Noveross military camps
Inside the command tent, several mages stepped back after finishing their work.
Aerys flexed his leg.
The wound was gone.
Not even a scar remained.
The general stood up and tested his footing.
"Hm."
"Works."
Selene folded her arms.
"You say that like your leg wasn't blown apart."
Aerys shrugged.
"It got better."
Several officers exchanged tired looks.
Selene smile a bit
"Messenger."
A soldier immediately stepped forward.
"Yes, Princess."
"Notify the researchers."
Selene's golden eyes narrowed.
"Update every report."
"Especially concerning Lady Dark Flame."
The messenger nodded.
"At once, Princess."
As he hurried away, Selene turned toward the battlefield outside.
"Barrier penetration."
"Delayed detonation."
"Abyss-grade protection."
Her gaze hardened.
"We underestimated her."
Beside her, Aerys nodded.
"Won't happen twice."
Lumeris military camps
The atmosphere was much lighter.
Vinson stepped out of the medical tent.
Though still pale, he was finally able to walk again.
Leo immediately followed behind him.
Nearby, Mia and Ebruhan were talking.
Or at least trying to.
Ebruhan growled and made several dragon noises.
"Grrah... rrrr... rwarr."
Mia blinked.
"...Sorry, Ebruhan."
"I still don't understand a single word you're saying."
The blue dragon stared at her.
"..."
Mia scratched the back of her head awkwardly.
"Maybe when your mana comes back?"
Ebruhan sighed.
Or at least made the closest dragon equivalent to a sigh.
Then suddenly—
"MIA!"
"LEO!"
Both froze.
Slowly turning around.
Vinson stood there with his arms crossed.
The expression on his face made both of them instinctively step backward.
Even Ebruhan quietly took a step away.
Not my problem.
The dragon looked almost relieved that he wasn't the target.
Mia lowered her head immediately.
"S-Sorry..."
Leo followed.
"Sorry, Father..."
Vinson pointed directly at them.
"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TWO TO STAY HOME?"
Neither answered.
"You ignored my orders."
"You flew straight into a battlefield."
"A battlefield!"
Leo flinched.
Vinson continued.
"What were you thinking?"
Leo opened his mouth.
"I just..."
"You just what?"
"You just ignored everything I told you?"
"You just decided war was a good place to visit?"
Leo lowered his head again.
"...No, sir."
Mia looked even guiltier.
Her wings drooped.
For a moment, neither dared speak.
Then another voice entered the conversation.
"Count Vinson."
Everyone turned.
King Cedric was approaching.
The king stopped before Mia.
Then, to everyone's surprise, he bowed slightly.
"Lady Mia."
"You have my gratitude."
The surrounding soldiers immediately fell silent.
Even Mia looked shocked.
"H-Huh?"
Cedric smiled.
"Without your actions, today's battle may have ended very differently."
Mia awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck.
"Oh..."
"I just wanted to help Ebruhan."
The king chuckled softly.
"Regardless, you helped save many lives."
Vinson sighed.
Clearly trying very hard not to let the king's gratitude ruin his scolding.
After a moment, he pointed at Mia and Leo again.
"That changes nothing."
Both immediately straightened.
"You two are returning to the estate tomorrow."
"No arguments."
Beside them, Ebruhan nodded immediately.
Excellent decision.
King Cedric nodded as well.
"A wise choice."
Leo's eyes widened.
"But Dad!"
"No."
"Father, listen—"
"No."
"We helped—"
"No."
Mia slowly raised a hand.
"...Can I say no?"
Vinson looked at her.
The black dragon immediately lowered her hand.
"...Never mind."
As Vinson disappeared back into the camp, Leo hurried after him.
"Father, wait!"
"You still haven't listened to my explanation!"
"Father!"
Their voices gradually faded into the distance.
Meanwhile, Mia remained standing outside with Ebruhan.
The blue dragon nudged her shoulder.
"Grrah... rwarr..."
Mia tilted her head.
"...What?"
Ebruhan tried again.
"Rrrr... grrah..."
Mia stared.
