“When did such a large lake appear in this forest?”
Luce exclaimed in admiration as soon as they arrived at the lake. He then looked at Mikhail and smiled faintly. Such a beautiful lake was an unexpected gift.
“This is surprisingly nice for an accidental visit.”
“I thought you might like it,” Mikhail replied, feigning ignorance even though it wasn’t a coincidence. Seeing Luce happy was enough for him. Luce gazed at the distant lake for a while before slowly sitting down. He then patted the spot next to him.
“Let’s sit here for a moment.”
“Yes,” Mikhail agreed with a knowing smile. As he sat next to Luce, the vast lake filled his vision. Only then did he notice the refreshing forest air and the sounds of birds. The forest animals cautiously observed Luce and Mikhail from the bushes, wondering if Luce was a dragon. Eventually, they hesitantly approached, and a large deer lay down near where they were sitting.
After some time, Mikhail, curious about how long Luce’s “moment” would last, spoke up.
“Are we just going to sit here like this?”
“Yes,” Luce replied.
“…….”
They had been sitting there for quite a while already. Mikhail closed his mouth and gazed at the calm lake. However, doing nothing and just sitting still was not in Mikhail’s nature. He wasn’t reading a book or watching a performance. All he could see was the lake, its waves gently lapping. Turning his head, he saw Luce’s profile, intently focused on the lake.
Mikhail probed gently, “Not saying a word, just like this?”
Luce replied without taking his eyes off the lake, “There’s no need to do anything else when you’re looking at such a beautiful lake.”
“……I suppose so.”
Mikhail agreed, though he didn’t fully understand. Perhaps those who had lived as long as dragons enjoyed moments of stillness like this.
“It’s so peaceful… almost boring.”
“You find this boring? You must still be young.”
Young?
Mikhail furrowed his brow in displeasure at Luce’s remark.
“……Only you could sit by a lake for hours without getting bored.”
“If you’re so bored, you can go back to the lodge.”
“Of course, I’ve wanted to for a while, but do you know the way back?”
“What? Of course.”
Luce naturally opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, realizing he had forgotten that he was currently in a human body and couldn’t use magic. He had been mindlessly following Mikhail and hadn’t memorized the path. Luce tried to sense the mana around him but still felt nothing.
Luce continued in a quiet tone, “……Of course, I don’t know.”
“I thought so,” Mikhail replied with a shrug. Luce looked at him quietly before asking resignedly,
“What do you want to do, then?”
“How about a story?”
“What kind of story?”
“……For example-“
Hmm, Mikhail trailed off, scratching his cheek with his finger. Then he remembered something he had been curious about.
“What do you usually do to pass the time?”
Luce wrinkled his nose in displeasure.
“That’s all you want to talk about? How childish.”
“Where do you usually stay when you’re not summoned or sent on a quest like this?”
Mikhail asked, tilting his head as he listened to Luce’s question.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“I’m just curious to know more about you,” Mikhail replied.
There was more he wanted to know about Luce. Mikhail asked the dragon, who still had an inscrutable expression. Thud. The deer that had settled near Luce nudged his hand with its snout. Feeling the deer’s wet nose, Luce glanced down briefly before remembering he was in the middle of a conversation with Mikhail and turned his gaze back.
“Why are you curious about me? I’m just a dragon who has to grant your wish.”
Ah, Mikhail nodded curtly, reiterating the essence of Luce’s words.
“So, you mean that after you find Adrian’s body for me, we won’t see each other again, and you don’t want to have this kind of casual conversation?”
“…….”
What?
Luce was speechless and blinked a few times at what he had just heard.
“I never said it like that.”
That’s quite a leap. Luce was about to retort sharply but stopped himself as he looked at Mikhail sitting next to him. Mikhail, uncharacteristically, had his shoulders slumped and his head bowed. Luce scratched his temple a few times, feeling awkward.
Mikhail murmured again, looking at his hand resting on the grass by the lake.
“But that’s what your tone implied.”
“…….”
Luce glanced at Mikhail for a moment. It seemed he had overreacted to a simple question, and now he felt strangely uncomfortable. Luce furrowed his brow and said,
“I spend my time in my lair.”
At Luce’s firm answer, Mikhail, who had been pretending to be downcast, suddenly looked up. Huh? What does that mean? As soon as Mikhail realized the meaning behind Luce’s words, he slowly lifted his lips into a smile. His face returned to its usual expression, as if he had never been gloomy. Luce, unaware that he had fallen for the young human’s act, looked at Mikhail with an expression that said, ‘Is that enough now?’
“Your lair? Do you live there alone?”
“Yes,” Luce nodded unconsciously in agreement before reacting with an “Oh.” He had suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, no. I don’t live alone.”
Mikhail’s eyebrows furrowed instantly at those words. This was not the answer he had expected. Mikhail pursed his lips and then asked sharply,
“……What did you say? I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
Mikhail fidgeted with the grass in his hand, unable to sit still.
“I said I don’t live alone.”
“…….”
Damn it, I heard that right. Mikhail was silent for a moment before slowly nodding. He had assumed Luce lived alone, but that wasn’t the case. If not now, he might never have another chance to ask.
“……I see.”
But… Mikhail gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to ask further because he felt that Luce would casually mention someone’s name without a care.
Luce recalled his warm and cozy lair and remembered a few potted plants he kept there. The magic he had cast on his lair was about to wear off. Normally, he would take the time to recast the spell, but this time he didn’t have the energy. In fact, he couldn’t even go to his lair.
“Come to think of it, it is time to water them.”
“Water them?”
It was a strange thing to say. Mikhail listened silently to the dragon’s words before looking up.
“Yes. There are a few sensitive ones that need frequent attention.”
“Ha, so the one you live with in your lair….”
Mikhail ran his fingers through his hair, which had fallen over his face, and continued,
“Are you talking about potted plants?”
The dragon looked at Mikhail, who was suddenly beaming, and tilted his head.
“……No? Potted plants aren’t living beings. I meant the plants inside them.”
Pfft, ha, haha.
Mikhail burst into laughter at Luce’s words.
Yes, that’s more like Adrian. Or should I say, more like Luce? Mikhail thought to himself as he laughed for a while.
Luce looked at Mikhail, puzzled, not understanding why he was laughing so hard. But he thought, ‘Well, it’s better than being gloomy and sad.’
“And?”
“Hmm?”
Mikhail, who had been laughing for a while, returned to his original train of thought.
“What do you usually do in your lair?”
“Ah, first I should tell you about my lair. I like peaceful and quiet places, so I made my lair in a place where humans never set foot…….”
Luce began to explain his lair in great detail, his eyes shining.
Mikhail sat next to Luce, listening to his story and nodding. Occasionally, he would ask another question or express his admiration, saying, “Ah, I see.”
The calm surface of the lake sparkled, reflecting their peaceful conversation. Every now and then, the deer lying next to Luce would get up to drink from the lake before returning to its spot.
