To the Wyvern Training Ground
“That chicken we just ate was delicious, right?”
“Yeah! It was so chewy and crispy!”
“I wish we had chicken every day. It was the best thing I’ve eaten so far.”
“But the breast meat was kind of dry… I didn’t really like it.”
“Hngh, it tastes good but there are way too many bones. It’s hard to pick the meat off.”
“Really? Don’t you just chew the bones too?!”
“Hueet—? Doesn’t that hurt your stomach?!”
“Dunno. I’m full so I feel great.”
“Aah?! Don’t wipe your hands on my uniform!!”
—Kyaruk, kyaruruk…♬
Laughter bloomed across the academy during the free lunch hour. Especially the innocent first-years, who burst into giggles over the smallest things. It was a time when everything felt joyful. Though they were dragons who had lived for two hundred years, this was their first time gathered with others their own age. Rather than the fact that they still had four hundred and fifty more years at the academy before graduation, what delighted them most was simply having friends. On top of that, today’s meal had been satisfying after so long, making it impossible to hold back their bright smiles. They looked no different from a flock of chicks on an outing, chirping “peep, peep—!”
“Everyone! Let’s gather in our groups now—!!”
Even amid the fun, Tina, the first-year representative, dutifully called her classmates together without forgetting her role. The responsibility of being class representative was heavy. She had even been given a badge instead of an armband—a clear mark that everyone could recognize as the symbol of the representative. That was why Tina took pride in her position and stepped forward even more proactively.
“Has everyone gathered with their group members?”
““Yeah—!!!””
The group answered in unison. The afternoon was reserved for group self-directed activities. Each week the learning location changed according to the theme. This week’s common theme was field trips. Each group was to explore the academy facilities scattered across Valkyrie Island and learn the geography. For the new students, the island was so vast that even a week felt insufficient.
“Alright, Derke? You have to come with us today!”
Once everyone had gathered, Tina urged Derke. The same girl who had led the others in excluding her on the first day was now the one extending her hand first, inviting her to play.
“Heeet…? B-but Derke has a promise, desu-yong… I mean, Derke already has plans—?!”
Derke, suppressing her ancient dragon tongue, spoke in the common continental language. She shook her head with a smile. Her heart was already in a flower garden—more precisely, at the dormitory lounge. After all, it was completely filled with thoughts of Breeder.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to see Mr. Breeder again?”
“Ung—! Today I’m going to make all sorts of delicious things and bring them…!”
“But yesterday the third-year senior came and said we couldn’t share snacks, remember?”
“Ah, right—! Tina’s so smart…!”
Derke’s plans suddenly hit a snag. She had completely forgotten what happened yesterday, having been excited all day without realizing it.
“Then it’s decided. Play with us today, okay?”
Tina spread both arms wide, blocking Derke’s path. Derke looked ready to dash toward the lounge at any moment. Even though her excuse to go there had vanished, her body still leaned toward the dormitory.
“Ah, no…! I promised big brother. He said he’d help me every day…!”
“Derke? Why are you going that far…?”
“And when I go today, I’ll check if there’s another time besides roll call when I can sneakily share snacks—!”
Tina had been trying to persuade her since yesterday, but Derke’s will was unnecessarily firm. Her thoughts were entirely, single-mindedly on Breeder—as if she had given him her entire heart.
“Tch, fine. But hey, Derke?”
Seeing this, Tina took a step back and shrugged.
“Ung…?!”
—Grab!
Tina caught Derke’s shoulder just as she looked ready to bolt for the lounge and continued.
“I care more about my classmates than the snacks you bring. I’m the class representative, after all……!”
“Heeet……?”
At those words, the green badge gleamed under the sunlight. The dragon drawn on the representative’s badge wore a playful expression.
“…So! Can’t you spare a little time for us once or twice a week too? You promised Mr. Breeder as well! As class representative and as your roommate, I’m supposed to look after you…!”
Tina, still a young hatchling, delivered her lines with surprising conviction. Recalling how Breeder had shared snacks on the first day, she puffed a thin stream of steam from her nose. Perhaps because of the bright sunlight, Tina’s cheeks seemed to grow faintly red.
Derke, watching her, smiled.
“Hehet—♬ Okay! Then let’s definitely play together tomorrow—!”
—Poook…!
With a bright smile, she threw her arms around Tina in a big hug.
“Huat, Derke……?”
“Thanks for saying that, desu-yap—! Anyway, Derke’s going now, desu-yong…!!”
She spun around, leaving only the warmth of her embrace behind, and dashed off—thud, thud, thud—!
