A Heartwarming Greeting from the Green Dragon
I sighed deeply as the teasing continued to weigh heavily on me. After all that, Elena had finally relaxed a little, but the aftertaste lingered.
“……Oppa, that light.”
Roti, who had been tormenting Elena for so long, suddenly blinked as she noticed the note sparkling brightly.
I gave her a meaningful look, pointing toward the direction of the academy.
“It looks like the dragon is calling for me.”
“……Mm.”
With just a short word, she understood the full meaning. She had already received the message about my request for mediation to Tiamat in order to stop the emperor and any suspicious plans of Duke Teyran.
Roti’s expression remained uncomfortable, but she sighed and approached me.
Immediately, she gently stroked my shoulder.
“Oppa…… If anything happens, call me right away. No matter where it is—even if it’s a dragon’s lair—I can reach you in one minute.”
“……Oh.”
It was surprisingly reassuring. Facing the dragon herself, she spoke with such confidence.
Given her personality, she wouldn’t be bluffing about this. Maybe at this point, Roti had truly become more accustomed to the supernatural than I had imagined.
I felt a slight pang and gently stroked her head.
“Alright, I will. I don’t think there’ll be any major issues, though.”
“……You never know. It might be dangerous, right? Then just blow a hole through the academy ceiling. Fire magic, lightning magic—anything goes.”
“Hehe.”
Her words were so dependable that I let out a quiet laugh, and Roti puffed out her cheeks in mock displeasure, lightly slapping my shoulder.
“Don’t laugh. I’m serious, you know? When something happens to you, I……”
“I know, I know. Don’t worry too much and just wait quietly.”
Just as I sensed her eyes darkening with worry, I cut her off.
I honestly didn’t want to imagine what came next, but I could guess well enough. Was she planning to destroy the academy?
Of course, I had no doubts about Roti’s power, but this was Haendel……
The city and territory ruled by the Green Dragon.
Based on the original novel, if she were the Blood Witch from Chapter Nine, that might be one thing. But with Roti still unstable, she wouldn’t be able to handle her alone.
I grabbed Roti’s swollen cheeks with both hands and pulled them, saying cheekily, “……Ah, really. Don’t.”
Roti swatted my hand away with an annoyed expression. She tolerated skinship but hated this kind of touch?
I silently laughed as the note’s light grew even brighter.
Uuuuuuuuung……!
“……Tch, always in a hurry.”
The meaning was clear. Since she was now within my line of sight, she wanted me to stop lingering and come to her.
After exchanging a brief farewell with Roti, I approached Elena.
The pinch Roti had given her must have stung badly. Even now, her red hair was still being tugged while she whimpered and hiccuped like a lost puppy. It was pitiful……
“Elena.”
“M-Master, look at this. It’s completely red, sister really overdid it—”
“Third floor corner of the building beyond the north, blue-roofed one.”
The moment my next words followed, her expression changed. She narrowed her eyes slightly and listened attentively.
“……There’s a little rat following me. While with Roti, could you handle it naturally?”
With just one additional word, she replied promptly.
“I’ll entrust it to you, Master.”
“……Good. Then.”
I gently stroked her short hair as well. She had been staring at me and Roti with obvious envy.
“……”
With her cheeks flushed, Elena’s voice trembled with excitement.
“I-I don’t have to do this, right? How embarrassing.”
“It’s just a casual encouragement. Don’t overthink it.”
“……Hehe.”
Her body had clearly softened from the touch, yet she seemed unaware. From my perspective, the sticky gaze on my back was still bothering me.
“Mm……”
By the time I left, had Elena considered what would happen to her?
Well, I wasn’t planning to kill her anyway……
Thinking we were just sorting out our positions, I decided to tacitly allow it.
After giving her red hair a satisfying stroke to convey my apology, I left the place as if fleeing.
From behind came the voice, not quite a greeting: “Is it good?”
“Eh, sister…… This time it wasn’t me, right? No, it wasn’t?”
“So, is it good?”
I didn’t consciously ignore the insincere congratulation behind me.
I followed the note’s guidance and hurried into the academy.
*****
The inner scenery of the Altmain Imperial Academy was unexpectedly not entirely unfamiliar.
Setting aside the occasional mysterious structures, the buildings themselves—the campus view—were strikingly similar to my previous life’s university.
Especially certain historic campuses filled with grand stone buildings.
If I had to compare, there were many universities abroad even more similar, but I didn’t know much about those.
At any rate, finding the way wasn’t difficult. The architectural style was familiar, and the note provided clear guidance.
Just as I thought this, I lowered the note in my hand. The thing fluttered like it was alive, pointing forward.
“There, go.”
I chuckled to myself. I wondered if the academy’s principal was more peculiar than the information I knew.
