Ep 21. I Hate It Here. (1)


    Patrick’s eyes were beginning to close again as he desperately tried to keep himself awake. The moon was once again shining above him in its celestial light, though even that seemed like mockery to him at this point. Only his own arm and a thin strand of sanity was supporting his head upright.


    He was still in the same courtyard Zion had flown out of.


    ‘…Twelve be damned.’


    It’s been a whole day. He’d slept here last night, and would’ve been kicked out by security had one of them not recognized him as an association enforcer.


    He considered going home.


    He considered assuming the boy would just come back home of his own accord.


    But he couldn’t, not when his now-mentally-unstable brother had flown off into the distance. There was no telling if he even remembered their home address.


    “Need to…stay…awake…”


    Being in the Magic Institute, most of the passerby recognized him as a fellow mage. But they nevertheless threw curious glances at the dozing enforcer, talking behind his back about how they also might end up having to sleep without a roof over their heads if they didn’t study hard.


    That is, until a new commotion caught everyone’s attention.


    “It’s a dragon! A dragon appeared in the east building!”


    “A what?”


    “Did someone summon some winged lizard again?”


    “No, it’s an actual dragon! Like, actual actual dragon! She’s super pretty!”


    Patrick blinked his eyes. His eyes wandered off towards the mob of students racing to the institute’s east building in the middle of the night.


    ‘…Dragon? ‘She’?’


    Karas’ words began to replay in his mind.


    - ‘I’m willing to wager that you’ll be wrong by tonight.’


    That night was yesterday, and it’s already passed, but…


    ‘It can’t be, right?’


    ? ? ?


    Serenis had landed on a nearby ledge by a familiar-looking building. The pain in her stomach had delayed her more than she’d intended; oblivious to the cause of the stomachache, Serenis couldn’t even figure out how to go about healing herself. If it was even a healable pain.


    It wasn’t until she finally finished explaining to Aether how she was the first dragonlord now in the body of a human boy, that the elder dragon exclaimed with a brightened expression.


    - ‘Oh, it must’ve been the meat! I do recall Ilias saying that humans always had their pork cooked. Now I see what the problem was.’


    “…Stupid pigs. Never going to eat them again.”


    Serenis was scanning the area for the familiar blue-haired mage or the crow-headed half, but neither were to be found. In fact, she couldn’t even remember where exactly she had left from.


    ‘Couldn’t have spared a minute, could I now…’


    Truth be told, when Karas told her of the dragonkin’s location, the news had blinded her from considering anything else at the time. Resultantly, now she didn’t know where to find him. Or Patrick. Or figure out which courtyard they were in before.


    Resultantly, she’d simply landed at the most familiar-looking architecture. Though it was difficult to tell at sundown.


    She glanced downwards.


    Dozens of little humans had gathered around the courtyard beneath her to see the dragon themselves. Some even opened the building’s windows and peeked from inside.


    ‘Hm…’


    Serenis loudly flapped her wings once, making the institute’s student back off sufficiently. She then slowly floated down until her feet touched the ground.


    “Say, do any of you know of a crow-headed male around these parts?”The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    “Crow-headed? Is she talking about…?”


    “Professor Karas?”


    “Has to be, right?”


    Serenis eyed the individual who’d spoken the feathered individual’s name.


    “Yes, I believe that was his name. Do you know where he is?”


    “Um, he’s…in his office still, I think?”


    “Where would that be?”


    “Th…that building over there, he’s on the second floor…I don’t know the exact room.”


    “That’s sufficient. Thank you.”


    Instead of walking like a normal person and knocking on the door, Serenis opened her wings and flew over to the second level of windows, peeking into each of them. Luckily enough, she found the familiar crow-headed man before long, sipping on his drink while reading what seemed like a report of sorts.


    Clack. Clack.


    ‘Clack?’


    Karas first looked towards the door. That was an unusual knocking sound.


    Clack. Clack.


    ‘Wait, the sound isn’t coming from the door, that’s…’


    The coffee he had in his mouth came bursting out of his beak when he saw that the knocking noise wasn’t from a person, but from a dragon hovering outside his window. He would’ve liked to believe otherwise, but the horns, wings, and tail all pointed to one answer.


    “What in the hells…Serenis?”


    The dragonlord nodded her head outside. The professor quickly opened his window.


    “Goodness gracious. Could you not have used the door?”


    “I do not expect you to know draconic customs. Do you expect me to know human customs?”


    “Hm. Fair point.”


    After letting Serenis climb into his office, Karas made a shooing gesture to the students below. No doubt the dragonlord’s appearance would cause a commotion. But that was something to worry about tomorrow.


    “Return to your dorms. Or every single one of you are due for a very special class from me for the rest of the week.”


    The students began to scatter at the professor’s threat. Except one person.


