🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 9
“Are you sure you didn’t drink?”
“I told you, I didn’t. Can’t you see any stains on my skirt?”
Raiden sighed as he looked at my skirt. He seemed visibly relieved.
“Then don’t ever drink again.”
“It’s already mandatory, anyway.”
“Even after the mandatory ban is over.”
“Y-yes, yes.”
Normally, I would have immediately gone home in Raiden’s arms, but given my current condition, I rode the carriage, even though it was a short distance. Fortunately, the coachman took the payment without checking Raiden’s face. Otherwise, seeing my obviously reddened eyes, he might have gathered everyone at the carriage station.
Once I arrived at my comfortable home, I washed up and changed clothes. The smell of food was gone, but the scent of alcohol lingered on my skin, as if it had been absorbed. Raiden was inspecting the pregnancy test device I had carelessly left on the desk.
“I’m in trouble.”
“Chental Academic Conference?”
“Oh, you mean the reason I went to the school earlier?”
I let out a long sigh as I sat on the bed. The worries I had forgotten clung to my shoulders, whining as if asking why I had abandoned them.
“It’s because of that… His Majesty seems incredibly eager about the competition. Everyone knows Rotten Crombel is the Dream Dragon. Though it’s a hybrid with Krypton Diamond… he’s already insisting that a nursery for the hatchlings must be prepared.”
Now I understood why the professors, especially the dragon caretakers, looked so worried. Suddenly, I remembered the little curses my father muttered after returning from the palace. That old man… so fussy. He was famous for overreacting, often joking, “Sounds like they think it’s snack time for Stock!”—Stock being our family dog.
“They say not to expect too much, but who would believe that? Especially after bringing up the nursery. Anyway, today, by royal command, they suddenly ordered that I be included in Chental’s party.”
“…No way.”
“To prevent the precious dragon egg from being stolen.”
At this point, it almost felt like failing to win would result in exile.
“You don’t need to worry. Even if we don’t win, they won’t kick us out. The queen knows this is a tall order.”
A week passed in no time. And in that time, the king’s excitement had spread like wildfire. Everyone seemed weighed down by responsibility; no one looked happy.
Once everyone attending the Chental Academic Conference had gathered, the group was enormous. Five students from Amot’s Knight Studies department, two professors from the same, three Dragon Knight students, four caretakers, and three servants. Two physicians and one veterinarian. Twenty people from Nifthalen School participating in the literature division. Even though our duty was to protect the dragon egg, three knights from Litten Wyler and Heim Wyler and their servants were essentially the luxurious escort. There was even a mercenary group for protecting the valuable students.
There were five carriages for transport. Two medium-sized Tes Nigella dragons, each about 20 meters long, plus the feed for the dragons, made for an enormous logistical operation. If our party, which wasn’t even a winning candidate, was this large, the major powers must be even bigger. Now I could imagine how large the city of Chental in Belpeffer must be.
Among the Amot students preparing to depart, I only recognized Damian Shore and his friend (I still didn’t know the name of the friend). Most students from the 3rd Dorm rarely got injured, and those who were skilled rarely had accidents, which explained why I hadn’t been needed for medical attention. The professors were familiar due to previous gatherings, and in the past few days, thanks to Gold Schuman Maranelli, I had visited the 2nd Dorm frequently, so I was also on friendly terms with the caretakers. The caretakers were moving the Tes Nigella dragons with the Dragon Knight students. To maintain pace, the dragons would fly for some distance and walk for some.
I had already loaded my belongings and was walking around the bustling carriages when I spotted Raiden. He was using a magical tool to change his hair and eye color, probably to conceal his identity as the deputy commander of Litten Wyler. He even seemed to have cast a confusion spell on his face, so at a glance, it looked like someone else entirely. In any case, Raiden’s choice was excellent. Chental would gather skilled knight candidates from all over the world, and if they realized that the youngest transcendent, Raiden, was among them, chaos would surely ensue.
“Raiden.”
“Ah, Eleri.”
The accompanying knight I knew was Sir Roche. During travel, he seemed to plan to oversee the students’ swordsmanship whenever he had free time. The Heim Wyler knight was someone I didn’t know, and Raiden introduced him as one of Dezanev’s assigned caretakers. Sir Asha was accompanying to ensure the Rotten Crombel egg was transported safely, though he remarked that it was better to attend to Dezanev’s whims than waste time, implying he, too, was skeptical about winning.
“There are so many people; I wonder if just two physicians will manage.”
At least I only needed to stay in the carriage. Raiden, still uneasy, started nagging me to report immediately if anything felt wrong. Sir Roche alternated between looking at Raiden incredulously for being correct and glancing at me quietly listening.
