Chapter 4: The Sky Throne

1

That’s the sound of a bell.

August Ignitia heard it ringing through his hazy consciousness. Perhaps someone was getting married, or perhaps they were being laid to rest.

Let’s hope it’s a cause for celebration, he thought. He’d had his fill of sorrows already. Someone’s voice mixed in with its chimes. Oh, it’s her voice. It’s about time to wake up.

Like a bubble rising from the deepest depths of the ocean, August slowly returned to consciousness. He found himself in a coffin, buried in countless white flowers. Upon waking up, the first thing that hit him was the acute sense that he was drowning.

He reached out his hand, not quite knowing what was going on, only to find it gripping the hand of a young girl.

“Your Highness!” The call resounded through his heart with surprising force, and at last, he awoke. He sat up, scattering the flower petals that covered his body.

“Erika, is that you? Where are we? What was I...?”

“We are in a hidden room of the Grand Cathedral.”

“A hidden—oh, under the mural? I’m surprised you managed to find it. Only members of the royal family know the right legend to track it down, and even fewer manage to notice it.”

“What a relief. I thought you were a goner.”

August realized just where he had been sleeping. He looked down at the coffin. “Wow, that’s not even funny.”

“My thoughts exactly. See? He agrees, it’s in terrible tas— Ow, ow, ow. No, I said nothing.”

There was a small cat on Erika’s shoulder, which was playfully kneading its paws against her face.

“What’s her deal? The little one?”

“This and that happened in all the chaos, and I wound up taking her with me.”

“Hmm, well color me green. How about you pick up a stray prince while you’re at it? Wait, hold on a second. What chaos?”

August tried to recall what had led him to the basement of the Grand Cathedral. For some reason, he was missing memories here and there, but he could still clearly remember that he had been the cause of the mess.

“I see... My powers went out of control.” Try as he may, he couldn’t remember anything that happened after he climbed down the stairs. He held his head as it was assailed with a dull ache.

Something happened. I just know it. After I entered the room, and before Erika found me.

Otherwise, he simply couldn’t explain it. From what he remembered, before he woke up, his powers were so feeble he could barely even synergize with a small self-defense dragon. Yet he could feel such overwhelming telepathic powers swirling within him that it was downright terrifying.

“Did the Beast of Contracts do something to me? Did I make a wish?”

“You’ve just woken up, August. Don’t—”

“I’m alright, Erika. There are a few things I have to confirm.”

August took Erika’s hand for support as he stepped down onto the stone floor, and he then immediately felt up the closest wall. He pushed it a few times, then leaned his body weight onto it and began whacking it.

“It won’t open. Gah! It’s hopeless; the room’s vanished. The wall doesn’t even feel hollow.”

“What are you looking for?”

“This should lead to the chamber that houses the Beast of Con—I mean, the angel’s crypt. But there’s nothing here.”

Memories of the Beast of Contracts fell away like sand between his fingers. By now, he could no longer remember the name or face of that individual. He knew that the moment he stopped thinking about her, he would forget she ever existed.

Looks like she rejected me, August inferred. Had his selfish wish finally made her give up on him? No doubt, the angel had left and gone somewhere far away.

August was overcome with a deep sense of emptiness, like he had lost a dear family member. His knees gave in beneath him, and he crumbled down in front of the wall where the door was supposed to be.

“Mew.”

The cat jumped down from Erika’s shoulder and licked August’s hand. Something about the cat’s body heat was rather nostalgic, and he got the feeling it was trying to console him. He petted it on the head and smiled.

“Thank you. You’re a kind little kitty. I’m alright.”

“Mew, mew.”

The cat made a drowsy face, practically melting in his arms. With a deep sigh, Erika hoisted it up and dragged it away.

“Meow! Mew! Mrow!”

“Yeah, yeah. We’ve got stuff to do. You can have him dote on you later.”

“Mrow...”

“Now, August, how about we get out of here? We need to do something about that mess outside.”

“It’s still going on? Wait, are the dragons still on a rampage?”

August tried concentrating on what was beyond the walls. If he simply thought to expand the scope of his telepathy, it would grow and grow with no limit in sight. In an instant, he had perceived the souls of over a hundred dragons, but he cut off his ability before he got too deep into their minds.

He could feel his heart hammering out an alarm. He had been in contact for only a brief instant, yet the frenzied panic of countless dragons had rushed straight back to him. What a frightening power. If he didn’t use it carefully, it would burn the souls of whoever he used it on along with his own.

For the time being, he gave himself a sharp reprimand.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, no need to worry. I was just checking a few things. There are some unconscious dragons, but a large number of them are still in a frenzy.”

“How can we contain them?”

“Let’s see. If we mobilize the dragoons, we can have each of them form links and directly calm the dragons down one at a time...”

August suddenly fell silent. If he used this overwhelming telepathy, wouldn’t he be able to stop a few of the dragons—perhaps dozens of them—all at once? If he could do that, it would greatly lessen the load on the other dragoons.

“But am I capable of that?”

“Meow!”

His question was meant to be rhetorical, but it got him an energetic chirp from the cat. The meow was like a push on the back, and it inspired a broad grin.

“Guess you’re right; mulling over it won’t get me anywhere. I was hopeless from the start, so who cares if it doesn’t work? I’ll try to get as much of the outside chaos under control as possible.”

“Right. You should be able to do it.”

“Hahahaha. Not that I have any proof.”

August planted his legs firmly on the ground and held out a hand to Erika.

“Won’t you be my goddess of fortune for a bit? With you by my side, I get the feeling there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“Your religion only accepts one God. Are you sure you should be taking in goddesses?”

“Don’t worry about it. Our God is especially kind to women.”

Erika took his hand, and the two of them climbed up the dimly lit stairwell.

Once they were out in front of the mural of the One True God, they came across a boy in Hafan magician’s robes and the little, gold dragon, Goldberry. Erika’s leather bag was also nearby.

August had no recollection of the magician but felt that for some reason he knew him.

“Who’s he?”

“That gentleman is Claus of House Hafan.”

“I get the feeling he’s under an incredibly rude misunderstanding. I wonder why?”

“You’re imagining it,” Erika said flatly.

August looked at her, feeling suspicious. His eyes naturally shifted to the top of her head.

“This might also be my imagination, but I get the feeling there was something stuck on your head.”

“You’re imagining it. You’re definitely, unequivocally imagining it.”

“I can’t remember. It was so cute too...”

“The reality you are imagining does not exist. Give up.”

It was on the tip of his tongue, but the memory was gone. It was like it had been scraped away. He didn’t know why, but he felt it was a terrible shame.

Erika stooped down over Claus and checked his condition.

“Looks like he’s alright.”

“Was he caught up when my powers ran out of control? A Hafan magician should wake up after his mana recovers a bit.”

August cradled an unconscious Goldberry in his arms. The gold dragon he thought of as a little sister was at peace, her expression calm and her breathing steady. He patted his chest, relieved. Evidently, Goldberry was also just asleep.

He was about to get into her head and wake her up when he stopped himself. Was it alright to wield overwhelming power so casually? Would he end up crushing her soul in the process? Imagining it sent a chill down his spine.

“Is there something wrong with Goldberry?”

“She’s fine. I’ll try waking her up.”

August tried a more cautious approach than he had ever used when he was desperately trying to link with dragons. He gently stroked Goldberry’s restless heart. He imagined he was holding an egg—not hard enough to break it, but not lightly enough to drop it, carefully tuning his output. While the resting Goldberry’s heart had seemed so calm and smooth on the surface, it rippled with positive and negative emotions, giving way to minute tremors all over. They were like the small bumps on the outside of the eggshell.

He was so focused on their connection that he nearly overlooked the waves of anxiety running across the surface of his own heart. The moment he was about to use too much force, he frantically retracted himself.

August took a deep breath as he assessed his emotional state. In order to interact with a calm heart, he tried to still the waves created by his negative emotions. He soon realized this was a mistake.

If he tried to erase his negative emotions in one place, they would just produce a ripple somewhere else. By denying his own feelings to forcefully shape his heart, he had only produced even more distortions.

Even that’s hopeless.

August then changed course and instead tried to adjust only the concentration of the power he used. He delegated a little to watch over Goldberry, a little to monitor himself and limit his outflow. A little to take a commanding view over his interactions, a little to create a buffer zone. He allotted various roles within himself, maintaining a fine balance as he carefully made contact with his dear partner.

“Chirp? Chrrrrr?”

Tugged along by August, Goldberry slowly awakened. Her small eyelids quivered as she lifted her neck in his arms. While maintaining his own senses, he let a part of himself completely take in everything the dragon was feeling. Two separate fields of vision, two separate senses of smell, two separate sensations of touch—he could even feel the difference in the heartbeats of man and dragon.

However, Goldberry’s soul hadn’t been dyed in his colors. On the contrary, it was like he had opened his own soul to her. This was the first time he had felt such a thing, yet August instinctively understood it was right.

