It had been hours since he’d fallen asleep.
The dragon found himself thinking again about the worry he had shoved under the bed long ago. The moment the thought surfaced, sleep slipped away, and with a sigh, he turned over restlessly. Taking on commissions and tending the greenhouse was enjoyable, but at this rate, he might not make it to the second year.
As Adrian turned over and ended up facing the wall, Mikhail’s bed came into view. The prince was sleeping so quietly it was as if he were dead.
Now was the time.
Adrian closed his eyes slightly and drew a small amount of mana from his core. Flash— When his eyes opened moments later, gold irises lit up fiercely in the dim room. Still lying in bed, the dragon quietly recited the incantation. With every movement of his lips, golden mana particles shimmered gently over his body, cloaking him.
It was a Silence spell.
Rustle— Adrian sat up, lifted the fine quilt, and peeked under the bed. Two unsettling clumps lay neatly in place. He reached out and dragged both out from beneath the frame.
Then, holding one in each hand, he stood up. Damn it… The ugly little stone in one of his palms was absurdly heavy. No need to check—of course that one was his. Clicking his tongue at the feather-light stone that belonged to Mikhail, the dragon shoved both of them back into place.
He flicked his hand through the air with a whoosh to dispel the Silence magic from the room.
That’s when it happened.
Knock knock knock.
The soft knock shattered the stillness of the room, followed by a faint shff as something slid across the floor. What, already six o’clock? Pulled an all-nighter, huh. Not that it mattered—dragons could go several days without sleep without issue.
Adrian picked up the newspaper wedged in the door crack and quietly walked to the nightstand. Striking a match, he lit the small lamp atop it.
A faint rustle came from Mikhail’s bed, followed by a heavy gaze.
When Adrian lifted his head in response to the stare, his eyes met his roommate’s. Mikhail was still lying down, staring straight at him.
“You didn’t wake up because of me, did you?”
“…And if I did?”
Mikhail’s voice was thick with sleep as he replied.
“If you did, then I was gonna say sorry.”
Adrian continued reading the paper, his face showing not the slightest trace of remorse. Flip— The sound of turning pages filled the room. He flipped through to the back, where the alchemy professor had marked the “Basamiel General Store” page.
He was planning to put the button up for auction. The page contained a brief explanation on how to submit items.
He reached for the quill on the table, twisted open the inkwell, and dipped the pen just enough. As he looked for a sheet of paper lying around the table…
He spotted a forgotten bag of cookies on one side. He had accepted them out of courtesy, but dragons had no sweet tooth. With the same effort one might use to brush away dust, the dragon flicked the cookie bag straight into the trash can beside the table.
He just threw away a gift like that?
Still groggy, Mikhail cracked open one eye at the sound, catching the rude act with his own eyes.
Unfazed, Adrian picked up the paper he’d originally been looking for and returned to the nightstand. The gentle scratch scratch of the high-quality quill glided gracefully across the page.
Once he finished writing the letter, Adrian folded the paper precisely twice—just as instructed in the newspaper—and dropped the button into the folded crevice. Then he slipped the letter into the door crack.
Shff— The letter slid smoothly outside the door.
It moved as if someone on the other side had tugged it away. Curious about the strange sight, Adrian cracked the dorm door open to check. No one was there. It was the same magical system used for newspaper delivery.
As Adrian looked once more at the door crack where the letter had vanished, he raised his head. Red eyes were still fixed on him.
“…Want to read it?”
What? Does he mean the newspaper? Tilting his head, Adrian offered it to Mikhail.
Mikhail scoffed. “No thanks.”
Then whip—he turned and faced the wall, yanking the blanket over his head.
“Turn off the lamp.”
“Sure.”
Fwoosh—The dragon blew, and the light on the nightstand obediently went out.
***
Before long, exam season arrived at Basamiel as well. Of course, for the freshmen, it wasn’t yet a heavy or intimidating topic.
A student passing by chatted with a friend beside them.
“Hey, do you know anyone who can lend me their notes for Elemental Studies?”
“Uh… were there even notes to take in that class?”
Scratching his cheek, the student who was asked replied,
“He did explain a lot, but… I didn’t really take notes either, so I don’t remember much.”
“So what happens if you fail the exam? …Not that I’m worried, just suddenly curious.”
His expression was far too serious and grim for someone claiming mere curiosity.
“No need to worry. It’s not like failing means you can’t attend second semester.”
