Chapter 6

Strolling leisurely through the city as if sightseeing, Viretta and Iola slipped into a hidden spot when no one was looking.

The hideout she led them to was the Philos Trading Guild.

Inside the trading guild bustling with merchants, the branch manager promptly escorted them to a private room upon recognizing Viretta.

"I’ve arranged everything we need. We can leave right away. Do you need a carriage?"

"I don’t think we should go that far. It would be a problem if Father caught wind of it."

"Always so considerate. Are you planning to sell those clothes and jewels as well?"

"Yes, and make sure to set a high price. My grandfather will surely buy them at a premium."

Viretta waved a necklace with a large ruby pendant that sparkled as she spoke. It was a piece she’d inherited from her grandmother specifically for the engagement ceremony, but she showed no hesitation in selling it off.

"I wondered why you were dressed so elaborately. So, you planned to sell everything," Iola remarked, taking off bracelets and brooches one by one and setting them onto a silver tray. Viretta had already removed her long drop earrings and anklets, leaving no accessory behind.

"I’m not sure if the money I’ve saved will be enough. It’s a long way to the mines, and who knows what might happen on the way."

"Did you bring your entire savings with you?"

"This is a formidable challenge. I wouldn’t mind spending everything I have."

Iola shivered in awe. Now nearly finished changing out of his engagement clothes, he turned around, wrapping himself in a cloak.

"You’re not fully dressed yet!"

"Apologies. But why are you facing me...?"

"Well, you could have accidentally looked over here."

Partly worry, partly... curiosity, but there was no need to go into detail about that.

Dressed in comfortable everyday attire after shedding the ornate gown laden with fine fabric and lace, Viretta lifted the cloak from Iola’s face.

Blushing, Iola took her hand.

"I apologize. For a moment, I doubted your intentions."

"Doubted me?"

"Seeing you preparing for the engagement, I thought perhaps the dragon hunt was just a metaphor. Or that maybe you’d given up on it."

"N-Not at all."

"Truly, I apologize. I’d accept any punishment you see fit for someone so lacking in faith."

"It’s alright, Iola. Anyone meeting someone as eccentric as me might easily make that mistake."

Viretta forgave him generously. She didn’t want to appear unkind.

And considering he’d been half-right, her conscience pricked at her slightly.

"The way you’ve prepared to hunt a dragon without hesitation is remarkable. It’s as if I was meant to come to Phillion to meet someone like you."

"Hunt a dragon?!"

The branch manager, who had been eavesdropping, cried out in a high-pitched voice. Viretta and Iola didn’t so much as flinch.

"Thanks to you, I’ve steeled myself not to settle for an ordinary, blissful marriage but to dive into the whirlpool of dangerous adventure."

"If that makes you happy, then I’m glad too—but is that truly something to be glad about?"

Though his expression was one of a man entranced by his lover, every word he spoke was like a dagger.

"Yes."

"Then, I’ll take it as such."

Despite her better judgment, Viretta graciously accepted his words of joy.

"Hold on, Viretta. You two are planning to hunt a dragon? With your fiancé, of all people?"

Unable to hold back any longer, the branch manager stuck his head in. Viretta casually snatched the money pouch he handed over and grinned.

"Oh, don’t be silly. Of course not."

"Right. There’s no way—"

"We’re going with three. We can’t leave Lanken behind, can we?"

At the mention of Lanken, the branch manager’s expression shifted from relief to worry.

Above all, he wished she would clarify the whole “hunting a dragon” part. But Viretta didn’t correct her plan to hunt a dragon with her fiancé from Najin.

She turned around and playfully poked Iola in the shoulder.

"Relax, Iola. I have a loyal knight who’d follow me to the very edge of hell."

To reiterate, Viretta Medleridge is a notorious bluffer.

 

As Viretta and Iola raided the family’s resources and made their escape, Cadlen and Monain clinked glasses, sharing a drink and laughter.

"It’s wonderful that the two of them seem to get along so well."

"Indeed. Your son is so well-mannered and kind. I think he’ll complement my daughter perfectly."

"Exactly. With your lively and active daughter, she’ll be a perfect match, filling in where my son might fall short."

"Right. The fact that they haven’t returned yet suggests they’re probably making plans for their future as we speak."

"They’re young and optimistic, no doubt crafting a grand vision for their lives together."