Goldberry flapped her wings, lifting herself into the air. As she soared over Erika and August, the prince tried expanding his telepathy again to locate the other dragons. His reading was more precise than the last time, and now his perception went so far as to include their mental states.

He maintained the buffer so he didn’t absorb the dragons’ fury and anxiety, and he also took great care to keep from overwriting their emotions with his own. His interference was faint, as though he were brushing them with a feather.

Even as he performed this precise, wide-ranging work, he could still control Goldberry’s body. August had her land on his shoulder as he narrowed the scope of his domain once again. He could feel his heart racing for different reasons than before. He could feel a sense of elation surging up from the depths of his soul.

“Erika, I think I might be able to do it now.”

“Alright.”

“I might be able to quell all the dragons in the capital, without having to wait for the other dragoons.”

Erika smiled. The cat on her shoulders narrowed its eyes, as if it was smiling as well.

2

To make things easier, August started by waking the closest cargo-carrier land dragon and calling her close. He placed Claus Hafan on her back along with Erika’s leather bag. Goldberry nimbly leapt onto its horns.

He and Erika walked ahead of the dragon as the party made their way out of the Grand Cathedral.

“The wide halls really help at times like these.”

“I hear they were pretty helpful when they were remodeling the place. All the larger art pieces—including the mural in the back—were carried in by dragons. Quite a few of them are too heavy for humans to lift.”

August chatted with Erika as he freely brushed with the hearts of the sleeping or rampaging dragons around them. At times, he would be struck by a dragon’s fear and sorrow, but these feelings did very little harm. He had achieved a balance between being a sympathetic, sensitive caretaker and being an observer overlooking them all—and through doing so, he could accept these strong, negative emotions without being swept away.

By the time they reached the entrance, he had almost all of the land dragons under control. Now that the dragons blockading the area had calmed down, August and Erika could see a group of people approaching from the main road that reached all the way to the Grand Cathedral. The crowd hoisted the flag of Ignitia.

“Great, it looks like they’re here to save us.”

“Looks like the king and my father are among them.”

Erika was using the wand that enhanced her vision to confirm the faces of the group. After hearing her report, August borrowed the eyes of the dragons closest to them to see for himself. Not only were the king and Duke Aurelia among them, but he could also see the queen and many prominent nobles from distinguished houses.

The sight of the king was a huge load off his mind. Among the active dragoons, King Henri was the most skilled when it came to controlling dragons. Even if the chaos had continued without August’s intervention, Henri’s arrival would’ve immediately suppressed it.

August knew he was in for a terrible scolding, and he expected his ill rumors to grow by a few; however, he was the one who had caused this mess, so he would simply have to accept it.

All of a sudden, one of the dragons soaring overhead changed its trajectory to fly straight at the group. It was a twenty-meter-class silver dragon. In its frenzied state, the dragon was instinctively hostile to the approach of an armed group. No one had noticed it, not even the king or Duke Aurelia.

Considering the average flight speed of a twenty-meter-class dragon, there were about five seconds to go before impact. Even if they noticed it now, they wouldn’t be able to avoid it in time. Rendered fully mad by the prior tempestuous events, it would be extremely difficult to control.

Up to that point, August had avoided linking with large, winged dragons. His failure at the tournament had been truly traumatic.

But now’s not the time to make excuses. Stop! Please, stop!

August released his telepathic power, extending the hands of his soul toward the rampaging silver dragon. He curtailed his impatience, reducing his power as he envisioned himself lifting up a small chick—and in that moment, he gently made contact with the dragon’s heart.

Once August had soothed it, the silver dragon immediately beat its wings again, putting on the emergency brakes. The nobles finally spotted the dragon as it rapidly changed course and swerved into the sky. Having realized their brush with peril, a few of them cried out.

“That was dangerous.”

“Yeah, I barely made it. The other dragons are getting worked up too. I should calm down the ones that are about to snap before my father gets here.”

August returned the silver beast to the ring of dragons flying over the cathedral, then borrowed its eyes to observe the others. The moment he spotted another emotionally unstable dragon, he shifted his control and got to work calming it down.

By repeating this process over and over again, August had finally made contact with nearly every dragon in the vicinity of the Grand Cathedral. From small self-defense dragons to twenty-meter-class giants, from fliers to ground-dwellers, they all numbered in the triple digits—yet August hardly felt any strain. He knew for a fact that he had received incredible strength from the Beast of Contracts, so who was he to doubt?

At the very least, he would have liked to offer a word of thanks. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed that it would never come to be.

If she’s still somewhere close, do you reckon she’s watching over me?

When he lifted his right hand, the flying dragons rose all at once. They crossed, spun, and took formation as he commanded. It looked as if he was weaving an elaborate tapestry with dragons of all colors.

“Incredible...”

Erika, as well as the group led by the king, let out gasps of amazement as they watched the dragons dance. The beasts took on many forms as they painted the sky. A carpet spread out over the clouds became a wave as dragons somersaulted in turn, and right after they had intensely soared in a raging tornado, they scattered in a delicate way that brought falling autumn leaves to mind.

August shared their eyes, their ears, and the wind against their skin while giving precise directions. The link between their hearts was made as easily as holding hands, but it was sturdy as a chain.

Up until a few hours ago, try as he might, all dragons had refused him. All that now seemed like a lie, or like a dream, and now he got the feeling he would be able to commune freely with the heart of any dragon in the land.

It felt as if the world had finally accepted him. He had always been convinced he had no place anywhere. But from now on, all the skies belonged to him.

So this is what it means to be blessed by the dragons.

August felt it directly. The sky was so close, he could take it in his hands. Through the dragons’ eyes, he was enveloped in a boundless sea of blue.

After he had seized every dragon around the Grand Cathedral, he branched out farther, calming the distant dragons as he went along. Finally, he was reaching beyond the island, and it definitely began to feel peculiar when they were so far away.

While August tilted his head at this bizarre sensation, he called these dragons close as he did with the others.

“Oops, was that a little too much?”

“What’s wrong, August?”

“No, just a bit of a miscalculation. I found something rare flying nearby.”

He gave a wry smile, having realized exactly what sort of dragons he’d picked up. The moment it dawned upon the nobles and royals, they began to make a ruckus. Everyone looking up at the sky was swallowed by the shadows of two massive dragons, one white and one gold.

“They’re even bigger than a twenty-meter class? It can’t be! Are those Thrones?!”

“Don’t be daft! A king’s dragon can only be controlled by the king who rode her!”

“But those dragons perfectly match the description of the legendary mounts of the Founding King.”

“Oh, to think I would see such a miracle in my lifetime!”

Ignitia’s nobles shouted and cheered, unable to contain their wonder and disbelief. This was the first time August had seen the real deal, but he knew their traits well. Following Urthona and Tharmas, the Thrones of other kings flew down in succession.

Thrones usually flew at such high altitudes that they were outside the range of anyone’s telepathy, yet August had managed to reach them.

“Oh, those are the dragons from the statues on the bridge. If I’m remembering right, they were the dragons of Founding King Guillaume.”

“The white dragon is Urthona, and the gold one is Tharmas. I always wanted to meet them, but I never thought it would actually happen.”

“They don’t show up often?”

“Yes, it’s seen as an unparalleled good omen. We’re in luck. Excluding the Founding King’s time, they say Urthona and Tharmas only showed up when Savage King Jean saved this country.”

At the time, Ignitia had been outnumbered during its war against Gigantia, and Ynys Negesydd had been encircled by the enemy fleet. On the dawn of the day the nation would fall, Jean, who was but a common soldier at the time, had received a divine revelation and had successfully called down Urthona and Tharmas, which had led the other Thrones into battle.

Thanks to the overwhelming might of the dragons that had grown massive over the years, the Gigantian Fleet had been turned away, and Jean had immediately been heralded as the nation’s savior and wed to the princess. This was one of the famous heroic epics almost every young boy in Ignitia knew by heart.

A greater commotion spread as even the Thrones of the Savage King himself appeared: the black dragon Urizen and the red dragon Luvah. These dragons had not been seen since the time of the Savage King’s rule.

“Is this really happening?”

“It’s the return of the king, of glory, and of triumph.”

“Who could have done this?”

August walked out to the center of the plaza. First the Thrones, then the others all descended around him. They lined up in single file, forming a path as they lowered their heads to him.

Everyone looked at August. While he had become the center of attention, he still boldly walked past them.

“Oh! The child of destiny, more blessed than anyone!”

“My fealty goes to the king among kings.”

“He’s the king... He must be the true king.”

The archbishop cried out in reverence, then removed his hat and kneeled down before August. The clergymen took their cues, while the nobles and knights also knelt down in prayer.

The soldiers, common folk, and even people from foreign lands took on the same posture as they were swept up in their enthusiasm. As everyone watched, unmoving, only the king approached.

