TDAA Ch 40

Siol bit down hard on the skin before him, licked it a few times, then bit down again, gnawing gently. He enjoyed seeing the clear teeth marks left on the white skin. Siol didn’t stop biting until the opponent’s neck and shoulders were covered in a dense pattern of marks.

“Sizool.”

He ignored the call whispered in his ear and continued, making Eorzen let out a low groan. Siol glanced up at him. It wasn’t a pained expression. When their eyes met, Eorzen smiled as if delighted and kissed Siol’s forehead.

“Aren’t you dizzy?”

“……”

“Stop biting and talk to me. Hm?”

Siol didn’t hide his sulky expression and buried his face in Eorzen’s neck again. The sweet scent of flesh, Siol had dearly missed this scent.

But why was Eorzen…

“It’s okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of now. I brought the antidote…”

Hearing those words, Siol’s anger flared. He wasn’t clinging to Eorzen’s shoulder out of fear. Yet the clueless Eorzen was gently patting his back as if to soothe him, treating him like a child.

Surging with irritation, Siol bit down hard on Eorzen’s shoulder. Unlike before, blood started to trickle down, but Eorzen just smiled as if troubled and continued to pat Siol’s back.

Fed up with Eorzen, who didn’t even seem to notice he was angry, Siol crawled on top of Eorzen’s body, grabbed his cheeks, and bit his lips hard. After that, he lightly sucked on his upper lip to see his reaction and could see a deep desire pulsing in Eorzen’s eyes.

Yes, this is what Siol had wanted all along. He couldn’t understand why Eorzen wouldn’t desire him, even when he was right here. It seemed Eorzen was a bit too shy to make the first move. But now that he’d lit the fire, it should be fine.

Siol grinned and licked Eorzen’s lips.

However, contrary to his expectations, Eorzen just pulled Siol’s waist in tight and silently endured. Seeing Eorzen’s clear effort to suppress his desire, Siol became a little dumbfounded.

“…Do you hate me now?”

When Siol asked with a dispirited look, Eorzen asked back as if he had been struck on the back of the head.

“Why… why would you think that?”

“Because… you didn’t even come to find me…”

“Was I allowed to go?”

“No.”

Siol shook his head and answered firmly. Eorzen, who had been momentarily filled with anticipation, was disappointed but managed to nod without showing it.

“You can’t… But I still miss you, so why didn’t you come…”

The corners of Siol’s eyes were turning red. He was on the verge of tears from disappointment, not even knowing how nonsensical he was being. Eorzen looked at that expression, momentarily lost in a daze, then pulled Siol closer and kissed the corners of his eyes tenderly. How could his mate be so lovely?

Eorzen had been worried all along. About how much weight he held for Siol, and if he had left because his value fell far short of his mate’s aspirations. He knew it was childish of him, but he couldn’t help but worry.

“I see, you missed me that much.”

“Yes.”

But watching Siol nod with a shy smile, his heart filled with joy, and all his worries felt pointless. Of course, he knew that the moment he was separated from Siol again, he would become restless. But then again, weren’t all dragons like that?

Eorzen thought he wanted to swallow the man before him whole. If only he could do that, they could be together forever….

But he soon hid his inner thoughts with a smile and whispered.

“I was always by your side, though?”

“Don’t lie.”

Siol had a ‘don’t be ridiculous’ look on his face. The berserk Siol was incredibly expressive. Unlike his usual self who would ponder over and over whether it was okay to show such an emotion and barely show the very edge of it, he was now revealing his thoughts and feelings without restraint. It had been the same in the tower.

Eorzen liked any version of Siol, but he couldn’t deny that the current Siol put him a little more at ease.

Because he didn’t have to worry about what kind of torment he was holding in his head.

But as Eorzen looked at Siol, who was uninhibitedly revealing his raw inner self while intoxicated by the potion, he thought that he wanted to fill the trembling and anxious interior of Siol with himself and make him this confident. It was a base desire. He wanted a mate who needed him, rather than one who could stand strong on his own.

Of course, it was a desire he could not reveal to Siol. Like all other dragons, Eorzen also intended to act in front of his mate as if he had never had such a dirty and base desire.

“It’s true, Sizool.”

“Siol.”

“Hmm?”

Siol said it again with a dissatisfied expression.

“Siol.”

