Chapter 218 - 3−22
"Wait... where am I?"
I scrambled to my feet and looked around. A river flowed before me, filled with broken branches. The smell of smoke still hung in the air, so I couldn't be far from where I was.
This is near the Back Gate of the tower. But how did I get to the opposite side in an instant?
It was like the teleportation magic Theodore-sama or Nel-sama used. But I couldn't use such magic, and I didn't know anyone else who could have moved me.
Before I could spiral into panic, Louis-sama’s face flashed in my mind.
He must be looking for me. I'll figure out how I got here later.
I had to get back!
As I started to run, a familiar figure approached from ahead, and I skidded to a stop. The man walked slowly over the gravel, and when the moonlight hit his face, I gasped.
"So, here you are... Rachel-sama."
"Lute-sama? I thought you might be here."
I had expected the Young Lord of the Tratia Empire to take action, given his country's connection to dragons. But I hadn't expected him to be right here.
I forced a smile, trying to hide my unease.
"Lute-sama? The Princess is resting near the tower. Please, go to her."
Surely she would feel safer if he were there when she woke up.
But the atmosphere around him was different—tense and sharp. Lute-sama tilted his head, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Margaret is here? Ah, I see. So she played a part in awakening the dragon. I suppose she has uses beyond her Foresight after all."
"How could you say that..."
A high-pitched ringing started in my ears, similar to the sensation I felt when the Princess’s magic went out of control. I clutched my head as I stumbled. Lute-sama, his expression unreadable, pressed the tip of his sword against his own finger.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
Ignoring my confusion, he let his blood drip onto the ground.
"But you were the one who broke the seal. To resurrect a dragon thought to be extinct... you truly are a fit for His Majesty Alec."
As his blood soaked into the earth, a sinister black mist began to rise.
This mist... it's just like the Princess’s. What is he planning?
The dragon suddenly swooped down toward the mist.
"Look out!"
I ducked and covered my head, but the impact never came. When I looked up, I saw something impossible.
"The dragon... is bowing?"
The rampaging beast was now kneeling quietly on the ground. Up close, its massive form was even more intimidating, its scales shimmering in the moonlight.
Lute-sama approached the dragon and slowly stroked its back. The creature accepted his touch without protest.
"Why so suddenly..."
"The blood of the Tratian royalty can command dragons. It's impossible for those with thin blood, but for His Majesty Alec or myself, it is a simple task."
This was likely the first time Lute-sama had seen a real dragon, yet he showed no fear. The power of Dragonewt blood was truly terrifying.
He beckoned me forward.
"A dragon will not obey its master easily. It must recognize them as a superior power. However, there is no doubt—this dragon says you are its master."
"...The dragon said that?"
"Yes. Come, sit here and touch it. Do you feel the warmth?"
Following his lead, I sat near the dragon's neck and stroked its head. The ringing in my ears vanished, replaced by a pleasant warmth spreading through my body.
This is the same feeling I had right before I was teleported.
"This is proof that you and the dragon are connected."
Lute-sama hopped up behind me and forced my chin around to face him.
"What are you doing!"
I shoved his hand away, revolted by his sudden lack of chivalry. He stared at me with his grey eyes, his expression as blank as ever.
"It's fascinating. To think that someone at the very edge of the continent, so far from the Tratia Empire, would resurrect an extinct dragon. Truly interesting."
He gave the dragon a pat, and it responded by spreading its massive wings and taking to the sky.
"Wait! Stop! Let me down!"
The dragon ignored me, soaring gracefully through the air. The Back Gate and the burnt trees shrank beneath us.
"Where are you taking me? This is away from the palace!"
"Where? To His Majesty Alec, of course."
"To the Empire? You can't be serious!"
I was furious. If the Tratian Emperor got his hands on a dragon and I was taken to the Empire, Dutoit would undoubtedly become the center of a war.
I won't let that happen.
"I'm getting off. I won't be your puppet."
"...It seems His Majesty’s Lady of Fate has a strong will. He might actually take a liking to you."
We were still flying low. I might get hurt, but the trees should cushion my fall. Just as I prepared to jump, the dragon tilted sharply.
"Ah!"
It felt like we hit a wall. I looked down and saw Louis-sama. He had cast a spell to stop the dragon, causing it to thrash wildly.
"Tch, stubborn pests."
Lute-sama clicked his tongue and narrowed his eyes.
"Rachel, jump! I'll catch you!"
I prepared to leap into Louis-sama’s waiting arms, but Lute-sama began muttering an incantation and snapped his fingers at Louis-sama.
"I won't allow that. The Lady of Fate and the dragon are coming with me."
A deafening explosion rocked the area, blowing everything back in a cloud of smoke.
"Louis-sama!"
I screamed, coughing as the smoke filled my lungs. Lute-sama’s voice was the last thing I heard as a dull shock hit the back of my neck.
"I didn't want to be rough, but I suppose it can't be helped. We shall meet again in the Empire... Lady of Fate."
I lost consciousness to the sound of his amused chuckling.