Unwanted Attention
“How mean, Derke-!” Derke’s voice echoed loudly through the cliffside cave with a cheerful “Yong yong yong!”
“……?!?!” Sofia and I sprang apart in shock. At first I thought I’d imagined it. After all, Derke suddenly appearing here? It was hard to believe.
“Cough…! Cough! D-Derke……?!!”
But this was, surprisingly, reality. It wasn’t Derke’s wraith form either. A small, lively little Derke stood right in front of us, breathing and full of energy.
New pact target — Sofia (Lv.660 / Light)
Pact details: The Dawn Dragon Sofia and the contractor Breeder shall aid one another until their fates are fulfilled for mutual survival. Breeder will provide mint-based desserts every month. Sofia firmly swears to fully cooperate to ensure Breeder’s safe life at the academy.
The status window casually ignored Derke’s arrival, layering translucent screens over her and blocking my view.
So the pact formed again without a Dragon Heart or anything?
Normally I would have examined every detail. But this wasn’t the time. I hurriedly dismissed the window with a flick of my hand.
“Derke only got a kiss on the forehead, yet you’re casually kissing Senior like it’s nothing-! Absolutely…! Absolutely not! It’s unfair-!!”
That definitely wasn’t my imagination. The real Derke stood right in front of me, hands on her hips and cheeks puffed out in clear displeasure. Her silver eyebrows twitched with indignation.
“D-Derke? How did you get here…? Don’t tell me you followed Professor Benetric?”
Sofia asked, equally startled. Even as a fellow dragon, she looked bewildered.
“Nope-! Derke just copied what the teacher did-!”
Derke answered proudly, a hint of satisfaction showing through her sulky expression.
“Copied the professor? What do you mean?”
“The teacher went ‘shoo-!’ and disappeared at the academy, so Derke closed her eyes and tried it too-!”
“What? You mean teleportation……?!”
Sofia’s eyes widened. From her reaction, it seemed like advanced magic not meant for casual use.
“Derke doesn’t really know the details either-!”
Yet her face remained bright and cheerful.
“…Derke just thought of Breeder Oppa’s location, closed her eyes, and when she opened them—shoo-! Here Derke was-!”
Derke recounted the experience with lively gestures, even reenacting the moment with her whole body.
……But the cute display didn’t last long. Derke’s expression turned serious. She fixed her silver eyes on me again.
“More importantly, what were you two doing alone in this shady place…? Don’t tell me you just made a pact with Senior Sofia too…?”
Her voice was unusually grave as she looked between Sofia and me. Her cheeks puffed up even more, clearly distrustful.
“Yes, Derke. Breeder and I just formed a pact,” Sofia replied firmly, her tone calm and confident.
“Heeeh-?! S-So you really…! You weren’t satisfied with just Derke-?”
“Derke? That’s not what it means—”
“Oppa’s a playboy, Derke…!!!”
—Thud……!!!
“Huh? Derke……?!”
Unable to contain her shock, Derke rushed straight into my arms. She clenched her cotton-candy-like fists and pounded on my chest. The soft thuds didn’t hurt at all, but the misunderstanding stung.
“Derke, calm down first. I’ll explain everything……”
“Derke doesn’t need explanations-! Derke trusted you……!”
“No, it’s not like that. And more importantly, you shouldn’t be here right now!”
“Why can’t Derke stay if you’re together…? Oh, so you were about to do that with Senior and Derke needs to leave……?!”
—Freeze!
Derke stopped her fists, her face filled with resignation.
“That’s ridiculous! Look over there…!! This is an incredibly serious situation, okay?”
I pointed desperately at Diora and Benetric still sprawled on the floor, both clearly suffering from mint-chocolate shock.
“Huuuh…? Th-That really does look super dangerous, Derke-!!”
“Right? So Derke, you should—”
—Pat-pat-pat…!
Before I could finish, Derke slipped out of my arms and hurried toward the two collapsed dragons. I thought she was running away in fear, but that wasn’t it.
“D-Derke? What are you doing?!” Sofia cried out in surprise.
Derke’s expression was deadly serious, like a physician checking a patient’s pulse.
“If we leave them like this, they’ll turn into wraiths-! Both of them are already halfway out of their bodies, Derke…!”
Her tone was grave, and the content sounded genuinely alarming.
“What?! Derke, is that true?”
“No way…? So the professor didn’t just faint like I did……?”
We could only stare in disbelief at Derke’s confident diagnosis. If left alone, they might have joined Derke’s Wraith Legion?
What on earth did I create…?
For a moment, I felt a chill at my own hands that had brought mint-chocolate into this world.
“But now that Derke’s here, there’s nothing to worry about-!”
After examining them, Derke called out confidently. Then—
—Flash!
She spread her palm wide in the air above Diora and Benetric’s foreheads. A cloud-like mist swirled in her hand, just like when she had materialized animal souls back at the ranch. Slowly, she lowered her hand as if pressing something invisible down into their bodies.
It felt like watching an exorcism.
“Ugh…! The souls are so unruly, this is hard, Derke…!”
Derke strained with all her might, veins popping on her forehead and cold sweat forming. Yet true to her title as the Death Dragon…
—Press……!
“Hah, all done-!”
She had successfully forced the souls back into their bodies through sheer physical pressure. Sweat beaded on her forehead like a cultivator finishing a meditation session.
But… can souls really be grabbed like that?
I had my doubts at first, but they vanished the moment the two stirred.
“Cough-! Keck! Urgh…! M-My head……”
“Haa? What just happened? M-My memories……”
The instant Derke pressed her palms to their foreheads, both regained consciousness. Benetric shot upright and checked her own body, looking as though she had no memory of the previous events. Diora groaned but couldn’t stand easily; her mind had returned, yet she still looked nauseous.
—Pat-pat-pat!
Before either of them could notice her, Derke dashed back into my arms. She looked up at me with a still-sulky voice.
“Derke helped because Oppa looked troubled…! But you still owe Derke a proper explanation for what happened with Senior just now-!”
Her emerald eyes glared sharply—not only at me, but at Sofia as well. She was clearly staking her claim, warning us to mind our manners. Even if the other party was a fourth-year senior, she couldn’t tolerate anything involving me.
“……”
Sofia, looking awkward, simply avoided Derke’s gaze in silence.
“All right, Derke. I’ll explain everything later.”
“You promised-!”
She might be a small hatchling, but she certainly knew how to set the mood.
“Haa? Oh right. I lost consciousness after eating this dessert……? This is no way for a teacher to behave……”
—Tap, tap, tap!
Benetric finally regained her senses and walked toward us, a plate of cake already in her hands.
“Professor…? Are you feeling all right?”
“Sofia? Step aside for a moment. I came here to speak with this servant.”
—Swish…!
Benetric brushed past Sofia and approached me directly. As expected, her target was me.
Ha, after Sofia, now the professor?
Benetric’s eyes gleamed as she leaned in close. Her gaze was filled with suspicion. Her neatly tied hair and unusual vertical pupils reflected my face—reptilian black slits against a yellow background. Up close, she looked younger than her position as vice principal suggested.
“Your name was Breeder, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right……”
“I’ll get straight to the point.”
Benetric continued in a cool tone.
—Gulp…!
I swallowed dryly.
Ah, is this really the end?
Still, if it was Sofia who had made a pact with me, she would surely help in some way—
“…This dessert. It was fantastic.”
“H-Huh? What did you just say……?”
What on earth was she talking about?