Chapter 338

Chapter 338

The full moon was bright.
The high altitude made the stars much more visible.
Docked at Adren’s docks, the non-processors rested with their wing sails folded.
“Phew, you’re finally done, thanks for the work.”
Varen wiped the sweat from his brow.
He had just finished checking in the students following immigration.
Adren’s immigration process took almost an hour.
There were a lot of people, and the examiners were very thorough.
An examiner in the form of a gray-haired old man opened his mouth.
“No problem, just don’t make too much noise.”
The White Dragon Vanartier, who had previously judged Ronan’s group.
He survived the final war and still guards the gates of Adren.
Varen patted himself on the chest.
“Don’t worry. If anything happens, I’ll take care of it.”
“Well, their descendants won’t get into trouble, I’m counting on it.”
Vanartier stammered.
The three men were Ronan, Asel, and Schlieffen.
He remembered vividly the day Adren was nearly destroyed.
Varen smiled when he heard the names of his disciples.
“Sure, I think so too—”
“Off, off, off!!! Help!”
Or, more accurately, a car that was trying to smile.
A thunderous scream erupted from the direction of the plaza where the students were gathered.
Varen’s mane twitched.
The horror in his voice was palpable.
A flash of golden light wrapped around his thighs in an instant.
“Wait, you—”
An auror of Varen that enhanced overall strength.
Vanartier had nothing to say.
His form disappeared with a loud crunch.
The distance, which had been over 500 meters, narrowed in the blink of an eye.
Boom!!!
Landing in front of the students, Varen snarled, “I’m sorry.
“Guys, what’s going on?!”
“Teacher, professor—back, back!”
Terrified students held out their index fingers.
Turning his head, Varen’s eyes widened to the point of bulging.
In the middle of a plaza surrounded by ornate buildings, a dragon with a body covered in steel stared down at the students gathered in the square.
“You are—.”
But it looked vaguely familiar.
A sleek body and man-made wings specialized for high-speed flight.
There was no hostility in her beautiful white-blue eyes.
Varen turned to face the dragon and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Haaaaaah–it’s you, Naransonia, I’m surprised.”
【I see you’ve come again this year, Varen. I just wanted to say hello, but I don’t think you’re making a big deal out of it.
“I’m fine, but the students are freaking out. It’s not every day that a normal person encounters a dragon, let alone one that lands right in front of them—.”
My heart sank.
The auror around Varen’s thigh subsided.
Almost immediately, the dragon’s body was engulfed in light and it disappeared.
Then a uniformed woman stepped out of the light.
Tinnitus is an empress of steel.
Naranthonia, the fastest dragon.
Her scaly, grayish-white hair whipped in the night breeze.
“That’s what I heard. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s my fault for not being upfront with my students.”
“Normally, I would have come in this form, but I had to be on guard for the flame bows. It’s such an important time.”
“What does He mean by critical times—?”
Varen scowled, but Naransonia shook her head.
It meant I couldn’t tell you.
Varen, who was quick on the uptake, didn’t complain.
“I understand. But what goes on inside the Flame Bowl is mostly classified.”
“Thank you. I’ll take your place, but I’ll show you around the Dragon City.”
“What? Well, until you need to—”
Varen reached out with an unexpected offer.
He was too much of a man to be a guide.
But Naransonia didn’t let him finish his sentence.
【Greetings. Mortals.】
“Profit?!”
【My name is Naransonia, I serve the Fire Mother and the Dragon King, and I will be your guide for the duration of your stay in Adren】.
Even in the voice of a dragon, not a human.
The frozen gazes of the students turned to her.
“I, Naransonia, am the dragon who fought in the last war?”
“Why would such a big man want us to—?”
The students were equally baffled.
It was like having a minister of a country acting as an usher.
Naransonia personally answered the question.
【Don’t feel pressured. It’s a simple favor. I’ve been too busy to show you around, but I have a soft spot for mortals from Phileon.
As if to prove her point, Naransonia’s mouth curved into a faint smile.
For those who had known her for a while, this would have been a surprise.
In fact, I couldn’t help but like it.
Adren and the Dragon King, and by extension, the people who saved the world, came from Pileon.
Naransonia said.
【All right, we’ve got your itinerary. First, you’ll be hungry, so we’ll head to Restaurant Alibrihe, where Ronan and the demon Orse, both from the same Pileon Academy as you, met. It was originally a small tavern, but after it was destroyed in the battle, it was converted into a restaurant. After eating, we’ll head to Asel Square—]
She gave me a detailed and friendly explanation of the main sightseeing routes in Adren.
