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Chapter 60
Is That a Dragon?
‘Seriously, why does he keep doing that?’
I puffed out my cheeks and glared daggers at the back of the man standing a short distance away.
At the Marquis of Bowser’s estate, all four knight orders had gathered. Up on the high platform, the knight commanders were standing together, exchanging words.
And of course, the one I was glaring at was him—Cedar.
A face as sharply sculpted as polished yew wood, a deep navy uniform that perfectly suited someone from the Azure Dragon Order.
He looked even more dignified than usual, his black hair slicked neatly back instead of the usual disheveled look.
But none of that impressed me. I pursed my lips and grumbled inwardly.
‘Seriously. If he’s going to ignore me, he could at least stop looking my way! Why does he keep glancing over and then avoiding eye contact like I did something wrong? What, am I a criminal now because I hugged Grisha like the little brother he is? Grisha didn’t even care!’
If you’ve got something to say, just say it! Stop brushing past me like I don’t exist!
As I fumed to myself, one of the knights nearby smiled cheerfully and struck up a conversation.
“Feeling bored, Mage?”
“Huh? Oh—no, not at all.”
“It’s just, you’ve been staring holes into the commander’s back for a while now. Thought you were itching to go inside.”
“Haha…”
Apparently, I’d been glaring harder than I thought. Embarrassed, I scratched my cheek.
‘I thought my hood would hide it!’
But if even they noticed, then of course that overly sensitive man did too!
‘Wait—so he knows I’m staring and he’s still ignoring me?!’
That made me even madder.
I glared at Cedar’s back again. The knight who’d first spoken to me chuckled, and another one piped up teasingly.
“She’s staring because the commander’s too handsome. You really can’t tell?”
“…”
Well—technically he was handsome. My face burned as I cupped my cheeks with both hands and ducked my head.
‘T-That’s not my fault. It’s a universal rule—men look at least four times more attractive in uniform!’
Why did he have to be a knight commander of all things?
Muttering petty complaints in my head, I turned my back completely, afraid that if I didn’t, I’d just keep staring at him.
The knights snickered at my reaction, and one leaned closer, whispering while pointing to the right.
“The White Tiger Order seems very interested in you, Mage. They keep sneaking glances this way.”
I blinked, startled. I’d been too focused on Cedar to notice anyone looking at me.
“Wh-Why me?”
“Well, among the four orders, only the White Tiger Order has an official mage—not a temporary assignment. Now that our Azure Dragon Order has two, they’re bound to be on edge.”
“I-I see.”
When I sneaked a glance that way, an older mage holding a staff was staring straight at me.
I quickly pulled my hood down lower and bit my lip. I didn’t want any attention—not when I was supposed to stay quietly under the radar until my inheritance came through.
While the White Tiger Order was watching us warily, the Azure Dragon knights looked oddly proud, almost smug.
Like they were saying, “See? We’ve got mages too!”
I tilted my head.
‘Does that kind of pride contest even matter? It’s not like their power depends on how many mages they have.’
In the end, a knight order’s strength came from its members—not from titles or reputation.
And none of the commanders here could match the intensity of Cedar’s mana.
I broke my vow not to look at him again and peeked up at the platform.
All four commanders radiated power, but Cedar’s presence was the only one that distorted the air itself.
‘They say all four commanders are Sword Masters, but even among them, their power levels aren’t equal.’
Of course. Not all mages can use the same tier of spells either.
‘Just because something sparkles doesn’t mean it’s a star.’
Even without saying much, Cedar stood straight and tall, his very posture radiating presence—like a sun that didn’t need to shine to be bright.
‘Ugh, now I’m proud too.’
Before I knew it, I was smiling to myself, feeling oddly pleased—just like the other knights from his order.
When the oldest commander, from the White Tiger Order, finished his speech, the knights tugged gently at my sleeve.
“Let’s go to our area now. The tents should be ready.”
Since not everyone could stay in the Marquis’s castle, each order had set up camp in separate sections.
They were all veterans of subjugation missions, so the setup had gone smoothly.
