The Countess Lady’s Pet Dragon

Chapter 12: First night at the Academy (1)

“Excuse me…Miss?”
Schwarz called out to Milia in a flustered voice as he was the target of numerous stares.
“Yes? Why are you calling?”
“Am I perhaps standing out too much?”
The stares from the surrounding people felt as if they were observing a curious creature.
It was not something that could be described as pleasant, even as a casual remark.
“Well, I guess so. Your hair color isn’t exactly common.”
“Ugh…”
Looking around, all he could see were vibrant and unique colors.
In a world where everyone was abnormal, it seemed the normal was considered abnormal…
Thinking like that, it wasn’t hard to understand, but still, it was uncomfortable.
“By the way, how are mom and dad? Are they doing well?”
“Yes, they’re always well.”
“That’s a relief. I thought I’d be able to go home for a while, but…”
With a somewhat disappointed tone, Milia stopped walking in front of a door not far away.
An old-fashioned wooden door.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes, Miss.”
With a ‘click’ sound, the door opened, and a girl greeted them as they entered.
“Welcome. I’ve been waiting.”
With sharp features, brown hair tinged with a rich red hue, and sparkling scarlet eyes, the girl looked at them with her hands clasped in front of her mouth. Schwarz felt nervous and swallowed hard at the girl’s gaze.
“You may have heard this from Milia, but let me introduce myself again. I’m Arze Pen Rumenia, the princess of the Rumenia family, one of the five great noble families of the Elianos Kingdom, and the president of the student council at Central Academy. It’s nice to meet you.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Princess. My name is Schwarz.”
Schwarz bowed politely, and Arze, satisfied with his response, nodded. She uncrossed her arms and stood up, sitting down at the table in the middle of the room.
“Sit down. You must be tired from the long journey.”
“As an attendant, how could I sit at the same table as the two of you?”
When Arze urged him to sit, Schwarz bowed his head and responded, and Arze smiled faintly, pleased with his answer. She then turned to Milia.
“So, is this the one you mentioned back then?”
“Yes. It’s your first time meeting him, right?”
“That’s right.”
Arze nodded in response to Milia’s question and scanned Schwarz, who stood next to Milia, as if appraising an object.
It felt similar to when he had stood in front of Vernus.
Schwarz tried not to show that he was nervous, but it seemed Arze saw right through him. She let out a small chuckle.
“Relax. I’m not going to eat you.”
“…”
Of course, despite her words, Schwarz wasn’t foolish enough to relax right away.
“So, you came to see me because you want something, right?”
“You’re quick to get to the point.”
Milia nodded in response to Arze’s question.
“If someone who’s not a student or staff member wants to stay here at Central Academy, they need the approval of both the student council president and at least one professor. What you need from me is my…”
“Yawn… If you’re going to do it, hurry up. I’m busy.”
Milia interrupted Arze, who had been speaking seriously, and yawned exaggeratedly.
“…”
As Milia interrupted her, Arze stared at her, looking both surprised and amused. Then, she strode toward Milia, grabbed her cheek, and pulled it with all her strength.
“Where on earth did you learn this bad habit of interrupting your older sister?”
“Hehe-!!” (I’m sorry!!)
Milia struggled as Arze pinched her cheek.
Schwarz, who watched the scene, nearly burst out laughing but managed to suppress it and silently watched.
Milia and Arze continued to playfully bicker for a while…
“Ugh…”
After a while, with one cheek flushed red, Milia groaned and began to rub her cheek.
Then, leaving Milia behind, Arze approached her desk, opened a drawer, and took out a small envelope.
“Here. It’s my approval.”
“Thank you, Princess Rumenia.”
Schwarz stepped forward, took the envelope from her hand, and carefully stepped back.
“Before you go, may I ask you something?”
“…”
Schwarz, caught off guard by the unexpected question, looked at Milia with a troubled expression.
He wanted to confirm with Milia first in case it was something difficult to answer.
Seeing his reaction, Milia nodded, and after receiving confirmation, Schwarz turned toward Arze and replied.
“If it’s a question I can answer, I will.”
“You’re quite cautious. That’s not bad.”
Arze smiled faintly and nodded. She returned to her seat and, clasping her hands, asked in the same position she had been in when greeting them,
“What do you think of Milia?”
“Eh…?”
Schwarz was taken aback by the unexpected question, and his voice came out surprised.
But soon, he collected himself and answered in a calm voice.
“She is my master, more precious than anything in this world.”
“…!!”
Without a hint of hesitation, Schwarz’s response made Milia flinch and avert her gaze, but Schwarz didn’t notice.
“Hmm…”
Arze narrowed her eyes as she stared at Schwarz after his answer.
She then glanced sideways at Milia, who was pretending not to notice, and smiled mischievously before sighing.
“Good. You’re approved.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean by that…”
Schwarz’s puzzled voice echoed as he reacted to Arze’s sudden approval.
“Ah-hem! If you’re done with your business, we’ll leave now! Schwarz! You follow me too! Like I said before, we have a lot to do.”
“Yes? Ah… okay.”
Milia interrupted Schwarz’s question, stood up from her seat, and headed toward the hallway, leaving Schwarz confused as he followed her.
Thus, the two left the student council president’s office, and the room fell into silence.
“It looks like it’ll be interesting.”
With a short sigh, Arze muttered, looking in the direction Milia and Schwarz had left.
*                                 *                                 *
“Ha…”
Milia let out a short sigh as she walked down the hallway.
“Miss! Wait for me!”
Schwarz’s voice came from behind her.
However, Milia, without hearing him, continued walking down the hallway.

