By Zephyria 
After that, I decided to return without staying any longer in the dragons’ nest. Newit whined, telling me to stay longer since it was vacation anyway, but I wanted to check things out myself, so I hurried my departure.
“Are you sure I don’t need to take you?”
“I can use Dimension Traverse to get there. You’re too conspicuous.”
And it would take much longer if I went with Newit. If I could use Dimension Traverse, it was obviously more advantageous to use it.
Newit pouted her lips at my remark. But this was also a consideration for her and her race. Newit is still young and doesn’t seem to know it well, but dragons are still considered mysterious beings in the world.
Even if she was in a polymorphed human state, she would attract attention if she walked around casually in her dragon form.
“I’ll buy you Parfait after the vacation is over.”
I lightly patted Newit’s head, who was grumbling like a child. Then Newit widened her eyes and glared at me. I thought she was upset because I treated her like a child, but a slightly different remark than expected came out of her mouth.
“Are you really the Raymond I knew?”
“I am.”
“Something’s weird. Your tone has softened too. Something, ugh.”
I chuckled as I watched Newit, who seemed to be pondering what was different exactly. She was asleep when I was talking to Old Dragon, so she didn’t seem to know anything.
Well, considering her usual self, there was a high possibility that she wouldn’t have understood our conversation even if she had been awake.
I turned around and held out my hand.
The Dimension Traverse Magic Circle formed by Instant Cast creates a pitch-black entrance like a black hole in an instant.
I already knew the coordinates to the academy, and since I had gained a tier, Mana accumulated faster than before, and I could easily draw up Mana in the air, so Dimension Traverse wasn’t too much of a burden.
‘I couldn’t have imagined this before.’
Originally, it would have put a strain on my body if I drew in too much Mana from the air and used it. The feat of achieving success in an instant required risking my life because my body couldn’t handle it.
Now… it seemed like I could withstand such feats.
“Then I’ll be going now.”
“Don’t forget the Parfait!”
I waved my hand, telling her not to worry at Newit’s threatening farewell. I nodded to Old Dragon with my eyes for the last time and passed through the Dimension Traverse Gate. After a brief blackout, the background changes drastically.
I was in front of the academy after passing through the Gate.
“…….”
The school is quiet because it’s still vacation. Moreover, it was late at night, so it felt even quieter.
I casually scanned the school again and turned towards the main gate. It wasn’t because I was coming to the academy that I had hurried here. It was just that this was where I knew the coordinates to use for Dimension Traverse, and the place I wanted to go was somewhere else.
It’s the Imperial Palace.
Ardian… will definitely be there.
‘I can’t believe it unless I hear it directly from my own ears.’
No. I wasn’t going to believe it.
The story that Gilbert and Ardian are the same person.
“…….”
As I passed through the main gate and went out onto Mardelphia Street, the streetlights lit by Magic illuminated my vision. I put on a cloak that I had created on the spot with Magic and started moving, passing through Mardelphia Street and crossing over to Dercalio Street, where the Imperial Palace was located.
The place I arrived at was the back of the Imperial Palace.
I went inside at the moment when the soldier was dozing off and the security became lax. As the shadow passed, the dozing soldier quickly came to his senses and looked around, but I had already succeeded in infiltrating.
‘…It was easier to get in than I thought.’
After taking a deep breath, I looked at the situation through the window and entered the palace. Stepping lightly onto the hallway, I was greeted by darkness with only moonlight seeping in. A heavy air seemed to weigh down on my shoulders.
Looking around, I slowly passed through the hallway and headed towards Ardian’s room. The memory of when I followed him into the Imperial Palace was quite helpful in infiltrating.
Just for a moment.
While going down the stairs, I heard footsteps in the hallway below. I stopped walking and quietly held my breath until they had all passed. They were soldiers who seemed to be guards, and they were talking about something in quiet voices.
“Did you hear about it?”
“Ah… the rumor that there might be a war?”
That was quite an interesting story.
‘War?’
I hid behind a pillar for a moment and eavesdropped on the contents of the rumor they mentioned. The soldiers, who didn’t notice my presence, continued talking and were passing through the hallway.
