Chapter 187: Encounter (1)
The message from Amaruah came early in the morning, even before the sun had fully risen into the sky.
To be precise, I had been awakened by the loud tapping of a small bird’s beak against my window—one that she seemed to have taken as her familiar.
― I don’t understand.
As I stepped outside, following the bird’s lead, it was Amaruah’s voice, thick with exhaustion, that greeted me first.
She sounded weary, swallowing her breath, offering only her doubts.
“Did something unusual happen?”
― Unusual? Yes, I suppose you could call it that.
The bird clicked its beak.
― Yes. Something is… wrong. Very wrong.
I quietly asked in response to her muttering.
“What do you mean, wrong? Could you explain more clearly?”
― I can’t get in touch with them.
The bird spoke.
― To be specific, there was a dragon who kept me informed about what was going on, including matters related to Menoruka’s lineage. I’d hoped to meet again and talk in more detail... but I haven’t been able to reach them at all.
“Are you saying they’re refusing contact?”
― No, I mean I literally can’t reach them.
Click.
There was a sound as the beak tapped again.
It sounded almost like a sigh.
“...Could it be.”
My eyes narrowed at her words.
― I know what you’re thinking, but he’s definitely part of Menoruka’s lineage.
As if she already knew what I was suspecting, Amaruah preemptively replied.
― I’ve known him for a long time, so I’m sure. But for some reason... he’s vanished, as if he’s evaporated into thin air.
“Are you unable to contact anyone else?”
― I hate to admit it, but I’m not exactly a social person, child.
Amaruah let out a soft laugh.
― So I don’t have many dragon acquaintances. Most of them don’t like me, you see.
“Uh, well...”
Caught off guard by her sudden confession, I had nothing to say.
At my reaction, Amaruah gave a scolding click of her beak.
― ...Don’t take it so seriously. If you react that sincerely to every little joke, it just makes things more awkward for the one joking.
Tilting her head, Amaruah continued.
― Anyway, my contact—conveniently enough—was of the same lineage as Menoruka. But now that he’s gone... I’ve had to gather bits and pieces from different sources, and things are starting to sound strange and contradictory. Above all...
Just then, the bird’s feathers gave a little tremble before settling again.
― ...Anyway, I need to look into it more thoroughly. Please pass this information along to that half-elf brat as well.
“You mean Professor Windy May?”
― Yes.
Amaruah tapped her beak again.
― I don’t want to speak face-to-face with that one, so tell her yourself. Also let her know this—something’s off, even among the dragons. Their stories don’t match. We need to approach this more cautiously.
“...Understood.”
I nodded, a bit reluctantly.
Honestly, it didn’t sound like such an urgent matter. Had she really needed to wake me up at dawn and drag me outside for this?
That’s what I was thinking when—
― And one more thing.
Amaruah’s voice wavered slightly as she added:
― Tell her that a dragon council has been convened. That part is certain. ...That alone should give her a sense of where things are heading.
“...”
I gave a silent nod.
I wasn’t particularly gifted at reading a bird’s expression, but somehow, I could tell that Amaruah wasn’t just acting out of obligation anymore.
― Anyway, let’s move on from that...
Changing the subject, she continued:
― It’s about that child.
“You mean Miss Menoruka?”
― Yes, her. Menoruka.
She sighed as she murmured Menoruka’s name.
― She’s desperate to see her prince—or husband, or whatever he is. She’s been frantic, though she hides it well on the surface.
Amaruah muttered:
― Thanks to that, I feel like some wicked dragon imprisoning a naïve princess from a fairy tale in a tower.
The bird gave a short flutter of its wings.
It looked almost like a gesture of protest.
― So if possible, bring that prince fellow here. Thankfully, she’s calm and composed, otherwise she might’ve smashed the library, flown over the academy skies, or even headed straight for the imperial palace by now.
I unconsciously shook my head at her words.
Whether it was a joke or not, it was not even remotely funny.
“That would be difficult. As I mentioned before, right now isn’t exactly a good time...”
I was just finishing my sentence when—
“Oh? Who do we have here?”
At the familiar, cheerful voice, I turned my head.
There stood Behad, the very person we’d just been talking about, walking up to us with his signature bright smile.
...As if he’d been waiting for me to come outside. What an incredible coincidence.
“Isn’t this Gwendil? What a surprise, running into you so early in the morning.”
He greeted me with his usual easygoing attitude, striding up.
“No need to stand.”
As I made to rise, he motioned for me to stay seated and plopped down beside me naturally.
“Something got you busy or bothered? You don’t look so great...”
Then, as if realizing something, Behad murmured softly.
Seemed he had just recalled yesterday’s events.
“...Well, I suppose that’s understandable.”
“...It’s nothing. Nothing happened.”
“Well, that’s a relief...”
He smiled awkwardly, looking apologetic.
“If you don’t mind, could I ask you a favor?”
He added right away.
“It’s about... well, could you help me meet someone named Menoruka?”
Faced with this suspiciously well-timed request, I found myself instinctively glancing upward.
Thus, Lian headed straight to the library with Behad.
“You're rarely alone today, Your Highness.”
Lian was the first to break the silence.