“You like being called… Siol?”

“Sizool is a kid. I’m big now…”

Siol smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and fumbled with the top of Eorzen’s shirt. It was a touch laden with clear intent.

Holding the small Siol, who was insisting on his adulthood, in his arms, Eorzen gritted his teeth and slowly exhaled a hot breath. He could feel Siol’s heart thumping in his grasp. Siol, his cheeks flushed with a blush, was waiting for Eorzen’s reaction.

Actually, he hadn’t planned on this today.

Eorzen originally had no intention of revealing himself like this today. The moment he felt Siol’s heart pounding abnormally in his grasp, he wanted to stop everything at once. He wanted to argue with and plead with Siol, asking what was the meaning of an aspiration that had to be achieved while suffering this much, and couldn’t he achieve it for him instead? That heart should be beating in peace and then only for him, so why…

Eorzen gritted his teeth, holding back the desire to crumble and ruin all his patience up to now, and sent Ryufen to Siol’s side. He closed his eyes and quietly felt Siol’s heart. Clinging to the ceaseless beat of the heart, he savored his patience.

However, Eorzen, who had been suppressing his own greed, lost all patience the moment Siol called for him and snatched Siol away, hiding in a quiet and safe place. As he deeply inhaled the thick scent coming from Siol, he felt as if everything would turn out fine.

“Siol…”

But this wasn’t right.

The reason Eorzen had been hovering around Siol and checking his heartbeat was to help and save him quickly if something happened, not to seize the opportunity to fulfill his desires like this.

Of course, he had no intention of denying the fact that the throbbing heartbeat of his mate in that process gave him deep satisfaction. Still, he absolutely had no intention of using a Siol who had lost his reason like this to fulfill his own desires.

“The antidote. Siol, you need to take your medicine now.”

Eorzen endured once more and picked up the medicine bottle he had kept beside him.

At that, Siol irritably snatched the bottle from Eorzen’s hand and drank it all in one go. While staring intently into Eorzen’s eyes. The empty bottle fell from Siol’s hand and rolled on the floor.

That sound cut between the two of them like a countdown.

Before the sound even stopped, Siol grabbed Eorzen by the collar, bit his lip, and pressed their lips together.

In the end, Eorzen could no longer endure either. Eorzen pulled Siol’s waist to press their bodies tightly together, then grabbed the nape of Siol’s neck and kissed him deeply. It was a greedy kiss, a frantic attempt to claim the other.

With their lips still touching, Eorzen met Siol’s eyes and whispered.

“Siol, can I come and see you?”

“No.”

“I’ll come to see you.”

“…Yes…”

Watching Siol give different answers to the same words, Eorzen smiled, the corners of his mouth turning up.

Both answers were Siol’s true feelings. Siol was afraid of facing Eorzen, yet at the same time, he missed him. The feeling of not wanting to meet and the feeling of wanting to meet both existed in Siol’s heart at the same time.

However, Eorzen, who had been watching Siol, knew that the fear he harbored was merely a reaction to his desire not to be hated by him. In the end, both feelings arose because he liked him.

But that didn’t mean Siol wouldn’t panic if Eorzen actually appeared before him. This matter required a delicate plan.

Siol whispered, clutching the front of Eorzen’s shirt. While trying hard to hide his nervousness, his eyes shimmered with anticipation.

“You really shouldn’t… But… I still want to see you.”

“I wanted to see you too, Siol.”

“…Yes.”

Hearing Eorzen’s answer, Siol smiled shyly and leaned against him.

Eorzen held Siol’s cheeks and showered his face with kisses.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

Flutter

The bird that had struggled to fly up was snatched by the sharp talons of a swooping hawk and let out a scream. It struggled to get away, but no matter how much it thrashed, it couldn’t escape the hook-like claws. The hawk, holding the bird it had hunted, returned to the man on the cliff.

The hawk dropped the hunted bird in front of the man and landed on his forearm.

The man, letting the hawk perch on his bare forearm, showed no sign of pain and tilted his head to listen to the hawk’s story. After listening for a while, the man nodded, gently stroked the hawk’s head, and then raised his arm to send the hawk flying again.

“Well done. Now go again.”

The hawk flew upwards and then flew again in the direction the man had pointed.

A desolate wind swept across the snow.

