Unlike the grand banquet hall, the Ministry of Magic was quiet. Only two mages remained on duty in case of Ruswena’s potential arrival. A captain and her subordinate, Akorella and her charge, were sitting on a mat in the rear garden, enjoying the brightened sky. It was their masterpiece, after all, and it was truly a sight to behold.
Akorella flopped onto her back and muttered, “Stuck on standby on a perfect day like this, damn it. I should be running some serious experiments right now.”
“We can’t help it, Captain. We don’t know when the Ruswenans will show up, so a captain-level mage has to be here to greet them in Sir Ian’s place.”
“You want to stay here? I’m just going to pop over to the office for a second.”
“Absolutely not. If you abandon your post, I’m telling Sir Ian everything. You’re going to run experiments, aren’t you? Once you’re in there, you lose all track of day and night. Are you confident you can maintain the White Night?”
“This little brat. Who’s your superior?”
“You are, Captain Akorella.”
“Right. You know your place. Even if you have no manners.”
Akorella grabbed her hair and rolled around on the mat. She wanted to give up on the idea, but how could she? Her mind was racing with experiments that relied on mana stones affected by day, night, or the weather. If she missed today, they might never see the light of day.
Damn that Ruswena. What the hell are they doing, dragging their feet like this?!
“Sons of bitches. I should just let them fall and catch them right before they splatter.”
“If you want to write a formal apology, I won’t stop you. But I want to make it clear that I will take no responsibility.”
“Agh, I can’t take it. Go and bring my lab equipment here.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
Just as Akorella was ticking off the items on her fingers, the mage shot to his feet, staring at the sky. Akorella narrowed her eyes, refusing to be fooled, and punched him in the calf.
“Nice try changing the subject. Hurry up! The second shelf of that cupboard and the frozen Luron crystals below it. The Cytomark, the Gallen, and—”
“Captain, they’re coming!”
“What is?!”
“Ruswena!”
They’ll obviously wait until the last second before the portal closes, what nonsense is this? Hmph, I’ll lose if I fall for it. But his acting is pretty good, so I’ll give him that. Akorella shifted her gaze suspiciously, then shot to her feet and froze.
“That’s…”
“Ca-Ca-Ca-Captain. Should I go get Sir Ian?”
“That… crazy son of a bitch!”
What was slowly emerging from the black moon was not a carriage, but a ‘living creature.’
A sleek, angular snout and an ivory horn sprouting from its forehead. A body covered in red scales, and wings extending from its back.
“I-Is that a monster?”
“…It’s a dragon.”
Screeeech!
Having fully emerged, the dragon unfurled its massive wings and took flight. Akorella immediately noticed the chain-like object around its neck and then realized that the chain was connected to a carriage.
Where there should have been horses, there was a dragon.
“Captain!”
“Damn it, let’s go!”
Zzzzing!
Their duty was to receive the carriage safely. The two of them prepared to take flight, but they quickly realized it was unnecessary. The carriage, suspended in the sky, remained as stable as if it were on solid ground. There was another mage within the Ruswenan delegation.
Swooooosh!
“Aaaah, it’s coming, it’s coming…”
“Shut it, you brat! Stop making a fuss.”
The mage muttered, sticking close behind Akorella, who shot back a reprimand. The carriages landed as smoothly as if they had descended along an invisible road, and the dragon calmly folded its wings. Up close, it was nearly the size of a house, its presence overwhelming.
Creeak.
“Were there always so few mages in Bariel?”
“Welcome. I am Captain Akorella of the Ministry of Magic. As the banquet is currently underway, our welcoming party is small. I ask for your understanding.”
This was the man Eldert had sent in his stead. A gaunt figure with dull eyes. His attitude was annoying enough, arriving late and acting as he did, but what bothered her most was—
That vile mustache. The nerve of this bastard.
It was a mustache of such a bizarre shape that she wondered how he had even grown it. Akorella kept her eyes fixed on the mustache and asked, “And what is that dragon?”
“Ah, do not be alarmed! It is an inauguration gift from His Highness Eldert to His Highness, Crown Prince Jin! Hahaha! It was a shame that Bariel has not a single dragon, so he chose a precious and robust one to send.”
Thwack!
The man ostentatiously struck the dragon on the head and burst into laughter. To treat a divine beast in such a manner? The act was so dangerous that her subordinate flinched, but the dragon, tamed through captivity, only snorted a few times without any other reaction.
“What do you think? It must be the first time you’ve seen one.”
Go on, show some awe! He looked at Akorella triumphantly, but she just stood there with her arms crossed. At that, the subordinate mage sensed that something was seriously wrong. He quickly activated a summoning spell and whispered, tugging on his captain’s sleeve.
“Captain. Calm down. Calm—”
“I just told you. I am Captain Akorella of the Ministry of Magic.”
“Hm? Yes. I heard you.”
Throb. A vein pulsed on Akorella’s temple. “I take it you don’t have a culture of proper introductions in Ruswena?”
“Wh-What did you say?”
The mage squeezed his eyes shut in terror. A glint of madness was flashing in Akorella’s eyes, which were already half-crazed on a normal day. It seemed every last shred of reason had flown far, far away.
“I stated my affiliation and name, but received no reply. It makes me wonder if you are truly from Ruswena.”
Wooooom.
If they were not guests, they were intruders, and thus subject to summary execution. As Akorella radiated a murderous aura and formed spheres of mana in both hands, the man stumbled backward.
“I-I am Repin, head delegate of the Ruswenan legation.”
“So you are a guest. And you seem to have a mage with you.”
