After meeting Andel and Paul, Naro confessed the sincerity he had been silently thinking about alone. Even a young child knew that conversation was the shortcut to reconciliation. So continuing to avoid each other awkwardly like this wasn’t going to solve anything.
“I’ve been spending incredibly fulfilling and happy days since meeting Ray. I don’t think I’ve been in danger because of you. And that will continue to be the case in the future.”
Ray, who heard Naro’s words, stood there dazed for a moment. His eyes blinked slowly as he gazed into space, fumbling through his mind for a while.
‘I think that Ray-ssi thinking he should leave for Naro-ssi’s sake was actually another feeling that couldn’t be expressed any other way.’
Jerian’s words that he had heard earlier suddenly came to mind. He still found it difficult to fully understand what those words meant, but because of what Naro had just said, the stuffiness that had been pressing down on his insides completely disappeared.
Ray slowly opened his mouth.
“I think I probably wanted to hear those words.”
“Hm?”
“The words that Naro wouldn’t hate me.”
Ray held Naro’s clasped hand tightly. Only then did he finally realize. Why he had arrived at the conclusion of leaving Naro. It wasn’t because he truly had the intention to leave. He had been afraid that someday Naro would turn his back on him.
That so many dangerous things happen because of you, that I hate you. He had been afraid of hearing such words and being turned away. Enough to think that if he was going to hear such words from Naro, wouldn’t it be better to just leave on his own?
“Naro, actually I didn’t want to leave either.”
Naro’s face brightened in an instant.
“But I still think that danger comes to Naro because I’m here.”
“That’s…”
“So I’ll protect you no matter what happens.”
Naro, who had been worried that the conversation would go in circles again, shut his mouth tightly. A different answer from before that Ray had given. Not the words that he would leave, but the story that he would protect him—his heart vibrated irregularly.
“Yeah, then I’ll protect you too. No matter what happens.”
“I’m strong. You don’t really need to protect me.”
“But when you’re a dragon, you’re still a baby.”
Ray fell silent as if he had nothing to say. At his transparent reaction, Naro burst into quiet laughter. Then the box in Ray’s hand caught his eye.
“What’s that?”
“I bought it at the bakery. The name is cake.”
Naro peered inside the box. The pure white cream wrapping the fluffy sheets looked appetizing, and the fruits decorating the top were showing off their fresh appearance. Naro knew that Ron’s shop sold cakes. But there was no one to eat that big cake with, and it was also a food that wasn’t suitable for long-term storage, so even though he wanted to buy it every time, he had hesitated.
“Did you buy this, Ray?”
“Yeah, to give to Naro. They say eating sweet things makes gloomy moods better.”
His gloomy mood had just been completely resolved. But still, seeing the cake Ray gave him made him so happy.
“Then let’s eat this together. There’s a lot, so I can’t eat it alone.”
“Yeah, then after we finish eating this, I’m going to give you all the morning greetings I missed too.”
“M-missed morning greetings?”
Naro walked side by side with Ray toward home.
“My head’s been complicated recently, so I couldn’t give morning greetings. So I have to give you all the ones I missed.”
Ray headed home energetically with an expression filled with firm determination, saying he would definitely do that. Naro scratched his reddened nape while worrying about how he should overcome this crisis again.
* * *
Peaceful days had continued lately. The medicine shop business was going smoothly and life was enjoyable. He had made up with Ray and they no longer fought over the same thing.
Ray had said that danger came because he was by his side, but making a mockery of having said that, really nothing had happened recently.
“I wish days like this would continue.”
Naro muttered while looking up at the sky that was particularly clear today. Clear weather without a single cloud. A refreshing breeze blowing pleasantly. The weather was truly perfect.
“Naro. Let’s go.”
At that moment, Ray, who had finished preparing, came outside.
“Yeah.”
The two had plans to go to Hines Village, the village right next door, today. It was to make a direct delivery for an order that had come in from there.
“Really? Teacher Jerian is going back to the capital soon.”
“Yeah, that’s what he said.”
Walking through the forest connected to the neighboring village, Naro and Ray chatted away.
“But Naro. What’s the capital?”
“Ah, it’s a term that means the region that’s the center and core of this country.”
