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chapter 34
I had lingered near the dragon fragment, just brushing against it, and even though it was brief, my hand had definitely touched it.
“Was it okay because it was the scabbard…?”
My murmur, barely more than a mutter, was immediately answered by Yullen.
“I think it’s because your body absorbed my magic. Even the scabbard, being part of the sacred sword, shouldn’t be touched recklessly.”
“Oh…”
“The magic and divine power absorbed by you must have harmonized with the sacred sword I’m bound to, so there was no rejection.”
“Really?”
Judging by his words, it seemed I had absorbed a significant amount of his magic—but I didn’t feel it at all.
“Even if you absorbed my magic, it doesn’t seem to change much. Except for dreaming, that is.”
“Because the magic seeped into your soul, not your body. If it had gone into your body… well, it’s better it didn’t.”
“…Why’s that?”
“If it had, the sheer magic might have torn your body apart in an instant.”
Uh, wait—did this story just suddenly switch genres from a fantasy romance to horror…?
“Also, even though it’s small, it’s affecting your body a little. Ah, don’t make that face, it’s not a bad effect.”
Even as I felt the disturbing contrast between Yullen’s innocent expression and his terrifying words, I knew he was speaking the truth.
I quickly averted my gaze from Yullen’s pure golden eyes that casually spoke such unsettling things.
“Y-Yeah. That’s a relief. Anyway, we can’t stay here forever… we should get going.”
As soon as I mentioned leaving, Arban seemed to have been waiting for that cue. He immediately spoke:
“Princess, you should stay here with the dragon for a moment, and I’ll go upstairs first to send the knights away.”
Arban drew the sacred sword that had been strapped at his waist.
The sword, which had looked like an ornate ceremonial blade, now emanated a faint golden glow.
‘Wow… unnecessarily flashy.’
“Judging by how the sword resonates with the dragon, it seems the dragon is indeed bound to this sword. It will follow my will, so you needn’t worry, Princess.”
I wasn’t particularly worried to begin with.
‘If this creature were truly dangerous, I wouldn’t have been holding it in my arms like this.’
I nodded at Arban’s words, when Yullen stirred in my arms, lifted his neck, and shouted:
“It’s not a dragon—it’s Yullen! It’s Yullen!”
Yullen seemed upset that Arban hadn’t used his name, his voice full of indignation.
Arban calmly replied:
“…Alright, Yullen. Stay with the princess. And Princess, don’t come up too early—wait at least thirty minutes.”
He then sheathed the sacred sword and held it out toward me.
I instinctively reached for it, but he pulled it back at the last second.
I furrowed my brow.
‘Is he joking with me now?’
No matter how handsome, teasing like this is hard to tolerate.
Just as I was about to feel slightly annoyed, Arban’s next words made my irritation evaporate.
“It’s safe to hand the sword to the princess, right?”
“Yes. No rejection when it’s this close, so it’s fine.”
Confident in Yullen’s answer, Arban held the sword out toward me again.
“Will you take it upstairs, Princess? If I carry it, it’ll be hard to hide.”
True. The sword was long and ornate; even under a robe, it would be somewhat visible.
“Yes, this should be fine.”
I confidently answered and took the sword. I was a little surprised—it was much lighter than it appeared.
Even for a sword this long, the weight was so negligible that it felt more like a replica than a real weapon.
“This is surprisingly light.”
“Yes, but it’s dangerous, so don’t swing it recklessly.”
‘Did he read my mind…?’
I had planned to try swinging it once if Arban went ahead, but the comment made me pause.
I carefully strapped the sword to my waist and spoke.
“W-Who would recklessly swing a sword? Don’t worry, go ahead and go first. I’ll follow.”
Hearing the nervousness in my voice, Arban gave me a skeptical look.
I ignored him, fixing my gaze on Yullen, silently praying:
Please just go upstairs quickly.
“…Then I’ll go first.”
