Chapter 51

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Chapter 51

Nighttime. The shadows were dark inside the forest. Silence was the only thing that could be heard. As long as no one would say anything, then this was the best hiding spot.

Because there’s no one else here.

Mercy waved the wand she was holding. Exactly the shade of her hair, the wand had red gems studded on it.

”Hide.”

Her incantation made our bodies shine for a moment, then it was as if there was a transparent film covering us. The thin membrane wrapped over us according to the shape of our bodies, like a bubble.

“You’re covered now.”

It was just like the cloak of invisibility in H*rry Potter, and I thought for a second that the other two wouldn’t see me, but I had nothing to worry about.

“…Is the dragon here?”

“Yes. This forest is close to the palace, so it’s perfect.”

Mercy answered like that as she looked enthusiastically at Blanc. Perhaps feeling that his life was in danger, Blanc nuzzled deeper into my arms.

This forest though. I had a feeling that it’s not just a forest.

As though she felt the shift in the looks she was getting, Mercy added.

“Whenever Rosteratu did some dirty work, this is the place where it’s done. He holds hunting parties often, regardless of whether the ones being hunted were humans or animals. Because that’s how he likes it.”

The main reason why Rosteratu liked hunting was because he relished in the feeling of superiority. Was it because it’s still widely known that he was impotent, so many people were pointing fingers at him?

He was a pervert who was thrilled to manipulate people and torture them cruelly just to prove that he was above them.

“Even yesterday, people were hunted down so graphically.”

As much as assassins could infiltrate the palace through the forest, the security was tight here. There was a pre-established barrier here that would immediately kill anyone who’s not authorized to enter.

“He’s also eager to call servants and dancers into his villa. He’s under the impression that acting promiscuously will make his lower body function properly.”

Before doing that, so that it wouldn’t work at all, shouldn’t that part in the middle of his legs be chopped off? Mercy muttered under her breath in a harsh voice, then she looked back at me and grinned.

She had enough chops to be the head of the mages and she had a good personality to boot. I liked how she viewed Rosteratu with contempt while also being generous without being pretentious.

I kinda, really like Mercy. If we get to know each other more, I’ll be more reassured. I grabbed Mercy’s hand.

“Unnie.”

[ t/n: unnie = older sister; there’s a cultural aspect to it, so I decided not to translate it directly as ‘sister’ and just left it as is. ]

If you’re cooler than me, then you’re an Unnie by default.

Hearing me call her that way, Mercy tilted her head to the side.

“…I’m your Unnie? I heard you’re older than me though.”

I asked cautiously.

“…How old are you?”

“I’m twenty.”

What, you’ve just become an adult? Back in my world, you’d just be a freshman in college, but you’re the head of the mages? Was this world inhabited by only geniuses…?

“…You look so cool to me that I just called you Unnie automatically. The way you speak kind of pierces people to the core, you know.”

At my words, Mercy widened her eyes.

“I’ve never met anyone who compliments me so openly. Haha, I think I know why His Highness likes you.”

While I chatted with Mercy in a friendly manner, I felt a stinging gaze stabbing at me from the side. I glanced sideways and saw Schubert looking at me with a mystified expression.

“…Seriously an unfathomable woman.”

“Even if you say that, Lord Schubert, I think you’re hiding something, too.”

I glanced up at him, recalling what Mercy said earlier.

“That is, something like maybe you’re hiding the way you really speak…”

“Stop.”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll focus on our operation.”

Well, I wasn’t particularly curious about what Schubert was hiding. Carrying a secret was the same as carrying a responsibility.

Schubert looked around our surroundings thoroughly. He turned his head quickly to check if there was anyone around us, then he spoke again.

“Marquis Evnen has invited Rosteratu to the villa in the middle of these woods. This will go on from today to tomorrow, and the banquet is about to—no, has already started.”

As it was sponsored by royalty, the forest was a hunting ground, and Rosteratu had a personal villa here. It was a mansion that’s smaller than the palace, but it was inconspicuous enough to avoid the eyes of other people.

Of course, it’s known outwardly as just a ‘banquet’, but the truth was a little different.

The impotent Rosteratu was feeling a bit effeminate these days. No, rather, he might be leaning more towards that side of the spectrum exactly because his thing wasn’t working.

“And, we’re going to burn that banquet to the ground.”

Mercy beamed in delight.

“I’ll look around first.”

In front of her, Schubert looked around and picked a moderately high tree, then climbed it in an instant.

The way he climbed reminded me of a squirrel. As I stared incredulously at the tree that Schubert had scaled, a sudden thought passed through my mind.

Isn’t he more like an assassin than a knight? No, but, isn’t Schubert an aristocrat with a peerage…? Just what the heck was his true identity?

While grappling with my thoughts, Mercy tapped me on the shoulder.

“Now then, shall we go see the dragon?”

We started walking. We even crossed paths with a few people in the middle of our trek, but they didn’t see us.

Even if they were wearing cloaks, no matter who looked at them, they were nobles who were wearing expensive clothes, smiling as they walked. Behind them, there were some people who were being dragged along in chains.

“Even trash can grow feet and walk on their own these days.”

Mercy’s tone of voice was particularly cynical.

As I watched those nobles who were on their way to see Rosteratu, Albert crossed my mind.