Place de l’Acel, where Asel stopped his fall, and the memorial park where he fought the giant Duaru.
The quality of the guidance was so good that I wondered if this was a full-time job.
As the cordial attitude continued, the students’ wariness slowly dissipated.
At the end of the explanation, one of the students, unable to resist his curiosity, raised his hand and asked a question.
“Excuse me, Naransonia. May I ask you a question?”
[Of course].
“Thank you, is Mr. Navarrozze available on what day, because I’d really like to meet him.”
For a moment, Naransonia’s face hardened.
And it wasn’t just because of the question.
The girl’s face bore an uncanny resemblance to the wizard she knew.
She was silent for a moment, then spoke up.
【You. You are the daughter of the Archmage Asel].
“Oops, I got caught. Ehhhh, right.”
【Where did the time go——Unfortunately, it’s not possible to know the strings】.
“X?”
Sechika’s eyes widened.
Visiting the Mother of Fire in the Flame Palace was an annual school trip tradition and one of the things she looked forward to the most.
Suddenly, it’s not possible to string?
The students, with the exception of Sechika, began to stir.
Varen, who had hurriedly taken over the baton, spoke up.
“Alas, I apologize. I should have warned you—the Mother of Fire is unable to receive guests for personal reasons.”
“Well, does that mean I won’t see you at all, like, all week?”
“—Yes. I’m afraid we’ll have to wait for another time.”
“You can’t be—!”
Sechika sighed.
It was a blast.
I was in shock for a while.
I’m sorry. Your father owes Adren a great debt of gratitude].
“I, Naransonia, at some interval—.”
Sechika’s eyes widened.
Naransonia, who had been standing in the distance, was now at her side.
【I feel so much alike. Blood is a scary thing].
“Uh—do you know my dad well?”
[Aldamada, I was there when the Archmage stopped Adren’s fall, and I can’t believe he already has a daughter—how quickly human time passes].
Her hair down to the nape of her neck was the same color as Asel’s, a tulip-like red.
I could still see that day when I closed my eyes.
A dragon king gone mad, a giant’s spear that lit up the sky like a meteor shower.
A falling Adren and a young wizard, bleeding from every orifice in his face, reciting spells.
If it hadn’t been for Asel that day, the Dragon City would still be lying in the depths of the ocean.
I felt bad for treating her like this.
Naransonia patted Sechika’s head.
【Again, I apologize, and I’ll ask His Majesty the Dragon King for an audience if you’d like, though I’m not sure if he’ll have the time—.】
“Oh, no, you don’t have to do that, you really don’t have to bother.”
【Hoo-hoo, even the kind-hearted ones are alike, I hope they take nothing but good memories from Adren—Oh yes, Varen told me that Ronan’s child is here as well.
“Aha. What is it? Hold on a second.”
Sechika’s expression brightened.
In any case, it felt good to tangle with Lance.
I wasn’t planning on it, but should we go see the dragon king together?
She looked around for Lance and raised an eyebrow.
“What, where did he go?”
【What’s the problem?
“No, that was obviously just a moment ago—.”
Sechika’s eyes narrowed as she spoke.
A radar of mana unfolded, but in the end, Lance was nowhere to be found.
I was, until I got off the plane and was processed for immigration.
Then I realized I didn’t see my new friend Naro either.
“You don’t mean—?”
Only two people were missing.
For a moment, a tiny spark ignited in Sechika’s mind.
Lance has very strong tastes.
Then, out of nowhere, a beautiful transfer student shows up.
Naro’s physicality was, objectively speaking, very, very slightly better than his own.
Her answer, which came before I even asked, popped into my head.
– Don’t worry. I’m not interested in your boyfriend.
Along with the maxim that a strong negative is a positive.
Sechika bit her lower lip as she imagined the worst.
“—— eh, I guess not.”
****
“Are you sure this is the right place?”
“Sure. I told you it couldn’t happen here.”
Lance nodded.
Nabirozé followed him silently, despite her disapproval.
If Ronan says something drunk, it’s probably the truth.
I can only think of one anecdote where I asked him if he was in such good shape because he ate a lot of tropical fruits.
Lance looked around in admiration.
“By the way, that’s amazing—a sewer. I guess dragons are a different race after all.”
