting for his choice. They were monsters that prevented humans from even going outside the protective barrier, but they were no enemies to him. Rather, they were more like slaves who served him.

He scanned the monsters one by one and gestured to a swift, winged carnivorous monster. The creature approached with its chin held high, while the remaining ones returned to the forest, dissatisfied.

“Yes, come here.”

The monster made a purring sound and rubbed its cheek against Nanthiel’s shoulder. Nanthiel grabbed its jaw and fed it the potion from the test tube. The monster let out a pained groan, crouched down, and then suddenly shot up. With a low roar, the monster was enveloped in a dark red light. And a moment later, when the light subsided, the monster’s body and wings were bigger than before.

“Yes, I thought you would grow right away if you took the medicine. That’s why I chose you. You’re as magnificent as I thought.”

He patted the growling monster as if to praise it and climbed onto its back.

“Let’s go.”

Nanthiel flew up into the sky, invisible from the ground, and moved to Barbash in the land of the beastmen.

[I can’t wait any longer. Come to Terpal.]

[You’re sleeping for a really long time. Come to Galitein.]

[When are you getting up? I’m getting worried since you’re sleeping for so long. Come to Nella.]

[I miss you. Come to Solever.]

[What are you dreaming about? Come to Fisher.]

[The moon was so pretty today. Come to Frailer.]

After wandering around like that for four and a half days, Nanthiel was finally able to face the king. Not in Barbash, but in Frailer.

The king, who had been twirling a pen while contemplating what to write on the letter paper, saw Nanthiel and smiled brightly, throwing the letter paper and pen behind him.

“Nanthiel! You’re finally here. I really missed you.”

The king, approaching with open arms with a straight face, hugged Nanthiel and patted him on the back.

Nanthiel stiffened as he accepted the expression of affection. The man in front of him was undoubtedly the king he knew, but his appearance was completely different from before. The king, who had looked to be in his mid-thirties, though he looked somewhat young, now had a face that looked to be in his early twenties at most.

This monster had clearly achieved something.

Nanthiel clenched his teeth, enduring the king’s touch, which would have looked to anyone else like a genuinely happy and glad reunion.

“You slept for so long, I thought you might have really died. I’m so glad you’re not dead.”

“…Give it back.”

“Hm? Ah. You mean this. What, are you going to be like this as soon as you see me?”

The king said, taking a small glass bottle from his pocket. Inside the glass bottle, a jet-black shadow gathered like smoke and then dispersed, repeating the motion. It was a life-like movement, but in reality, it was just repeating movements related to him while holding the memories that Nanthiel’s clone had.

“What will it take for you to give it back?”

When Nanthiel continued to be insolent despite his smiles, the king stared at Nanthiel for a moment before letting out a smirk.

“Didn’t you say it was a perfect plan?”

Seeing his attitude and even his way of speaking change, Nanthiel thought to himself, of course.

“There must have been a variable. I need the memories to know what it was.”

“If you can’t control the variables, you shouldn’t use the word ‘perfect’, Nanthiel.”

“…I don’t want to argue with you. Just tell me what you want.”

“But I like it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said I like it. Pointing out your shortcomings, I mean.”

The king giggled, looking at Nanthiel who was staring at him coldly. Nanthiel knew the king was toying with him. That’s why he tried not to react, but hearing those words made him flare up.

“Alright, I’ll stop. Hmm. As you know, this is collateral. I’ll give it back if you discipline my niece a little.”

“You mean Ladie.”

“Yes. She’s been into war games lately. A few days ago, she took one of my territories.”

“That’s why I told you we should kill her when she was at the research institute.”

Nanthiel frowned, recalling Ladie’s suspicious gaze at the research institute. The penetrating gaze of a girl who was quick-witted despite living a miserable life, not even knowing who killed her family.

“I can’t take the life of my only remaining blood relative just for this. Don’t kill her. Just make her pay the price for being arrogant. Understood?”

When Nanthiel nodded reluctantly, the king spoke again.

“If she dies, I’ll put this in a box and throw it into the sea. So that you can never find it.”

That threat was very effective.

Nanthiel’s eyes twitched at the humiliating threat, and he nodded once more.

Then the king smiled and placed his hand on the magic stone beside him. As if responding to his touch, the magic stone flickered slowly, illuminating the inside of the tower. The interior of the tower, which had been lavishly decorated like a reception room in a royal castle, was scattering as if it had all been a mirage.

