Chapter 13
He was such a good person, yet he absolutely refused to remain as Viretta’s fiancé.
To make matters worse, Iola fixed a solemn expression on his face and sent a deep, unwavering gaze.
“I would very much like to meet the person Viretta loves and apologize in person. Would you one day introduce me to them, even to someone as unworthy as me?”
Viretta wasn’t the kind of person who could answer with a “Ta-da! Actually, there’s no one!”
Iola was someone too precious to simply break off an engagement with, yet that made it impossible to take his sincerity lightly.
That weighty trust, those serious and pure eyes, the unwavering consideration—all of it entwined Viretta.
How could she turn away from such a look?
No, wait. What’s the problem? If he says he’s going to hunt dragons, then he can just hunt them. If he says he has someone he loves, then he just needs to find one before the engagement is broken!
The journey would be long anyway, so surely she could find at least one suitable man. Good. It was a perfect, groundbreaking idea.
…Viretta thought so. That’s why she glossed over the finer details of her answer and replied brightly.
“I’ll introduce him to you once I’ve caught the dragon. The one I love is like the sky to me, so it’s not something I can meet easily.”
It meant he existed somewhere in the world but was invisible to her.
“Thank you for agreeing so readily, Viretta. You are truly remarkable. I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you. Please don’t refuse these words of admiration—they come purely from respect, without any selfish motives.”
“I-I see. So there’s no selfish intent…? I see… Well, that’s fine. I was born to win everyone’s favor, after all.”
“Don’t worry. I will wholeheartedly reject fate itself if it would go against Viretta.”
It was a painfully bold declaration.
“You don’t have to go to all that effort just to hunt dragons.”
“No, of course I must.”
“You really don’t have to.”
“I absolutely will not act from selfishness, so please rest assured.”
“Miss Iola, you do like me, right? In a human way. It’s not that you dislike me, is it?”
“Uh? Yes, yes.”
“I think you should remind me often, so I don’t get the wrong idea.”
Iola’s repeated insistence that he would never act from selfishness was so neat it almost hurt.
Because he believed Viretta had someone he loved, it was natural to set boundaries—but even so, the words of firm resolution, spoken with a smiling face, were sharp.
Hearing him say he would never act from selfishness, that he would even reject fate itself, made her insides twitch.
When Viretta let out a sigh of relief and smiled warmly, Iola returned the smile. It wasn’t exactly understanding, but it was utterly clear and pure.
Iola averted his gaze from Viretta and looked back toward Lanken.
“However, I think I understand what worries you, Lanken. It makes sense to worry if I appeared reckless, charging at dragons without preparation.”
“Exactly. You look like you’re not in your right mind.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve wanted to study dragons firsthand for the past six months.”
“Why? Did a rock hit your head or something?”
Rather than reassuring her, hearing that he had been seeking a place to die for the past six months made her feel uneasy.
“It’s my thesis topic.”
“Ah. I nearly misunderstood. So you really weren’t in your right mind.”
Saying someone looked insane was a tentative judgment.
This person is truly insane. Bang bang. Lanken struck an imaginary gavel in his mind.
“Thank you for seeing it positively. To study seriously, one must become obsessed with their subject.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“The sincerity behind your reproach has been conveyed.”
“Not even a bit.”
“Even a little has been conveyed. Iola, are you really okay with hunting dragons just for a thesis?”
Just as Lanken was about to complain, Viretta intervened. She placed a buttered piece of bread in his mouth and redirected the conversation.
“Since choosing dragons as my natural science thesis, I’ve wanted to study them firsthand. But no one wanted to join me.”
“Of course. Not anyone could match that kind of resolve.”
“You speak rightly. Everyone said approaching a dragon for a bachelor’s thesis was absurdly dangerous. So I left my desire as a strong, unfulfilled impulse. But then I met Viretta.”
Warm joy shone in Iola’s eyes.
“It was a profound realization. It felt as if the axis that made me… me had shifted.”
Viretta stared into his kindly eyes. The light there would never fade.
“Even you, more delicate than I, are willing to risk yourself to be with the one you love. Meanwhile, I had desire for dragons but was inwardly prioritizing my own comfort. How shameful.”
Iola let out a sigh and then his eyes sparkled again.
“So I resolved, like you, Viretta, to risk danger for my goal. I will hunt dragons with you, submit my thesis, and you will… break off the engagement with me.”
“Sometimes life graduates before school does.”
Muttering to himself after finishing his bread, Lanken shook his head.
“As you yearn for a happy future with the person you love, just consider that I have a desire to study dragons.”
The problem was that Viretta had no one she loved.
Unaware of this, Iola straightened his back and spoke resolutely.
“Anyway, I am fully prepared. I am not foolish enough to charge at dragons without resolve.”
Sweat slid down Viretta’s spine, charging at dragons without preparation. On Lanken’s tongue, a string of curses dangled, unwillingly accompanying the journey.
“Viretta. I’m cursing.”
“No. Iola doesn’t blame others lightly.”
“When did you take his side?”
“Look at his face. People who are that pure and bright have good personalities too.”
Sharp features, a symmetrical face, neat clothes, well-groomed hands and hems—everything about Iola radiated order and clarity.
Lanken muttered knowingly at the sight of Iola’s gentle appearance.
“So you like his face, in other words.”
“You can feel deep trust just from his appearance.”
Iola, noticing Viretta and Lanken whispering, cleared his throat gently to get their attention.
“Are you discussing our course of action? It’s a matter worth careful thought. Hunting dragons is something ordinary people could never do. But even if you change your judgment, I will gladly accept it.”
“Ah, still someone reasonable…”
“No, I can do it. I, Viretta, never speak words I cannot back up!”
“…What’s the use of having ‘teeth’?”
Triggered by “something ordinary people could never do,” Viretta slammed the table, bartering her conscience.
“An ordinary person would be terrified and flee from dragons. But for me, dragons are nothing.”
“To assert that so confidently is truly admirable.”
“Of course. Naturally. Absolutely. For me, Viretta, nothing is impossible. Do you think I would say I’m going to hunt dragons without knowing how terrifying they are?”
Though she had indeed felt fear in the past, Viretta did not dwell on it now; she stood proudly.
“Dragons and monsters mean nothing before my radiance. Everyone will be blinded and flee. If you join me, Iola, you’ll write a magnificent thesis.”
“Viretta…”
Seeing the two lost in a pool of awe and joy, Lanken bowed his head so low it made a sound.
Of course it would turn out this way. Any journey with Viretta Medleridge was always like this.
She always loved the exceptional and pursued it—whatever it might be.
“But why must you catch a dragon, exactly?”
“Huh?”
Lanken, weary, interjected.
“I understand that you, Iola… sir?… want to meet dragons, and you’re resolved to hunt them.”
“You can speak freely, like you did to Viretta.”
When Lanken stammered over how to address him, Iola smiled gently.
“Really? That’s okay? I’m just a common mercenary, and you… are from a lord’s family.”
“That’s my status in my homeland. Here in Filian, I’m just an ordinary student. And from now on, we’ll be comrades sharing life and death, so I don’t want to bother with hierarchy.”
“Why do I have to share life and death…? Ah, fine. Speak freely for now, and you’ll regret it later.”
Lanken didn’t worry long. Against an ordinary noble, he might have been more cautious—but this person was Viretta’s fiancé, perfectly matched with her.
In short, there was no hierarchy to feel. Lanken spoke without restraint.
“Anyway, I get your position. But that’s your business. From Viretta’s point of view, there’s no need to hunt dragons, right? Wouldn’t it be enough if you just did something worthy of her allowing the engagement to break?”