These people were close enough to Rosteratu that they were invited to his villa.

…Then this must mean that those nobles were some of the people who agreed to confine Albert to the tower.

Albert was trapped in that tower, eating food that was made with my meager skills instead of the luxurious food he should be eating, and even now, he had collapsed in pain. However, those nobles were wearing colorful clothes, living frivolously and with abandon.

Remembering Albert’s clothes, my mood plummeted. Even though they were properly hung, Albert wore only shabby clothes at the tower. He couldn’t even dress properly because we were in a hurry to leave the tower again this time.

I imagined Albert standing gracefully while wearing clothes at the same standard as them. It was easy to imagine him like that because those clothes suited him more.

As I learned more about this world, I realized just how much I was depriving Albert of.

Even if it was ‘Rosé’ who did that before I transmigrated, I’m Rosé now.

I followed behind Mercy diligently, leaving behind these prickly feelings.

At the end of the forest, there was a small cabin that was hidden by magic.

Schubert led me to the door of the cabin and took a step back.

“His Highness told me to give you time to talk to the dragon alone, so we’ll stay outside. There’s only a couple of hours before the dragon dies, so when you see its body glowing, let me know right away.”

“Yes, I will.”

I bowed towards Schubert and Mercy, then grabbed the doorknob. In my arms, Blanc stopped moving because of how nervous he was.

Creeeak. The door of the old cabin groaned loudly.

The cabin was empty.

A beam of moonlight streamed through the windows, and with that illumination, I saw a dragon cub that had a similar constitution as Blanc.

The blue dragon was crouched into herself while breathing hard, and he woke up as he heard us coming. While staring at Blanc with an unreadable expression, the dragon muttered.

“…You’re still alive?”

They seemed to know each other. Blanc stared back while blinking dazedly a couple times. As if he was tracing his memories.

After a moment, Blanc nodded.

“You said you wanted to travel through dimensiooons…”

Blanc stepped out of my embrace and walked closer to the blue dragon.

The two dragon cubs faced each other.

“…You’re dying.”

The calm statement was not uttered sarcastically. It was just the plain truth. To me as well, I recognized that Blanc was just telling the truth.

The blue dragon cub was right at death’s door. It was evident to me now that the dragon in front of me wouldn’t be able to make it.

“It’s because of humans.”

The blue dragon murmured with a regretful voice. He had to catch his breath for a moment, but then he laboriously spoke again.

“There is no end to human greed. They cannot be trusted.”

Then at this, the blue dragon glared at me ferociously.

His vengeful eyes glinted with a red light. Despite his small size, he seemed ready to devour me at once. I felt goosebumps running down my spine.

…Was this cabin going to be my funeral hall? I had that thought for a moment, but Albert wouldn’t have sent me here if I’d be killed. I took a deep breath and steadied myself.

Blanc was in front of me. Unlike how he was in front of Albert, the relaxed atmosphere he had now was strangely different.

“Rosé is differeeent…”

“Different my a*s. If you can’t even speak properly, don’t try to come after me.”

The blue dragon’s eyes became narrowed as he spoke with a cynical expression.

“Am I… with youuu… Will we have the saaame…?”

Blanc tearfully asked one question after another… Though he couldn’t do it in a faster way because of his slow way of speaking. The blue dragon yelled back with a prideful face.

“I was born one minute earlier than you. And you, dragon fledgling, I’ve had a lot more experience than a wimp like you.”

Um, they’re both dragon cubs, but when the blue dragon said ‘fledgling’ in that way, it didn’t sound like it.

[ t/n: 새끼 (fledgling) can also mean punk, jerk, rascal, etc. ]

Even his attitude was like that of a nagging old man. I tried to come between them before they argued more.

This was Blanc’s business. It was only right to give him a chance to speak first because he couldn’t always come forward.

“If you haven’t met humans who lied about wanting to be your contractor and used you while threatening your life, then don’t talk to me. There’s more than just one human who tried to stab me in the back.”

The dragon lowered his eyes, looking bitter as he talked about his experiences of betrayal.

His experiences in the world for almost five hundred years weren’t negligible, but it’s still not fair to say such negative things in front of Blanc without even letting him speak. I don’t want Blanc to believe just that.

Crouching down and looking straight into the blue dragon’s eyes, I murmured softly.

“There’s not just one kind of human living in the world.”

“You humans know how to talk a lot.”

“And it’s because we’re human that we talk a lot. If we can’t say what we want to say with such short lives we have, then how would we be able to live with our pent-up feelings?”

The blue dragon’s eyes narrowed as I smiled at him. He turned to the side and looked at Blanc.

“Looks like you haven’t found a contractor yet either. Are you here to watch me die? You’re destined to have the same death, you know.”

“……”

The blue dragon spoke of death so naturally. And Blanc didn’t even refute it.

Words were like seeds, so I had no reason to just let this be. I opened my lips and spoke in a spirited tone.

“You seem so sure about Blanc’s death, but our Blanc is not going to die. He’ll grow up to be a magnificent dragon who’ll live for centuries longer.”

The blue dragon tilted his head to the side, perplexed. Blanc, Blanc? Then soon, he looked at me and flinched.

“The name is also…”

His baffled murmurs were said under his breath, but I heard it all.

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