    “Waaaaaaaaait!”


    Karas pretended not to hear as he closed the office window behind him. He usually commended perseverance in his students, but this was not a good time for it.


    Meanwhile, the no-longer-student was gasping for breath outside, staring at the window that had just closed above.


    “…Oh, damn it all.”


    Patrick shook his head, making his way towards the building’s entrance like a proper human person.


    …Meanwhile in the office, Karas offered a seat to the dragonlord as he prepared an extra cup of coffee.


    “A pleasure to see you again. To be honest, I didn’t know you would return at such a peculiar time. I am assuming that you were successful in your…plans?”


    Karas scanned Serenis from head to toe. Had it not been for their earlier conversations about being a dragon, he never would’ve guessed that this white-haired woman was the same person as the human boy he’d met yesterday.


    “Something like that, yes.”


    “Hm. Congratulations are in order then. Though I have little to offer.”


    He offered a cup of coffee to the dragon, placing it on the small table in front of her.


    “What is this?”


    “Coffee. It’s a type of beverage.”


    “I thought the only beverage humans drank were water, milk, and alcohol.”


    “…Is that what everyone drank during your era? Anyhow, I do recommend you try a sip. It’s not too bad.”


    Serenis carefully lifted the cup, holding it against her lips. The drink was emitting a deep, delicate aroma that she’d never encountered before. Even with her lack of interest in most cuisine, the scent itself was alluring.


    “It certainly does seem promising.”


    “It won’t disappoint. And if you’ve time, I’d love to hear more about your…for a want of better words, awakening.”


    The dragonlord briefly nodded and was just about to take a sip.


    When…


    “Zionnnnnn!!!!!”


    …The office door was literally kicked open, slamming onto the opposite side as Patrick stormed in, huffing for breath. However, his brain failed to properly discern the situation that was being scanned with his eyes.


    Same old professor Karas with his usual papers and coffee. Typical.


    And sitting across him was…a beautiful white-haired woman, sitting with her tail neatly curled to the side, also drinking coffee.


    ‘Sharing a cup of coffee with a woman this late into the night?’


    Patrick beamed a delightful grin.


    “Excuse me for the interruption.”


    He immediately closed the door in front of him, thinking he’d just interrupted a date.


    Karas frowned from inside the office.


    “…”


    “…”


    Serenis flicked her index finger as the office door opened by itself. She remotely grabbed Patrick by the hood on his robe, pulling him inside as the door immediately shut itself after him.


    The professor watched his former student tumble into the room, though his attention was more focused on how it happened than what was actually happening. When the door closed, he slowly clapped his hands.


    “That’s quite amazing. Very precise mana control.”


    Patrick remained dazed as he rose back to his feet. He exchanged confused glances between the professor and the strange woman.


    “Professor, is…she…?”


    “Serenis. Or ‘Zion’, as you keep referring to.”


    “I thought you had good memory, child. Perhaps I was mistaken.”


    Patrick blankly stared at the dragonlord. A minute passed. Then another. And another. Patrick was still struggling to formulate a sentence, while Serenis finally found the time to try the coffee she was offered.


    “Mm. The aroma’s very unique. I never thought a drink could be so rich.”


    “It truly is, is it not? If you’d like more, I have plenty.”


    “That’d be wonderful. I appreciate the generosity.”


    Patrick’s lips finally began to speak coherently.


    “Seriously? A little kid came back as a fully grown dragon woman in a day, and you’re…drinking coffee together?”


    The professor and the dragonlord both gave Patrick a pathetic stare. Karas shook his head and shrugged at the confused mage, while Serenis continued to enjoy the drink she was given.


    “Alright, what do you suggest we do then? Should we report her to the association and have her arrested by the enforcement sector for review?”


    “I don’t know what any of that means, but I know it can’t be better than indulging in this drink.”


    Patrick blinked twice, unsure of how to respond to the professor. He WAS an enforcer, and he wasn’t planning to arrest his little brother for a review…even though a part of him was screaming that he should. And then his eyes shifted over to the dragonlord, who seemed indifferent as ever about the entire situation.


    “Zi…Serenis, I think you’re missing the point here.”


    “The point?”


    “My little brother just went up and DISAPPEARED.”


    “…”


    Serenis kept her eyes fixed on Patrick, though this time out of pure empathy. She could tell he wasn’t kidding around this time. The worry in his eyes were genuine.


    “…I’m sorry. I hadn’t considered how you’d feel. Would this make it better?”


    Serenis put her cup down and snapped her fingers. In an instantaneous burst of light, the dragonlord had disappeared; in her place was now the little human boy that Patrick knew so well.


    And then he started drinking his coffee again.


    Patrick beamed a bright grin at the sight.


    ‘I hate it here.’