Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Dragon Subduer: Peria Alperatz (3)
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“So, you’re asking me right now to create a spell that lets you control a magic dragon?”
I let out a hollow chuckle as I looked at the young lady from the marquis’s family standing before me, Peria.
The request that Peria Alperatz had brought to me.
It was none other than a plea to make it possible for her to control a magic dragon.
“Yes. I want a spell that can move a dragon.”
Peria’s golden eyes gazed at me.
She was making her request with an incredibly serious expression.
She wanted to move a magic dragon.
She wanted me to create a spell that could control a magic dragon.
The earnestness of that desire was clear in her voice as well.
“I’ll pay any price you ask. Money, jewels, whatever. It might be too much for a huge sum… but I’ll do my best to gather it.”
“…….”
“Somehow, I need a spell that can summon a dragon. I’ll do anything you want!”
I quietly stared at the golden-haired girl standing before me.
There were always people everywhere who harbored fantasies about dragons.
Even Creighton in the library had asked me to teach him targeting spells, after all.
However, Peria’s wish seemed far removed from the typical ones.
What was it that drove someone to such desperation?
What made her obsess over dragons like that?
With those questions rising in my chest, I posed one to the girl standing right in front of me.
“Why are you so obsessed with dragons?”
“Huh?”
Peria’s puzzled voice echoed.
To her, I explained why I was asking.
“There are plenty of excellent spells that don’t involve dragons. At your level, just studying the spells in the First Archive would be more than enough.”
Objectively speaking, Peria Alperatz’s magical aptitude wasn’t particularly outstanding.
She was a noble lady who had kept her distance from magic from the start.
Even following the spells in the First Archive would be quite a challenge for her.
And yet, the reason Peria couldn’t let go of her obsession with dragons—
I pressed her for that reason, and Peria answered me with clear eyes.
“Because… it’s my dream.”
Dream.
That was Peria’s answer.
“You just said ‘dream,’ didn’t you?”
“Yes. I have a sick little brother at home. From a young age, he loved stories about dragons and dreamed of going on adventures to find one.”
“I see.”
“But because of his illness, he could never achieve that dream… So I’ve been chasing dragon stories and going on adventures in his place all this time.”
A sick little brother.
And an endless journey.
In the end, Peria Alperatz’s decision was one.
“You might think it’s a foolish dream. But I want to make Philip’s dream come true.”
“…….”
“Lord Johan, I want to show that child… the dragon he loved so much!”
Peria’s face flushed slightly.
With her cheeks reddened, she raised her excited voice toward me.
“So please—won’t you let me show that child the coolest dragon in the world?”
She wanted to show her family the coolest dragon in the world.
That was the reason for her desperate wish.
“You’re not asking me to cure his illness, but to make a magic dragon move.”
“I know it’s not an illness that can be easily cured. I realized that only after an archmage descended to the mortal world would such a wish become possible.”
It was a reckless and arrogant request.
Even so, she was aware of her position.
Peria clearly understood that I wouldn’t grant her wish on a whim.
But even accounting for that, she had decided to make the request to me.
Hearing her plea, I pondered while savoring a feeling I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
An old dream.
A lifelong aspiration.
Since opening my eyes in this library, when was the last time I had dreamed?
It was certainly from a distant past I could barely recall.
‘The dream of showing the coolest dragon in the world.’
At some point, I had lost my own dreams.
I had lost my body, lost my humanity, and become a mere specter wandering the library.
Yet all that remained was the grim determination to escape this place, the only thing still driving me.
Just repeating futile struggles to get out of here.
To me, Peria’s wish felt profoundly human.
‘A very human request.’
Unlike me, rotting away in this endless loop of centuries.
A faint chuckle escaped me.
Her reckless request stirred something that still lingered faintly in my heart.
“Peria Alperatz.”
“Y-Yes!”
My eyes, holding the pen aloft, fixed once more on the noble lady before me.
Golden hair shimmering in the light.
Beneath it, golden eyes like stars.
Meeting the will shining beyond that sparkle, I quietly declared to Peria.
“The price for asking me won’t be light.”
A short echo.
At those words, a trembling voice came from Peria.
“……Pardon? Are you saying you’ll grant my request?”
“Yes. I’ll create the spell to move a dragon, just as you wish.”