The man, holding the unconscious bird in his hand, stood on a rock at the edge of the cliff and looked down at the small fiefdom below, at one side of it. In the man’s raptor-like eyes, one side of the chaotic mansion was clearly visible even from a distance. The dogs that had been fighting messily just a moment ago were now pressed to the ground. Watching Ryufen, who had been by his side just a moment ago and had leaped in a single bound to land in the middle of the clearing, Asios marveled.

“The Vice-Commander isn’t a bird, but it’s like he has wings or something…”

He had seen Ryufen exercise his monstrous power several times already, but it was surprising every time. He had wondered what would happen when Ryufen lost one front and one hind leg, but after getting prosthetic limbs, he even seemed to have become stronger.

It was amazing to see him sometimes deliberately increase the output of his prosthetics to gain more speed.

Asios thought that if he ever lost a limb in a fight, he would have to pester Siol to make him a new one. Of course, Burdril was running a business in Eorzen’s city providing prosthetic arms and legs to those without limbs, but Asios wanted something cooler than those mass-produced models. Preferably, a prosthetic leg even better than Ryufen’s.

Just then, an owl fluttered up from the forest of the Meric fief and came to him. The owl threw a small mouse at Asios, then perched on his shoulder for a moment, begging to have its neck scratched. After receiving a good stroking, it soon departed again.

Asios picked up the dead mouse the owl had left and threw it behind him. In the pit where the dead mouse fell, there were numerous carcasses of birds and mice.

Asios sat with his chin propped on his hand, waiting for the birds of prey scouring the Meric fief to return with their hunt.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

What happened?

Siol shot up with a violent flutter as soon as he opened his eyes. Unconsciously clutching the blanket, Siol pressed himself against the headboard and then relaxed upon spotting a familiar wall hanging. The place he had been lying was his laboratory, on the bed.

As his tension eased, a headache set in. Siol pressed his forehead firmly and squeezed his eyes shut and open a few times.

“What on earth…”

He hadn’t noticed it before, but Luber was sitting by the bed, sleeping with his head down on it. Siol shook Luber’s shoulder to wake him up.

“Luber, Luber. Wake up. What happened?”

“…Ugh… uh…? Ma… Master, Siol….”

“Yes. Wake up for a second and tell me. Is everyone safe?”

“Wai… wait a minute….”

Luber, who had mumbled a reply, suddenly transformed into a dog, shook his body vigorously, stretched his upper body with a big yawn, then sighed and changed back into his human form. A simple stretch seemed to have cleared his head much more than when he was half-asleep just a moment ago.

“Oh man, I’m dying…. Master Siol, you tell me first. Where on earth were you? Do you have any idea how much I looked for you?”

“I… went somewhere?”

“You suddenly disappeared, so we all searched the entire fief!”

Luber shouted and then poured a glass of water and placed it in Siol’s hand. A reprimand was evident in his narrowed eyes, so Siol hunched his shoulders and pretended to drink the water to avoid his gaze.

“That day, I was so surprised when Master Siol suddenly jumped down, so I rushed down to find everyone acting strange. You said it was because they were berserk from the witch’s potion, right? Since all the dogs were acting weird, the mansion servants and cooks were all frozen in shock, and the human knights were passed out drunk. So I moved the knights outside a bit and sent the humans to the mansion. I figured I had to report the news to the mansion anyway….”

Luber glanced at Siol with a downcast expression and then apologized.

“I’m sorry. I’m Master Siol’s guard, so I should have run to Master Siol first….”

“What? No, you did well. You have to save people.”

“…My lady told me not to be swayed even if Master Siol says that. This was my mistake.”

It seemed Ladie had given him a firm talking-to. Siol still thought Luber had done the right thing, but at the same time, he understood the guilt and powerlessness Luber must have felt.

“Anyway, after that, I went and the white lion from the land of beastmen was trying to go somewhere with Master Siol and Mu, Mu….”

“Muriel.”

“He was trying to take a wolf named Muriel somewhere. He said they were both in a bad state because they drank the berserker potion, so he was going to take them to the Blue Dragon.”

“What? To the Blue Dragon?”

Siol asked back, horrified.

He had braced himself and stepped forward out of concern for Ladie’s dogs and the knights from the land of beastmen, especially Muriel, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be presented before the Blue Dragon out of the blue. Surely he hadn’t been presented to the Blue Dragon and then returned in the meantime, right?

