She didn’t know how long they’d been flying.
Throughout the entire journey, Beatrice didn’t say a word.
Aurora, for her part, nestled obediently in her arms, afraid that the ever-temperamental woman might suddenly land a punch on her without warning.
They passed over many towns on the ground below, but as they continued onward, the towns grew fewer and fewer.
Sparse, desolate villages began to appear in their place—until finally, only forests and mountains stretched beneath them.
Aurora had never been to such remote lands.
She realized they must have already left the territory of the First Kingdom.
“We’re almost there.”
“Huh?”
Almost where?
Below them was nothing but dense forest, and ahead loomed wave after wave of mountain ridges.
Beatrice couldn’t possibly be living all the way out here… could she?
The Beatrice in Aurora’s memory had always lived freely and lavishly, enjoying life to the fullest.
Whenever she ran out of gold, she would take on high-difficulty commissions—usually slaying monsters or raiding bandit camps.
Occasionally, she’d accept noble requests to teach magic, and as a “Great Witch,” her daily fee was nothing short of astronomical.
Had she really changed after all these years?
Had she fallen in love with this kind of quiet, secluded lifestyle?
Rumble…
Just as Aurora was lost in her thoughts, a violent wind suddenly surged through the sky—as if an enormous pair of wings was stirring the air overhead.
The gale blew directly at her, tossing her silver hair into disarray.
She clutched her head with one hand and looked up.
“ROAR!”
A deafening roar split the skies.
A massive blue dragon burst through the clouds and spiraled in the air above them.
Every beat of its wings stirred up violent winds that howled past the two of them.
“A dragon…”
Aurora stared at the mythical beast in a daze.
The Dragonkin—according to legend, they resided above the clouds and fed on the crystal dew at heaven’s edge.
The last time dragons were recorded appearing in the world was during the founding of the First Kingdom.
Back then, when the demons launched a full-scale invasion, the first king—wielding the holy sword—descended from the skies upon the back of a dragon and repelled the demon hordes threatening the kingdom.
Since then, dragons had never been seen again.
So… why was there one here?
The dragon in the sky seemed to have noticed them.
With a powerful sweep of its enormous wings, its massive body dove downward.
Boom.
Its massive claws landed atop the layered mountain ridges.
The earth quaked with a thunderous rumble.
Flocks of birds scattered from the forest, wild animals fled in all directions, and even the magical beasts on the ground cowered in the underbrush in fear.
The majestic beast now blocked Beatrice’s path.
After flying for so long, her enchanted broom finally came to a stop—hovering just ten meters in front of the dragon.
The colossal body bent low.
The dragon opened its golden, slit-pupil eyes.
Around its pupils were specks of iridescent color, like scattered crystal grains—closer to the iris, the hues were richly saturated; nearer the eyelids, they faded into black.
A translucent membrane slid across its eye from one side to the other—perhaps a blink, or perhaps a calculated inspection of Aurora.
Aurora shivered under the dragon’s gaze.
She didn’t dare make a sound, instinctively burrowing deeper into Beatrice’s embrace.
“Don’t block my path, Albert.”
Beatrice’s voice was low and laced with anger.
She locked eyes with the dragon, her gaze filled with disdain.
Boom…
The dragon flapped its wings again. Beneath its massive claws, a red magic circle flared to life.
It slowly rose, passing over its towering frame.
Wherever the red array moved, the dragon’s body seemed to vanish.
When the circle reached the top of its head, the form that appeared in midair was that of a woman—dressed in a black suit, with long, pale blue hair.
She was strikingly beautiful, her expression stern.
She wore gold-rimmed glasses, and though her pupils were still slit like a dragon’s, the vibrant hues had been mostly subdued.
“Professor Eisenberg,” she said with unyielding authority, “who gave you permission to bring an outsider here?”
Her eyes landed on Beatrice with a look that carried a clear warning.
“What does it matter to you who I bring?”
“Albert, I advise you not to meddle in my affairs.”
As she spoke, Beatrice extended her right hand, and a purple magic circle flared to life in her palm.
“As deans of this academy,” the woman replied coldly, “we are duty-bound to protect its safety and dignity.”
“Outsiders are not permitted entry.”
Behind the woman, a blue tail flicked into view.
From her smooth forehead, a black dragon horn slowly emerged, adorned with glowing blue patterns that shimmered faintly.
The two locked eyes—neither speaking—caught in a tense standoff.
A battle seemed ready to break out at any moment.
“Wait!!”
A familiar voice called from behind them.
The three turned to see Avila rushing toward them in a panic.
She had been chasing after them the whole way, her broom practically sparking from the friction.
She knew that if these two clashed, it would inevitably lead to an unnecessary fight—so she hurried over with all she had.
“Don’t fight, don’t fight!”
“If you two go at it, the entire academy will be reduced to rubble!”
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and flew over to the blue-haired woman, whispering something into her ear.
“Mhm, I see…”
“In that case, there’s no problem.”
“If it’s just a familiar, then that’s fine.”
“But I really didn’t expect that Professor Eisenberg would one day make a contract with a familiar—and an elf, no less.”
Her eyes shifted to Aurora, examining her from head to toe.
“If you keep staring,” Aurora said coldly, “I’ll gouge your eyes out and use them as alchemy ingredients.”
“Hmph.”
The blue-haired woman snorted, then flew up toward the sky. Her figure transformed into a dazzling streak of blue light, growing larger and brighter.
When the light faded, the massive dragon from before once again appeared before them.
“D-D-D-Dragon!!”
Seemingly forgetting Avila was still present, the dragon turned its gaze toward her.
From its mouth came articulate, human speech.
“Miss Avila, I trust you won’t tell anyone about this.”
Avila quickly covered her mouth and nodded like a pecking chicken.
The fact that one of the academy’s deans was a dragon—if word of this got out, it would no doubt stir up a storm across the continent.
With another flap of its wings, the dragon soared back into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.
Only after it had flown far off did Aurora finally dismiss her spell.
“Um, you and that dragon…”
Aurora had been silent for a long time.
Now, with an awkward expression, she pointed in the direction the dragon had gone, her voice barely a whisper as if afraid of upsetting Beatrice.
“Want to know?”
Beatrice leaned in close to her face, a mischievous smile curling on her lips.
She tapped her rosy lips with a finger and said, “Please me, and I’ll tell you.”
Her deep, cool voice slid into Aurora’s ears, making her body tremble all over.
She quickly turned her face away, not daring to meet Beatrice’s eyes.
She didn’t understand why Beatrice harbored such feelings for her.
She had always seen Beatrice as an older sister—someone she could depend on.
She had never thought of her in any other way… but clearly, Beatrice didn’t feel the same.
When did she start… loving me?