DBWC 06

Chapter 06

I’m not sure about the “initial excitement” that Zephyr had mentioned, but I now definitely understood the meaning of the “tedious stage.”

The fittings seemed endless.
I had already lost count of how many dresses I had tried on. They were countless—dresses of every color, texture, and fabric.
Among them were even designs reserved for the daughters of other noble families.
Zephyr selected them all with complete nonchalance, even naming which artisans should attach the jewels and lace to the dresses.

He looked down at me, sitting in nothing but my underdress, and clicked his tongue pityingly.
“Sorcerer, you lack perseverance. I even helped you with everything.”
“Helped me? I know you have no sense of fashion! Your meddling only made the fittings take longer.”

I got up from my seat, grumbling at Zephyr.
Yes. In this boring, tedious stage, Zephyr’s contribution was overwhelmingly large. Of course, as I said before, he did choose my dress—but that was all.
Zephyr’s taste was terrible. He liked shiny things and collected jewels, but fashion sense was apparently a completely different matter.
The fabrics he suggested clashed or didn’t match, and only the tearful pleas of the staff could barely stop his attempts.

“I looked good. That dress draped in yellow tartan and red silk.”
“The staff almost suffocated just because you said it looked good.”
“The staff and I just have different definitions of fashion.”
“Ah, here they come.”

I cut off Zephyr’s rebuttal, deliberately straightening up. The staff was arriving just then.

“You’ve been waiting. We’ve made the adjustments to fit you.”
“So, I can leave in this?”
“Of course, madam!”

The staff flashed a prepared smile at my question. Yet, their eyes betrayed a layer of exhaustion.
Perhaps I wasn’t the only one desperate to leave this place.

They began dressing me in the outfit chosen to wear outside. It was simple yet neat, giving a luxurious impression.
A dark-toned pink dress, with the upper part entirely covered in finely woven lace of the same color. The draped blouse dress concealed just enough while showing the silhouette.

“You look perfect, madam!”
“Really?”
“Of course!”

The staff exclaimed, turning me around to face the three full-length mirrors. My reflection filled all of them. Zephyr’s face was visible in one of the mirrors as well.

“Zephyr, how is it?”
“I still think the yellow tartan was fine, but this is just as good.”

That’s as close as he’d get to a compliment.
I smoothed the ribbon that hung from my skirt. The soft satin ribbon fell gently—its touch softer than dandelion fluff.

“It feels too flowy, it’s awkward,” I muttered.
I heard Zephyr snort.
“So you’re caring about Elkinas, huh, Sorcerer? Pretending you don’t care but secretly trying.”
“What? No… It’s a reunion after a long time! I’m not caring about appearances!”

I cried out in surprise, spinning around, and Zephyr looked at me with a teasing smile.
“…Really. Still, maybe I do want to look good… well, he’s my friend, but… maybe I want to look good too. Right.”

Somehow, my cheeks were turning red. Even though he’s truly a friend…

I needed to change the topic.
“Ah, um… we’re going straight to the Pontiac estate, right?”

Zephyr narrowed his eyes, as if he knew my intent, then answered casually.
“Of course.”
“…Is that okay?”
“What could go wrong? No matter how crazy it seems, they’ll let you stay a few nights. The Pontiac estate wouldn’t be that stingy.”
“…I guess so…”

At that moment, as the staff turned to tidy up, a burning note appeared in the air.
Zephyr picked it up calmly while holding a teacup.
I already knew what this note was.

A snippet.
A dispatch that dragons can send to one another.
Even during the hunt, Zephyr had sent and received many of these snippets from dragons.

“Hmm.”
“What? What is it?”

Zephyr scanned the paper, flicking his fingers, and I could feel the atmosphere around us instantly drop.
Silence.
Without casting a spell, Zephyr had placed a silence magic within a certain range—our conversation was now unheard by others.

He took his eyes off the paper and looked straight at me.
“This snippet is from the rightmost griffin of the imperial palace. It’s a messenger I placed. They talk with the sylphs regularly and relay messages to me. One message is trivial, but the other… is bad news. Which do you want first?”
“Hmm… tell me the trivial one first.”

“Good choice,” he nodded and continued.
“There’s a dragon currently enjoying the Empire’s entertainment—named Crimson.”
“Crimson Dragon?”
“1,500 years old this year, full of vigor. First play. The initial play started in the Empire three years ago… It’s the duty report that first-time dragons must send periodically, but it has stopped. The Crimson clan requested we find him before he causes trouble. You won’t be able to easily track him, but it’s necessary. Dragon Lords are really troublesome.”

“So it’s impossible to ignore.”
“The so-called trivial news really isn’t trivial… Then the bad news?”

Zephyr tapped his chin, sighed, and said:
“…Sorcerer. Pluck a leaf from the linden tree in Lys, chew it thoroughly, and keep it.”
“Huh?”
“It seems the Marquis’s family situation is turning grim.”
“What do you mean…?”
“According to the old continent saying, ‘The day of the journey is the day of the funeral.’”
“What?”

“Let’s go. I’ve asked to summon the carriage, it should be here soon.”

About twenty minutes later, a chilling feeling ran through me as the scenery changed. It wasn’t a dense forest, but a vast, well-manicured lawn and beautiful gardens.

I looked at Zephyr.
“Now—”
“Yes, this is the Pontiac estate’s barrier.”
“A barrier?”
“It’s the first defense Elkinas implemented as the head of the estate—to separate his city from the marquis’s estate. No one may enter without Elkinas’s permission.”
“So that means we can enter…”
“Exactly.”

“Are they letting us through because they know it’s us?” I asked excitedly.
Zephyr dampened my enthusiasm, shaking his head.
“No. Right now, we are guests for the day. Once a year, the estate opens for outsiders. Whether they know it’s us, I can’t say. Did you chew the World Tree leaves properly, Sorcerer?”
I nodded vigorously.
“Yes. Of course. Chewed thoroughly.”
“Good. Just in case, chew one more—since we’ve arrived.”

At Zephyr’s warning, the carriage stopped. The timing was perfect.
How does he always manage this so well?

Zephyr leapt down, offering me his hand. I took it and stepped down.
This was my first time setting foot on the Pontiac estate—the land where Elkinas grew up. I had never been here before. I had only said I would visit once everything was over.

“Wow… it’s enormous.”

I exclaimed without thinking and spun around. It was impossible to take it all in at once.
Even a small city would be dwarfed by its scale.
The most remarkable thing was that every roof was glazed in turquoise.
Turquoise! A color more dazzling than gold, made from grinding sea shells… They used it on every roof?

“Does the marquis’s estate rival the Imperial Palace? Even the Imperial Palace isn’t this flashy.”

I recalled the palace at the army’s departure ceremony—it was gilded in gold. True, it was real gold. But even gold couldn’t match the extravagance of Elkinas’s estate.
I was certain of it.

“You’re right, Sorcerer. The Pontiac estate’s influence surpasses even the Denbain imperial house.”

“Greetings to our distant guests.”

Just as Zephyr began speaking, someone suddenly interrupted.

Zephyr and I turned our heads simultaneously. Someone was descending slowly from the main building of the estate.