- A Life for a Single Moment
It was confusing. The dragon couldn’t immediately analyze the root of this emotion. Even so, the very fact that Adrian had become aware of this feeling crouching somewhere in the depths of his heart was already a significant step forward. Yet emotions were nothing like any of the academic disciplines the dragon had studied so far. Even as he acknowledged their existence within himself, he couldn’t quantify them with formulas or prove them as physical phenomena—so the confusion kept growing.
Because of that, Adrian made a conscious decision to focus as much as possible on external matters instead of his own inner turmoil. Things like Catherine’s ramblings, for instance.
“…—so I changed the combination a bit. And then there was this very faint explosive reaction—”
Perhaps due to her awareness of the stares from the other humans, Catherine had stopped by the barracks briefly before their departure. Here, just like she had back in Basamiel, she had asked if it was alright to treat him as a junior from the academy. And since the dragon had always been generous about such things when wearing a human shell, he’d readily agreed.
Thanks to that, Catherine was now walking beside Adrian, who was heading out with the expedition, chatting away nonstop about magic.
“Why do you think that happened? Do you think it was the combination of that last herb essence I added?”
The moment she finished her sentence, Adrian—already mounted on his horse—murmured with a flat expression,
“The combination was odd, but that’s probably not the cause.”
Despite his indifferent face, Adrian Heather’s tone was effortlessly natural—almost casual.
“Then what?”
Catherine’s eyes lit up, clearly expecting a sharp and definitive answer.
That’s when it happened. One of the investigators cautiously spoke to Catherine.
“…Pardon me, but why do you keep coming back here? Weren’t the mages supposed to be stationed further up front?”
It seemed he felt uncomfortable with Catherine, who was both close to the royal family and one of the kingdom’s most famous mages.
“……”
The investigator wasn’t wrong. Unlike Adrian, who was part of the rear, Catherine had been assigned to the forward guard as a mage. Adrian nodded silently in agreement with the man’s words.
Catherine’s gaze shifted around briefly before she cleared her throat with a small cough and mumbled,
“I was just… coming to say a quick hello to Adrian. I should head back now.”
But she didn’t leave right away. She still hadn’t gotten Adrian’s answer. It wouldn’t be too late to return after hearing it, right…?
“That experiment from earlier. I think the issue might’ve been… timing?”
Though it ended like a question, that was, in fact, the real issue. The moment Adrian spoke, Catherine turned her head sharply away from the man she had been talking to.
“Timing?”
“Yes.”
Adrian casually loosened his reins once before continuing.
“You said you made the herb essence before combining it with mana, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Did you let the essence cool completely to room temperature afterward?”
“……”
No, she hadn’t. Which would explain that strange reaction. Adrian tilted his chin slightly as if to ask, Does that answer your question? That was his way of saying they were done for today.
Catherine, who had been lost in thought retracing the details of that day’s experiment, noticed the dragon’s silent dismissal and grabbed her reins. It was time to return to her assigned position.
“…But…”
She would have—if Adrian hadn’t stopped her again.
“Huh?” Catherine paused just before urging her horse forward and turned to look at him.
“You asked me a question, so I’ll ask one too.”
“…You? I doubt I’ll know the answer, though.”
Catherine responded with a puzzled expression. A question from a dragon—there was no way to guess what it might be.
“You’ll know, Sunbae.”
Adrian shook his head slightly as he murmured,
“…What is it?”
Catherine leaned forward slightly, as if trying to catch a whisper. But Adrian, paying no mind to her thoughtful gesture, sat upright and spoke plainly.
“When did you first realize you had feelings for Hans—”
“What?!”
Catherine’s voice shot up, prompting Adrian to frown and cover one ear with his hand. He muttered in irritation,
“…Was that really something to scream about?”
“No, ah—sorry. I just didn’t expect you to ask something like that.”
“If I may continue, about Hans—”
“You don’t really have to say his name out loud.”
Why not? Adrian gave her a curious look. Her face was red as a beet.