“Then I’ll leave first. If you’re tired, you can stay for a day before you go.”

That was not something the person who had made him fly from city to city for days and just destroyed all the facilities inside the tower should say. Nanthiel, who read the meaning as ‘stay if you have the ability’, barely concealed his hurt pride.

As the king walked towards the wall, an ornate door appeared on it. The king was about to go out the door but stopped.

“Ah. Right. Nanthiel, while you’re at it, go to the chancellor and tell him that the next target will be Darmus. You can do that much, right?”

He smirked, seeing that Nanthiel stubbornly didn’t answer, and disappeared out the door. His attitude was as if he was confident that Nanthiel, although he wouldn’t answer, would never be able to refuse the command.

Once the king was completely gone, Nanthiel reached out to the magic stone with a hardened face. Zap, an electric shock shot out from the magic stone and pushed him away violently. Nanthiel pulled his hand, burning from the shock, to his chest and gritted his teeth. Seizing the magic stone of the Tower of Survival was something Nanthiel could also do. But he couldn’t do it as skillfully and quickly as the king, and it was impossible to re-seize the magic stone that the king had already obtained.

Now that his business was done, there was no reason to stay here any longer.

Nanthiel stood on the threshold and held out his hand. The monster resting at the top of the tower heard his signal, flew up, grabbed his hand with its tail, and pulled him onto its back. As he left, the door turned back into a wall.

Below the tower, a boisterous festival was underway. It was a festival to celebrate the giant moon that rises once a year. The city’s residents were enjoying the festival, dancing, singing, running, and sleeping. Everyone was overflowing with joy and happiness. Their faces showed they had no idea what had happened to the Tower of Survival, which was practically the city’s lifeline.

But that was none of his business.

Nanthiel left the beastmen’s city with a smirk twisting the corner of his lips.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

After sending Luber with Eriard, Siol returned to the lab alone and immediately threw himself onto the bed. The thick cotton mattress undulated, catching Siol’s body.

Siol stayed like that for a long time.

He lifted his head because he felt a small warmth on the crown of his head. A very small hand tapped the top of Siol’s head, and when he turned, a harvest mouse was there.

“You know, I think I accomplished… a little something.”

His heart pounded. It could hardly be called a great achievement, but he had accomplished a little, just a little.

“Lord Meric doesn’t despise or hate me anymore. He… doesn’t dislike me.”

He had thought it impossible.

Even when Ladie had said that Lord Meric would soon understand, Siol hadn’t believed her. How could someone forgive a person who had contributed to the death of a close friend? That’s what he had thought to himself.

“I thought the Lord would hate me forever. If it were me, if it were me, I probably wouldn’t have been able to forgive…”

A future where Siol forgave someone who had murdered Eorzen or Ryufen did not exist. He might go a little crazy and ruin the world. If such a future came, Siol might really become an alchemist of death.

Siol squeezed his eyes shut, shaking off the future he had imagined for a moment.

Tap, tap. The harvest mouse patted Siol’s cheek. When he opened his eyes, the harvest mouse was there, looking somehow displeased. Siol tilted his head, then took a peanut from the box he had placed at the head of the bed and placed it in the harvest mouse’s arms. The harvest mouse took it since it was given, but it looked at Siol as if very displeased.

“You’re not hungry? Hmm… Are you throwing a tantrum, asking for something tastier?”

Perhaps it was full thanks to the snacks he had shared from time to time. Was it protesting, demanding a different food like an almond instead of a peanut?

Siol giggled, poking the harvest mouse’s belly. The harvest mouse then let out a deep sigh and turned its back on him. It seemed its feelings were hurt, but seeing the harvest mouse not leave his side, Siol felt a sense of joy rising.

“But it’s a really good thing, you know? Huh?”

He was even happier because it was an unexpected achievement.

He thought that if he could change people’s minds one by one like this, someday he might really be able to shed the stigma of being an alchemist of death. The dream that had felt so distant, like touching a cloud, now felt like a truly achievable plan.

“Everything is going well. So if I keep working hard like this, surely Sir Eorzen will also… me…”

As he trailed off, unable to continue, the harvest mouse peeked back at him. As if it were curious about what he would say next, despite not understanding a word he was saying, a mischievous feeling welled up in him. Siol hid the rest of his words and just smiled sweetly.

