Chapter 03
“Come with me, Elkinas. You’re my one and only friend in this life. Now that we’ve met again, I can’t let us part ways.”
“Arenne.”
“I won’t be a burden! I’ll grow stronger right by your side!”
“Arenne, my goodness…”
Elkinas raised his eyebrows, smiling as if he were about to cry. Then, he slid his fingers between mine, gripping my hand painfully tight.
“…Alright.”
He stepped back a few paces, then kneeled on one knee before me.
“…Arenne. You are the bravest and kindest person I know. My only true friend.”
“…Huh?”
“…You’ll share life and death with me. Will you do that?”
“….”
“When all of this journey ends, we will be together, no matter what.”
Elkinas murmured softly, pressing his lips to the back of my hand.
It was unbearably embarrassing. A strange, ticklish feeling spread through me.
Was this how one formally proposes a companion’s partnership in a story set in a city? Was it because he was raised as a nobleman, so the atmosphere just oozed refinement?
Or was it simply Elkinas’s nature that made such a noble aura emanate from him?
“…Of course.”
My words stammered as I nodded vigorously.
But that wasn’t enough to express my resolve. I pulled my hand away, helped him up, clenched my fist, and shouted:
“Yes, of course! But why are you kneeling? It’s embarrassing! Stand up! Stand up! We’re friends; no need for such formalities!”
“…Huh?”
His expression turned to confusion. Did I sound too harsh? I quickly laughed and patted his back.
“Let’s risk our lives together, Elkinas. I want to accompany you on your journey! Childhood friends becoming comrades—what an amazing thing!”
He looked at me silently for a long moment, then finally smiled.
“…Thank you.”
His tender smile was as beautiful as a white magnolia.
“Khh… khhh… what is happening, Zephyr… huh? Elkinas is so shy… cute… and kind… and then he said that to me? Khhh… khhh…”
I swallowed back my tears and poured the fruit wine from the basin. Zephyr had proudly made it himself, and indeed, it was delicious. Just not for this mood.
“If I hear it one more time, I’ll probably bleed from my ears,” Zephyr muttered, chewing on a fried noodle snack.
“Don’t you think, just imagine… that kind boy… becoming the continent’s hero overnight?”
“…He didn’t quite reach continental hero status. And stop calling him ‘kind’ all the time, sorcerer.”
Zephyr frowned as he popped another snack into his mouth.
“Don’t be mistaken. The meek, gentle, and tender personality you describe was only how the clerics saw him—terrified, in awe. Elkinas’s real personality? For everyone except you, it’s… like a crude, vile maniac. A total jerk.”
“What? Don’t badmouth my Elkinas… He was raised like a nobleman… and he even knelt for a simple country bumpkin like me…”
“…Alright, that part. But how could you have thought that was a ‘companion proposal’? Ridiculous. Do sorcerers always have flowers growing in their heads?”
His words were cynical, but they didn’t really hurt me. After all, he was a dragon, and dragons always spoke in ways that made little sense. They hatched knowing the workings of the world but often claimed, “Ah, Mother. I understand everything. Now, let me sleep.”
I sniffled and brought the basin to my lips… then set it down again.
Speaking of which, what happened to Hania and Gedor?
“By the way, what happened to Hania… what is she doing…”
“You’re asking too early. She became the next pope of the Altima Church, ruled the entire continent, then was called by the gods and ascended three years ago.”
“Dead? Wait, three years ago… how long did she live?”
“Ninety-seven? Not dead, but ascended. At that age, it’s reasonable for a god to call her to leave the human realm. By now, she might be a minor deity or an angel. Her god had always favored her greatly.”
I nodded, recalling Hania. Zephyr was right—Hania’s divine power had surpassed any cleric I had witnessed during the campaign. I still remembered the tiny, rabbit-like girl, eyes squeezed shut, lifting a white birch rod at the forefront. When she shouted, “Protect us!!!,” the enemies scattered in a flash of white light.
“And Gedor?” I asked.
“He got beaten by Elkinas, rested a while, then returned to his kingdom. Became a tribal chief or king, last I heard. Probably living the best life of us all—no worries at all.”
“I see… Well, at least everyone’s doing okay besides Elkinas… is that something to be thankful for?”
“…Here we go again.”
“What on earth is going onggg…”
I wailed with just my mouth, gulping down the basin of wine. Zephyr shook his head in disbelief but didn’t stop me. Only after finishing did I set the basin down, making a loud clatter as he scowled.
“I’ve made up my mind.”
“…About what?”
“I’m going to see Elkinas.”
“Hooh?”
“I’ll tell him I survived. And persuade him not to raise it.”
“Hmm…”
“I need to see for myself. And if he’s raising it well, that’s one thing—but if there’s even a slight chance it grows up like Kunterne… I’ll deal with it myself.”
I recalled the time when we fought Kunterne together. It was still vivid, like it happened yesterday. The moment a dragon spread its wings, one-third of our troops were wiped out instantly. If Kunterne accelerated time, even a fraction of a second would sever limbs in an instant.
Soldiers who spoke of their families beside me were decapitated, while those Hania healed vanished into dust screaming the gods’ name. It was utterly insane.
If the hatchling inherited any of Kunterne’s abilities… if it bore resentment against this world… it would be Kunterne 2.0. And as far as I knew, the full extent of Kunterne’s time-manipulation powers remained unknown.
Even if something had been discovered during my 80 years of sleep, I was certain: no human could ever wield such power. Not even dragons could. It would drive anyone mad.
No matter how I thought about it, Elkinas’s personal desires could not outweigh the greater good.
“By the way, Sorcerer,” Zephyr’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.
I turned to him; he rested his chin on his hand, one lip crookedly raised.
“Do you think he’ll trust you?”
“What?”
“Will he really trust you?”
What kind of question was that?
“Of course he will. I’m his only friend. He’ll recognize me at once.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. That irritating look… I knew I’d misspoken somewhere. Zephyr would never directly tell me what was wrong.
“…Hmm. I guess it’s still unclear.”
“Unclear about what? Did I say something wrong?”
“…Hmm… well, I didn’t explain that part to you yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s fine. You’ll understand once you experience it yourself.”
He muttered something, thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Fine. I’ll come with you.”
“…Huh?”
I frowned.
“You’re coming too?”
“Of course. I’m concerned. Your body is made of noble dragon blood. Elkinas can’t just mess with it. You’re a unique historical record of this world.”
“Mess… what?”
I thought I’d misheard something. Was he saying Elkinas would harm me? But before I could ask, Zephyr snapped his fingers. In an instant, the basin and all the wine disappeared.
“……My wine!”
“The drinking session is over. Didn’t you just make a more interesting proposal?”
“No, you just decided to follow me unilaterally…”
“The game continues,” he said smugly.
“The game isn’t over; it can be resumed anytime.”
“Oh! So that’s why you’re still in elf form for now!”
“Exactly. This is round two, so let’s change the appearance a bit this time.”
“…Is that okay?”
I knew dragons had strict rules about games like this. They were careful because their choices affected other races.
But Zephyr just raised his eyebrows at my question.
