Ep 44. Lords Are Mean. (1)

Ep 44. Lords Are Mean. (1)

Ep 44. Lords Are Mean. (1)

“Ugh...never thought I’d work as an animal guide at two in the morning.”

“Interesting that you sound so tired. Iris did most of the work.”

“...”

Patrick glanced at his little sibling from the corner of his eyes on their way home. Despite having worked for hours finding homes for all the animals and the missing people that had been found, the dragonlord didn’t sound tired at all.

“...You’re in a better shape than I thought. According to your friends, you were fighting beasts, apprehending Eisenhoff...all that cleanup afterwards...you oughta be a little tired after all that.”

“Again, Iris did most of the work. She held those portals open for hours on end while we merely walked back and forth guiding the critters outside.”

“...Come to think of it, didn’t you say you can use every magic element? How come you can’t use portal spells?”

A judgmental stare was the first answer Patrick received. The verbal answered that followed showed no restraint in hiding Serenis’ disappointment.

“’Can use’ and ‘do use’ are different, Patrick. I am not omnipotent. Such spells did not even exist in my time.”

“...Ah.”

Picking up the pieces after Doctor Eisenhoff’s arrest had wrapped up quite smoothly through the sector’s work overnight, especially with Iris’ help.

The animals that had escaped the lab with Light were either transported back to the wilderness or care facilities. The missing people that were found had to be sent back to their homes – and in such instances that required massive amounts of traveling by large number of people, a portal spell came in all too handy.

Which, to Serenis, was unheard of. The spell itself was doubtlessly a human invention, likely developed to minimize the risks involved with teleportation spells.

“It’s pleasantly surprising that humans have advanced magic in some ways.”

“Portals aren’t all that great, though. Difficulty is one thing, but they cost way too much mana to use. It’s even less efficient than teleporting, so not many people pick it up in the first place.”

“Is that why you never learned it yourself? Because it’s too difficult?”

“...No. I just don’t have the right affinity for it.”

“A convenient excuse, that.”

“Hey, you can’t use it either!”

“The kin can fly. Unlike you, we’re not abysmally slow without magic.”

“...”

Patrick’s hands folded behind his head as he stared up at the night sky, casually avoiding the judgmental eyes staring at him from the side.

Another day, another case closed, no notable casualties besides his own injuries. It was a decent night already. No need to make it worse by arguing with a dragon.

“...By the way, what made you leave the house anyways? I get the whole thing about this Light-girl being related to Eisenhoff and that dragon girl going with her, but it didn’t sound like you had anything to do with the case.”

“That doctor figure was making those abominations using my mana.”

“Your mana? How’d he get his hands on that?”

“He possessed a stone that held some of it.”

“A stone? We didn’t find anything like that in his lab.”

“I destroyed it before your arrival.”

Patrick slowly nodded his head. If it was anyone else, he might’ve questioned why their mana was inducing evolutionary disasters, or what their mana was even doing in the hands of a mad scientist – but he’d long figured that questioning such things about his little sibling answered little to nothing. The best course was to nod and move on.

“...So your mana was inducing the evolution in all those animals then. Interesting.”

“It’s an embarrassment to call their suffering an evolution. Animals were not meant to carry such mana.”

‘...On second thought, I don’t know what’s normal anymore.’

Meanwhile, the other students were each under a small panic attack of their own.

An odd peer, they could grow used to. Students schooling teachers, they could grow used to. Dragons outside their class window? Nope.

Following Ilias’ sudden interruption, a pair of the institute’s security members appeared in the distance, running after the dragon standing outside.

“There she is!”

“M...miss! You can’t intrude ongoing classes like this!”

Ilias turned to face them in dismay. She raised her hands defensively as she stammered to answer.

“Huh?...But I’m outside!”

Once caught up, the two threateningly raised their staffs at the dragon girl.

Serenis watched the scene unfold in mild amusement.

‘Do they actually think that’s threatening to her?’

She still vividly remembered Ilias pummeling a steel dragon into the earth with a single strike. The youngling could probably level the entire facility here if she wanted to.

One may question why the institution’s security had elected to challenge a dragon with only a single pair of security guards, but truthfully, the pair was doing what they could; the question should be where the rest of the security was, while the only two that had shown face were shivering as if they were trapped in a blizzard.

At least these two were trying to do their jobs properly. One of them opened their trembling mouths, barking out a response that could’ve sounded much better without all the stammering.

“O-outside or not, you’re disturbing the class. This is n...n...now allowed!”

“Now allowed?”

“I meant not allowed!”

Ilias puffed her cheeks in discontent. Then, she turned towards the window and spoke to the class in its entirety.

“Am I really that disturbing? I’ll be quiet out here, I won’t say anything anymore...”

Normally, one would expect her to look towards the instructor to give her such permissions. Failing that, the two securities.

Instead, Ilias’ puppy eyes were directed towards a very uncomfortable pair of students who were both trying their hardest to say ‘I have nothing to do with this situation’ through their expressions. It was perhaps the very first time where Light had so adamantly refused to meet her big sister’s gaze.

Puzzled by the evident lack of attention, the red dragon pressed further.

“Light? Lord S-?“

“☐☐☐.”

“...Mnf? Mngh!”

Ilias’ mouth immediately shut itself, cutting her off mid-sentence. Her muffled voice tried to formulate additional words, but to no avail.

The dragonlord would’ve preferred not to use the binding spell again, but she had to – for fear the youngling would destroy her human ruse. Serenis glared at the red dragon outside, dearly wishing that no one had heard what she’d just whispered under her breath. Or was about to whisper under her breath.

“Go. Away.”

As the binding took effect, Ilias’ crimson wings spread out in an instant as she took flight, soaring off into the distance.

“...”

The securities watched Ilias fly away, relieved that they were successful in accomplishing their jobs. Though, neither of them were exactly sure how they did it.

Tap. Tap.

After tapping the chalkboard twice to regain attention, Karas nonchalantly continued his class as if nothing had happened at all.

“...Let’s resume class, shall we?”

Dragons in his class? Nothing new, happens every day.