REFDL 103

“….”

“….”

“What are you doing there?”

Malone didn’t know either. He didn’t have a clue what he was doing at that moment. He was already face down on the floor in a push-up position.

…Was he trying to make an excuse that he’d been doing push-ups while he waited for him to come out?

Why did you do that, my subconscious!

Malone closed his eyes and his back trembled in that position. Kaelus, the one who’d opened the door, didn’t hide his expression as he spoke.

“I’m sorry if I interrupted your workout, but I’ll be going now.”

“…Yes.”

Malone jumped up, and even his neck was red.

The duke walked past him calmly. The dragon in his arms sent a pitying look at Malone for some reason.

…It’s just my imagination.

‘…Huh?’

At that moment, Malone’s nose twitched.

Even if he misinterpreted the reptile’s expression, he couldn’t mistake this smell.

“Your Grace. Please wait a moment.”

The Knight Commander blocked the duke’s path with a serious face.

Grrr.

The dim-witted- looking dragon jumped from the duke’s arms and onto his shoulder. He balanced on four legs and growled at Malone with his teeth bared.

The momentum from his small size was quite intense. Maybe it felt that way because Malone knew this form was fake, and the dragon’s real form was as big as the mansion’s annex.

Regardless, Malone couldn’t back down.

“I smell blood on Your Grace. What happened inside?”

Malone look at him with an expression that said he’d caught him. The duke was calm. Malone hadn’t liked that expressionless face from the start. He looked a noble full of dignity, as if nothing in the world mattered to him.

Malone was a lower-ranked noble himself, but he didn’t believe in natural nobility. He thought it was just an e[Read on]xpression to control ignorant commoners.

…Until he met the duke in front of him.

He had a grace that couldn’t be found in the imperial capital’s nobles.

He couldn’t admit it.

He couldn’t admit that he’d been impressed by him and secretly admired him.

He didn’t need to come here for simple guard duty. Even if the opponent was another country’s duke, it’d be enough treatment to bring the Vice-Commander.

However, Malone volunteered.

He respected the duke, but he also believed the man had a secret plan. He wanted to catch him doing something sneaky behind his noble act…

“It was a bit… intense.”

“….”

“Don’t you know? If you do it hard, blood can come out down there… Since there’s a size difference, it’s true I should’ve been careful.”

Malone’s face turned pale. He looked like he wanted to disappear into the ground.

“I gave enough compensation, so it’s not your concern. If your curiosity is satisfied, let’s go. I’m hungry after moving so much.”

“….”

The duke passed him and walked down the stairs.

Malone followed him like a machine with a face that looked like his soul had left his body.

***

The promised day with the family’s head arrived.

I waited from the morning because I didn’t know when they’d call, but people only found me when the sun was almost down.

His aide came with the Head Butler and bowed politely. His hair was style and his suit was tailored. His light blue monocle didn’t have a single scratch, reflecting the aide’s personality and tendencies.

“Let’s go, Lord Kremlis.”

The Head Butler opened the door, and the aide pointed outside with his palm. I walked fast even with my short legs.

The Head Butler spoke to Kaelus, who tried to follow naturally.

“Ah, Duke Kaelus. For a moment… the Lord wishes to see you.”

“…Right now?”

“Yes. If you wish to go with Lord Kremlis, we’ll postpone the appointment.”

His attitude was plain. The Head Butler stepped back as if he didn’t care and gave the choice to us.

[Go meet him. It doesn’t matter because I can do this alone anyway.]

Pat-pat!

I ran down the hallway on my short legs. The surprised aide and knights followed quickly.

I heard voices between Kaelus and the Head Butler over the knight’s shout to go slowly.

“Is it an important matter?”

“I don’t know. Meet him and ask yourself.”

That was all I heard and then the voices faded away.

The annex mansion was small compared to the main building, so we reached the entrance quickly. A carriage was already waiting outside.

“It’s an honor to serve you.”

The coachman took off his hat and bowed.

I got in the carriage.

After a short wait, the aide arrived.

“His Grace says he’ll meet the Lord and come later.”

[Alright.]

He sat with me and closed the door, then the carriage started slowly. Outside, knights on horses surrounded the carriage and guarded it.

Kaelus won’t come.

***

“Catch that!”

“Rope! Is there more rope?!”

“Hook it! There! …Damn it, I told you to hook it there!”

The work was already in full swing when I arrived at the site.

I squinted and looked at the distant sea.

It looked like toothpicks were clattering to human eyes, but my dragon’s eyes could see the progress clearly.

The water nearby was so deep blue it was almost black.

It meant the depth was enormous even though it wasn’t far from the island.

More than dozens of tugboats pulled ships that reached the end of their lives from all over the island and moved them there.

Some ships were almost in pieces, but I didn’t know if they broke naturally because they were wood or if some special process made them that way. They didn’t sink and were dragged along the water.

It’s a grand sight.

I don’t know where they kept all these ships.

If the waste ships pulled by tugboats were like this, then the ships used properly must be more numerous and amazing.

The capital’s meaning finally makes sense to me.

It seemed neither Firmus nor Denos could ever beat Ilba when it came to the sea.

Screeeech!

Screech!

“Fix the net!”

“Tie it there!”

“It’s done! Just a bit more. If we tighten it a bit more…!”

“Woah!”

Small cheers erupted from a corner where the tugboats gathered.

It looked like the work was finishing based on the situation and the atmosphere.

“Lord Kremlis.”

The aide who followed me from the mansion called me politely.

I grew my body without saying much.

“Ah!”

The workers at the pier who watched with curious eyes gasped for air.

Grrr.

My shadow grew bigger in the setting sun. I stood on the wide pier, but my shadow reached the walls of the buildings across the road. I straightened my chest and lifted my head toward the sunset.

…If someone took a photo now, it’d be my life’s best shot.

I inwardly smacked my lips, but I acted like a solemn Kremlis on the outside.

I felt stinging their gazes.

The knights’ reactions were refreshing, unlike the Dragon Knight Order’s members who acted like owners clapping for a pet’s trick after they were surprised at first.

Should I tease them a bit?

I’ll put all the feelings I’ve had about the imperial capital into this.

Grrr!

I roared and opened my mouth wide, and the aide and the knights’ faces turned pale.

The knights gripped their sword hilts.

Forgetting his fear, the aide stared at the knights with cold eyes.

“You aren’t fools, and I hope you don’t plan to pull those swords.”

The knights understood him, and some even let go of their swords. Their clenched fists trembled pitifully. I laughed at that, and the aide’s cold eyes turned to me this time.

“Lord Kremlis, please stop the excessive jest too. There’s a limit to the behavior we can understand even if you’re a dragon. Remember your position here. You must know that a careless action can be a nuisance to your companion, the duke.”

It’s true, but I don’t feel good. Who doesn’t know that?

Hmph.

I snorted and flapped my wings. The aide wasn’t prepared for the strong gust and fell backward.

“Argh! What… what is this…!”

[You told me to go to work. Oh, and tell the Lord this. I’ll look forward to seeing a merchant’s faith.]

The aide looked shocked because he’d lost his monocle in the gust.

His hair was a mess and his clothes were ruined because he’d rolled on the dirty port.

I laughed and soared upward. I flew to the place where the ships were gathered and saw the tugboats that were leaving.

They returned to the port as if they’d met a storm in the open sea. They almost ran away. I confirmed the tugboats had left and puffed out my chest.

Now, I didn’t even need to think about what to do.

Grrr!

Flames that no one would believe a living creature created turned the ship waste on the sea into ashes.

It looked like a real hellfire.