Unexpected Respite and a Missing Hatchling

Except for Beast Taming and Gourmet Feeding, these were my only means of survival and the skills I possessed. With them, I had been building rapport with the young ladies solely to stay alive. At first, I had only sought to make academy life comfortable and stable, yet the abilities of those I bonded with were nothing short of remarkable.

First, there was Light Purification, which let me withstand Benetric’s oppressive killing intent. Without it, any normal conversation with the enraged vice principal would have been impossible from the start. I still had no idea when Sofia had cast it on me, but thanks to that blessing I had managed to avoid shrinking before Benetric.

Second came Fire Dragon’s Inferno. It had given me the confidence to stand tall even against dragons. The combination of these two buffs had allowed me to escape Benetric’s clutches. Without them, I would have been forced into the role of a trainer without so much as a word of protest… The very thought was horrifying. Being forcibly reassigned as a trainer? Even now, the idea of remaining a simple servant sounded far better.

‘That said, who would have thought the usually cold and expressionless Benetric would show such flustered faces in front of me…’

The memory was still vivid. “If you dispose of me now simply because you’re angry, you’ll never taste that dessert again, you know?”

Benetric, who had been burning with fury, found herself unable to continue. She could only glare at me, her face filled with bewilderment. It was probably the first time in her life a human had dared to talk back to a dragon—and done so without the slightest hint of fear.

Of course, she had still raged afterward, calling me insolent, but she never inflicted any direct harm. She merely kept threatening me, demanding I become a trainer. Her words had been anything but professorial. She possessed not a shred of negotiation skill. After all, every other race had always groveled before her to stay in her good graces, so perhaps that was only natural.

‘I’m already a slave. Why would I willingly become a trainer, which is basically the same thing? Have I gone mad?’

There was zero merit to it. Social mobility had to be vertical, not horizontal. The only change would have been swapping one set of chains for another labeled “trainer.” An ending where I remained bound to Benetric ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠for life was something I refused to even consider.

“Vice Principal? More importantly, could you please approve the budget support you promised for the Rest Lounge? If the facilities improve, I might be able to treat you to even more delicious things from time to time.”

I had boldly pressed the demand. The buff from the Fire Dragon had lived up to its fiery reputation to the very end.

“A mere human dares to negotiate with me?!”

“It isn’t negotiation. I’m simply requesting what was promised. Surely the proud Dragonkin and vice principal of this academy wouldn’t go back on her word about enjoying my cooking, would she?”

“Y-You insolent…!!!”

That had been the actual exchange. Though furious, Benetric had no counter to straightforward logic. She knew full well there was no one who could immediately replace me. In the end, it was Benetric who backed down first.

“To think you’d willingly call yourself a slave… Fine. At least you’re acting human about it. As promised, I’ll provide the budget properly.”

“Is that true?”

“However! You must keep your word and properly atone for your crimes during your sentence! Do your utmost for the academy!”

Those were the reluctant words Benetric had spat out. She had been visibly uncomfortable at the fact that a human had secured victory over a dragon, so she spoke no further. I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expected her to storm out of the Rest Lounge right away, yet instead she rose, glanced at me shyly, and murmured something I still remembered clearly.

“Ahem…! Setting everything else aside… what exactly was the topping on the pizza I ate last?”

Even in that heavy atmosphere, she had apparently been dying to know the pizza’s ingredients.

“It had a crisp texture and seemed to release sweet juice, so I thought it was some kind of fruit… but surely no one would put something so ridiculous on pizza…”

“It was fruit.”

“W-What…?”

“I used Drill Apples, a fruit that grows only on Valkyrie Island. I chose it because I know you prefer natural sweetness, Vice Principal.”

“Even so, fruit on pizza…? How could you even think of such a thing…???”

Benetric had struggled to believe it at first. Yet she had devoured it so happily earlier. She truly was a contradictory dragon. Still, her inconsistency had let me remain confident to the end.

“You were the one who asked me to prepare uncommon food combinations, Professor.”

“But to actually come up with something like this…? I’ve never encountered such an absurd pairing in my life! And to think it actually went together surprisingly well…?”

Realizing the truth about the topping, Benetric looked thoroughly confused. Even though it had been her own request, the idea of fruit on pizza was simply too much for her. She had looked ready to leave, yet instead sat back down and spent a long while re-examining and savoring the pizza.

“Ahem, um… Breeder?”

She eventually looked at me and spoke again, her voice shy.

“…Could you perhaps pack up the leftovers for me…?”

“Of course. It seems you quite liked it?”

“D-Don’t misunderstand! I’m not taking it to eat again. I simply want to study it personally…!!”

Benetric had clung to her pride until the very end, even while requesting the leftovers be packed. She was probably planning to enjoy them back in her office. Her pointless pride was no longer my concern. I had achieved the result I wanted.