“She is my master, more precious than anything in this world.”
The moment she heard those words, her mind went blank.
Her face flushed, and her heart started racing.
If others saw her now, they would surely ask if she was feeling unwell.
Grateful that no one else was around, Milia hurried down the long hallway.
As the sound of Schwarz’s footsteps behind her grew closer, she quickened her pace, not wanting to show how flustered she was.
The two of them sped through the empty hallway as if they were in a race.
If someone had witnessed that scene, they would have laughed at how strange it was.
A moment later…
“Ha…”
As the heat in her body began to settle and her heart returned to its normal rhythm, Milia slowed her pace.
“U-um, Miss?”
“Why? Is something wrong?”
At the same time, Schwarz caught up to her and called out, and Milia, with a short sigh, turned to face him, catching her breath.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“Eh…?”
Seeing Schwarz’s cautious look, Milia finally realized her mistake.
Her actions just now must have looked like she was avoiding him.
“N-No, that’s not it. I was just in a hurry, that’s all!!”
Realizing this, Milia waved her hands in a panic.
It was a lame excuse, even in her own eyes.
“I’m glad to hear that. I thought I might have made a mistake.”
“…”

However, seeing Schwartz with a pure expression and a faint smile, Milia felt a strange sense of guilt, as if something was poking at her chest.
“Are you okay, Miss? Your face is red…Do you have a fever or something?”
“Is that so? Ahahaha! It’s just a little warm!”
Toward his worried question, Milia awkwardly laughed and fanned herself.
“Well, that’s a relief. I thought you might be feeling unwell.”
“…”
At her answer, Schwartz let out a sigh of relief, and Milia looked at him with a complicated expression.
If it weren’t for the few people around, Milia would have felt like hugging Schwartz right then and there.
However, such a gesture couldn’t be shown to others.
If it were in the form of a dragon, it might have been different, but right now, he was unmistakably human.
If she showed such behavior to others, it was obvious that wild rumors would spread, no matter what.
Suppressing the impulse to raise her head deep inside her chest, Milia let out a short sigh and began to walk again.
Schwartz also followed her steps.
In the sparsely populated corridor, the sound of their footsteps echoed.