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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Dragon Who Saw a Ghost
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Hah-!
He inhaled sharply and blinked. The ceiling was familiar.
“Haa, a dream…”
Realizing it was a dream, Lucian wiped his face. Just then, an unfamiliar face that hadn't been there a moment ago popped into view.
“Oh? You're really awake?”
“……?”
Lucian was too stunned to react. Perhaps five seconds passed like that.
Aaaaaah!
Lucian's scream echoed throughout the mansion.
Startled, Kaizareu recoiled like a puffed-up cat. On the first floor, Ria, who had been preparing a restorative meal, was so surprised she shot up through the floor.
[What is it?! What's wrong!]
“R-Ria! Who is that?”
The moment Lucian saw Ria, he scrambled into her arms.
[Ah, did Kaizareu startle you?]
“Kai… zareu…?”
Now that he looked closer, the man named Kaizareu seemed familiar.
Meanwhile, Kaizareu could only watch in bewilderment as Lucian, lying strangely in mid-air, muttered to himself as if talking to someone.
Just then, the stone slate began to float in the air and write something.
“Ria, what are you doing?”
[Kaizareu can't see me, so I have to talk like this.]
-Did you wake him up?
Unlike her gentle tone, the words written on the slate were not so gentle. Of course, Kaizareu had no way of knowing the difference.
“No, he was all better but wouldn't wake up… More importantly, what's with him? Don't tell me… he can see you?”
When Ria shook the slate up and down, Kaizareu's eyes widened.
“No way! He can see a ghost? I want to see too!”
Kaizareu's eyes glinted uncomfortably as he moved in close.
Lucian flinched, and Ria hugged him tightly, wary of Kaizareu.
Though she pushed the slate forward to block him, Kaizareu ignored it and shoved his face right in front of Lucian's.
“Hey! Kid!”
*Smack-!*
The moment Kaizareu opened his mouth, Ria slammed the slate down on his head. Unable to dodge in time, Kaizareu clutched his head.
“Ouch! Why'd you hit me! You said you'd be nice to me too!”
-You were making Lucian uncomfortable. And what's with 'kid'?! He has a proper name, Lucian!
“Sheesh… What does it matter what I call him!”
Lucian glanced back and forth between the writing on Ria's slate and Kaizareu. Because Ria had to write, the conversation wasn't very smooth.
Lucian poked Ria's arm.
“Should I relay your words for you?”
[No, it's fine. This is good enough for him.]
“But it's still inconvenient.”
*Hmm, he's not wrong…*
*But if he relays my words exactly as I think them, that'll be inconvenient in its own way.*
While Ria was pondering, Kaizareu, having noticed that Lucian was not only seeing but also talking to Ria, snorted.
“So you really can see her! Kid—ah, no, Lucion! How in the world do you see that ghost?”
“...It's Lucian, not Lucion.”
“Huh? Ah, sorry, sorry. So, Lucian, you can see that ghost, right?”
“...Yes. But aren't you scared, even though you know Ria is a ghost?”
“Ria? Is that the ghost's name?”
“Yes, it is.”
This time, Kaizareu pouted, as if displeased about something else.
“When I kept asking for your name, you said you didn't have one. Are you playing favorites now? Doting on him just because he's your groom? I've known you for 250 years longer than him!”
[That damn lizard is at it again.]
“T-Two hundred and fifty years…?”
Unlike Ria, who just clicked her tongue, Lucian felt his mind reel at the enormous number.
Lucian gaped and pointed at Kaizareu, so Ria explained.
[He's a 295-year-old hatchling. A Red Dragon.]
“A d-dragon? Dragons are real?”
*He loves fairy tales so much, yet he thought dragons didn't exist?*
“What, what? What did the ghost say just now?”
“She said that you… that you're a Red Dragon.”
“Ahem! Yes, I am the great Lord Kaizareu of the Red Dragon clan! Bow before me, you insignificant human!”
[You can just ignore him. He's not an adult dragon yet, so he's immature.]