Joy welled up.

But it was just a little disappointing. It would have been really nice if there was someone by his side to share this joy with.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

That evening, a splendid banquet was set up in the lord’s mansion. It was a gathering in the great hall called the Hall of the Sun, with the human knights, Ladie’s beastmen knights, and Eorzen’s knights all together. In the kitchen, an endless supply of various meat-based dishes, alcohol, and sweet desserts were prepared to fill their stomachs.

Facing the bustling scene of musicians playing and servants carrying food, Ladie, feigning a relaxed expression, chatted with Lord Meric in the seat next to her.

“It seems beastmen have bottomless stomachs.”

“Come to think of it, Titi also had a huge appetite.”

“You mean the wolf that stayed in this domain before.”

“Don’t you remember?”

“Have I met him?”

“You must have forgotten because you were too young. Your Highness, the Princess, even rode on Titi’s back when you were about three years old.”

“I did?”

Ladie asked back, bringing her wine glass to her lips to hide her surprised expression.

Titi was a small wolf that the late king had found in the forest. At first, he was thought to be an ordinary puppy that had lost its mother, but he was actually a wolf, and a beastman at that.

Ladie, the master of the beastmen knights, had heard about the ‘incredibly strong, big, cute, and lovely wolf’ Titi until her ears were sore. She had heard so much that she sometimes felt like she knew him, but to think she had actually met him.

“The dogs miss him very much. I hope he returns someday.”

“Will you accept him if he comes back?”

“If he comes, I must gladly accept him. He’s a talent who can easily do the work of a hundred men.”

“If Titi returns, you’ll have to award him a medal first. He saved the late king’s life once.”

“Should we decide in advance what kind of medal to give him? What do you think would be good?”

When she asked Lord Meric playfully, he groaned, “Hmm,” and began to gauge the appropriate level of medal for Titi.

Just who was this wolf named Titi, who had captured not only the hearts of the dogs but also the incredibly serious Lord Meric?

At the root of the many praises she had heard was something Titi had done. One day, when the late king, who had gone out to maintain the trade routes, was cornered and on the verge of death due to an unexpectedly strong monster offensive, Titi appeared, subdued and killed the monsters in one fell swoop, and moved the late king among the dogs.

When they asked Titi, who had suddenly appeared even though they hadn’t brought him along, what had happened, he had coolly replied that he had followed them because he was bored. Everyone was dumbfounded by the confident answer of the puppy who had followed them into a dangerous battle, but since he had saved the king’s life, they couldn’t scold him.

After that, Titi continued to perform numerous feats and was a great help in refining the nearby trade routes, but one day he started acting strangely, revealed that he was a wolf, and declared that he had to go back. He said he would leave in a month, so if there was anything they wanted him to do, they should tell him quickly.

After that, Titi reportedly played hide-and-seek, tag, and card games with the dogs before leaving.

Although he had left, the many things Titi did while living in this land were passed down among the dogs like heroic tales. As Titi, the incredibly strong, big, cute, and lovely wolf who saved the king, brought them plenty of food to eat, played intense games with them that no adult had ever played, taught them how to fight better, and taught them how to deal with monsters.

Whenever she heard that story, Ladie would wonder what would happen if Titi came to her side now.

Ladie had been a king’s daughter, then a maid, and now the leader of a rebel army.

At first, it didn’t feel real. She was soaked in fear, wondering if she could really do this. The moment she truly realized that she was not a maid but the leader of a rebel army and resolved to face all her duties and responsibilities was when she felt the weight of those she carried. When she saw the dogs she had played with in the royal castle as a child kneeling before her not as childish puppy friends but as loyal knights, she realized she was on a path from which she could no longer retreat.

A cruel and lonely path where, no matter how suffocating and heavy her shoulders felt, she could never cry or stop.

Behind her were the dogs who had abandoned their titles and sought refuge in Lord Meric’s domain, saying they could not recognize the new king. If she were to flee, they would willingly protect her back. By sacrificing their lives. But she no longer wanted to see the corpse of anyone precious to her, so she decided to fight.

On that path, if Titi the wolf, who had produced so many heroic tales, were to join her, would it be a little easier? Ladie thought.

