A Quiet Morning: The Raylin You Abandoned
The quiet morning began with the letter’s closing line: “The Raylin you abandoned and left behind.” The dragon who had written to me was none other than Raylin herself. Again.
The memory was hazy, but I recalled her from the opening cinematic of Destiny Dragons—portrayed as Sofia’s rival. As I sifted through the fragments, an image surfaced: a woman with vivid orange hair, accompanied by flashy, glittering effects. In any case… the crest stamped into the sealing wax probably represented her clan or family.
That aside, this girl… really had a talent for jumping to conclusions. Abandoned? Who abandoned whom? “It wasn’t me—it was the old Breeder who left her!”
The one who caused the mess was the previous Breeder, yet the burden of cleaning it up fell squarely on my shoulders. I hadn’t chosen any of this, but the moment I opened my eyes, I was told I had to take responsibility. What a joyless duty.
—Tremble…!
My hand shook as I held the letter. Even though I had only read the words, it felt as if I could hear Raylin’s voice. Naturally, it was a voice I had never heard before. I imagined it sharp and forceful, scolding in a high-handed tone. Beneath the anger, there seemed to be something closer to contempt.
“Don’t tell me she wrote this using Dragon Speech…?”
A chill ran down my spine. It felt as though Raylin were standing right behind me, watching.
“Haah… A threatening letter followed by a duel challenge. Just what kind of person was Breeder? What exactly did he do in the past? How did he get tangled up with the Origin Dragons and end up connected to Raylin like this? It’s ridiculous that I don’t even know who I am.”
Still, why was Raylin so furious? Would she really try to take my head the moment we met?
—Shake, shake…!
No. If that had been her intention, she wouldn’t have bothered sending a letter in the first place. Why give me time to run? Besides, even if she did come after me, I had three dragons bound to me by pact. It wouldn’t be as easy as she might think.
“I guess the only way to understand our relationship is to meet her face-to-face.”
Raylin had been hostile toward me from the start, for reasons I couldn’t fathom. Judging by the letter alone, we might as well have been mortal enemies. Still, compared to the first letter, this one felt slightly calmer.
Come to think of it… “Teacher”? She hadn’t used that title before. Looking back, she had specifically addressed me as “Teacher” this time. We couldn’t have met at the academy. It seemed we had known each other long before. Whatever the reason, the old Breeder had left her side—dragged to the academy while harboring a hatred for dragons.
That was all I could piece together from the current circumstances.
“Haah, my head hurts.”
One problem solved, another sprang up. Every single day was a spectacle. I hadn’t had a single normal day since arriving here. And now only two days of vacation remained. Too short. It felt like being on leave from the military.
—Rustle…!
I shook my head and folded the letter again. Then—
—Flop!
I buried my face in the pillow. After everything that had happened, exhaustion weighed on me. I desperately needed rest.
“I’m supposed to meet Sonya tomorrow, right?”
For now, I had to focus on building rapport under the conditions we’d set. The more allies I could gather, the better. Tomorrow we’d just be working together, so it probably wouldn’t be anything dramatic.
“Let’s just sleep.”
Finally lying down properly, I closed my eyes and tried to organize my thoughts as I drifted off.
“I hope tomorrow is a little more relaxed. Or better yet, maybe time could just stop right here…”
—Snore…!
With that absurd wish, I fell into a deep sleep.
*
—Chirp, chirp…! Chirp!
“Mmmgh…!”
The birdsong was painfully cliché. Their bright, cheerful calls pulled me from drowsiness. I had barely opened my eyes when dazzling sunlight pressed against my eyelids.
So morning had come already.
“This is bad. I’m already used to this ceiling.”
Strange ceiling, my foot. It was far too familiar. Returning to my original world was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Surviving each day was hard enough.
Anyway, the final weekend of the week had arrived. Since I was awake, I might as well get up. I couldn’t just lie around wondering if I had overslept.
“I slept pretty well… but it’s not already past noon, is it?”
The depth of my sleep left me oddly uneasy. Time usually crawled, yet it flew whenever I was asleep.
“Huh? What? I thought I’d finally gotten a good rest… but it’s not even nine yet?”
After waking, I checked the time first. The bedside clock read 8:45. I had slept a little longer than usual. There was no fixed wake-up time on weekends—none of the professors were around to supervise—so I could have slept in as much as I wanted. It was my day off, after all.
But nothing was more terrifying than familiarity. My body had already adapted to the usual schedule. Still, since I had slept well, I decided to get up. Lying back down wouldn’t bring sleep anyway. Besides, Sonya had said she would come exactly on time, so I needed to prepare in advance.
“If I eat breakfast and clear my head, the time will pass quickly enough.”
—Creak, squeak…!
I finished washing my face and brushing my teeth at the sink in the corner of the duty room. On impulse, I even washed my hair. I would have loved a shower, but that was a luxury for a mere servant. Private bathrooms were only attached to the dormitories, and I couldn’t use the public showers in the main academy building either.
“Ugh, once the lounge renovation is done, I’ll have to sneak in and heat some water to wash properly. It doesn’t smell that bad, but it feels gross…”
—Step, step…!