“Father, I’ve caused such a terrible mess. I’m prepared to accept any punishment.”

“Not another word.” With that, the king pulled him into an embrace. He held him up as he would an infant, causing August to turn red to the ears. But the king was even redder in childish wonder and admiration, and there were tears streaming down his face. “August! My son! If your blood is thicker than all, if this happened because you were stronger than any, then who should slander you for it?! Take a look at what’s become of every man, every woman, every child, every dragon!”

August cautiously scanned the crowd. Not a soul was looking at him with eyes of contempt.

Once the king released him and set him back on the ground, it was the queen’s turn. Flustered as he was, August gradually formed a bashful smile. Rending cheers erupted as those gathered in the square extolled the blessed prince. From a safe distance, Erika and her cat watched him with satisfied looks on their faces.

3

Those who gathered watched this happy family with misty eyes. As Erika peeked from her hiding place, she put a hand to her chest in relief. August had perfectly acquired the ability to bond with dragons. His ability was recognized by everyone without a hitch.

Erika whispered to the kitten perched on her shoulder, “Looks like August doesn’t need our help anymore.”

“Yes, he’s just as blessed as I thought. We’ll both walk out of this alive,” Palug answered.

The battle had completely drained her of all her power, and now she had to survive solely on the drop of blood Erika had offered as part of their contract. Now, she could wield no more power than her appearance suggested; she had the strength of a kitten.

Palug lazily stretched out her forelimbs. While she was terribly worn out, she looked quite satisfied as she watched over August.

“So in the end, what was he missing?”

“His talents weren’t lacking, they were excessive. The potency of his powers is what brought his misfortune. A sparrow may teach a sparrow fledgling to fly, but he cannot teach an eaglet.” Her voice was quite indifferent.

The problem he’d always had was that his telepathy was simply too strong. His powers were so great that they had induced fear into every dragon he came into contact with. The dragons’ fears had always been sent straight back to him, further amplified by his own insecurities. This vicious cycle had repeated again and again, preventing him from forming any connections.

His only hope had lain in his personal dragons, which would’ve been acclimated to his powers from birth, but only little Goldberry had ever hatched. The other two, which would have been larger and suitable for riding, remained in their shells.

It had only been a matter of time before August had grown impatient and tried to practice riding the generic dragons. However, no matter how many times Palug had warned him to limit himself, August had been unable to understand how much was too much.

He had continued to experience failure after failure until he had begun to doubt that he had any talent at all. Couldn’t it be that Palug had been too kind? That she had just been lying to him every time she’d said he had talent?

“I see, so that’s why he could ride an intoxicated dragon.”

“Yes. That mare let him ride her because the intoxication dulled her fear. Something like that never occurred to me.” The way Palug looked at August made it seem as if she was looking far into the distance. “Year after year after year, he would try to ride a generic dragon, and he would come home in tatters. I thought it would be the same this time. You can’t imagine how surprised I was when I saw him fly.”

“Huh? Then you’re not the one who arranged the cursed stirrup?”

“Of course not. If I’d known his dragon was equipped with something so dangerous, I would never have let him go to the match.”

Come to think of it, she has a point. There was no way Palug would allow such a thing when she held August so dear.

“Truth be told, I didn’t want to grant his wish.”

“Why not?”

“When you make a contract with an angel, we are unable to choose any means that have a possibility of failure. To absolutely ensure he could ride, my only option would have been to weaken him.”

“You would’ve had to use up your life to contain his power. Well, when he’s that strong, I guess there’s no way around it.”

“But you see, August’s abilities should be lauded. They’re a blessing. Those powers are proof that he is loved by God. I didn’t want to snatch something so wonderful from him.” The sight of August and the people surrounding him seemed radiant in the cat’s eyes. “Erika, you have my thanks. It’s because of you that I could take a gamble on his possibilities without fear of failure. Who would have thought I could see such wonderful sights while I was still alive.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Palug closed in on Erika’s face, nuzzling her soft fur up against the girl’s cheek. Erika had just done it to save her own hide, so didn’t feel she deserved the creature’s gratitude.

“Oh, but there is something bothering me.”

“What?”

“I get why he couldn’t ride dragons, but how did you change it so that he could?”

“Right, come to think of it, I never got time to explain. How should I put this? It’s a bit complicated. I mean, the change I made was very minor; I barely did anything at all.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Erika’s eyes widened in surprise. She had been convinced that Palug had used her miracle to achieve it, and that was why she had gone through with the ritual in the first place.

Palug smiled lazily. “In short, rather than weakening his abilities as they are now, it was simpler to weaken his abilities in the past.”

“You’ll need to be a bit clearer than that.”

“As long as August could learn to regulate his own powers, there would be no need to deprive him of them. All I did was tinker a bit with his memory lapse once we made our contract, implanting false memories that his telepathic powers had been dreadfully weak before he made a contract of his own.”

“You mean he’s not working miracles there?”

“Precisely. I mean, the real miracle was the powers he had all along. All that was left was to carefully regulate them.”

Erika felt caught between understanding and a lack thereof. She imagined it was like a parent teaching her child to ride a bike, promising that they would hold on tight but then quietly letting go once the child began to pedal away. Had something similar happened with August’s supernatural abilities?

“But what would you have done if that failed?”

“Well, I would’ve spent either the remainder of my existence or my contractor’s soul to make it work out one way or another.”

“Hmm, so you were going to use my soul to take a gamble, eh?” Erika glared hard at the cat.

“It worked out, so who cares? I thought we were done for when that silver dragon went berserk.”

The fact that Erika had been at risk of dying again without even realizing it caused her to shiver. Apparently, she would have died if August had failed at any point in time.

“Then how did you use your miracle?”

“I used it to free myself from all of God’s restraints. In other words, I’m no longer a beast that grants miracles. I’ve stepped down from my duty of hearing the wishes of mankind. Something as convenient as the Beast of Contracts no longer exists.”

August waved at Erika. Upon noticing him, Erika lightly waved back.

“Then does that mean you won’t be forgotten anymore?”

“Pretty much.”

“You won’t have your powers sucked away? You won’t be weakened or annihilated anymore?”

“Yes. But that doesn’t change the fact I don’t have long to live. Faith in me has dwindled, after all.”

“Are you alright with that?”

“Mmheehee. Well, if possible, I’d like to live to see his wedding, but who knows.”

“If it bothered you that much, you could have just married him yourself,” Erika teased, recalling what she’d said during the battle.

But Palug shook her head. Erika had suspected Palug felt a deeper attachment to August, but that apparently wasn’t the case.

“I thought about it, but no matter how much I love him and treasure him, he is like a son to me.” She had tried to serve August even if it meant she would lose her soul in the process. This was different from the longings of a lover; it was more of a parental drive. “If a mother keeps tying her son down and deciding his future, that’s just a burden, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps.”

“He doesn’t need me anymore. He can aim for the sky on his own.”

“You sure?”

“I have to be. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to leave him, right?”

Erika noticed a voice calling for her. August, the king, and the queen were beckoning her over. Beside them, Duke Aurelia was scowling at her, his eyes dark.

Oh, shoot. Is he angry? Remembering that she’d gone against his orders, Erika awkwardly smiled at him. The moment August looked back, rather perplexed, the duke immediately faked a smile of his own.

Whether she would be reprimanded or not, Erika would feel no less joyful. After all, if she had died, she wouldn’t have been scolded by her kind father ever again. After exchanging a look with Palug, Erika made off for the group. Everything was about to end without issue.

Just then, someone screamed.

“How idiotic! What a farce!” The figure who burst forth from the crowd had a face dyed red with bitterness and rage. It was Louie.

4

Louie still wore a few tattered garlands over his armor. They must have been jostled around considerably by the mind-controlled crowds.

“Don’t let yourselves be fooled! You should all know it by now! Don’t you remember how that swindler cheated in the joust?!” His voice cracked as it rose to a hysteric pitch. His hatred for the prince had made him deranged. “August, knowing you, you must be controlling those dragons through underhanded means. Am I right? Investigate him thoroughly, Your Majesty! He must be hiding something.” Flecks of spittle flew from his lips as he spoke.

The celebratory air was destroyed as the crowd fell silent in the face of these scandalous words. They seemed to be at a loss. On one side was the miraculous prince who appeared to be loved by God. On the other, a skilled knight who had proven his capabilities on the battlefield. Taking their personalities into account, it shouldn’t have been so hard to determine who was being truthful. However, there weren’t many who knew their true natures.

“You’re still stuck on that, Louie?”

“Your Majesty, I’ll say it as many times as it takes for you to understand. August is a fraud!”