Failing a few subjects wasn’t nearly enough to get a student expelled. Basamiel was relatively lenient when it came to grades. The kids now eating with bright smiles all around were students who casually paid tuition that equaled several years’ worth of an average commoner’s living expenses.
That’s why even when a conversation like that happened at the next table over, Mikhail continued slicing his steak and bringing it to his lips without so much as a glance.
Everyone laughed and joked about failing. Everyone—except Adrian. The dragon was only smiling on the outside. Damn it. At this rate, I’m gonna be the only one not here next year. Adrian felt deeply wronged.
But of course, the dragon wasn’t the type to sit idly by, waiting for things to fix themselves.
Ways to trick the Eye of Insight. Methods for casting an illusion spell on the headmaster. Even plans for destroying Basamiel’s fountain. Countless wild ideas floated through Adrian’s mind. But not one of them fully satisfied the dragon.
And then—
“…Hey.”
Someone approached the table where Adrian and Mikhail were eating and greeted them. A familiar face from their shared classes.
Mikhail gave a lazy nod. Adrian, after sipping from the teacup beside his plate, flashed a toothy smile at the uninvited guest. Truthfully, he didn’t appreciate being disturbed during a meal, but within the academy, one couldn’t afford to be so prickly about such things.
“Good morning.”
A cascade of silky golden hair added polish to his already striking appearance. Mikhail, watching the radiant smile on Adrian’s face from across the table, thought to himself, What a weirdo, and returned to his food.
“Adrian, I was wondering if you had someone to go to the party with tomorrow.”
“Oh yeah? Which party are you talking about?”
Just the word “party” brought dozens to mind. All thanks to that damn school newspaper, This Month in Basamiel, which wasted two full pages listing them all. His excellent memory was now being wasted on tracking a slew of pointless academy party schedules.
“The one Harris is hosting, obviously.”
…Wait, what?
The gold dragon did his best to hide his confusion, keeping a pleasant smile on his face. Was this guy asking him to go together? But—he was a guy. The student stood there, waiting for Adrian’s answer, his cheeks flushed pink as he gently tapped his foot against the floor.
Since the one who started the conversation didn’t seem eager to speak again, Adrian tilted his head and opened his mouth. First, he had to figure out what this was about.
“…Are you asking me to go to the party with you?”
Adrian glanced around. Not a single person in the dining hall seemed to think the situation was strange. Not even Mikhail, who was sitting directly across from him, eating calmly.
He was shorter than Adrian—he looked like someone who would fit snugly in his arms—but still, he was a male human. If the other party had been a lady, the dragon could’ve effortlessly played the role of an elegant escort.
“You don’t want to?”
The student who had brought up the party looked downcast, watching Adrian for any hint of a reaction.
“No… It’s not that I don’t want to…”
Adrian dragged out his words, scrambling for a way to handle this situation.
“It’s okay. You think I’m not good enough to go with, right? Don’t worry. I won’t take it personally.”
He said he wouldn’t be hurt, but he looked flustered as he forced the words out, then quickly added, “Well, see you in class later,” and walked away faster than expected. Adrian could see a glimmer of tears welling in his eyes as he tried to smile.
What just happened? Adrian stared across the table, dazed. The prince gave a short, amused snort as he took in Adrian’s bewildered expression.
“Quite the high standards, huh?”
Mikhail asked, elegantly slicing into his steak. Come to think of it, the student who had given Adrian cookies before had also been the granddaughter of a respected scholar. For a mere commoner who’d just barely been admitted to the academy, Adrian’s standards for choosing a partner were way too high.
Adrian’s eyes widened like he’d just heard something truly bizarre.
“What? High stan—no, I mean, don’t people not ask other guys to parties?”
Hmm? Mikhail’s red eyes shifted ever so slightly, studying Adrian’s face.
In Rustavaran, choosing a partner without regard to gender was such an old custom that no one even remembered how it began. Moreover, the prince’s roommate was, objectively speaking, attractive and well-built enough to draw attention from either side.
“…You must’ve lived outside the continent for a long time.”
The prince murmured softly, bringing his teacup to his lips. The continent where the Kingdom of Rustavaran was located was so vast that its people often referred to places beyond it as simply “outside the continent”—a common euphemism for “ignorant barbarian.”
Judging by Mikhail’s attitude, this was apparently a completely ordinary occurrence for humans.
Hah… Adrian gave an awkward laugh and wiped his lips. In its own way, that euphemism was oddly fitting for the situation.
The world sure has changed a lot while I was asleep. A whole damn lot.
The gold dragon sipped his bitter tea like a tired old man, lost in thought.
