What the hell is this?
Left alone on the hill all of a sudden, Adrian Heather needed a moment to collect himself. Beneath both eyes of the Gold Dragon, a bluish dye shimmered faintly. Adrian stared at the residue still clinging to his fingers, then shrugged and brought them to his mouth. He could feel mana.
It was a magic related to breathing.
Just like Kyle had done, Adrian pressed the side of the box, flattening it. It was now the perfect size to fit inside the pocket of his academy uniform jacket.
The Gold Dragon lifted his foot from where it had been paused on the ground.
Then, with a light dash, he dove under the waterfall. Splash! A massive spray of water erupted as Adrian plunged into the greenhouse lake. Cool water rushed across his face and down his body. It had been a while since he’d gone swimming.
For a lake inside a greenhouse, it was incredibly deep. Honestly, it felt less like a lake and more like an ocean. The Gold Dragon’s soft golden hair billowed beneath the surface. Off in the distance, he could see the boundary of the greenhouse. So the lake they walked around earlier was artificial. Adrian narrowed his eyes, trying to make out the farthest edge of the lake. An absurd amount of gold must have gone into building this place.
Tch, the dragon sneered inwardly at the humans’ ridiculous waste of money.
As a test, Adrian let out a hoo—haa— breath.
Thanks to the dye he’d applied before diving in, he could breathe underwater. Sure, it wasn’t like he’d die without it, but if he wanted to seem normal in Kyle’s eyes, it was a necessary step.
Then it happened.
Someone was waving at him from the lakebed. It was Kyle. He was gesturing toward Adrian while standing near some aquatic plants. Hiding the look of annoyance that flickered across his face, Adrian swam deeper into the lake.
Blub blub, Kyle moved his lips, trying to say something. Bubbles streamed unattractively from his mouth each time.
Kyle flailed his arms and legs, trying to communicate through underwater gestures. Adrian strained to interpret the meaning behind his motions. Kyle pointed at the plants a few times with his index finger, then gently brushed them with his palm.
Take care. Of these. Plants. That’s what it seemed to mean.
Not particularly useful information. Adrian gave a half-hearted nod. The Gold Dragon lifted his head and looked toward the surface. The bright sunlight pierced all the way through the blue depths. It was admittedly a beautiful sight. Whoosh—a fish brushed past the Gold Dragon’s leg, pressing its full body against him as it swam by. It soon darted off into the distance across the lakebed.
Kyle gave Adrian a guided tour of the lake bottom. In the sunlit areas, marine plants and coral forests were home to jellyfish the size of human heads, floating quietly. The two of them swam through the drifting jellyfish, heading toward the hill beneath the waterfall. At the base of the submerged hill was a small cave.
Inside the cave, plants and animals adapted to darkness made their home. Kyle gave a look that said Seen it all now? and then crooked his index finger.
Adrian swam toward him in response. Kyle pointed to the dye beneath his eye. It had already lost some of its glow, now a pale bluish hue.
This. Thirty.
It meant the effect lasted about thirty minutes. Adrian took in the information without much interest. Kyle grinned, clearly pleased with the smart new student.
Nearby were the stairs they had used earlier. They descended all the way to the dark lakebed. Now submerged, the staircase gave off a mysterious vibe, blending with the blue water and overtaken by plants. The two of them kicked upward, cutting through the current as they swam toward the surface.
Puh-ha—
Kyle broke through the surface and drew in a sharp breath of fresh oxygen.
The lake water at a pleasant temperature dripped from his soaked hair and uniform with a steady plip-plip. Adrian also rose from the lake, running his fingers irritably through his drenched, tangled golden hair.
“Sunbae.”
Adrian was the first to speak. Was there a magical drying device somewhere?
He quickly scanned the area beyond the lake where they’d exited. If not a device, maybe a drying spell? The dragon, who was still posing as a commoner incapable of using magic in public, tilted his head. Kyle was raking his fingers through his wet hair, wringing out the excess water.
He didn’t seem the least bit inclined to cast a drying spell for either of them.
“We’re soaked. How are we supposed to get back to the dorms like this?”
Ugh, Kyle pushed himself up and walked toward the shallows, stepping out of the lake.
“Huh?”
He turned back to glance at Adrian, who was still standing ankle-deep in the lake. There had to be some kind of mechanism for this. If they were expected to maintain the greenhouse, which meant diving into the lake regularly, returning to the dorms in this soaked state each time would be unbearable. Up until that very moment, Adrian still trusted Kyle.
“It’s fine. You can just go like that. Just say you’re a member of Ordinas—they’ll understand.”
Drip, drip, water fell steadily from Adrian’s soaked uniform and hair.
You son of a—
Adrian swore silently to himself. He couldn’t exactly punch a senior, so he simply twisted his uniform to wring out the water in silence. They’ll understand if you say you’re in Ordinas, huh? That gave him a rough idea of how this social club was perceived in Basamiel.
Creak—
The dormitory door opened. Mikhail, who’d been sitting on his bed reading a fencing manual, lifted his head. Step, step. His roommate’s footsteps sounded… off. The prince glanced at the dorm floor, puzzled by the sound, then looked up to see Adrian’s face.
Adrian was drenched from head to toe.
“……?”
Mikhail’s eyes silently asked, What the hell happened to you?
But the dripping-wet Adrian trudged into the room, wearing a look that clearly said Don’t ask. With each step, the academy dorm’s luxurious rug grew darker with water. Droplets trickled steadily from his soaked hair.
“What happened to you?”
“Don’t ask.”
Adrian replied with a scowl, then went straight into the bathroom. The prince casually assumed, Wow, the initiation rituals for that social club must be intense.
***
Adrian deliberately turned his gaze elsewhere.
Ever since the class started, Edwin Nollen, the alchemy professor, had been eyeing him suspiciously. The prince muttered quietly,
“The professor keeps staring this way. Move your seat a bit farther from mine.”
Having no interest in alchemy whatsoever, the prince had plopped down near the back with Adrian and was now nudging his leg under the desk. The professor’s persistent stares must’ve been forcing him to at least pretend to pay attention—and it was driving him crazy.
“…Why do you think it’s because of me?”
Adrian leaned slightly toward him, speaking in a low voice.
“Do you think he’s looking at me, then?”
“……”
Mikhail had a point. Edwin had been making strange eye gestures in their direction from the start. What’s his deal? Adrian mentally ran through his recent actions but couldn’t recall doing anything that might warrant such an expression from the professor.
Still, it didn’t seem like Edwin had any intention of explaining the reason during class. Without a word of clarification, the professor simply continued the lecture until the end.
After alchemy class concluded, Adrian let out a sigh and began packing up his books—when it happened.
“Adrian.”
Edwin called out to him from the front of the classroom. His voice was the warmest, friendliest Adrian had ever heard from him.
“…Yes?”
Adrian responded with a startled tone, and the professor motioned for him to come over. Halfway through tidying his materials, Adrian reluctantly made his way to the front.
“I heard you’ve become a member of Ordinas. Only two weeks into the new semester, and a freshman already made it in? That’s a new record!”
The professor laughed heartily. He was still wearing a deeply wrinkled shirt. Adrian wrinkled his nose slightly at the smell of alcohol. Edwin gave Adrian a hearty thump on the back.
“If you’ve got any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me, alright?”
“…Yes, thank you.”
Wait. Don’t tell me… being a member of Ordinas also means I’m his protégé?
Adrian briefly imagined the worst-case scenario and gave a small, quick shake of his head.
No. That couldn’t be true. It better not be.
