The History of Drango Continent and the Servant
Valkyrie Island of the Drango Continent. A natural fortress and the cradle of hatchlings. This place was an educational institution built through the cooperation of all dragon clans to prepare for the crises facing the continent—so that the cruel, nightmare-like catastrophe that might strike again would never be repeated.
Before I knew it, three hundred years had passed since I entered the academy. Just a hundred years more and I would finally graduate, the moment I had always dreamed of. Yes, if I could endure these short years, I would at last shed the name of hatchling and be reborn as an adult dragon.
—Flip!
The page turned at the touch of my finger. At the same time, the contents of the book unfolded in my mind. The mana contained in the dragon tongue resonated with me, creating voices and images before my eyes. It was easy to understand if you thought of it as audiovisual material. Simply reading it felt as though the information I wanted to know was being absorbed directly into my head.
‘It has been a while since I held a book. Should I read it properly from the beginning?’
[…Valkyrie Island’s academy is an island school for hatchlings, and such a transcendent educational institution has never existed on the continent before…]
That made sense. We were the first class of students. No hatchling had yet graduated from the academy. The academy’s history was still quite short as well. If not for “that incident,” the descendants of every clan would never have gathered in one place like this.
The book stated that the incident had indeed brought crisis to the continent, yet it also marked the first time true unity among the clans had been achieved. Dragons were originally proud beings with little interest in anything beyond their own clan’s territory. That was why they rarely cooperated or even interacted with one another.
But a very long time ago, the great Dragon Demon War broke out across the entire Drango Continent. It was neither a conflict between dragon clans nor a war started by humans. It was a war fought against an existence that threatened every living creature on the continent. Ironically, the cause of that war was a dragon.
Its identity was one of the primordial dragons, the ancient dragon Detronos. According to historical records, born from darkness, it wished to drown the entire world in shadow. Its goal was to turn all the lands of the continent into its own lair.
Reading the words “Ancient Dragon, Detronos” brought to mind the silhouette of a colossal dragon covered in obsidian-like scales. It was a being so immense that merely gazing upon it inspired awe. The image alone sent chills racing down my spine.
Detronos’s ambition sparked war and clashed with the ancestral dragons. That was the First Dragon Demon War. The conflict lasted for a very long time. Yet after a prolonged war of attrition, the united ancestors finally managed to subdue it. Unfortunately, the ancestors had exhausted their strength through the extended battle and could not completely destroy it. Instead, they sealed it away.
Atop a mountain in the center of the Drango Continent called Mount Desperino. After sealing it there, the ancestors had no choice but to place their hopes in future generations. They prayed that someone capable of finally eradicating its existence would one day appear, and they remained to guard the seal so that the same war would never repeat.
To that end, the male dragons of every clan left behind their families and lairs to gather at Mount Desperino with a single purpose. Yet despite their efforts, the creature eventually revived. Roughly five hundred years ago, the seal was broken. Whether it was because the seal had grown old or because its maintenance had been neglected, no one could say. When Detronos awakened, every male dragon guarding Mount Desperino met a tragic end.
‘Even our father, who resisted to the very end, perished at that time…’
Fortunately, the Detronos that emerged from the seal hid itself in darkness and shadow, and had not shown itself since. The book claimed it was biding its time to recover the demonic power it had lost. With its awakening, crisis once again descended upon the Drango Continent. Already weakened by the long war, the male population had been drastically reduced, and when the seal broke, most of the remaining males were annihilated. Naturally, it became extremely difficult to find male dragons now.
That was why, four hundred years ago, Valkyrie Island’s academy was belatedly established to prepare for the coming crisis. Thankfully, peace had been maintained until now—aside from minor incidents and accidents.
“Hmm……”
Sofia let out a soft hum as she became increasingly absorbed in the contents of the book.
*
2.
“…Excuse me, Lady Sofia? If it is not too presumptuous, may I ask what you are reading?”
“Oh? Breeder?”
A silver-haired man approached Sofia, who had been enjoying coffee and biscuits while reading a history book. In his hand was a small paper bag.
—Rustle!
“Ah, I sincerely apologize if I have interrupted your reading. Please forgive my rudeness.”
Breeder bowed deeply as he held out the paper bag, overly polite as though worried he might have offended her.
“Pardon?”
“I was simply curious about the contents because it appeared to be a history book. There was no other intention.”
“Pfft……”
Sofia gave a small smile. She had only tilted her head in confusion, yet his apologetic demeanor, as if he had committed a grave sin, struck her as rather endearing.
“I am quite all right. I was merely reviewing the material. Please, raise your head.”
“I am grateful for your mercy, Lady Sofia.”
The servant named Breeder was rather unusual. His silver hair and black eyes were striking enough, but what stood out most was his manner toward dragons. His words and actions seemed ingratiating, yet carried a subtle cunning. And above all……
“By the way, how did you know the book I am reading is a history book?”