“O-One!”
Why are you still speaking so curtly, you bastard? Akorella’s brow furrowed, and Repin pushed someone forward. It was a young boy. He was likely a new mage discovered in Ruswena after the last war, brought along to advertise that Ruswena, too, had magical forces for the coming conflict.
Akorella gestured with her head and ordered, “The mage will be fitted with a Mana Sealing Stone. Only then will you be permitted to enter the palace.”
“Please come this way first.”
“Lord Repin.”
“Yes. Go on, follow him! Now, now!”
As the mage led the boy toward the main Ministry of Magic building, Akorella turned back to the dragon, her expression still displeased. A sigh escaped her lips. “Haaah.”
“Th-This is considered the most beautiful one in all of Ruswena. We are lending it to you free of charge for ten years, during which time Bariel will be able to establish research and understanding of dragons. This is a value that cannot be converted into gold, so in a way, His Highness Eldert has gifted Bariel its future.”
As soon as she heard that, Akorella glared at Repin. Those Ruswenan bastards were just as they’d always been—masters of playing games with their tribute gifts.
‘And where are we supposed to raise this thing?’
Unlike Ruswena, which had hatcheries and breeding grounds, Bariel had no facilities whatsoever for dragons. And was it just a matter of facilities? They had no knowledge or experience in their care and breeding either. It would cost a fortune, and with a war on the horizon, when would they build the facilities, and who would they entrust with the work?
‘And it’s not even permanent, just ten years. Just when we’ve invested and established something, they’ll take it back, leaving us in a lurch. Plus, what if something goes wrong and it dies? It could become a diplomatic incident, no, an international one. You son of a bitch.’
He could spew all the flowery words he wanted about the ‘most beautiful dragon,’ but she was certain that if they examined it, they would find it had health problems. And most importantly, for her, who had suffered so much because of dragon scales, this was just…
“Ahem. Shall we head straight to the banquet hall?”
A torrent of curses rose in her throat, but Akorella suppressed it with superhuman self-control. You bastard. Do you have any idea who’s waiting for you in that banquet hall? You’re so dead.
“Fine. Let’s go. Wait here for a moment until your mage returns.”
Akorella gestured for them to prepare, and Repin and the Ruswenan attendants re-boarded their carriages. The dragon, which had been blinking cluelessly, scratched its snout with a foreleg.
***
“Sir Ian. A summons just came in. The delegation from Ruswena has arrived.”
“Who greeted them?”
“Captain Akorella.”
“Understood. They will be guided here directly, so prepare.”
“Yes. Sir, but… the summons is a bit strange.”
Ian, who had been carefully observing the banquet hall, quirked an eyebrow. Their early arrival was suspicious enough, but a strange summons meant there had been trouble right from the start.
Ian nodded in understanding and ordered the mages to prepare. He remained where he was, his gaze fixed on Shatima, who was now having her audience with Jin.
“…And so, I once again offer my sincerest congratulations.”
“Yes. Convey this to the King of Hawan. I wish for his speedy recovery. And tell him that we have many excellent physicians in the capital as well.”
“…I will deliver your words as you have spoken.”
“You may withdraw.”
At Jin’s command to conclude the audience, Shatima bowed and backed away. Attendants approached to hold the train of her dress, and among them was the woman who had entered with Ian. Shatima, recognizing that she had returned, gave her a subtle look—a glance that was both a reprimand and a flare of anger.
At that, Romandro, following Ian’s gaze, asked, “That woman from before? Is she bothering you?”
Ian just sipped his drink and nodded.
After her audience, Shatima left the banquet hall under the pretext of adjusting her dress. Ian signaled to the mages with a gesture and followed her.
Creeak.
Thump!
The door to the waiting room assigned to the dignitaries was firmly shut. Shatima confirmed that no one else was inside and let out a low growl.
“I told you not to act foolishly.”
“My apologies. The Investigation Team building was not far from here, so I went for a moment.”
“Why there?”
At Shatima’s sharp question, Erica lifted her veil, revealing her face. She looked utterly distraught. “Before, when I was sent to the frontier, I left a photograph at my desk. It’s the only family picture I have, and I went to see if it might still be there.”
“As if it would be!”
It had been ten years. The desk of an imperial official who had vanished after failing to complete a mission—there was no way it would have been left untouched.
“Yes. So I spent some time looking through the lost and found storage inside. Given the circumstances, the building was empty. I was careful, so please do not worry. I apologize for causing you concern.”
“This is Bariel, not Hawan.”
“I will remember that.”
Shatima sighed and massaged her forehead with her long fingernails. Erica was in the process of choosing her path of revenge; it was probably best to refrain from pushing her further. She waved her hand and said, “Go and fetch some new accessories.”
“Yes. Understood.”
The accessories she was wearing were the height of splendor, meant for the audience. They were so heavy that her neck and shoulders ached; it was time to change into something lighter.
Creeak.
Erica stepped outside and relayed the order to the attendants. Just as she was turning around—
“Pardon me.”
“……!”
It was Ian. She hadn’t sensed his presence at all, and Erica froze in shock. Their eyes met directly, and for a terrifying moment, she wondered if she had forgotten to veil her face. She subconsciously raised a hand to touch the veil, and a wave of relief washed over her when she felt it there.
“Do you require something?”
“Ah, no.”
“You seemed to be looking for something. For example—”
“It is fine.”
Erica bowed her head and tried to hurry past him. But his next words caught her by the ankle, stopping her cold.
“Like the bodies of Mary or Chel?”