Chapter 44: This Much OO in a Place Without Water?

As Tina soared upward, she felt the world shift beneath her. Only after flying high above the Count's mansion did she reflect on her actions.

'Why... am I doing this...?'

Her emotions seemed unusually raw. Normally she could have laughed this off, but overwhelmed by sadness, she'd acted rashly.

'I could've just waited quietly for a day...'

Surely she could have, but controlling her emotions proved difficult. She felt like a child throwing a tantrum after learning to speak. It was as if she'd regressed to infancy.

How else could she explain...

[I hate you, Daddy!]

...bursting out of the mansion in an uproar like that.

Of course, only her father would have understood the dragon's cry. But that made her feel even worse. If he hadn't understood at all, he wouldn't have known her words were so cutting.

'Should I go back...?'

She considered it briefly. But the view from high above and the unfamiliar landscape below soon captured Tina's attention.

'This could be fun...!'

Before long, thoughts of running away were pushed to the back of her mind.

In truth, Tina's current state inclined her to think based on interest. As her body changed into a dragon, instinct began to outweigh reason in her mind.

Of course, Tina was too young to realize this.

Since things had come to this, she might as well play to her heart's content and return in the evening. Surely her body would revert to normal then.

With that mindset, Tina began gliding freely through the blue sky.

---

---

Tina's first destination was the Imperial Palace. It had been so long since she'd seen Yulian that his face was growing hazy in her memory. So Tina observed the ground from above the palace, hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

But the palace was vast, and if Yulian was indoors, there was no way to spot him. So Tina lowered her altitude and carefully examined the windows from outside. Of course, she made sure to peek inside with just her head to avoid being seen.

'Ah...! There he is!'

At last, Tina found Yulian.

He was in the middle of a meeting with his ministers. They were exchanging difficult words that Tina couldn't understand at all.

So she just lay flat under the windowsill, listening quietly.

"It seems my eldest brother has managed to root out quite a few demon spies."

"But isn't it strange, Your Highness? Even considering how demons can be difficult to distinguish from humans..."

"It's too fast, and he's captured far too many. Don't you think?"

"Y-yes... Yes, Prince."

Yulian's voice was cold and sharp. This wasn't the Yulian who would raise his voice at the slightest provocation from Harte at the orphanage. To Tina, this unfamiliar side of Yulian seemed strange.

"I know what you're suspecting. There's a method one might consider, given how similar they are to humans. And... it's likely the first thing the Empress would think of."

"...... You're certain then, Your Highness. That he fabricated the spies."

"It seems my eldest brother is quite ambitious. That's why he couldn't properly follow his mother's little scheme."

Yulian rested his chin on the desk as he continued.

"The Empress would have tortured three or four people at most to create spies... but my brother must have been impatient. Because I made him that way."

"You mean you leaked false information?"

"Correct. I deliberately leaked inflated results. My brother knows his mother, the Empress, doesn't trust him. That insecurity made him try to do even more."

"He took the bait without needing any lure, it seems."

Yulian nodded calmly at the noble's remark.

"If you're not certain of victory, tearing into your opponent is an option. But this goes too far. In the end, I provoked my brother and only increased the number of innocent victims. So I want you to focus all your efforts on following the trail and restoring the victims' normal lives."

"Yes! Understood."

The assembled people filed out of the meeting room. Each expressed deep admiration for Yulian's conduct. It seemed unbelievable that he was still just a child.

In the now mostly empty conference room, only Court Count Arwel, Yulian's closest aide, remained for a private audience.

"Prince, did you come up with this strategy on your own?"

"I thought about it. The method I was taught."

"Taught? By who?"

"The Vice Director."

"Lady Elphisia Luminel...!"

"She told me the method to defeat an opponent is quite simple."

Court Count Arwel's face showed keen interest as he asked, "What is this method?"

"If you can't become stronger immediately, repeat actions your opponent dislikes. That's the essence... she said."

"Without principle or righteousness...!"

Arwel felt a chill run through him. It was hard to imagine the depths of darkness in Elphisia's mind, given that she had never stood out in social circles before.

A true Machiavellian.

Yulian's strategy today exemplified this, as did the method Elphisia had taught him.

"I understand your concern. When you gaze into the abyss, you inevitably become tainted and accustomed to it."

"Your Highness..."

"So I promise you this, at least. This will be the last time I stray from the righteous path."

Yulian let out a small chuckle as he faced his loyal subject.

"Because if I'm going to emulate someone, I'd rather it be the Director than the Vice Director. The Vice Director scares me, after all."

At last, Arwel's worry eased, and he showed a faint smile of joy.

"Ho ho... Well now. It seems my decision to entrust Your Highness to Lord Harte was the achievement of a lifetime."

"Hmph, it was nothing but a useless coincidence. You should prepare to be promoted to Head of Intelligence soon."

"I am at your service."

Court Count Arwel bowed deeply before heading out. Now completely alone, Yulian slouched carelessly into a chair. No matter how mature he acted for his age, leading meetings was tiring for a child who was still growing.

Yulian relaxed his neck and glanced out the window. The palace scenery was so beautiful that looking at it brought some peace of mind.

So, Yulian's view should have been filled with the lush green garden...

Blink.

Blink.