“Your Highness, the Princess. I have completed the task you ordered.”

The maid, Ronia, approached cautiously, knelt to report, and then quietly withdrew at a nod from Ladie’s chin.

“…Your Highness, the Princess, don’t tell me you sent food to the basement?”

“Surely you’re not trying to find fault, are you? Thanks to the tribute I received this time, the food shortage has been somewhat resolved.”

“No, it’s not that…”

For a while, rations had consisted mainly of emergency crops due to the food shortage, but now the food was not so scarce. This was thanks to the enormous amount of food offered as tribute in gratitude from the domain Ladie had recently acquired.

When Ladie asked with narrowed eyes, Lord Meric hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I have also given instructions to my butler…”

“…Ah. Uh… The more food, the better, I suppose.”

Ladie replied awkwardly, thinking of Siol in the lab, who would be stunned by the enormous amount of food that Lord Meric’s butler and Ladie’s maid Ronia must have delivered, and then she let out a small laugh. She had heard what had happened, but even so, Lord Meric’s sudden change in attitude was a bit funny.

Lord Meric, guessing why she was laughing, cleared his throat with a hem, hem, looked around the banquet hall, and then whispered to Ladie.

“It seems the time is about right, Your Highness.”

Indeed, the rate at which the food was disappearing had slowed noticeably. The knights, having eaten their fill, were now all drinking wine and juice and chattering about what had happened in the recent battle.

Ladie put down her wine glass and stood up.

As Princess Ladie, the highest-ranking person in the room, rose and looked around, the noise died down, and everyone quietly focused on her.

“I am pleased to see that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. My knights, you are fully enjoying the joy of victory, I trust?”

At Ladie’s words, her beastmen knights raised their glasses and responded enthusiastically.

Amidst everyone’s cheerful replies, only one puppy stared at his plate with his head bowed dejectedly. It was Luber. The large puppy, who had become noticeably chubby since she’d last seen him, seemed to be debating whether or not to push away his plate full of salad. Of course, that was impossible under the watchful eye of Eriard, who was sitting next to him.

Ladie ignored the almost-crying Luber and turned her gaze to the human knights.

“Lord Meric was very displeased with my expedition. There must have been quite a bit of venting, so thank you for enduring it.”

At her joke, the human knights laughed lightly and raised their glasses. Lord Meric, who had a clear distinction between public and private matters, had never wrongly taken out his anger on the knights, but his face had been crumpled with worry the whole time, so the human knights had suffered emotionally. Not only that, but Ladie was already like a king to them, so they too were worried about her.

Ladie’s gaze finally moved to the seats of the beastman delegation from the land of the beastmen.

The two knights that Eriard had brought with him were not very trustworthy at first. They seemed frivolous in their actions, were not properly armed, and only wore a single sword, so it seemed they would not be a proper fighting force. She had only accepted them because she couldn’t send back those she had already brought.

But surprisingly, when faced with a combat situation, the white lion and the leopard became a tremendous fighting force.

Ladie recalled the sight of the white lion growling, crouching, and then gathering and releasing its magic as it charged. The scene of blood spattering behind its steps.

“Muriel. The performance of the knights you lent was remarkable. The white lion’s military might was particularly impressive. I express my gratitude for your help.”

Muriel, whose name had been called, stood up and bowed, intending to return a modest reply. But Ladie didn’t give him a chance to open his mouth and continued.

“However, no matter how much I think about it, I can’t shake this question. You, wolf from the land of the beastmen. What is it that you truly desire? In fact, thinking about it rationally, isn’t it more profitable for you if this civil war continues for a long time?”

It was a rather provocative question to ask in such a formal setting.

Muriel realized that Ladie was finally willing to deal with them properly and clenched his fists to hide his elation. Until now, Ladie had not responded seriously to the gifts sent from the land of the beastmen or to the offer to add their forces to the civil war.

She had maintained a subtle distance, not refusing the offer, but not accepting it either.

If they hadn’t revealed the fact that the Blue Dragon’s mate was in the land of humans, they might have been kicked out.

But now Ladie was proposing to clarify the relationship. It was all in return for sending the white lion and the leopard to fight alongside them. Muriel carefully chose his answer before letting out a deep sigh.

“Since Your Highness asks so directly, I will also answer you honestly. That’s right. To put it bluntly, we are not very interested in the war happening in this land.”

