Chapter 54
“You’re telling us to leave now?”
We were just about to start a game. The raven, several goblins, and I were going to play treasure hunt. The raven, as the seeker, had hidden the treasure, and we were supposed to find it. I had even rolled up my sleeves in preparation.
Miss Baba approached us, a goblin carrying her luggage. The young master, who had been reading, blinked and asked her nonchalantly,
“Did someone from Crown Prince Umbram come?”
“He was following you. Investigating you, perhaps. Or keeping an eye on you. I don’t know. I can’t ask him anymore.”
“Did you kill him?”
He asked, looking at Castor, as if it were obvious.
“If he was killed, it would have been by the youngest Dragonuska. Those from Dragon’s Waist aren’t bound by Imperial law.”
“I didn’t kill him.”
Castor shook his head. Was I the only one who didn’t understand the situation? What about the treasure hunt? My treasure? And what about the goblins behind me, drooping their shoulders in disappointment!
“I don’t kill. I don’t want the Master to be involved in such things. So leave. Flee to Dragon’s Waist.”
“You’ll regret letting him live. They’ll say you threatened him. It would have been easier for you if you had killed him and let me take the blame. That sly fox Umbram doesn’t like me.”
“I don’t care.”
The raven, who had been listening quietly, suddenly clapped his hands and stood up. He seemed impressed by something, but I still couldn’t understand. I wanted to play treasure hunt.
“This works out perfectly. Dragon’s Waist wants Castor Dragonuska. They need to send a representative, even if it’s not him. You two can go as Castor’s representatives! It’s a perfect plan!”
“Who said we would?”
“Can’t we at least play treasure hunt before we go?”
The young master and I both said what we wanted. The raven did the same.
“I told you. You need a dragon’s help to complete Estella’s heart. Dragon’s Waist is in a crisis. The entire Dragon’s Tail region has been overrun by zombies. The Elder Council and the Dragonuska family are fighting, and you know which side you should be on, right?”
“How do I know they’ll help me?”
The young master snapped, closing his book.
“I’ll write a letter.”
This time, it was Miss Baba who spoke. She also seemed to agree with the raven, planning to send us to Dragon’s Waist, or Tail, or whatever it was.
“I heard about your troubles with the zombies. I’ll write, ‘We’ll send you the Imperial zombie investigator, so please comply with their requests.’ I’ll seal it with magic.”
“Um, we can make the heart later, can we just play treasure hunt…”
“Fine.”
The young master stood up. He seemed ready to leave…
“Estella, get changed.”
“Aw…”
The raven said he would help us travel with magic. I reluctantly changed my clothes and came out, and the young master was already ready to leave. I hadn’t even played treasure hunt or enjoyed the garden.
Disappointed, I grabbed Miss Baba and asked,
“Miss, can I come visit again?”
“Estella, we weren’t here to play.”
Thankfully, Miss Baba said I could visit anytime. Castor also promised to play with me later.
“What about Mr. Raven? He promised to show me his treasure collection. Can I see it next time?”
“Sure. But let me give you my magic first. You won’t be able to use it now. You’ll need to have it processed by the dragon leader.”
The raven held out his hand. Under the young master’s sharp gaze, I cautiously extended my hand. As we shook hands, a gentle force flowed from him, tickling my palm and then moving towards my heart.
“Is this… magic?”
Did the young master handle this kind of power all the time? I looked at him, and his expression was grim. Was he jealous? No, it was probably possessiveness. True jealousy was still a long way off.
“Stop with the theatrics and just give her the magic. That was just a prank.”
The young master snapped. The raven laughed and transformed back into a bird, landing on Miss Baba’s shoulder.
“I already gave her the magic in front of the workshop! I just shook her hand because I didn’t want to say goodbye! It was a joke! I like jokes!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the young master pulled me into a hug. I heard him sigh softly.
“…It was true. Thank you.”
“I received my payment from Baba. Don’t thank me too much. Excessive gratitude invites further requests.”
The goblins brought out our luggage. I took the bags from them and thanked each one of them.
“Food, food inside. Cooking inside. Goodbye, Estella.”
“Thank you, everyone!”
The goblins said goodbye. I hugged the bag of food tightly and scuttled over to the young master, whispering,
“Should I throw this away on the way?”
“That would be rude, so dispose of it at Dragon’s Waist.”
