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Chapter 11
When we arrived in Becket, the sun had not yet set. It was a quiet town, rarely visited except by groups like Amot passing through for the Chental Academic Conference. Normally, travelers would head straight to Ardan, the neighboring city that was twice the size of Becket. Ardan, near the Indan Mountains, was also a decent place for educational purposes—I had even been there for a medical forum before.
The Tes Nigella dragons were sent to the only dragon enclosure in Becket, used by the elderly Ina Delaf under the Becket lord’s care. Our group washed away the fatigue of travel at the largest inn. Amot, being under the king’s patronage, had a generous budget, so the assigned rooms were comfortable. As for me, I stayed at the lord’s castle with the royal knights and the Wailer knights, taking care of the Tes Nigellas.
After unpacking and taking a bath in the guest room, I realized just how tired I was. Yet I still felt I had enough stamina to keep going, which was oddly reassuring. Perhaps I was naturally resilient to sleeping away from home? Not really, though.
Baron Myler, the Lord of Becket, grew nervous at the arrival of distinguished guests and hosted a proper dinner. His family, like him, were rather short, and seeing them huddled together so snugly felt heartwarming.
During the meal, professors, Wailer knights, and doctors from the Chental group were quietly entertained. I, dealing with the renewed morning sickness, ate lightly and finished the meal as discreetly as possible. I filled the rest of my stomach with the blueberry panna cotta for dessert. Raiden had been watching me eat since I struggled with my meal, and I reassured him I was fine while taking a walk toward the enclosure to soothe my bloated stomach.
“Kyaak! Kekke!”
Tes Nigella Dolcetto called out to me first. Ina Delaf, lounging on a large red cushion, peeked one eye open to look at me. I could feel the slight change in her coloring—the once-bright yellow body now appearing almost white, showing signs of age.
The students, not invited to dinner, had finished early and were tending to the elderly Ina Delaf when they noticed me.
“Welcome, Professor!”
“Did you have a good meal?”
“Working hard at this late hour, I see.”
Since women were rare at the knight academy, the students often felt awkward around me. Damian Shore was an exception. As I approached, they politely stepped aside toward the Tes Nigellas.
Tes Nigella Dolcetto and Campanula whispered among themselves, seemingly ignoring whether the students approached. Their little chuckles suggested they were already storing treats for tomorrow—likely hoping for more rabbit snacks. Clever little things… but at least they didn’t seem overly stressed, so I counted that as a relief.
Ina Delaf was relatively gentle, raised for the education of prospective dragon caretakers. I had only studied her theoretically in basic magic classes, learning about mana-reactive monsters, yet I prided myself on knowing dragons better than most people.
Having stayed up late the previous night, I watched the students tending the drowsy Tes Nigellas’ scales and then sat before Ina Delaf.
Ina Delaf remained silent and still, regardless of who approached. When I brought over a backless chair used by the caretakers and sat down, she lifted her massive body and gave up her cushion. The giant, plush mat had been compressed under her weight. I was startled, and the students whispered in surprise, asking if I had just taken the old dragon’s cushion. No, you guys…
“Thanks, but just lie down. The children might misunderstand.”
Ina Delaf lay back down. As I stroked her head, she purred in contentment and even licked my forearm. The dragon’s purr was like a cat’s—it meant she was being very friendly. I still wasn’t fully used to the sudden whims of dragons; the ones I’d met before hadn’t behaved like this.
I remembered when I was seven, a royal mail dragon had found me playing in the garden and bitten my skirt. It happened while the caretaker delivered letters inside. Raiden, napping at the time, had awakened to my screams and wildly struck the dragon’s neck with a wooden sword. Raiden had been a good boy ever since. Naturally, my thoughts drifted to him again.
“I’ll be your father. I’m confident that, besides me, no one else has been with you. Ah, this is such a concern.”
I trusted that Raiden wouldn’t do anything bad while I slept. He hadn’t explicitly said he had slept with me, but he so confidently offered to be a father… What kind of man says something like that? It was unsettling to imagine if, while I was unaware, some man had done something awful to me. And yet, Raiden said it even with the risk of me suspecting him during my pregnancy. He must be the ultimate pushover… So, Raiden is probably the culprit?
