DMHS 10

‘Then what is it that’s holding the papers now?’

When he lifted the bundle high, something heavy seemed to come up with it, then dropped to the floor with a noise.

Kian looked at the white figure sprawled on the ground, no, at an animal with white fur.

“Where did this thing suddenly come from?”

Ibrahim stood from the bench and walked to Kian’s side.

“This is a goat?”

Just as Ibrahim said, the one that had tried to eat Kian’s papers was a goat.

It looked like a goat but with fur that was fluffier.

Perhaps it was still young, as its body was small and the horns on its head were tiny.

Receiving their gaze, the goat rubbed its head shyly against Kian’s leg. It seemed to have a gentle temperament.

“But aren’t goats usually dark brown? Maybe because it’s young, its fur is white as snow.”

Feeling cheered by the small animal, Ibrahim reached out his hand toward it. But who could have known, thr goat that had just acted affectionate suddenly bared its teeth at Ibrahim.

“Grrrr.”

Its expression and eyes were fierce. It was as if it was shouting, “Lay a hand on me and I’ll shred that ignorant hand of yours!”

“I-It’s looks fiercer than I thought.”

Startled, Ibrahim stepped back, and the goat once again pressed itself meekly against Kian’s leg. Kian frowned slightly and stroked its back. The goat let out a pleased bleat.

“Maybe it just doesn’t like me…” Ibrahim muttered gloomily.

Meanwhile, Kian stroked its back, head, and chin as if he was handling a large dog. Then, hidden in the fluffy fur, he found a necklace.

“It has an owner. There’s a necklace on it.”

On the necklace was a yellow flower drawn with petals gathered prettily.

“That’s the mark of the Freesia Palace. Come to think of it, I’ve heard that the Freesia Palace keeps all kinds of strange animals. This one must have come from there and gotten lost.”

“Where is the Freesia Palace?”

“It’s where Lord Lucien resides.”

Which meant the goat in front of them was the Gold Dragon’s pet.

Kian couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

‘There are dragons that keep animals?’

The only dragon he knew, Hellenos, had gotten along with no animal in the kingdom. Whenever animals encountered Hellenos, they always reacted in one of two ways. Either they fled in terror. Or they charged, full of hostility.

It was hard to imagine an animal relaxing in his presence and acting affectionate.

Because of that, Kian asked the goat an odd question.

“Do you like your master?”

The one who answered was Ibrahim.

“What are you saying, Sir Kian. As if Lord Lucien would ever torment such a small, cute animal!”

“You never know. Dragons are tall and imposing. If you’re a small goat and a creature over two meters tall is in front of you, you’d be frightened.”

“What?”

Lost in his own thoughts, Kian didn’t notice Ibrahim’s strange reaction.

“If you ran away because you were scared of being in the palace, just say so. I’ll help you.”

As if it understood, the goat shook its head and bleated.

“Do you like your master?”

Baa. This time a short reply came. It sounded just like a yes.

“Your master is a good person, no, a good dragon?”

Baa.

“Does he feed you regularly?”

Baa.

“Do you want to go back to the palace where your master is?”

…Baa.

“What kind of answer is that. You want to play a little more with me before going back?”

Baa!

Ibrahim cut in with a sulky tone.

“You two are getting along just fine. Must be fun leaving me out of the conversation.”

“That’s not it. Right, the second test is in a week, right? How have the second trials been up until now?”

Kian asked while stroking the goat’s back gently.

“They test abilities. The most common format is a physical fitness test. Things like 100m sprint, long jump, and discus throw.”

“This time the South Party will be at a disadvantage. Mages generally have weak stamina.”

“But it’s not just that. Since it’s an ability test, you’re allowed to use magic during the exam. Usually the mage who can use wind magic takes first place in the 100m sprint.”

…What kind of test was this supposed to be?

“Then wouldn’t the mage with wind magic just win everything? In long jump or discus too, they could just use wind.”

“You can only use each elemental magic once per event. If you use wind magic in the 100m, you can’t use wind again in long jump. You could use fire or ice magic, though.”

“But fire or ice wouldn’t help with long jump.”

“That’s how they balance it. Most mages score top marks in one event and leave the rest to luck.”

The more he heard, the more absurd it seemed. Kian finally voiced the doubt he had carried since the contest began.

“Why are they even choosing a mate this way in the first place?”

Kian made his question more specific.

“So what I mean is… choosing a mate. Fine. I get holding a contest to help the dragon. But the categories they test in the contest are strange. What the dragon wants is a ‘mate.’ The person they love. The person they will keep loving. Even if that person doesn’t have great abilities, wouldn’t it be better if they were someone who loved and understood them?”

Ibrahim agreed with Kian’s words.

“From what I’ve heard, when the ‘contest’ first began, it wasn’t like this. They gathered everyone in the kingdom who wanted to be the dragon’s mate, and the dragon simply picked the one they liked.”

“That’s better than these weird competitions. So why did it change?”

“Well…”

Kian looked down at the baby goat resting comfortably in his hand.

Its ears twitched adorably, as if it was listening to their conversation.

“When you become a mate, you have to go to the Dragon Realm. And you have to bear children too. Because of that, at first no one from the noble houses wanted to become a mate.”

“Yeah.”

“To change the situation, the royal family started giving enormous support to families that produced a mate. They offered big financial rewards, and they gave the head of the family an honorary title equal to a minister.”

“……”

“As a result, most of the people gathered here for the contest are branch members of well-known houses. Since they didn’t inherit anything themselves, they came to make a name at least through this. But because of that, the competition became fiercer, and strange trials and tests were added. Too many people complained, ‘Why can’t I become a mate?’ So they made evaluation criteria.”

It half made sense, half didn’t. Kian had observed “humans” and their “society” for long years. Seen that way, Ibrahim’s explanation was plausible.

Humans acted according to gains and losses. Kian had seen far too many people chasing maximum profit. But with only a little thought, the contest still seemed nothing but a mess. Dressed up with pretty words, but rotten inside.

“What does that mean? Why is evaluation criteria needed? Being the dragon’s mate is just about pleasing the dragon. That’s all.”

“Right. That’s exactly why this is the seventeenth contest. Lord Lucien has rejected everyone chosen in all the previous ones. Saying, ‘They don’t please me.’”

Kian laughed aloud.

“That’s the first sensible thing I’ve heard a dragon say in a long time.”

“But it’s not all laughable. Do you know how much budget is spent every time a contest is held? There are plenty of people saying the contests will bankrupt the country, that they should be abolished.”

“That’s right. They should be abolished.”

“Sir Kian, are you really here to become a mate?”

“Well.”

Before he thought about it, the honest answer came out.

“My goal is just to become a final candidate. I don’t plan to be a mate. Even if they pick me as first, I’ll refuse.”

“Why?”

When he looked down, Ibrahim and the goat, one person and one animal, both had eyes sparkling brightly. They seemed very curious about the answer.

Kian laughed and patted their heads in turn.

“I just said it. Being a mate is only about pleasing the dragon. It’s the same for me. I want to spend the rest of my life with the one I love.”

Of course, Kian didn’t believe there was such a person left in the world. Unaware of his hidden meaning, Ibrahim clapped his hands.

“Wow, amazing! Sir Kian, you’re a true romantic!”

“That’s not it.”

“The one who receives Sir Kian’s love someday will be the happiest person ever!”

That was absolutely not the case. Everyone Kian had loved had died miserably. They writhed in pain, cursing and resenting Kian, unable to even close their eyes at death.

A fleeting memory of those scenes made his heart go cold. Kian lifted his gaze and shifted the subject.

“Let’s take the goat back home and return ourselves.”