Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Episode 49
After exchanging a few more barbs, a tired Oz quickly drifted off to sleep.
Lucia looked down at the fearless Oz and sighed in disbelief.
“I thought this from the moment we met, but aren’t you a bit too unguarded sleeping in front of me?”
Yes, it has always been like this. Oz shamelessly slept even in front of her, a complete stranger.
Considering he’d been exposed to numerous threats just moments ago, it was a surprising act.
‘Does he not see me as a threat, or does he trust me…?’
Lucia considered the possibilities, then shook her head.
Both were impossible.
If he hadn’t perceived the situation as threatening, he wouldn't have bothered contacting the Empire.
That would have been a sign of confidence that he could handle everything himself.
And as for trust, they were practically strangers.
In the end, it was all a mystery.
Oz’s presence was too strong.
A perfect, vibrant color that Lucia couldn’t blend into.
‘Has he always been like this?’
Lucia waved her hand over Oz’s sleeping face.
He was definitely asleep.
Without his usual cold and oppressive gaze, he looked like an ordinary boy his age.
“And here I am, a bad cat beastman who deals in lies.”
Lucia muttered to herself and carefully sat down on the edge of Oz's makeshift bed.
“Noah, and you, too…”
Until now, individuality for Lucia had been merely a means to blend in.
But in this short time, she had encountered incredibly vibrant colors.
Colors so bright they didn’t blend; they stained.
People with such complete, unassailable colors.
“It’s amazing how much you can do for others.”
It was thanks to those two that she felt this admiration, this frustration.
“I’ll try harder…no, I’ll do my best. Enough to complain to you about it, at least.”
With those words, Lucia placed the cat cushion she was holding next to Oz.
“Hmm…”
Lucia looked down at the sleeping Oz and the cat cushion, then lay down on the cushion herself.
It was a playful gesture on Lucia's part, but Oz didn’t even stir.
“Heh.”
Lucia lay there, looking up at Oz's face for a moment, and chuckled.
She couldn't help but laugh at his absurd lack of caution.
“I’d love to see your face when you wake up in the morning, but…Noah is scary.”
Let’s stop with these dangerous pranks.
But Lucia, wanting to watch him a little longer, gazed at Oz’s face and gradually drifted off to sleep.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
BOOM!
I woke up to a loud crash.
Ah, here it comes. I knew it was coming.
“W-What…?”
Lucia, who had also fallen asleep in this makeshift shelter, woke up with a start.
Why was she lying next to me?
“Ah…”
As if realizing the situation, Lucia abruptly turned her head towards me.
A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek.
“Uh… P-Prince Oz, this is…just…”
…Nothing happened between us, right?
Why was she stuttering so much?
Don’t do that.
“Th…There was only one bed, right? I was just going to lie down for a bit, but I guess I fell asleep because of the aftereffects of the battle. Yeah, that’s it.”
There might have been only one bed, but wasn't that a bit too bold?
Well, I didn't have time to think about that now.
“Yeah, whatever. Honestly, I don't care about any of that right now.”
“…No, you can’t just say ‘I don't care.’ That’s hurtful.”
“Really? My life is on the line, and that’s more important?”
“Huh…?”
At my retort, Lucia finally followed my gaze.
“Ha, this is ridiculous.”
[Dragon Emperor]
Tiamat
She had ripped the roof off Tenebris’s makeshift shelter and was glaring at us menacingly.
Strange… I had deactivated [Contemplation], so why did she look like a dragon?
“Is it customary for Spellbinders to burn down their homes when they move out?”
Tia slowly descended and floated in front of us.
“But even if such a custom exists, did you have to do it in someone else’s dorm?”
“…”
“Were you sleepy?”
Honestly, I hadn’t expected to fall asleep like that.
I must have been really tired yesterday.
Well, that was true. After the dorm incident, Lucia Domine, Alexios, Tenebris, and Lucia again…
I hadn’t had a moment to rest.
“Headmaster, shouldn't we talk this over?”
“Talk? Yes, talking is good.”
“Huh?”
Tia nodded repeatedly.
Really? The [Dragon Emperor] wanted to resolve this through dialogue?
I hadn’t expected it, even as I said it. It was just a desperate attempt.
But if she was actually willing to talk, I couldn't be more grateful.
At least I wouldn’t die, right?
“I was just thinking that violence wouldn't be effective in correcting you anymore.”
“That’s a wise decision, Headmaster. Education should be based on mutual understanding, not violence…”
As I spoke, I noticed Lucia trembling and shaking her head frantically in the corner of my eye.
That was dangerous. My mouth was running wild again.
Did the original Oz have multiple lives or something?
To consistently maintain such an impertinent attitude…he was truly a madman.
“And it seems we have an interesting episode here… How convenient.”
Tia glanced at Lucia. Lucia trembled as if her smartphone was vibrating.
Wait, the fact that she looked at Lucia meant…
“I should leave this to Arietta.”
“Wait a second…”
I finally understood why Tia agreed to talk.
She was going to report this situation to Arietta?
I’d rather she just used violence.
“Ha! Sleeping with a female student… How sad Arietta will be when she finds out about this.”
“Headmaster… I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell Arietta, who is so kind hearted. Shouldn't I be the one punished?”
“…No, I think it’s better to let her know sooner rather than later, so the wound doesn’t fester.”
Tia frowned as if she'd just seen something disgusting.
She wasn’t wrong. But this was all a misunderstanding.
This was too much.
“…It’s not good to jump to conclusions based on appearances.”
“Right, so let’s go to the Disciplinary Committee and get to the bottom of this. Honestly, I can't just leave you alone in this situation.”
