Chapter 54

Chapter 54

“What’s going on?! Who’s responsible for bringing in that mutt!”

As Rosteratu watched the nobles around him fall unconscious one by one, he shouted with a blue face.

“I shall present to you terror that you will never forget.”

The corners of Alexander’s mouth rose. Straight out of a horror movie, it was an incredibly creepy smile.

Alexander’s body grew. He had once been small enough to fit in that box, but he grew into a size that seemed to fill the entire banquet hall.

And as he grew bigger and bigger, the more he became see through.

His body held no substance. His growing body could still be seen, but it seemed impossible to touch. Like he was a ghost.

Alexander’s face was now near the ceiling. He became so massive that I had to crane my head to see him.

The parts that originally constituted Alexander’s body became covered by a blue fog. Everyone in the banquet hall was inside his body.

The blue dragon showed what he could have been.

During his final moments before he died, he attained his adult form, and yet he looked so sorrowful.

The size and overbearing pressure that a human would not dare touch weighed heavily on everyone. I also felt suffocated.

I know he wouldn’t hurt me, but I couldn’t help but instinctively feel terrified.

As I shivered alone, something came right into my embrace.

“Roséee… It’s okaaay…”

Blanc comforted me as he nuzzled into my arms. I hugged him tightly and nodded.

“W-What is this…!”

As Rosteratu pointed at Alexander, he eventually collapsed. It was quite the spectacle seeing him faint like that on the sofa.

Alexander and Marquis Evnen were talking.

In front of the translucent dragon that was much bigger than him, Marquis Evnen could do nothing but shudder and collapsed onto the ground. But…

Maybe I should give Alexander some time to get back at that guy.

Aight. This is my chance, too.

I went closer to the unconscious Rosteratu instead. Gripping a wine bottle in one hand, I thought about it for a moment, then asked Blanc.

“He won’t wake up just because I’ll play a little prank on him, will he?”

“No waaay… This… is Alexander’s disasteeer…”

Hearing Blanc’s sure answer, I opened the wine bottle and promptly poured its contents onto the guy’s face. I chuckled.

I didn’t stop there. I took all the other drinks on the table and poured them, too.

“…What are you doing?”

I didn’t notice, but Schubert went to my side. I giggled and poured a lot more wine over Rosteratu’s nose.

“Oh, Schubert. You haven’t gone yet?”

“No, I thought it’d be fine to stay considering what the dragon said earlier. But seriously, what’re you doing…”

“I hope he gets sick. I hope he’ll be sick a whooooole lot.”

I thought about hitting Rosteratu, but I’d rather not touch him.

“I don’t really want to touch him directly, you know, so I’m just pouring a lot of wine and other liquids to make him cold. He looks weak since he’s an old fart.”

He didn’t seem to be taking care of his health, so I hope his body’s immune system is terrible.

Schubert looked at me with a baffled expression.

“…You’re kinda smart, but in a weird way.”

“I just think it’s unfair. His Highness is still bedridden, but this old man is living like this.”

As expected, Schubert’s weakness was Albert. He was looking at me like I’m crazy just a moment ago, but the look in his eyes quickly softened when I said this.

“That’s true. I’ll help you then, I guess.”

Schubert quickly brought more bottles of wine. And we poured them all on Rosteratu.

While saying it was all for His Highness, Schubert went as far as removing Rosteratu’s outer coat to lower his body temperature more.

The wine eventually pooled at the floor beneath the sofa. It looked like blood was flowing down from Rosteratu’s body.

It looked exactly like the scene of a murder. It’s such a shame that I couldn’t take a picture—I would have wanted to show it to Albert.

Then, Rosteratu began to tremble as he gripped his head.

“No— NO!”

He yelled out. I watched the guy enact his dark history in real time. I’ll be sure to tell the story to Albert later.

“That King’s greatest fear is the Prince’s return.”

Alexander was the one who said that. I looked up towards the ceiling where Alexander, who had turned into an adult dragon, was staring down at me.

His voice reverberated throughout the banquet hall.

“My disaster. It is the provocation of what humans fear.”

The words he uttered were accompanied with the gusts of wind huffing past his mouth. My hair fluttered just the same as my teeth chattered.

“It cannot compare to the illusion spells of mages.”

Now I think I get why Albert doesn’t like dragons.

Because a dragon’s existence itself was so terribly overwhelming.

“I’ll show humans what they fear the most, then manipulate it if needed.”

He stared at the pathetic Marquis Evnen.

“The man who tried to use me fears the loss of his position.”

Since he’s the one who caused this disaster, it seemed like he could also see directly what kind of fears people had around him.

Alexander glanced at Rosteratu.

“I put Marquis Evnen in the King’s dream. It’s a dream that is more vivid than reality, so he won’t ever forget it. When he wakes up, the King will suffer very much from the dream’s afterimages and will try to kill the Marquis.”

