“It seems that I have caused a panic, oh, scaleless one.”

The humanoid Dragon smiled incredulously as he calmly sat on the bench in our pavilion.

He appeared to be a young boy with light yellow hair that you’d typically see on anyone anywhere, but the pressure that he gave out was too severe.

Uh, what do I do?

All the servants are either holed up in a room or have run away out of fear, so there’s nobody there to help me.

…How should I entertain a Dragon… Should I give him meat, perhaps? I don’t know how to grill, so maybe raw meat would do.

“Um, can I get you something to eat?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Well, I mind it, though…

The situation was so out of my control that if anything else happens, then I would lose my composure. Plus, I was getting hungry, too.

I guess I’ll just whip up something.

“Thank you for waiting.”

I prepared sandwiches (though I just shoved some sliced ham and cheese in some round bread I found in the kitchen) for us and red tea for myself. For the Dragon, I prepared some Royal family secret wine that His Majesty previously gave my father. (Would it be okay to provide alcohol to a Dragon that looks like a kid…?)

Father saved this for himself, but whatever.

In the meantime, since I didn’t know how much the Dragon would drink, I brought the whole barrel. Would that be a problem? (I rolled the barrel on my own because I had no choice… Only because I had no choice, okay?)

“Ooh, what a nice aroma.”

Oh, the humanoid Dragon has taken a liking to it. He’s drinking directly from the barrel rather than from the glass I brought. From the eyes of an outsider, seeing a frail young boy tipping a large barrel of wine while calmly drinking from it is an odd sight.

…Are Dragons’ drunkards?

“Umm… What should I call you?”

“Hmm. Let’s see. In the words of the scaleless ones, I am called the Heavenly Eye Dragon.”

…I just asked without thinking about it, but Dragons do have names, too.

Whoa, isn’t this a major academic breakthrough…? Wait, for now, I need to focus on the being in front of me!

“Thank you very much. Now, Heavenly Eye Dragon-sama, what brings you here today?”

“Mm. It seems that one of my kin has caused troubles for you earlier. I came to apologize.”

…He’s talking about the lousy Dragon that almost bumped into me during the Dragon Dance Festival, right? Tsk! He should’ve gone to the Knight Commander instead!

“Also, I wanted to meet you. You seem interesting, so I came here.”

Bad Dragon! This is all your fault! Give back my second sleep!

“Well, my nest has been established. I just had to see how the scaleless ones were doing.”

…The Dragons came here 600 years ago. I can’t fathom a Dragon’s sense of time! Am I the only one who feels that knowing the time differential is more critical than his apology to me?

“Oh, is that so?”

“The veins in the land moved faster than expected, and the area of their influence became wider as well.”

Eh? What is he saying?

You’ll have a more productive time with those enthusiasts (the Chief Magician and High Priest) than with me, Heavenly Eye Dragon.

Not bothered by my lack of understanding, the Heavenly Eye Dragon continued talking as he drank the wine from the barrel.

“Due to a certain incident, the timelines have been warped. There have been considerable effects that have shown to be great influences that have come from the other world.”

“Right.”

…Let’s just eat the sandwich I made: Munch, munch. I have no idea what he’s saying. I’ll try to ask Sara-chan or Solan-kun later. No, Solan-kun is the adopted child of one of the maniacs (Chief Magician). I’ll go with Sara-chan.

“Nonetheless, this is good! Do you have more?”

“My apologies. That is the last barrel…”

The Heavenly Eye Dragon tried to drink every last drop as he shook the barrel… Whatever happened to the grace of Dragons… Why did he even come here? The intimidation that I felt earlier has long been gone.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Wait! Come on! Don’t break down the barrel to lick the insides! So, just because you’re a Dragon, then you think it’s okay not to have manners anymore?

The Heavenly Eye Dragon is intently licking the barrel, even though it’s evident that there isn’t any left. I guess I’ll just eat the rest of my sandwich then.

…Although, this is still a bizarre sight. What should I do after eating? The wine’s all gone, so will the Heavenly Eye Dragon go home already?