After drying my hair with a towel, I headed outside.
“It’s especially quiet today. Is everyone still asleep?”
Only my footsteps echoed through the hallway. Outside was just as silent. Normally this would have been peak breakfast time, full of chatter, but the weekend atmosphere had transformed everything. Everyone was sleeping like the dead. Even the new students were oversleeping? Honestly, it was like the Tang Dynasty army.
What had they done yesterday to be this exhausted? From the first-floor hallway came the sound of soft snoring. There wasn’t even a single night-duty student in sight. They must have let their juniors sleep in, given the weekend.
“If it were just the girls’ usual strictness, the first- and second-years would have been worked to the bone even on weekends. This is unexpected.”
The fact that they had shown some flexibility suggested Sofia had probably stepped in. Still, seeing everyone like this made it clear that, dragon attacks or not, they were all clinging to this current peace.
“Oh, right—yesterday I heard Diora made everyone drink. I wonder if Derke is okay…”
—Creak…!
Before heading to the dining hall, I carefully opened Derke’s door, just enough to peek inside.
“……”
Derke and Tina’s faces were visible above their beds on either side. Both were fast asleep, looking tired but peaceful. No sleep-talking or snoring—just quiet, well-behaved slumber.
Better not wake them. I had wanted to tell Derke she probably wouldn’t see me much today, but it would have to wait until after breakfast.
I closed the door and moved on, planning to go straight to the dining hall. I needed to fill my stomach and clear my head. If any of the girls I knew were there, I could ask what had happened yesterday—why they had come down so early. The third-years had even been gathered at dawn. And if the chance arose, I wanted to ask if anyone knew anything about Raylin.
—Squeak…!
“Tch, as expected, there’s no one here.”
I glanced into the student cafeteria on my way to the staff dining hall. It was completely empty. Everyone had apparently chosen sleep over breakfast. Maybe it was the aftermath of Diora forcing drinks on them all.
“The staff cafeteria is just as deserted.”
It was the same story there. Everyone looked relaxed, probably because it was the weekend. Both staff and students seemed to have grown accustomed to academy life over the years.
—Slosh…!
—Clink!
But that wasn’t my problem. I brushed the scene aside and went to get my food. Breakfast was usually bread, soup, salad, and milk, with an apple or other fruit for dessert. Simple, but not bad for filling an empty stomach without thinking.
“Mm… Still, Ramji’s skills have definitely improved.”
The menu was simple, but the soup especially carried a rich flavor. It wasn’t just ingredients thrown in and boiled. It was a creamy mushroom soup with deep notes of butter and cheese.
—Dip…!
Dipping the dry bread into it added a satisfying texture. The bread soaked up the soup like a sponge, becoming creamy. Every bite released warm soup from within, like juice from meat.
“Oh? There’s even some leftover meat inside?”
It was certainly a delicious breakfast, though it might feel a bit heavy for a hangover cure. Hot food was nice, but it could make you queasy if you weren’t careful.
“Everyone was drinking yesterday, and they’re serving bread and soup…”
Maybe hearing that breakfast would be bread and soup had made them all opt for sleep instead.
“You think so too…? I worked so hard on it…!”
“Huh? Ramji?”
Ramji appeared without a sound—fitting for a rat. With a scrape, she pulled out a chair and sat across from me, looking thoroughly dejected.
“Does it not taste good…?”
“Huh? Not at all. It’s pretty good.”
“Really—?!”
“Yeah. Why do you look so down when the soup turned out well? Something on your mind?”
“What’s the point of making it well—?! None of the girls even touched it…! I worked so hard frying meat and grating potatoes for this soup……”
Her ears, the size of her hands, drooped as she wore a gloomy expression. She had put real effort into it, only to have no one eat it. It was enough to kill anyone’s motivation.
“Still, the taste hasn’t changed, so don’t be too disappointed.”
“R-Really…?!”
“Yeah, really. But next time, put more effort into lunch or dinner—the meals the girls actually care about. It’s sad when you work so hard and no one appreciates it, right?”
I liked people who tried. The sight of someone refusing to give up was admirable. I didn’t want Ramji getting discouraged over something like this.
“That’s true…! Breeder? Actually, about that……”
At my encouragement, she lifted her head and looked at me with round eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t have praised her. I had a bad feeling—something troublesome was coming.
“No. I’m busy starting from lunch today.”
“Eek—?! I haven’t even said anything yet…!”
“It’s obvious. You want help cooking again, don’t you?”
“W-Well, yeah……”
“That’s why I’m saying no. How long are you planning to rely on me?”
I appreciated her effort, but her tendency to depend on me was another matter. It was fine to ask for help when anxious, but she also needed to learn how to handle things herself if she wanted to grow.
“B-But…! Sofia asked me for a favor yesterday at dawn…! She wants help…!”
“Huh? Sofia did?”
“Yes—! She asked me to make something for the juniors that would help with hangovers at lunch! It’s not an order, but if it’s Sofia’s request, I want to do it…!”
Ramji continued, her eyes filled with determination.
“She’s not asking me to cook…! She just wants a recipe that’s good for hangovers…! Please, I’m begging you…!”