It seemed my wish worked—Arban muttered reluctantly and disappeared up the stairs.
Hearing his footsteps fade, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.
‘Oh no, I didn’t even say goodbye to the others!’
Panicked, I quickly spoke to Arban.
“Ah, Your Excellency! Please send my regards to Sir Adel and the others. I didn’t expect to part so suddenly, so I couldn’t say much.”
Most importantly, I regretted not saying farewell to Seirin. Even if we meet again, I wouldn’t see them for a while… it felt disappointing.
“Understood.”
Arban gave a short reply, glanced back at me, and then sprinted up the stairs like an arrow.
I ran after him with my eyes, marveling.
Wow, he runs so well, I felt embarrassed recalling how fast I ran down the mansion stairs before. Looking up now, the stairs seemed endless.
I shook my head and spoke to Yullen.
“When will we ever get up there…?”
“If you run like the master, it’ll be fast!”
“Sorry, but I’m not nearly as fit as you are, and even if I could run like that, I’d collapse halfway.”
Yullen blinked rapidly and lightly patted my arm with his tiny foot.
“You’re really weak. But that’s okay. The stronger the master, the stronger I am… once I regain my magic, I’d be really strong too.”
Yullen stared off wistfully as he added:
“If I had magic, I could polymorph to carry you, teleport straight up, or even use invisibility to sneak up with you…”
I gently rocked the small creature in my arms, like soothing a baby.
“You said you recover quickly when with me. Don’t worry about it.”
“But… I’ve never been this drained of magic. I don’t know how long recovery will take.”
“……”
“Even a little magic to use simple spells could speed up recovery…”
“Hm, fully depleted. But hey, we’re not asking for miracles, so it’s fine, right?”
“…It’s fine?”
“Yes. It’d be nice if you were powerful, but even if you’re not, it’s not a problem.”
Though keeping the dragon hidden was tricky, we could manage.
I tapped Yullen’s tail. He didn’t mind and looked up at me with his round eyes.
“Am I really okay even if I’m useless? I can’t even use divine power well enough to heal missing limbs.”
He was thinking in a way only a dragon might.
I didn’t plan on enduring hardships where my limbs could be torn off.
“Then don’t get yourself torn apart. Are we going to war? Not me, at least—I plan to live peacefully at home.”
Yullen stretched his neck and declared firmly:
“Riel is the master’s companion, so staying in the palace is fine. But I am the master’s sword—I have to fight with you!”
…Unbelievable.
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
Why did he even think Arban and I were a “pair”?
Arban was undeniably attractive, close to my ideal type, but that had nothing to do with this. We were nothing.
“This little guy is talking nonsense! Who’s whose companion? That’s not us.”
“But you get your heartbeat up whenever you see the master. Humans’ hearts beat faster when they like someone. You didn’t come here just to find me? Do you think I wouldn’t notice?”
Flapping his neatly folded wings, he insisted on his flawed logic.
“Hah…”
I was speechless. The tiny dragon was puffing himself up as if he knew everything. I really wanted to tap that silver snout.
But I had to restrain myself—he was a helpless little dragon in regression.
I forced a smile.
“Listen, Yullen. Human hearts can race for many reasons—doesn’t always mean love.”
“Ariel said that humans’ hearts race when they like someone!”
Yullen’s emotions flared and he pouted, eyes wide.
“Who’s Ariel?”
“The companion of Karsei, the Empress. Ariel told me, so it must be true.”
“I’m not saying it’s wrong. Ariel’s right, but hearts race for many reasons, not just love.”
How did I even end up explaining this? Yullen, despite being a dragon, seemed like a naive child.
‘And he’s probably older than Amon, yet talks more childishly.’
He seemed a little lacking in common sense.
I began listing reasons a human heart might race.
“So… your heart could race when you feel intense anger, tension, or fear. There are many reasons.”
Yullen tilted his head.
“Then why did my heart race when I saw the master?”
“That is…”