After packing up all the remaining pizza, I was finally free of Benetric.

“Phew, I feel like I can finally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠breathe again.”

Having gone through so many twists and turns since morning, it was already two in the afternoon. Only now could I finally savor a moment of leisure.

The Rest Lounge, after the storm had passed, was remarkably quiet.

“Hmm, hm… hm-♪”

The silence was broken by none other than my own humming. Having endured a crisis that made me want to give up everything, I felt incredibly lighthearted.

—Slurp…!

Only now could I drink my coffee in peace. I was happy. Life tasted good. I felt fulfilled. I never expected things to work out this smoothly.

My excitement wasn’t only because of Benetric’s promise of budget support.

—Ah, the budget is important, but looking at it, the Rest Lounge facilities need a complete overhaul. I’ll speak with the General Affairs and Management departments and have everything remodeled.

Those had been Benetric’s words just before she left with the packed pizza. She had promised not only to replace the kitchen tools but to fully remodel the entire lounge. Honestly, it was more support than I had anticipated. I had worried her pride might make her even more troublesome, yet the opposite had happened.

—If construction begins tomorrow… it should be finished within three days at the earliest.

—Hm? What will you do in the meantime? It’s the weekend starting tomorrow anyway. Why not take a proper rest?

And that wasn’t all. She had told me to rest fully during the weekend. At first, I could hardly believe it. It was probably thanks to the rise in favorability from the mint chocolate chip cake and Hawaiian pizza. Even though she had rejected the contract, her favorability had remained unchanged.

‘Two or three days of vacation for a mere servant like me?’

It was the first time the academy had treated me like a proper person. And there was more.

—In exchange, you will attend the weekly atonement ceremony every weekend. I’ll use my authority to give you one day off from Rest Lounge duties. You’ll have one regular day off per week.

She had attached one condition. Suddenly she was telling me to attend some atonement ceremony.

—As a dragon-hater, you’ll sincerely repent every week. I’ll inform Sofia about this matter as well. Managing the students’ attendance at the ceremony falls under her jurisdiction.

Those had been Benetric’s final words before leaving the Rest Lounge. Weekly atonement? What exactly was that? I had never heard of it during the break. Still, it didn’t seem like a difficult condition. After all, it wasn’t asking me to work in place of resting, so there was no downside.

Until now, I had never really had proper days off. The Rest Lounge had operated even on weekends until lunchtime, all for the sake of staff members who came in for duty or extra work. I had assumed it would continue the same way during the semester, yet an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unexpected opportunity had granted me regular time off.

“I didn’t even add sugar, but the coffee tastes especially sweet today……”

That was why the humming had come so naturally. I had never felt this relaxed before. It was the most leisurely weekday I had experienced since becoming a servant.

‘Hm? Come to think of it, Derke didn’t come today, did she?’

While basking in my newfound freedom, a sudden thought crossed my mind. For some reason, I found myself missing that “—desu yo!” voice. Her way of speaking had felt awkward at first, but now a day without hearing it left me strangely unsettled.

What could it be? Until yesterday, she had always rushed over the moment lunch ended. Was it because I had hung up the “CLOSED” sign?

—Creaaak…!

I peeked outside just in case, but there was no one there. The back corner of the dormitory where the animal sheds stood was equally empty.

“Ah, maybe she’s finally playing with her friends?”

A plausible possibility occurred to me. Come to think of it, it was still afternoon class time. She was probably exploring the academy with her classmates. I had told her she didn’t need to visit every day, yet actually not seeing her face left me feeling oddly empty.

—Rustle…!

I would have to prepare a small gift for her by roll call time later. Something simple and easy to snack on in secret.

I spent the entire afternoon duty period in unprecedented leisure. No one came to the Rest Lounge. Even after classes ended and into the evening, I stayed inside the lounge, enjoying my solitude. For a brief moment, I felt like a veteran soldier nearing discharge.

While resting comfortably, I also used the spare time to whip up a simple dessert.

“Time to get moving, I suppose.”

With roll call approaching, I headed toward the dormitory, small gifts for everyone in hand.

—Rustle…!

I had made the three-flavor meringue cookies earlier. Thanks to having plenty of free time, and with my Gourmet Feeding rank having risen, even simple desserts now earned at least three stars. I had grown considerably more skilled through all the trials I had faced.

“First-year evening roll call headcount…!”

As I entered the dormitory, Tina was already outside preparing to report the evening roll call. She had come out on time even though the bell hadn’t rung yet… First-years really were the most diligent.

“Ah, please report.”

“Total of ten students! One absent! No other remarks!”

Huh? She said there was an absence, yet no other remarks?

“An absence? Who is absent?”

“Ah…! Currently, Derke is absent!”

“D-Derke…? What on earth is the reason for her absence?!”

“Aah, well, that is… um……”