Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: A Day Out with Dray
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“Must be the autumn weather—place is packed.”
The central square of Eset was teeming with people on this weekend.
The clear skies had everyone out and about, no doubt.
Maybe I should take Choco and Pudding on a picnic next time.
Not that Pudding can be seen by others… but dimensional magic to hide its presence should do the trick.
Not this weekend, though.
According to the express letter that arrived yesterday, Dray had come all the way to Eset for a conference at the royal magic tower.
No wonder Bailey had slyly tried to coax me into going.
I’d bolted—I’d rather die than attend a conference—but Dray would sulk if I didn’t show my face.
With exams over, my only plan for this weekend had been holing up in the dorm and sleeping the world away, so I’d made plans and headed out.
The problem was finding Dray in this massive crowd.
Even the fountain in the central park where we’d agreed to meet was swarming with people.
As I circled the fountain searching… I spotted Dray craning his neck around.
“Dray!”
I shouted, and he turned toward me.
Waving as I approached, he cleared his throat—*ahem*—and stood before me.
“Long time no see.”
“Three months isn’t that long…”
Even after three months, Dray was still Dray.
His blond hair gleamed with luster, so life must be treating him well.
His hair seemed a bit longer… but otherwise, he hadn’t changed a bit.
“Three months is plenty. More importantly, there’s a huge gap between your letters and how you talk.”
“Huh? Where’s the gap!? It’s exactly the same!?”
Dray was Dray, through and through.
This unchanging reliability.
“Anyway, looks like you’ve been doing well.”
“We covered pretty much everything in the letters.”
“True… Oh, congrats on the mid-level mage promotion. Youngest ever—impressive.”
At that, Dray struggled to hold back a grin.
The corners of his mouth twitched, but he managed to suppress it.
“You get how big a deal youngest mid-level mage is! I even got sponsorship offers!”
“…Sponsorship?”
No way—I hadn’t expected sponsorship to come knocking.
Mage research was a money pit by default.
Gems were basic for catalysts, not to mention lightning-struck wood or refined stones infused with specific mana—every material was exorbitantly expensive.
The more sponsorship money, the better.
Dray’s research was borderline heretical, so it had never gotten any backing until now…
“That’s huge. Finally getting some recognition.”
“Yeah, someone finally sees the true value of our research! It’s massive even among personal sponsorships. Enough to cover research costs for years! …But since you’re my collaborator, I held off deciding. Be grateful!”
“You didn’t have to.”
Collaborator or not, I’d barely contributed.
The research was entirely Dray’s domain, so he could’ve accepted without consulting me.
Kind of admirable, in a sneaky way.
“So, who’s the sponsor?”
“A royal. Some collateral branch? Never heard the name. Matthias Claudio.”
As Dray, now calmed from his excitement, said the name, my blood ran cold.
Why was *that* name coming from Dray’s mouth?
Matthias was a name permitted to only one person in this world.
Matthias Claudio.
The name Onitsusen had mentioned before—the cardinal leading all other cardinals.
And the illegitimate son of the current king, Lionel Sol Cusbeuk.
Which was why Matthias couldn’t inherit Cusbeuk.
Instead, he’d taken the collateral saint’s name Claudio, without the middle name bestowed only on legitimate royals.
Had Matthias approached Dray directly to exploit his research?
I’d considered the possibility of the Precursors sniffing out Dray’s work and making contact… but I hadn’t expected Matthias to move personally.
“Hey, Theo! What’re you thinking so hard about?”
“Nothing.”
Dray’s voice snapped me back.
No point dwelling on the unknowable now.
Dealing with the situation at hand came first.
“…You should turn down that sponsorship.”
……
“Why?”
Dray looked genuinely flustered but hadn’t lost his cool—he asked for a reason.
I hesitated over how much to reveal… but Dray was already entangled with the Precursors.
He couldn’t stay out of their sight forever, so better to warn him early.
“First off…”
“That means… these Precursors are targeting our research to revive some god of peace?”
A spot-on summary.
I nodded from the bench, and Dray, sitting beside me, twirled a lock of his curly blond hair.
“No wonder the third magic tower suddenly showed interest after calling it useless. And they’re the ones who attacked our territory.”
“Life’s full of weird twists.”
“Who says it isn’t?”
Sigh. Dray let out a breath.
In hindsight, their scheme to summon a demon in Hoiman territory had been the Precursors’ doing too.
Summon a demon to destroy Dray’s home, break his spirit, then swoop in to tame him.
A classic Precursor tactic.
Hoiman had defeated the Demon Guardian on its own, and the summoned Oculeus had fled on its own, so it failed.
“Stay away from the Precursors, no matter what.”
“Obviously? Why would I tangle with shady creeps like that?”
“It’s more serious than you think.”
Better to cut off any chance of entanglement completely.
