The Countess Lady’s Pet Dragon

Chapter 15: Some girl (2)

It was not long before Schwartz, who was heading to the academy, stopped in his tracks.
“Mm?”
Schwartz furrowed his brows at the sight of a girl in front of him.
The girl, wearing a robe and holding a pure white box in one hand, was none other than the same girl to whom he had just given his tart at the pastry shop.
‘It looks like she’s headed this way as well.’
Thinking this, Schwartz was about to move on, but he stopped when he noticed something strange in the girl’s actions.
The girl was looking around anxiously, almost as if she were being chased by something.
“Is something wrong?”
Tilting his head in curiosity, Schwartz began to approach the girl. However, he paused and squinted as he felt a strange sensation in the air around him.
“…?”
It felt as though the very atmosphere around him was thick and sticky, pressing down on him like a viscous liquid.
It was an unpleasant, heavy sensation, as if he had been thrown into the depths of the ocean.
“I’ve felt this sensation somewhere before…”
Schwartz murmured quietly, trying to recall the familiar feeling, as he let out a low groan and traced his memory.
“…!!”
Suddenly, Schwartz swallowed and started scanning his surroundings, realizing that the sensation was similar to the one he had felt a year ago when an assassin had tried to take Milia’s life, breaking an unidentified purple orb and releasing magic.
‘Why am I feeling that same magic here?’
As he pondered, Schwartz saw several figures emitting ominous, dark magical energy, and his eyes locked onto them.
They were cloaked figures wrapped in deep black robes and there were three of them.
Though they were standing a little distance apart to avoid suspicion, all their eyes were fixed on the girl.
Though he couldn’t know the details, it was obvious that they had ill intentions.
Thinking that they might sense his presence, Schwartz hid in a secluded spot and watched them carefully.
And at that moment…
“Ah…!!”
Schwartz let out a soft sigh as he saw the girl suddenly dash toward an alley.
The three figures, who had been watching her, followed her into the alley.
“I wonder if she’s going to get scolded…”
Schwartz muttered as he observed the scene for a moment, then sighed briefly before following.

Princess Eliss Nella Elianos of the Elianos Kingdom, the second princess, had a secret known only to her maid.
Once a month, she would secretly leave the castle without anyone accompanying her.
Her destination was a pastry shop in Belton Plaza where she could only get her favorite raspberry tarts.
Of course, as a princess, she could have easily had the pastry shop owner brought to the palace, if she wished.
However, the thrill of sneaking out of the palace, the excitement of heading to the shop, and the anticipation while waiting for the tarts were pleasures that Eliss cherished.
For these reasons, she indulged in this small rebellion.
But, it was this very rebellion that led her into the greatest danger of her life.
One day, after a particularly busy schedule, she was late in leaving the castle.
Hurrying toward the pastry shop, she was unfortunate enough to find that the tarts she desired had sold out just moments before she arrived.
Defeated, she was about to return to the palace when, thanks to the kindness of a boy, she was able to fulfill her secret mission.
With a joyful heart, she hummed a little tune as she made her way back to the palace.
But soon after, she began to feel the stares following her.
A dark, ominous magical presence surrounded her, and realizing that she was being targeted, Eliss hurriedly ran into an alley nearby.
The alleyways of Barenberg were complex, so she thought she could easily lose them in the winding streets.
But this was a mistake.
The shadowy figures, as if familiar with the area, followed her.
“Haa…!! Haa…!!”
As she ran down the alley, Eliss could feel her breath becoming shallow.
She must have left some decoys behind.
But how did they know her true identity and pursue her?
Her mind raced with questions, but there was no time to think.
This moment might be her last, so she pushed herself to run with all her strength.
The black shadows followed closely behind her.
As the sound of footsteps behind her grew louder, anxiety began to rise in her chest.
Then, just as she turned the corner…
“…!!”
Seeing a wall blocking her path, Eliss stopped in her tracks.
She quickly tried to turn around and retrace her steps, but the shadowy figures had already blocked her way.
“Who are you?”
“…”
Cornered, Eliss asked the figures, but they remained silent as they pulled out swords from their robes, glowing with a faint blue light.
Seeing this, Eliss bit her lip nervously.
Though she could use magic, there was no way she could take on three people at such close range.
However, she could not give up.
She was the second princess of the kingdom.
She had always planned to eventually surpass her older brother, the first prince, and become the rightful ruler of the country…she could not fall here.
With that thought, Eliss took a deep breath and began to gather her magical energy.
At the same time, the black figures began to close in on her.
Just as she was preparing her magic, suddenly…
“Is it not shameful for three of you to gang up on a defenseless woman?”
“…!!”
“Who…!?”
The black figures turned at the sound of a voice from behind them, and there, standing was a neatly dressed young boy.
“You…!!”
Seeing the boy, Eliss could not hide her shock.
“Who are you?”
“Just a passerby, I suppose.”
With that, the boy politely bowed his head.
His striking dark blue hair and amber eyes were unmistakable—he was the very same boy who had shown her kindness earlier.
“Handle him.”
“…”
At the man’s command, the figures nodded and aimed their swords at the boy.
“Ah, no!! Run! Quickly!!”

