Adrian quietly gazed at Mikhail before him. To a dragon, he was a fragile human—so weak he could be crushed with a flick of the wrist.
“……”
That’s just how the human race was. Unlike elves, they lacked superior agility or long lifespans. They weren’t pure beings like spirits, either. They were born with fleeting time, yet they lived as though they’d forgotten that limit—burning bright until the end.
Mikhail was no exception.
“You’re the one who has to go, aren’t you?”
Of all the humans—why you?
Adrian already knew Mikhail’s answer. Even so, he had to ask. An uneasy premonition clung to him before the expedition. His face stiffened as he recalled the image painted at the center of the ceiling mural—an image of himself. If that hellish scene were to become reality… he had a sinking feeling that this mission would be the one.
Mikhail gave a calm nod. “Because it’s the role I was given.”
“…I figured that’s what you’d say.”
He didn’t like it, but it was a very Mikhail answer. There was no point in trying to stop him. As a dragon, Adrian had the power to help Mikhail do as he wished.
Adrian stared at Mikhail’s face for a long moment before speaking. “Then take me with you.”
As a human, Adrian Heather wasn’t considered part of the elite forces. There was a high chance he wouldn’t be included in the advance party that the legion commander would select. Which meant… he needed Mikhail’s influence.
“It won’t be easy, but… if there’s something humans can’t handle, you’ll need me.”
The mural’s content didn’t matter. This strange, indescribable emotion that now filled the dragon’s mind—he couldn’t name it exactly. But even so, the conclusion was the same as always: he would go with Mikhail.
He couldn’t stand the thought of Mikhail dying somewhere beyond his sight.
In Adrian’s eyes, golden particles of mana flowed like water. Anyone who looked closely into a dragon’s gaze could see it—but no one had ever gotten close enough to observe a dragon that carefully.
Mikhail sensed a faint tremble in Adrian. It was subtle, but for someone who always acted aloof, it was clear a crack had formed.
“That’s nothing. Leave it to me.”
Mikhail reached out a hand, as if to reassure him. Then, as though to soothe whatever was disturbing Adrian, he moved his hand gently—and as his fingertips brushed against Adrian’s cheek, Adrian flinched slightly, his eyes narrowing.
Mikhail froze, his hand suspended in the air. “…You don’t like being touched?”
His voice was soft.
Adrian glanced at Mikhail’s finger lightly touching his cheek. His eyes slowly shifted to meet Mikhail’s directly. Just like last time, this guy had a habit of casually putting his hands on people.
“……”
His finger hovered there, tense—as if it would pull away the moment Adrian said “no.” Adrian hesitated for a moment, then slowly parted his lips that had remained tightly sealed.
“…No.”
Apparently pleased with the answer, Mikhail’s eyes curved into half-moons. It was as if he’d been waiting for the dragon’s permission. Only then did he move his fingers again.
The soft skin of a powerful, noble being wrapped gently around his fingertips. It wasn’t the cold hardness of scales— but the warmth of a living body, just like Mikhail’s.
Mikhail grew bolder, gradually stroking Adrian’s cheek. His desire flared—if not now, when else would he get the chance to touch him?
“……”
At first, Adrian let it slide, thinking Mikhail had some purpose behind it. But his hand simply continued to stroke his cheek. That was it. Adrian—who had lived through eons—silently allowed this touch, letting him caress a cheek no one else had ever dared lay hands on. And then, abruptly, he asked:
“Why are you touching me like this?”
Huh?
Mikhail, who had been quietly smiling, snapped back to reality at the question. His hand froze at once.
“I asked why you’re touching my cheek.”
When Adrian asked again, Mikhail quickly withdrew his hand. It happened in an instant.
“…I was trying to comfort you. You looked like you were in a bad mood.”
Mikhail tried to continue speaking, but bit his lower lip instead. His face flushed red with embarrassment. He didn’t want to become some shameless person who touched someone he liked without permission.
Is that so? Adrian tilted his head slightly, murmuring. “So this is what you call comfort?”
He rubbed the spot where Mikhail’s warm palm had been with his own hand. Apparently, comfort was something received from others, not something self-given. It was like when he’d occasionally stroked the fur of dogs or wolves—a similar kind of act.
“…Sorry for touching you without asking.”
Mikhail apologized quickly, then made a hasty retreat. Left standing alone, Adrian continued touching his cheek as he muttered to himself.
“…It meant I was sort of okay with it.”
Comfort, huh.
Unfortunately, Mikhail didn’t have hearing as keen as a dragon’s, and couldn’t catch Adrian’s quiet words.
***
How he managed to convince them wasn’t clear, but Mikhail succeeded in getting Adrian included in the advance party. Judging by the legion commander’s glare, even the slightest misstep would get him sent back to the temporary base in an instant. Adrian met that sharp gaze with a blank expression, completely unbothered. Whatever other humans thought was beyond a dragon’s concern.
The advance party was made up of only the bare minimum force. As Kyle had explained, they walked for about an hour before reaching their destination.
“…No way…”
Someone muttered in disbelief, their voice sounding vacant.
“Where are we?”
No one answered the question.
According to the continent’s map, they should’ve arrived at an expansive plain. But what spread out before them was a black lake.
The expedition team stood in silence before the lake for a long time. Adrian too. It was a sight he had never seen in all his long life.
“……”
Far off in the distance, a massive circle hovered in the air. It was a dark black unlike anything of this world. It looked like an abyss that allowed no light, as if it intended to swallow the entire world. From that black circle, black mana was flowing—slow, but unstoppable.
The mana looked less like water and more like thick, molten chocolate. It formed a straight line, descending gradually from the floating hole in the sky down into the lake.
“This amount of black mana…”
Catherine’s drained voice echoed across the vast expanse of the black mana lake. Everyone silently agreed with her. The advance team couldn’t bring themselves to move, as if unsure what action to take other than staring at the chilling, grotesque lake.
Only Kyle seemed to have expected such a reaction.
“From here on…”
He gestured to a spot in the ground where a stake was driven in. Kyle pulled gloves from his pocket, put them on, and gave a strong tug on the rope tied to the stake.
Creak—wood groaned loudly.
Ripples quietly spread across the thick surface of the black mana lake. After tugging the rope a few more times, a small ferry—large enough to hold about ten adults—began to appear in the distance.
The lake had grown in size due to the expanding black mana, creating more distance between the pre-prepared boat and the shore.
Kyle let out a deep sigh, pulled off the gloves now stained with black mana, and called out, “We’ll cross by boat. Just get on this ferry.”
“…Are we all going to fit in that?”
Catherine murmured. There were exactly ten members in the expedition, and the boat looked ready to sink at any moment.
“Of course. But while we’re moving, you’ll need to cast a shield spell larger than the boat.”
“Well, I can do that, obviously…”
Her tone made it clear she didn’t fully trust Kyle’s overconfident assurance.
“……”
Adrian felt the same. As a member of the Basamiel Club Ordinas, he had experienced enough of Kyle’s antics to know better than to trust him completely.
After silently assessing the situation for a moment, the legion commander and Mikhail nodded, and the advance party boarded the boat. Each person climbing aboard made the vessel groan hideously under their weight, as if the bottom might give out at any second and unleash the black mana beneath.
Once Kyle was the last to board, one of the members began rowing. At the same time, Catherine cast a large-scale shield spell—twice, just in case.
