Ep 113. Long Time No See. (3)
“It’s been a while.”
As Raizel stepped out of the shimmering portal, a familiar sery came to view.
The youngling found herself in the middle of Magistitute’s courtyard – a coordinate all students were obligated to learhe facility had been active. The ruined districts she’d cleared up nearby were now fully restored to their flory.
Not that it really helped her find Karas. If anything, the district’s restoratio a return of its former habitants, which would make the search more difficult.
“Now then…how do I find him here…”
‘Hold on. Why do I have to look for him?’
If looking for something is difficult, theernative was to make the something look for her.
In a very…distrag manner.
? ? ?
“Grrrrrraaaghhh!!!”
“?! What is that?!”
Partivine’s streets lowly rumbled from the explosive roar that suddenly filled the city. Many covered their ears, with the ceous few looking out their windows to look for the source of the noise.
But there were only three who properly reized the silvery silhouette. Namely, Ilias, Karas, and Light.
“Wha…is that who I think it is?”
“That looks like…”
“Oh…I saw that before. That’s…”
After ing to an abrupt stop ie dihe three narrowed their gaze onto the glimmering monstrosity afar.
And soon, a single name filled their minds simultaneously.
‘…Raizel?’
? ? ?
After waking up the ey, the giant steel drago out a satisfied snort before zily curling up on the courtyard to rest.
Unfortunately, a few minutes was all she could get before a series of footsteps closed in. And whehree rushed in with heaving breaths, Raizel merely nudged her head to aowledge their arrival.
“Huh, that literally took no time at all.”
“What is WRONG with you?! You couldn’t just e by and say hello?! Why’d you scream?!”
“To call you, obviously. Well…one of you.”
“Huh???”
Ign Ilias’ fusion, Raizel’s gaze instead fixed onto the professor behind her.
After a tired sigh, Raizel rose to her feet with thudding steps. But her size instantly shrank back, revealing the glowing portal that had been hidden behind her draic figure.
“Hey, Xa…Karas. e with me for a sec.”
“…This te? Where?“
“Lord needs you.”
“Serenis?...Just me? What for? From where? Why?”
“Oh, shut up. Just e.”
As the steel dragon beed in annoyahe professor relutly stepped forth to approach the portal – something he wouldn’t have done for anyone else. In the minute, he’d already disappeared into its glow.
Ilias and Light looked at each other in fusion, then back at Raizel who was just about to ehe portal herself. The red dragoantly spoke up, her expression muddled with worry.
“Should we e too? Is it something dangerous?”
“Not really. Wouldn’t reend it, though.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Because…”
Raizel turned her head, her eyes fog ohdrawn half girl by Ilias’ side.
sidering what Serenis was going to ask the professor, discussing Karas’ past was unavoidable – and the youngling retty sure that the answers wouldn’t be anything Light would want to hear.
“…It’s adult talk. It’s not for kids.”
“What??”
That was just the excuse Bruton had given them whenever he’d talk about the empire with other elders – she couldn’t think of anythier.
And so, instead of an expnation, Raizel shrugged back at her friend before disappearing into the portal.
But despite the steel dragon’s warning, Light abruptly chased after the youngling. She jumped into the entrah hurried steps, fearing that the spell would disappear.
‘Yep. That was gonna happen…’
Ohe red dragon also stepped through the portal, only then did the spell faze out of existence.
? ? ?
When Karas slid out of the portal, the first thiiced were two elder dragons. And the be was gring at him, eyes mixed with both fusion and suspi.
Thankfully, Raizel soon followed out to break the suspense. After a casual yawn, the youngling turned around to face the dragonlord behind the ring they’d walked out of, waving to signal her success.
Karas likewise turned around, letting out a relieved sigh to find Serenis behind them.
“Ah, Serenis. I heard you calle…gh!“
The professor’s sentence fell short as his beak snapped shut from the sudden impa his back. Light burst out of the portal to tackle him from behind, colpsing onto the floor with her professor.
And, unsurprisingly, Raizel burst into ughter.