"...Still no idea."
The dragon slowly closed his eyes.
Clearly regretting everything.
Nearby, Emma couldn't help laughing.
"Sir Ebruhan, I think you should stop trying."
Ebruhan shot her a look.
Emma immediately cleared her throat.
"...Respectfully."
The dragon looked only slightly less offended.
Emma turned serious again.
"That cannon exploded almost point-blank."
"The mana suppression effect may have damaged the flow around your core."
"It would explain why your mana still isn't recovering properly."
At that moment, several royal mages approached.
One of them bowed.
"Sir Ebruhan."
"We would like to perform a full examination."
The dragon nodded.
A few minutes later, Ebruhan was sitting in the middle of a large examination tent.
Mia sat nearby with her human form.
Mostly because nobody could convince her to leave.
The mages carefully inspected the dragon.
Checking his scales.
Checking his wings.
Checking areas directly exposed to the explosion.
Time passed.
Then one elderly mage suddenly froze.
"...Interesting."
Several others gathered around.
"What is it?"
The old mage pointed toward a narrow gap between several scales.
"There."
Using a small enchanted tool, he carefully pulled something free.
A tiny metallic fragment.
The room fell silent.
Another mage examined it.
"...This is from the cannon."
More searching followed.
And then they found another.
And another.
And another.
Dozens of tiny fragments were lodged between Ebruhan's scales.
Wood.
Metal.
Pieces of the anti-dragon artillery itself.
The old mage's eyes widened.
"I believe we've found the problem."
Mia blinked.
"Huh?"
The mage turned toward her.
"The fragments are saturated with the same mana-suppressing properties as the cannons."
"They've become lodged between Sir Ebruhan's scales."
"It's like placing dozens of small mana restraints directly against his body."
Mia immediately pointed at Ebruhan.
"So he's basically full of anti-dragon splinters?"
The mage paused.
"...In less professional terms, yes."
Mia burst out laughing.
Ebruhan did not.
At all.
The dragon's stare alone almost made the younger mages hide behind their notebooks.
The elderly mage quickly continued.
"Sir Ebruhan."
"Could you flex your scales?"
The dragon nodded.
Taking a deep breath.
Then—
SHRRRK.
Every scale across his body shifted slightly.
The movement rolled from his neck to his tail.
Like a wave passing through armor.
Then Ebruhan shook himself.
RATTLE.
CLINK.
CLATTER.
Fragments immediately began falling to the ground.
Metal pieces.
Wood splinters.
Damaged shards.
A small pile formed beneath him.
Several mages quickly gathered them.
Each fragment was carefully placed into enchanted bags.
"Do not touch them directly."
"Understood."
"Store them for study."
The mages worked quickly.
After several more minutes, the final fragment was removed.
Everyone waited.
Ebruhan closed his eyes.
Trying to feel his mana.
A faint pulse answered.
Weak.
But there.
The dragon's eyes opened.
"Rwarr..."
This time there was noticeably more energy behind the sound.
The elderly mage smiled.
"Excellent."
"The suppression effect is weakening."
"It will take time."
"But your mana should recover naturally now."
Ebruhan visibly relaxed.
The mage bowed respectfully.
"Give it a few hours, Sir Ebruhan."
"You should be back to normal before long."
Mia immediately grinned.
"See?"
"Told you not to die."
Ebruhan stared at her.
Then slowly raised one claw.
And flicked her forehead.
Bonk.
"Ow!"
-
Rocky cliff outside of camps
-
Night had fallen.
The battlefield was quiet for once.
No war horns.
No screams.
No cannons.
Only the sound of the wind moving through the grass below.
Mia sat on the edge of a rocky cliff.
Her tail lazily swaying behind her.
Beside her sat Ebruhan.
Finally recovered enough to speak properly again.
The moonlight reflected off his blue scales.
For a while, neither spoke.
Simply enjoying the silence.
Then Ebruhan broke it.
"Mia."
"Hm?"
"You shouldn't have come to the battlefield."
Mia immediately rolled her eyes.
"Seriously?"
