Chapter 1 Part 16: People Are The Enemy

“Satisfied now?”

The child’s head nodded.

He got off me and headed towards a corner.

Wondering what he was up to now, I watched him.

The child crouched down and wrapped himself in his tail.

He seemed somewhat deflated.

He seemed to enjoy the sniffing, so why the sudden mood swing?

I took out the last bag of cookies from my bag.

“Want more cookies?”

Without answering, the child buried his face in his knees.

No matter how I thought about it, I hadn’t made any mistake.

He probably wanted to be alone.

“Well, if you need anything, call me.

I’ll be in the next room.

Okay?”

Between his arms, I could see his red eyes.

I waved at him and left the room.

As I carefully closed the door as quietly as possible, one question arose.

That kid.

He definitely seemed to understand what I said, but I’d never once seen him speak.

Could it be that he doesn’t know how to talk?

I put down my pen and opened the observation log.

‘Day 2.

The child seems to like sweet things.

When I brought a bag of cookies, he quickly let down his guard…

Secrets whispered while watching the clock.

Thoughts from the depths of my heart that would get me fired if I told my boss.

They say if you’re going to be a s*ave, do it under an emperor, but this is too hard.

When is quitting time?

Clock hands, do your best.

Move just a little faster.

I want to take home a salary without doing anything.

How great would it be if someone threw me a money pouch just for breathing well.’

Today again, I had unconsciously held a festival of nonsense.

Ruthlessly tearing out the page to destroy the evidence, I flipped to the next page.

A proper observation log was written there.

Clam, standing in front of me, urged.

“Show me quickly.”

“Here.”

Clam quickly read through the observation log.

Not that there was much in it anyway, so even without reading quickly, he would have finished soon.

Clam opened the log back to the first page, looking dissatisfied.

“Really is nothing much.”

“Aren’t you expecting too much from someone who just got re-employed?”

“But still, Senior, you got close to that beast in just two days.

I thought there’d be something.

The other mages besides me are all expecting something too.”

No wonder the back of my neck felt hot.

Watching the mages glancing at me as they passed, I thought.

“Ah, this is a bit useful.”

Clam pointed to a part of the log with his finger.

It was a drawing, made using magic, accurately depicting the child’s arm and foot from up close.

The accuracy and detail of a drawing depend on how closely you observed, and my drawing was probably more accurate than any other mage’s.

Even without intending to observe, I had no choice but to see.

When he clings to you like that.

I recalled the earlier situation.

“What’s your secret?”

My secret, if you could call it that…

I replied.

“I just didn’t touch him.”

But Clam was astonished.

“Wow, you accomplished the hardest thing for a mage!”

“…”

“A mage overflowing with research urge would have no choice but to touch that beast!”

The word “beast” made my chest uncomfortable.

I asked.

“Hey, Clam.

That word ‘beast’…”

Before I could finish, Clam’s eyes widened.

“Senior, what’s this?”

I lowered my head.

Though slightly faded, a red mark was still visible on my neck.

I covered the red mark with my palm, but it was too late.

“Did that beast do that?”

“Yeah, probably.”

“And you just let it?”

“It didn’t bleed.”

I kept walking.

“More than that, sniffing is supposed to be a very important act.

If I’d interrupted for no reason, his guard, which I’d barely managed to lower, might have gone back up…”

Turning a corner, I collided with something solid.

Grabbing my nose, I stumbled back.

A voice dripping with sarcasm rang out.

“…How utterly typical.”

Aslan stood there with his arms crossed.

Rubbing my nose, I looked up at him.

“Senior, are you okay?”

I nodded, still looking up at Aslan.

Aslan’s face was, as usual, tightly hardened.

“Aslan, what brings you he―”

Thud.

Aslan threw something at me.

I caught it reflexively.

The plastic rustled.

It was the bag of cookies I’d asked Clam to give him.

Still completely unopened.

I had expected as much.

“What, now that there’s no one left to suck up to, you’re trying it on that dragon brat?”

Suck up?

Me?

When did I ever do that?

I, who didn’t even know how to suck up to anyone, was dumbfounded.

Aslan kept sneering.

“As expected, that cheap nature of yours doesn’t go away.”

Clam snatched the cookie bag from my hand and interjected.

“Cheap nature?

That’s a bit harsh.

It’s true Senior is kind to everyone, but it’s definitely not cheap.”

“…Whose side are you on, anyway?”

“Heheh.

Yours, of course, Senior!”

But Aslan didn’t even glance at Clam.

His eyes were fixed solely on me.

