DSMBL Chapter 36

Chapter 036

Though things were chaotic, the dragon’s stay was decided—Stephanie, in her human form, would live at the Duke’s estate.

Cassius left, saying he’d investigate dragons, and Theo was off to lessons, holding the housekeeper’s hand. Meanwhile, the well-fed dragon had claimed my bed and was sound asleep.

“Sigh.”
It must be nice to live so carefree.

After eating loads of fish and meat, Stephanie passed out. She said she’d been starving in the forest since there was no cooked food there.

The only sound in the room was her soft breathing. I couldn’t stop thinking about what she said: that traces of a dragon were on me.

Though I pretended not to understand, I had an idea. I wasn’t from this world. If the dragon had something to do with placing me in Charlotte’s body, then maybe Stephanie’s mother—the dragon she mentioned—might know why.

Or even what I’m supposed to do here.

But Stephanie said she had no idea where her mother was. At first, she even thought I might be her mother.

I bit my lip and tried to organize my thoughts:

1. My presence woke Stephanie.
2. Dragons predicted they’d return when chaos struck humanity.
3. In the original story, a massive monster gate opens, and disaster strikes the northern lands.
4. The key to closing that gate is Lorencia.

Looking at the situation, it seemed Stephanie and Lorencia could resolve the coming disaster. Maybe I helped wake Stephanie, but after that, I didn’t have much of a role to play.

“Should I leave soon?”

It might be better for Lorencia to take over my place and fulfill her role.

Once I figure out what kind of person Lorencia is, I’ll leave.

According to the original story, she became a great duchess. I just need to check her relationship with Theo.

It’s a little sad, but…

This feels like the best path for everyone. Theo still needs some healing, but I can visit him from time to time. And I don’t think Cassius would have any issues if I asked for appropriate compensation for leaving.

One month.
I’ll settle everything and leave within a month.

***

Over the next week, Cassius and Giverny combed through the library, searching for any records about dragons. Meanwhile, Stephanie stayed with me under my care.

“These are all the records we have on young hatchling dragons,” Cassius said, reading a brief paragraph before sighing.

He’d been curious about how such a young dragon ended up away from its parents, but there was no mention of that.

Dragons were so rare they were practically legends. The fact that one had appeared at all was astonishing.

The only reason Isteria had even a handful of records about them was due to one fact: the founder of Isteria was rumored to be part of a dragon.

“Will you inform the royal family?” Giverny asked, bringing up the Emperor.

The recently crowned young emperor, Carlos, was the ruler of the empire. The royal family might have more extensive records about dragons.

Besides, the northern territory couldn’t handle the chaos alone; they’d need help from the royal family. The issue was how Carlos would react.

Cassius pressed his fingers to his temples.

“I’ll have to.”

Carlos had never faced real adversity. Others had always handled problems before they reached him.

Would he ignore the chaos to preserve his peace? Cassius recalled a conversation they had during his visit to the capital for his wedding to Charlotte.

“Duke, you worry too much. Who would dare invade our empire during this era of peace? Even the snow beasts are under control. As long as the northern sword stays sharp, the empire is safe.”

Cassius sighed deeply. Those were Carlos’s words in response to his suggestion to increase troops and strengthen training.

Carlos was too comfortable in peace, even though the snow beasts had already started acting strangely.

Cassius sighed again, his worry growing. Giverny, watching him, looked equally concerned.

***

As if the sudden appearance of Lorencia wasn’t enough, now there was a dragon too.

The housekeeper, through Madam Chouette, bought several dresses for a girl, claiming they were for her niece.

But what’s the point of pretty clothes?

“Stephanie! I told you not to climb the dresser!”

“I do what I want! This body is free!”

Watching her dart around like a monkey gave me a headache. I had to cancel all my other plans and focus solely on civilizing Stephanie.

Not that I had a lot of plans to begin with—I mostly played with Theo, helping with his homework, or going on little outings with him.

Even Theo’s lessons were canceled.

According to the housekeeper, the main estate was now completely off-limits to outsiders.

The west wing, where Stephanie and I were staying, was under strict lockdown. Even the nanny wasn’t allowed in.

They probably wanted to ensure that only trusted people were around. It made sense, considering Stephanie was running barefoot on the ceiling.

She was like a character out of The Jungle Book.

“Stephanie! Get down from the ceiling!”

“Humans have too many rules. Sigh, how exhausting.”

I’m the one who’s exhausted.

Theo, on the other hand, found her hilarious. Worse, he started mimicking her, forcing me to stop him.

Managing two wild children was beyond my capacity.

“You must be having a hard time, Duchess,” Luna said sympathetically. She’d recently become one of my allies.

“…I think so too.”

Sharing divine energy with Theo daily was already draining enough. Adding two monkey-like kids to the mix? How could I possibly take them out anywhere?

But I couldn’t just keep these free spirits locked up inside forever.

“Stephanie. Let’s make a deal.”

“A deal?”

Stephanie suddenly dropped from the ceiling, her chubby cheeks jiggling adorably as she landed.

She looked so cute, I couldn’t help but pinch her cheeks. This little troublemaker.

“Hey!”

“It’s not ‘hey,’ it’s Charlotte. Spaghetti, be careful. If Charlotte gets angry, Cassius will get angry too.”

Theo said, and Stephanie flinched.

“That human man?”

Theo nodded eagerly. Stephanie frowned seriously, her expression oddly mature.

“That human man has an unusual presence. It’s rare for a human to carry such a powerful aura.”

Hearing such an old-sounding remark from her cute face only made her look more adorable.

“My brother is amazing! He even punishes bad guys! Plus, he’s the Sword of the North!” Theo said proudly.

“The descendants of Isteria have always been skilled in swordsmanship. That’s only natural. However, it’s rare for someone to achieve such mastery at such a young age,” Stephanie commented, nodding sagely.

“My brother isn’t a ‘someone’—he’s awesome!” Theo shot back, tugging on Stephanie’s hair.

Of course, Stephanie wasn’t one to back down. And just like that, they started a fight, which turned into a mess.

I had to step in and break up the fight, which looked like a mess of two monkeys.

“Listen to me, Stephanie! Theo, you too! Didn’t I say you’d get a snack if you behaved?”

Theo pouted, clearly still upset. Managing just one child was hard enough—how did I end up with two?

“Alright, Stephanie,” I said, thinking quickly. I wasn’t sure if this would work, but it was worth a shot.

“If you behave and act like a proper human, I’ll take you to the market.”

“The market?” Stephanie’s eyes lit up, and even Theo, who had been sulking, perked up with excitement.

Kids really are easy to bribe.

“Yes, the market. There’s so much to see and so many delicious things to eat.”

I’d need Cassius’s permission, of course, but I was willing to use whatever distractions I could find to get these two under control.

“I’ll even buy you some candied fruit and chicken skewers,” I added.

Thanks to Luna, I already knew all the best snacks the market had to offer.

“Candied fruit? Chicken skewers? Humans sell such things? The human world has certainly progressed,” Stephanie said, clearly intrigued.

I had no idea what era of humans she was familiar with, but it was clear I had her attention.

“So, what do you say?”

“This body was always destined to blend with humans. Such a task is nothing for me!”

…Great. I’m so glad to hear that.