“Right. For some reason, everyone said they were busy today.”
Behad shrugged.
“I nearly ended up wandering the garden all alone—but luckily, I ran into you.”
He looked at Lian as if suddenly realizing something.
“Come to think of it, Gwendil, isn't it rare for you to be alone, too? You’re usually with Lady Everglenn or Allen.”
Lian offered an awkward smile at Behad’s words.
“I had something to take care of today.”
“Hm.”
Behad nodded.
“Now that I think of it, my second brother was terribly rude to Lady Everglenn, to you, and to others as well.”
He murmured with a hint of embarrassment.
“I apologize on his behalf. And I should mention, some of us—myself included—have taken steps, so he shouldn't cause any more trouble.”
His brows furrowed slightly as he spoke.
Lian replied as though it were nothing.
“It’s already in the past, so don’t worry. There’s no need to trouble yourself. Nothing really happened.”
“Well, if you say that, I appreciate it…”
Behad mumbled as if recalling something.
“...Now that I think about it, I’ve hung around Allen enough to become fairly friendly, but with you, Gwendil, aside from a few conversations early on, I don’t think we’ve really talked much.”
He added:
“Which is odd, considering we were even in the same group back then.”
Trying to ease the awkwardness, Behad said it half-jokingly.
Lian responded with just a faint smile.
“Hm.”
Just then, the space that had recently been occupied by protesters came into view.
Perhaps they felt it inappropriate to cause a fuss during the festival season, because the area now sat completely empty, as if nothing had ever happened.
Behad, staring silently at the spot, quietly spoke up.
“Mind if I just call you Lian?”
“Whatever’s comfortable for you.”
“Thanks. Then you can call me Behad, too.”
Behad grinned.
“Lian, what do you think about the integrated class? That whole thing the protesters were so worked up about.”
“Well… I don’t think the idea itself is a bad one.”
Lian answered without hesitation.
“Creating opportunities for people from different backgrounds to understand and interact with each other—there’s meaning in that. And it fits the Academy’s goals.”
“...I heard there’ll be exchange students, too.”
Behad added.
“From other races, apparently. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes.”
Lian nodded.
“We already have students from various races. I don’t think it’s that different. I actually think it’s a good thing. Of course, the Empire’s long-standing traditions are important, but I believe we should also be willing to accept change that aligns with the times.”
To that, Behad only gave a small nod, without a word.
But a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He looked pleased in a way that was hard to miss.
‘…If nothing else, when it comes to Behad, it’s not hard to guess what kind of answer he wants.’
His open nature was already well-known, so Lian gave him the kind of response he likely hoped to hear.
And since he genuinely agreed, it wasn’t a lie.
“More importantly—I forgot to ask earlier.”
After a moment, Behad spoke again.
This time, his voice was filled not with seriousness, but curiosity.
“That young lady named Menoruka… what kind of person is she?”
“I don’t know the details. We haven’t spent that much time together.”
Lian nodded as he answered.
“From what I saw, she’s very thoughtful and quiet. Extremely polite, too. And… it seems she still treasures a brief encounter from her childhood deeply. Just by the look in her eyes when she spoke of it, I could tell it wasn’t a made-up story.”
“Hm… I really don’t remember. If it was such a meaningful encounter, it’s hard to believe I’d forget it.”
Though he tilted his head in confusion, Behad’s expression carried a hint of anticipation.
“Well, I’ll know once I meet her.”
While they continued talking, the two of them arrived at the entrance of the library.
As they stepped inside, the familiar figure of Amaruah sitting in her usual spot spotted them and her eyes lit up with delight.
“Good morning, Miss Amaruah. Is Miss Menoruka in the back room, by any chance?”
When Lian asked, Amaruah nodded and silently gestured toward the inner room.
“Thank you.”
As Lian gave a small nod in thanks, Behad looked back and forth between Amaruah and Lian with a puzzled expression.
“You seem pretty close to her? ...Wait, did she know I was coming?”
“I’ve been in and out of the library often enough that we’re fairly familiar. And since Your Highness is someone she hasn’t seen before, and you came with me, she probably assumed you came to see Miss Menoruka.”
At Lian’s explanation, Behad nodded in understanding.
The two of them headed toward the inner room Amaruah had pointed out.
The old doorknob felt cool to the touch.
“...Excuse us.”
Lian carefully knocked on the door.
Then, with a creak, the door opened to reveal the room inside.
“…”
Sitting upright at a small desk, dressed neatly, was Menoruka—pretending to read a book.
No, to be precise, she was only pretending.
Lian could easily tell, with her subtly anxious movements and the way the tips of her ears had turned red.
“Ah.”
As the door opened, Menoruka slowly raised her head.
And the moment she spotted Behad standing behind Lian—
“Ah…!”
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Like someone encountering a figure she had only dreamed of in long-forgotten dreams, she shot to her feet.
“I, I…!”
At that instant—
The moment he saw Menoruka, Behad’s eyes also opened wide in shock.
The color drained from his face instantly.
As if he had just seen something utterly incomprehensible.
“Uh…”
Behad instinctively stumbled backward and slammed the door shut.
“…Huh?”
Left standing alone, Lian stared blankly at the closed door.