I'll Stop Regressing and Raise a Baby Dragon - Chapter 26

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 26
“……That can’t be right.”
The first thing I heard was denial.
It was the response I’d anticipated.
They’d known each other for so long, after all.
It was natural to want to believe in that bond.
More than in a legal sibling known for only a month or two.
In that doctor who’d cared for him meticulously since infancy.
‘Of course he’d react the same way.’
I would have, in his place.
“I understand. To be honest, I’m not entirely certain myself.”
“……What made you think there was a connection?”
“That pen.”
“A pen?”
Edward asked back, a note of confusion in his voice.
I nodded and began my explanation in detail.
“When you were talking with that person in front of the Entrance Hall.”
“……Ah, the pen he used to write in his notebook?”
“It’s the same pen everyone at the Research Institute had.”
“…….”
Edward’s expression hardened instantly.
In that brief moment, his mind seemed to race through too many possibilities at once, leaving him visibly disoriented.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. The pen clip is exactly the same.”
A long serpent drawn like a flower around the border, and the moon and sun set side by side in the center.
After I described it in detail, Edward nodded slowly, as if the image had returned to him.
“Yes, I remember it now.”
“Looking at that design, I thought of two possibilities.”
“What are they?”
“That he might belong to the Research Institute.”
“…….”
This time he didn’t deny it—just fell silent.
I watched his expression for a moment, taking my time before continuing.
“And the possibility that it’s a unique design from the company that makes the pens.”
“……You found a reason to doubt it, even in the midst of all this confusion. Clever.”
“I was hoping it would be the second one.”
Edward’s fingers drifted to his mouth, and he bit lightly at his thumbnail—a sign of unease.
Then he closed his eyes tightly and washed his face with his palms a few times.
Exhaling a long breath laden with deep conflict, he answered.
“……The second option probably isn’t the case, though I’d need to look into it more carefully.”
“Do you know something?”
“The pen manufacturers don’t bother putting their company emblem on the clip.”
“Why not?”
“Nobles hate it.”
Just over something like that?
Tilting my head in confusion, Edward elaborated.
“For decades now, there’s been a trend of etching a family’s crest onto pens as gifts.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. A pen with a crest is a high-end custom order, an expensive piece.”
He withdrew a small pen from the inner pocket of his jacket.
It was a sleek black pen with gold plating as an accent.
A single red camellia was carved into the clip.
“It’s a pen my father gave me, engraved with our family crest.”
He carefully returned the pen to his pocket.
“In any case, based on what you’ve told me…….”
Edward paused.
It was as though he didn’t want to say it aloud.
After deliberating for a long moment, he finally continued slowly.
“……It’s possible—truly possible—that Kael might have ties to the Research Institute.”
Tap, tap—
The sound of footsteps striking the floor came in irregular intervals.
With a final tap, Edward rose from his seat.
“I’ll help. I think I need to investigate this person too.”
“Thank you.”
“But I can’t disclose what treatment I provide to this person.”
His refusal was firm, yet his expression seemed troubled.
“I understand. There are things that are difficult to speak about.”
Before he could heap on further excuses, I cut him off smoothly.
Honestly, just hearing him offer to help was already a considerable victory.
‘There’s information to be gleaned from what isn’t said, too.’
Of course, jumping to conclusions too readily was a poor habit, but….
Edward’s troubled countenance.
A doctor named Kael who studied both Medical Department and Magic Study at the Academy.
These circumstantial clues alone were enough to support a hypothesis about Edward’s Magic Inability.
‘Left alone, it’ll surface soon enough.’
If Kael discovered anything suspicious, Edward’s wishes would be irrelevant.
So the best I could do now was refrain from needlessly provoking him.
That way, the odds of winning his cooperation at the crucial moment would be higher.
“Well, if you’re willing to help me even at a loss to yourself, I certainly welcome it.”
I mixed jest with sincerity and smiled.
Edward replied in an awkward tone.
“…You’re incorrigible.”
Despite the sharp edge to his words, his expression was gentle.