“Then I’ll speak my mind as well. There is no known way to control a dragon aside from telepathy. With spells, charms, and certain herbs, it is possible to temporarily drive a dragon mad. However, such simplistic methods wouldn’t allow you to ride it.” The king frowned, gazing at Louie with lament. Distress was written on his face. “Please cease these false allegations. Do you have any definitive evidence that August has committed wrongdoing?”

“If that’s your angle, sire, then is there any proof he hasn’t?”

“That’s not an argument. If you want to accuse someone of something, you must be able to back it up.”

“Someone, something, you’re being so vague. I am accusing none other than August, and I am accusing him of being an impostor. Or could it be you’re showing unjust favor simply because he is your son?”

“Louie, you’re being completely incoherent. Calm down.”

Louie smacked aside the hand the king had reached out to soothe him, his blazing wrath on full display as he pointed at August and screamed. “Like hell I can calm down! There is no way in hell August isn’t cheating! If you look into it, you’ll surely find traces of curses, spells, or something else forbidden in this country!”

“Hmm, you mean like the ones found in your room?”

The voice came not from the king, nor from Louie, but from someone else entirely. The tall, young man emerged, parting the growing sea of people. He strode forward with a gallant step, his honey-gold hair and emerald eyes dazzling in the light of the southern sun. His normally kind and gentle features had curled into a smile of unfathomable malice.

Without a doubt, he was Erika’s brother, Eduard Aurelia.

“Oh? What’s my brother doing here?”

“Mee-yow, what a wonderful gentleman... Wait, what? He’s your brother?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“You’ll have to introduce me.”

Erika sent the kitten a doubtful glance. Would anyone do, so long as they were pretty? The golden feline didn’t seem disturbed in the slightest, getting worked up as she stared at Eduard.

“Oh, Eduard. So you’re here.”

“King Henri, I see you’re busy, and I apologize for interrupting. However, I think there’s something urgent you need to hear about the investigation.”

“Who in the blazes are you?! I’m having an important discussion with His Majesty!”

“Louie Ode-Ignitia, did His Majesty not just tell you to calm down? I recommend you keep your mouth shut.”

Louie was practically overlooked as Eduard took a gleeful yet elegant step closer to the king. His face reddened again as he was blatantly ignored. He then grabbed the hilt of his blade, marching right up to the intruder.

“You insolent fool! Do you know who I—”

“Paralyze.”

A wand had appeared in Eduard’s hand in a flash. The moment it was swung, Louie’s balance was pulled out from under him like a rug, and he fell. He was frozen to the spot, poised as though crawling on the ground.

“Hrmgh?! Mrmfff!”

“You shouldn’t snap at someone without knowing who they are. Even if you are the grandson of the former king, my tolerance only extends so far. Why would you pull your sword on the heir to a duke’s house? Are you trying to tear this country apart?”

Eduard prodded the tip of Louie’s scabbard with the toe of his boot. It gave off a faint metallic click as the half-drawn sword slid back in.

“I have plenty of things I need to ask you. Until then, could you behave yourself?”

Duke Aurelia, keeping a low profile by the king’s side, had a sour look on his face. He didn’t seem to approve of his son’s severity. “Eduard, you’re taking this too far.”

“Let him be, Ernst,” the king interjected, “Now Eduard, you must have a reason. Does this have to do with what you found in Louie’s room?”

“As expected of His Majesty. You’re spot on.”

Eduard nonchalantly turned back to the king with a graceful salute. Henri must have picked up on something; for only a brief moment, he gave Louie a look of pity.

“With the officials all gathered, I wouldn’t mind giving my report here and now.”

“Yes, good work, Eduard. You may continue.”

“Now that I have your permission...” Eduard theatrically shifted to face the nobles. “I was conducting a top-secret investigation on His Majesty’s orders. The investigation pertained to the existence of a mole colluding with Gigantia to the south.”

“Collusion?” murmured an Aurelian noble.

“To be more specific, I was investigating a suspicious flow of money between Ignitia and Gigantia, as well as the trade routes of cursed slaves from the southern continent,” Eduard smoothly answered.

The nobles of Ignitia immediately broke into whispers. As their nation had been built by former slaves, slavery was the greatest taboo of all. And among slaves, there was no one more unfortunate than cursed slaves, who were bound through inhuman arts. Gigantian shamans would drive cursed nails into the human body, forcibly subjugating the victim. The curse wrapped around the soul, snatching away the afflicted person’s mind, body, and dignity.

These cursed slaves could no longer defy any orders from their master. If commanded, they would even commit suicide without hesitation. Gigantia’s prosperity could be said to have been built upon the backs of obedient slaves treated as nothing but expendable resources.

“His Majesty noticed the existence of a traitor even before he gave us the order. There are cursed slaves lurking in the capital, pretending to be normal humans. Gigantian contraband is doing its rounds on the black market. His Majesty suspected one of Ignitia’s prominent noble houses was to blame—particularly the most detached one, Ode-Ignitia. Of course, a thorough investigation proved the innocence of your stepbrother, Lord Charles.”

Eduard lorded over Louie with calm composure. He had declared it all with a sinister smirk.

“I... I am innocent. These are false allegations.” The Paralyze magic had come undone, but Louie was still on his hands and knees as he glared at Eduard. “I don’t know anything about collusion with Gigantia. I am a part of Ignitia’s extended royal family. I would never take the side of those filthy giants and slave drivers.”

“If only that were true. Oh, how different things would be. However, our evidence points to you as the conspirator.”

Eduard took a number of files, scrolls, and unsealed letters from his trusty case. Among them, Erika noted the names of a few famous Ignitian trading firms.

“Your Majesty, Father, please look for yourselves. Records of the illegal transactions conducted under Louie’s watch, along with the instructions given to the captains of relevant ships. Oh, no need to worry. We already took the slaves under our protection.”

“Hmm... What do you think, Ernst?”

“It does seem quite likely that these are related to slave trafficking. This one is an expense record detailing the costs of clothes, food, and transportation for a large number of people. Meanwhile, this one attempts to falsify earnings from some unknown dealings as sales from a legitimate company. Additionally, these orders to a ship detail far more supplies than would be needed for the size of the crew.”

One of Ignitia’s nobles said, “Your Grace, please let us see those too.”

Duke Aurelia handed over the documents. A few of the registers weren’t so subtle, blatantly spelling out that the cargo had been human beings bound for slavery. Anger surfaced in the eyes of every Ignitian noble who had a look.

“Wrong! They’re false charges! The merchants are setting me up!”

“Apart from the registers, I have a letter which talks about a secret agreement between you and some Gigantian royalty,” Eduard said flatly.

“It’s a forgery!”

Louie desperately denied it, but he was clearly outnumbered.

“I’m sorry to say, but it’s very real. The officer of arms I brought with me confirmed that the seal on the letter came from a genuine royal stamp. Maybe His Majesty recognizes the handwriting? From when our united kingdoms and Gigantia signed an armistice, perhaps?” Eduard waved around the letter, his decisive proof.

Louie gawked at him, forgetting to even blink. Then, in his croaking voice, he sputtered, “Wh-Why is that here? N-Nonsense! It couldn’t be!”

“Yes, your mansion’s exquisite security did have me at a standstill. But just a short while ago, everyone conveniently fell asleep. Thanks to that, I was able to make off with every single little thing you’ve been hiding. I don’t know who did it, but they have my thanks.” Eduard’s callous smile widened even further.

Louie was at a loss for words. His shoulders trembled. Abruptly, however, he picked himself up and shot a hostile glare at August.

“Eduard, you should look into August too. There’s no way someone so inferior to me could control so many dragons. He must be hiding some grave misdeeds.”

“You really want to go there... despite the fact that you were controlling your dragon illegally?”

“What are you saying, you quack?!” Louie screamed so loudly, it was like his throat would burst. His attempt to drag August down with him had missed its mark. He tried to clasp a hand at Eduard’s leg before he could say any more, but he was immediately held down by stalwart soldiers.

“Now then, everyone. What I seized from him wasn’t restricted to just papers.”

“No! Stop! Please, anything but that!”

“If you would have a look at this little thing here...”

Ignoring Louie’s writhing and thrashing, Eduard offhandedly produced a small scrap of metal from his pocket. The mere sight of it caused everyone to hold their breath. It was a single dull, metallic nail.

When driven into a human, the nail would either subjugate them or transform their body into that of a giant. If embedded into another life-form, in exchange for complete control, it inflicted unimaginable pain. This small nail was none other than the lowest, most heinous torture device produced by Gigantia.

“I know nothing! He’s lying! I know absolutely nothing about that blessed nail!” Louie cried.

No one believed him at this point. Everyone gathered gazed upon him with disdain and mistrust.

“I won’t deny that I’m a liar. Indeed, this cursed nail was not seized from your mansion—it was extracted from your dragon, Camellia. Incidentally, what did you just call it?”

“Gah! That was—no, you’re wrong! A little slip of the tongue!” His face, red from indignation, immediately turned pale.

