“That door really is something. I’ve been thinking it for a while, but it’s honestly fascinating.”
At Adrian’s awestruck remark, Mikhail whipped his head around. His voice sounded strangely upbeat. The prince narrowed his crimson eyes, as if silently telling him to get a grip.
Where the door they had entered through once stood, there was now nothing but a crude smear of blue dye Adrian had drawn as a marker. And even that was carelessly done, slanted and uneven.
“…What now?”
The prince muttered in a hollow voice. He wasn’t really asking for an answer—just voicing the shock of their current predicament.
Hmm…
Adrian stared for a moment at the direction the door had vanished. Once again, it wasn’t the presence of mana he felt. It was something else… The Gold Dragon furrowed his brow. Right now, there was something even more important than the unknown being that had opened that strange iron door.
“What we really need to consider is… each student saw something different beyond the door. Some saw a forest. Others, a lake of lava. And some saw burning mountains.”
Adrian recalled the herb field journal and notes Kyle had handed over. They contained testimonies from more students than he’d expected. But those who were able to give such accounts had been the lucky ones—those who had returned to Basamiel Academy.
‘That feeling like you’ll never be able to come back.’
Humans had instinctively sensed the true purpose of that door. Adrian glanced at the prince beside him. Unfortunately for the young royal, he’d ended up sharing a room with a dragon in the middle of his amusement—and had been dragged through the door alongside him.
Was this too part of fate? Sadly, even Adrian couldn’t say for sure.
“So what you’re saying is…”
Mikhail finally caught on to what Adrian was getting at.
“…The door always leads to a different place.”
“Exactly.”
The prince was sharp enough to piece together at least that much. The Gold Dragon nodded lightly, as if affirming his understanding.
“But more importantly—”
Adrian Heather turned his eyes toward the dense forest. The wind stirred the branches, making the woods seem eerie and uneasy.
“—what if it’s not just the place that’s different?”
“…”
Neither Adrian nor Mikhail said anything for a while, and the only sound between them was the occasional rustling of trees swaying in the wind. The prince stared blankly up at the sky. The canopy was so thick that even though it was daytime, the ground below was shadowy and dim. Yet the sky above was clear and dazzlingly unreal.
“Looks like we’re stuck camping here tonight, huh?”
Adrian recalled the time he once slept alone in a forest long ago. If it had been just him, he wouldn’t have needed to prepare anything. But the human beside him was still young and inexperienced. It was his responsibility to get him safely back to the Academy.
Of course, that was after he learned everything he could about this door.
The Gold Dragon was immensely entertained by this situation—so much so he could’ve started humming to himself. But outwardly, he maintained a calm and stoic expression.
Mikhail nodded silently toward Adrian, who remained as composed as ever. The prince, completely unaware that the dragon was internally humming a cheerful tune, simply thought, “He must be the type to stay calm in emergencies.”
***
“We’d better get things ready before it gets darker.”
Unlike the disheartened Mikhail, the ever-adaptable Gold Dragon took the lead. The prince reluctantly moved his head, then dusted himself off and got up. Just like Adrian said, the light was fading fast. If they were going to sleep in this forest, there was a lot to do.
The two divided up the tasks quickly. Mikhail wandered around and brought back a bundle of firewood that looked like it would burn well. When he returned, Adrian had already prepared everything for a campfire and greeted him with, “What took you so long?”
In the meantime, he’d arranged a circle of large stones and set everything up, ready to light the fire.
“There’s nothing around here. Just trees.”
Mikhail shared the results of his brief scouting. He’d walked out as far as he dared, trying to get a better sense of their surroundings—but all he saw was thick forest in every direction. Realizing he had to get back and start a fire before night fully fell, he reluctantly retraced his steps.
Clack!
The prince neatly stacked the gathered wood onto the fire pit Adrian had prepared, then snapped two fingers together with a crisp sound. Mikhail was glad that at least one of them could use magic.
Fwoosh—!
