Chapter 14
Even after denying it once, as if it wasn’t enough, Carl tried to stand up abruptly. Anyone could see it was the textbook reaction of someone who had been caught off guard and was overreacting.
“Oh my, it’s okay, it’s fine. You’re quite shy, aren’t you? It’s understandable to have your heart flutter a bit when spending time with a perfect woman who has such strategy, beauty, and leadership.”
“It’s not like that!”
Sian chuckled and waved her hand dismissively. Carl raised his voice in protest.
“…Um, I’m sorry, but perhaps you could have such personal conversations in private…”
Max cautiously interjected, unable to bear it anymore.
“Don’t we have a rule against romance within the group? This is starting to irritate me…”
Dr. Zivago chimed in, and Bill nodded his head vigorously beside him. Ahem, Sian cleared her throat, feeling like the corners of her mouth might crumble.
“Well, you can’t help where the heart goes. It seems the saint of Ivarid has come to see me differently because of my intellect and beauty…”
“I said it’s not like that, didn’t I? It was just a sudden, pure curiosity…”
“Yes, yes, that’s how it always starts. You become curious about someone, then interest grows, and before you know it, well…”
You know? Sian winked at Carl. In response to the woman’s utterly glib reaction, Carl let out another exasperated laugh.
What kind of woman is this…
Seeing Carl’s dumbfounded expression, Sian burst into laughter.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m not free enough to mingle with you so personally. I’d prefer if you kept such talk private when we’re alone.”
“That’s right. It’s a bit awkward for third parties to hear.”
Bill nodded vigorously in agreement.
Carl couldn’t understand how the conversation had taken this turn. He had simply been curious about how a woman of noble birth had ended up becoming a mercenary.
It was clear that no matter how much he denied it, the atmosphere wouldn’t change. Carl gave up trying to explain further, his expression bewildered.
“So, when, how, and where should Idelin make an appearance?”
Growling as if daring anyone to bring it up again, Carl hastily changed the subject. Sian raised an eyebrow slightly as she chewed on some jerky.
“The grander the show, the better, right? Since Idelin is silver, it would be best to be seen by many people when it’s dark, but if we make an appearance too late at night when there’s no one around, it won’t have much effect…”
Sian looked up at the ceiling for a moment, organizing her thoughts as she spoke, then looked back at Carl.
“…How about tomorrow evening, just after sunset?”
There was no room for objection in her flawless suggestion.
Just what kind of woman is she?
Although Carl had resolved not to question her childish taunting anymore, Sian’s skillful way of leading the conversation made his earlier resolution vanish without a trace.
If only he had someone trustworthy nearby to investigate her background. It was frustrating not having anyone he could rely on.
Sian met Carl’s obvious gaze and smiled brightly. Carl furrowed his brow at the woman’s indecipherable smile, as if he had a lot of complaints.
“…Alright.”
Carl spoke after intentionally letting a moment of silence pass, as if trying to heighten some inexplicable tension.
“Tomorrow evening, I’ll put on a show spectacular enough to surprise everyone.”
Sian’s lips curled into a smile at Carl’s words, which were delivered with a slight sneer.
* * *
“This is quite nerve-wracking.”
Man 1, who had donned a black robe covering him from head to toe to blend naturally into the darkness, spoke. All of Sian’s group were similarly cloaked in black from head to toe.
Although the receding sun still dimly lit the surroundings, they could only be distinguished by their voices.
“Of course it’s nerve-wracking. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see ‘the’ Idelin up close.”
Sian’s delicate voice stood out among the black-clad men.
“Is it true that Idelin’s scales emit their own light?”
“This is my first time seeing a dragon in person… I’m nervous.”
Man 2 and Man 3 spoke in succession.
“That goes without saying. Just one flap of Idelin’s wings will set the entire Ivarid region abuzz.”
Sian spoke, crossing her arms under her robe. Unlike the men who were tense with nervousness and anticipation at the prospect of seeing a dragon in person, her voice was full of composure.
“You speak as if you’ve seen one before, sis.”
Man 2 said. Judging by the voice, it seemed to be Max. Sian, her face shadowed under the large hood of her robe, didn’t respond.
“Come to think of it, sis, you said you’ve been to the Corrupted Lands before. You must have seen dragons several times. I heard wild dragons swarm there looking for prey.”
Man 1’s voice was Dr. Zivago.
“Doctor, you have a good memory. Remembering such things.”