Eduard continued to look at him, his grin full of unabashed contempt. “You’ve dug your own grave, Louie. No one in these lands would ever call it ‘blessed.’ To the people of these united kingdoms, it is a curse more terrible than any other. They would never even think to attach divine language to such a vile, wicked artifact.”

Louie looked up at Eduard, unable to reply. His eyes burned with rage.

“When we tried to pull it out, Camellia resisted us at every turn. Surely she knew that as long as this despicable thing rested in her flesh, she would continue to experience hellish torment. No doubt she was covering for you.”

An appreciative expression befitting a gentleman took the place of his dark smile as he looked into the distance. Was this change caused by the image of Camellia writhing in pain?

“Of all things, to hammer a filthy cursed nail into a dragon!”

“You fool! You used a nail to cheat?”

“Did you want to win that badly?! Heretic!”

“You’re a disgrace to the dragoons! Repent in death!”

The anger of Ignitia’s people had gone far beyond the boiling point. They hurled countless insults at Louie, filling the air. He had committed unforgivable blasphemy and had abused a dragon, crimes which could be considered treason.

King Henri walked up to the fallen boy, his expression full of sorrow and anguish. He looked down at Louie, but the boy refused to look him in the eye.

“I tried to be a second father to you. Only now do I see how badly I must have failed. I could never teach you the most important things.”

“Pff... Hahaha... Ahahahaha!” In response, Louie threw back his head and laughed hysterically. “Hahahaha! You? Take the place of my father? You would steal not only the throne, but also his child from him?! I’ve never once thought of you as a father!”

Louie’s screechings were a bitter pill for the king to swallow, but he persevered. He continued his remonstration without raising his voice.

“No matter your take on the matter, you needed someone to support you. One day, August would need a confidant he could rely on. I thought, in time, the message would get across.”

“Yes, I understood it well enough. You want to put a collar on me? Think again! You’re not going to waste my life, my talents. Not you, nor that coward August.”

Thrusting aside the king’s outstretched hand for a second time, Louie sprang to his feet. Like before, his arms were immediately pinned by the soldiers.

“I don’t take orders from you. That’s right, why should I have to lower my head?! A thief of a king and his swindler prince. Each and every one of you looks at me with those hypocritical eyes! The royal family as it is now is full of shams! The true heir to the throne should have been me! A curse upon you! A curse upon everyone who unjustly snatched my country from me!”

The king shook his head, exasperated. After Duke Aurelia and Eduard exchanged a look, Eduard barked out an order to the soldiers.

“Throw Louie into the noblemen’s prison. Don’t let his dragons anywhere near him.”

“Sir, yes sir.”

Metal shackles were fastened to his wrists with a resounding clank. Two soldiers led Louie away, practically dragging him along. As the atmosphere loosened up, many thought that would be the end of it.

“Don’t let my dragons near me? You fools.” With that ominous murmur, a purple shadow shot out from his tabard. As it flew by, the chain linking his hands was torn to shreds. The soldiers staggered and fell to their knees as the purple blur collided with their bodies. The armor around their abdomens was hollowed out, as if the metal had been crudely torn away with a sharp twist, and their clothes were soaked in blood.

The small, violet dragon perched on Louie’s shoulder and spat out two bloodstained scraps of iron.

“Go, Sylvatica! Kill these filthy usurpers! Kill Henri!”

Sylvatica kicked off Louie’s shoulder and took to the air.

5

The little dragon surged forward, making a beeline for the royal family. The king and queen had immediately called for their guard dragons to protect them. Lagging slightly behind, the soldiers, knights, and nobles moved to protect the king.

However, there were a few who had already acted with completely different intentions.

This is a bluff, Erika concluded. There were plenty of Hafan magicians gathered here, so an assassination attempt on the king would not succeed. That was ignoring the fact that he could control his dragon purely with his thoughts—it was strange for him to have gone out of his way to verbally give the order. However, Louie’s abilities had put him on equal footing with August, so he was surely not to be trifled with.

Louie wouldn’t dare make a mistake here.

Erika drew her Paralyze wand from her holster, preparing for an emergency. Just as she’d expected, Louie dashed straight at her. After all, she was isolated from the rest of them.

Louie’s hand was wrapped around a sword he’d snatched from a soldier.

Presumably, his true goal is to take someone hostage—most likely me.

Kicking off of Erika’s shoulder, Palug jumped out in front of Louie’s eyes. The divine beast was now no more than an ordinary kitten, and she was easily brushed aside. In the moment of blindness Palug had risked her life to create, Erika immediately swung her wand.

However, it only took half a step to the side for Louie to avoid the spell. As this happened, Sylvatica had deftly changed its target, snapping Eduard’s wand and putting a check on Goldberry.

Erika swung the wand again. Time seemed so terribly slow.

It’s no use! I won’t make it in time!

Louie grabbed her wrist and twisted it, pressing his stolen sword against her throat. Erika reflexively stifled a cry of pain, but the wand had already fallen from her hand.

“See how the tables turn, Eduard! How does it feel to have something precious to you taken away?” As Louie gleefully raised his voice, Sylvatica perched on his shoulder once again. A cruel smirk filled his face.

Erika struggled to peel away his hand, but Louie didn’t even flinch. She smacked her heel into his foot with all her might, but the sensation of hard metal armor made her realize it was pointless.

“Not another move, Eduard and Ernst. If you really value this girl, you’ll keep your hands away from your wands. That goes for you too, Henri and August. Your dragons had better stand down. If I die, Sylvatica here will drive a nail through the girl’s spine.”

Eduard and Ernst dropped their wands on the spot while August held back the dragons. The king ordered the soldiers and nobles not to attack.

Erika locked eyes with Palug, who was hiding in the shadow of the wings of one of the dragons, and shook her head. Perhaps Palug would be able to seal both Louie and Sylvatica at the same time, but the price would be her life.

After Erika had only just saved the beast, she couldn’t quite let that happen.

While Louie was screaming away, Erkia took a deep breath. She confirmed her present situation one detail at a time. She wasn’t injured yet. While her right arm was locked, her left was still free. All the wands left in her holster were far too dangerous to use on a human, but she would be physically able to draw them.

Louie’s right hand was occupied holding Erika in place, while his left was taken up by the sword. His eyes were focused on the king.

The problem is Sylvatica. The dragon kept glancing in her direction. She knew she would be attacked if she tried to draw a wand. If her arm were to be injured, it would be of no consequence to Louie. Even if she found her lucky chance to knock Louie out, Sylvatica wouldn’t hold back.

It seemed Sylvatica couldn’t be controlled even with August’s powerful telepathy. Presumably, Ignitia’s powers did not apply to a dragon stuck with a nail.

Eduard glanced at Duke Aurelia before answering Louie.

“Fine. Aurelia will arrange a ship to Karkinos for you. I’ll be the navigator.”

“You’re not getting anywhere near me!”

“Even if I’m unarmed? Are you that scared of me?”

“I won’t fall for that one. Get me a female navigator. If you can’t, then fetch me some geezer, withered and weathered like an old weed.”

“I understand. Give me some time.”

“You have until sunset. If you’re even a second late...”

A stiff smile on his face, Louie pushed the edge of the blade against Erika’s neck. The blade was honed to a razor-sharp point but didn’t cut into her, perhaps because of the angle.

If I move, he’ll cut straight through my carotid. Erika could feel it through her skin. If I move... Right, I just have to move.

Erika aimed for the moment the pressure from the sword loosened up, then used her left hand to grab Louie’s wrist. She shoved her cheek straight into the edge of the blade. A hot thread of pain streaked across her face, and a sticky liquid began to drip from the wound.

“Then this woman is as good as—what are you doing?!”

Her injury triggered the activation of her anti-kidnapping magic. A wide-range Paralyze spell had been invoked from the simple buttons on her dress. For just a moment, Louie and Sylvatica were both frozen in place. Using her whole body as a spring, Erika kicked off of Louie and rolled out of his arms.

August immediately ran over to her. Duke Aurelia and Eduard had already drawn their wands, thrusting them out toward Louie and Sylvatica.

“Disarm!”

“Ice Coffin!”

The sword snapped out of Louie’s hand. At the same time, Sylvatica’s wings were sealed in ice, and she dropped like a rock. Once she was on the ground, Goldberry held her down.

Erika tried to get as far away as she could, but her feet caught on her dress, throwing her off balance. She fell to the ground, arms outstretched.

Recovering from his momentary paralysis, Louie tried to reach for Erika. However, his arm stopped after just a few centimeters. There was a familiar magic circle wrapped around it. He was being held in place by glowing spell cards.

“What’s your problem, brat?! Don’t get in—”

“Silence.”

Claus was standing behind Louie. He glared, looking displeased as could be, as he mercilessly smacked a spell-card-wrapped fist into the boy’s face.

August, who had leapt out at the same time, got in a powerful punch from the opposite side.