One of the smaller tents was mine.
The knight who’d set it up bowed politely.
“We’ve never had a lady among us before. Please forgive any shortcomings.”
Oddly enough, the longer I stayed, the more formal they became toward me.
After years of being treated like a servant by academy professors, this level of courtesy was… overwhelming. I waved my hands quickly.
“Oh, please, don’t worry! Just pretend I’m not even here.”
“That won’t do, Mage. If anything’s uncomfortable, let us know right away.”
We went back and forth like that until Grisha’s calm voice cut through.
“I’ll take care of her, so don’t worry too much.”
“Grisha!”
He’d slipped up behind me while I was talking. Smiling gently, he nudged me toward the tent.
“Go on in. A female mage draws a lot of attention. That could be trouble.”
“Yeah, okay.”
I wasn’t about to risk anything now—not when only a few weeks remained before my inheritance. I ducked into the tent obediently.
It was small but clean, warm, and windproof.
The straw-filled cot was surprisingly soft, clearly made with care.
I sat down and rolled my shoulders.
“With this many people around, are monsters really going to show up? Seems weird.”
“They usually wouldn’t, but it’s breeding season. Even beasts get aggressive then, right?”
“I guess… I’ve never even had a pet, so I wouldn’t know.”
Could someone like me—who didn’t even understand animals—really observe monsters properly? The thought worried me.
‘I read all the books I could, but maybe I should review them again.’
I checked my bag—paper, pen, mana stones, everything in order.
As I organized my things, a knight poked his head in. His target wasn’t me, but Grisha.
“Um, Mage—could you take a look at my mana circuit?”
Grisha turned to me instinctively, but I waved my hand.
“Go ahead.”
“Stay inside the tent, okay?”
“Don’t worry.”
He hesitated, like he was leaving a child alone for the first time, but finally went with the knight.
Through the opening flap, I saw a line of knights waiting for him.
‘That’ll take a while.’
I grinned.
‘He told me to stay put, but there’s no way I’m just sitting here!’
I jumped to my feet, pulled my hood deep over my face, and slipped outside.
Spotting a familiar knight, I stopped him.
“Excuse me, where’s Cedar’s tent?”
My goal: Cedar Grenit.
After all that awkward avoidance earlier, I was not letting it slide. I was going to get an explanation.
To my surprise, the knight smiled brightly and pointed.
“Oh, the commander’s tent is the one with the flag.”
“Thanks!”
If this had been a real battlefield, no commander would advertise his location like that—but since we were fighting monsters, not men, the Azure Dragon banner stood tall and obvious.
Even I, a hopeless direction idiot, couldn’t miss it.
Cheerfully nodding at passing knights, I strode right into Cedar’s tent.
It was slightly larger than mine but otherwise empty.
‘He’s not here. Well, he’s probably in a meeting before the sortie.’
A small cot sat tightly against a folding partition used for changing.
I plopped down on it, and his image from earlier flashed through my mind.
‘So… does he really fight in that uniform? It looks great, sure, but it must be uncomfortable.
Not that a Sword Master would care about that. Still—fighting monsters dressed like that has to be risky.’
But man, that uniform fit him perfectly. His chest looked like it could burst through at any moment—
“Hey.”
A deep voice cut through my thoughts.
I froze. That voice shouldn’t be behind me.
I turned, eyes wide—just as Cedar stepped out from behind the partition.
“Hand me my—wait—”
“Ah!”
And my brain stopped working. Because—
He was completely naked.
‘Oh. Oh, he was changing clothes.’
Of course. He couldn’t very well fight in uniform. But still—
‘Did he really have to come out with absolutely nothing on?!’
My eyes went round as saucers. Instinctively, I lowered my head—
—but it was too late. My gaze had already… seen things. Things that were unmistakably different between men and women.
“…A dragon.”
“What?”
“You’re a dragon, right?”
A beat later, realization hit Cedar. His face turned scarlet as he shouted, voice cracking.
“Stop saying weird things and close your eyes!”