At that declaration, murmurs began to rise from all sides, and the leopard and the wildcat also looked at him with bewildered eyes. But only the white lion was smiling as if amused, twirling his cup. Thinking that was somehow annoying, Muriel looked up at Princess Ladie.

Ladie didn’t look surprised at all.

“As long as this war continues, humans won’t invade the land of the beastmen. Of course, we hope for the king to die and for Your Highness, the Princess, to ascend the throne, but it doesn’t matter when that happens. Your Highness must have already guessed this.”

“Yes. That’s why I’m even more suspicious.”

“Then I suppose I must now tell you the real reason we came here. But it’s not a new reason. Your Highness, the Princess, knows it as well.”

Muriel said with a faint smile.

“The only reason we came here is because the Blue Dragon’s mate is in this land.”

“…Is that, all?”

“And because we believe that helping Your Highness, the Princess, will contribute to the safety of the mate.”

“You mean to say you’ve participated in this unprofitable war just for the sake of the dragon’s mate?”

“The mate’s safety is a profit that cannot be replaced by anything else, Your Highness,” Muriel declared solemnly.

All the beastmen living in Eorzen’s city were either those who had sought the side of the Blue Dragon in pursuit of safety or those who, captivated by the Blue Dragon’s fame, had sworn to follow the dragon. They all regarded the Blue Dragon as their sovereign, respecting and following him. Naturally, the existence of the mate, the Blue Dragon’s only weakness, was bound to be important to all the beastmen living in the city.

“If the mate were to be seriously injured in this land, the land of humans would be devastated by the Blue Dragon’s wrath. Mountains and fields would burn, every building would collapse, and blood would form rivers. Perhaps both the king and Your Highness, the Princess, would die. The domains would gradually lose their protective barriers, and the human race itself might become extinct.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Of course not. It is not a threat.”

Ladie’s side expected an arrogant reply, something along the lines of ‘I’m just stating what will actually happen.’ However, the words that came out of Muriel’s mouth were completely different from their expectations.

“Our city will suffer the same fate, so how could that be a threat?”

“…What did you say?”

“The Blue Dragon will surely embrace his injured mate and leave for the land of dragons. A city maintained by the dragon’s presence cannot possibly be sustained after losing the dragon, so the city’s destruction is as good as a predetermined future.”

Muriel smiled brightly and spoke enthusiastically to Ladie, as if asking for her understanding.

“Therefore, Your Highness, the Princess, we are comrades in this matter.”

At the almost naively honest answer, Ladie was at a loss for words for a moment.

Last time, he had mentioned the war first, speaking of the Blue Dragon’s mate being in this land as if it were just a part of the reason for the delegation’s visit, merely proof that they would not harm humans. But now he was saying that was actually a deception and that it was the sole reason for their visit.

It was true that she felt dumbfounded, but for that very reason, she found it believable.

Because for a dragon, a mate was undoubtedly an absolute being that could be a reason for anything.

Ladie suddenly felt the tension release and let out an involuntary chuckle.

“I thought a gentlemanly envoy had arrived, but in the end, you’re a beastman.”

“…Are you insulting me?”

“Does it sound that way?” Ladie asked back, smiling as if intrigued.

Muriel somehow wanted to retort but couldn’t, and ended up just giving her a disgruntled look. Seeing that look, Ladie shook her head.

“I thought it would be a more diplomatic conversation; I didn’t expect such a brutally honest answer. Since I was the one who pressed you to avoid a pointless power struggle, I can’t blame you. Alright, I’ll believe those words.”

In the place she had gone to help a lord in danger, Ladie had to deal with a lord armed with political language as soon as she won the battle. Even though he had decided to side with Ladie, he constantly reassessed the situation and did his best to persuade Ladie to maintain a minimal line of cooperation. Ladie, feeling deeply disappointed by the lord who went on about the sudden loss of trade routes, lack of supplies, and the cost of training soldiers, became quietly enraged. The lord, sensing her mood, had offered an enormous amount of food as tribute to avoid her anger.

That was why she had asked Muriel such a direct question.

She was used to the honesty of the dogs who always stayed by her side, and she thought that if those from the land of the beastmen had similar aspects, they could achieve a much more productive outcome by being honest with each other instead of probing each other’s intentions with annoying political remarks.