Seeing the scene, Alice shouted at the boy.
The boy appeared to be no older than his early teens at most.
However, what stood before her were seasoned assassins.
No matter how strong the boy was, he could not handle three assassins on his own.
But
“AAARGH-!!”
The next moment, as the black shadows rushed toward the boy, a dazzling flash of light and the sound of something ripping filled the alley.
As the flash and noise faded, the foul smell of burning flesh filled the air, and the charred body of the assassin collapsed as if it had been knocked down.
“A mage!? This doesn’t make sense! He didn’t even chant a spell!?”
“He’s a special case.”
The black shadows, who had witnessed the scene, turned toward the boy in panic, but the boy, faster than them, charged at the remaining two, reaching for their faces with his hands.

“Have you no shame?”

Soon, another tearing noise and a white flash filled the alley.
After a moment, the noise and the flash disappeared, and the place where the assassins had been was now filled only with the blackened, charred bodies of the three, emitting smoke.
“Who are you…?”
Alice, watching the scene unfold before her eyes, felt her legs give way and collapsed to the ground.
What the boy had shown her was something she could hardly accept.
“Are you okay?”
Then, the boy walked over to her, extending his hand as he spoke.
“…”
The next moment, Alice nodded and took his hand.

A while later.
“I wonder if she’ll be alright…”
After taking the girl to a safe place after saving her from the assassins, Schwartz muttered in a low voice, feeling uneasy for some reason.
“Ah, forget it, it’s already over.”
Since it was all over anyway, there was no point in thinking about it further. Schwartz opened the door to the administration office.

“I’m back.”
“You’re late. Did something happen?”
“No, I just got lost again. I still can’t get used to this place no matter how many times I come.”
Schwartz gave a sheepish smile at Milia, who was complaining.
“Quickly make some tea. I can’t concentrate without black tea.”
“Yes, miss. I brought the raspberry tart you like from the bakery, how about it?”
“…”
Milia nodded and took the raspberry tart out of the box, but then she looked at Schwartz with a disapproving expression.
“Miss?”
“It’s nothing.”

Seeing Milia like that, Schwartz gave her a puzzled look, and Milia sighed lightly before putting down the stack of papers.
“Everyone, take a break for a moment.”
“Ugh…”
“I’m so tired…”
At her words, Dain and Neris stood up and headed toward the table where a modest tea set had been prepared.
“Schwartz, come here for a moment.”
Then Milia, as if uninterested in those matters, turned toward the hallway and called for Schwartz.
“Yes? Alright.”
What’s going on? Schwartz thought as he followed Milia down the hallway.
Although not as good as Heine’s homemade cookies, she was a person who couldn’t resist sweet things.
Still, Milia had left the tart behind and called him?
It surely meant something important was happening.
After serving Dain and Neris their tea, Schwartz carefully closed the door and stood beside Milia.

Milia squinted her eyes and stared at Schwartz.
“Miss? Did I do something wrong… huh?!”

Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease, Schwartz spoke, and at that moment, Milia grabbed his tie and yanked him toward her to match their eye level.
“Miss!?”
“I’ll let it go this time but don’t lie next time.”
Schwartz, completely bewildered by the situation, stammered, and Milia scolded him sharply.
“What do you mean by that…?”
“You can’t fool me. I’ve figured it out.”
“Aha, as expected, miss, you’re too much.”
Schwartz gave a forced smile toward Milia, and seeing this, Milia sighed briefly and let go of his tie. Schwartz straightened his clothes and cautiously asked her.
“By the way, how did you know? It can’t be by smell.”
“The soot stains on your collar.”
“Ah.”
Upon hearing that, Schwartz glanced at his reflection in the hallway glass, and seeing the faint black marks on his collar, he let out a low groan.
When he defeated the assassins, the soot from their bodies must have brushed lightly against his collar.
“I won’t press you further. I’m sure I already know the reason.”
“Hahaha…”
Milia thought to herself that it must have been because he didn’t want to worry her. She gave a short sigh and looked at her dragon with a slightly awkward smile.
How could he be so stubborn?
Though Milia didn’t dislike this stubbornness.
“Chief! Aren’t you going to eat the tart? If you’re not, I’ll eat it all!”
“Try eating it. I won’t let you leave work today.”
At that moment, Dain’s voice could be heard from inside the office, and Milia, in a playful voice, scolded him.
“If you’re going to hide something, make sure it’s hidden. Don’t hide it halfway and worry me.”
“Yes. Sorry, miss.”
“You wouldn’t lie for no reason, so I’m letting it go this time. If you lie again, there will be no mercy.”
“I’ll remember that.”
With a light smile, Milia spoke, but the warning hidden beneath that smile was clearly conveyed to Schwartz, who nodded toward her, imagining what would happen if he ignored it.

“Alright, let’s go in. There’s plenty of work to do, so hurry up and eat so we can get back to work.”
“Yes, miss.”
With that, Milia walked into the office, and Schwartz followed her inside.