“So I clung to the lion’s leg and told him to take me too. How could I just let them go when I didn’t know what those beastmen would do to Master Siol?”

He could vividly picture Luber clinging on with his entire body.

“But then, Titi suddenly appeared.”

“…What?”

“Titi, Titi. I’ve told you before. The wolf Titi who used to live in this fief.”

“No, I know that… but why does Titi suddenly show up here?”

“I’m telling you, he just appeared out of nowhere!”

For Titi, who was spoken of like a legendary wolf by everyone in the fief, human and dog alike, to suddenly appear at the scene where the dogs were going berserk, what kind of nonsensical story was this….

Honestly, he couldn’t understand it at all, but Siol nodded to hear the rest of the story for now.

“Titi was really strong. He took out a magic stone and crushed it with his paw, so I was wondering what he was doing, you know? But then he stomped the ground with his paw, and all the growling dogs, without exception, fell to the floor.”

“…Really?”

“I’m telling you! After that, he pushed the resisting white lion over with a nudge, and then fed some medicine to Muriel. It turned out to be the antidote. Titi had brought the antidote.”

“How did Titi have the antidote for the Last Breath?”

“How should I know? The important thing is that everyone is safe because he brought it, isn’t it? No one died. They said it was a potion that makes beastmen go berserk and then die vomiting blood in the end!”

Siol tilted his head, completely unable to understand how the situation was unfolding.

What kind of beastman was this wolf named Titi to have the antidote for the Last Breath, a potion whose identity was unknown even in the land of beastmen until recently, to the point that it had even brought down a dragon?

The Blue Dragon might have been able to create an antidote. Whether he did it himself or had Burdril do it, he wouldn’t have left a dangerous potion that could make him go berserk unattended. But a wolf named Titi who had been active in the land of humans?

“Titi was really cool. The adults weren’t lying when they said he was super strong, big, cute, and lovely. Of course, he’s not cute now, but he must have been cute and lovely when he was young. He must have been, since he’s so cool now.”

Luber seemed to have fallen head over heels for the newly appeared Titi.

It occurred to him that maybe that wolf named Titi had some power to bewitch dogs. He had brushed it off until now, but now that a wolf named Titi had actually appeared in the fief, Siol also wanted to see his face at least once.

“But one of his hind legs was strange. I’ve never seen a beastman with something like that before. My lady has one, but that’s because Master Siol made it for her. A pro-prosthetic leg. He was wearing a prosthetic leg.”

“…What?”

“A prosthetic leg. The kind you made for my lady.”

“No, that’s not what I mean… The wolf, he was wearing a prosthetic leg?”

“Yes.”

Siol’s jaw dropped open without him realizing it.

“…Could it be, Titi is….”

“Ah! Titi is the Blue Dragon’s guardian. He’s also the vice-commander of the knight order… He said the name he uses over there is Ryufen.”

The moment he heard the truth, Siol felt his head spin.

My goodness. Titi was Ryufen?

He now understood all the disappointed looks the dogs had given him. Ryufen was no ordinary wolf. He was an exceptionally large and strong wolf, and a tremendously skilled individual who had made a name for himself as the Blue Dragon’s guardian. Siol remembered the prideful wolf who, when asked why he was training so hard right after receiving the prosthetic leg, had insisted that he needed to be able to win even if about three of his subordinates came at him at once.

The comparison group was so unfair, of course he would receive such pathetic looks. Suddenly, it all made sense.

It was just his luck that the only wolf the dogs knew was Ryufen.

But he couldn’t understand the cute and lovely part. Big and cool, sure, but what was this about cute and lovely? The dogs in this fief must have something wrong with their eyes.

“…Anyway, thanks to Titi, everyone took the antidote and came to their senses, but Master Siol had disappeared!”

Luber continued with a dissatisfied expression.

“He was right there next to me just a moment ago, and then he suddenly disappeared. I don’t know how that happened, but we searched the entire area. We scoured the whole place. We couldn’t find you all through the morning, and then I came here just in case, and there you were, lying in bed. It’s a relief… of course it’s a relief, but…!”

“Yeah, I’m sorry… I don’t know what happened either…”

“You really don’t remember anything?”

“Yeah. I remember telling Muriel not to drink the wine, but after that, I have no idea. I just… woke up and I was here, and you were next to me, so I woke you up.”