However, the beastmen from the land of beastmen and the dogs were different. Very different. The beastmen were far more honest and direct than Ladie had thought.

Ladie felt the irritation she experienced when dealing with lords from other domains vanish, replaced by a sigh and a headache. She felt as if she had Luber right in front of her. But compared to the annoyance of dealing with other lords, this was much more comfortable and enjoyable.

“…Muriel. State what you desire. I will grant you what you want as a reward for this achievement.”

“Then we implore you to continue giving us the opportunity to build your trust.”

Ladie wanted to advise Muriel that it was no use trying to act all respectable again now, but seeing his brazen face, she decided to just drop it.

“You mean you want a chance to earn merit?”

“Um, would it be alright if I were a bit honest this time as well?”

“…Permission granted.”

As Ladie said this, waving her hand as if in surrender, Muriel began to speak excitedly.

“Sooner or later, we will inevitably cause trouble, Your Highness. Therefore, please use our knights as you wish so that you won’t want to kick us out even if we cause an accident. Even if it’s not fighting, we will help with any kind of physical labor.”

This, too, was an overly honest answer.

“What kind of accidents are you talking about, for example?”

“There could be various things, but for one, the Blue Dragon might suddenly appear over the domain, and the people living here might get scared. Perhaps that mindlessly strong white lion might knock down a wall or two. The lazy wildcat might sneak into the stable to sleep, get kicked by a horse, and in its surprise, kill a warhorse. And perhaps, to fulfill our mate’s wish, we might suddenly rush off to burn down an enemy domain.”

“Who on earth is this mate? It would be easier to deal with if I knew.”

“I apologize, but that is not something I can tell you.”

“Could the Blue Dragon’s mate possibly be someone from my uncle’s side?”

“No. That is absolutely not the case.”

Ladie was displeased with Muriel, who only left a vague answer with a grin, but she couldn’t press further. The fact that Muriel, the highest-ranking person in the delegation, had declared that ‘it is not something I can say’ was the same as saying he had been silenced by the Blue Dragon.

The Blue Dragon did not want his mate’s identity to be revealed. To get an answer about the mate’s identity, there was no other way than to ask the Blue Dragon directly.

All the things that could have been negotiated as matters between nations were being skewed by the existence of the dragon’s mate. Yet, she couldn’t ignore it.

Because when it comes to their mates, the dragon race is no different from an unpredictable disaster.

However, this negotiation, which could have been humiliating, was strangely not unpleasant. More than displeasure, annoyance, weariness, and a deep sigh and a troublesome feeling pricked at her.

Perhaps it was because of the wolf named Muriel, whose eyes were sparkling even while making strange demands. She could see that this wolf, who was smart yet possessed all the characteristic vivacity and reckless, forward-looking nature of a beastman, was, in his own way, trying to protect the dragon’s mate safely while causing less trouble to the land of humans.

The direction was a bit strange, but anyway, that was how it was.

Moreover, unlike what she or Lord Meric had been wary of, their attitude was not one of trying to gain some profit through the war. The interest of these beastmen was truly directed only toward the Blue Dragon’s mate, who was said to be somewhere in this land.

“…Alright. In that case, I will make full use of that military power.”

“Thank you!”

Ladie, seeing Muriel express his joy without hesitation, ended up letting out a blatant sigh. Glancing back, she saw Lord Meric also wearing a strange expression mixed with displeasure, a sigh, and annoyance.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

Light streamed in through the small basement window.

Siol, trying to avoid the sunlight shining on his eyes, wriggled to the side and burrowed into the blankets, only to bump his forehead against an obstacle and open his eyes. In front of him was a ball of yellow fur.

“Luber…. When did you get here…?”

He asked in a voice drenched with sleep, but Luber didn’t reply. Siol patted the rump in front of him and asked again.

“Did Eriard give you a hard time…?”

Luber didn’t answer this time either. His tail flicked irritably, swatting Siol’s hand away. It seemed he was quite angry about what happened yesterday.

But Siol felt it was unfair too. In truth, Eriard’s anger wasn’t unreasonable. Maintaining one’s body in peak condition was a knight’s duty, and Luber was just paying the price for neglecting it. Of course, it couldn’t be said that Siol, who had given in every time Luber begged for a share of his food, bore no responsibility, but how could he possibly restrict the diet of Luber, a beastman, as if he were just an animal?

