Chapter 41
“Did you… tell Senika that?”
“No.”
At that answer, Shireia hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had misheard.
But seeing the calm expression on Jayus’s face, she realized she hadn’t. Heat began to rise in her head.
Is this bastard trying to mess with me right now? He’s talking about something completely different from what I asked!
She was too dumbfounded to speak — and then what he said next was even more absurd.
“That’s none of your business.”
It was practically a declaration that they were strangers.
Well, we are strangers, sure. But if we share the same goal, is there really a need to draw the line that sharply?
Of course, she also understood why Jayus acted this way toward her. She was the one who bared her fangs first, after all.
Fine, let’s just call this my karma. Makes it easier to swallow.
Shireia took a deep breath, about to try talking to him again, when—
“Instead of doing weird things, how about you look into this?”
“…Weird things?”
“I mean the nanny act.”
“Ha!”
Any intention of having a calm conversation instantly vanished. She folded her arms and let out several dry laughs.
He’s toxic. I’ll make sure he can’t hang around Senika ever again!
Calling her care for Senika a “nanny act” — that really ticked her off.
And his tone didn’t help either. It sounded like a suggestion but felt like an order.
…Wait.
She was about to chew over his annoying phrasing again when one particular word caught her attention — investigate.
“Hold on. Are you telling me to investigate the imperial palace?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you insane?”
Her voice shot up before she realized it. She couldn’t believe he was serious.
Flustered, she clapped a hand over her mouth and glanced around, but thankfully her voice was drowned out by the noise of people leaving the banquet hall.
When she spoke again, her tone was low and steady.
“How can you say something like that so casually? That’s basically telling me to make enemies of the royal family.”
“It’s related to Senika.”
“And what makes you so sure of that?”
She hadn’t known Jayus for very long, but she knew one thing — he wasn’t the type to speak without reason.
He must have some evidence.
With her chin slightly raised, she waited for him to back it up.
“It’s just a hunch.”
“What?”
“A hunch.”
At that, Shireia no longer had the will to continue. She hadn’t gotten the information she wanted, and clearly he wasn’t going to give it anyway.
Her face cold, she turned sharply toward the exit.
“I thought you’d jump in headfirst if it meant keeping Senika safe—”
A quiet voice reached her ears.
“Guess I was wrong about you.”
It was such a perfect jab at her pride that Shireia clenched her fists and stormed back toward him, her steps heavy with anger.
“So what exactly do you want me to do?”
A wave of defeat washed over her, but that didn’t mean she’d ignore anything concerning Senika.
Defeat was defeat, and friendship was friendship.
Jayus’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“Start with the basics.”
“Running a background check? Easy enough. Who’s the target?”
“The person who didn’t show up to the party.”
A quiz, apparently. Shireia bit her lip.
Of course he won’t just tell me straight out.
And yet, even as she thought that, she was already trying to guess who it might be.
“…The Second Prince?”
“Correct.”
Now that she thought about it, it was strange. This wasn’t an ordinary event — it was a party gathering heirs of the Four Dragon Houses. For a prince not to appear was suspicious.
“What about the First Prince?”
“He’s got nothing to hide, so he showed up.”
“I think I saw him earlier… Fine. What about you, what are you going to do?”
“Who knows.”
Jayus tilted his head slightly — clearly scheming something behind that vague answer.
“I’ll contact you when the time comes.”
As he walked away, growing smaller in her sight, he still managed to look as irritating as ever.
This alliance lasts only until this job is done.
The sun had set, and the moon should have been up by now — but the sky was thick with heavy clouds.
Swish, swish—
In the pitch-black darkness, Hale swung his sword silently, not even breathing loud enough to hear. The only sound was the blade slicing sharply through the air.
“Master.”
Theo appeared, holding an oil lamp glowing orange. His expression wasn’t pleasant.
“You’ve used up all your energy, haven’t you?”
“I just want to sleep.”
He pointed to the dark circles under his eyes — a clear sign for Hale to get to the point.
“Seems you’ve grown quite comfortable with me.”
“It’s been long enough that you can’t really scold me for it, sir.”
“That’s true.”
Hale nodded lightly and let his sword drop. The blade hit the ground with a metallic clang, but he didn’t seem to care.
“Aren’t you curious about what happened at the imperial palace?”
“I am, but… do we have to discuss it now?”
“It’s an important matter. I couldn’t help it.”
Theo, who rarely showed curiosity, couldn’t help but be intrigued. But he also knew better than to underestimate Hale.
He says that, but it might turn out to be nothing major again.
He tensed his legs, ready to bolt to his room the moment it did.
“Humans have made a weapon.”
“Excuse me?”
Because Hale left out the crucial context, Theo’s mind filled with question marks.
“Humans make weapons all the time. They need them to hunt and—”
“I was wounded by one.”
“…What?”
“I was going to show you, but unfortunately Senika noticed and healed it.”
Hale raised his right hand and spread his fingers. The skin on the back of his hand, which had been burned earlier, was now perfectly smooth.
Theo stared blankly for a few seconds before asking,
“So you’re saying… a human-made weapon burned you? Actually hurt you?”
“Exactly.”
After blinking several times, Theo screamed,
“AAAH!”
The peaceful mansion instantly erupted in chaos.
By the time Theo calmed everyone down, his breathing was still ragged.
“How is that even possible?”
“That’s what I want you to find out.”
Theo grabbed both sides of his temples — a habit of his whenever faced with a headache of a situation.
The reason for his panic was simple: it was impossible for humans to pierce a dragon’s scales, let alone wound one.
The so-called dragon slayers who could had disappeared from history ages ago — and so had their weapons.
The production methods were lost. Even if someone had the notes, they’d need dragon pheromones as material — and those don’t exist anymore…
“No matter how you look at it, how could they possibly—”
“By the way, it was the Emperor.”
“The… Emperor attacked you? Wait, what?”
Theo wondered if he’d misheard.
“When Denian dropped that thing, I should’ve taken it with me. Pity I didn’t.”
He prayed he had misheard this time.
“So I’ll need you to look into that as well.”
“…Me?”
“Who else is there?”
“W–Wait a second! I just— I need to process this…!”
Hale nodded, granting him that much.
But Theo couldn’t organize his thoughts. The idea that the Emperor was behind it—
…This could start a war. What do we do?
The thought of witnessing a new chapter in history was not comforting at all. War was never good.
And besides, wasn’t the White Dragon heir half human?
He shook his head violently. No, war must not happen.
“This isn’t going to work.”
“What isn’t?”
“I’m too tired, sir. Everything you’re saying just sounds like nonsense right now. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Rattling off the words without pausing for breath, Theo disappeared into the mansion.
Once he was gone, Hale picked up his sword again.
Truthfully, what troubled him most wasn’t the Emperor’s weapon — it was the thought that he now had to teach Senika swordsmanship.
There was a reason he had insisted on training her himself instead of finding her another teacher.
I was hoping to drag things out until she lost interest…
But after hearing the Emperor’s remarks about Senika at the palace, fear had taken root.
If someone approached her while he was bound by the weapon that had injured him, he wouldn’t be able to protect her in time.
At the very least, he had to make sure she could hold her own until he arrived.
Looks like I’ll have to teach her properly.
He could already picture her crying under his harsh scolding — and felt both sorry and worried.
Still, he knew he couldn’t afford to go easy on her.
With that resolve firm in his heart, Hale’s expression hardened.
