Always By Her Side
Breaking a promise was bad enough, but suddenly suggesting they go somewhere else entirely? What on earth was Lucius talking about?
“I know a quiet, lovely place.”
“We’re not going to the Imperial Palace? Today was the day we promised, wasn’t it?”
“It’s fine. Really.”
Pay’s pupils trembled.
Wait… is this an elopement? No, it’s morning, so that’s not the right word!
“Pii… pii-pii-pii~.”
Even as Momo began humming the wedding march under his breath, Lucius made no move to stop him. Instead, he continued his earnest persuasion.
Well, this might actually be better. If they moved to a space he was familiar with and cut off the outside world, everything would settle down soon enough.
One day, all his feelings for Pay would fade. When that time came, he would prepare a safe place for her to live out her life in peace, provide her with enough wealth to live comfortably, and send her on her way.
And then he would forget.
He would pretend he had never met someone named Pay.
He would return to being exactly who he had been before.
“There are plenty of books there, and a natural herb garden nearby. It’s the perfect place for your magic studies—nothing will get in the way.”
His dragon lair existed in a pocket dimension connected to his mental world. The entrance lay somewhere in the Dryana Mountains, but it was an impregnable fortress that only the chosen could enter.
Lucius had just declared he would bring Pay inside. Even Momo, who stood right in front of them, had never been raised in the lair itself; Lucius had kept him in a separate breeding facility.
Momo’s beak, which had served Lucius for so long, twitched—not in sorrow, but in clear mockery.
“Pii-pii-pii…”
“No, I’ll go. Honestly, I’m nervous, but what can I do? If a person creates a mess with their own hands, they have to see it through to the end—whether they live or die.”
She made a brave decision.
“…Is that so?”
The corner of Lucius’s mouth twitched strangely.
Damn it, Pay. Give me a chance to get tired of you. How long are you going to keep tying me—this magnificent being—to you? Of course, even if we had gone to my lair alone, I would have been trembling like mad from that moment on!
Whether he screamed internally or not, the carriage carrying them safely entered the Imperial Palace grounds.
The one small mercy was that they were heading toward a quiet, open field on the western side rather than a crowded or important fortress.
Until they arrived, Lucius kept slipping his hand inside his vest.
Pay showed no particular reaction to it.
Is he cold?
Back at the monastery, whenever winter came, she had often tucked her hands under her clothes—against her armpits or waist—to warm her shivering body.
The carriage itself wasn’t cold, but since it was winter, perhaps Lucius had suddenly felt a chill.
Glancing over, she noticed his teeth worrying at the tender flesh inside his mouth, his jaw twitching here and there.
Unlike before, he seemed burdened by the trip to the palace. Was there any way she could help?
Just then—
“Here.”
“Yes?”
Lucius’s fidgeting hand slipped out of his vest and held something out to her.
It was a small glass bottle, shaped like a perfume vial.
“What is this?”
“Your face is completely pale from nerves.”
“It is?”
So he hadn’t been cold after all?
Lucius didn’t even look at Pay’s wide-eyed face as he pushed the bottle closer.
“If you get too nervous later, drink it when no one’s watching. It’ll calm you down and clear your head.”
Some kind of fatigue-recovery potion, maybe?
Pay had been studying diligently at the Magic Tower, but she wasn’t yet at the level of creating potions herself.
Someone as accomplished as Lucius could make them easily, of course.
Without overthinking it, she accepted the bottle happily.
“All right. Thank you, Lucius.”
The opaque yellow liquid inside bore a clearly engraved label.
Elixir
Pay never noticed the label, and Lucius, pleased that he had given it to her, abruptly turned his head toward the window.
Then he allowed himself a silent, full smile.
A short while later, the carriage reached its destination.
“Please summon the Drakan here and wait. Sir Cassel, the Knight Commander, will arrive shortly with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Understood.”
A knight with an utterly expressionless face spoke to Pay in a stiff tone. Lucius grumbled as he watched Momo rapidly grow in size.
“Honestly, those knights and their arrogant personalities are the real problem. They’ve always had a talent for making people uncomfortable—back then and now.”
Pay spoke quietly.
“Not the one I know.”
“…Huh?”
Who? Had he ever received a knighthood while enjoying some kind of game?
Pay’s rather friendly tone made Lucius waste time on pointless speculation before giving up.
Damn it, damn it, damn it! It’s not me!
It was obvious, so why did it feel so disappointing?
“Momo—no, Moitethra Banus. Don’t roar here as loudly as you like. Got it? If the sound echoes off the walls, people will be startled.”
Nod, nod.
Pay finished saddling Momo using the trick Lucius had taught her and smiled.
“Hehe, good boy. Well done.”
Soon after, knights came rushing in, followed by several carriages and a handful of mages dressed in the distinctive robes of the Imperial Palace. Security was tight because the Crown Prince himself was coming to see a Drakan.
Lucius openly complained, finding the whole display excessive and pointless.
“Tch. Even if Drakans are considered a low-intelligence species, do they really think a few mediocre soldiers can handle any sudden incidents?”
“Shh!”
“Humans trying to tame ferocious Drakans… Some delusions never change, no matter the era.”
“Lucius, your voice is too loud.”
Even Pay’s gentle scolding couldn’t soften Lucius’s arrogant attitude.
