Adrian, who had suddenly burst into laughter, finally reined in his expression after a while. It had been so long since he laughed this freely. The corners of his eyes, slightly creased from the laughter, slowly returned to their usual form.
Then, erasing even the last trace of a smile from his lips, he raised one eyebrow, returning to his usual stoic expression. Mikhail’s face looked… strange.
“Why?”
“…I just didn’t expect you to laugh like that.”
Mikhail, who had been staring blankly at Adrian’s laughter, finally spoke. His answer was sincere in its own way—but what puzzled him was Adrian’s unexpected reaction. Mikhail had spoken with firm resolve, his words heartfelt. For Adrian to respond with laughter… it had completely caught him off guard.
Hmm. Adrian fell silent, lips closed. The laughter had burst out so naturally that even he had to pause and think about why he’d laughed in the first place.
Eventually, his refined lips parted slowly.
“I wasn’t laughing at you.”
That was definitely not the case. It was more like… he was stunned by how Mikhail’s words had instantly cut through the chaos in his head.
“…Really?”
Was he seriously not mocking him? It was hard to believe with just those few words. Mikhail’s eyes narrowed with faint suspicion.
Seeing that, Adrian tousled his hair with a rough hand and added,
“It means I liked it that much.”
Out of everything he’d heard so far—it was the best. He muttered the last part in a low voice, then swept his gaze around the area.
Mikhail’s unwavering gaze felt a bit too intense, and on top of that, all the humans staring at them were starting to get on his nerves.
Mikhail tilted his head slightly, following Adrian’s line of sight. That’s when he caught something unusual on Adrian’s typically disinterested face—an unfamiliar flicker of emotion.
Their eyes met in midair.
Adrian deliberately scowled, scrunching his face in a dramatic grimace for Mikhail to see. Mikhail only responded with a wide, radiant grin.
“You liked it that much?”
“…….”
Mikhail’s red eyes shimmered slightly, crinkling at the corners.
If it hadn’t been Adrian—who had lived so long he was immune to beauty—Any ordinary human standing in front of that smile would’ve fallen head over heels on the spot.
“And it was the best?”
“Move.”
Adrian waved a hand at Mikhail, who was now getting on his nerves. The way Mikhail kept staring at him so intently was becoming a bit much. Any more of this, and he might actually take back what he said.
“…The way those humans are looking at us isn’t normal. So? What do you plan to do?”
Adrian gestured with his chin toward the people behind Mikhail, subtly changing the subject. That group clearly needed to be dealt with.
Mikhail seemed to catch the meaning instantly and gave a short, amused snort. If Adrian didn’t want to keep talking, that was fine with him.
He turned his head, smoothly, to look behind him.
Only then did the wide-eyed expressions of the soldiers come into Mikhail’s view—staring straight at the two of them. Catherine was standing with them, having likely rushed out from the barracks moments ago.
Normally, he would’ve snapped at them coldly, telling them to mind their own business.
…But.
Mikhail glanced back at Adrian, and his eyes narrowed faintly.
“That’s not really my problem.”
“…Really?”
Adrian tilted his head slightly. He knew how humans—especially royalty like Mikhail—tended to be hypersensitive about their reputation and the rumors that came with it.
Mikhail shrugged nonchalantly and muttered,
“No, if anything, it’s more convenient this way. Saves me the trouble of introducing you all over again.”
Anyone who heard what was just said would have understood immediately—how important Adrian was to Mikhail. Unless they had a death wish, no one would dare treat someone precious to a royal like Mikhail with disrespect.
There was no need to reveal that Adrian was a dragon. But it wouldn’t hurt for them to understand that much.
Was that so?
Adrian nodded a few times, seeing how casually Mikhail brushed it off. After all, dragons weren’t the type to care about the opinions of humans or waste energy worrying about public perception.
“…I told you, just Adrian is fine.”
The dragon spoke as though trying to recall what Mikhail had said. His roommate at Basamiel Academy, the one who had shared the same room as the prince. And then, Adrian Heather, who had gone missing after just a year.
