Adrian stretched his arms out at his desk after spiritology class had ended. Mikhail looked to be in a similar state. It was probably because he’d been deeply engrossed in reading the school newspaper. The other students, seemingly still basking in the joy of their weekend outings, left the classroom with cheerful smiles and glowing faces.
Adrian and Mikhail, dragging their feet, were the last to leave the lecture hall. Just then, a voice called out, stopping them in their tracks.
“Oh, Adrian. Come here for a moment, will you?”
It was Professor Edwin Nollen from the alchemy class. Since receiving praise for his visit to Ordinas, Adrian had been trying to avoid the alchemy professor. Hearing his voice, he flinched and turned his head.
“…Yes?”
A quick glance around the room made it clear that the only ones left for the professor to be addressing were Adrian and Mikhail.
Edwin’s wrinkled eyes crinkled slightly at the corners. Narrowing his eyes, the professor looked the two students up and down, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
“You’ve recently been somewhere… rather special, haven’t you?”
“…Pardon?”
“There’s a faint trace of ancient mana on you. Oh my—what a sample! Today must be my lucky day.”
“…Ancient mana?”
Sniff sniff. Adrian didn’t respond, instead raising his wrist to his nose. The trace was so faint that only species highly sensitive to mana would notice it—it was Salamander mana. Impressive. Just as the Gold Dragon was about to lift his other arm to check—
Suddenly, the professor grabbed Adrian’s wrist.
Of course, the Gold Dragon had sensed the movement in advance, but it would have been awkward to dodge so abruptly, so he allowed himself to be caught.
At that moment, a sharp gaze pierced through the air, landing on them. Adrian’s soft brown eyes flicked in that direction. The gaze belonged to Mikhail, whose red eyes narrowed slightly. Once he confirmed that the professor’s interest was in Adrian’s uniform, that intense stare faded.
As always, Edwin seemed entirely unconcerned with anyone else’s reaction. He simply continued with what he intended to do. With his free hand, he raised something into view—a large pair of metal scissors.
“…Professor.”
Why is he carrying something like that around in his pocket?
Adrian, with a firm tone, demanded an explanation for what was happening. But the professor’s hands moved faster than his words.
“Um… Professor?”
It seemed Edwin no longer even registered Adrian’s voice.
Snip. The button on the undershirt beneath Adrian’s uniform fell off as the professor’s fingers twitched. Now that Adrian thought about it, it was the same shirt he had worn while carrying the Salamander. Though the trace was minimal, the Salamander’s mana must have transferred to the sleeve button.
Mana residue wasn’t something that washed away with a simple rinse—it wasn’t like a normal stain.
“Just where exactly have you two been?”
The professor’s intense gaze refused to leave Adrian’s sleeve button. With extreme care, he used the scissors to snip off the button with minimal damage, then delicately picked it up between his thumb and forefinger.
Adrian and Mikhail exchanged glances but offered no reply to the professor’s question.
Edwin looked at the silent pair with a puzzled expression. When it became clear neither intended to speak, he returned his attention to the button.
“This… This alone could be worth at least 20 Tilons.”
Twenty Tilons?
That was enough to pay for a two-month subscription to the school newspaper.
Adrian’s head snapped up in a flash at the mention of money. Without hesitation, he quickly offered up his other sleeve. Dragons had a remarkably keen sense for financial opportunity.
“Professor, do you sense anything from this side as well?”
The Gold Dragon’s eyes sparkled brightly. Then, he quickly turned toward the prince who had been silently watching the whole scene of the professor snipping off his buttons. Come to think of it, there must’ve been traces of ancient mana on Mikhail’s uniform too.
“…I’ll pass.”
The prince, recognizing that gleam in Adrian’s eye, coldly rejected the chance to earn Tilons. Allowing someone to cut up your uniform for money? That was a bit undignified for royalty.
“Mikhail… I see. So you don’t need Fellen Deep’s sword, huh?”
“…”
The prince kept his mouth tightly shut. Edwin glanced back and forth between the two students, then nodded.
“Very well. Register this at the Basamiel General Store before the week’s end.”
“Ah, the general store?”
“Transactions between students and faculty are prohibited, so the item will have to go up for auction.”