The Precursors were still operating in the shadows, but they’d soon shake the world with their infamy.
Being mistaken for an associate then would spell disaster.
“Well… still a shame about the sponsorship. With that, I could’ve gotten the bypass element extractor and the Ryukliment resonance interferometer we saw before…”
Dray smacked his lips, fidgeting with his fingers.
Both were insanely expensive gear.
“How much was it?”
“No contract yet, but they mentioned hundreds of millions.”
Hundreds of…?
Casually offering hundreds of millions in sponsorship…?
That’s probably how the original Dray fell for it.
When no one acknowledged his research, a sponsor appears like a ray of sunlight, offering hundreds of millions without batting an eye?
Hard not to cave.
Good thing I met Dray first at that conference last time.
Truly a relief.
“But don’t waver. I know it’s a lot…”
“Not wavering. It’s joint research—I wouldn’t decide alone anyway.”
Dray waved weakly, pouting his lips.
Always calling it *our* research, *joint* research, and accepting the sponsorship loss without argument… For all his grumbling, he thought deeply.
“Ugh, you killed my mood. Sponsorship’s gone—least you can do is show me around the capital.”
“The conference?”
“Starts tomorrow, so today’s free. What, you don’t wanna hang with me?”
Tour guide had seamlessly turned into playdate.
Well, Dray had made a big call, so maybe spend the day entertaining him.
“Goaaaal!!”
The announcer’s heated commentary had the crowd leaping to their feet in cheers.
Dray jumped up too, pumping his fists.
“The best!!”
Woooah! Woooaaah!!
Amid the roaring cheers, the Peludium player who scored waved broadly from his broom.
Guiding Dray around Eset had led here—the stadium—since he seemed intrigued by Peludium matches.
He’d feigned disinterest until we bought tickets for front-row seats, then transformed the moment the game started.
“You look like you’re having fun.”
“W-Who!? Not enjoying it or anything!?”
Told Dray as he sat, and he shook his head furiously.
But his eyes never left the field—must’ve really wanted to see it live.
Understandable.
Official Peludium matches were flashy.
Practice games on flat ground for lectures stuck to basic rules.
Real matches added variant rules each time.
This one required brooms since the terrain shifted constantly.
No running dribbles—pure pass-and-play.
The ball zipped through the sky nonstop, players soared on brooms—total chaos.
Any opening led straight to shots, so both teams attacked relentlessly and defended desperately.
Gave it that thrilling edge.
I preferred playing over watching—controller in hand, not running myself.
“Cheering’s fine, but eat something.”
“What’s this?”
I offered pre-bought hot bars, and Dray tilted his head.
“Hot bars. First time?”
“Obviously. They look like half-made sausages…”
“Never had fishcake hot bars? You’ve wasted your life.”
Fresh-fried hot bars were divine.
Sigh. I set them down.
“Fine, more for me.”
“You give it then take it back? Sneaky jerk…!”
A light jab, and Dray snatched one.
He sniffed it, grimaced, then squeezed his eyes shut and bit in.
Easy mark.
“How is it?”
His face relaxed for a split second, so I asked.
He quickly schooled his expression and whipped his head away.
“Eh… it’s okay. Spicy, salty, sweet—total mess of flavors.”
Spicy, salty, sweet—means tasty.
He bit deep… but I tasted no spice.
Just a faint pepper hint—was *that* spicy to him?
Minor curiosity aside, the hot bars were delicious.
Munching leisurely, I noticed Dray had polished off his, hiding the empty stick behind his back with a cough.
*Ahem*. “Got another?”
“I’m eating—want me to buy more?”
“Y-Yeah. Not that I want it, but workers on weekends deserve it. Got it?”
“Sure, sure.”
So admirable—I’d grab a couple more.
As I reached for my wallet, Dray glared.
Missed that—first time he’d glared like he wanted to kill me.
“You don’t believe me at all.”
“Of course I do. We’re research partners—100% trust.”
At this point, Dray was so predictable it *was* trust.
Bought more hot bars, and he went quiet as a ghost.
Watching the fierce Peludium rally, after downing about three, Dray muttered,
“…This isn’t bad once in a while.”
He seemed to like it a lot.
“You okay without the sponsorship?”
“Had some regrets… but if those guys win, no more luxuries like this. Fine by me. Research on dirty money wouldn’t be fun anyway. What about you? Sounds like you’re picking a fight with them. Need any help, say so.”
“Eh… just annoying for now, nothing major.”
Who knows about the future.
Ideally, fight without me.
“Thanks for worrying.”
“W-Worrying!? I’m worried about *our* research…!!”
“Sure, sure.”
If something happens to me, the research suffers too.
I’d figured as much from before.
Still, help from a magic tower mage wasn’t common.
Nothing needed now… wait, one thing.
Slim chance, but worth asking.
“Then… got any spare spots at the magic tower?”