Mikhail was the same way. Adrian smiled faintly to himself.
“When you started having feelings for the one whose name doesn’t need to be mentioned—how did you realize it?”
Adrian wasn’t interested in the lukewarm relationship between Catherine and Hans, so he skipped over the unnecessary parts.
Catherine’s expression turned strange. She gazed up at the sky for a while, listening to the sound of hooves, before finally speaking.
“…That’s your question?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… that’s a tough one.”
Catherine rubbed her lips with a puzzled look. She opened her mouth as if about to answer immediately, then tilted her head and muttered again,
“No, I think it was a little before that… Or maybe not.”
She furrowed her brow and mumbled to herself,
“That wasn’t it either.”
Adrian simply watched her in silence.
And he came to a conclusion—emotions were confusing by nature. That applied to humans too.
In the end, Catherine returned to her position without giving a clear answer. Mikhail’s sharp gaze immediately followed her, but she was too busy untangling the thoughts of Hans swirling in her head to even notice.
***
After some time of riding in a long line, the horses came to a sudden halt at the command of the legion commander. The snorts and stamping of hooves echoed across the plains. But they hadn’t reached their destination yet.
“Are we stopping to rest?”
Adrian dismounted with a bored expression. He heard a horse approaching from behind and a familiar voice.
“No.”
He turned his head—and sure enough, it was Mikhail. Mounted on a white stallion that matched the color of his hair, he cut a princely figure.
“We’re scheduled to rendezvous with the advance scouting team.”
Mikhail dismounted in one fluid motion and came to stand next to Adrian. He narrowed his eyes as if trying to see something at the top of the distant hill. Someone was running toward them.
“Because this area—”
“Hey! Mikhail! Adrian!”
Someone called out while waving enthusiastically, rushing straight toward them.
The voice sounded vaguely familiar.
Mikhail glanced in that direction indifferently, then looked back to Adrian. He resumed his explanation, the previous interruption momentarily brushed aside.
“…was the area Kyle had investigated.”
“Didn’t expect to see you here.”
In a flash, Kyle closed the distance and grabbed Adrian’s hand in a firm handshake.
Mikhail’s eyes narrowed coldly at the casual gesture. For someone to ignore royal protocol in front of a prince—if Kyle had been an ordinary commoner and not someone Mikhail had spent years with, punishment would’ve been warranted.
Whether he knew or didn’t care, Kyle turned to Adrian with a grin.
“You were worried after all, huh? You kept asking about Mikhail!”
“…That was forever ago.”
Adrian grimaced, annoyed by Kyle bringing up their encounter at the lair.
“Ka-Kyle sunbae! Please come over here for a second!”
Catherine seemed flustered as the dragon’s expression turned colder. She probably assumed Kyle didn’t know Adrian was a dragon.
“Why? Catherine, it’s been a while for you too.”
Kyle waved casually, still looking completely unfazed. Only then did he seem to realize he had ignored court etiquette for far too long, and bowed belatedly toward Mikhail.
Hmph. Mikhail gave a lifeless chuckle—such soulless greetings didn’t interest him in the slightest.
Catherine jabbed Kyle’s elbow sharply, trying to snap him out of it.
“This isn’t the time for pleasantries. Could you come behind the wagon for a bit? Or maybe just take a walk?”
“Oh, come on. I’ve been in a saddle all day. Give me a break.”
“…You really haven’t changed, even after graduation.”
Catherine shook her head in exasperation. Kyle responded with a crooked grin.
“You’re the same too. But seeing all of you volunteer for this assignment—guess my report really stood out, huh?”
Mikhail finally spoke up.
“Yeah. What you found out here was the most compelling.”
His crimson eyes sparkled with hope—his expression full of anticipation, like he was thrilled to finally be able to share this in front of everyone.
“That report you sent before… if it’s true, then we’re not just talking about monsters anymore. We might be able to eliminate the black mana itself.”
Eliminate the black mana itself?
The dragon’s expression shifted with curiosity.