Luber, who had looked like he was about to die of frustration, clamped his mouth shut, took a deep breath in and out, and then, as if he had let out all his annoyance with a sigh, he looked as if he had given up on everything.

“Next time, I’m going to cling to Master Siol’s ankle.”

“Mmm… yeah. Let’s do that. I’m sorry.”

“I was incredibly worried, you know…”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“…Still, thanks to Master Siol again, everyone was saved. They said even if they hadn’t taken the antidote, they probably would have just rampaged a bit and been fine. No one drank a lethal dose.”

That was a real relief.

“Ah. The birds? What happened to the birds?”

“The migratory birds? Why the migratory birds? I don’t see any. They’ve probably already left for the south.”

Siol bit his lip.

If he had caught even one, he could have gotten proof that Nanthiel was watching this place, but he had lost his senses and let them all get away. Feeling regretful, he glanced towards the small window in his laboratory, but not even a mouse, let alone a bird, was passing by.

It can’t be helped. Siol let out a deep sigh, then bent his legs and hugged them, muttering.

“…I don’t want to go to work.”

“Work? You mean the alchemy to increase the firewood?”

“Yeah… The knights from the land of the beastmen… I don’t want to meet them.”

He already knew that Muriel was aware of his existence, but he still didn’t want to meet them for some reason. If Muriel was the only beastman he had to meet, he felt he could have done it after taking a few deep breaths.

But Ryufen was different. Because he was a wolf he had been closer to, he needed more courage.

“Then shall I tell her Ladyship that you’ll be resting for a while?”

“No, I can’t do that.”

He couldn’t let his personal affairs affect his public duties. Especially when it was a matter directly related to the lives of the fief’s residents.

“Just… help me go in secret.”

“No, just rest.”

The person who cut Siol off sharply was Ladie, who came in after pulling aside the tapestry wall hanging.

Since there was only a fabric wall hanging, it seemed their conversation with Luber had been audible outside.

Ladie strode in, received the standing Luber’s bow with a nod, and looked at Siol with narrowed eyes. It was almost a glare. Siol had often received such looks when he was at the research institute.

Siol unconsciously ducked his head and watched her cautiously. It was a reflex, as he was always scolded after meeting that gaze.

“After what happened, of course you should rest.”

“But…”

“With the firewood we already had plus what you’ve transmuted, Master Siol, you can rest for a few days. No, you must rest. After what happened. And…”

Ladie continued, looking somewhat troubled.

“Titi, no, Ryufen brought a whole bunch of something called ignition stones. As a gift, he said.”

Ignition stones?

Curiosity sparked in Siol at the unfamiliar name. As if noticing, Ladie answered.

“It’s a variant of magic stones. I heard they’re rare stones that only form when mana pools in places like volcanoes…”

Such a thing exists? When Siol’s eyes sparkled, Ladie took a reddish stone from her pocket. He could tell it was an ignition stone without being told. Ladie tossed it lightly and caught it, looking at Siol as if sizing him up.

Siol quickly held out his hand and said the words she wanted to hear.

“I’ll do whatever you ask.”

“Rest for three days without doing anything.”

“Got it.”

“Good. Luber, watch him closely and report immediately if he disobeys.”

At Ladie’s command, Luber excitedly replied, “Yes!”

Siol felt a little choked up at her undisguised lack of trust right in front of him, but it wasn’t the first or second time this had happened. When Ladie pretended to hand over the ignition stone only to pull it back, Siol quickly smiled and snatched it.

“Master Siol didn’t just consume a terrible potion, he went missing afterwards. You have to understand how we felt when we found you lying in bed after searching for you so desperately.”

“Ugh… sorry.”

“Still, thank you so much for stepping forward. You did so even though you said you didn’t want anyone here to find out you were here.”

“Ah, no, that’s a given. They’re your subordinates.”

“Thank you.”

“Uh… yeah…”

Siol nodded at Ladie, who seemed to be stubbornly insisting on giving her thanks.

Only then did Ladie let her shoulders slump and pull over the chair Luber had been sitting on to take a seat.

“When I first heard the story, I really felt my heart drop. Master Siol, honestly, if I don’t have my dogs, I’m left with nothing but my bloodline.”

