Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Translator: Yonnee

—

Still looking annoyed, his gaze turned from Liam to me, then he spoke with a stern tone.

“Let’s go up. I’ll show you to the room you’ll be staying in, and I’ll tell you about the operation.”

“By the way, is there anything I can do to help during this operation?”

“Well, you’ll be talking to the dying dragon, so rather than strategy, you can just make sure to get the timing right.”

Schubert crossed his arms and shrugged.

“I have a pretty good hunch, but it’s probably…”

He tapped the wall with one foot, then murmured.

“It’ll probably die tomorrow at the latest.”

Blanc shuddered. I patted him on the back.

Schubert beckoned me out of the magic circle.

Schubert and I ascended the stairs after Liam. The basement was connected to the kitchen, which was full of dust. It seemed like it hadn’t been used for a long time.

“…It’s like a haunted house.”

Above all, there were no other people in this manor. It’s understandable though. He wouldn’t have let people in.

“This is your room.”

Even so, this residence was quite large. As we went upstairs, I entered the room right next to the staircase.

At least this room had been cleaned a little.

There was even one pair of pants and a blouse on the bed that I could change into. Wow, how long had it been since I last wore pants?

“We don’t know when we’ll need to run, so this is a better attire than a dress. Of course, if you’d prefer a dress…”

“No, I like this!”

Dresses were nice, but pants were definitely better when you know you’ll be moving actively. I felt regrettable about the fact that all the clothes I had in the tower were simple dresses that I could get into by myself.

“By the way, may I know what’s going to happen? I’d like to hear more about the operation.”

Schubert stared at me for a while, but he eventually explained.

“The civil dragon is currently staying at the place where the operation will commence. We will go there through the mage here.”

“If it’s a mage… Then is it one of the mages who trapped His Highness in the tower?”

Schubert nodded.

“His Grace has captured almost all the mages who confined His Highness to the tower. After they had all been captured, everyone has been split into two groups—the liberal faction, who wants a new royal family to rule, and the conservative faction, who supports tradition and the current royal family.”

Rosteratu might have been able to pull wool over the eyes of citizens who didn’t know the full situation with the royal family, but it became an entirely different matter when he recruited mages. Especially since the opponent was Albert, who started to reveal through the liberal faction just how great his capabilities in magic were.

I wondered how Liam’s side found the dragon, but the question was soon answered.

The only people who could recognize the true form of a dragon were mages. The fact that Liam found a dying dragon fledgling this time was probably through the mages who had sided with the liberal faction.

“Then, change your clothes and come out. Let’s head to the place where the dragon is together with the mage.”

“It looks like we’re running out of time.”

“No, it’s not like that, but… the Duke told me that you should have more time to talk to that dragon.”

…That meticulous prince is making a good effort to ensure that I won’t sign the contract, huh.

I nodded right away.

“I understand. Then I’ll be ready soon.”

The moment Schubert left, I changed my clothes. I wore pants for the first time in a long while, then changed into boots that didn’t have heels on them. There seemed to have been a spell cast on them because I couldn’t hear any sound accompanying my footsteps.

“…Amaziiiing…”

“It’s your first time seeing me wear pants, right, Blanc?”

Blanc nodded. It’s adorable how his eyes twinkled.

“I’m sure there’s a lot more of me that you haven’t seen just yet.”

As I said so playfully, I carried Blanc in my arms.

“Now then, let’s go out to meet them.”

Schubert and I headed to the basement again. There, a person I was meeting for the first time was standing on top of the magic circle.

…Who’s this?

I tilted my head to the side, but the other person took off the hood of their cloak first. It was a beauty with short red hair, smiling.

Schubert introduced her first.

“Let’s get the greetings out of the way first. This is Mercy, the leader of the mages on our side.”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Wow, it’s been so long since I last saw someone else of the same gender. I greeted her with a slightly high-pitched tone.

“Over here is—“

“Oh my! Sister, is this a white dragon?”

Before Schubert could even introduce me, Mercy shot forward to my side with a glimmer in her eyes. Schubert sighed as he looked between me and Mercy.

“We’re in the middle of an operation right now.”

“Fine, fine, but can’t you do something about the way you talk, Baron? I think the other way is much better.”

“What a bold-faced lie. You said the other way wasn’t better—just that this way is creepy.”

“As long as you know it. If you brought her here though, it means she’s on our side.”

“Stop it with your nonsense.”

I got distracted by how naturally they bickered. Strangely though, it kinda suited them. This atmosphere, too… The atmosphere is kinda suspicious. And as I had accumulated enough experience as an office worker in my first life, something clicked in my mind.

Unintentionally, the question spilled through my lips.

“By any chance, are you two dating?”

“Are you nuts?”

“Are you crazy?”

Huh. Since they answered seriously like that at the same time, it didn’t seem like they really were dating. I just shrugged in response.

“…Now, shall we go?”

After having been dazed by my words, Mercy coughed and then soon smiled again. With a renewed smile, she whispered.

“To meet the dragon.”

I stepped into the magic circle again. Mercy and Schubert were on either side of me.

Then, we teleported into a forest.