Come to think of it, though, I could barely see his face from the wooden barrel, and according to fairy tales, wouldn’t a Dragon that turned into a human become good-looking? You have a very bare appearance, Heavenly Eye Dragon. So, is the notion of Dragons being good-looking merely an illusion?

“Uhmm, Heavenly Eye Dragon, what is with your appearance?”

“Hmm? Oh, this?”

Does he have another form? I’m closing in on the Heavenly Eye Dragon’s secrets! This is exciting.

“It’s easier to become small when you have a model to transform yourself into. I borrowed this form from a scaleless friend of mine.”

I-I’m curious! Eh, who was it! The Heavenly Eye Dragon’s friend! Would it be okay to ask him? Would it?

“Mm! I am satisfied! See you again!”

“Eh?”

The moment he said that the Heavenly Eye Dragon disappeared without a trace, only leaving behind the barrel, dismantled and without a hint of stains, and me, stunned by what I saw.

Eh!? Free!? Am I free!? He just went and left suddenly? All that time I had to endure up to now…

What was that all about!?

The word “again” was so ominous, I decided to just not think about it… That is something you just can’t do when you feel like it! Next time, please come in your small form from the start!

---

“What in the world, Rururia?”

“Even if you ask me that…”

His Majesty had his hands on his head. Fufu! This is the result of you forcing things on me! Go and be anguished!

A few minutes after the Heavenly Eye Dragon went home, an emergency messenger hawk from Royal Family came flying with an order to “Come to the Royal Capital.”, and after seven days, I finally arrived. Sorry, I’m from the countryside! When I arrived, I was taken to His Majesty’s side as though I was being kidnapped.

Of course, my brother replied right away when the hawk came, but they could see the enormous Heavenly Eye Dragon from the Capital, so they were apparently in turmoil.

Heh.

“So, that Dragon just came to apologize to you on behalf of the other Dragon during the Dragon Dance Festival, that’s all there is to it?”

“Yes. Also, he seems to like the Royal Family’s secret wine, so he said he’d come back.”

His Majesty started to roll over as he pressed the cushions on his face. I painfully understood that feeling.

Boom.

“Rururia-jou!”

Who was the one that blew the door open and came in? Whoa, it’s been pulverized! What are you going to do about those!? They’re Palace equipment!

And it’s you, after all, Knight Commander! Ugh! Even the Prince is here!

“Who do you think you are?”

“Are you not hurt?”

Eh… What? What is this? Don’t talk at the same time.

Prince, what am are…? You’re overlapping with His Majesty, you know? Ufufu. Knight Commander, h-he’s legitimately worried!? H-how scary…

“You rode a Dragon just the other day, and now you got a visit from another?”

“Why didn’t you call for me when the Dragon arrived?”

“Prince, both were out of my control. They were not my fault!”

“Knight Commander, how far do you think the Royal Capital is? I didn’t call for you because I couldn’t.”

“Facing a fully-grown Dragon? There should be a limit to your recklessness!”

“Even if you’re Rururia-jou, that was a fully-grown Dragon! How reckless it was for you to confront it!”

“Prince, I had no choice since I was the only one there!”

“Knight Commander, what do you mean by even if you’re Rururia–jou?”

“Do you see what I mean, Lionel?”

“Do you understand, Your Highness?”

I don’t understand. I don’t understand at all.

Ah, what just happened? Seriously, I wish to go home. Wait, didn’t you guys not get along? Why are you all being chummy now for some reason? You two! Don’t shake hands!

“…I can’t be in this room anymore…”

His Majesty got revived after seeing me head for the broken door.

“Once you’re back to normal, I beg you, do something about this!”

“That’s right, Your Majesty. Shall we go somewhere else and talk this out even more carefully?”

“That’s a good idea, Your Majesty. There’s a good room nearby.”

It looks like the Prince had ordered the maids to prepare the room while the Knight Commander prepared his guards. I think they don’t need to show how competent they are here.

They’re too efficient!

But I want to go home!! I want to go home so badly!

I pled to His Majesty with my eyes, but he looked back at me with eyes like a calm sea. Eh? Please, Your Majesty, let me go home, at least let me go home!

“Give it up, Rururia. When they’re like that, there’s no stopping them.”

Your Majesty, you’re the most influential person in this kingdom, right!?

---

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