TEB Ch 9

“Here is something you must keep in mind. Everything you need during your stay here has already been provided, so don’t go out. If you find anything lacking, let me know when I visit every morning and evening. And no matter what happens, you must not let your true selves be revealed to anyone else. If you happen to make contact with anyone outside this room, the master will turn you into someone who doesn’t exist in this world.”

Renard growled softly in response to Lady Priscilla’s warning. Liev gently squeezed Renard’s hand to calm him down.

“Yes, I’ll stay quiet. I won’t take a single step from here.”

The chance to escape was tempting, but it was difficult for Liev, who was only six years old. Besides his age, there were many other problems he would have to face.

The mountain where the Divine Dragon lived was far away from Count Vasil’s territory. Even if the two children tried to live in hiding, they couldn’t simply run away from the Count’s eyes, and they didn’t have the financial means to maintain a normal life.

Even with the change he had secretly collected from Priscilla and the Count’s coats, it was still far from enough.

“All right. You’re not stupid, so you won’t do anything foolish. I’ll go back to the Count.”

With that, Lady Priscilla left the mansion, leaving Liev and Renard alone in the locked attic. Outside the window, the lively sounds of the festival could be heard, and occasionally, colorful fireworks in the dark night sky captured his gaze. While everyone else enjoyed the atmosphere freely, only Liev and Renard were confined to a room with nothing but old furniture and boxes.

“……”

Liev checked Renard’s expression. Renard, who looked about four or five years old, had a chubby face that seemed somewhat dissatisfied, but he continued to prick up his ears to the sounds coming from outside.

“Is it too noisy?”

Dragons have enhanced senses beyond those of ordinary humans, even a moderate level of noise would be unbearable for Renard. Moreover, having lived in the secluded area since birth, the noise of the city would be even more painful. When Renard nodded slowly in response to Liev’s question, Liev quickly covered Renard’s ears with his palms. Renard’s ruby-like eyes turned straight toward Liev.

“Does this help a bit?”

Renard nodded again, lifting his round-cheeked face up and down.

“Ahaha, that’s a relief. Let’s stay like this. It’ll probably quiet down in a bit.”

However, contrary to Liev’s hope, the festival continued late into the night. Are they going to eat, drink, and have fun until dawn? Liev’s patience was reaching its limit. He wished everyone would quiet down and go to sleep. Liev, feeling a bit stuck, absentmindedly grabbed the handle of the window, which was slanted on the ceiling. What are the chances it will open? He applied pressure to the handle with no expectations. 

“Huh?”

Somehow, with a creaking sound, the wooden handle turned, and the window opened. Huh? At that moment, a strong gust of wind rushed in from outside, tousling Liev and Renard’s hair.

It opens? In disbelief, Liev carefully lifted his tiptoes and leaned his head out of the window. Only then could he understand why the window was not blocked from the outside.

“Oh…”

The sloping surface was so steep that it seemed impossible to escape this way. 

Given the height, even if he managed to climb down, he might fall and die.

If climbing the roof was structurally easy, Liev might have attempted it. However, it seemed impossible to even take a step outside the window. With Renard’s help, it might not be entirely impossible, but…

Well…

Let’s stop.

Although the window opened unexpectedly, he had another thought, it was not a very appropriate idea. Even if they managed to escape from here, it wasn’t like they could immediately ask the people enjoying the festival to quiet down.

Liev quickly shook his head, letting go of his disappointment. The Count would probably shelter them here for at most a week. Once the king returned to his castle, they would soon return to the old mansion. Until then… 

Feeling a bit regretful, Liev pursed his lips, and at that moment, Renard grabbed the end of Liev’s sleeve and asked, 

“Liev, do you want to go out?”

Renard, who now reached a level with a clear pronunciation and fluent speech, asked with his sparkling jewel-like eyes. Liev suddenly had a bad feeling. A four- to five-year-old who could do anything he wanted was terrifying enough on its own. Considering he was at an age where he couldn’t predict what kind of accident he was planning to cause, Liev shook his head, sensing that whatever Renard was trying to do might not be a good idea.

“Huh? No, it’s okay. I just opened it to see if it would open.”

Liev tried to make excuses, but it was already too late. Renard’s gaze never left the window. No matter how much I think about this, it’s ominous.

Renard can freely handle basic magic as effortlessly as breathing. Despite being young, he had long surpassed the level humans could control. However, regardless of what Renard intended to do, the moment Liev, who was the target of his imprint, said, “No,” Renard would stop all actions. So, even if Liev stopped him, it was unlikely that Renard would do whatever he wanted.

Renard continued to stare at the open window, and Liev felt uneasy. 

Ah, I shouldn’t have opened the window.

Since the noise from outside seemed to be bothering him, Liev thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take Renard out and show him some interesting things. However, even if they could go out with Renard’s help, Liev wasn’t entirely sure about what to do next.

If, by any chance, we get caught by the Count…

He won’t let it slide. Even though Renard is still under his control, the Count won’t kill him carelessly, but he had to be prepared for the repercussions of being beat up in a place where Renard couldn’t see.

Now that Renard had passed the stage where he was treated like a newborn, Liev couldn’t rule out the possibility that the Count might take away his imprint, take away his intelligence, and treat him like a beast.

It’s better to stay quiet and then take that risk. Liev gave up again and tried not to be conscious of Renard’s gaze, which sparkled like crimson gems. However, Renard, with a smile, spoke.

“I can do whatever Liev wants!”

Then, let’s just stay quiet. Liev wiped the sweat from his back and avoided eye contact.

“What I want is just to stay quiet like this until Lady Priscilla comes in tomorrow morning.”

Then Renard blinks his eyes again, looking at Liev.

“Lie.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I can smell that Liev is lying.”

What nonsense is this, like you’re some kind of detection dog? Of course, taking Renard out for a little sightseeing would be a good experience for him, considering he still knows little about the world.

Liev briefly considered flipping his coat and using it as a makeshift blanket. However, the eyes he met for a moment were too charmingly stubborn. Renard had already thought of going outside together, and even if Liev tried to stop him, he would have no choice but to follow. And if he didn’t, Renard would likely torment him throughout the night. 

“Why are you saying something different from what you really want?”

Is this also part of the dragon’s instinct or ability? Liev tore at his hair for a moment and sighed deeply. 

“……”

Even during this, Renard’s gaze remained fixed on Liev. Liev was realizing that he was being too soft on Renard.

“All right. I give up. I lost. You win.”

Finally, at the moment when permission fell from Liev’s lips, whoosh! Liev’s body rose into the air.

“How is it? Fun, right? Fun, right!?”

“Ugh. Wait, just a moment! Hek, ugh!”

Having learned basic education and literacy, it might be a good opportunity to see if he can behave like an ordinary person. Liev had such thoughts for a moment. Just as he was thinking that, he quickly covered his mouth with his hands as his body floated in the air.

Throughout his imprisonment in the laboratory for the entire time, Liev’s heart raced with worry and anticipation at the sight of the Count and Lady Priscilla’s watchful behavior. Of course, 90% worry and 10% anticipate.

As expected, the dragon’s behavior was not much different from that of a kitten. He was dependent on the subject of his imprint, occasionally acting on his own, overflowing with curiosity, and yet being very timid. As soon as his feet touched the ground, Liev, with quick steps, ran towards Renard, who was swiftly moving away from him, swallowing another long sigh.