To humanity, now teetering on the brink of destruction, someone like Adrian wouldn’t be of much help. But Mikhail hadn’t wanted the almighty Gold Dragon—what he wanted was Adrian.
Back when he’d planned his little diversion, he hadn’t imagined it would lead to this. All he’d wanted was to study herbalism at the academy… Yet here he was, talking with Mikhail in the heart of humanity’s final frontline.
Adrian lightly touched his cheek with his index finger.
“Yeah. That’s enough for me.”
At Mikhail’s clear and unwavering voice, Adrian closed his eyes for a moment with a strange expression before opening them again.
“…Alright. I get it. For now.”
There were things one had to admit. And Mikhail was right.
There was no need to hide in fear of something that hadn’t happened yet. Whether the prophecy from Ordinas would truly come to pass, whether Mikhail would really become the Hero—none of that could be known right now. And so, the dragon decided to follow his heart. But first, there was one thing he needed to confirm.
“Before that, I’ll need to step away for a bit.”
He didn’t need to be afraid—but it still had to be checked. Adrian’s eyes shifted as he scanned for a suitable space to use teleportation magic.
“Hmm…”
Their eyes met midair. They were clearly thinking the same thing.
It reminded him of that moment back in Basamiel, when neither of them had needed to speak aloud to understand each other. Right before they’d headed to the basement of the main building to retrieve Mikhail’s sword—that same familiarity was in Mikhail’s gaze now.
***
“This the way?”
Mikhail’s voice echoed through the wide cavern. Adrian, who had sparked flames into candelabras long extinguished over centuries with the snap of his fingers, turned his head. With a single wave of the dragon’s hand, the pitch-dark cave lit up like broad daylight.
“If my memory’s right?”
It ended as a question, but the certainty in his voice betrayed any real doubt. Everything he’d experienced in this dungeon had been so distinctive, there was no way he could forget.
With confident strides, Adrian headed in a specific direction.
“You never cared about the upper levels anyway.”
What they were after lay deep in the lowest reaches of the dungeon. Moments ago, the two had teleported here from a secluded corner of the military camp. Adrian had closed his eyes and opened them again—and just like that, they were here.
“That’s true.”
Mikhail chuckled and nodded. It was only now hitting him—traveling through a dungeon with a dragon meant truly taking the shortest path. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He had wanted to see the golems for himself, but that would have to wait for another time.
Adrian, who had been striding ahead like the dungeon’s rightful master, suddenly came to a halt. Mikhail, walking behind him, lifted his gaze.
“…This is…”
The words slipped from Mikhail’s lips the moment he looked ahead.
“We’re here.”
In front of them stood a massive temple. It glowed with an ethereal brilliance, built from pure white marble, standing alone in the vast and shadowed cavern—so surreal it seemed almost otherworldly.
At the front of the temple was a single, enormous door. Adrian raised his arm and placed his hand on it.
“……”
He began to push it open—only to pause, releasing the tension from his hand. Right. There was something that gave him pause about entering so casually. The angel above.
It had killed every human who had entered the temple. The later expeditions had examined the site, yes—but bringing Mikhail in with him felt like too great a risk.
In a calm voice, Adrian spoke as he lightly pushed open the door.
“You wait here.”
Creeeak—
The massive temple door, shut for centuries, opened. White marble floors, towering pillars, and the long corridor stretching toward where the gemstone once lay—it was all just as he remembered.
Adrian swiftly slipped inside without hesitation, about to close the door again—
“When have I ever listened to that?”
Mikhail walked into the temple right behind him.
“You think I followed you just to wait outside?”
“You…!”
Adrian snapped, turning toward Mikhail who had entered with an expression of utter resolve, completely unafraid.
“Get out. Now!”
At the same time, the dragon’s eyes shot up to the ceiling. If the angel loosed an arrow at Mikhail…
Even as a dragon, he wouldn’t be able to stop it.
