The Dragon Named Starteil
Countless carriages streamed into the academy grounds. The sight reminded one of the entrance exams, though far fewer in number. Unlike the entrance ceremony, when new students arrived with their families and attendants in tow, only those who had already been admitted were returning now.
Watching the procession clog the roads, Kyle let out a sigh and leapt straight from the carriage.
“We’re walking from here. Bring the carriage on your own.”
“Understood, young master.”
Stepping out into the middle of a road packed with horses might have looked dangerous, but both Kyle and Yuri were superhumans who had long surpassed ordinary limits. Yuri chanted a spell and lifted them both into the air, carrying them over the crowded road and down into the academy’s shopping district.
Most shops that had enjoyed their break were already open again, preparing for the new term and calling out to passing students. Kyle bought two fruit smoothies from a stall and shared one with Yuri as they walked. That was when he spotted Arthur standing in front of the butcher’s shop, wearing a troubled expression.
“Oh, Arthur!”
“……Kyle?”
Arthur’s eyes lit up as if she had found a savior. She rushed over at once. Kyle tilted his head, wondering what was going on, only to freeze when Arthur suddenly grabbed his hand.
“Kyle!”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Lend me some money!”
“……What?”
* * *
No matter how close they were, Kyle wasn’t about to hand over money without question. He asked Arthur why she needed it.
“Well, actually……”
Arthur glanced nervously at Yuri, then leaned in and whispered into Kyle’s ear.
“……The dragon hatched.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. But, um, the dragon…… it only eats this.”
Arthur pointed at the meat displayed in the butcher’s shop. It was the highest-grade cut, so expensive that a commoner like her might only taste it once or twice in her entire life. Kyle let out a dry laugh and asked how she knew the dragon only ate that meat.
“How do you know it only eats this?”
“A while ago, I took it out for a walk and it suddenly flew straight here and devoured all the meat……”
“Ah…… so that’s why……”
Arthur had looked like she was managing fine before the break, yet now she seemed strangely destitute. It seemed she had spent every last coin dealing with the trouble the dragon had caused. And that trouble wasn’t entirely her fault. After all, Kyle had been the one who told her to raise the dragon in the first place. If so, he had to take responsibility.
With that thought, Kyle bought every single piece of premium meat in the shop. The butcher’s face lit up with joy.
“K-Kyle, it doesn’t eat that much……”
“It’s fine. We can preserve it with magic.”
“W-Well, that’s true……”
Arthur stared at Kyle in shock, clearly not expecting him to spend so much. Only then did she realize something. He treated her like a friend, but they were never equals. Talent, family, nothing could bridge the gap. Kyle Meyer was both a noble and an Aura Master.
“What’s wrong? Let’s go.”
“Ah, yeah……”
Arthur snapped out of it and followed him toward the dorms. Yuri frowned slightly when Kyle put her aside the moment they arrived, but her irritation melted away like snow under the sun the instant she saw the dragon in Arthur’s room.
“Peep-!”
A tiny lizard no bigger than a palm flitted about. The baby dragon, exhausted from flying, landed softly on Yuri’s chest. Yuri’s eyes sparkled as she looked down at the creature resting on her.
“……Kyle, what is this?”
“A dragon.”
“A d-dragon……?”
The legendary creature, long extinct and known only through stories, was right in front of her. Yuri stared at it in disbelief. Its scales were white with a faint golden sheen, its form so elegant it looked as though a master craftsman had sculpted it rather than a living being. Yuri’s hands trembled as she gently stroked its head.
“Peep-!”
“Eek……!”
The dragon bit her finger. Even as blood welled up, Yuri felt no anger. If anything, its rebelliousness struck her as adorable, and she continued petting it. The baby dragon resisted at first, then gradually calmed down, either realizing its struggles were useless or sensing that Yuri meant it no harm.
“What’s its name?”
“Huh? It keeps going ‘peep peep,’ so I’ve been calling it Peep.”
“……Seriously?”
“Y-Yeah. Why? Doesn’t it suit it?”
Yuri gave Arthur a look of utter disbelief, then carefully considered a proper name.
“A white dragon with golden highlights…… like a falling star…… How about Starteil?”
“Starteil?”
“Yes. It means the tail of a star.”
It was at least better than Peep, so Kyle nodded in approval. The baby dragon seemed to like it too, letting out a series of excited peeps. Arthur, realizing she would have to take full responsibility if she insisted on the name Peep, also nodded and accepted Starteil.
“Starteil sounds good.”
“From now on, you’re Starteil. ……Can I have it?”
“I’d like to give it to you, but…… it doesn’t just eat meat……”
“It doesn’t just eat meat?”
Kyle tilted his head, wondering what else a baby dragon could possibly consume, when Arthur burst out laughing. At that moment, Starteil buried its face into Yuri’s chest and began sucking in her mana with gusto. Yuri let out a soft moan as her energy drained away like water from a bottomless barrel.
“Eek……!”
“Ahaha, I told you…… it doesn’t just eat meat.”
“Peep, peep-!”
Having tasted a mage’s mana for the first time instead of Arthur’s aura, Starteil devoured Yuri’s energy as if it had been starving for months. Once it had drained her completely, it let out a small burp and began tearing into the meat Kyle had bought. Yuri, robbed of every drop of mana, clutched her head and collapsed onto the bed.
“What…… was that……?”
“Dragons steal their mother’s mana to grow. Since there’s no mother dragon right now, it takes mana from anyone nearby……”
“……How did you raise it?”
“Huh?”
“How have you been raising it until now? Just from that short time, it was sucking up enough mana to overwhelm most Masters.”
Yuri had already calculated the amount of mana required to raise the dragon and concluded that Arthur’s level made it impossible. Even she, who had reached the peak of Expert and touched the wall of Master, had been completely drained in an instant. The shock was even greater because she had used the elixir Kyle gave her to properly train her mana and reach the level of a four-star mage. If someone like her couldn’t endure it, how had Arthur, who hadn’t even reached Expert, managed alone? Theoretically, it should have been impossible.
“Haha, there’s a way.”
“That’s nonsense. It’s impossible.”
“Every noble house has its own hidden secrets. I have mine too. Will you understand?”
“……I see. So that’s why you’re friends with a commoner.”
If they had been outside the academy, such words might have been considered disrespectful, but this was the academy, and Yuri had no intention of treating Arthur harshly. She simply accepted that Arthur had a secret. If Arthur didn’t want to share it, there was no need to press. Yuri closed her eyes, still feeling the aftereffects of having her mana drained, and soon fell asleep.
Arthur let out a long sigh of relief once Yuri’s breathing evened out.
“What’s wrong?”
“……No, it’s just…… I’m glad it didn’t take my mana today.”
“What happens if it takes your mana?”
Arthur looked at Kyle as if he were joking. Kyle shrugged, asking what the problem was, when Starteil, still sluggish from feeding on Yuri’s mana, bit Arthur’s nape. With a soft whimper, Arthur’s body began to change. Her chest swelled and her hips widened. Without the mana needed to maintain her male form, her body reverted to its original state. Kyle nodded as he looked at Arthur’s now-straining clothes.
“Yeah, that’s definitely a problem.”
“R-Right……?”
Her face flushed bright red from the tightness, Arthur quickly grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe and hurried into the bathroom. Kyle watched her go, then turned his gaze to the bed where Yuri lay. Her eyes were half-open, watching him.