As he took the two fists at once, Louie’s eyes rolled back into his head. He crumpled down, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, foaming at the mouth as he lost consciousness.

Erika finally breathed a sigh of relief. She practically collapsed as she sat on the pavement. Palug, still in her hiding spot, seemed equally exhausted.

“How dare you hurt Erika,” Claus snarled at Louie, his face looking like an ogre’s.

What perfect timing. Good going, Claus. Erika praised him in a daze. It seemed that bringing him to the entrance to the Grand Cathedral had been the right choice.

“Are you okay? Here, press this against it.”

“Thank you.”

August handed Erika a handkerchief, which she held against her cheek.

“Grrr, there are still bells going off in my head. What is this? I don’t understand the situation. Erika, explain. Why are you in danger again?”

“Hold up. Erika is injured, can it wait?” As Claus seemed especially worked up, August stood in his path with a belligerent smile on his face.

“Don’t get too buddy-buddy with me. Still, I must admit you throw a good punch despite that girly face of yours.”

“Hmm? Girly face, you say? Are you calling me beautiful?”

“Your words. Not mine.”

Even toward the crown prince, Claus was as harsh as ever.

“Erika, are you alright? Let me have a look.”

“Yes, Eduard. I’m sorry for causing you so much worry.”

“Not at all. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

Eduard pulled distilled water and alcohol from his leather case and began administering first aid. After checking to make sure she had no other injuries, he stood and walked over to Louie. Keeping the tip of his wand pointed toward him, he checked the boy’s pulse and confirmed he was unconscious.

He then turned to Claus. “As for you, even if you were going against an atrocious criminal, couldn’t you have been a bit more graceful about it?”

“I get it already, so could you put away that Death wand? Don’t swing that thing around,” Claus replied nervously.

“Cool your head, brother,” Erika implored.

“You’re both acting as though it’s a big deal. I’m not getting heated in the slightest. In fact, my heart feels as cold as ice.”

While he returned a gentle smile, the sinister aura around Eduard was like a miasma rising from a deep, dark abyss.

“Oi, someone stop this guy...”

“Claus, was it? Why don’t you stop him?” August swiftly sent the responsibility right back at Claus.

“Why is this what I get for helping her out? Fine, I’m never saving her again.”

“Mee-yow.”

Before Erika knew it, Palug was by her side, mewling happily at the prospect of being surrounded by Claus, August, and Eduard.

This time, it looks like we’re probably in the clear.

With that, Erika could finally relax.

6

Pure-white petals fluttered down over the city of white walls. As they fell, they looked like the feathers of an angel above.

Several dozen dragons and their riders made their rounds in turn, sprinkling these customary petals over the city. This spectacle was one of the main tourist attractions of Adventmas, and it was arranged to make it seem like an angel was passing overhead. Under this angel’s watchful eyes, the masses reaffirmed their gratitude as they had every year since.

After the confrontation with Louie, Erika had undergone treatment from a healer—an exceptionally skilled healer at that. In the span of an hour, her wound had closed without a trace. Once her treatment had finished, she’d been released into the festive townscape.

A few meters away, Duke Aurelia personally watched over her.

I should be thankful he’s actually letting me go out after what happened. Erika silently offered her thanks to her overbearing father. Sure, I’d like a little more freedom, but I’ll lie low so I don’t worry him anymore.

“To think you would sacrifice your own security to seal the movements of that scoundrel. I am proud to have such a courageous comrade.”

“What are you talking about? Erika’s on her way to becoming a woman, you know. Her face is important. We’re lucky it didn’t leave a mark.”

Tirnanog and Palug were arguing at her feet. Tirnanog’s current armor was a set she had constructed while she was being treated. She hadn’t had the time nor the resources, so it was just barely pieced together without any extra functions.

“Silence, cat! What’s wrong with praising the efforts of a friend?!”

“Ahahaha! Who are you trying to hit with such a weak punch? Don’t think a sluggish serpent can defeat the King of Beasts!”

The two legendary beasts had begun a game of tag, running circles around Erika’s feet. Tirnanog swung his claws, but Palug narrowly avoided them.

“Settle down, you two. My father’s right over there, so please keep it down.”

“Understood.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll do my best.”

Just like that, they begrudgingly ended the battle. At the very least, they seemed to be on the same wavelength.

Do they fight so easily because they can already understand each other? Erika wondered as she started walking again.

Wine and fruit juice were readily handed out all over town. People would clink their glasses while chanting, “Praise be to the angel.” The adults, the children, the nobles, the commoners—people from all walks of life smiled and made their toasts.

Erika took an earthenware cup of fruit juice to join in. When she looked down, she saw a single petal floating on the surface of the liquid.

Oh, now that’s a good omen.

As she was raising it to her lips, she was startled by the sudden clinking of a cup against hers.

“Praise be to the angel. Aren’t you glad that didn’t leave a scar? Good for you, Erika.”

“Aah! E-Eduard? When did you get here?”

“Just a moment ago. I spotted you playing around with a cat and a golem.”

Her face scrunched up at her brother’s sudden appearance. If she had been just a little slower in curtailing the phantasmic beasts, Eduard would have found her out.

When he glanced at Duke Aurelia, the duke nodded, leaving behind a few alchemist guards and taking his leave.

“I finally finished giving a full report to His Majesty. At long last, I can enjoy the festival with you.”

“What about Father?”

“It seems he also had business with His Majesty. From here on out, I’ll be your escort.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

In contrast to her father’s hands-off approach, Eduard intended to guard her at close range. Erika worried whether this would put the identities of her two phantasmic friends in jeopardy. She was especially anxious about the cat, who appeared totally lovestruck as she gawked at the young man.

“It must be about your secret investigation, right? The one you and Claus were involved in?”

“That’s right. Aside from what I explained on the spot, there were all sorts of places where Louie’s faction was moving behind the scenes. I handed him over to Ignitians I knew I could trust.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Right after this, I’m going to have to escort Louie back to the Karkinos-Ignitia region and conduct an in-depth investigation there. My head’s spinning. If I don’t take a little breather, I’m going to collapse.” Contrary to his words, Eduard’s smile was practically brimming with vitality.

“That sounds tiresome.”

Even if Eduard himself is more than up to the task, the investigation still sounds quite taxing. I hope he can regain some energy during his break.

“Come to think of it, why did you agree to take on a top-secret investigation?”

“It all started out when, hmm, let’s see... You remember the collapse of the Seafarer’s Ruins two months ago? I did a rough estimate on how much money I’d need to excavate the surrounding bedrock. And wouldn’t you know it—the sum turned out to be at least ten times my pocket money.”

“Th-That much, huh?” Erika was shocked. She had never imagined that the trap she’d set off would cause such massive damage. An awkward smile spread over her face as she hurriedly tried to conceal her unrest.

“It would be impossible to continue as the sole investor. You can’t imagine how irritating it was, too. I’d just gotten the cooperation of Lindis’ research team.”

“That really is a shame.”

“But that’s when King Henri proposed a top-secret audit. I accepted on the condition that His Majesty would be a sponsor for my project.”

“I see. If His Majesty takes part, the other Ignitian nobles should start investing as well.”

Eduard wasn’t one to stay down. He knew an opportunity when he saw it. “Precisely. Oh, but looking into Louie is going to take quite some time. Once that’s over, I’d like to kick back and theorize about phantasmic beasts some more before I get to anything else.”

“If only you could still enter the Seafarer’s Ruins.”

“If only. I’m not sure if it’s any consolation, but I think I’m going to look into the Founding King’s beloved pet cat, the Cath Palug.”

“What?! Palug?!” Erika quite nearly dropped her cup in shock.

Palug herself perked up her ears and stared at Eduard.

“The truth is,” Eduard continued, “I heard an interesting story when I was looking into Louie.”

“A story, you say?”

“Ignitia has its own legends of ancient monsters. There are lions, leopards, cats—quite a wide variety, but they nearly all point to monsters of feline form. It just happened to catch my interest, so I used my free time to do some light digging into the remains of scattered legends. Then, I discovered a fascinating little tidbit.”

“What might that be?”

“There are countless names and forms recorded, but this legion of feline monsters might actually be just one single phantasmic beast.”

“It couldn’t be...”

“Imagine, a phantasmic beast that appears during all the big turning points of Ignitia’s history to lead young kings and heroes. If you try looking at it that way, the legends all look like part of a bigger picture. Interesting, isn’t it? Oh, and perhaps Prince August manifesting his latent abilities was also related to that beast.”

“Eduard, your wild imagination never fails to surprise me.”

Eduard’s insight was frighteningly accurate. No wonder Louie hadn’t been able to outrun Eduard, even though he had somehow managed to avoid detection up to that point.

“Making some breakthroughs in the field of Ignitia’s folklore isn’t a bad idea. It will make fundraising a little smoother, and I can raise a few more researchers who understand phantasmic beast research. Why, I don’t see how any of this could go wrong.”

