Julian simply could not understand.
‘Dragons are supposed to be sensitive to favors, are they not? I am his benefactor. And are they not deeply attached to anything they consider their own? Then should he not react positively when I suggest saving Arpad Academy?’
Julian pressed a hand to his forehead.
‘Is he really acting like that because of the way I speak? Or, since dragons are the masters of magic, is he somehow allergic to Divine Power?’
In the end, Julian left the Headmaster’s Office without accomplishing anything and shut himself inside an empty lecture room with his closest aides.
“……It seems the hatchling not only distrusts humans but also dislikes me personally.”
Theodore voiced his own dissatisfaction in response to Julian’s complaint.
“That young dragon appears to be a poor judge of character.”
“Exactly. Where else would he find such a generous man who only intends to extract a modest reward after doing a dragon a favor?”
“E-Extract a reward? You may say such things, but everyone knows that Your Highness has stepped forward more bravely than anyone else for the sake of the Academy and the Liberation Army.”
“That is right, sir.”
Slave Arthur Blanco joined in as well.
“Did you not drive the demons occupying the Main Building away and rescue the kidnapped members of the Liberation Army, Master? Those are extraordinary achievements that no ordinary person could accomplish. You would be more than worthy of being called the hero of the Academy, sir.”
“You certainly know how to talk. Go and repeat that to the hatchling about a hundred times. Who knows? Perhaps he will be brainwashed into changing his mind.”
At Julian’s words, Slave rubbed his hands together obsequiously.
“If he disregards the words of Master, who is far nobler and more eloquent than I am, how could my words possibly persuade him, sir?”
The prince let out a quiet chuckle. Heh heh. Just as Slave was about to laugh along with him, Julian’s expression changed.
“Look at this slave bastard pretending to flatter me while immediately trying to wriggle out of the task.”
“Hic.”
The prince glared at him.
“What are you trying to pull? Now that it seems Paimon will not be able to pursue us for a while, you have become quite comfortable, have you not?”
“N-No, sir!”
“Stop using your head only when you are trying to escape work and think of a way to be useful. Why do you think I have kept an unpleasant slave bastard like you alive and taken care of you?”
Hic. Arthur Blanco desperately suppressed another hiccup.
‘If I irritate him now, I am going to die!’
Thinking that he had to demonstrate his usefulness immediately, Arthur racked his brain.
“It is rather strange, sir. There would be no disadvantage to the hatchling if Your Highness became the Headmaster, would there? You intend to restore the Magical Defense Barrier, stabilize the Academy, drive out the demons, and rescue the students…….”
Slave tilted his head. As he continued speaking, the situation began to seem suspicious even to him.
“……Could the hatchling have fallen under the demons’ influence, sir?”
“Surely not. If that were the case, there would have been no reason for him to save Sion, Theodore, and me through Reverse Summoning.”
“But the difference in how he treats you is far too great, sir.”
He lowered his voice.
“I suspect that he only wanted to save Sion, who tried to rescue him, and that you may merely have been caught up in the process, Master.”
“…….”
Theodore’s expression hardened as he listened. After all, Sion had been the one Reverse Summoned from Lucifer’s Bottomless Pit.
“If the hatchling truly is the master of the Magic Power protecting this valley and genuinely cares about the Academy, he has no reason to refuse your request, Master. Unless he is on the demons’ side, sir.”
It was a reasonable argument.
However, a creature as powerful as a dragon was unlikely to fall under the influence of demons so easily. It also seemed improbable that he would suddenly side with the demons after resisting them for five years.
“Demonic Corruption…… We will have to create an opportunity to examine him properly with Divine Power.”
“What about persuading the hatchling through Sion? Sion appears to be the person he trusts most.”
“I agree, sir.”
Julian rejected the suggestion immediately.
“We will put that on hold.”
“Pardon?”
“Why, sir?”
Julian answered their questions.
“He already relies exclusively on Sion. If he starts insisting that someone powerful in Magic Power, rather than Divine Power, is more suitable to become the Headmaster of Arpad Academy, it will become troublesome.”
“Ah…….”
After considering the matter for a moment, Julian spoke.
“Very well. There is a need to test him.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Let us prod him and see what happens.”
***
Meanwhile—
Rob, a Mage from House Etain, was growing anxious.
Far from dying, Sion Etain had been rescued by Prince Julian and the dragon hatchling and was now being treated with great affection.
As the man who had taken the lead in attacking Sion, Rob felt as though he were sitting on a bed of thorns.
“Rob, what should we do?”
The Mages dispatched by House Etain who had followed Rob felt much the same. They sat together, repeatedly glancing in his direction.
“Has the House sent you any instructions?”
“You and I are both trapped inside the Academy. How am I supposed to receive a message from the House?”
“But your position is different from ours.”
Rob glanced at the junior Mage who had spoken, then closed his mouth. Another junior, who had been watching his mood, spoke next.
“This is unsettling. The situation here has changed…… yet we have heard nothing from the House.”
“Exactly. What will we do if His Highness decides to execute us?”
Rob shook his head.
“Surely not. We need every available fighter against the demons. Would he really kill Battle Mages like us?”
“But even if all of us were gathered together, we could not compare to Sion.”
“…….”
Rob had no response to that.
Surely the prince had not rescued Sion from Lucifer’s hell because he was some extraordinary saint. He must have done so because Sion would be an invaluable military asset during the Anti-Demon Warfare.
“……He seems to be a man who calculates his gains and losses carefully. He will surely conclude that keeping us alive is more beneficial. For the time being, none of you should provoke Sion.”