After all, there’s a difference between encountering something through knowledge and actually seeing it in person.
Feeling a sense of anticipation, I crossed the academy grounds.
“Hm……”
The place I arrived at turned out to be unexpected. It wasn’t the main building; I had assumed it was the principal’s residence.
Instead, the note’s light guided me to a botanical garden on the far outskirts.
A dome-shaped ceiling made of shimmering glass, with various unfamiliar plants faintly visible beyond……
“Ah.”
At that moment, a memory resurfaced. In the game, it was mentioned in just one line of text: Tiamat’s hobby.
“The Green Dragon who loves the freshness of nature has secretly created her own private space outside the academy.”
“So this is the botanical garden?”
I recalled that some users had tried to find this space by rummaging through the academy, only to fail spectacularly.
They hadn’t even pinpointed the exact coordinates, just wasted time.
In that sense, there was a strange sense of accomplishment. Even though I hadn’t intended it, I had ended up visiting the space.
Feeling a mixture of satisfaction and reluctance, I entered the botanical garden. Only then did I notice the barrier surrounding it.
The mana aura that swept over my entire body.
It wasn’t pleasant, but it must have been some kind of censorship device. At least I could understand that.
As a bonus, I learned one of the barrier’s functions: it prevented unauthorized individuals from seeing the botanical garden with their own eyes.
“It’s not easy to break through.”
A high-level mage could probably do it, but who would think of trying without first suspecting the garden’s existence?
As expected of the master of magic, the principal’s barrier was truly formidable.
Beyond that, every time I walked inside, the gentle mana radiating from the leaves and flowers made me feel subtly comforted.
If I stayed here too long, I might even become an eco-activist without realizing it.
Adjusting it so that my mental defenses wouldn’t be overly compromised……
“……”
I walked through the botanical garden for about ten minutes.
I finally reached a certain garden.
More exotic plants bloomed here than before. The occasional chirps of birds added to the mysterious atmosphere.
In the center stood a hexagonal pergola.
I walked up to it without a word—
“It is an honor to meet you, great being.”
Immediately, I offered a polite greeting.
“I am Isaac Havertz, a new student for next year. I came here in advance according to the instructions.”
[……]
I addressed the glowing tea cup on the table.
“……?”
Right after, a single bird landed on the tea table and fluttered its wings.
[Hm……]
With a dissatisfied sound, the tea cup flashed brilliantly.
Flash—!
“……”
While waiting with my eyes closed for a moment, someone approached me and lightly poked my collarbone with a fingertip.
“……Different from the letter’s content. No fun in teasing, is there? Revealing someone’s identity like that?”
I stepped back and replied.
“Wouldn’t it be better to act as if you don’t know?”
“Then of course. Kid, I was hoping you’d wait for me and then gulp down the tea’s contents.”
“……Contents……?”
With hair flowing down to her waist like a natural stream, and those emerald-green eyes as vibrant as any forest, Tiamat the Green Dragon tilted her head with a mischievous smile.
“Yes, the contents.”
“……”
I briefly recalled the previous situation. Come to think of it, there had been a faint liquid shimmering inside that weirdly colored tea cup.
For a moment I hesitated, but Tiamat’s sparkling eyes left no doubt.
She wanted me to ask.
I asked with a sigh.
“May I ask what was inside……?”
And Tiamat tilted her head curiously, as if waiting.
“Well, I wonder what could have been in there? The tea cup itself was my body.”
“……”
“Kid…… Maybe you’ve just wasted a precious opportunity. Drinking the Green Dragon’s body fluid is something that doesn’t happen often at all—”
Thump! I immediately reached out and covered her mouth. It was a reflexive action to the sudden remark, and I immediately realized how rude I had been.
“……”
“……”
After a brief eye contact, I carefully removed my hand, handling the ticking bomb with utmost caution.
“Hmm……”
Only then did Tiamat regain her voice, looking up at me with an unusually young, girl-like expression that didn’t suit her centuries-old age.
She crossed her arms and playfully kicked my shins.
Then she spoke.
“Isaac Havertz.”
“……Yes.”
“How many humans in this entire continent can so boldly touch my body?”
“……”
My posture naturally lowered. The woman before me was no ordinary beauty; she was a monster thousands of years old.
She was not someone I could simply blame for my rudeness or punish severely.
“I apologize, Principal. I lost control for a moment……”
Just as I bowed my head to offer a proper apology.
Suddenly, Tiamat reached out and gently stroked my cheek.
“……”
?
Completely unfazed by my confused expression, she whispered in a voice full of warmth with a blush that looked dangerously cute.
“Isaac Havertz. Since you’re not yet my student, I’ll treat you as Duke Havertz for now. In that sense, I’ll ask……”
“……Yes?”
“Won’t you become my stallion?”