“If you want to know about cat monsters, Prince August knows a thing or two.”

“Then I will definitely have to hear him out. I already need to probe into why he’s getting so close to you.”

Erika had to tilt her head at that. Come to think of it, they definitely had become friends at an alarming pace. From the point of view of a guardian, it must have been rather worrisome.

“No need to worry. There is nothing suspicious going on between us. August is my friend. We ran into one another by sheer coincidence at the Grand Cathedral and hit it off on the topic of old paintings.”

“A friend? Just a friend?”

“Yes, of cou—”

“Of course we’re not just any old friends!”

“Urk!”

Someone had suddenly linked arms with Erika. When she turned, she met a familiar violet gaze. August had changed from his riding clothes to his proper, royal uniform.

“Oh, hello, Your Highness. If you’re ‘not just any old friends,’ then what exactly is your relationship?” Eduard asked. “You mean best friends, don’t you?”

“That’s right, Erika is my best friend. At least, as far as you know, Mr. Eduard.”

“Now, that’s reassuring. Please, by all means, continue to be a good friend to Erika in times to come.”

They shared in their smiles. Despite the curl of their lips, an anxiety-inducing aura seemed to descend around them as they stared at each other in silence for a while. Sooner or later, August lost out to Eduard’s persistence and released Erika from his grip.

“Looks like I can’t make light of you, Sir Eduard.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Your Highness.”

The mood softened ever so slightly after those words.

Eventually, Goldberry showed up and landed on her master’s shoulder. She tossed the meat scrap she was chewing on into the air before catching it and swallowing it whole.

“There, there. Haven’t you eaten enough already?”

“Chrrrrr?”

“Fine, have it your way. Today’s special, but starting tomorrow, you have to show some moderation, or you’ll outgrow your wings.”

“Skreee.”

Goldberry nuzzled August’s cheek, her eyes narrowing and her tail twisting to and fro. As Erika was charmed by this quaint display, Goldberry looked in her direction and froze. Palug, who had escaped to Erika’s shoulder, froze as well. It seemed Goldberry’s eyes were fixed on the kitten.

“Oh... Oh dear. She still remembers. How could I have missed that?” Palug muttered, then jumped down and hid behind Erika’s skirt.

“You’re one foolish feline.”

“Kree? Chrrrr!”

This time, Goldberry looked at Tirnanog. The way she was acting seemed quite similar to how Palug had behaved when she’d first met Eduard. The dragon swiftly swooped down and stuck her forelimbs into the joints of his helmet.

“Hrm?!”

“Kreeeah?”

“Cease! Cease! I am golem! No one inside!”

The moment before his visor could be lifted, Tirnanog lurched back and took off, Goldberry hot on his heels. The small dragons were running in circles, and Palug was also dragged in before long. After doing several laps around Erika, the three beasts—two phantasmic—dived under a table and ran off.

“Hey, don’t bully them, Goldberry!”

“Don’t go too far, okay?”

By the time August and Erika had called out to them, they were already nowhere in sight.

“That dragon’s really taken a liking to your golem, Erika.”

“So it seems.”

“I’m also pretty curious to see how your golem works.”

“Oh, Eduard, I couldn’t possibly show you something so shoddy. I’ll die from embarrassment.”

“I see. That’s a shame.”

Erika averted her eyes. If her brother inspected it any closer, he would undoubtedly figure out what truly lay beneath.

“Huh? Is that Eduard I see? Hey!”

Just as Erika was mulling over how she’d play it off, a familiar voice reached her ears. She turned toward the source to see Elric with a large bundle in his hands. His glasses were crooked again. As Erika was deliberating whether or not she should tell him, Eduard’s hand shot out and promptly straightened them.

“You’re the same as ever, Elric.”

“My glasses were crooked? That’s odd, I never noticed. Sorry to bother you, Eduard.”

Judging by their exchange, Eduard and Elric seemed quite accustomed to one another. Or at least, Eduard was used to dealing with Elric.

“Oh, pardon me, I didn’t notice you were with Erika. Err... is that boy also a friend of yours? Wait, I know you; you’re Blackcurrant’s rider. Congratulations on your victory.”

Ultimately, August had been deemed the victor of the joust.

“I’m August, son of Henri. I remember seeing you inspecting the dragons before the match.”

“You’re Prince August? Oh, how rude of me not to notice. I am Elric Actorius, a school friend of Eduard over there.” Looking frazzled, Elric bowed to August.

“Elric, you could tell he was Blackcurrant’s rider but didn’t realize he was the prince?”

“We were pretty busy looking into Louie’s transgressions, so I never heard the name of the victor.”

“I’m sorry. It seems the actions of my extended family have caused the academy a fair bit of trouble.”

“Don’t even worry about it. This is all part of the job. I feel sorry for those two dragons of his, but we got some valuable data off of them.”

When the topic turned to Louie’s dragons, the joy faded from August’s face.

“What happened to Camellia and Sylvatica?”

“My apologies, but we are unable to save them at the moment. We extracted as many nails as possible, but we can’t do anything about the few that’ve been stuck in their vital organs. It irks me to say this, but our understanding of the biology of dragons is too incomplete. Additionally, the nails in their bodies were specially manufactured for dragons. They’re an unknown variety.”

“I see...”

“But this tragedy will never happen again. I swear, one day we will find a way to treat both of them.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m hoping for.”

These strong words of reassurance from the usually weak-willed Elric gave the prince a little peace of mind. A smile slowly returned to his face.

“Even so... Louie, was it? Quite a piece of work. How can anyone be so cruel to their own dragon? Did you see the report, Eduard? Over a hundred cursed nails centered on the spinal—”

“Elric, do you think that’s the right topic to discuss in broad daylight?”

Elric frantically covered his mouth.

“Louie never used to be that sort of guy. Do you reckon he wouldn’t have used those nails if he had enough cursed stirrups for all his competitors?” August muttered.

Eduard shook his head. “No, Your Highness. I personally don’t think Louie had anything to do with the stirrup.”

“Really? If that’s true, it’s a bit of a relief. We certainly didn’t get along, but I wouldn’t like to think he hated me enough to want to kill me.”

August closed his eyes, a hint of sorrow on his face. To an outsider, Louie was just a detestable stranger, but it seemed that wasn’t the case for August.

“I didn’t think you would take his side, Eduard. Did you find some evidence to the contrary?” Elric asked, rather perplexed.

“There are no new developments regarding the stirrup. We haven’t found any material evidence apart from the stirrup itself. I have no intention of taking his side, but Louie had nothing to gain by setting that trap.”

“Isn’t it because he wanted to get rid of someone who was higher up in the order of royal succession? He could have made it look like an accident.”

“That would only be possible if he’d known His Highness would take part in advance.”

Elric tilted his head. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There were a number of highly promising candidates in the twenty-meter class. We only found one stirrup, and it was one of a kind. If it was placed to help someone win the tournament, why would it be on a generic dragon when there was no way of telling who would be riding her?”

“Do we at least have any leads on where the stirrup came from?” Erika inadvertently found herself asking. A terrible feeling of dread had come over her.

“Trace amounts of dirt were found in the grooves of its ornamentation. Once those are analyzed, we might know where it came from. We’ve sent an urgent notice to Hafan to have them collect dirt samples from a few specific locations.”

August looked around, then lowered his voice to ask, “Sir Eduard, does this mean you’re working under the assumption that this has to do with the grave desecrations?”

The prince was referring to the graves that’d been dug up in Hafan. Erika recalled that they were graves from the bygone era of the vampyre country, Casquetia. If the stirrup had come from a ravaged tomb, then it was possible this was yet another incident caused by a cursed tool of Casquetia.

It was all too well orchestrated for it to be mere coincidence.

“I don’t know for sure. But if we want to rule out the worst-case scenario, we’d better do it fast.”

“No doubt about that. If it spreads that this had to do with vampyres, it will surely make the people of Hafan and Lucanlandt anxious. They are our precious, sworn comrades. We should guarantee their reprieve as soon as possible.”

“Yes, that was precisely what King Henri said. You really do take after him. Has anyone ever told you that?”

A faint, rosy hue bloomed on August’s cheeks. There was a proud air about him as he did his best to stifle a smile.

Elric nodded again and again during their exchange, all while undoing the binding of his parcel. What emerged was the sinister set of stirrups in question. “If they’re that important, we’ll have to take care that no one steals them.”

“So you were the one carrying them. I did hear they were in the custody of an academy magician, but... at least take some guards with you. That’s far too careless.”

“Don’t look at me. The other alumni were all occupied. I don’t know too many people from Ignitia, so I don’t know who to ask.”

Eduard’s eyes went to Erika, then to August, then back to Erika before he heaved a sigh. “You’re in luck, Elric. I happen to know one skilled alchemist who’s available. Your Highness, I’ll be back at once, but while I’m gone, you’d best look after my little sister. There’s a chance someone malicious is still lurking on the island.”