“They call him the Mad Prince, but I suppose rumors truly cannot be trusted.”
The Mage who had muttered those words lowered his voice.
“But is something not strange?”
“What is?”
“What do you mean?”
“He went through so much trouble to rescue Sion, did he not? The dragon hatchling adores Sion as well. In that case, should the hatchling not treat His Highness favorably too?”
The other Mages nodded at his words.
“That is true. His Highness did not only rescue Sion from the Headmaster’s Office. He also rescued the egg. The hatchling emerged when that egg broke.”
“Exactly. If he Reverse Summoned Sion from Lucifer’s hell because Sion had saved him, he should treat His Highness the same way.”
Nevertheless, the hatchling persistently avoided Julian while repeating, “Humans cannot be trusted, rawr!” The Mages exchanged suspicious glances.
“Could that creature be something other than a hatchling?”
“You are taking this too far. Everyone saw him emerge from the egg, and he possesses an enormous amount of Magic Power.”
“But dragons are supposed to be precise about repaying favors and grudges. There must be a reason he behaves as though only Sion did him a favor.”
What was the difference between Sion and Prince Julian? The Mages looked at one another as they discussed it.
“Could it be because of Magic Power?”
“Dragons are the creatures most naturally attuned to Magic Power. He may like Sion because Sion is overflowing with it. Sion also saved him.”
“I was rather frightened at first. He likes Sion so much that I thought he might try to kill Rob and the rest of us.”
“Exactly. But he left us alone and avoided His Highness instead.”
“Could it be because of the difference between Magic Power and Divine Power?”
“I have never heard that dragons dislike Divine Power.”
One particularly observant Mage shook his head.
“……No. When you look carefully, I think it really is because of Divine Power. He avoids the Holy Knights and Priests as well.”
“Could that not simply be because, as he claims, humans cannot be trusted?”
“Is Sion not human?”
The longer the discussion continued, the more suspicious the situation appeared. Rob scratched the swollen bump on the tip of his nose as he considered it.
‘A hatchling who avoids Divine Power?’
If that were true, would that not make him a heretical creature?
Should they investigate?
In any case, they were already treated as half-criminals by the Liberation Army and Julian. After all, they had launched a Fireball at their allies while standing before a demon.
The other members of the Liberation Army avoided them, while the Mages glared at them resentfully, complaining that everyone was suffering because of those bastards from House Etain.
And now there was a hatchling who avoided Divine Power.
Perhaps he truly was not a dragon hatchling. Or perhaps he had fallen under a demon’s influence.
Rob pressed firmly against the end of the swollen bump.
“……Doing something would be better than remaining idle.”
“Rob, do you have an idea?”
Rob addressed the other Mages from House Etain.
“Let us uncover that creature’s true identity.”
***
At dawn, as the first light began to break, the Mages from House Etain approached the Headmaster’s Office, where the hatchling resided.
“Rob, what will you do if you anger the hatchling and he kills us? Are we not pushing this too far?”
“……Then stay behind.”
Rob took the lead. He could see that not only the Mage who had spoken but several others were hesitating and watching their companions for reassurance.
However, Rob could not retreat.
‘I must accomplish something.’
Since he had failed to eliminate Sion, he at least had to bring back information about the dragon hatchling. Only then would his father acknowledge him.
‘I should have killed that bastard Sion when I had the chance.’
One idiotic junior had shoved Sion only to end up siding with him, causing the entire attempt to fail. Rob unconsciously clenched his teeth as he opened the door to the Headmaster’s Office.
CREEEAK—
The old door made a sound despite his cautious touch. The Mages swallowed nervously and peered inside.
‘They said he stays awake throughout the night and falls asleep around dawn.’
Just as they had heard, the hatchling was sleeping on a cushion in the corner of the Headmaster’s Office.
“…….”
Rob and the Mages from House Etain approached the cushion without making a sound. Even while curled up asleep, the hatchling continued to wear the eggshell helmet.
“Pull it off!”
Rob whispered the order as he grabbed the hatchling’s eggshell helmet and pulled. It was more firmly attached than he had expected. While another junior grabbed the opposite side and pulled, a third swung the hammer he had prepared.
CRACK!
At that moment—
CRACKLE!
“O Light!”
The instant the eggshell shattered, two beams of light struck directly before their eyes.
A terrifying bolt of Lightning Magic and an eruption of Divine Power!
“My eyes!”
The Mages from House Etain clutched their eyes and screamed.
“ROAAAR!”
The hatchling, suddenly attacked, roared in fury. His voice possessed an entirely different force from his usual rawring.
“You damned humans……!”
“Stay exactly where you are!”
However, Julian’s shout came even faster.
“O Light, spread a veil stronger than darkness! Holy Glare!”
Along with the incantation, a dazzling light swept across their vision once again. The Mages covered their eyes with their hands, collapsed where they stood, and groaned.
The prince shouted.
“No one saw your magnificent form, Hatchling!”
“B-But you saw me, rawr!”
“I carry the Blood of God, so it is fine!”
Julian was in a hurry as well.
Why was he here at this hour?
Why was Theodore, his Personal Guard, holding a mace commonly used by Holy Knights instead of the Holy Sword he normally carried?
They had to smooth over the situation before the hatchling regained his composure and began asking those questions.
‘Damn it! I never imagined there would be others who had the same idea!’
If Julian failed to settle the matter, the hatchling might declare, ‘You were after me too, Prince? Humans truly cannot be trusted, rawr!’ and hide somewhere in the Academy.
‘It must remain a secret that we were after the eggshell too!’