“Haha! Talk about weak. Or maybe the kid’s just too heavy for you-ack!“
Finally, Ilias stepped out of the portal, kig Raizel down as she did so.
“That’s my sister you’re talking about…huh?”
When Ilias took a moment to s the room they’d arrived in, she betedly noticed Bruton aher’s presence. And both of them were staring at their daughter, shocked and fused by their sudden, ued discovery.
The couple then locked eyes with each other, suspi welling within their eyes.
her parent recalled having a sed child, but their daughter somehow had a sister.
That would mean…
“WAIT! Stop imagining things! I’ll expin!”
? ? ?
The portal room came to be divided into two ses.
In one, Bruton aher couple were scolding their daughter about how little time Ilias spent at home. They weren’t particurly mad about Ilias calling Light her sister, but she was still being scolded on the basis of ‘you should’ve said something.’
Iher, Light sat against the wall, banished from listening in on whatever Serenis had to ask Karas. And although she’d imagihat she’d be alone for a while, she instead found herself in the pany of a little hatg, and the only other non in the room.
“Go on, Theo. Say hi!”
“…His heo?”
“Mhm! Isn’t he cute?”
“Um…”
Little or not, Theolus was a dragon. And if Light had learned anything from being around Ilias, it was that she should be careful around one no matter how friendly they seemed to be. An actal bump from one could result in a dislocated shoulder – or worse, a pletely broken shoulder.
But when Theolus waddled over to the half girl’s side to wave his little arms, Light found it impossible to deny Eline.
“Hewwo! I’m Theowus!”
“…Hi, Theo. I’m Light. o meet you.”
“Wight?”
“Light.”
“W…Wlight.”
“Haha…close enough. Good job.”
With a sheepish smile, Light gently rubbed the joyous hatg’s head. She almost found herself fetting where Karas had gone.
Almost.
‘…I hope everything’s okay…’
Teically, there was nothing to worry about. It’d only been a few minutes since Serenis had walked out of the room with Karas and Raizel in tow. And wherever they were, Light seriously doubted that anything could threatehree of them together.
But the look she’d seen on her professor’s face ractically that of a prisoner, walking down towards their noose.
? ? ?
A momentary silensued. Although Raizel remained retively undisturbed by the revetion, Serenis couldn’t help but stare in shock.
And Karas couldn’t bear to look up to face the thinned, disappointed eyes before him.
“Then, Karas. During the empire’s invasion, you were…”
“…The Akeian army’s ander. I participated in the campaign as Emperor Lavnore’s aid.”
“…”
A series of questions flooded the dragonlord’s mind.
There were so many things she wao ask Karas – from motive to reasohod to oute.
But one question took prece before all other.
“…Why?”
“…”
“Did the dragonkin wrong you in some way?”
“…No.”
“Did we wrong the empire, then?”
“…No.”
“Then why?!”
Serenis threw her arm to the side. She painfully bit her lips, eyes welling with doubt.
Even now, she wao hear some pusible excuse. Serenis found herself desperately wishing that there was a sensible reason behind it all.
Unfortunately, the ahat was returo her was not one she’d wished to hear.
“…To return a favor.”
“What?”
“…I was born a monster, Serenis. My life rize for huo cim, and I had to survive somehow. Given that I was born with intelligehe strategy I adopted was learning magic – from ahat was willing to teach a monster.”
“…”
“As you may expect, there weren’t many.”
When she was first told that Karas was a monster, she hadn’t made much out of it. The only implication she knew was that porary society discriminated monsters, intelligent or not; she hadn’t realized what that fully meant.
A monster isn’t born in a society, nor in a family – they’re born in the wilderness, often alone ao their own devices. With no allies and lots of enemies, many face premature deaths in the hands of active hunters.
And so, some would hide away, while some would disguise themselves as animals; some would retaliate with force, while some would simply accept their fate and die to the huhat came after them.
Among su unfortunate popution, Karas had been araordinary case. He was born a monster, a he was also born with the gift of intelligence.
And so, he’d adopted his own strategy of survival.
Ohat would best exercise the gift he was born with.