“What? That’s not…”

“Lord Meric would support me regardless of the dogs, I’m sure. But without them, I’d be in a position where I have to borrow Lord Meric’s knights. There’s a world of difference between having knights under my command who listen only to me and not having them.”

“…I guess that’s true. Yeah.”

Back at the research institute, Siol often felt a sense of alienation looking at the knights who came to protect him but listened to the king’s orders. They were less like a pack that reassured Siol and more like a gun that reaffirmed the king’s authority.

Perhaps that was also why he had built the fortress’s defense systems despite having knights. Because he couldn’t trust them.

For Ladie, too, the human knights were probably not as trustworthy as her dogs. Even when drinking a glass of water, the feeling is vastly different when you’re being offered it versus when you’re drinking your own, so he could understand why it would be even more so with knights.

“I want to prove that I am worthy of inheriting the throne through my abilities, not just my bloodline. I don’t want to do nothing and just stand in the back. Like that day, just trembling and watching what was happening before my eyes…”

Even without further explanation, he knew she was talking about the day the former king died.

It seemed Ladie was still blaming herself for not being able to do anything that day. That’s why even now, she had to whip herself, the sole survivor, to run with all her might to not feel guilty.

Her feelings, he understands.

Just as Siol was about to offer some words of comfort, Ladie suddenly straightened her back and returned to being Princess Ladie.

“More importantly, there’s something I need to discuss with you regarding Nanthiel.”

“Yes, I was also thinking I needed to talk about Nanthiel.”

“Until now, I’ve been too busy with internal affairs to pay attention to Nanthiel. I had to increase my allies as much as possible before spring, and there were many things to do to protect the fief since the protective barrier was gone. That gloomy man was a nuisance like a hangnail, but I had no choice but to ignore him. I was blinded by the immediate tasks. And the result of that is this incident.”

“Yes, we probably should have paid attention sooner. We were too complacent.”

He wondered if he could have paid attention even if he went back in time, given the lack of resources, but the thought that he should have been more vigilant about his surroundings came to mind.

“So, we have decided to formally enter into an agreement with the land of the beastmen.”

“…Huh?”

The conclusion flowed in such an unexpected direction that Siol let out a stupid sound without realizing it.

“You heard that the knights who came from the land of the beastmen were sent on errands to the surrounding fiefs, right? Thanks to that, four fiefs have agreed to come under my command, and I was able to start conversations with several fiefs that didn’t even pretend to listen when I sent my dogs. It’s a better outcome than I expected.”

“I thought it could be a pretty decent show of force… but it’s that effective?”

“Well… actually, they said the lord tried to keep the leopard knight from entering the castle, so he broke down the castle gate. And then he stormed into the lord’s manor and shoved my letter right in the lord’s face.”

“Is-is that okay?”

When Siol asked with a horrified expression, Ladie giggled and nodded.

“Of course, I received a letter of protest. I sent the leopard knight again to deliver a reply of regret.”

“Oh my…”

“I told him he shouldn’t break the castle gate, so this time he just climbed the castle wall and ran to the lord. The lord, who received the letter while sleeping, must have been scared out of his wits, but what do I care?”

“Th-then won’t that… give the beastmen a bad image?”

“It might, but it’s okay. This is something I’ve already discussed with Muriel. They aren’t the type to learn manners from such things, nor are they the type to reflect, so he said it’s fine as long as we don’t deliberately spread bad rumors.”

Given that Muriel was disgusted by and protested even Ryufen’s willfulness, there was no way he would look favorably upon the other knights. But still, no matter how you looked at it, rumors of the beastmen being violent and willful wouldn’t do any good, so why would the sensible Muriel…?

Thinking that far, Siol recalled Muriel’s unconditional worship of the Blue Dragon. Muriel probably thought it didn’t matter what happened to the image of the beastmen as long as it didn’t damage the Blue Dragon’s image.

Siol let out a groan without realizing it. It might be fine if the beastmen didn’t care, but…

“Don’t worry, Master Siol. I will control it well so that they don’t go too far.”

“Okay, I’m counting on you…”

“So, we have decided to form a joint tracking team by selecting knights from the beastmen’s side and our side. They said it’s fine for us to execute Nanthiel here, but that we must hand over the body. You mentioned it last time. That Nanthiel tried to put a collar on the Blue Dragon’s neck. In that case, it’s only natural that they would want to confirm the body.”