“He's still a child?”
[He is a child. A little brat. Ah, this mouth of mine.]
Ria smacked her own mouth, and Kaizareu, who had no idea what was going on, threw a fit, asking if they were having a fun conversation without him.
[By the way, Kaizareu was the one who saved and healed you yesterday. You don't hurt anywhere now, do you?]
Only then did Lucian realize how light his body felt. His scraped and bleeding knee was perfectly fine without a single scar, and the soles of his feet, which had been a mess from thorns and stones, were smooth.
Moreover, though his throat had been hoarse from calling for Ria yesterday, his voice now came out as clear as a nightingale's.
When Lucian looked at Kaizareu, the dragon looked down at him with his arms crossed and a sullen expression.
Lucian moved out of Ria's arms and bowed deeply.
“Thank you for saving me, Lord Kaizareu.”
*Flinch.*
Kaizareu shuddered. For some reason, he grew restless and couldn't respond right away.
To Ria, he looked embarrassed.
“A-Ahem! As long as you're grateful, that's enough…!”
*He really is weak to praise. She had a feeling that if he were in his dragon form, his tail would be wagging all over the place.*
“And I was the one who named Ria. She said she didn't have a name, so I named her ‘Ria’.”
“Really? So she really didn't have a name. Ah, what a shame! Why didn't I think of giving her a name? If I had, I would've given her a much cooler one!”
“Did you have one in mind?”
“Elizabethrudiondairian…!”
[Rejected. Too long and tacky.]
“She says it's too long and tacky.”
Kaizareu froze in shock.
“How could you! To reject a name given by me! You ghost…! No, is it Ria now?”
[Sigh, when will that lizard ever grow up? His mother must be exhausted.]
Ria shook her head, then clamped a hand over Lucian's mouth as he was about to relay her words.
[You don't have to tell him everything. If you did, the whole mansion might get blown away.]
“Then what should I tell him?”
[Hmm… you decide. Just leave out the parts where I'm cursing.]
*Looking at that innocent face, she felt she couldn't swear at Kaizareu anymore.*
[I was in the middle of making breakfast, so let's go to the kitchen. You must be hungry since you missed dinner last night, right?]
“Yes, I'm hungry.”
[I'll make you something delicious right away.]
Ria went first, followed by Lucian, and finally Kaizareu, who called out to them as he trailed behind.
“It's amazing no matter how I look at it. You can really see Ria, huh? Could you always see ghosts?”
“No. Ria is the first ghost I've ever seen.”
“Huh? No way. If you can see Ria, shouldn't you be able to see other ghosts too?”
“But I can't. And from what Ria said, I couldn't see her from the beginning either.”
“Then how did you come to see her? Did she use some kind of magic?”
“Not really. I just thought that I wanted to see Ria, and then I could.”
At his words, both Kaizareu and Ria stopped in their tracks to stare at him.
Ria also didn't know how Lucian had become able to see her.
*She had just assumed it was because their souls were connected somehow, but was that not it?*
“Then why can't I? I want to see Ria too!”
Kaizareu started whining again. Unlike Ria, who was appalled, Lucian was too kind and indulged his whining.
*Looking at them, it seemed like their ages should be swapped.*
[Gross. Why is he whining in that form of all things? Lucian, tell that creep to please change into a different form.]
“Um… Lord Kaizareu, Ria says… you're being gross and that you should change your form.”
“What's wrong with my current form? It's a polymorph that perfectly captures my gorgeous self.”
[It's only worth looking at if the face matches the actions.]
“She says it's only worth looking at if the face matches the actions.”
“...Tch. That's the same thing my mom says.”
[What. So he's been nagged about this before.]
Grumbling, Kaizareu snapped his fingers. His form changed from a man in his twenties to a boy Lucian's age.
Lucian's eyes widened as he stared at Kaizareu, who was now at his eye level.
“What are you looking at?”
Of course, only his appearance had changed; the person inside was still the same.