She pointed at him.
"Said by the dragon who got pinned to the ground by chains."
Ebruhan frowned.
"That's different."
"No, it's not."
"It is."
"It isn't."
The two stared at each other.
Then Mia folded her arms.
"Trust me."
"I've seen movie characters do exactly what you did."
"They always get captured."
Ebruhan blinked.
"...Movie?"
Mia froze.
"...Never mind."
"Old world reference."
"Again?"
"Again."
The blue dragon shook his head.
He had long since given up trying to understand every strange thing from Mia's previous life.
After a moment, he spoke again.
"Regardless."
"Tomorrow you're returning to the estate."
Mia groaned dramatically.
"Oh come on."
"You saw me fight."
"You saw what happened."
"I can handle myself."
She pointed toward the distant battlefield.
"I'm not a baby."
The words hung in the air.
Ebruhan remained silent for a few seconds.
Then his expression softened.
"I know."
Mia blinked.
The answer had come too quickly.
Too honestly.
Ebruhan looked toward the stars.
"I know exactly how capable you are."
"You fought a Red Dragon General."
"You survived the Abyss."
"You stood before Varkryth."
"You entered a battlefield and changed its outcome."
His golden eyes shifted toward her.
"I know."
Mia's expression softened slightly.
Then Ebruhan continued.
"But everyone else doesn't."
Silence returned.
The wind blew gently across the cliff.
"They still see an eight-year-old dragon."
"They see someone they want to protect."
"They see family."
Mia lowered her gaze.
"..."
Then Ebruhan sighed.
"I understand you, Riko. But.. they don't,"
The world stopped.
Mia froze.
Her eyes widened.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She looked toward him.
"...What did you call me?"
Ebruhan immediately realized what he'd said.
For the first time in years...
The blue dragon looked slightly embarrassed.
"I..."
"You called me Riko."
The name felt strange.
Familiar.
Distant.
A name nobody here knew.
A name that belonged to another world.
Another life.
Ebruhan looked away.
"...Yes."
Mia stared at him.
Because in all these years...
Despite knowing the truth...
Despite knowing everything...
Ebruhan had never once used that name.
Not even in private.
Not once.
The wind continued blowing.
Then Ebruhan finally spoke.
"Because sometimes..."
His voice was quieter than usual.
"I think everyone forgets."
Mia remained silent.
"They see Mia."
"A dragon."
"A child."
"A daughter."
"A little sister."
"A student."
His eyes met hers.
"But sometimes I remember."
"You were already an adult before any of this happened."
"You carry burdens nobody else here understands."
The cliff fell silent again.
For a moment...
Mia didn't know what to say.
Because Ebruhan wasn't talking to the dragon everyone knew.
For the first time in a very long time...
He was speaking directly to Riko.
The person hidden beneath everything else.
And somehow...
That felt far more emotional than any battlefield.
"..."
Finally, Mia laughed softly.
"You know..."
"What?"
"You're getting way too wise for a twenty-three-year-old dragon."
Ebruhan snorted.
"Experiences offcourse "
The wind quietly swept across the cliff.
After a long pause, the blue dragon spoke.
"...But yeah."
"Thank you."
Mia smiled softly.
"You're welcome."
For once, there was no sarcasm.
No teasing.
Just honesty.
A few moments later, Mia yawned.
"Haaah..."
"Now I feel tired."
Ebruhan chuckled.
"Then go rest."
Mia stared at the stars for a few seconds.
Then asked quietly:
"Ebruhan..."
"Hm?"
"Do you think they'd still accept me?"
The dragon looked at her.
"...Riko?"
Mia nodded.
Silence followed.
Then Ebruhan sighed.
"That's something I don't know."
His answer was honest.
"It would be complicated."
"Because they didn't spend years with Riko."
"They spent years with Mia."
He looked toward the camp.
"They watched Mia hatch."
"They watched Mia learn to fly."
"They watched Mia grow."
"They love Mia."
Mia lowered her gaze.
"...Right."
Neither spoke again after that.
The stars continued shining above them.