Tirnanog and I were invited by Auguste and boarded the gorgeous horse-drawn carriage of the royal warrant .

In addition to Auguste, there was a single guest .

No, should I say a single animal?

It was a black dragon almost as big as a human being .

Was it a new dragon for Auguste’s protection, or was it someone else’s dragon?

At first I thought so, but I noticed that the black dragon was reading a thick book while holding it deftly .

The black dragon raised its eyes from the book and looked at us and then Auguste in annoyance .

It had chrysoberyl-colored eyes with vertically elongated pupils that reminded me of cat’s eyes .

The dragon sighed wearily, and closed the book with a somewhat human-like gesture .

“Auguste . Supervising your behaviour shouldn’t be included in my work this time . ”

H-huh? That voice, just now, where did it come from?

I felt like I heard it from the black dragon in front of me .

Dragons of this world understand human speech but they shouldn’t be able to talk in our language .

“No, no, don’t get me wrong, Professor .

She is a lady with a proper background . ”

“It is said that unmarried royalty should not invite unmarried opposite gender into a closed room .

You are not in the age to have a suspicious affair, so I will overlook it this time, but hereafter please be more careful .

The problem is not about whether her background is proper or not .

Or did you think that I don’t know about the ident.i.ty of that girl?”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry, Professor . ”

“I apologize to inconvenience you due to my inconsiderate behaviour . ”

When I apologized, the black dragon who spoke human speech looked at me coldly .

The stare was somewhat sharp .

It seemed to be subtly disgusted, it felt like that .

“Professor, she is……”

“Daughter of Ernst, the Duke of Aurelia . I know .

In any case, this girl is also going out in secret .

I think that neither introduction nor greeting is necessary if we are not here for each other . ”

My

true ident.i.ty was exposed in one shot .

There shouldn’t be anything distinctive in today’s clothes and belongings .

Or was there something I hadn’t notice yet?

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, I am called Erica Aurelia . ”

Bowed and smiled softly .

The other side refused to greet, but it shouldn’t be a problem if I did it .

It would be safer to respond politely even if the other party was not favourable .

However, after I said that, as if he didn’t hear me, the dragon who was called ‘Professor’ turned away from us .

As Professor opened the book he was reading before, it seemed that he began to devote himself to the content again .

From the cover, it looked like a magic dictionary or something like that, but why would a dragon read such a thing?

“Ah—……sorry, Erica . He is that kind of person . ”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind . ”

“That’s right, Erica . This is a slightly more complicated person . ”

“I understand . Is he a mutant dragon who speaks human speech or an experimental body?”

Auguste said that he came here from Lindis, was it about this person?

Indeed, this certainly was interesting .

“She is a girl who is rich in delusion and whose ideas tend to leap . She closely resembles Eduart . ”

“Are you acquainted with Onii-sama?”

“No, never mind . Auguste, please continue . ”

This black dragon seemed to know Eduart-oniisama .

I wondered if anyone involved in Lindis Magic Academy knew him .

My older brother seemed to be conspicuous, whether it was in a good way or a bad way .

“This is my other cousin . He is a professor at Lindis . ”

“Did the royal family get married with a dragon?”

I was surprised that humans and dragons would get married .

It was shocking that they would be able to mate .

Would the Union Kingdom become a country governed by a King with a dragon’s figure someday?

“No, no, in Ignitia, someone with the talent to harmonize with the consciousness of the dragons would rarely appear .

Professor is that kind of person, well, that is, he

he is a special dragon-user . ”

“What do you mean by ‘harmonize’……?”

“Because he completely unified his consciousness with the dragon, he can move it like his own body as you can see right now .

His body is currently in the far distance Lindis, you know?

It’s a bit extraordinary, isn’t it?”

Auguste’s ultrwide dragon control couldn’t be done easily, but this person was also special .

If Auguste’s control was far and wide but shallow, the black dragon seemed to be narrow but deeply controlled .

“I see . The inside of this black dragon is a proper person and is currently in Lindis?”

“I don’t want to reveal my name right now, so I would like you to call me ‘Professor’ for the time being .

I will introduce myself officially when we meet in Lindis, Aurelia . ”

The dragon called Professor certainly had a more human-like look than a dragon .

He was a human smelling of sorrow and pessimism .

“That’s why I’m moving by a carriage, because I stand out with Professor . ”

“I see……”

Huh, then I wondered why Auguste came to Lindis .

“So, what business does Auguste-sama have in Lindis?”

“Part of it was because my eggs were hatching……the rest, I want you to keep it a secret, is that fine?”