“Tch…! Derke’s so lucky. I’m jealous……”
Tina could only mutter with a flustered expression as she watched her go.
“I want Mr. Breeder to dote on me and give me tasty things too……”
*
2.
“Hehet, hihit, het—♪”
Derke hummed as she headed for the lounge. It was the happiest time she had known, and her anticipation and excitement were impossible to contain. But it did not last long. The moment she arrived, her smile vanished completely. Derke’s expression turned cold and stiff.
“Hueeeet…?! Big brother Breeder…? W-where are you, desu-yong—?!”
Her high expectations deflated in an instant. The lounge was empty. Only a sign reading “OPEN” hung there; inside it was completely deserted. Derke searched behind the counter and even the storeroom, but it was useless. Not a single sign of life. Only the plates and glasses on the tables hinted that someone had been there until recently.
“Huuuuum—! I’ve been waiting for this time for so long……”
Derke sat alone at a table inside the lounge, swinging her legs. Her cheeks were puffed out with air on both sides, clearly sulking.
She waited like that for thirty minutes.
—Clink, clink…!
Clack!
Tired of waiting, Derke stood up and began tidying the lounge. She summoned her wraiths—her loyal servants since birth—to wash the dishes.
‘If I clean everything up nicely and wait, he’ll definitely praise me for doing a good job…! Even if I’m mad that big brother disappeared without a word, if he pets my head I’ll forgive him, desu-yap—!’
Just as she had finished cleaning, her heart once again brimming with anticipation—
—Creaaak…!
—Jingle!
The lounge door finally opened, and footsteps approached. Derke naturally assumed it was Breeder returning.
“Welcome back, desu-yong—! Where did you go that you’re so late……”
But reality was different.
“Heeeet—?!!! V-Vice Principal……?”
Benetric, her golden-blonde hair tied back, stepped into the lounge.
“Hm? You’re clearly……”
“I-I’m Derke from the first year, desu-yap—!”
“Ah, right. You’re the child I pinned the badge on that first day.”
Recognizing Derke immediately from her peculiar way of speaking, Benetric nodded. Just as she said, Derke was practically a research subject she had marked. Despite her young age, she freely wielded the ancient dragon tongue. That was why she had been given the badge of interest. There was no other meaning. She was a promising talent whose future growth was worth anticipating. At the same time, she was also a research subject—Benetric judged there was no better candidate for studying the ancient dragon language and deciphering ancient texts. Once Derke grew a little more, she even planned to take her on as an assistant. Thanks to that grand plan, however, Derke had been ostracized and suffered.
“…So, what were you doing here?”
“I-I was doing my activity, desu-yap—!”
“Activity? In the lounge?”
“Yes, desu-yap—! Derke wanted to come on her own…! Derke was helping big brother Breeder, desu-yong—!”
“Big brother? You mean that human servant? Where is he now?”
Benetric asked casually. Though Derke was also someone she was interested in, her real business was with Breeder. She wanted to see the human’s skills with her own eyes.
“A-Actually, I don’t really know either, desu-yap…! He’s been gone since earlier……”
“What? Is that true?”
“Hi, hihik—?!”
“How dare a criminal-born slave neglect his duties……?!”
Upon hearing Derke’s confession, veins popped on Benetric’s forehead. Her already cold face twisted with unmistakable displeasure.
***
3.
“Sorry for the wait, everyone. Shall I serve the dessert right away?”
Halfway up Valkyrie Nest Mountain, located at the center of Valkyrie Island. A place overlooking the entire academy. The wyvern training ground in the highlands. In one corner, Breeder was sweating profusely. He had climbed all the way up here carrying a special dessert for Sofia and Diora.
“…Mmm! I want to taste it as soon as possible?!”
“Mr. Breeder, I’m fine, so please take your time and catch your breath.”
Diora and Sofia each gave very different reactions.
“Hmph, still pretending to have a good personality? You’re more obsessed with the dessert than anyone else.”
“Diora? Our purpose here was supposed to be a discussion for the academy’s next hundred years, wasn’t it? The one fixated on mere dessert seems to be you.”
“What did you just say……?!”
—Zzzzt…!!
The two had been sparking whenever their eyes met since yesterday. An ominous aura leaked from inside the sheer cliff cave of the wyvern training ground.
‘Ha, I want to go home……’
Caught in the middle of this situation, Breeder felt like dying. Both body and mind were exhausted. He wanted to throw everything away. Yet he could not give up. The summit was right in front of him now.
—Click!
Leaving the two girls still engaged in their war of nerves, he opened the dessert basket he had carefully carried all this way. It was time to serve the long-awaited dessert to the two ladies.