The vertical pupils within his blue irises disappeared and reappeared as his eyelids fluttered. For a moment, Yulian thought he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes. But when the scene remained unchanged, he finally grasped reality.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!!! Monster!!!"

"Squeeeeeak?!"

Seeing Yulian suddenly backed against the door, Tina pounded on the window. Yulian realized something was off at that very moment.

Upon closer inspection, it felt familiar.

It shared some similarities with the dragon that had abducted Tina when they visited the border region before.

"You... Could it be, Tina?"

"Coo, cooo..."

Nod nod!

Tina nodded her head vigorously. Only then did Yulian open the window to let her in.

"... Ha. I keep experiencing the strangest things. Every day has been full of surprises since getting involved with the Director."

"Keeng..."

"W-what? What's with that disappointed cry? More importantly, can you not speak?"

"Moo..."

Tina let out a mournful cry, expressing her regret. Yulian quickly apologized, his face showing a hint of guilt.

"Hmm, the Bloody Dragon we met before could speak. So I just assumed you could too."

"Squeek?"

"... I don't know what you're saying. Have you asked the Director to turn you back to normal?"

Yulian's question brought the incident at the Count's mansion to Tina's mind.

She recalled being told to endure for just one day, simply because she looked cute, despite the gravity of her situation.

Tina, now more instinct-driven as a dragon, felt upset about it again. So she tried to recount the circumstances to Yulian using a mix of gestures and sounds.

"Squeak, kyuuuh... Squeeeak, keeng, keeee... Mooooo... Keekeeng..."

"I really have no idea what you're saying."

"Pyak?!"

"And you clearly can't write either, judging by your appearance."

Tina felt sad, as if her entire life up to now was being invalidated. Moreover, she grew to dislike Yulian for assuming she couldn't write without even trying to make her do so.

"Uung... Coooo..."

'Yulian is really mean...!'

Fortunately, Yulian couldn't interpret her unreasonable condemnation. Instead, he suggested to Tina with a troubled expression:

"Hmm, I'd like to play with you, but my schedule is packed. Why don't you go see my second brother? He should be at his mansion right now..."

"Kyuut?"

Suddenly the Second Prince? Why are you sending me there?

As Tina pondered this, Yulian answered while hanging a note around her neck.

"My second brother has changed quite a bit. You've seen him too, right? That chubby brother of mine."

"Squeet!"

I've seen him! I've been worried every time I see him.

"He'll probably welcome you, being the Director's daughter and all. I wrote down the general situation and told him to serve you mainly strawberry cake... At least you won't go hungry."

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Drool.

Tina's mouth watered uncontrollably. A pool of saliva formed in her mouth and dribbled out before she could close it. Yulian stared at the puddle of drool, his thick eyebrows twitching.

"Di-disgust... No, nevermind. Nothing."

Such an unseemly display was only possible because Tina had been overtaken by her instincts.

While Yulian couldn't know the exact circumstances, he had a general idea. Moreover, seeing Tina exhibit such animalistic behavior, his guess soon became certainty.

"... Go quickly. My brother is staying at the Lotus Palace. If you go out the window and keep left, you'll see a pond full of lotus flowers. That's my brother's palace, so remember that."

"Kyuut!"

Tina nodded vigorously. Far from being grateful to Yulian for giving directions, her mind was entirely preoccupied with the thought of being served strawberry cake.

Flap flap!

Yulian watched Tina's practiced wing movements with disgusted eyes as he saw her off. Once she had completely disappeared, Yulian looked at the dragon's saliva that hadn't yet dried.

"... How filthy. This is no joke."

It's hard to believe such thin saliva is used as medicine. The thought of someone ingesting it suddenly horrified Yulian.

That emotion closely resembled the revulsion that often exists between ordinary siblings.

"Is anyone out there?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

A servant passing by opened the door and bowed respectfully. Yulian pointed at the puddle of saliva on the floor and ordered:

"Clean this up. As thoroughly as possible."

"..."

"What are you doing?"

"...... Ah, yes! Yes! I heard you, Prince!"

"Hmm? Well, alright... I understand. Carry on then."

"Yes... I am deeply moved by your attentiveness."

After Yulian left the conference room, the servant fell into contemplation. This was because there was no water, not even a glass, visible anywhere in the room.

'To produce this much moisture in a place without water...?'

This is purely for verification purposes.

Though it crossed the line of what was appropriate for a servant, this was merely a fact-checking exercise.

So, the servant lowered his body and sniffed.

'... A fishy smell?'

As expected, it wasn't water. So where did this fishy liquid come from... After thinking briefly.

There was only one conclusion.

'To be so loose at such a young age...! This Third Prince is extremely lecherous!!! I must report this to my master at once!'

In truth, he was an informant for the First Prince. The First Prince had planted a spy in Yulian's palace to uncover weaknesses.

So the servant hastily wiped up Tina's saliva with a rag and quickly hid it in his clothes before fleeing. He intended to show this evidence to the First Prince.

"Yahoo! My life has taken a turn for the better!"

Thus, the servant rejoiced, eager to mislead his master of his own accord. It was truly a ridculous scene embodying the principle of using an enemy against themselves.

The time was when the sun sits directly above a fool's head.

It was noon.