“Yes, if I betray Auguste, you can do an equally terrible thing to me . ”

“Why would I do such a thing? Anyway, it’s about the incubator to hatch eggs . ”

Auguste continued speaking .

Dragon eggs managed by Ignitia royalty were to be preserved and hatched on an incubator called Chalice .

Only a royalty could enter the strictly controlled room with the Chalice in it .

Yet, he said that unexpected things had happened .

“To tell you the truth, it was said that the Chalice was tinkered with . ”

“That is……”

“Magic that blocked off telepathic power was performed by means of an ancient magic . It seems to be a magic to see dreams forever . ”

“That’s why the eggs won’t hatch……!”

This was certainly a valuable information that I couldn’t say to anyone .

Not only it was a blasphemous act against the dragons related to the royalty of Ignitia,

of Ignitia, but also a treason?

The traitor was supposed to be in the depths of the royal family .

“Um, is that what Louis did as well?”

Louis Ode-Ignitia .

He was the son of the Second Prince of the former King and a dragon knight who hated the Crown Prince Auguste and tried to usurp him .

“I got a high-ranking mage to screen Louis’ thoughts from the surface to the deepest part, but it seems that he couldn’t find anything . ”

“How creepy . Are Briar and Blumbell that were exposed to such magic okay?”

“The dragons weren’t altered by that magic, so they are fine . ”

“What a relief……truly . ”

I extended my hand and stroked the two hatchlings that were lying in a heap on Tirnanog’s knees .

Soft and warm .

Someone’s malice obstructed these children from being born into this world .

I disliked such abnormal malice from the bottom of my heart .

“Officially, the eggs hatching was delayed because of my problem, but we decided to investigate strictly behind the scenes . ”

“Auguste-sama’s problem……are you fine with that?”

“I’m completely fine with that . ”

Auguste still laughed as cool as ever, but I couldn’t read his emotion .

He had a poker face because he lived by being exposed to the malice and enmity of many people from the very young age .

“First off, the royal family, and the aristocrats around the royal family are suspicious .

Next, since the Chalice was created together with Lindis, people related to the magic academy are also suspicious .

But, if we make a big fuss in our investigation, people might die like cutting a lizard’s tail . ”

It was a scary story .

I would like to avoid poking a bush and find a dead body .

“That’s why, just like Erica’s brother’s investigation, this time Professor is planning to investigate . ”

“Professor’s ability to hide himself is perfect for this investigation, huh . ”

“We have to hide this from the Lindis as well~ . ”

“Perhaps this is also a secret from Eduart-oniisama?”

“Aah, that’s right . ”

I guessed it couldn’t be helped as it was for precaution .

It would be safe to ask

safe to ask Professor who was a royalty and a Lindis-related official .

“Also, if you meet with a professor, just say that you’re also training to become a Theurge . ”

“Theurge?”

“It’s the person who is able to perform the secret arts of spiritual harmonization that I was talking about just now . ”

“Is Auguste-sama also trying to harmonize your consciousness with Goldberry?”

“I tried to do it but it was useless . Apparently, I don’t seem to have an apt.i.tude with possession technique like that . ”

“No, Auguste . You are jumping to a hasty conclusion . ”

Professor who was looking out of the window seemingly uninterested in our conversation until just now looked back and said so slowly .

“It is because of your spiritual problem that you cannot use the full possession technique .

Even without so much fear, the soul of a dragon is not so vulnerable that it can be crushed by the soul of a man .

Your ingenuity and training are more than sufficient……it is deplorable . ”

“I will take it as a compliment, Professor . ”

“Hm……Auguste, be aware that optimism is both good and bad . ”

The black dragon shook his head in a human-like manner, and returned to his original posture once again .

Auguste looked at the state of Professor and shrugged his shoulders .

“Well, because the technique of Theurge is not just possession .

I am learning from what I can do .

If there is a chance, I’ll even demonstrate it the next time we meet . ”

The carriage stopped at the timing when Auguste said that and winked .

It seemed that we had arrived at Crucible Street where the usual alchemy-related stores were lining up .

“Oops, we seem to have arrived . ”

Goldberry left Tirnanog while looking unhappy .

Tirnanog looked exhausted when I glanced at him .

Meanwhile, Professor was turning pages of the book unconcerned .

“Well then, let’s meet again later, Auguste-sama . ”

“When the launching ceremony is over, let’s walk the streets together this time!”

“Yes, I’m looking forward for that . ”

We separated from the Ignitia party and headed for Turm Wand Store .