Prologue: The Final Break
“Haa… Tomorrow’s the real start, huh.”
After using my body for the first time in ages, my breathing had grown ragged. Days of nonstop deep cleaning had drained what little energy I had left. Starting tomorrow, the semester would finally begin in earnest. Now that I’d finished tidying up the lounge-café attached to the dormitory, a strange feeling washed over me.
‘Maybe I’ll finally get to see some familiar faces tomorrow?’
It had already been a month since I’d transmigrated into Destiny Dragons. In all that time, I’d never once run into any of the main characters. Was it because I was nothing more than a servant—an academy slave—and the only human here? No, the reason was simpler than that. Today marked the end of the vacation period. A fifty-year-long vacation, to be exact. From what I’d heard, the academy granted a fifty-year break every hundred years. Dragons really did have an absurd amount of free time. Fifty years probably felt like a blink to them. By now, plenty of staff members must have changed or met their fates during the break.
‘It’s not like this is the start of some open beta… Still, I did get to slack off quite a bit.’
I had no idea what crime I’d supposedly committed, but the moment I opened my eyes, I found myself dragged into the role of academy servant and dormitory supervisor. On top of that, the entire period had been one long vacation, so there hadn’t been much work to do. The only tasks I could point to were managing the livestock behind the dorm and brewing coffee in the lounge for the staff’s convenience. A few days ago, I’d finally started preparing for the new semester—sweeping and scrubbing a dormitory left untouched for fifty years, pulling all-nighters alone while breaking into a sweat.
‘I’m really tired today. Maybe they’ll just let it slide?’
The grandfather clock beside the counter read 4:50 p.m. The academy’s closing time was almost here. On any normal day, the lounge would already be bustling, but today the customers were surprisingly sparse. The staff, who treated clocking out on time as their highest virtue, usually stopped by right before leaving to kill time. Complaining about how they deserved a vacation too had become their daily ritual.
“I’m getting sick of listening to those other-race old-timers grumble. Still, just in case, I should start getting ready.”
After spending so much time alone this past month, I’d started talking to myself more often. I knew how pathetic it looked. That was why I stopped muttering and decided to move instead.
—Rrrrumble, grrrind!
I ground the coffee beans finely with the grinder, then tapped the grounds into the filter. The roast smelled especially good today—maybe I’d done a better job than usual.
‘Never thought my part-time café experience would come in handy here…’
There was still no sign of customers, but I had no idea when they might come pouring in. That was why I’d developed the habit of setting everything up in advance.
—Trickle…!
On impulse, I poured the hot water that had been boiling on the stove. The lounge had most of the necessary equipment, but without a coffee machine, I had to rely on hand-drip every time.
—Drip, drip, drip…!
The rich, dark coffee concentrate—almost espresso—slowly gathered in the glass pot.
—Knock, knock, knock!
A knock sounded at the lounge door, followed by the loud creak of it swinging open. So it had finally arrived.
“Hey, Breeder! You open today?”
“Yes, come on in.”
The door had opened, but I couldn’t see the speaker. Only a gravelly voice reached me from below. That made sense—standing in the lounge was none other than the dwarf, Johnson. His short, stocky frame was hidden behind the high bar-style counter.
“I nearly died reviewing documents for the young ladies enrolling tomorrow. Give me something nice and smooth! One cup of coffee, and don’t forget the cream—one spoonful. You know that, right?”
Johnson was the academy’s supply manager. He had a prickly personality, but his work was flawless. Still, small peppers were the spiciest. I couldn’t afford to underestimate the little dwarf. Among the staff—dragons excluded—he ranked in the top three in authority.
“I can brew it right away, but… smooth? You don’t mean cold, do you?”
“What kind of lunatic drinks coffee cold?! I want it piping hot—so hot it feels smooth going down! Are you pretending not to understand me?”
Damn it. He was basically ordering a “hot iced americano.” And did he think this was some rice-soup shop? Why did he keep saying “brew it smooth” like that?
“Ahaha… I’ll bring it over as soon as it’s ready.”
I forced a sales smile and turned my back. Looking at the thick beard covering half of Johnson’s face made it hard to keep my expression in check. I hadn’t been exaggerating when I called him prickly—he found new ways to make my life difficult every single day. It wasn’t outright insults or personal attacks, but being treated like this daily was exhausting. I was human too; the stress piled up.
‘Damn it… I’m getting out of this academy no matter what.’
—Trickle…!
I transferred the freshly brewed coffee into a cup and picked up a teaspoon. I was about to add the requested spoonful of cream when a thought struck me.
‘Actually… maybe I should add something extra today.’
—Trickle… plop!
Suppressing my bubbling stress, I poured far more of the bitter coffee concentrate than usual. A bit of ground coffee even slipped in.
—Clink, clink…
Then I deliberately added two spoonfuls of cream and stirred vigorously to mask the color.
“Hm? Breeder, I thought I heard something just now. Plop…? Were you saying something to me?”
Crap. The guy was over a hundred years old, yet his ears were still sharp.
“Ah, it’s nothing. The coffee brewed a little strong today, so I added two spoonfuls of cream. I’d like you to try it and tell me how it tastes.”
I smiled smoothly and handed him the cup.
“Tsk! It’s been a month and you still can’t control the water ratio? How are you going to handle those picky young ladies starting tomorrow…?”
“Haha, please give it a try first. If you don’t like it, I’ll make another.”
Johnson clicked his tongue repeatedly but still picked up the cup.
—Slurp, gulp!
Without a shred of suspicion, he downed my special brew. His fist-sized Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.
“Kuhhh…!! Hey, Breeder. This is actually pretty good?”
“Oh? It suits your taste?”
“Yeah! It’s perfect for me! How should I put it… It’s deeper and richer than before?”
That was unexpected. I’d worried he’d complain about the bitterness, but he liked it even more. Maybe Johnson’s sense of taste was seriously messed up. Well, if the customer was happy, so was I.
“That’s great to hear.”
“Make sure you serve me the same thing from now on.”
“The same…? Every time?”
“Of course! It really clings to the tongue. Anyway, I’ll enjoy this.”
“Yes, of course. If you enjoy it, I’m happy too.”
Today’s opening shift felt pretty good. I hoped tomorrow would go just as smoothly. Please, let only gentle and beautiful dragon girls enroll… That was all I could hope for.