“You don’t look well?”
Naro looked at Mellian in surprise.
“I-Is that so? Actually, I still have a hangover…”
Naro deflected with a plausible excuse while forcing a smile. Mellian nodded as if understanding. She even gave advice that drinking honey water or something like that would help with hangovers.
Naro kept fidgeting with his fingers. Right now, Naro had left the Lupel Library and was riding in Mellian’s carriage, returning to the inn. After fully using the limited time in Roton’s Room and coming out, he’d received a simple body search from the clerk. It was to filter out people trying to take items from inside to the outside.
Thanks to that, it took much more time than expected. Naro blankly stared at the scenery beyond the window and kept ruminating on the contents of the materials he’d seen earlier. The more he did so, the darker Naro’s expression became.
The carriage slowly stopped in front of the inn where they’d arrived.
“Princess, thank you so much for today. You must be tired, I’m sorry for troubling you because of me.”
“What are you saying over something like this? If you need anything, tell me anytime.”
“Yes, then I’ll see you next time.”
Naro bowed his head and saw off the departing carriage.
“Haah.”
A heavy sigh cut through the air. Naro entered the inn, leading his drained legs. Before climbing the stairs, he also picked up a towel for Ray at the inn desk. Trudging up and reaching the third floor, Naro headed not to his own room but to Ray’s room.
“Ray.”
Naro knocked on the door and called for Ray. But there was no response. Ray usually opened the door in less than a few seconds when knocked on.
“Are you sleeping?”
Naro knocked on the door once more. But no footsteps, much less any sign, could be heard from inside. Had he returned to dragon form and was sleeping? When Ray undid his humanization, he usually slept deeply.
If that was the case, he shouldn’t disturb him, so he was about to return to his room when a strange feeling stopped his steps. Naro stood still and blankly stared at Ray’s door. What was this unpleasant sensation? It was a feeling of something rising up from his feet that was not just unpleasant but downright creepy.
“…Ray.”
Naro slowly reached out and grabbed the doorknob. The handle turned smoothly. Normally it would have been locked.
“I’m coming in?”
Naro put strength into his slightly trembling hand and pushed the door hard.
“Ra—”
The towel he was holding fell straight to the floor. Naro couldn’t say anything and covered his mouth with his hand. An unbelievable, no, hard-to-believe scene unfolded before his eyes.
Ray had disappeared without a trace, and on the floor, dishes that had contained food were scattered in disarray. Moreover, the carpet in that area was stained a different color, and looking closely, it was red bloodstains. There was also blood on the bed.
Naro’s breathing became ragged in an instant.
“Ray!”
Naro shouted Ray’s name and checked every corner of the room. But still no answer could be heard.
“What on earth is this… Ray…”
Ray hadn’t simply disappeared. This scene before his eyes was proving that. Something had happened to Ray. Ray must have been attacked while he was away.
But who on earth? For what reason? Not only that, but the fact that there were bloodstains meant some kind of fight had occurred, but was it even possible to injure Ray in the first place? Ray was overwhelmingly stronger than humans. After all, he could subdue several adult men with his bare hands and still be fine.
That Ray was taken down by someone? Naro, who didn’t know what had happened in this room, couldn’t help but be confused. Just then, something was stepped on underfoot, making a rustling sound.
Naro lowered his head. When he lifted his foot, he could see a black scale split in half.
“…No way.”
Naro grasped the scale with his hand. This was Ray’s scale. Naro bit his lip hard. It felt like the blood was draining from his face. Ray hadn’t been able to subdue the intruder. If he’d returned to dragon form, he wouldn’t be able to exert strong power.
“Wh-What do I do…? What should I do…?”
His lips trembled and it was as if his thought process had stopped—no thoughts came to mind.
“Was Ray k-kidnapped? I, I need to get help…”
But who should he ask for help? The Hernia ducal house? Or the guards or the knights? But to get help, he’d have to reveal the fact that Ray was a dragon. Ray must have been harmed in his dragon state.
But he couldn’t do that. Right now when he didn’t even know why Ray’s egg had been wanted, how could he tell others that Ray was a dragon? As long as Ray was hiding his identity, he couldn’t seek help from the outside even more.