“I hear you got close to that dragon brat in two days?

It’s obvious without even seeing.

You acted like you’d give him your heart and soul, just like you did with everyone else.”

Mages murmured and gathered around us.

I hated being the center of attention.

My stomach started hurting again.

I forced myself to stay calm.

“Aslan.

What are you angry about this time?

Don’t get mad for no reason.

It’s bad for your mental health.”

“Why?

Annoyed because I insulted your precious dragon brat?”

“No, it’s not that what you said was wrong, but…”

I pressed my fingers hard against my brow.

Wondering where to start setting things straight, I decided to start with the title.

“Don’t call him ‘dragon brat.’

It sounds like an insult.”

“Then should I call him ‘beast’?”

“Don’t call him ‘beast’ either.

I’m going to give him a name soon.

So until then, just…”

Baby dogs are called puppies, baby cows are called calves.

I clapped my hands together.

“How about calling him ‘dragon pup’?”

“Dragon pup” was strange enough, but it was a hundred, a thousand times better than “dragon brat.”

Aslan immediately turned serious.

“Don’t you dare go around saying you’re going to give him a name.”

Eating the cookies, Clam added his two cents.

“Right.

Your naming sense is really terrible, Senior.”

“A person might have a bit of bad taste…!”

Their merciless assessments stabbed my heart.

Don’t expect too much from me.

My taste is bound to be bad, stuck in a room studying all day.

I wept tears of blood.

“Anyway, don’t call him a beast either.

Got it?

Huh?

Aslan, that child really is―”

Before I could finish, Aslan cut me off sharply.

“Don’t you think it’s time you dropped that fake act?”

“…”

“You think I don’t know?

You’re all licking and defending him now, but later you’ll throw him away without mercy.

From the start, you only came back here for the money anyway.”

For once, he was making sense.

There wasn’t a single thing wrong with what he said, so I couldn’t argue.

“If you came back for money, then shut up and stay still.

Stop with the pathetic pretending to be nice.”

I couldn’t hold back anymore and raised my hand.

Aslan’s mouth snapped shut.

“Aslan, I’ve said this before, but―”

What I’m doing isn’t fake, nor am I pretending to be nice.

At my words, Aslan’s fist twitched.

I continued.

“I’m just following basic courtesy.

And, if you keep shouting like this, it puts me in a difficult position.

Can’t you calm down first and talk later?”

Grit.

Aslan ground his teeth.

Slamming his fist against the wall, he roared.

“So you throw us away like old rags…!”

My eyes widened.

Realizing his mistake too late, Aslan pressed his hand over his own mouth.

But I had already figured out what he meant to say.

“Hey, Aslan.”

I couldn’t believe it myself, but considering the story about him endlessly standing by the window as if waiting for someone, and what he just said, I had no choice but to think that way.

“You’re not angry because I quit, are you?

Because I left you behind here and went away…”

Before I could finish, Aslan shouted loud enough to shake the hall.

“Shut up!!”

It was so loud the mages covered their ears.

The garnet embedded in Aslan’s glove shone more brilliantly than ever.

Damn, I clicked my tongue at the gradually heating air.

It seemed I’d inadvertently touched a sore spot.

Flames like a vortex wrapped around Aslan’s entire body.

There it was, Aslan’s specialty.

Thanks to that magic, Aslan mainly received missions fighting on battlefields or doing escort work.

“You should never have entered the Magic Tower in the first place!

You just muddy the waters and never clean up after yourself!”

Aslan’s eyes were already bloodshot.

Clam peeked out from among the mages.

“Want help?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Then I’m off.”

Clam disappeared back into the crowd of mages.

I took out my pocket watch and gripped it tightly.

It had been a while since I faced a situation like this, so I was a bit tense, but I wasn’t too worried.

Because unlike Clam, Aslan…

“What did you come back for!

This isn’t a joke!!”

…caused trouble within manageable limits.

The white opal shimmered with rainbow light as dozens of pure white chains burst from the floor.

The chains all rushed towards Aslan.

The moment they touched the flames, the chains melted, but I didn’t panic and kept forming more.

The chains disrupted the flames, persistently targeting Aslan.

It’s best to immobilize someone who can’t control their anger.

They might cause damage to their surroundings.

They might even hurt themselves.

First, stop his feet.

I swung my arm as if conducting.

Two chains wrapped around Aslan’s ankles.

Ah, if I only grab the ankles, he could fall.

I should get his arms too.

I swung my arm again.

I had restrained his limbs, but just in case…

I kept swinging my arm.