Chapter 59
Carl tried to cut off the conversation with Idelin there. But Idelin, who usually backed down easily, persisted without breaking the magical connection.
‘The dragon hunter probably came looking for me right after parting ways with Lady Sian.’
Idelin continued meaningfully. However, despite the very serious nuance, Carl had to frown, not understanding the hidden meaning.
“What about it?”
‘Oh, my dense master. You used to be a smart master, but since you started dating the Lady, why have you become a fool?’
“I might not understand, what does that have to do with this?”
Carl scowled, bristling at Idelin’s sarcasm. Tsk tsk, Idelin clicked his tongue loudly in Carl’s mind.
‘Think about it. Lady Sian said she had a big fight with the woman called Revenant and parted ways, right? I only wandered looking for a nest for about two months, so in between, Revenant must have parted from Sian and come looking for me alone. Given the time frame, though they took different paths, Sian probably hadn’t completely left Ivarid either. And at that time, the moon didn’t rise for several consecutive nights.’
Carl bit his lip.
Idelin had explained at length, but even after hearing all that, Carl still couldn’t understand what on earth this had to do with the moon not rising when Aira Chandler died.
Have I become a fool, or is Idelin talking nonsense… As Carl was falling into serious contemplation,
‘I’m wondering if the moon doesn’t rise when Lady Sian is in crisis or has a big problem, master.’
Idelin said outright. Only then did Carl realize the point and twitched his eyebrow.
“But… isn’t that too much of a stretch? Is Lady Sian some kind of moon fairy? For the moon to run away when she’s in danger.”
After briefly considering Idelin’s words seriously, Carl soon let out a laugh rising from his diaphragm. Idelin, who had spoken seriously, cleared his throat.
‘That’s… true, but.’
It seemed nonsensical even to himself. Idelin fumbled for words. Carl snorted again in disbelief.
“It would be more convincing to say a dragon blocked the moon with magic. If Sian were a dragon’s owner, when she’s in danger, the dragon might use magic to draw in clouds and…”
‘…’
There was a spark of understanding. The words Carl had carelessly uttered to tease Idelin seemed to have accidentally lit the fuse leading to the correct answer.
If Idelin had been in human form before him, Carl and Idelin would undoubtedly have exchanged glances for a long time.
‘That sounds plausible…?’
At Idelin’s absurd affirmation, Carl laughed dryly, unsure whether to be grateful or dumbfounded.
Which of us has become the fool?
“…The moon. The moon…”
Two weeks is not a short period at all. It’s the time it takes for a crescent moon to become full.
‘Morning and night coexist, but they cannot be together.’
Sian’s words he had heard sometime nagged at him strangely. He had long harbored suspicions that she might actually be a dragon’s owner. Could it really be true?
“But if that’s the case, she handled the bones of a living dragon without any problem.”
‘She’s a woman who knows well about living dragon bones. Wouldn’t she know how to handle them without causing harm?’
“But you experienced it too. In any way, it wasn’t something a dragon’s owner could easily handle.”
‘That’s true…’
Idelin shuddered, remembering the pain-filled magic that had surged when they took out the throwing weapon Sian had said she retrieved from Carl’s body.
“Besides, if Sian is a dragon’s owner, why? What reason would Count Chandler have for faking the death of his only daughter and casting her out? As a margrave of the frontier, they’re more sensitive to military power than anyone, they should have adopted a daughter who’s a dragon’s owner rather than casting her out.”
* * *
“Once upon a time, there was a child living in a very poor home. The child, who lived day by day struggling just to eat, one day suddenly saw a dragon flying in the sky and fell in love at first sight.”
Revenant began her story. The noble ladies didn’t seem very interested, but they were quite enthusiastic since it was a story from the host of the gathering.
“And then?”
Rose showed a reaction.
“The child, too poor and uneducated to even know about the existence of dragon owners, wanted to become a dragon’s owner. The child fell into hope that becoming the owner of a dragon freely soaring the skies would allow escape from the hard and sad life of poverty.”
Is this her own story?
Sian stared at Revenant, trying to control her expression that was unconsciously becoming sharp. Come to think of it, she had never heard why or when Revenant became obsessed with dragons.
Revenant too was continuing her story while looking directly at Sian, as if she particularly wanted to tell this story to her.
“The child set out into the world to abandon the poor life and obtain a dragon. And then met a friend. A child who, like herself, had nothing.”
Revenant smiled deeply.
“But soon she learns that this child, whom she thought was in exactly the same situation as herself, is actually a dragon’s owner chosen by a dragon.”