However, Luber pointed out an unexpected issue.

“…It’s all because of you, Master Siol!”

“What…? What did I do wrong? I couldn’t help it yesterday. How could I stop Eriard when he said he was taking you?”

“Not that! Why haven’t you gained any weight, Master Siol!”

“What? What are you talking about?”

When Siol asked back in bewilderment, Luber shot up and stomped his feet on the floor.

“I got scolded so much because I was the only one who gained weight while you didn’t gain any at all, Master Siol! He… he asked me if I stole your food…!”

Siol wasn’t so tactless as to ask why he felt so wronged when he had indeed stolen the food. He just sighed quietly, thinking that this little puppy must be feeling that the whole world was unfair and sad again.

Fortunately, in the lab, there was a harvest mouse to scold Luber, instead of Siol, who would have just doted on him, oblivious to the fact that he was spoiling this big puppy.

“Ouch. That hurts…! Master Siol, it’s doing it again…!”

Watching the harvest mouse throw peanuts at the intruder again today, Siol chuckled and got up from his spot.

Inside, the fireplace was burning hotly. However, because the window was open to prevent potential carbon monoxide poisoning, the cold and hot air mixed, making some spots cold and others hot. Siol wrapped a shawl around his shoulders and held out his hand to the harvest mouse. The harvest mouse then threw the last peanut at Luber’s head and climbed onto Siol’s hand.

“You slept well?”

The harvest mouse tilted its head, looking at Siol with its black eyes.

Although they couldn’t speak the same language, he felt as if their hearts could communicate. Siol staggered over to the fireplace and plopped down on the sofa. When he set the harvest mouse down on the sofa, it sniffed around and scurried here and there.

Luber, holding his head and fuming, suddenly became sullen, turned into his human form, and began to prepare breakfast. It wasn’t anything grand, just taking out the food Ladie and Lord Meric had shared yesterday and warming it up on the wire rack set in the fireplace.

Siol glanced at the new table on one side of the lab. It had been a rather empty space, with only a wall hanging brought by Ronia. But yesterday, the mansion’s butler had led some servants in, set up a table, and left it laden with food. Even when Siol said he couldn’t eat this much, the butler insisted it was the lord’s order and left an amount of food that could have fed five or six people to their fill.

A little later, as Siol stood dumbfounded, wondering what to do with all this food now that Luber was gone, the maid Ronia appeared before him. She looked back and forth between the helpless Siol and the food-laden table, then, as if she knew this would happen, wheeled in a wagon and placed lids on each plate. After rearranging the plates to make some space, she placed cakes, cookies, and bread there, said it was an order from Her Highness the Princess, and left.

Left with a mountain of food before he could even feel betrayed, Siol somehow missed Ryufen. Ryufen would have devoured that much food in an instant. And he would never gain weight like Luber. In fact, he might even lick his lips, saying that much wasn’t enough.

Siol gently stroked the harvest mouse’s back with his finger and watched Luber warm the food, then spoke with the heart of a nagging mother.

“Luber, if you eat all of that…”

“Ah, I don’t know. You too, Master Siol? How much weight could I have possibly gained!”

“…If Eriard says he’s taking you, I’m going to say yes again.”

“Squad Leader will take me even if I don’t eat this!”

That wasn’t wrong, either. But if he didn’t lose weight, Eriard’s training intensity would only increase….

Siol frowned with worry as he looked at Luber, but he didn’t offer any advice. Luber was in a very rebellious state right now, and adding any comment at a time like this, whether right or wrong, would only be met with a rebellious response. At times like this, there was no choice but to just coddle and accept everything.

He planned to talk to him properly later, when his rebellious heart seemed to have recovered a little.

Luber, having warmed the food, watched Siol’s meal with the eyes of a hawk, as if he couldn’t possibly be the only one overeating. Because of this, Siol ended up eating much more than usual. Siol couldn’t refuse Luber’s determined gaze, which seemed to say, “I’m so wronged for being scolded for that, so I will definitely make you gain weight.” The harvest mouse, which had been glaring at Luber the whole time, also blinked its round eyes quietly while Luber was at it.