The capital of the Erwin Empire, Lupel. Also called ‘Central’ for convenience, it was the region where the imperial palace where the Emperor stayed was located. Befitting a capital, it was the most prosperous place in the Empire, and it wouldn’t be wrong to see it as a place where not only the notable noble houses gathered, but also various cultures and commerce converged.
It was such a large place that it couldn’t even be compared to a small village like Rodelus, which was located in the western region based on the capital. After Naro had first dimension-traveled to this world, he had set foot in the capital exactly once.
At that time, he had been looking for a place to settle down and live, but he had given up quickly because it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to survive in Lupel.
While explaining about the capital, they arrived at Hines Village before they knew it. But somehow the inside of Hines Village square looked a bit disorderly. Even when they were leaving to return to Rodelus Village after delivering the items to the house that had ordered the medicinal herbs, the commotion hadn’t disappeared.
Did something happen in Hines Village? Just as he was thinking it wasn’t a big deal while passing through Rodelus Village square, Naro paused.
“Naro?”
It was the same as when they had gone to Hines Village. Just like then, inside the Rodelus square as well, many people had gathered and were creating a commotion. Not one village but both villages had this kind of atmosphere. Had something really big happened?
Naro approached where people were gathered, feeling an inexplicable sense of anxiety. Ray just silently followed behind Naro without saying anything.
“But weren’t all the dragons killed 25 years ago?”
Naro paused at the words that pierced his ears. He had definitely heard it. Dragon. Moreover, people were each holding a piece of paper in their hands. Naro found a paper that had fallen on the ground and picked it up.
“…”
And as soon as he checked the contents, Naro’s face hardened seriously.
“Naro, what’s…”
“Ray!”
Naro grabbed Ray urgently.
“U-um, you know. Thinking about it, it seems like we don’t have much food ingredients today. Could you possibly go to the mountain and get some food for you to eat separately?”
“…Yeah, okay. I’ll do that.”
There had never been a time when he was more grateful than today that Ray followed his requests well.
“I’ll talk with people for a bit and then go. Let’s meet at home.”
“Be careful. If it’s dangerous, call me.”
“Okay.”
Ray left the square with enthusiastic steps, saying he would catch a lot of prey. Around the time Ray’s figure became blurry, Naro moved his gaze back to the paper. How could something like this happen? The paper had none other than the emblem symbolizing the Erwin Empire stamped on it.
<Nationally Designated Dangerous Creature – Black Dragon’s Egg>
[Report to the Imperial Knights immediately upon sighting.]
At the letters that entered his vision, Naro bit his lips tightly. The oval-shaped drawing below, claiming it was a nationally designated dangerous creature. It was an appearance Naro knew all too well.
“At that time the dragon population decreased, but there were rumors that they weren’t completely extinct. But since the dragons didn’t cause any problems after that, the country just hushed it up.”
Naro listened to the words of people looking at the paper and talking.
“Then why exactly are the Knights looking for this egg? And look. It says it’s a nationally designated dangerous creature.”
“Exactly. If the Knights are searching this earnestly, doesn’t it mean this egg is extremely dangerous? Like that dragon from 25 years ago.”
At those words, Naro experienced his heart sinking. 25 years ago, the dragon that attacked the Empire’s capital and became a threat to humans. To Naro, who knew the simple plot of the original work as well as the early parts, that dragon was no different from the mastermind behind the scenes in the novel. All the information started to fit together in an ominous direction.
Naro left the square for now and headed home. If he kept standing there, someone might notice that his condition was strange.
Naro, who had almost run into the house, walked to the table while panting. Then he put down the paper he had brought from the square on the table and took a deep breath.
“…Calm down. Calm down and look again.”
Naro even rubbed his eyes before staring at the paper as if to bore a hole through it. But no matter how many times he looked, it was certain. Naro knew this egg.
An egg with oval-shaped black patterns embedded here and there.
It was undoubtedly the egg that had been scattered on the floor when Naro had found Ray in the cave. Of course, it had already been broken, but Naro had seen those fragments and clearly remembered the pattern engraved on the surface.
And the Imperial Knights had issued a wanted notice to find this egg.
The Erwin Empire’s Magic Knight Order. It was a knight group that, under the ideology of protecting the imperial palace and the Empire’s citizens, oversaw and stepped forward to resolve all matters that threatened the country. As people had said earlier, if the Knights had stepped forward, it meant this was no ordinary matter.
