Reunion Doubled (2)
Yustina and I trudged along a mountain path shrouded in darkness despite the midday sun. The shadows cast by countless trees obstructed our view, but my eyesight pierced even the gloom with ease, and Yustina showed no signs of struggle either. Still, the punishment she'd been assigned—retrieving the hunting traps—was no small task.
"Hidden in a place like this... how am I supposed to collect all of them...?"
"Didn't peg the Magical Beasts professor as the secretly strict type."
If we had to weigh the offenses, the guy who'd dozed off in class probably deserved less than the one brewing poison during Herbology. But whether it was the Herbology professor's leniency or the Magical Beasts professor's firmness, Yustina's penalty was far harsher. All I had to do was tend the garden, but for her, even a momentary lapse in focus meant missing a trap.
"And these traps are so small, they barely stand out."
"If they were easy to spot, no beast would step in them, would they? Isn't that obvious?"
"...You're taking her side."
Yustina and I grumbled but steadily collected the traps. As we ventured deeper into the forest, an instinctive unease crept in, yet I trusted her words and pressed on. My senses confirmed magical beasts lurked nearby... but as she'd said, they posed no real threat.
- Grrrrowl...
To cut to the chase, she was right. A manticore appeared—a lion-shaped beast with a grotesquely torn human elder's face. It growled at something else, ignoring us completely. Or perhaps it instinctively sensed Yustina's true nature and dared not attack.
"It's really not charging."
"I told you. They do get a bit aggressive during beast-hunting classes for student combat training."
"But they don't actually kill anyone, right?"
"Of course not. A safety incident like that would tarnish the school's reputation. Denebergen wouldn't allow it."
From our brief chat while gathering traps, I could tell how seriously Yustina took Denebergen Academy. Honestly, when I'd first glimpsed her memories through the dagger, I'd wondered what the academy meant to her—a gilded cage to trap me, or a true dream? Operating a school for centuries just to lure one mouse like me would be a nightmare.
It's been about a week since I decided to hold off.
But after a week together, the Yustina I'd seen firsthand was different. No trace of that chilling face from the dagger's memories; every word dripped with affection for the school. At first, I'd feared revealing I was Dane would mean getting locked up as a pet. Yet over the past few days, she'd only grown clingier—less threatening.
She still feels dangerous, but that's probably just because she's a mighty dragon.
Lost in thought, Yustina suddenly dashed ahead, aiming for a trap high in a tree. Her small frame clearly couldn't reach it, so I moved to help—
Shh-shh-shh—
Something long and thick slithered from the shadowed underbrush, off the path. Cloaked in darkness, but its leathery texture and shape gave it away. A snake? More precisely, a viper. But its size marked it as no ordinary beast.
"Another magical beast, huh."
"Mm, looks like it. But why can't I reach this one... Ungh...!"
I was about to suggest magic over struggling when the situation shifted. My senses screamed a warning about the viper beast—different from the manticore's harmless pass. That one felt benign; this made my arm hairs stand on end, like a dire alert.
Danger?
The viper beast charged straight at Yustina. Logically, no need to intervene—the mountain beasts wouldn't attack humans, and even if one did, dragon-Yustina was untouchable.
Taat—!
But instinct had already drawn my dagger and propelled me forward. A strange collar around its neck? Fear she'd falter? No clear reason, but something in my head screamed to protect her.
Shh-shh-shh—!
"Watch out!"
My accelerating body blurred like lightning, closing the gap in seconds. I wedged between them, thrusting the dagger into the viper's gaping maw as it bared its fangs.
- Kyaaack!
The viper screeched in agony, recoiling as black blood poured from its mouth. Its eyes bulged red—in no state of mind. Controlled by something beyond Yustina's influence, its feral gaze screamed base hunger for our flesh and blood.
"W-Wait! Deneb, that's too dangerous for you...!"
I shoved Yustina behind me and charged the berserk viper again. Rationally, I knew she could end it with a spell while I stood by. But I couldn't just leave it to her.
It was innate—like a born instinct.
- "...Have you ever raised children?"
Yustina's question from days ago popped up. She'd asked shyly, steeling herself. I couldn't brag about it publicly, but in this moment, one thing crystallized.
...I'll protect her.