***
“I was wondering what that delicious smell was…”
Kaizareu looked around the kitchen, where cooking was in full swing, with a dumbfounded expression.
“Lord Kaizareu, have you eaten?”
“Huh? Ah, well…”
When Kaizareu hesitated, unable to answer, Ria explained.
[Lucian, he doesn't need to eat.]
“Huh? Why not?”
“What's Ria saying now?”
“She says you don't need to eat.”
“She's not wrong… but that's strangely annoying.”
[What's there to be annoyed about? I'm just stating a fact.]
“You knew how to do this all along and never once made me a meal?”
Kaizareu puffed out his cheeks, looking hurt. Since he was in the form of a child like Lucian, it didn't feel as out of place as before.
“Lucian, don't you think that's cruel? I've been in this mansion for over 250 years and I've never once been offered a meal.”
[Lucian, just ignore him. He's the type to say human food is insignificant and doesn't suit his palate anyway.]
Lucian looked confused, unsure of who to believe. Meanwhile, Ria plated some food and handed it to him.
Since he'd been fasting for nearly half a day, she gave him some soup to warm his stomach and some soft bread.
Instead of saying thank you, Lucian just stared at his plate.
“Lord Kaizareu, would you like some?”
Then he pushed his own plate toward Kaizareu. Kaizareu was taken aback, and Ria was dumbfounded.
“You said you've never had Ria's cooking before. Her food is the best! There's nothing she makes that isn't delicious!”
“Ahem! If you insist…”
[He can't even manage a simple 'thank you'… Lucian, you really don't have to give him any.]
“But it's nice to eat together.”
[Sigh, you good-natured boy.]
Ria shook her head and dished up another serving for Lucian.
Kaizareu was already eating the food Lucian had given him.
He savored the food with a blank expression, then continued to move his spoon without a word.
Seeing him quietly devouring it, Lucian grinned.
“It's good, right?”
“Well… it's edible.”
Kaizareu's cheeks flushed slightly. Seeing his satisfaction, Lucian beamed as if he were even happier, and started to eat as well.
As always, Lucian's lips curved into a bright smile.
“It's delicious today too, Ria!”
[I made it without your help this time. Does it suit your taste? Not too salty or bland?]
For a moment, Kaizareu's hand twitched.
“Yes, it seems you can get it just right without me now. I wish you could eat with us, Ria.”
[It's fine. I can't even smell it. Besides, I don't even know what 'delicious' feels like.]
Lucian and Ria looked at each other and giggled. But then, he felt a piercing gaze.
When he turned his head, his eyes met Kaizareu's.
*‘Huh? Our eyes met? I feel like I've experienced this before… some kind of déjà vu…'*
“Wha- Whaaaaa!”
As Kaizareu shrieked, Lucian, who was eating soup, choked, and Ria flinched back.
“*Cough!* *Keck!* Wh-what's wrong?”
[What's with him now?]
Kaizareu fell from his chair and looked up at Ria with a dazed expression. Something was definitely strange.
Feeling like she'd experienced this once before, Ria tilted her head and approached him.
[…Don't tell me, you can see me?]
With a blank face, Kaizareu nodded. Ria's and Lucian's eyes widened as they stared at each other.
“Wow! Can you really see Ria? How?”
[But… how is this happening?]
*What kind of miracle was this? Kaizareu, who had never even seen her silhouette or heard her voice, could suddenly see her?*
*It was so sudden, and it wasn't like they'd done anything special…*
Just then, something caught Ria's eye. It was the food Kaizareu had been eating.
Lucian had also started seeing her after eating the food she gave him.
Of course, Lucian hadn't seen her the instant he ate her food, but if they were to find a commonality between the two, it was that they had both eaten food she had made.
“Wow… wow… wow!”
Kaizareu, who had been repeating "wow," shot up from his seat with a shout.
Kaizareu strode over to Ria and looked up at her.
“...So you're Ria.”
His green eyes seemed to waver. Just as she wondered what was happening, a clear tear rolled down from his eye.
