For the first time, Sylvia stayed a night at our family’s castle.
I gave her a tour of the castle interior, and after having dinner together, we returned to our respective rooms and fell asleep, exhausted from the journey.
The next morning, at breakfast, an unusual combination of people gathered—my parents, Hassel, Sylvia, and me.
“Welcome. Lady Eleonore, did you sleep well last night? I hope you didn’t find anything uncomfortable in someone else’s house.”
“I was able to sleep comfortably as if I were in my own home. Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Lyard.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You must be hungry, so take a seat.”
Although I still wasn’t used to my father treating Sylvia so warmly, I figured it was better than him being cold to her.
So, thinking that good things are good, I sat down with them.
Hassel, sitting across from us, was glaring at us with a face full of discontent, but I simply ignored him.
“Kyle, did you hear from your father? There will be a small social gathering soon with young nobles from various families.”
I was focusing on my meal, just as the food arrived, when my mother brought up what she had heard from my father yesterday.
“Yes, Mother. I heard about it. I was already planning to attend.”
“Oh, really? Then you and Hassel can go together.”
“…Tsk.”
As I nodded, I heard Hassel clicking his tongue in annoyance at my mother’s suggestion.
I had no desire to go with that guy either, but I had something I needed to take care of, so I had to attend this time.
If possible, I’d prefer to take a separate carriage.
“When is the event scheduled to take place?”
“In four days. I heard Duke Espelt is personally hosting it in his territory.”
“That’s quite far.”
Four days was one thing, but the Espelt Duchy was located at the farthest edge of the eastern region.
Since the Lyard County was almost at the center of the continent, distances weren’t usually a major issue.
But even considering that, this was still quite a long journey.
It was much farther than Ruben, which we visited yesterday.
If we assume we need to leave a day early, we should depart in three days.
“I was thinking, why not leave two days early instead? You’ve barely visited the eastern region, so this could be a chance to explore a bit.”
“Explore, you say…?”
My father suggested departing not just one day but two days early to do some sightseeing.
But I wasn’t particularly interested.
I had no desire to attend a social gathering in the first place, and I was only going because I needed to gather information.
Spending an extra day just to waste time?
I’d rather lock myself in my room and get some sleep.
Just as I was about to refuse, my father’s gaze shifted—not to me, but to Sylvia.
“What do you think, Lady Eleonore?”
“Eh? You mean… me?”
Sylvia and I were both taken aback by my father’s unexpected question.
But when he continued speaking, our expressions quickly changed.
“Yes. Since it’s a rare opportunity, would you like to take a trip with my son? The invitation says you can bring one companion, either a lover or a family member.”
“R-Really…!?”
“…Father?”
What is he up to?
At this point, my father’s overwhelming kindness toward Sylvia made me suspicious.
Letting her stay for a night was understandable—sending a noble lady out alone so late at night wouldn’t have looked good.
But allowing her to accompany me as a guest to an event? That was unprecedented.
“If you permit it, I would love to go with him.”
“Well, there you have it. Kyle, what do you think?”
This father of mine…
He deliberately asked Sylvia first, knowing that if she accepted, I wouldn’t be able to refuse.
What a cunning move.
“Well, if Lady Eleonore is fine with it, I have no objections.”
“Good. Your brother probably isn’t interested in sightseeing anyway, so you two can leave a day early and explore together.”
“That sounds great, Lord Lyard!”
No, it doesn’t. Not at all.
Seeing Sylvia practically bouncing in excitement, I wasn’t sure whether to be happy or worried.
I had no interest in sightseeing either, so I had no idea why my father assumed Hassel wouldn’t be interested but I would.
Or maybe, deep down, he still didn’t trust me and was setting me up for some kind of trouble.
Otherwise, this situation didn’t make any sense.
“Lord Lyard, I heard there are many interesting sights in the eastern region.
Since there used to be frequent monster appearances, they even have a circus that tames and showcases monsters!
I hope we get to see it on this trip!”
“…Is that so?”
Sylvia clapped her hands excitedly like a child going on a field trip, while I forced a smile.
No matter what, seeing her happy made me smile too.
Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Three days later, we set out early for the Espelt Duchy.
As expected, Hassel refused to waste time traveling with us, saying he’d take a separate carriage the next day.
I was relieved—at least we wouldn’t have to endure awkward silence all the way there.
—Screeeeech!
As we neared the Espelt Duchy, passing through the mountains, a chilling, ear-splitting screech tore through the air.
Startled, Sylvia grabbed my arm and looked out the carriage window, trying to locate the source of the sound.
“W-What was that? That was an incredible roar…!”
“It was probably a wyvern. I heard they inhabit the area around the Espelt Duchy.
Especially here—this is known as the ‘King’s Nest,’ where their leader resides.”