Flames burst to life at the tip of the prince’s index finger, flaring to the size of a clenched fist. The flickering fireball was larger than expected, and Mikhail winced, slightly narrowing his eyes. The air was dense with more mana than usual—that was the cause. Adrian, seated on a boulder across from him, gave the scene a passing glance before turning his attention to the edible tubers he had found earlier.
Crackle, crackle.
A small campfire soon flickered to life between them. Every now and then, Mikhail nudged the firewood with a long branch, making sure the flames spread evenly. He’d had some experience camping under the guise of knight training, so things had gone smoothly so far.
Adrian tossed a few of the lumpy roots he’d gathered into the fire.
“They should be edible.”
At Adrian’s confident tone, the prince gave a reluctant nod. Sitting by the fire had reminded him just how hungry he was.
As the flames danced and the food cooked with uneven flickers, the two sat in silence. The Gold Dragon had nothing in particular to say, and the prince was too deep in thought to speak.
“They’re done.”
Adrian skewered one of the roasted lumps with a stick and held it out to Mikhail across the fire.
The prince stared at the unappetizing chunk for a moment, clearly dissatisfied, before shutting his eyes tight and taking a bite.
“…It’s awful.”
Mikhail’s beautiful face twisted into a grimace. He gently set the food down. According to Adrian, it was “a variety similar to a potato.” But the taste was nothing alike. The prince glanced at him with an expression full of disappointment. Adrian just shrugged.
“Really? They’re from the same Solanakeia genus.”
“…What are you even saying?”
Sola-what? Mikhail furrowed his brow at the bizarre word. It was clearly some kind of academic jargon. He tried to ignore the bitter aftertaste lingering in his mouth.
“Anyway, it tastes completely different.”
“Probably because it’s unseasoned.”
Adrian took a big bite out of the one in his hand. It did taste different from a potato and was a bit astringent, but not inedible. He didn’t even need to eat for nutrition, but he played along for the prince’s sake.
“It’s not bad, really.”
The prince stared down at the lump he had taken a few bites from. The Gold Dragon finished his portion with ease and added:
“You’ll want to get something in your stomach if we’re going to be wandering the forest tomorrow.”
“…”
He wasn’t wrong. Mikhail needed to conserve his strength for whatever came next. With a deep sigh, he silently took another bite. Still, he couldn’t help but grimace at the taste.
Mikhail finished eating as quickly as he could and looked across the fire. Adrian was silently tending to the flames, shifting the burning wood to keep it burning steadily.
“You seem pretty experienced. Did you learn this from the Hedera Trading Company?”
“Hedera?”
Adrian paused, his hand still near his lips. That name had come out of nowhere—it was part of his fabricated background. The “Hedera Trading Company” was a small merchant group supposedly run by his grandfather’s second son, according to the official documents. How the prince had seen those papers, he didn’t know, but with his level of power, it wasn’t surprising.
“…Yeah, I tagged along sometimes. What about you?”
“They teach this kind of thing during knight training.”
I see. Adrian nodded. The campfire between them glowed warmly.
They both fell into a quiet lull again, simply watching the flames dance. The soft crackling of firewood was oddly soothing. Watching the lively blaze flicker without pause made time pass more easily.
The flames swayed, reaching toward them, then retreating in another direction. While the forest around them dimmed, the campfire cast a soft, glowing light in their small clearing. Adrian had just come to the Academy to study herbology. How he ended up camping in the woods like this was anyone’s guess.
“I’ll take the first watch. You get some sleep.”
Fortunately, the wind had died down, and the fire provided just enough warmth. Both of them had removed the outer layers of their Academy uniforms and folded them neatly beside the fire. It wasn’t too cold, even in more relaxed clothes.
The prince used a few simple spells to clear and soften the ground near the fire, making it suitable for rest. He nodded slowly and said, “Wake me in a bit,” before lying down in his spot.
“Alright.”
The Gold Dragon replied with a smile. But the concept of “a bit” meant something very different to a dragon than it did to a human.
