“Unusual?”

Spinel tilted her head and asked back.

“Her snow-white silver hair and red eyes were not ordinary.”

“You suspected Ceras of being a witch just for that?”

It was so absurd that she felt like laughing.

“Back then, everyone was struggling and exhausted. We needed somewhere to vent our anger. So we blamed everything on the witch.”

Spinel clenched her fist. Her boiling anger seemed ready to explode at any moment.

“Even so, Ceras wouldn’t have died easily.”

No matter how much she lost her ability to use magic, she was still a dragon. She couldn’t have lost to mere humans.

“Yes. She was strong. She easily subdued the villagers.”

“Then why?”

The old woman took a breath and continued.

“When the villagers couldn’t handle her, the lord requested help from outside. Soon after, a knight order from the capital arrived. They were said to be quite famous.”

The rest of the story was predictable. The knight order was strong, and Ceras was eventually killed by human hands.

It was an unbelievable story. Ceras dying at the hands of mere humans? But the old woman didn’t seem to be lying.

“Don’t you think Ceras was a witch?”

At Spinel’s question, the old woman looked at the man lying on the ground and said,

“That child is my son. Fifteen years ago, she saved him when he was dying from illness.”

The old woman’s face was filled with regret as she spoke.

“I don’t think she was a witch. But back then, I couldn’t say that. Everyone believed she was a witch… No, we had to believe that. It was the only way we could cope.”

What a blatant excuse.

Ceras’s judgment was indeed wrong. Humans were nothing but weak, cowardly, and ungrateful creatures.

“I see. You were all ungrateful wretches who dared to forget the kindness shown to you. You and that man over there.”

Looking into Spinel’s cold, sinking eyes, the old woman unconsciously took a step back.

Even though Spinel hadn’t touched her, she felt short of breath. Pressed by the aura emanating from Spinel, the old woman vaguely realized that the woman before her was not human.

“I’m, I’m sorry. Please, at least spare our lives…”

But unfortunately, Spinel was not merciful enough to grant that request. She was different from Ceras, after all.

Spinel burned down the village that had accused Ceras of being a witch. The flames, mirroring her anger, consumed everything.

Watching the blazing flames, Spinel recalled the day she first met Ceras.

‘What will you do with your injured wing?’

On that day when she had left the Red Dragons, Ceras had lost one of her wings. It was a fatal injury for a dragon.

Looking at the torn wing with concern, Ceras, transformed into a human, grinned.

‘It’s okay. I prefer this form anyway. And in this form, I don’t need wings.’

Ceras hid her injury like that. And she treated Spinel’s wounds. Even though her own injury must have been more painful…

‘From now on, you’ll stay here.’

‘Here?’

‘Yes.’

‘Is that okay? I’m useless.’

Those who were rejected in the group were thoroughly abandoned. Spinel, who was clumsy with mana manipulation, was one of the outcast dragons, and she was completely ignored.

But Ceras didn’t do that.

‘Of course. From now on, I’ll be your family. I’ll teach you how to handle magic and how to hunt.’

‘Family? What’s that?’

Red Dragons are born from the fruits of the flame tree. Naturally, there was no such thing as family among dragons.

‘Hmm… Well.’

After pondering for a while, Ceras gave an uncertain answer.

‘Someone who takes care of you so you don’t die?’

‘What… is that.’

‘But, but. You’re not good at hunting or using magic. So from now on, I’ll be your family and teach you! That’s right! From now on, call me big sister!’

Ceras said, clapping her hands in excitement for some reason.

‘What’s a big sister?’

Spinel tilted her head and asked. To her question, Ceras answered with a bright smile.

‘Someone who protects their younger sibling!’

Ceras’s face asking to be called big sister one last time kept flashing in her mind. If only she had called her big sister… If only she had known it would be the last time…

Dragons were beings that lived for eternity. So Spinel vaguely thought that Ceras would be eternal.

Even when she conceived life and lost her power, Spinel never thought that farewell would come so easily.

And she never thought that this sudden farewell would be so sad.

Spinel secluded herself in the mountains for a while. It wasn’t a resting period, but she felt so powerless that she didn’t want to do anything.