“Guess you only know for sure after it happens.”
The suspect wasn’t the only issue; the timing and length of my pregnancy also seemed suspicious. Strange things had happened. My head felt dizzy from thinking too much, so I decided to focus on my health and postpone other worries until after the Chental conference. If Raiden knew something, he would tell me in time. Thinking back, when I first mentioned my pregnancy, Raiden didn’t look surprised—he seemed more like he was suppressing anger.
Ina Delaf purred and licked my belly. Startled, I stepped back and tripped over the chair, falling backward.
“Eliel!”
Raiden caught me. My heart raced as I felt his warmth envelop me. He had often held me like a doll, but today, perhaps because I was conscious of him, his breath and strong chest felt more intense. And especially… my backside pressed against his…
“He didn’t mean any harm. He was just being playful.”
“I know. I watched you on the way here. That’s why I didn’t intervene.”
“Oh…”
“Shall we go inside? It’s cold.”
Raiden helped me up from my awkward position. The students, who had been grooming the Tes Nigellas’ scales, had already gone inside. I glanced at the fully darkened sky and nodded. Raiden comforted Ina Delaf, who seemed more startled than I was, and we went inside.
The first day’s peaceful travel continued smoothly. Even my health, which I had worried about, remained stable—likely thanks to the two dragons. The Tes Nigellas would kill any monsters they saw while flying, providing the students with practical experience before the competition.
The first injury occurred in a forest two days before reaching Chental, near the Belpeper border. Rain had poured since the previous day. The dragons wore special raincoats to prevent catching colds. Thick clouds darkened the sky quickly, so we decided to prepare for an early overnight stay. We found a flat spot with no water accumulation, set up tents for a base camp, and I shivered, layering my clothes while checking medicines and medical tools with Teacher Ren to protect them from moisture.
“It seems like a thunderstorm.”
Outside the carriage, a growling sound echoed. I looked out, but no lightning struck. Then I realized the sound I thought was thunder wasn’t thunder.
“This isn’t thunder… it’s a dragon. They’re fighting.”
I immediately called Raiden. If wild dragons were nearby, especially angry ones, we were in serious danger. Fortunately, Raiden seemed to have guessed the situation. He ran to the group leader to calm the Tes Nigellas, but before that, a tree near our tent fell. Two stocky trees, each as big as a dragon, toppled and collapsed the tent. Through the cleared area, I saw massive wing scales.
A black body, comparatively short wings, and a long tail sweeping the wet ground—it was an Odeltto, a native dragon of the Belpeper Empire. Rare but strong, just like the Ina Delaf of the Ginger Kingdom. Raising one boosted national power. The “thunder” I heard earlier was the sound of armor-like scales clashing. That meant another dragon was likely nearby.
Mercenaries quickly rescued people from the collapsed tent. Thanks to sturdy support, no one was seriously injured. I took the students to a tent designated as a temporary infirmary with Teacher Ren.
One Odeltto, showing a hard blue belly plate, landed beside the collapsed tent with a half-torn raincoat on its back. The Tes Nigellas growled but were restrained by caretakers and students. Raiden struck the wild Odeltto’s neck with his sheath before it could cause more chaos. The dragon collapsed, whether dead or unconscious.
“Helenium! Stop it!”
Helenium, the Odeltto, stomped in frustration, scratching the muddy ground with its claws. While I treated five students’ injuries and gave medicine, I saw what seemed to be the Odeltto’s caretaker approaching Raiden.
After a quick break, I dried off with a towel from a servant. The caretaker group arrived, roughly equal in number to us. Morgan, the head of Niftalen, was talking with the other school’s caretaker. I asked about the students’ condition and reassured them they would recover within a week, although there might be lingering effects. The caretaker was amazed that such injuries could heal in a week.
While the heads discussed compensation, I watched as the collapsed tent was cleared and new tents were set up for the increased number of people. The cart had a flag depicting Belpeper’s golden dragon—indicating it was not just passing Chental students but from the Belpeper Empire school.
“Eliel, are you okay?”
Raiden held my icy hands, warming them with his. My body temperature must have dropped significantly, because his hands felt hot against mine.