The joke I’d made to lighten the mood seemed to have landed well enough.
“Eria.”
“Yes?”
“So, what should I tell Kael for now?”
Right.
I’d said he was coming.
That I’d pull myself together and monitor the situation.
“….”
It was already difficult just to watch.
Could I really manage to converse as if nothing were wrong?
I’d honestly never imagined my mind had grown so fragile as to collapse that easily.
‘No. If anything, now might be the time I have the most reason to be afraid.’
At least now, unlike then, I had something to lose.
The members of the Croiman Family.
People bound only by documents, a family in name alone….
“Eria?”
When no answer came, Edward called my name.
I gripped the bedsheet tightly to hide my trembling hands.
I took a moment to steady myself and ease the tension.
“…I’ll try to talk with him.”
I spoke with a firm voice, steeling my resolve.
***
“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Croiman. I am Dr. Kael.”
Up close, the man seemed younger and smaller than I’d expected.
His unkempt hair was brushed carelessly to one side.
The formal suit he wore was threadbare and worn in places, as if many years had passed.
‘He doesn’t seem to have much money to spare.’
What would happen now that I was seeing him this near?
Would I faint again, and if I did, would I be bedridden for the entire day this time?
I’d worried about everything.
But facing him now, there was only one thought.
My heart was strangely calm.
So much so that I wondered if someone had deliberately excised that fear.
Oddly enough.
‘…For now, the small details can wait.’
First, I should respond to what he said.
“I heard you’re the doctor who helped me. I’m truly grateful.”
She managed a clear, natural laugh.
It came easily, perhaps because she genuinely felt unconcerned.
“Oh, no, not at all. It’s only what any physician would do.”
Kael smiled and smoothed down a tuft of hair that had escaped his head.
He settled hesitantly into the chair Edward had just vacated.
Edward remained standing behind them, watching the two of them.
“Well, as for you, my lady… ah, why won’t this open? My apologies.”
He seized the Leather Bag, its edges worn and frayed, and jabbed at the button repeatedly.
But the bag refused to yield.
Though old, it shouldn’t have been broken.
He’d used the same bag this very morning when he was with Edward.
‘What’s he plotting now?’
She caught Edward’s eye from where he stood behind them.
He raised one eyebrow and shrugged slightly, equally puzzled.
“Is something wrong? Would you like me to help?”
She reached toward the bag with the pretense of innocent concern.
He gave an awkward laugh and drew it back toward himself.
“Ha, no, it’s all right. I’ll simply have to manage without it for now.”
Kael leaned the bag against the wall.
He cleared his throat a few times before venturing to speak.
“Well, Lady Eria… since I cannot use my instruments, might I examine your pulse at close range for a moment?”
So that was what all the fussing had been for.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
Edward stepped in before she could weigh how to refuse.
He moved between them and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Our youngest does tend to be rather reserved with strangers. After what happened today, she clearly needs complete rest.”
He glanced back at her and whispered softly, “That’s all right, isn’t it?”
The smile that accompanied his words was unexpectedly fresh and gentle.
…Well, she was grateful for the help.
But why was he still playing the affectionate older brother now?
“Ah, I see. I apologize for the impertinence.”
Kael fidgeted and bowed respectfully.
He waved his hand in a foolish, bashful laugh.
“No, no! Thank you for your consideration.”
“Then I’ll ask just a few simple questions.”
Kael returned to his seat.
Edward moved back to stand behind him.
“Well, regarding the reason you collapsed, let me explain again…”
He proceeded to drawl on with his standard explanation.
Stress from adapting to the new environment, and so forth and so on.
Nothing particularly important.
She let it go in one ear and out the other, her eyes bright and her head nodding earnestly.
“…which is why the most important thing, as the young master mentioned, is that you get plenty of rest.”
“Oh my, I had no idea things were so difficult for me. Edward and my family have been so kind…”
She covered her mouth with both hands, feigning surprise.
Edward, watching from behind, furrowed his brow and let out a hollow laugh.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————