***

Once again, the seasons changed several times.

That day too, Spinel was rolling her eyeballs while watching a butterfly fly away from her nest.

Suddenly, with a loud explosion, the startled butterfly fluttered its wings and fled.

Recently, the surroundings had been noisy, and this noise was part of that commotion. To think it was this loud even with the barrier up.

As Spinel was about to get up, irritated, something fell on her head with a thud.

The object rolled down her forehead and fell to the floor.

Thinking it might be an insect, she looked closer and saw it was a human.

How did a human break through the barrier?

Spinel blinked and examined her.

Somehow, she smelled like Ceras.

As she brought her face closer to examine more closely, the human fearlessly touched her skin and then mercilessly poked her eye.

She was truly a rude human.

It was the worst first meeting, bad enough that it wouldn’t have been strange to kill her right there.

“Hahahahaha.”

Spinel burst into laughter at the sight of Ravenne slipping a bug into the Leader’s collar and seizing the opportunity to snatch the sacred object and smash it on the ground.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed like this.

Spinel, who had been laughing so hard she was almost in tears, looked at Ravenne, who was making a sad face while tied up.

She finally understood why she couldn’t kill her.

It was fun being with Ravenne. Just like when she was with Ceras. That’s why she couldn’t kill her.

Spinel spread her wings with the little mana that had returned.

As the ropes binding her body loosened, Spinel regained her freedom and picked her up, leaping high into the air.

Those who saw this sight ran away screaming.

“Ah, a demon! A demon has appeared!”

Below was pure chaos created by stupid humans. It was no longer special, having seen it countless times.

“Spinel, has your mana returned?”

Ravenne asked.

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

“Thank goodness. I really thought I was going to die.”

“Were you worried?”

“Of course.”

To think she chose to risk danger to save her, when she could have simply sided with the humans.

“You’re quite an unusual human too.”

“…Suddenly?”

Ravenne frowned and asked back. She looked annoyed, as if she had been hit on the head by a sudden flying stone.

“More importantly, what are you going to do now?”

“Well.”

It was still too much to use magic as her mana hadn’t fully returned. Well, it wouldn’t be bad to strangle them one by one with her hands.

“What do you think we should do with these stupid humans?”

Ravenne probably wanted revenge on these humans too.

Spinel asked for Ravenne’s opinion, like she was doing her a favor.

***

Looking down, the sight of two legs floating in the air was dizzying.

“Can you put me down first? I have a fear of heights…”

“Ravenne!”

As I was about to close my eyes tightly and ask Spinel to put me down, I heard a voice calling me.

I thought it couldn’t be, but my heart started racing with hope.

I opened my eyes and looked in the direction of the voice.

In the distance, Ilion was running towards us. The horse he was riding stopped below Spinel.

It was an awkward period to call it a long time, but it felt strangely good to see him.

“Who’s that? Is he with the Leader?”

“No… He’s my fiancé.”

“What’s that?”

“A person I’ve agreed to marry.”

Spinel stared intently at Ilion upon hearing my words.

“Hmm… He does look somewhat familiar…”

“Spinel. Can you please put me down?”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll go catch that Leader bastard.”

At my request, Spinel lowered me to the ground and then immediately flew off to find the Leader.

Watching Ilion walk towards me, all sorts of thoughts crossed my mind.

How did he find his way here? Did Bertel call him? If so, that was possible.

He was the one who said he would create a debt for the Celestine family.

I was already worried about his nagging.

No, wait a minute. Come to think of it, I don’t think I did anything wrong? I just got caught up in an accident, that’s all.

“Ravenne…”

“Oh, it’s been a while, Duke. This… well, it’s a long story to explain…”

However, perhaps because the pattern of getting into trouble and being scolded was familiar, just hearing him call my name in a low voice made excuses reflexively pop out.

As I was pondering where to start the story, Ilion took another step closer to me.

“Wait a moment. Let me say in advance that I really didn’t do anything wrong this time…”

My voice, urgently trying to assert my innocence, was swallowed up in his embrace.

“I’m glad you’re safe.”

The arms holding me and his voice were trembling slightly.