Ahh. The Gold Dragon nodded unconsciously, impressed by the Academy’s structured system.
“That’s convenient. After all, you’re probably the only one who would want this button, Professor…”
“Nonsense.”
Edwin snapped sharply, clearly offended, and handed the button back to Adrian.
“This kind of item is top-grade—something any knowledgeable professor would recognize at a glance. The Spiritology and Magic Departments are greedy bastards; no doubt they’ll try to snatch it up. But it’s clearly ideal for alchemy experiments…”
From the dragon’s perspective, the higher the bidding went, the better, so Adrian grinned internally. Putting it up for auction was the best way to profit.
Adrian pocketed the button that had been cut off and shrugged his uniform jacket back on. The open cuff, where the button had been snipped, was now covered again.
“Professor, how do we register something with the Basamiel General Store?”
“Hm?”
Edwin made a face like he couldn’t believe they didn’t know that. He glanced at the students’ ties. Clearly, he’d been working at the Academy too long and wasn’t great at keeping track of class years. Adrian and Mikhail were still first-years, as shown by their yellow ties.
“…Have you signed up for the school paper yet? Wait—no, it hasn’t even been a month, so you probably don’t even know how.”
Edwin tousled the back of his head as if the whole topic bored him. Explaining things from the beginning seemed like too much of a hassle. Adrian quickly stepped in to resolve the issue.
“Ah, I just signed up for it yesterday.”
“Oh ho! Really? Well now—”
Kids these days really are fast! Edwin laughed heartily and clapped Adrian firmly on the back. Kids these days, my ass—ugh. Adrian winced with every smack, barely holding back his irritation.
“On the last page of the school newspaper, there’s the address of the club that runs the Basamiel General Store. You just have to send a letter there.”
Edwin was in the middle of explaining how to list items for auction when, suddenly remembering something, he stared intently at Mikhail, who stood right next to Adrian. Silver hair, red eyes, a striking face befitting royal blood.
Only now did Edwin realize that one of the students was that Mikhail Luce Inehart.
“And Your Highness, I’d recommend refraining from going out too often while you’re at the Academy.”
What? Mikhail tilted his head slightly, caught off guard by the alchemy professor’s sudden concern. He hadn’t struck Mikhail as the type to care about social graces or offer flattery, especially not to royalty—so the comment felt oddly out of place.
“…And why should I do that?”
The prince answered curtly. Of course, he wasn’t the type to go out often anyway—weekends were filled with training. But now that someone told him not to, he couldn’t help feeling defiant.
“The Academy does place a strong emphasis on security for student outings, but… Prince Mikhail, there is something rather unique in your bloodline, is there not?”
Mikhail’s gaze turned cold at the mention of such a sensitive subject. But even in the face of that sharp look, Edwin calmly continued in a low voice.
“On the black market, held in secret, royal blood is considered a top-tier product.”
Edwin brought up a topic that most professors would never mention in front of royalty, let alone with such a nonchalant expression. Unsurprisingly, Mikhail raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“…And what exactly do they do with it?”
“There’s a booming market for experiments trying to extract even the faintest trace of dragon blood mixed into royal bloodlines.”
“…As far as I know, such illegal experiments are strictly forbidden by the kingdom.”
Mikhail’s crimson eyes scanned Edwin’s face, which remained composed and unaffected.
“Illegal, yes… but all new knowledge begins by breaking past the boundaries of the old, doesn’t it? In any case, you’d do well to be cautious when going out. Prince Alix, who already graduated from the Academy, ignored my advice and went out every single weekend.”
Mikhail’s expression twisted in deep displeasure. You gave that bastard advice too? You’ve got some nerve.
Standing beside him, Adrian silently watched the professor’s face as he spoke of dragon blood to the young prince. Edwin truly seemed concerned for the boy. And Mikhail, no doubt, could sense that sincerity. Adrian quietly observed the prince’s reaction.
“…To think you’re even worrying about a student’s weekend outings. How delicate of you, Basamiel.”
In noble-speak, that translated roughly to: Don’t you have anything better to do? Are you done talking now? And with a sharp “Then,” the prince ended the conversation and walked away.
Idiots. There’s pure dragon blood standing right here. Adrian licked his lips mentally as he followed after the prince. I wonder how many Tilons that would fetch.