Ladie clicked her tongue.

A dragon’s mate is not called a dragon’s mate because they have some charm that a dragon would fall for, but simply because they were born that way. Yet Ladie could not understand Nanthiel, who had coveted such a position to the point of trying to put a collar on the Blue Dragon’s neck.

“Actually, it seems the beastmen’s side has already started the pursuit.”

“I want to help with the pursuit.”

“No.”

Ladie refused firmly.

“Master Siol is Nanthiel’s target. If Master Siol joins the pursuit team, there’s no telling what might happen again.”

“That’s why it’s good. I can be the bait.”

“…I have no intention of using Master Siol as bait.”

It felt like he was about to get scolded again. Siol averted his gaze slightly and made an excuse.

“But if Nanthiel uses the potion again…”

“That’s fine. The land of the beastmen has agreed to provide the antidote.”

“Who… who made it?”

“Well… I think I heard it was a beastman named Burdril.”

Siol unknowingly clenched his fist.

The fact that Burdril, whom he hadn’t been able to teach much, had researched on his own and created the antidote for the Last Breath somehow warmed his heart. There was a lot of the Last Breath that Nanthiel had left behind in Marsiga. It was enough to fill half the tower, so it must have been sufficient for research.

It was something he should have done. Burdril had finished a task he had simply ignored due to lack of time. At the achievement of the man he couldn’t bring himself to call his disciple, a tremor of emotion and a wave of joy washed over him.

“I see. That’s great.”

“Yes, so Master Siol, please don’t get involved in this matter. Even if we catch Nanthiel, it’s all meaningless if you get hurt.”

“…I understand.”

But, I promised the Blue Dragon.

I said I would protect him, that that kid wouldn’t be able to torment him again.

⋆୨🔮୧⋆

“Titi! Let’s go hunting together! You like hunting.”

That’s just because I was short on food, so I hunted diligently.

“No, Titi is going to play cards with us. Titi is an adult now, so he should play at the table.”

What does being an adult have to do with playing cards?

“Don’t be like that, let’s play hide-and-seek with us in the forest. Titi was really good at hiding, back in the day. There were days we couldn’t find you even after searching all day.”

That’s because you all were so clingy, so I deliberately hid so you couldn’t find me.

Ryufen sat ramrod straight and flapped his ears in annoyance. The clamor of the dogs swarming around him was making him go deaf. They were so clingy and kept pestering him to play that he felt like he would die of annoyance.

“Hunting!”

“Card games!”

“Hide-and-seek!”

In the land of the beastmen, the only ones who could treat him so casually and not get beaten were Eorzen, Muriel, and Siol. Eorzen was someone who could give him any command, and Muriel and Siol were so weak that he had no choice but to go easy on them.

Anyone else who annoyed him like this would just get a beating, a scare, and then some gruesome training to be put in their place, after which they would become a beast who knew something about hierarchy. But he couldn’t do that here.

His paw trembled with the urge to smack the head of one of the guys loitering nearby, but Ryufen held it in.

The dogs were… delicate. Perhaps because they were raised learning human manners for generations, they were unnecessarily delicate, so if you hit them a little, they would get hurt, sulk, cry, get angry, and then cry again…. Ryufen recalled the things that had happened when he had stayed in this land in the past and desperately suppressed the surging irritation.

No, if you’re going to sulk, you should do it in your own room. What on earth is with coming over to where I can see you and sitting with your back to me?

That back followed Ryufen wherever he went. Whether he went hunting, played card games, or played hide-and-seek, the sight of the ever-increasing number of backs trailing him made him sick of it. And so, Ryufen, the number one troublemaker in the land of the beastmen, had no choice but to surrender to the dogs.

“Hah…”

Ryufen let out his boiling annoyance with a sigh and looked up at the sky.

Do dogs not have the concept of becoming more dignified with age? Of course, beastmen don’t really have that concept either, but couldn’t the dogs have it? It would have been nice if they had learned dignity from humans instead of just useless things like delicacy and manners.

Ryufen grumbled inwardly and glanced down. The dogs who received his gaze brightened up and jumped.

I can’t take it anymore. I feel like my fist is about to fly.

Ryufen shot up and leaped onto the third-floor balcony of a nearby building.

“Titi!”

“Let’s go hunting together!”

