Became a Hatchling of the Grand Duke of the North

81 – Cult of Shadows (2)

The attribute, ‘ruler of the legion.’

It has been like this ever since I got it.

It felt like the cats’ interest in him had somehow grown.

Of course, the guys’ interest had been quite small before, but it wasn’t so extreme.

But now it seems to have completely turned to him.

Should I say that I don’t want to get away from him even for a moment.

‘Anyway, that guy is still there today.’

[…]

That dark-colored black leopard guy.

The guy just stared at him for as long as he did today.

The guy with the name Night Walker was just immersed in the blurry, shimmering darkness, and all he could do was blink his big eyes.

Somehow I’m worried,

He also had no reason to touch a guy with whom he had no particular contact.

If the opponent doesn’t make a big move, he doesn’t pay much attention to himself either.

That was the most basic behavioral pattern of dragons and also the lofty nature that represented them.

So he struggled to turn his head and gaze back at the capital city in the murky dawn.

The night view of downtown was one of his favorite things.

* * * *

After the day is bright.

On Lucia’s shoulder as she headed to the classroom for her class in the morning, the guardian dragon, Han, was still dozing astride today.

[Whoops.]

Seeing such resentment, Lucia secretly raised a smile on her lips.

It wasn’t particularly strange.

I don’t know why, but when Han started class, he would sleep with his eyes closed like this.

I never opened my eyes with my eyes half-closed unless it was a commotion.

Of course, it was all because Han stayed up all night outside, but she had no way of knowing this.

Such Han and Lucia were already attracting the attention of many people around them.

He was the next-generation successor of the Guardian Dragon and the Grand Duke of the North.

There was an appropriate level of distance around those two, knowingly or unknowingly.

The last lineage of one of the few remaining most sacred dragons on the continent, and the imperial saintess who follows him.

From the point of view of ordinary people, they were the most sacred union on the continent.

From a certain point of view, she could be said to be even bigger than the 3rd Princess Rachel, one of the freshmen who entered the school together.

There is no choice but to create a sense of distance that is difficult for ordinary cadets to approach.

[That’s the heir to the grand duchy, right?]

[Perhaps…? Seeing that Guardian Dragon was also with me, I’m sure.]

It was Celestial Academy, where hundreds of new students enrolled each year.

Naturally, there were famous people and unknown people among them, or even on the third year of graduation because there was no contact at all, it was not possible for everyone to know each other perfectly.

It was natural.

This is because of the large number of cadets.

It was the same even if he was a descendant of a famous aristocratic family.

Unless it was a very important family factor, there was no point of contact between the same cadets, so it was far from being widely known.

However, among those people, there were only two people who were the only ones to whom such a rule did not apply.

One of them was Rachel, the third princess of the Empire.

The other was Lucia.

Among the cadets at the academy, there was no one who didn’t know her first name, Lucia.

Everyone knew about her and her guardian dragon, Han.

Silver hair as white as snow, which is rare even within the Empire, and skin color that is extremely white.

There was not one among her students who had not heard of her appearance.

Of course, their reaction to seeing Lucia was also obvious.

Her cadets crouched behind her and waited for her to go.

This is because she had a clear line that she did not dare to cross.

A hallway in the academy where many cadets wander.

Even though it was crowded with people, no one entered within her radius around Lucia as if drawing a circle.

[Huh?]

As she walked down the hallway, Lucia saw someone in her gaze.

I’m not familiar with the back view.

Even though she is a woman, she was seen wearing her sword at her waist, showing off her pretty healthy physique.

It was Instructor Zania, one of the people in charge of the Academy’s swordsmanship department.

Lucia, who happened to pass by her,

She politely bowed her back.

[Instructor Zania. Hello.]

[Hmm?]

Naturally Instructor Zania turned to Lucia.

Soon, when she found Lucia, a faint smile formed on her lips.

[Ah, you’re a Lucia cadet. Nice to meet.]

She was in the middle of a conversation with someone, and naturally, the man’s gaze also turned to Lucia.

He asked Instructor Zania as if asking about Lucia’s identity.

[What is it? Is this the child called ‘that Lucia’?]

[Yes. It’s Lucia. He is the next heir to the Grand Duke.]

[…?]

…What is it?

Han, the guardian dragon, fell asleep with his eyes closed.

He suddenly felt a strange sensation and opened his eyes slightly.

Then I saw a man standing right in front of me with Instructor Zania.

Han felt himself run away from sleep in an instant.

He blinked his eyes.

‘What is it? This guy.’

I felt a strange feeling.

From the man in front of you,

For some reason, he smelled the same kind of smell as Han himself.

And it seems that the man did the same.

He was staring at him as long as it wasn’t Lucia before he knew it.

Our eyes met.

I can see a deep interest intertwined in the man’s eyes.

[Ooh. Then this guy must be ‘it’.]

The man looked at the guardian dragon Han for a while as if he was quite interested, then smiled and looked away.

He continued talking towards Lucia.

[My name is Winter. Lucia.]

[Winter…Winter? But wasn’t there such an instructor here?]

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Saying that, she tilted her head strangely.

The man in front of me was really strange.

Her snow-white hair and clear skin as white as Lucia’s. In addition to that, the sword and outfit he wore were very thick and heavy leather armor, as if he were wandering through the wilds rather than being an instructor.

It looks like a typical northerner, doesn’t it?

[Ah. That’s not it.]

The man waved his hand.

He pointed with his thumb at Instructor Zania next to him and said.

[I came here because I was called by Zania. I’m not from an instructor in the first place. And, by the way, I’m not even from the North. Rather, it’s because I’m from the Southern Great Forest.]

[Ah…!]

Southern Great Forest. And winter.

Only then, when she realized the identity of the name, Lucia’s eyes widened at once.

She had heard the name of the man in front of her.

The mercenary king.

A giant among giants, said to be one of the great powers of the continent.

[Certainly you are the one…]

[I don’t know what you’re thinking, but that’s probably the right answer.]

As if answering Lucia’s guess, he added with a grin.

[I am your mother, Sir Lucrezia…]

The man rolled his eyes for a moment as if he was thinking about something, then continued with a faint smile.

[We knew each other well in many ways. Although it was a while.]

[That, is that so?]

He was a giant beyond imagination.

At the appearance of a power out of nowhere, Lucia froze.

[Yes.]

Responding, he placed his hand on Lucia’s head.

[Come to think of it, you look very similar to Lucrezia when she was younger. She looks a lot alike.]

The words he uttered were very strange.

To say that Archduke Lucrezia was a child, isn’t this man speaking as if he had witnessed those days intact?

But at this moment, Han had no time to listen.

Because he is a guardian dragon, the approach of this man who seemed to dare to put his hand on the head of his contractor, Lucia, touched him even more.

[Kiii-.]

You dare…

Where do you dare to put your hand?

The eyes of the guardian dragon, Han, who watched it from the side, narrowed. He opened his mouth, spreading his wings all at once, as if threatening.

His long tail slithered and, unlike usual, swayed very vigorously from side to side.

In an instant, as if on alert, blue magical energy radiated from Han’s eyes,

[Eck.]

The man who revealed that it was winter quickly removed his hand.

He muttered with a good-natured laugh.

[It seems that the mighty guardian dragon doesn’t like my approach very much. I’m sorry.]

It was only then that Lucia realized that the man in front of her belonged to a much older position than herself.

Her voice became more polite.

[Ah, no.]