“Um, Mrs. Carter. Is this story perhaps true?”
“All dragon owners are well-managed by the Temple and live well… It’s not Sir Carter’s story, is it?”
Katie Sands let out an awkward laugh and threw out a joke that didn’t seem like a joke.
“The dragon’s owner the child met actually had everything the child didn’t have. Because they had the dragon the child wanted most.”
Ignoring the ladies’ interruptions, Revenant continued her story. As their interjections had no effect, the ladies once again watched carefully and closed their mouths.
Unable to bear the heavy atmosphere, only the sound of sipping tea filled the tea table.
Sian was gradually realizing. The fact that the story Revenant was telling was meant for her.
“The dragon’s owner was a deceiver. They had something enormous that others couldn’t obtain no matter how hard they tried, yet they hypocritically acted as if they had nothing. In the end, the child, angry with a sense of betrayal, had a big fight with the dragon’s owner.”
“…The child seems a bit stupid.”
Sian interrupted Revenant’s words and smiled, narrowing her eyes.
“Just because something is most precious to someone doesn’t mean it will be precious to others. People all want different things. It would have been good if the child had known that beforehand.”
Right? Sian joked and looked at Rose Anderson sitting next to her. Rose Anderson barely managed a sour smile and looked to Revenant.
Revenant laughed softly and finely. It was a laugh tinged with a strangely chilling killing intent.
While the noble ladies, who had lived lives far removed from trained killing intent and hostility, were merely overwhelmed by the inexplicably chilled atmosphere, Sian was clearly receiving the killing intent directed at her.
“The child surely had some fault too? They were too young to know such things.”
“I think being young is just an excuse…”
Sian tilted her head with a bright smile.
“Don’t mind it, unnie. It’s just my personal opinion.”
The rest of the noble ladies were now beginning to feel uncomfortable with the strangely changing atmosphere of the small tea party.
As if the others didn’t exist, Revenant and Sian faced each other, engaging in a fierce confrontation. Even if the noble women were dull to energy, they weren’t so insensitive as to not perceive the chilling wind sweeping through the atmosphere.
“I don’t mind. As the lovely Lady said, everyone feels differently. …However, it’s certain that the dragon’s owner the child met was objectively a bad person.”
“Why is that?”
“As Mrs. Sands said earlier, all dragon owners are well-managed by the Temple and live well, right? Even my husband, who was an insignificant commoner, was chosen by Brita and became a knight, thus enjoying much wealth and power. So why would a dragon’s owner wander the world, associating with a child who had nothing?”
Revenant lifted her teacup, smiling with narrowed eyes.
“What kind of circumstances could there have been?”
“Or maybe there was some dishonorable motive.”
“Why would they do that?”
The ladies, who had been overwhelmed by the atmosphere and unable to say a word, now blinked and exchanged glances at these words.
“Whether they were hiding their identity and wandering the world planning rebellion, or whether they were a dragon’s owner wrapped in self-pity wanting to pretend to be a penniless beggar, who knows?”
Revenant chuckled as if satisfied with the confused atmosphere. Sian, who had been trying her best not to show any expression, couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.
“Oh my, rebellion?”
Laura Lutice made a fuss, patting her cheeks at the choice of such a terrible word.
“Don’t even mention such words, Mrs. Carter, even if it’s just a fake story.”
“I hope it’s not a true story, but actually, it’s something that happened to a distant relative of mine. Sadly. I can’t prove it since the child died long ago.”
“What?”
Katie Sands was startled and made a clattering sound as her teacup collided.
“You mean it really happened?”
“But all dragon owners…”
“It’s too early to be surprised, ladies.”
What on earth do you want?
Sian merely watched Revenant’s behavior, her eyes inwardly sharpening. Judging by her excuse that the child had died, Revenant didn’t intend to reveal everything. That was natural.
Moreover, whatever story she told, it was all unproven. Dragon owners were supposed to be under the management of the Dragon’s Temple, and there were no unknown dragon owners in the world.
More precisely, it was known that there weren’t any.
“Do you know the real reason why that dragon’s owner had to live like that, shunned by their family and even by the Dragon’s Temple that should have protected them?”
Sian unconsciously clenched her fist tightly on her knee under the table.
“Actually…”
Revenant’s gaze, filled with a cunning light, swept over Sian as if licking her.
“The dragon that owner had as a companion was a black dragon, a direct descendant of the legendary black dragon Pegadrasil.”
Someone gasped loudly. Perhaps it wasn’t just one person, maybe two, or maybe everyone gasped at the same time.
“A, a black dragon?”