Grip.
Peria’s hand clutched the hem of her skirt.
Had those words touched the depths of her heart?
A faint mist gathered in Peria’s eyes as she stared straight ahead.
“Thank you… I never imagined you’d grant my request so quickly… Thank you so much!”
Peria expressed her deepest gratitude to me with utmost courtesy.
I nodded quietly to her.
“From now on, you’ll have to continuously prove your worth here.”
“Yes……!”
Creighton and Lua had already received one spell from the Second Archive in advance, after all.
So, giving this noble lady before me a suitable gift wouldn’t be a bad idea either.
I could secure some budget for the Doctor’s research through Peria as well.
‘Having a spell to protect herself wouldn’t hurt.’
The presence of a high noble was a helpful option for exerting influence through the Celestia Academy.
And it was also a chance to unveil the downgraded Dragon Mk2 model once more since falling into this magic library.
‘Time to pull out that spell from the Second Archive.’
Autonomous combat support spell.
Unlike previous monster spells, it was a formula designed to create a boss monster that acted independently.
The time had finally come to showcase that formula to the outside.
For a noble lady who struggled with actively casting combat spells, this would be the better choice.
Scribble, scribble.
As I began moving the pen over the magic tome in my hand, I spoke to Peria.
“The Doctor says he needs funding for his research. I’ll send him your way soon, so handle it.”
“Yes, I’ll do that.”
“It’d be good to have the Doctor check your brother’s health again too.”
I didn’t skimp on advice for her brother either.
Swish.
Peria’s gaze turned to the Doctor beside her.
And her face darkened slightly.
“…….”
Her golden eyes, tinged with faint distrust, fell on the Doctor.
The madman, Begerton Antares.
He was the undisputed authority on life magic.
* * * * * *
The lord’s castle of the Alperatz marquisate.
In her room by the window, Peria carefully folded the letter in her hand.
The letter she held was a reply to one that had arrived for her not long ago.
A letter sent to her under the alias of Celestia’s “Doctor.”
In response, she had informed him in advance of his schedule to enter the Alperatz marquisate.
“Now all the letters are done.”
Satisfied with the completed letter, Peria slipped it into an envelope and stored it in a drawer.
She planned to seal and send it to the Doctor tomorrow.
Swish.
Having finished all her letters, Peria rose from her seat with a faint smile.
That wrapped up her morning schedule completely.
With some time freed up, it was time to visit her brother in the annex.
“Come to think of it, the deadline Lord Johan mentioned isn’t far off.”
Thinking of her brother in the annex, Peria’s expression was exceptionally bright.
And for good reason—the library’s archmage had promised to create a spell for her.
A spell to move a massive, beautiful magic dragon.
Unlike the crude spell Philip had made from his sickbed, this would properly control a magic dragon.
What reaction would Philip have upon seeing that magnificent dragon?
Peria’s mind was already filled with anticipation of her brother’s shocked face.
Hee hee.
Imagining Philip’s face, Peria picked up a book with a confident smile.
“He’ll surely love it. He might even be so amazed he asks me to let him ride on its back.”
With a face brimming with confidence, Peria left her room and headed toward the annex where her only brother awaited.
Clack, clack.
Peria’s footsteps began echoing through the vast courtyard of the lord’s castle.
Her steps were a bit light, a bit lively, the sounds following her gait.
And so, Peria made her way toward the annex for some time.
Soon enough, with excited steps, she arrived at the annex where Philip stayed.
“Huh……?”
Upon reaching the annex entrance, Peria spotted someone and stopped in her tracks.
At the front of the annex where Philip resided.
There stood a knight with a familiar face.
Nod.
Spotting her as well, he promptly bowed his head in greeting.
“It’s been a while, my lady.”
“Sir Pio… Hello.”
One of the marquisate’s knights, Pio Gardrier.
Peria’s uncle and the next heir to the marquisate, Bix Alperatz’s guard knight, was standing at the annex.
Seeing the familiar knight, Peria’s complexion darkened in an instant.
The presence of her uncle’s knight here could only mean one thing.
“Has Uncle come in person?”
“……Yes, that’s right.”
Her uncle, Bix Alperatz, had come to the annex.
Hearing that, Peria quietly shut her mouth.
Thud.
