MTO C107
by berryChapter 107
Until now, Michel had simply assumed that enough time had passed since his arrival in this world that the dragon would naturally have made its way to a village.
But the dragon had only just been born.
If that was true, then searching villages was the wrong approach.
Finding the frozen lake where the dragon was wandering would be a much faster way to meet it.
The next morning, during breakfast, Michel described the scenery from his dream and asked whether there were any lakes nearby that matched it.
“If it’s a lake that large… perhaps Lake Ord or Lake Tirna?”
Barbara answered without much difficulty.
“They’re both deep within the forest. Though I’m not sure whether either has a cave nearby.”
Michel nearly bounced in his seat.
He looked ready to leave for the lakes that very instant.
“Would both lakes still be frozen?”
“Well…”
Barbara gently wiped the soup from around Leon’s mouth with a handkerchief.
Leon had insisted on lifting the bowl while eating, leaving his lips covered in soup.
Michel, who had unknowingly grown his own little “soup mustache” beneath his nose, chewed thoughtfully on a piece of bread.
“They’re both enormous lakes.”
“At this time of year they’re usually thawed.”
Come to think of it…
The dream had shown heavy snow falling.
But it hadn’t snowed like that for quite some time.
Even now, warm spring sunlight streamed through the dining hall.
Although the courtyard of Castle Eglance was still dusted white with morning frost…
Spring had undeniably arrived.
Did I dream about something that happened a long time ago?
If so…
The dragon would already have left the lake and descended elsewhere.
But he was certain there wasn’t a dragon anywhere in Valois.
Then perhaps it really was somewhere outside the territory…
“Sa-beomnim?”
“Why are you looking for a lake?”
“Hm?”
Looking down, Michel found Charlotte gazing up at him with innocent curiosity.
She wasn’t the only one.
The other children had also paused with spoons and forks in hand, waiting eagerly for his answer.
For a moment…
Michel hesitated.
Why am I so certain that dream was real?
Until now, he’d only described the scenery.
He hadn’t told anyone it came from a dream.
He’d become so excited at the thought of finally finding the dragon…
Yet now that he actually had to explain himself…
The words refused to come.
Wouldn’t he sound like some foolish adult announcing he was setting off to find a treasure island from a storybook?
Perhaps…
Last night’s dream had simply been born from the pressure of desperately wanting to find the dragon.
People always dreamed strange things when they were exhausted.
Besides…
He already knew from the original novel that dragons were born inside caves.
After thinking it through, Michel smiled.
“The weather’s beautiful.”
“How about we all go on a picnic?”
“Really?”
“All together?”
“Of course!”
“We’ll bring lunch, play games…”
“And we can even train beside the lake.”
The children erupted into excited cheers.
Immediately they began discussing what foods should go into their lunchboxes and what games they wanted to play outdoors.
Michel nodded absently as though listening.
Then…
Without warning—
He reached toward Dan’s plate.
“Ah!”
“But before we eat our picnic lunch…”
“We have to finish breakfast first, don’t we?”
Pulling away the napkin Dan had carefully draped over his plate…
Michel revealed a neat pile of carrots hidden underneath.
Piercing one with his fork, he held it before Dan’s face.
Dan looked as though an earthquake had just struck his world.
“Here.”
“Open wide.”
“Uugh… ahhh…”
Dan reluctantly accepted the carrot.
His watery eyes made it seem as though he were swallowing poison.
Michel showed no mercy.
Every last carrot disappeared into Dan’s stomach.
Watching the scene unfold…
Oliver quietly slipped the peas he had hidden aside into his own mouth.
“So~”
“Breakfast’s over!”
“Dessert time!”
“Since today is special…”
“Dan gets to choose.”
“What would you like?”
“Coo-kies.”
“Cookies?”
Still wiping his tongue with a napkin after the carrot ordeal, Dan nodded miserably.
Laughing, Michel rose to his feet.
Which lake should we visit first?
He intended to search every lake while enjoying the picnic with the children.
Even if the dream turned out to be meaningless…
There was no harm in checking.
And if the dream truly had been real…
Then the newborn dragon would surely be starving by now.
For the peace of Valois…
And for the children’s safety…
He needed to find the dragon before anyone else did.
As he filled a basket with cookies, Michel wondered what kind of food dragons preferred.
“Huh?”
“It’s Teacher!”
“Teacher!”
On their way out of the dining hall after enjoying an excellent snack…
The children suddenly rushed outside the castle.
Caught completely off guard, Michel hurried after them.
Outside stood a group of heavily armed knights.
Several children had already gathered around one of them—
A red-haired knight.
Only then did Michel recognize him.
“David!”
The knight, dressed head to toe in steel armor, smiled mischievously as he ruffled the twins’ hair.
“Your Holiness.”
“I trust you’ve been well.”
It felt as though ages had passed since Michel had last seen him.