But even so, he couldn’t delay either. In a situation where he didn’t even know what state Ray was in, if he didn’t move quickly, he didn’t know what might happen to his safety.
“Heuuk…”
Naro finally shed tears. He tried to use his head thinking he had to solve this alone, but no solution came to mind. He felt like he was literally going crazy at the shocking situation. The fact that Ray might be in danger seemed to grip and shake his heart.
He shouldn’t have left him alone. Even if Ray said he had something to think about, he should have just gone together.
“Ra, Ray… huk.”
He knew it wasn’t the time to cry. That he needed to move quickly too. Naro rubbed his eyes roughly with his still-trembling hands.
“Get it together, Kang Naro. You have to get it together…”
Naro muttered like a spell and raised his staggering body. He couldn’t receive anyone’s help. He had to find Ray with his own strength. So he couldn’t keep floundering in a panic state.
‘Naro is fine. Because I’ll protect you.’
The words Ray had said like a habit came to mind. Since Ray had promised to protect him, he had to do the same. He had to protect Ray.
Just as Naro was pulling himself together, footsteps could be heard through the slightly open door. Naro, whose nerves were on high alert, was startled and cast his gaze beyond the door. The footsteps gradually drew closer.
Then suddenly the sound stopped. Right in front of Ray’s door where Naro was.
Naro instinctively looked around. It was to find something that could be used as a weapon. Just then, he saw a dining knife that had fallen on the floor. Naro quickly picked it up.
The gap in the door slowly widened. With a creaking sound, the wooden door slowly opened. Naro bit the mucous membrane inside his mouth hard. Whoever it was, if they were related to Ray’s disappearance now, he was planning to somehow catch and interrogate them.
The door opened completely and the other person stepped inside. The moment he saw that face, Naro, who had been fully prepared and gripping the knife tightly in his hand, helplessly dropped his shoulders.
“…Ahjussi?”
He was none other than the ahjussi he often saw in the cafeteria on the first floor. The one who sometimes shared his meal with Ray and Naro and asked them to keep him company.
When an unexpected person appeared, Naro tilted his head. The man stood near the door and looked inside the room.
“Ah.”
Naro thought “Oh no.” The room was literally a scene of chaos. Naro panicked when caught showing a scene that clearly indicated something had happened. It wasn’t a scene to show to an outsider. What excuse should he make? He should have locked the door, he thought while being restless, but somehow the ahjussi was just consistently quiet.
Come to think of it, something was strange. Usually, he was the type to whom the phrase “good person” fit well—boisterous and always wearing a carefree smile. But now that usual smile was nowhere to be seen, and only an inexplicable coldness lingered on his face.
“Ahjussi, how did you come here…”
There was another strange point. How did the ahjussi find Ray’s room at this time when an incident had occurred? When his thoughts reached that far, goosebumps rose on the back of his neck.
The man who had been scanning the room turned his head and made eye contact with Naro. Naro put strength back into the hand gripping the knife. The man slowly approached. His expression was still hardened.
Naro was on high alert, ready to swing his hand if necessary. He couldn’t be detained here when he needed to find Ray. If this man, whom he’d thought was a good person, was related to Ray’s kidnapping, he had to subdue him without fail.
The man stood close in front of Naro, leaving only a slight distance. A few seconds later, he slowly opened his mouth.
“It seems something finally happened to your dragon friend.”
“…What?”
The man’s words didn’t register properly, so the output was delayed by a beat. He was confused about where to start questioning what he’d said.
“Mm, this definitely seems like a planned crime… Good grief, I never thought things would get this tangled.”
The man tousled his hair here and there and let out a deep sigh.
“Ah, ahjussi.”
“Mm?”
“…Who are you?”
Naro asked in a trembling voice. The man grinned, then suddenly tapped his forehead three times with his finger. Then an unbelievable thing happened. The man’s face changed into a completely different person. And into a person Naro knew.
“This is the first time I’m introducing myself properly, right? Nice to meet you, I’m called Flens Rihill.”