At the same time, a commotion erupted from beyond the door where she stood.
Knowing Bix Alperatz’s temperament, Peria bowed her head, imagining the worst.
“You brainless fool, how many times do I have to tell you before it sinks in?!”
“…….”
“At your age, hoarding these childish toys—what a disgrace that you carry the marquisate’s blood!”
“…….”
“It’s laughable that a fool like you was once considered the heir! If not for my brother’s mercy, do you think you’d still be here?!”
Crash! Clatter.
Sounds of breaking and shattering echoed from beyond the window.
Listening to them, Peria quietly bit her lip.
Her uncle Bix was a man of violent temper.
And above all, he had firm notions about lineage.
He restrained himself somewhat in front of Peria, but that didn’t extend to Philip, the illegitimate child.
Bix Alperatz despised Philip intensely.
More than even young Peria had disliked him back then.
“I’m sorry, my lady. Best to cover your ears for a bit.”
“……Sir Pio.”
Even Pio, Bix’s guard knight, was giving her such advice.
Because these disturbances were all too familiar to him.
The commotion from beyond the door lasted a few seconds.
Soon, heavy breathing accompanied the annex door swinging open.
Creak.
Emerging from the thick door was, naturally, the one who had caused the uproar.
“Sir Pio! I’m heading out now—prepare at once!”
“Yes, understood.”
Bix Alperatz.
The sharp-featured middle-aged noble strode out, exhaling breaths laced with irritation.
Thud, thud.
His emotion-fueled footsteps echoed on the stairs.
Moments after Bix exited the annex.
Soon, his eyes spotted Peria and took on a smiling glint.
“Well, if it isn’t Peria.”
“……Uncle.”
“Yes, it seems your uncle has been away too long. Have you been well?”
As if the earlier commotion had been a lie, Bix beamed warmly at Peria.
A kindness he never showed to whoever resided in the annex.
But one uniquely permitted to Peria, of noble blood.
Swish.
Facing Peria, Bix brushed off his collar, removing clinging dust.
“Yes. I’ve been well.”
Peria offered a stiff smile, replying to Bix with as much effort as she could muster.
The noble before her had, until a few years ago, been overlooked due to his brutish nature and lackluster abilities.
Philip had entered the marquisate precisely because of his shining talent above all others.
However, once Philip began to weaken, Bix no longer needed to mind anyone.
The family elders supported Bix, and the Alperatz marquis without a clear heir tacitly approved.
And the result was now.
A noble wielding unchecked power.
That was the current Bix Alperatz.
“By the way, you’re of marriageable age now, aren’t you? It’d be wise to start looking for a suitable match.”
From such a Bix’s mouth came talk of marriage.
Bix’s calculating eyes scanned Peria once over.
A suitable match.
Hearing that, Peria flinched and lifted her head.
“U-Uncle… I’m fine for now.”
“Nonsense. At your age, it’s time to worry about marriage.”
“That’s…….”
Peria tried to protest amid her fear, but Bix didn’t budge an inch.
If anything, he loomed over her, pressuring her.
“You’re not still chasing after that fool’s talk of ‘dragons,’ are you?”
“…….”
“Dear niece. If you truly are, it’s time to end that absurd wandering.”
“Uncle, I just do it because I like—”
“He may have been clever once, but not anymore. Are you planning to ruin your own life indulging that idiot’s whims?”
Bix’s ambitious eyes gleamed at Peria.
Realizing his intent, Peria fell silent.
A political marriage.
Her only uncle clearly planned to use his niece to forge ties with another house.
“You used to despise that lowborn too… I don’t know what changed. But don’t worry. Your uncle will find you a match of proper bloodline.”
“…….”
“How about the young heir of the count’s family? I’ll find someone to your liking.”
The conversation with Bix ended with his one-sided assertions.
Whish.
Bix gestured into the air, summoning his distant attendant.
“Bring my horse! Sir Pio, follow immediately!”
Having said his piece, Bix turned and strode outward once more.
Heavy footsteps carried him away, with guard knight Sir Pio swiftly following.
Beyond where Bix and his knight vanished.
Peria’s eyes turned to the gap in the annex door, still ajar.
“……Philip.”
Inside the open annex.
There lay the magic dragon figurine Peria had once gifted him, now smashed in half and rolling on the floor.