They were walking through the sewers of Adren.
The water smelled fishy.
A drainage ditch as wide as a canal ran down the center of the passage.
I had to speak almost in a whisper because even the slightest vocalization would cause an echo.
The passageway Ronan and Orse used to infiltrate the Sky Tower.
“Let’s take the invisibility potion ahead of time, just in case. I don’t think there will be any, but there could be patrols or homeless people.”
“Sure.”
It was a reasonable opinion.
They took out the invisibility potion they had packed and drank it.
The newness of the duo, which was slowly becoming meaningful, has completely disappeared.
We didn’t have any problems recognizing each other.
While not quite on par with Nabirozé, Lance was a man of great taste.
Nabiroze muttered in disbelief.
“I see you’re not nauseous at all, so you’ve prepared very well. I wish I could do the same for my class.”
“Ahaha… I’m so embarrassed.”
“The other two. You’re working hard enough.”
“Huh? How did you know that—?”
Lance scowled.
Realizing his mistake in hindsight, Nabirozze was silent.
I forgot that I was supposed to be playing a girl in a raw cotton field.
Damn, I’m going to have to fix this.
“—— My aunt often talks about you, and she says you’re the one student who’s showing some promise.”
“What? Really?!”
“Lower your voice.”
“Meh, I’m sorry, I was so happy I had to stop—that Nabiroze instructor actually praised me?”
Lance’s voice was full of excitement.
I couldn’t see him, but I could see his eyes twinkling like a puppy’s.
I didn’t expect him to be this happy, but maybe I’ve been too hard on him.
Nabiroze replied coolly.
“Yes. Complimented.”
“Oooh, I’m so happy for you. I honestly didn’t think I’d hear that until after I graduated. I thought he hated me.”
“Hate ——? That’s ridiculous, why would you think that?”
“Because I’m the son of the heroes Ronan and Adeshan—Master Nabirozé was their teacher. I don’t think he’d be impressed with me, no matter how hard I tried.”
Lance’s voice was a little hollow.
They were the proudest parents in the world, but that wasn’t always a good thing.
The stronger the light, the deeper the shadows.
After a moment’s pause, Nabirozze smirked.
“Ha, that’s ridiculous.”
“Huh?”
“Listen, Lance. Nabirozé didn’t give you the usual compliments because he didn’t want you to become arrogant. I was being deliberately understated just now, but I do think quite highly of you.”
“—me?”
“I’m out of words. Nabiroze-sama.”
Nabiroze pecked me on the lips.
Either way, acting is not for you.
“You are great in your own right, Lance. Ronan and Adeshan may be overmatched, but don’t let that deter you. If you keep up the way you’re going, you’ll reach their level, maybe even higher.”
“Kyo, did the instructor say that?”
“Yes. Don’t doubt yourself. I—no, Instructor Nabiroze has faith in you.”
“——Thanks. Me.”
Lance nodded.
I heard a subtle snort.
“I have to try harder. My instructor trusts me, and I don’t want to let him down.”
“Hmm. Of course. I’m going to tell you all about it.”
Nabiroze laughed.
I realized that I was glad to be young for this moment.
It’s a pain point I didn’t realize when I was an instructor.
It seemed like I needed to be a little more careful.
“But why do men love big boobs so much, they’re just a cumbersome mass of fat.”
“Well, that’s–that’s a profound story, do I really need to tell it here?”
“That’s it. There must be something I don’t know, because if it was just the size it is now, it wouldn’t be uncomfortable—.”
The two walked down the street, chatting about this and that.
The closer I got to the flame bow, the denser the mana became.
Eventually, we got to the point Lance was talking about.
“Wait.”
Suddenly, Nabiroze tugged on Lance’s hindquarters.
Lance froze in his tracks, his mouth on the verge of screaming.
“I’m surprised, what’s wrong?”
“There’s someone in front of me. It’s not one or two people.”
“What?”
Lance panicked.
It also seemed to have a vague sense of popularity.
Nabiroze’s gaze was fixed on the corner up ahead.
“—What a stroke of bad luck.”
Her lips twisted in concentration.
The unfamiliar voices were talking about Navardoze.
– Perfect. An emissary of the Empire.
– Even the mother of all fires is defenseless when it comes to escaping.
– The bombs are in order. Let’s go.
The problem was that, unlike in the non-fair, the topics of conversation were not pleasant.