Sian twisted the corner of her mouth in the darkness as she looked at Dr. Zivago, who appeared as nothing more than a black mass due to the shadows.
“…But this is my first time seeing a dragon too. It’s been a long time since wild dragons were wiped out.”
Long ago, many people hunted dragons for the powerful strength and authority that came with being chosen by a dragon and becoming its master.
Wild dragons that hadn’t found a master couldn’t survive alone in lands where the blessing of the founding dragon Yggdrasil remained, so dragon hunters would cross the Red River to the Corrupted Lands to hunt them.
However, dragons with self-awareness didn’t submit to human force and choose a master, and hunters who couldn’t become dragon masters began indiscriminately hunting dragons instead. They then sold the dragon scales and bones imbued with magical power on the black market for profit.
As a result, dragons that had enjoyed limited freedom in the Corrupted Lands began to hide themselves from the large-scale dragon hunts.
Now, hardly anyone knew how many dragons remained in that land. As the dragons disappeared, the dragon hunters naturally died out too. Even in the black market, items related to dragons became impossible to find.
Consequently, the authority of dragon masters in the empire increased even more, and ordinary people like Sian and the mercenaries might be lucky to see a dragon once in their lifetime.
…Come to think of it, that dagger.
Sian’s thoughts, stirred by Dr. Zivago’s words, turned to the dagger that was said to have been taken from Carl’s body.
She had completely forgotten to ask Carl about it. How did those associated with the royal family come to possess dragon bones, which had long since disappeared even from the black market?
If the Crown Prince was aware of the item’s existence and authorized its use, it would be fair to judge him as truly wicked and undignified. And if someone under him had used such a terrible weapon without his knowledge…
‘…This suggests that the political strife triggered by the Dragon King’s assassination is not simply a confrontation between the Crown Prince and the Prince…’
Sian gazed into the deepening darkness, lost in thought. A groan involuntarily escaped her lips.
“Why is it taking so long? The sun’s almost set.”
While Sian was lost in thought, Bill grumbled, growing impatient as the lingering sunlight began to disappear.
Just then, a black shadow appeared beyond the flatland that Sian and the mercenary group had been watching.
“Oh, here it comes.”
Sian and her group were hidden in the shadows of the forest, cloaked in black robes.
Outside the forest, on a low flatland, stood a tall figure that had appeared from somewhere, too large to be fully concealed even by a black robe.
Sian remained silent, leaning her arm against a tree as she watched Carl’s silhouette in the distance.
A sense of déjà vu washed over her. No, it wasn’t just a feeling. An experience she had once before was being repeated exactly.
‘…The world truly works in mysterious ways.’
Sian’s eyebrow twitched at the spontaneous thought. In fact, Sian had once spied on Carl from a similar angle before. Long ago, long before Carl had grown into such a tall, handsome figure.
Back then, it had been a truly chance encounter. At that time, she had been crouched down, trembling in fear of being discovered, but now she could look at him boldly. This realization stirred a strange emotion in her.
For some reason, it felt like Carl was looking at her too. But that was just an illusion. Given the distance and the darkness enveloping their surroundings, it was impossible for their eyes to meet.
“…Oh…”
As Sian was thinking this while staring at Carl, a voice that could have been either Dr. Zivago or Bill let out a dazed sound.
As if morning was dawning again, the surroundings were slowly but surely brightening.
“…Idelin.”
Max murmured in a dazed voice, looking up at the sky. Sian turned her head in the direction Max’s robe hood was pointing.
Morning seemed to be coming again. It was an illusion that distorted their senses.
The sun, once it had started to set, had quickly been pushed to the west, and the black night was just beginning to stretch. So unless time itself had been erased, there was no way morning could arrive so soon.
In the vast black sky that had devoured even the purple hues, a massive silver light source was slowly approaching over the forest.
“Huh… Amazing…”
At the brilliant light reminiscent of morning sunlight shining from beyond the forest, Sian’s group collectively took a deep breath, unable to tell who had gasped first.
The silver Idelin, descendant of the founding dragon Yggdrasil.
While Sian’s group had heard about its tremendous fame, known to everyone in the empire, until their ears were sore, faced with its absolute majesty that overwhelmed nature, even a gasp of astonishment seemed a luxury.
“…That’s not just emitting its own light, is it?”
“Isn’t that just the sun? …No, it’s night, so the moon?”
midori
thanks! ah, so they really have met each other before, a long time ago