“I heard. The movements on the Niflheim side are ominous.”
“Are they trying to invade again?”
“Hmm. I don’t know, but… judging from the fact that they’ve sent a large number of troops to the border, I think they’ve determined that it’s a dangerous situation where war could break out at any moment.”
“Sigh. What’s going to happen to the world.”
“But we’re comfortable, right? We’re just lazing around here.”
“That’s true.”
The two soldiers reached the end of the hallway and disappeared as they turned to the side, so I couldn’t hear the conversation anymore. I had a feeling that the security was lax for some reason… it seemed like it wasn’t a mistake.
‘What the hell is going on?’
I feel like the situation is changing rapidly. It seemed like a big change had happened in the world while I was in the dragon’s nest.
‘Are the others doing well?’
Zeon… and Herman, Tom, and the kids in Class A came to mind. I wanted to check on their well-being. But, there’s something I need to do right now. Swallowing my anxiety, I moved, avoiding the eyes of the other soldiers, and went to Ardian’s room.
The front of his room was deserted.
‘There’s no one here.’
I thought there would be at least one or two guards.
“…….”
There’s something unsettling about it.
But I can’t just go back after coming all this way, can I? After thinking for a moment, I quietly opened his door and went inside. I stood with my back to the door that I had closed immediately, in case anyone else saw me.
I don’t feel anyone.
Ardian wasn’t in the room.
“…Hah.”
Suddenly, all the strength drained from my body.
I must have been nervous without realizing it.
If I relaxed any more than this, I felt like I would really collapse, so I pulled myself together and raised my head. I couldn’t wait long, but I was going to spend a little more time until he came back.
I quietly looked around Ardian’s room as I walked around. It wasn’t for the purpose of searching, but I naturally ended up looking around because there was nothing to do while waiting.
Then, as I looked at the clean furniture that had hardly been used, I realized the reason again.
‘…Was it because he didn’t want to get attached?’
Because he thought it wasn’t his anyway. Because he might leave someday. Just like when I thought that ‘Raymond’s things’ weren’t mine and kept my distance.
I never thought I would feel a sense of kinship with something like this.
It was when my mind was getting complicated.
Suddenly, a desk drawer caught my eye. It was slightly open as if it hadn’t been closed properly, so I couldn’t help but wonder what was inside. I knew it wasn’t good to look carelessly, but my intense curiosity was already moving my hand.
Click.
The drawer opens with a small noise. There was a very old object inside. And I was shaken. Because it was an object that wasn’t unfamiliar to me either.
‘This is….’
One earring with a Mana Condensation Stone made like a jewel.
It’s an accessory I used for a while when I was Mephisto. I threw it at that infuriating Gilbert bastard, and I couldn’t find one side after that, so I stopped using it.
“I wanted to return it someday.”
“……!”
I was startled by the voice I heard nearby and turned around abruptly. My back hit the desk, making a loud noise. There’s no sign that the door was opened. But there was a shadow standing in the corner, which was darkly shaded because the moonlight didn’t reach it.
Golden eyes shining in the darkness, looking back.
It was Ardian.
“But on the other hand, I hoped you wouldn’t see it….”
“…….”
“It’s strange. If I was going to return it anyway, I could have left it in a visible place.”
Ardian let out a self-deprecating laugh. It was a situation where I couldn’t help but suspect him no matter how I looked at it, but his face was so calm that it felt refreshing, so I felt a cognitive dissonance.
“Still, it’s a relief. It seems like you’re okay now.”
I frowned deeply.
“…Do you know what you just said?”
“It means I’ve had it all along since 500 years ago.”
I was speechless. He had been so careful until now, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of hiding it anymore. This guy… knew that I had already heard everything.
And he doesn’t deny it.
My hands trembled with the emotions that welled up.
“Who… are you?”
“Ardian.”
“Not that!”
“…If you want me to say Gilbert, I’ll do that.”
At that moment, an emotion that was difficult to define as mere anger overflowed. Before I knew it, I had rushed in and grabbed him by the collar, and Ardian didn’t do anything.
His appearance, as if he had given up, kept scratching at something inside me.