There was no room for negotiation. Either way, I was going to the Disciplinary Committee.
It would be quieter than a class trial, but it wasn't a good situation either.
“Then what about her…?”
“I…I don’t know anything…”
Tia narrowed her eyes at Lucia, then looked away.
Her expression held a mixture of disgust and guilt.
She must have felt like she was bullying a poor, defenseless creature.
Well, even I felt sorry for Lucia.
A cat facing a terrifying dragon couldn’t help but be terrified.
“Oz, what do you think? Should we take her, too?”
“…I’ll just die alone.”
“People will think I’m going to kill you.”
Tia scoffed and grabbed the back of my neck roughly.
Was she planning to fly with me like this?
“…Couldn’t you transport me a little more…humanely?”
“I’ll do that when you prove you’re human.”
So, I wasn't even human now…
In the end, I was dragged to the Disciplinary Committee room without any resistance.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Oh, Headmaster? What’s going on? Oh, Oz is here too?”
Arietta, having received treatment from Lucia Domine, greeted us with her usual bright smile.
A faint scent of apple mint filled the air.
“Hey, Arietta. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yes, Headmaster. I’m fine.”
Tia was kind to Arietta.
Yes, I knew. Tia’s attitude towards me was justified.
It wasn’t discrimination; compared to the diligent Arietta, I was just relatively trash.
“Good, I’m glad you’re physically well. Your heart might ache a little, though…”
“Huh?”
Instead of answering, Tia handed her a small stack of papers.
A shiver ran down my spine.
I instinctively knew what it was.
A document listing the crimes I had committed, or was suspected of committing.
When did she even write this?
“This is…”
Olivia Blue began reading through the list of my crimes on Arietta’s behalf, since she couldn't see.
Olivia Blue’s expressionless face froze as she reached the last line.
And then, in an instant, it turned into a look of utter disgust.
“This trash…”
I understood, but she shouldn't say that out loud.
It was still just a suspicion.
More importantly, what was written there?
What could possibly make Olivia, who had always been respectful to me, speak so blatantly?
“Olivia?”
“…”
Arietta, sensing something was wrong, called out to Olivia with a puzzled expression.
Olivia remained silent.
She seemed to be struggling to find the words.
“Well, I have things to do, so I’ll be going.”
Tia quietly left the room.
She was just going to shift the responsibility like that and leave?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Tia, having dumped Oz on Arietta, soared through the sky with her wings spread.
Her excuse of being busy wasn't a lie. She actually had important matters to attend to.
‘That damn Oz is the problem.’
She needed to leave quickly, but she couldn't predict what kind of trouble Oz would cause in her absence.
He had burned down his dorm in that short amount of time.
She needed to incapacitate Oz, even if it meant exaggerating his crimes.
‘With Arietta there, he won’t be able to cause any trouble for a while.’
Oz was weak to Arietta, so he’d behave himself to clear up the misunderstanding.
“That reminds me…”
Tia recalled Lucia’s words.
Right before leaving Scientia, Lucia casually mentioned a strange rumor.
–Lady Tiamat, have you heard the rumor?
–What rumor? Be specific.
–They say something was discovered in Chrysos.
–No, I haven’t heard anything. Wait, something was discovered there? That’s impossible.
A place where the sky had fallen and space was distorted.
The rumor was that something unidentified had been discovered in the Chrysos Kingdom, which had become a natural fortress.
The collapse of the sky was a serious matter, no matter who you were.
Tia had also periodically investigated the outskirts, but hadn’t found anything unusual.
‘Those bastards, don't tell me…’
The reason Tia patrolled the outskirts was because it was dangerous.
Danger always lurked in the unknown. Some kind of power even she couldn’t fully comprehend.
‘They didn’t go in without permission, did they?’
Tia had warned the agents from various countries to keep their distance.
She had a bad feeling, a sense of foreboding she'd never felt before.
That in itself was a crisis.
For her, the strongest being in the world, to feel wary was a clear sign of something amiss.
After flying for a while, Tiamat arrived at the research facility on the border of the Chrysos Kingdom.
Even from a distance, she could sense the commotion inside.
Tia approached a researcher she knew amidst the chaos.
A researcher from the Empire.
“Hey.”
“Hmm? Who’s being so impudent… Lady Tiamat?”
“Did you just call me impudent?”
“W-When did I say that? It’s a good thing you’re here.”
The Imperial researcher sighed in relief at the sight of Tia.
‘It seems they didn’t go in without permission…’
Seeing his reaction, Tia was certain they hadn’t entered without authorization.
If they had, they wouldn’t dare meet her gaze.
Tia decided to get straight to the point.
“So, you found something?”
“Ah, has news of that reached you already? The messengers are fast these days.”
“Send a message with magic, you idiot. Who uses messengers these days?!”
“I find these newfangled inventions rather inconvenient…”
Tia grabbed the researcher by the collar. This guy was ridiculously old-fashioned.
“…So what did you find?”
I couldn't lose sight of what was important.
She could file a complaint about the communication issues with the Empire later.
“One day, it ‘crawled’ out of the Chrysos Kingdom. We’re not sure what it is.”
“Crawled out? Is it a monster?”
“Yes, it walked on ‘two legs.’ It was quite surprising.”
“…?”
The researcher shrugged as if he didn't understand either.
That was a strange reaction.
He’d just said it crawled, yet his words changed instantly.
It was as if he was in a trance.
“I need to see it myself.”
“Certainly. That would be the best course of action. Honestly, we’re not even sure if it’s a living creature.”
Tia left the researcher and headed towards the location of whatever had emerged from the Chrysos Kingdom.