TEB Ch 63

“That too, would it be a burden?”   

But it was the only thing that could be considered a hobby for Liev. Most of the books were left in the study, but this one was kept separately in the bedroom. This one was special enough to be kept separately in his bedroom. Since it wasn’t overly bulky, it should be fine. Liev let out a short sigh, finished packing, closed the buckle, and then placed the luggage on the floor.   

Even though his mind was still troubled, there was no turning back once a decision had been made. So, it was best to save as much energy as possible before leaving.   

“Did they say we’re leaving tomorrow morning?”   

There would probably be a brief explanation for Liev, who suddenly joined the group. For some reason, he felt like he was receiving special treatment, which made him feel embarrassed, but since he didn’t ask for it, he decided to be shameless. He had never lacked knowledge, so it wouldn’t be a problem to absorb the information given. So, for now, he should rest. His mind was tired, and his body was exhausted. Nights without Renard felt a little cold and lonely.   

*****   

The next morning, when Liev opened the door and went out, he found a bunch of flowers lying in front of the door. They were fresh and didn’t seem to have been picked long ago. Did he really need to do this? Liev tilted his head and was about to think more, but then he heard something like fabric rustling from the hallway.   

When Renard was in human form, he usually got rid of any visible features that would indicate he was a dragon, like horns or a tail. Some dragons would purposely leave some features to show off their pride as dragons when they took on human form, but Renard had usually covered them up. Liev knew the why. He was afraid that Liev might get hurt if he accidentally touched his scales or horns.   

“Just as I expected, you did this.”   

Liev picked up the flower on the floor with a brief comment, 

“Hmm. When did you leave this?”   

As Liev approached Renard and asked, Renard looked the other way.   

“I don’t know anything about this.”

So, are you saying that an intruder other than you sneaked into a dragon-inhabited mansion located near the royal castle and left only flowers? You should at least come up with a believable story. Liev was dumbfounded and didn’t even have the energy to argue.   

“Why flowers?”   

He couldn’t help but wonder why Renard chose flowers when there were surely other gifts he could have given. Of course, there was a time when Liev tried to impress Renard by gathering flowers, but that was when they were much younger. He had given Renard many other things in secret, such as small prey like mice or birds. Of course, flowers were much better than receiving small prey, but when he asked out of pure curiosity, the guy who had been lying just a moment ago confessed obediently.   

“I heard that just looking at flowers can improve your mood.”   

While that may be true, when Renard didn’t even look at the flowers and just stared at his face, he pursed his lips.   

“You said you give flowers as a gift to someone you like.”   

Does he remember that conversation? Liev thought Renard was too young to remember. He couldn’t help but laugh at Renard’s clumsy attempt at reconciliation.

“Well, I guess my mood has improved a bit.”   

And he fell into deep thought for a moment. Yes, it was right to stick the wedge here. After coming to this conclusion, Liev opened his mouth again.   

“But I won’t do that kind of thing with you anymore. You have to solve it yourself. You’re not completely clueless about how to do it.”   

And as Liev started to walk down the hallway, Renard quickly grabbed him.   

“Well, what about Liev? What does he do when he wants to do it?”

Well, to a question like this, Liev answered confidently.   

“I don’t really like that kind of thing, so you don’t have to worry about it. You know that by now, right?”   

Seeing his confident attitude, Renard, with a disappointed expression, just let it go and muttered to himself.

“You liked it, you lied again.” 

It was unavoidable because it was just a physical reaction. Liev tried to ignore it as his face began to heat up again. He urged Renard to walk faster as they stepped outside the mansion. A carriage, already prepared, was waiting. As Liev walked towards the carriage, Renard urgently grabbed him.   

“Wait, why are you taking that instead of going with me?”   

“What?”   

Before he could even object, Liev’s body suddenly fell towards the ground, as if someone had pulled his feet from under him. He was so startled that his heart sank, and in the blink of an eye, the scenery around him changed to the White Eagle Knights’ conference room.   

“What was that just now!?”   

Surprised, Liev turned around to find Renard behind him. Renard calmly replied,   

“It’s easier to use teleportation magic for this distance.” 

Liev asked, still in shock,   

“Then why didn’t we just use it when we came from the Research Institute to here?”   

Was it just to torture himself? As he had a suspicious thought, Renard answered again,   

“It’s because the distance is too far. Teleportation magic consumes mana proportionally to the mass and distance. It’s fine for this distance, but it’s much faster and more efficient to fly for longer distances.”   

He continued to grumble, saying it was not because of his lack of ability or because he was young, but because his control of magic was not as smooth as that of the “oldies.” Liev wondered why he was explaining this to him, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but be surprised by Renard, who called even Mahatra and other seniors “oldies.”

“Yes, yes, we can talk about the theory of magic another time. Can we start with us for now?”   

It was evident that Albert had ended the conversation between the two with a dismissive tone. In addition, the rest of the members, including Rowena and Katrice, were also gathered.   

“First of all, we plan to start the investigation from the southern tip of the Pierre Mountains. And we will focus on the areas where the monster activities have been reported.”   

As Liev listened to Albert’s explanation, his eyes widened at the mention of familiar place names. They were regions that had been described in detail in most of the novels. Hadn’t they all been to those places while following the original story? For a moment, Liev wondered if he was mistaken about something and looked at Sigrid, who was listening to Albert’s explanation with a concentrated expression. Then Sigrid casually winked his left eye at Liev.   

“What is he up to?”   

Liev couldn’t hide his reflexive disdain. Sigrid’s always cheerful expression suddenly became gloomy. But regardless, Liev focused on Albert’s explanation again. He was curious about Sigrid’s true identity. At first, it could have meant that he knew more about Renard than anyone else.  

 But the more he listened to Albert’s briefing, the more convinced he became. Sigrid had indeed mentioned that he remembered the original story. If he knew which monsters were appearing in the area and what incidents were occurring in other regions, he could respond more quickly and safely. 

“What the hell is his true identity?”   

Although he wanted to ask, he decided to keep watching for now. Based on the premise that Sid would keep his promise, he had to successfully complete this expedition if he wanted to hear Sigrid’s story properly.   

“For now, I can only keep watching…” 

At that moment, as Liev muttered in frustration, Renard, who had been standing right behind him, suddenly whispered in his ear.