Meanwhile, this perfect pair was busy devising an elaborate plan to break off their engagement.

 

Lanken was dreaming.

In the dream, he and his siblings were having a cozy meal when a giant burst through the roof.

As debris rained down from above, his siblings scrambled and ran around, desperately clutching the pot—because without it, there’d be nothing to eat.

Leaving the pitiful scene behind, he grabbed a sword. The old sword in his hand was the giant’s sword, supposedly passed down from his father.

He lifted the sword high, though he knew his father had never actually given him a sword.

In reality, it was just a cheap, makeshift weapon from his time as a mercenary—a weapon he’d received when he was sold into the mercenary band.

Once he realized that, the giant transformed. The giant became his mother, a younger version of her, shouting furiously.

"If you don’t behave, you’ll never see your mother again!"

Even though he knew behaving wouldn’t bring her back, he found himself shrinking, feeling guilty, and gritting his teeth with frustration.

What a cursed dream, he thought. And then, he heard a voice behind him, encouraging him.

"No! Hurry and defeat it! Defeat the giant so we can go hunt a dragon together."

…This was worse than a nightmare! Why should he have to go dragon hunting with someone scarier than a giant?

"No way!"

"With the valor of a knight who has defeated a giant, you could slay a dragon at my side!"

The voice was coming from somewhere in the rubble, its sound piercing his ears. He swung his sword wildly, protesting against the voice.

"Listen! I said no! Who cares about dragons?! Weren’t we supposed to be getting married?"

"Oh, you’re so naïve. Do you think I’d just agree to marry you without a fight? If I disappear from your life, you’d be lonely, wouldn’t you?"

The vivid nightmare smothered him. Was she implying he’d be lonely if she were gone? How recklessly she threw out these assumptions!

Where did she get this infuriating confidence?

Lanken wished he could give the Medleridge family a stern complaint about their parenting.

"Just go along with it! Please, for once, listen to your father!"

"Never! I, Viretta, take pride in never yielding to outside pressure!"

"That’s not an outsider—it’s your father!"

"To me, he is."

Well, fair enough! Still, how can you say that when you’re living off your father’s money! He shouted this silently, as the giant, now resembling his mother, transformed into a dragon.

He couldn’t be sure if it was a dragon, a creature like a black-and-red lizard. After all, he’d seen lizards, but never a dragon.

Yet it was a dragon. The dragon that Viretta intended to slay.

But why a dragon? Why should they hunt a dragon? Why all of a sudden?

As he fumbled for answers, lost in a fog, his vision blurred, and his body was jolted awake by a sharp pain in his stomach.

Aah…

"Aah!"

He opened his eyes to find a continuation of his nightmare.

"You’re awake? What a sleepyhead! I called you so many times, but you wouldn’t wake up. Come on, pack your things."

In the dead of night, Viretta Medleridge had broken into his home.

"Wha… what…?"

Still groggy, he looked around, unsure if he’d been napping, only to realize it was pitch dark.

He was in his home, in his room, with only the faint moonlight seeping through the window.

Yet there was Viretta, fully dressed for a night out, pressing down on his stomach.

In someone else’s home, in the middle of the night!

"A nightmare…?"

Was he still dreaming? Lanken rubbed his eyes.

"Nightmare? If I’m here, it’s a good omen! We don’t have time to waste, Lanken! Hurry up, before someone comes after us. We’ve got a dragon to hunt!"

"Wait... a dragon? Why are you talking about dragons?"

"It’s quite simple."

Someone else appeared in Lanken’s line of sight, a man with a peculiar hairstyle but a cheerful demeanor.

Realizing that Viretta wasn’t the only nighttime intruder, Lanken jolted awake, fully alert.

His father and siblings were asleep in the house. Even if the intruder was Viretta, this was unsettling. He sat up, his upper body straight, prepared to confront them.

At that moment, Viretta on his left and Iola on his right met his gaze and spoke in unison.

"“We need to break off the engagement!”"

"…Is this still a dream?"

Or was it a joke?

Half-asleep, Lanken pulled the covers over his head, but Viretta and Iola yanked him out of bed.

"Let’s go, Lanken! You’ll be our officiant and witness for our glorious breakup!"

"What the hell are you talking about—!"

His shout echoed throughout the neighborhood.