“……”

“The Marquis of Evnen will fall to ruin.”

Rosteratu alternately called Albert and Marquis Evnen’s names in his sleep. Looking at him sweat now, it’s the opposite of how he was acting just earlier.

“It’s the perfect end. Everything that happened today was also organized by Marquis Evnen.”

Schubert also added while he was behind me.

It’s the perfect plan to drive out Rosteratu’s closest allies. Schubert looked around the banquet hall, where everyone had fallen unconscious, and clapped slowly.

“You’ve achieved your perfect revenge, Dragon.”

“…That’s right.”

Alexander laughed dejectedly. His face was blurred now, as if I’m looking at him while he’s submerged in water, but his expression was strangely clear to me.

Before long, people began to scream.

AAARGH! UGH!

“I originally thought that I should inflict physical pain, but… This isn’t bad either.”

All the nobles who were enjoying the banquet up until a few moments ago were now breaking out in cold sweat, suffering.

Alexander made eye contact with me. Then, he spoke calmly.

“Now, it’s time for you all to sleep as well.”

The only ones now who weren’t embroiled in nightmares were us.

That’s why Alexander kept me close.

This was the consideration that Alexander had given me—the chance to know what my biggest fear was.

“……”

When I first entered the cabin earlier, I knew that Alexander hated humans, and yet he was now helping me.

This act alone made me emotional because at the very least, while Alexander was living in this world, it’s enough to show that there’s not only bad people around him.

It’s just that, Alexander resembled Blanc.

He trusted humans.

He began to hate humans because he had been betrayed, and now he was here to exact his vengeance. Even so, he didn’t even hesitate to help another human in the end.

Are you interpreting my apprehension in a different way now? Alexander added.

“But don’t worry. You’ll wake up much faster than the others, and it won’t be a disaster for you.”

“That’s not why I’m hesitating.”

“Then why?”

Alexander was perplexed.

“I paused for a moment because I felt grateful.”

“……”

“I’m grateful that you’re helping a human right now.”

Alexander seemed at a loss for a moment. Then he laughed.

“You never know, right? Maybe you’ll overcome your fears and really become the contractor for that white dragon, and that dragon cub will be a real adult dragon.”

Alexander stared at Blanc.

“If you become a real adult dragon thanks to me, please write it down and leave my name in history.”

“……”

“That there had once been a dragon like me in this world.”

Blanc and Alexander stared into each other’s eyes for a long time.

“Okay.”

Blanc said plainly.

“Okay, I will.”

And I also told Alexander that he had my word for it.

“For this opportunity, really, thank you so much. I’m so glad to have met you, Lord Alexander.”

These weren’t empty words. If it wasn’t for him, I truly wouldn’t be able to face the ordeals that I’d have to face in the future.

Alexander’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but his expression soon turned into a comfortable smile.

“If I ever get born once more, I’d really like it if I can traverse dimensions.”

Alexander’s body began to disappear.

“You said you want to face your fears.”

Alexander’s voice echoed in my ears.

“I wonder. Would the fear of pain be greater than the fear of losing someone dear…”

With that question, Alexander started the disaster.

“I hope you can find the answer.”

And I soon fell into the depths of fear.

* * *

I was back in the tower.

At first, I knew clearly that this was just a dream and that Alexander brought me here.

My surroundings were like a hazy fog, but they gradually became more evident. At the same time, my awareness that this was nothing but a dream became covered with a haze.

The dream soon became like reality to me.

Today’s Blanc’s 500th birthday.

I tried to make so many good memories with Blanc. We were always together and Blanc learned a lot more about the world.

But even during all that time, I didn’t pluck up the courage to become his contractor. After all, the contractor was the one who’d take the brunt of the inexplicable pain of a dragon’s ordeal when turning into an adult. In my mind, this physical pain was what I was the most afraid of, and I couldn’t overcome that fear to take on that pain.

“I’m sorry, Blanc. I can’t become your contractor.”

Hearing my apology, Blanc shook his head.

“It’s okaaay…”

Rather, Blanc comforted me. He smiled brightly, saying that he also wouldn’t have been able to overcome such a fear. But at that moment—

“Uuugh…”

Blanc began to writhe in pain.

“I-It hurts…”

The little dragon cub groaned and cried, unable to power through the pain that incapacitated his entire body.

I wasn’t in pain.

“IT HURTS!!!”

But I had to watch him be in pain.

As though I’d been nailed to my seat, I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even come closer to him. I couldn’t even comfort Blanc.

I could only sit there and watch Blanc writhe and struggle and cry out in pain.

Here, during Blanc’s final moments,

I just watched.

I could have been his contractor, but I didn’t try.

Taking in his last breath, Blanc looked straight at me. His clear eyes had not even the slightest shadow of resentment. This added to the guilt weighing down on me.

Blanc just smiled at me. Then he disappeared without leaving a single trace.

Blanc died.