A sharp dragon cry sounded nearby. The Nifthalen party peeked nervously at the dragons. Sir Asha went in that direction to assist, and Mr. Ren, who had been talking with the Amot professors, approached. Raiden recognized him immediately. Surprisingly, Mr. Ren recognized Raiden as well.
“Nice to meet you, Raiden… Hale.”
“Ah, of course. You must be him. Pleasure to meet you, Sir Hale. I’m Haram Ren. I had suspected, but you’re a knight of Litten Wyler.”
“I’ll be accompanying you on this schedule. I look forward to working with you.”
“I should be the one saying that.”
Mr. Ren ran off to move some cargo after being called, and I relaxed my own tension. I subtly unbuttoned my thick coat, chosen carefully, in case anyone noticed. Although a week had passed quickly, it had been an exhausting week for me, with hardly any sleep. The question of whose child I was carrying haunted my mind continuously. And after the child is born? What will I do?
By nature, I’m optimistic and know when to give up once things are hopeless. Otherwise, I don’t even want to imagine how I would have survived. Not that I hadn’t carefully reviewed the past four months in my journal.
One reason I managed was that, after much thought, I concluded Raiden was the father, which at least gave me peace of mind. Moreover, Raiden never gave a clear answer when I asked whether we had slept together, leaving the matter ambiguous. Damian Shore, who lingered around me strangely, was suspicious too, but his alibi checked out: he had gone to the Tes region for training during the estimated period. I decided his presence near me was just my imagination of his cuteness.
I didn’t welcome this Chental schedule, but I thought there might be some benefit: I could test Raiden. Normally, due to work schedules, we barely had time together, but during travel, we’d be forced to stay close, creating opportunities. And with Raiden using the alias Hale, staying nearby wouldn’t spark gossip. I was slightly concerned about Sir Roche and Sir Asha’s gazes, but I decided to rely on the nannies’ rumors within the knight corps.
“Professor Hale, please come here for a moment.”
Caretaker Professor Hachiner called me with a troubled smile. Behind the last carriage were two dragons exhaling menacing breaths. The dark green dragon, slightly under 20 meters long, had black scales along its body, jutting like broad desert cacti. Saddling and riding it seemed nearly impossible. Well, certain dragon species are unrideable depending on size and appearance.
The Nifthalen party observing from a distance whispered among themselves, curious about me, wearing the white feather brooch of a physician, rather than a veterinarian.
It seemed Chamber Jewelry and Gold Schuman’s whims had been a hot topic at Heim Wyler, as Sir Asha looked at me and the Tes Nigella alternately with a peculiar gaze. Raiden, ignoring rumors, was displeased that I, unqualified as a caretaker and lacking safety equipment, would approach the angry dragons.
Defying Raiden’s concern, the Tes Nigella pair greeted me with cheerful sounds (at least to my ears), rubbing their noses against my outstretched palm. I could roughly guess why and asked:
“Do they… throw a fuss about food?”
“Not usually. They eat everything without even shedding fur.”
“They seem hungry now. I thought they had eaten enough before departure.”
“Oh… these guys!”
Professors Hachiner and Reed immediately tried to open the dragons’ mouths. Their cheeks were unusually plump, which I thought was normal.
“These little guys stored meat in their cheek pouches for the trip!”
“No wonder they whispered late into the night instead of sleeping.”
“I wondered why they ate faster than usual today. Don’t starve, you little monsters!”
The dragons only started eating the meat from their cheek pouches after the caretakers gave them two live rabbits as snacks, grumbling all the while.
After much preparation, we were finally ready to depart. The Amot and Nifthalen parties exchanged brief greetings but didn’t seem eager to become close. Only the two physicians—myself and Professor Ren—greeted the Nifthalen supervising professors.
Morgan, the chief Nifthalen professor, expressed disappointment at my unwell appearance, joking insincerely that he hoped my condition wouldn’t interfere with the schedule. He was blunt and rude, which annoyed me. I had stayed awake worried, but still exercised and ate healthily to ensure I wouldn’t disrupt the journey. Professor Ren almost expressed his anger on my behalf, but I stopped him.
I boarded the carriage, comforted by Professor Ren. My assigned carriage was quite cozy. Cushions were added to the seats so it could double as a makeshift infirmary if necessary. At night, I would have the carriage to myself, and though it was full of luggage, it seemed manageable.
I had bought and diligently taken an expensive miscarriage-prevention drug that cost half my monthly salary. Progress! Now I just needed to minimize stress and avoid overexertion.
As I inspected every corner of the carriage, Raiden came by, leaning through the open window to check on me.
