“So you felt magic power in the forest in front of the mansion, went there, and found this kind of summoned creature…? And somehow ended up making a contract with it?”
At Drehan’s words, I nodded.
“A summoned creature, huh. Wizards always wondered why you were carrying around some kind of beast, and it turns out it’s a summoned creature.”
I thought it might pass just like that, but I knew the biggest hurdle was still ahead.
“Then what’s this, Lia?”
Miller read aloud the writing on the note.
“I’m going to run away from home for a bit. The black flame dragon inside me has awakened… heh heh heh.”
Wait, what did that say back there?!
Black flame dragon?! That’s different!
“Ha, ha, ha. I got the spelling wrong… I meant to write ‘going out’, not ‘running away’.”
I couldn’t say it was the summoning creature’s fault and ended up ruining my image.
[You weren’t exactly smart to begin with, master.]
Only wizards could hear the summoned creature’s words; to the family, it just sounded like whining.
“So the black flame dragon is…”
“It has awakened! The black flame dragon inside me—meaning, my magic power has finally awakened!”
After saying that, I bowed my head deeply. If there were a hole I could hide in, I wanted to disappear!
“…I see! I didn’t know that.”
Miller awkwardly smiled, probably more embarrassed that he had heard it, and tried to save my honor.
Compared to him pretending not to hear, Drehan, who was sitting nearby, didn’t miss the chance to say one thing.
“Then from now on, can we call you the Black Flame Dragon?”
At Drehan’s words, I quickly said yes, yes, swallowing my tears, hoping this interrogation would end soon.
And from that day on, I really became the Black Flame Dragon to Drehan.
The weather was especially nice that day, and the knights training looked more energetic.
Since that day, I had attended morning training without missing a single day.
Taro always ran drills with me.
Loved by the knights, Taro had almost become the mascot of the order.
Seeing a flag with Taro’s face fluttering on top of the knights’ dormitory, I asked with a bitter expression what it was, and the captain said:
“It’s cute…”
Hut blushed as he said this, and Taro rolled around in frustration.
[That guy treats me, Taro Griken Dresula III, like just a neighborhood dog!]
Well, Taro really was like a neighborhood dog, at least from Hut’s perspective.
Hut, who could never understand Taro’s complaints, left after telling me to come out to the training grounds with Taro again next time.
“Good work today.”
“You all worked hard.”
Wiping sweat as I returned to the mansion, what greeted me was a silver tray filled with dozens of invitation letters.
“W-What’s all this…?”
“It’s been about a month since the big debutante event, so the nobles are gradually holding parties. All the invitations are addressed to you, miss.”
“You don’t mean I have to go to all of them…”
“Don’t worry, Black Flame Dragon, that’s not the case.”
Drehan was leaning against the doorframe.
Doesn’t he have anything better to do? I thought the grand noble meeting was supposed to be tomorrow.
“Three of these have already been decided that the entire Rayes family must attend, and the rest you don’t need to go to.”
Drehan pulled out three invitations and said so.
One by one: the Hunting Festival, the follow-up festival hosted by the Duke of Clare’s family, and the New Year’s Festival…?
“The Hunting Festival…”
“The Hunting Festival is an annual event held by the royal family. Many foreign royals attend, so you have no choice but to go.”
“What does it mean that Clare is hosting a follow-up festival?”
“The Hunting Festival is jointly hosted by the royal family and the Clare Duke family. The royal family handles the main event, and Clare hosts the festival for the winners.”
I nodded and looked again at the three invitations.
The New Year’s Festival was literally a festival to welcome the new year. Since half the year had passed, the nobles were all invited in advance for this major event.
Drehan also showed disdain at the thought of attending the Hunting Festival.
He was the typical scholar type who hated physical activities like this.
Hearing the word Hunting Festival reminded me of the original story I had carefully recorded in my notes after staying up all night.
After this episode, Senia rescues Luka from the orphanage, and Luka studies royal governance and takes the warlord’s exam on the battlefield.
“The original story will start soon.”
I closed the invitations and said,
“But what about the grand noble meeting tomorrow?”
“We roughly have the upper hand, but the problem is we don’t know how the noble faction will strike back. Those shady types. No telling what schemes they have.”
He said, clearly troubled.
As far as I knew… the grand noble meeting would end in defeat for the prince’s faction.
The day broke. Miller, who I met at the training grounds, looked tense and stiff even though he wasn’t attending the grand noble meeting today.
“Brother, what you’re hitting with that wooden sword isn’t straw, it’s Ion.”
“Ah! Young master! That hurts!”
“Oh, sorry, Ion.”
Miller rubbed his head and apologized sincerely to Ion.
I couldn’t blame him.
No matter how great Rayes was, it was a bit much to try to take down the entire noble faction he had been building up for two years.
And I, too, had been debating whether or not to intervene in today’s episode, which was part of the original story.
Despite the long contemplation, deciding wasn’t hard.
“Brother, if you’re so worried…”
I whispered into Miller’s ear.
His eyes lit up.
After watching the black carriage leave out the window, I turned around.
“He’s gone.”
Miller immediately summoned his servant to prepare the carriage.
“But, Lia, is there anything we can do by following them?”
I had something for sure.
In the noble faction, Marquis Gassen was a villainous supporting character who launched a fierce attack against Luka at the grand noble meeting.
I even remembered that there was a secret rumor circulating that was fatal to Luka, which was used like a weapon to control the meeting’s outcome.
As a result, Luka was ostracized by noble society and mocked and scorned even up to the battlefield.
What had tormented Luka until he finally earned the title of war hero, after rolling in the battlefield fueled by hatred, were these:
‘Is it true the crown prince is not the biological son of His Majesty the Emperor?’
Denial of his legitimacy.
‘Is it really true that the Duke Gruben, executed for treason, had an affair with the Empress?’
False adultery accusations regarding Luka’s late mother, the Empress, who had already died of illness.
‘I heard the crown prince’s “Warlord” exam has been decided. The dirty blood of the royal family must surely be wiped out on the battlefield.’
And the distortion of the sacred meaning of the young crown prince’s final test for succession.
All these rumors originated from the grand noble meeting held today.
This was also an episode from the original story, but because I intervened, it was moved one year earlier than in reality, alongside the debutante event.
Miller was somewhat worried but also happily hopeful, but in truth, the original story had the noble faction decisively defeating them.
Luka would be pushed to the brink of abdication but barely keep his position.
The reason I hesitated to intervene in this event was that if I twisted the original story any further, I really wouldn’t know how things would turn out.
But if I feared the future because I couldn’t see it, then that was no longer a future.
Rather than entrusting myself to a fixed record, I decided I would write the future myself.
Of course, neither Miller nor I had the qualifications to attend the grand noble meeting.
But we had…
I quietly looked down at Taro, who was rolling on the floor again today.
[W-What is it, master?]