“A-A wyvern…? Is it really safe for such creatures to live near the duchy?”
She looked at me with worried eyes, struggling to comprehend the situation.
I nodded reassuringly and explained.
“Yes, as long as you don’t provoke them, they are relatively peaceful.
In fact, some tourists even get out of their carriages to observe them up close.”
“Wow, that sounds amazing! Should we stop and take a look?”
I shouldn’t have said anything.
I had gathered information in advance to make this trip enjoyable for Sylvia, but it had backfired.
I regretted mentioning it, but there was no taking back my words now.
“…Alright. Let’s stop for a moment.”
“Really, Lord Lyard? Let’s just take a quick look! You said they’re harmless, right?”
I had dug my own grave.
But seeing her so eager, I couldn’t bring myself to refuse.
I instructed the coachman to stop the carriage.
—Screeeech!
“Wow, wow! Lord Lyard, look up there! Wyverns are really flying overhead!”
“Judging by its size, that must be their leader—the Wyvern King.”
The moment we stepped out of the carriage, Sylvia jumped excitedly like a rabbit, gazing at the creatures soaring above.
It was my first time seeing a wyvern in person too, and I couldn’t help but stare in fascination.
“…Hm?”
At some point, I suddenly sensed something strange as the wyvern, which had looked small, began to grow larger.
That creature… is it coming down towards us?
Flap. Flap.
“Wow, it looks like it’s coming towards us.”
“Lady, this is not the time to be excited. Please, get back in the carriage quickly.”
“Huh?”
The sound of wings flapping grew clearer, and the creature seemed dangerously close now. A sense of unease overtook me.
Meanwhile, Sylvia, completely unaware of the danger, was staring at the wyvern with her mouth wide open.
Just as I was about to hurry her into the carriage, the wyvern landed with a loud thud.
—Screeeeech!
True to its name, the Wyvern King landed on the mountain ridge with its enormous body.
It looked down at us and let out a deafening cry, then started coming closer.
Could it be seeing us as enemies?
I was about to prepare my magic in case it attacked, but suddenly, the wyvern lowered its head.
It looked almost like a dog asking to be petted, and I was momentarily stunned.
But unlike me, Sylvia seemed unfazed and, with a nonchalant expression, approached it and actually placed her hand on its head.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
—Kiiing…
When Sylvia gently stroked the wyvern’s head with her slender hand, the fierce roar it had made earlier was replaced by a small, affectionate sound, and it wagged its head slightly.
I was completely dumbfounded, unsure of what was happening before my eyes.
Of course, monsters are a type of beast, and some of them can be friendly even to strangers, but this behavior was… strange.
It wasn’t just tame—it was almost obedient.
It was as if it was submitting to an overwhelming force right in front of it.
“I guess it’s just my imagination.”
“Imagination, you say?”
Amid my confusion, Sylvia’s voice echoed in my ear.
Still not taking her hand off the wyvern’s head, she turned her head slightly towards me with a wry smile and continued explaining.
“Actually, a long time ago, I hated being trapped in the castle, so I secretly escaped.”
“You, too? I never would have guessed.”
“Heh, I’m human too, you know. And I was so young back then that I didn’t even understand why I was locked up.”
I was a little surprised by this unexpected side of her, and Sylvia began to recount what happened when she was younger.
“There’s a forest not far from our Kaintrec Castle. I thought that if I hid there, no one would find me, so I wandered there without any direction. That’s when I met a Bearwolf.”
“A Bearwolf?”
A Bearwolf… It’s often mistaken for a regular wolf, but it’s actually a monster that looks like a wolf but has the size of a bear.
It’s known to be incredibly vicious, and hundreds of people in this country have died from being bitten by them each year. The fact that she met one is unbelievable.
“I thought I was done for, but for some reason, the Bearwolf came to me and did the same thing it’s doing now—putting its head down.
So, I stroked its head, and suddenly, I felt like I wanted to return to the castle, and I started crying. Then, it let me ride on its back and took me back to the castle.”
“…That’s quite an extraordinary experience.”
“Right? Anyway, from that, I deduced that there’s something about my right eye—it has the power to make beasts or monsters submit.”
So it wasn’t just a cursed eye after all.
I didn’t know much about magic eyes, but it seemed like there might be some hidden power inside Sylvia’s right eye that even she didn’t fully realize.
If that’s true, then it makes sense why the monsters ordered me to kill her.
Perhaps the Eyes of Dawn had some awareness of the power contained within her eyes.
—Screech!
“Huh? It looks like it’s asking me to get on its back. What should we do, Lord Lyard?”
“……”
Well, even if that’s the case, isn’t this wyvern supposed to have some pride as the Wyvern King?
Now, instead of riding in the carriage, it looks like we’re going to be riding on the wyvern’s back to the duchy.