He had just criticized the knights for being arrogant, yet his own demeanor was far more overbearing than any of theirs.
“I don’t want you to get into trouble, but I wish they would understand. Some things simply can’t be done. If Drakans were easy to handle, breeding facilities would have existed long ago, don’t you think?”
“Oh, Lucius…”
Pay found it oddly amusing whenever Lucius’s words didn’t quite line up logically. She had never shown it in front of him, but honestly, she did.
It had been the same when he received the Crown Prince’s request to come to the palace. He had insisted it was fine if they went together, but the moment Pay said she would go alone, he had flown into a rage about setting foot in a place like the Imperial Palace.
Really, did danger decrease just because two people went instead of one?
He kept saying Drakans weren’t that impressive compared to dragons… yet here he was, still dissatisfied even though the empire’s finest elite had gathered in droves.
Whether he admitted it or not, he was acting like Momo’s true master. As expected of an elven mage! Hmm, maybe Lucius was actually on the level of an elven elder?
“Hehe.”
When Pay, lost in her wild imagination, covered her mouth and let out a small laugh, Lucius’s eyebrows relaxed slightly.
“Feeling less nervous?”
“Yes. I think I can do this.”
“Good. Oh, and did I mention? Unlike great dragons, Drakans have no use for their scales, claws, blood, or hearts.”
“Can Drakans be used as alchemy ingredients too?”
At Pay’s casual question, Lucius smirked.
“I just told you—no. Even if you try to harvest anything from the corpse, it’ll either crumble into dust or harden so much it can’t be processed. Remember that. The only time that brat Momo is useful is while he’s alive.”
“Krr… krr…”
At Lucius’s harsh words, Momo let out a whimper.
He had already been told not to roar loudly, so he kept it small, but to the knights nearby, it still sounded threatening.
One knight flinched and gripped his spear tightly, gritting his teeth.
“A Drakan…!”
“Calm down. That Drakan is unusually large, but Sir Cassel confirmed it himself. As long as the people around it act normally, it poses no threat.”
“Step aside.”
While the knights stirred uneasily, a dignified voice cut cleanly through the small commotion.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
“…We greet Your Highness the Crown Prince. Momo?”
“Kueee.”
Silas appeared, parting the wall of knights surrounding him. Pay quickly offered her greeting while gently guiding Momo to lower his head as they had practiced.
When the massive Drakan awkwardly mimicked a human bow, the Crown Prince looked impressed.
“Remarkable. I believed Sir Cassel’s words, but to actually see someone handling a living Drakan…”
“It is truly wondrous, Your Highness. You, the Drakan rider—how did you capture it? Does their habitat truly still exist separately?”
Ah… Oh no!
From behind the Crown Prince, the deep voice of the Klein Duke suddenly rang out. Pay’s face went pale.
She hadn’t expected to face him without any mental preparation. She had known this day would come eventually, but…
Fortunately, Cassel—who had received Pay’s related documents—stepped in and answered for her.
“Mage Pay is still young, so she had no involvement in capturing the Drakan. She received permission to borrow it for a set period from its original owner and claims to know nothing about it, nor does she intend to investigate further.”
“Is that so?”
“What matters is that this Drakan has been tamed to be docile, unlike the characteristics described in ancient texts.”
“Sir Cassel is correct, Your Grace. The important fact is that a Drakan rider exists in the Akadia Empire.”
The Crown Prince smoothly redirected the Duke’s question, much like Cassel had.
“Oh my, she really is a young lady. She looks delicate, yet she can handle a live Drakan even if someone else tamed it. Impressive.”
Pay had nearly had a heart attack at the Duke’s appearance, but she somehow managed to suppress her emotions.
After all, there had been no warning when she met Dot in the Acadia Hall either.
It was only natural that important figures of the empire would attend the Crown Prince’s personal visit to see the Drakan. She had been far too careless.
Still, I thought the Duke wouldn’t come because, unlike Sir Cassel, he’s no expert with swords. He never showed any interest in riding horses and always traveled by carriage, didn’t he?
She had been internally conflicted about whether the Duke was indifferent or simply hadn’t paid attention, but when she finally saw him again, a faint smile rested on his lips.
Even so, his eyes boldly swept over the Drakan’s imposing form.
Her resentment toward the Klein Duke remained unchanged.
Wasn’t he the very person who had taught her how exhausting a single word like “indifference” could be when directed at someone?
Let’s just not think about it.
Pay turned her head slightly to avoid meeting the Duke’s gaze, her expression cool.
Any relationship beyond a formal, businesslike one with him was absolutely out of the question.
Even if the Duke hadn’t done anything particularly bad to her in this life, she could never forget the pain from before. No matter how many tears fell from their eyes, she would not return.
“……”
While Pay maintained her silence, she felt someone’s piercing gaze.
It was Cassel.
His vivid red eyes, which usually showed only a gentle light toward her, were now sending the kindest words they could muster. It’s all right. You don’t have to be nervous—just stay calm.
Yes, I can do this. Practice like it’s the real thing, and treat the real thing like practice. If worst comes to worst, I can just give up everything and ask Lucius to take me to that place where I can study magic.
Pay had no idea that the place he spoke of was a dragon’s lair.