“Pardon? It says ‘The History of the Drango Continent’ right on the cover, so I naturally assumed it was a history book.”
“……?!”
Sofia’s face stiffened at his matter-of-fact reply. The reason for her surprise was simple: the history book she was reading was written in the dragon tongue.
“Ah, and please take this as well.”
—Rustle…!
Before Sofia could ask how he knew the dragon tongue, Breeder thrust the paper bag forward, as though trying to escape the awkward situation.
“This is……?”
Inside were the coffee biscuits he had made. He had set some aside especially for her.
‘I need to raise Sofia’s favorability somehow. If quality falls short, I will have to win with quantity.’
Breeder’s goal was clear. Conquering the SSR-rank dragons. He had succeeded with the others, but only Sofia had resisted forming a bond. That had sparked a strange competitive spirit in him. He wanted to win her over no matter what. Even if he failed again today, he at least wanted to improve her favorability. And he had one more secondary objective.
「The History of the Drango Continent」
Breeder’s eyes were fixed on the history book Sofia had been reading. It was already unfortunate enough to have fallen into a world with no prior information, but as a slave, gathering background knowledge about this world was even harder. That was why he needed basic knowledge of this world. Since he had been possessed after only playing the gacha and ignoring the game’s story, his information was severely lacking. The details the staff provided once the semester began were not enough. So he had prepared extra cookies both to raise Sofia’s favorability and to borrow the book.
“What is this all of a sudden?”
“As you can see, they are biscuits.”
“Did you think I would not recognize them?”
“Ah, I made extras and set some aside for you before the other young ladies took them all.”
Breeder’s answer surprised Sofia once again.
“Pardon? For me?”
“The other young ladies kept asking for more coffee and cookies, but you were focused on reading the entire time. I thought you might want some as well, so I prepared extra.”
His conduct was impressive for a newcomer. Moreover, it did not feel insincere. Though cunning, his actions carried a strange sincerity.
「Ding—! Ding—! Ding—! Ding—! Ding—! Ding—!」
Just then, the grandfather clock struck six. It was almost time to close the lounge. And soon it would be the dragons’ dinner hour.
“Hah, has it gotten so late already……?”
Sofia looked around the now-empty lounge in surprise. Reading while enjoying tea and dessert was her refined after-school hobby, so she had lost track of time. Especially today, since it was the entrance ceremony, she had plenty of free time. That was why she had been able to sit in the lounge all day, completely absorbed in her book.
“It is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it before you leave.”
“Th-thank you. I will gladly accept it.”
“Ah, and Lady Sofia? If it is not too rude, may I also borrow that book?”
“……?”
Sofia stared at Breeder as though wondering what he meant.
“Would that be all right…? I am quite interested in the history of the Drango Continent myself.”
“Pardon? Are you serious?”
“Of course. After all, this is the place I must devote myself to serving the young ladies—”
“No, I was asking whether you can read the dragon tongue.”
“……?!”
This time it was Breeder who froze at Sofia’s question. Only then did he realize the book was written in the dragon tongue.
‘That book is written in the dragon tongue……?’
Of course he had not known. To his eyes, all the letters looked the same, and even the dragon tongue had been translated for him when he heard it……
“…Ahem! Yes. Only a little, but I can more or less read it.”
Since he had already read the cover, there was no point denying it, so he admitted it with a nod. At his reaction, Sofia’s eyes sparkled with interest as she spoke.
“A human being able to read the dragon tongue, even roughly…… Well, very well. Since I received the biscuits, I will leave the book here when I go.”
“Th-thank you very much!”
“However……”
“Yes?”
“Could you perhaps make a different dessert for me next time?”
“A different dessert for Lady Sofia……?”
Breeder asked cautiously, a puzzled look on his face.
“Would you be able to make a dessert with mint in it? The cookies today were not bad, but I would like to try one with mint added next time.”
Sofia’s face was filled with anticipation as she finished speaking. Her eyes sparkled with genuine enthusiasm at the mention of mint.
“M-mint……?”
“Yes. I believe you are skilled enough to manage it, no?”
Meanwhile, Breeder’s gaze was filled with chaos.
‘Mint? Did she really just say mint……?’
He looked as though he wanted to ask why mint, of all things.
*
3.
“Heh, what a truly fascinating human……”
A subtle smile lingered on Sofia’s face as she left the lounge.
‘It was already strange that he could read the dragon tongue, but to think he could even communicate in it?’
After all, when she had asked for the mint dessert, she had deliberately mixed in some dragon tongue. While learning the script might be possible, conversing in the dragon tongue was an entirely different matter. It should have been impossible without mana flowing through one’s body. Yet Breeder had spoken the dragon tongue without any hesitation, as though he were a polymorphed dragon. He had not even realized he was speaking it.
“This semester is going to be quite entertaining.”
Sofia glanced back at the dormitory lounge and murmured softly to herself.