“As you wish, sir. I swear I’ll protect her till death do us part.”

“Hahaha, good one. I’ll be back in no time. Hurry up, Elric. There’s no time to lose.”

“What?! Wait for me!”

Eduard gleefully knocked down August’s straight-faced joke before taking his leave. Behind him, Elric nearly tripped several times on air as he frantically gave chase.

Erika felt rather amazed by her brother’s unnatural level of attachment to his sister as she watched on like it didn’t concern her whatsoever.

“Looks like he’s got a lot on his plate.”

“Looks like it.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Praise be to the angel.”

“Praise be to the angel.”

August nicked a cup from a nearby stand and held it up. Erika tapped hers against it, offering her praise to the kitten that had fled a moment ago.

“And... to my goddess of fortune as well.”

“You’re welcome.”

August pressed the hand that wasn’t holding the cup against Erika’s cheek.

“I’m glad it didn’t leave a mark.”

“Thankfully, the healer’s skills were the real deal. I quite nearly ended up scarred for life.”

“Hahaha. If that happened, I guess I’d have to marry you to make amends.”

“You must be careful with what you say. If word gets around that you make passes that easily, you’ll be flooded by hopefuls in no time.”

“No need to worry; I’ll only ever say that to you. That should solve the problem.”

August’s big, beautiful eyes were wide open. He stared at her with a tilt of his head. Erika felt something somewhat catlike about his gesture.

Come to think of it, he was like that in Liber Monstrorum too.

In the game, he would approach someone on a whim, then turn tail and run the moment they tried to grow closer to him. This flighty way of treating others made him seem like a mistrustful cat that craved affection.

Being real here, if August develops a habit of seducing, it will cause him a lot of trouble someday. Erika hesitated over how to respond. What was the right approach to remonstrating him as a friend?

“That’s not what I meant. The problem here is that I’m not able to reject you no matter how much I want to.”

“Oh? What do you mean?”

“If I say no, it will tarnish your reputation. Granted, it’s already pretty tarnished by now, but haven’t things started to change?”

“Rub it in, why don’t you.”

“Even if it’s just a verbal contract, I can’t possibly turn it down. Knowing that, would you still propose marriage?” Erika took his stare head-on, gazing back with complete sincerity.

After a few moments, August shrugged. “You got me. Let’s pretend that never happened. That’s not what I should say to a precious friend.”

“You’ll have more and more friends before long, so you must watch what you say. Not to mention, if you’re seriously looking for a partner, you’ll have to take Ignitia’s national interest into account.”

“Aaah, power, power, power. What good is it anyway? What a pain.” August jokingly pretended to sulk. A slightly risky move, coming from the crown prince.

The next moment, a sudden sea breeze picked up Erika’s hair. As Erika scrambled to contain the golden locks shrouding her vision, her hair brushed up against August’s hand. His fingers intertwined with her ringlets, which brought a golden glimmer to his eyes. It was as if all his mischief had been carried off by the wind, leaving only the smile on his lips.

“Erika, if I were still the tarnished prince of scandals, would you—”

Before he could finish, however, Claus arbitrarily inserted himself between the two of them.

“Hold on a minute, you two! What are you doing?!”

In that brief instant, August’s expression was covered up by a thick, smiling mask, his half-finished words disappearing beyond his lips.

“What? Why, I was talking to a precious friend,” he replied.

“Same to you, Claus. What are you doing?” Erika chimed in.

“No seriously, what are you doing, Claus?”

In no time at all, Anne was standing behind him. She offered a slight curtsy to Erika before instructing an attendant to clean up the cup her brother had tossed aside.

Claus made a sour face, retreated a few steps, and stared at his hand. “What was I doing?”

“How lamentable. Get a grip, would you, Claus?”

Brother and sister held their heads together.

Looks like they’re getting along as well as ever, Erika mused. “I’m sorry I had you running around a bit. Thank you, and good work.”

“Yeah, same here. I’m glad your wound closed up.”

“No need to worry, it was just a scratch.”

“I just can’t stand seeing you hurt. So I did it for me. It’s not like I was worried about you.” Claus bashfully averted his eyes and took a new cup from a waiter. Erika touched her cup to his without delay.

“Praise be to the angel. Anyway, that’s one case closed.”

“Yes, praise be to that angel or whatever. Eduard and I still have work to do, so I’m just on a short break.”

“That sounds rough.”

“You don’t know the half of it. So, at the very least, I’d like to spend this time with—”

“Praise be to the angel! What a horrible boy you are, Claus. Ignoring me when I’m right in front of you.”

This time, August stepped between Erika and Claus, holding out his cup. Unseen sparks seemed to fly between Claus, in his blatant disgust, and August, beaming with excitement.

“August, is it? Looks like your disgraceful rumors went away. Good for you.”

“In no lesser part thanks to you.”

“To me, it doesn’t matter whether the rumors are real or false. I don’t care what sort of person you are.”

Claus glared at August with such fire in his eyes that he was reaching the point of insolence. At first glance, it looked as if August had once again calmly let it slide, but his eyes were not laughing at all.

“What’s your relationship with Erika?”

“We’re friends. Very dear friends. So, what’s your story?”

“To me, Erika is a precious... friend.”

“Hmm. ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend,’ as they say. Now, what shall I call the friend of my friend?”

“Who knows?”

Claus and August exchanged a strong handshake.

“Very well, August. It seems we will have to reluctantly put up with one another for a detestably long time to come.”

“It will be a pleasure, I’m sure. Don’t expect me to pull any punches.”

“I’m glad you made another friend, August. I’m also glad you finally found that rival you wanted, Claus,” Erika optimistically blurted, watching over their thinly veiled exchange as though it were of no consequence to her.

“Hmm, is that what it looks like to you?”

“What do you take me for, Erika?”

August and Claus could not believe the extent of her obliviousness. Anne took this opportunity to step out from behind Claus.

“Oh, I’m sorry, little lady,” said August, “I seem to have neglected to introduce myself. I’m August, son of Henri. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“A stronger foe than I’d expected. Very well. I’ll do my best to get rid of you,” Anne returned cheerfully. The prince’s smile froze. “I am Anne of House Hafan. My brother has been most disrespectful to you. Praise be to the angel.”

“Praise be to the angel. How should I put this? Like brother, like sister.”

Glancing back at August as he faltered, Anne slid right up to Erika’s side.

“Erika, dearest, I’m glad you’re okay. Praise be to the angel.”

“Yes, praise be to the angel. I’ve caused you trouble yet again, Anne. Though you might not remember it.”

“If it’s about your guardian beast, I remember well enough.”

Erika inadvertently did a double-take. Perhaps that had been outside the scope of Palug’s memory alterations. Anne had met Tirnanog, but she was unrelated to Palug. All Palug had really done was modify her own oblivion curse to alter the memories of some events, so it wouldn’t be strange if Anne had been completely unaffected.

“I see he protected you as promised, so I must offer him my thanks. Do you think he’d like some Hafan produce?”

“Err, Anne, if you could, please keep him a secret.”

“Of course I will. I’m not going to play that card so easily. That would be such a waste.” She smirked as she pinched her skirt and curtseyed. “Well then, everyone, there are still people I must pay my respects to, so if you will excuse me. Claus, I’m borrowing the guards.”

“Go ahead. It’s not like they’re stronger than me.”

“Take your time.” With an impish look on her face, Anne made off with all their attendants.

“Incidentally, what were you talking about? What’s this about a guardian beast?”

“How boorish, Claus. Didn’t you hear? It’s apparently a lady’s secret.” Claus had asked Erika, only for August to step in and answer instead.

“You see something being covered up right before your eyes, and it doesn’t make you the least bit curious?”

“You just don’t get it. Keeping secrets secret is what makes them so charming.” With a hostile smile, August combed the tips of Erika’s hair with his fingers. He toyed with her curls as if to show off, his fingers entwining with her ringlets.

Claus must have been considerably surprised, as the earthenware cup crumbled in his hand. “How am I supposed to get that? And stop moving your hand like that. It’s pissing me off.”

“Oh, what a short fuse you have, Claus. Unfortunately for you, I don’t think your fist will ever reach me.”

“Try saying that again when you’re flat on the ground.”

“You’re going to cause trouble for people, so please keep this in moderation, both of you.”

With August fleeing circles around her and Claus giving chase, Erika felt a sense of déjà vu. August truly seemed to be having fun, and as for Claus, he’d broken into a half-smile before he knew it.

The people of the royal capital warmly watched over their playful prince and his new friend.

To think August could laugh so naturally when everyone’s watching.

Erika felt just a little proud of her own efforts as she secretly raised a glass to everyone who had contributed. And just like that, night peacefully descended on the Adventmas feast.