Not Yustina, Liwin, or Elfin who came to mind—but Philbert. He'd guarded me even after I outgrew him in strength and height. I'd tell him I didn't need it anymore out of consideration, but he'd insist it was his duty. That feeling carried to me now, 500 years later.
Is this it?
I finally understood: wanting to protect your child even after they surpass you. Calling it parental might be arrogant. But one truth was clear—Philbert's protection had ignited this duty in me, moving my body without thought of hiding my identity.
"Kyaaack!"
I closed in on the screeching viper, feinting a stab before switching grips. This rusty dagger couldn't pierce its tough hide fatally—not by stabbing the mouth or harrying the skin.
Instead, I slashed at the grotesque metal collar around its neck.
Clang!
Golden flames erupted from the short blade. Sword aura-clad, it sheared the collar like tofu. Severed, it clattered to the ground.
"Hah... hah..."
My body creaked in protest, but I ignored it. Summoning aura for mere seconds had wrecked me this badly. Still, the results spoke for themselves.
"Kyaaack... kyaaa... kya..."
The viper's red eyes faded to normal, aggression vanishing. That collar really was the culprit.
"...W-What in the world are you doing?!"
"Hold on! Look at this—magitech, controlling the beast. If you've never seen it either, something's seriously wrong..."
"This isn't the time for that!"
Yustina rarely yelled, but she did now, snatching the iron collar. Her fury silenced me. Had I seen her like this?
No.
She'd been nonchalant at our first meeting, our parting, even learning Liwin was a time mage—just mild surprise. Never raw emotion like this.
It's a game to her. The whole world is play.
The ten years with Liwin, Elfin, and me—a game. Building and running the school—a game. Chairman role—a game. Pretending to be a student—a game. Waiting for my return—a game...?
...No way.
It might've started as play: a dragon whimsically watching kingdom-resistance wars like theater. An audience untouched by the stage's murder, fire, war, ruin.
But Yustina was different.
Young dragon Yustina leaped onstage mid-play, too immersed, loving the world's people too much. Play became reality.
The dragon who could no longer play punched my chest, venting.
"That dagger—you did that on purpose for me to see?!"
"..."
"You want me watching your back as you leave again?!"
"..."
"Say something! How can a guy weaker than your past life throw yourself around like that?!"
Her rage turned to sobs; she buried into me. Hot tears soaked my shirt. I placed a hand on her head, at a loss.
"...Dane."
That name flashed memories: Trials of Terror's eternal walker; dagger-memories' captor; beaming at my Shadow Step.
...What was I even afraid of?
Terror Trials showed fears; dagger's Yustina was 500 years past. Maybe I'd feared a phantom born in my absence.
Phantom Yustina? As if.
A week observing proved it: current Yustina matched the past. No phantoms—only the one before me was real. And she wasn't some arrogant tyrant threatening captivity.
"...Yustina."
My call halted her tears. She looked up, eyes and nose runny. I wiped her cheek with my thumb, murmuring.
"I did say... I'd come back."
"Sniff... So you're just gonna say you did?"
I shook my head with an awkward grin.
"500 years. A bit late, huh?"
Lame joke. But she took it in stride.
"Too late by far. Why skip a week, though?"
"Right—500 years and a week."
The warmth didn't last. She pinched my grinning cheek, glaring fiercely.
"So why hide it for that week?"
"Ah..."
That story would take time.
Meanwhile, near the mountainside where Yustina and Deneb were.
An elf stealthily scoured the mountain using camouflage and Shadow Step—skills taught by Deneb, no, Dane.
Well, demons wouldn't wander openly in daylight.
She wasn't tailing Yustina or Deneb. Before school duties, she'd hoped to dispatch demons quickly to skip work—thus the solo search.
Unfortunately, Elfin found no demon siblings. Traces yes, but they'd vanished like roaches fleeing light.
Didn't expect to find them in a day.
For the Imperial Secret Service's specialty—"nothing happened"—minimize manpower, especially known faces. Thus, Elfin soloed this midsize mountain. Two demons were snack-level for her, but searching was the chore.
Hold on—footsteps?
She sensed a pair nearby—no demonic aura. Peering: a boy and girl, Denebergen students on a rendezvous.
Pfft, kids. That age, sure.
Envious but dismissing, she spotted something off. Boy unfamiliar; girl familiar face and vibe.
Closer look...
Yustina?
...What was that old hag doing with a fresh-faced kid right now?