Michel immediately reached out his hand.
David naturally answered with a high-five.
Unable to hide his delight, Michel looked him up and down.
David’s hair had grown long enough to be tied loosely behind his head.
The style looked unfamiliar…
Yet somehow suited him.
His once-pristine armor was now covered in scratches and scars.
It spoke volumes about everything he’d endured.
“How have you been?”
“When did you get back?”
“Just now.”
“Let’s see…”
“Whoa!”
Without warning, David hoisted Max upside down.
Max’s shirt rode up, exposing a delightfully round belly, made even plumper by breakfast and snacks.
“It looks like everyone’s been doing well.”
“You’ve gotten much heavier.”
“Lucky!”
“Me too!”
Laughing, David repeatedly lifted and lowered Max as though weighing him.
Max giggled until his cheeks turned bright red.
The other children immediately clamored to be picked up as well.
Back when he’d stayed at the orphanage, David had always played with them.
Naturally…
Every child adored him.
“Everyone…”
“Teacher just arrived, so first—”
“Ahem.”
A deliberate throat-clearing interrupted Michel.
Turning around…
He found Kaidan standing nearby with a distinctly displeased expression.
Michel beamed.
“Brother!”
“So you were here too!”
“Good morning!”
Oddly enough…
Kaidan’s expression only darkened further.
After glaring silently at Michel for a moment…
He finally turned away.
“We’ll discuss the details inside.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Leaving only that brief instruction for David, Kaidan strode back into the castle without another word.
Only then did Michel realize his mistake.
Oh no…
I interrupted them while they were working.
Now that he thought about it…
Kaidan and David had probably been in the middle of an important discussion.
The vice commander had only just returned from his mission.
Naturally, there would be much to report.
Hurriedly, Michel separated the children from David.
“You’re busy, aren’t you?”
“We got in the way.”
“Sorry.”
“Let’s talk later.”
“Of course.”
“I’ll come greet you properly once I’m finished.”
David bowed respectfully before hurrying after Kaidan.
Michel soothed the disappointed children and began leading them back.
Does this mean…
We’ll finally be able to return to the orphanage?
David’s return meant the investigation into the monsters appearing near the orphanage forest had concluded.
The orphanage residents had only been staying at Castle Eglance until it was safe to return.
They couldn’t remain as guests forever.
Once everything was resolved…
Leaving would only be proper.
Yet…
The moment Michel imagined departing…
A deep sadness welled up inside him.
Both he and the children had grown remarkably accustomed to life within Castle Eglance.
The servants.
The knights.
Even the golden eagles.
Everyone had welcomed them with genuine warmth.
Simply imagining the day they would all part ways already made the tip of his nose sting.
We’ll just come visit often.
Michel quietly prepared himself so that leaving wouldn’t hurt quite so much.
Unfortunately…
His worries proved to be entirely premature.
David returned not long afterward, freshly cleaned and changed.
The children were taking their afternoon nap, giving Michel, Barbara, and David a rare chance to sit together and talk.
Michel and Barbara warmly welcomed him.
But the news he brought shocked them both.
“The monsters attacked a village?”
Michel’s face drained of color.
David calmly corrected him.
“More precisely…”
“Monsters were discovered near one of the outlying villages.”
After taking a sip of the tea Barbara had prepared, he continued.
“Fortunately, because we never stopped repairing the defensive walls throughout the winter…”
“No serious damage occurred.”
“If we’d left the walls in disrepair simply because monsters rarely appeared there…”
“The outcome would’ve been disastrous.”
“His Grace was right to insist on completing the repairs despite the hardship.”
Michel shuddered.
He imagined an entire horde of monsters like the one that had attacked Heart.
Only now did he truly understand why Kaidan had worked himself to exhaustion over the past several months.
Thanks to those efforts…
A catastrophe had been prevented.
At least nobody was hurt.
Michel breathed a sigh of relief.
Barbara, however…
Still looked troubled.
Clasping her hands tightly together, she asked,
“Is it because spring has arrived?”
“Monsters usually become more active in spring, don’t they?”
“That’s certainly part of it.”
David nodded.
“But that’s not the only problem.”
“The sightings aren’t limited to one village.”
“We’ve been receiving simultaneous reports from settlements all along the mountain border.”
“I compared the records.”
“Compared to this time last year…”
“Monster-related incidents have increased dramatically.”
“Even the forest near your orphanage…”
“Was never known for monsters before, was it?”
Barbara quietly shook her head.
“And there’s more.”
“Someone spotted a War Bear near the western wall.”
“A War Bear?”
“They normally live halfway up the mountains.”
“They’re notoriously lazy.”
“They almost never leave their territory.”
“So the fact that one wandered all the way down to the defensive wall…”
“Is deeply unusual.”
At David’s explanation…
Barbara quietly whispered God’s name beneath her breath.
Michel’s own expression quickly grew grave as well.