Dragon’s Waist was located on a different continent, across a vast ocean. It would be a long journey. Would the young master be alright?
Late at night, the sound of flapping wings echoed through the large clearing behind the magic library. The wyvern that would take us to Dragon’s Waist had arrived. It breathed fire from its large nostrils and made strange cooing sounds.
There was a makeshift cabin on the wyvern’s back, and a saddle on its arched neck for the rider, like a coachman on a carriage.
The rider(?) was supposedly a dragon person. He tipped his hat to Castor and approached us. He spoke with a heavy accent, his Common Tongue not very fluent. He seemed to have a limited vocabulary.
“Go now! Very far! Get on! And? Uh… sleep! Very far!”
Before we entered the cabin, Castor called me over and placed a bracelet on my wrist.
“When you return, give this to someone named Irang.”
“What is this?”
“Proof that I’m… healthy.”
“Why don’t you just go and tell her yourself? Let’s go together!”
Castor shook his head, his expression suggesting a complicated situation. I wondered if I shouldn’t have asked. It would be interesting to hear his story, but the young master was emanating a disturbing aura behind me.
“Estella. Keep it short. Hurry up.”
“Stop being so possessive! Possessiveness without affection is just annoying. Anyway, what were you saying, Castor?”
“You don’t need to know the details. I’ll stay here and protect the Master. Give my regards to Irang.”
With those words, he waved goodbye.
Leaving the magic library behind, the young master and I entered the wyvern cabin. It was like a log cabin, with chairs and a small bed. There was another passenger, but their face was hidden by a hooded cloak. They seemed to be fast asleep, their head resting against the window.
Was it a solo traveler? Perhaps a noble lady searching for love in Dragon’s Waist, who was rescued by the young master from a zombie attack and would eventually fall in love with him?
As I was observing the passenger, the young master grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and sat me down on a chair.
“Why?!”
“Stay put. Rest if you can’t sleep. Dolls don’t sleep either? Don’t they dream?”
“How would I know? You’re the one who made me.”
As we bickered, the wyvern spread its wings.
“Come visit again!”
Castor waved to us. I waved back from the window. The bracelet on my wrist jingled. The young master sat down, arms crossed, and closed his eyes.
“…”
As I waved goodbye to Castor, I felt a strange presence. I looked back, and the passenger was still asleep. But I felt like they were staring at me.
“Must be my imagination…”
The wyvern took flight, and we left the continent as if fleeing.
The sunrise from the sky was breathtakingly beautiful. I pressed myself against the window, admiring the sky as it transformed from a deep violet to a brilliant light.
“Young Master, the scenery is beautiful.”
“…”
I turned to him, thinking he was asleep, and his usually pale face was now gray. Every time the wyvern flapped its wings, he covered his mouth with his fist, as if trying to suppress nausea.
“Are you feeling sick?”
“…Don’t talk to me.”
He had been fine in the carriage. Perhaps he got airsick. I didn’t get airsick, being a doll. I couldn’t share the romantic moment with him, but enjoying the sky alone wasn’t so bad.
Well, to be precise, I wasn’t alone.
“Isn’t the scenery beautiful?”
I asked, looking behind me. The hooded passenger turned their head slightly. They had been pretending not to notice, but I had felt their gaze on me. They must have been admiring the beautiful scenery as well.
“Beneath the beautiful sky lies only hell.”
“Ah…”
I was startled, not by the passenger’s pessimistic words, but by their voice. It was a woman’s voice, sounding about the young master’s age. I had assumed they were a slender, aspiring assassin, judging by their ragged cloak.
She didn’t seem like a cheerful person, so I decided not to engage further. I rested my arm on the windowsill, gazing at the sky, and occasionally patted the young master’s back.
A flock of migratory birds, flying in a V formation, approached us.
“How beautif…”
“Screech!”
The birds’ cries were terrifying. The wyvern flapped its wings forcefully, trying to drive them away, but it only agitated them further. Hundreds of birds swarmed the wyvern. A few birds, separated from the flock, fell like raindrops. They were gray.
“They’re infected.”
The passenger, who had been dozing off, sat up abruptly.
“Humans and non-humans, step aside.”
Throwing off her hood, she opened the cabin door and jumped onto the wyvern’s wing.
“Protecting humans is my duty! I am Irang!”