“You liked hide-and-seek!”

Muriel, who had been drinking tea with documents spread out on a round table, was startled by Ryufen’s sudden appearance and his eyes went wide, before his expression turned into a sneer. Ryufen glanced at the white lion inside the balcony window who had shot up and then sat back down, before lying down on the floor.

“I’m dying, really…”

Muriel seemed quite amused by the sight of Ryufen being tormented by the dogs, unable to do anything. So much so that Muriel, who usually ignored his brother, was teasing him for a rare change.

“Titi, the dogs are begging you like that, why don’t you play with them a little?”

“Ah, you too, just stop it, will you? I feel like I’m going crazy with the task the Commander gave me as it is…?”

Muriel, who revered the Blue Dragon almost like a god, completely changed his expression at Ryufen’s complaint and became serious.

“The Commander would not have ordered you to do something impossible. Work diligently.”

“Hah. This isn’t like that. You’ll be dumbfounded when you hear it too.”

“That’s impossible.”

A faith bordering on worship was evident in his declarative tone. It was close to a confident assertion that the Blue Dragon would never give a strange order, and if one was dumbfounded after hearing it, it must be because of Ryufen’s lack of diligence. And Muriel’s thought was generally not wrong. Originally, Ryufen would roll on the floor in annoyance even at orders to train the knights or go to the next town to catch some monsters loitering nearby.

But this time was different.

Ryufen grinned and propped his chin on his paw.

“Hey, what are you going to do if you’re dumbfounded after hearing it? I mean, if the Commander’s order is absurd.”

“Haah… Just stop it, will you?”

“I’m asking what you’re going to do. Huh?”

The smirking look on his face showed no sign of stopping. Muriel, who had spent his childhood with this undiligent and lazy, yet exceptionally skilled in combat, wolf, knew very well how persistent Ryufen became with that expression.

Muriel, who had been trying hard to focus on his documents, finally surrendered to the persistently questioning Ryufen. He thought it would be better to just play along a little and send him on his way.

“Tell me what he ordered.”

“What will you do if you’re dumbfounded?”

“You don’t even want anything, so stop wasting time and just tell me.”

That was true. It wasn’t like he had any task to give to that weakling wolf. I’ll just enjoy his dumbfounded expression, Ryufen thought as he spoke.

“The Commander has amnesia.”

“Pardon?”

“He doesn’t really, but he asked me to say that he’s lost about the last year’s worth of memories. What kind of amnesia does a dragon get? Does that even make sense?”

Shrugging, Ryufen sought Muriel’s agreement.

Dragons were perfect beings. Not only were they strong and wise, but they were also beautiful and patient. They might have some minor flaws, but they were trivial compared to the virtues of the dragon race. The physical flaw of occasionally going berserk was nothing, as it would disappear completely after meeting a mate.

That’s what he thought, until he met a dragon who had found his mate.

The only dragon Ryufen had met was Eorzen, but he could say with certainty: A dragon who has met his mate is a moron. He had met a few beastmen who had melted into a puddle, madly in love, but they were nothing compared to the Blue Dragon.

Amnesia? He’s going to pretend he has no memory in front of the kid, so he wants me to play along?

“…He must have his reasons.”

Muriel, who had been silent for a moment, said, composing his expression. He’s good with his words, for someone who was just looking flabbergasted. Ryufen snorted loudly.

“Reasons, my foot. It’s all because of that kid, Sizool…”

“Brother, it would be best if you watch your words.”

“……”

At the sharp advice, Ryufen shut his mouth. The fact that he had to spin some ridiculous lies to that tiny kid… no, he’s not a kid anymore, but anyway, to Siol, was complicating his head, which had made him talk too much.

Is all dragon romance like this?

Unfortunately, there was no one he could ask for advice. No matter how he thought about it, there was no way a romance that started like this could turn out well.

Ryufen glanced at Muriel and then at the white lion inside the balcony window and let out a sigh.

This one here was also quite hopeless.

“More importantly, there’s something I’m curious about. How on earth did you get the nickname ‘super strong, big, cute, and lovely Titi’?”

“Gah…! Why are you bringing that up again?”

Ryufen shuddered and rolled on the floor.

“Everyone calls you that. Who would have known that the Blue Dragon’s guardian would be on such good terms with the dogs?”

“Please, just stop…”