Siol ignored Luber’s gaze, which was assessing whether to cut more meat as if wanting to feed him more, and drank some lukewarm water. It was a good thing the person in front of him was Luber; if it had been Ryufen, he might have had to listen to a sigh-filled lecture about how he could eat so little.

“Let’s go for a walk now.”

“…I don’t think I can move.”

“You have to move after eating. Come on! Do you want me to get scolded again, Master Siol?”

“No, just a few days ago, you were lying on the carpet right after eating, doing nothing.”

“I’m going to move now because I got scolded. Get up. We just need to walk a little bit in front and come back.”

“You go by yourself…”

“No way. Get up, hurry up-! Walk-!”

Luber, hugging his full stomach, whined as he pulled on the arm of Siol, who was leaning back on the sofa. It was strange for him to be so insistent on a walk.

“Did Eriard say he’d reduce your training if you walk me?”

“…How did you know?”

“It’s obvious from how you’re acting…”

Siol sighed deeply and stood up.

It was unfair that the repercussions of Luber’s love handles had reached him, but since there were such circumstances, it was a bit hard to refuse. It seemed he would have to go out for a walk for a while, whether he liked it or not.

Siol placed the harvest mouse, which had been sitting quietly beside him, back onto his hand, then onto the scarf, and slowly got dressed. As he bundled up so thickly, he thought, people will look at me strangely again the whole time I’m out.

“Hello, Master Siol.”

“Good morning, Master Siol.”

“Did you sleep well?”

“Did you have a good meal?”

“Master Siol, the head chef asked if there’s anything you’d like for lunch.”

“It’s cold outside, wouldn’t it be better to wear another shawl?”

However, contrary to his thoughts, the servants and beastmen knights he encountered on his way from the basement to the first-floor entrance greeted him warmly. The beastmen knights were much the same as before, but the humans showed a completely different reaction from the past, when they couldn’t even properly compose their faces, looking at him as if he were something strange.

Walking through the corridor full of friendly people, Siol awkwardly answered each of their remarks. Hello. Good morning. I slept well. I ate well. There’s nothing in particular I want to eat. I’m fine.

It was a truly strange feeling. In this sensation of walking in a different world than before, Siol felt somewhat lonely. He missed Eorzen and Ryufen.

“Master Siol? What’s wrong?”

“Ah. No, it’s nothing.”

Siol shook his head to shake off the longing and changed the subject. It felt wrong to miss them so selfishly when he had chosen to leave.

“Uh… there are a lot of birds for winter.”

“Ah. That’s because they’re migratory birds. They’re just stopping by for a rest on their way south.”

Migratory birds are moving when it’s already deep winter? Thinking it was a bit strange, Siol just nodded his head. He figured that in a world where herbs could grow in the snow, such migratory birds might exist.

The bird was so pretty that it was a shame it couldn’t be seen for long, being a migratory bird. Its feathers were so white that it was almost invisible when it sat in the snow with its black eyes closed, but when it caught the sunlight, it had a faint lavender sheen.

Siol watched the birds and walked a few laps around the mansion with Luber.

The birds also watched Siol. At first, he thought that was all it was. That was until he got closer to get a better look at the strange sight of the underwater ecosystem in the transparently frozen pond, which looked as clear as if time had stopped, and fell over.

“Master Siol! Are you okay? Oh my, don’t move. What if you hit your head!”

Beyond Luber, who rushed over in a panic, too anxious to even touch him, he could see the birds that had flown up in surprise at the thud. Below the birds that were hastily fleeing, there were some that stared at him without a single movement, as if their feet were glued to the branches. The moment he thought their mechanical eyes were creepy, like the CCTVs that were everywhere near his lab back on Earth, the remaining birds flew up simultaneously with a flutter.

“A doctor! Should I call a doctor?”

Siol grabbed Luber, who looked ready to run and drag a doctor back right this instant, and got up.

“I’m fine, Luber. I just hit my back a little hard.”

Siol stared at the empty branches, lost in thought for a moment, then quickly got up because of Luber, who was grabbing his arm with a tearful face. Even though he said he was fine, Luber’s face showed he couldn’t bear not to check his back. It seemed he was barely holding back since he couldn’t just take off his clothes here.

After that, he returned to the mansion, held tightly by Luber, who wouldn’t let go of his hand. At the mansion entrance, the maid Ronia was waiting for him.

“Master Siol. Her Highness, the Princess, is looking for you.”