I'll Stop Regressing and Raise a Baby Dragon - Chapter 36

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 36
“Oh, Kai.”
I turned to him hurriedly.
The expression on Kai’s face as he watched quietly wasn’t good at all.
Had we been talking just between ourselves too much?
Feeling oddly sorry, I met his gaze steadily and waited for him to speak.
“Come watch me train sometime.”
After waiting a moment, what came out was simpler than I’d expected.
Now that I thought about it, I’d never actually watched Luke or Kai train before.
I nodded without hesitation.
“I will.”
“……And?”
“Huh?”
Was there something else he wanted me to say?
Unsure, I rolled my eyes and tilted my head, looking at him curiously.
Kai watched that expression silently for a moment.
“……Never mind.”
He breathed out those few words softly and followed Liliana.
“What was that?”
Wait, could it be……
Was that what he wanted to hear?
“Kai!”
I called out his name belatedly and hurried after the two of them.
How could their strides be so fast?
The gap widened dramatically in just that brief moment.
Kai didn’t answer aloud, but he turned his head to look at me.
He covered his mouth with his palm so Liliana wouldn’t see.
I drew close enough to him and whispered softly by his ear.
“You’re the most impressive to me.”
“……What?”
I stepped back and examined him carefully.
His cheeks and ears flushed deeper and deeper with color.
A dry swallow travelled down his throat without his consent.
His soft lips trembled in response.
His eyes wavered uncertainly, unable to hide what lay beneath.
It was the clear, innocent reaction of a child unaccustomed to praise.
Seeing that lovely face wearing such evident embarrassment,
‘So that’s what he wanted to hear after all.’
I felt my own spirits lift at having read his heart so well.
“……Really?”
“Of course.”
I answered at once, without a moment’s hesitation.
Though, to be honest……
Kai was less impressive than he was cute, if anything.
But if he preferred hearing that he was impressive, I could say it to him as many times as he liked.
“Now let’s hurry to the Captain.”
At those words, Kai broke into a wide smile and gripped my hand tightly.
Kai’s smile really was the best sight of all.
***
After we arrived at the Research Facility that Luke managed alone,
I exchanged light farewells with Liliana and stepped inside.
“Pardon our intrusion.”
As if he already knew we were coming, Luke was standing near the door.
“Eria. Kai. Thank you for coming all this way.”
“Not at all! Thank you for waiting for us.”
“This way, then.”
We took our seats in the chairs Luke indicated, one after the other.
The interior of the Research Facility was staggeringly vast.
I’d never seen an indoor space larger than this before.
‘It’s nothing compared to that research center.’
It makes sense, given that the nation officially supports this foundation.
The interior was divided into two distinct sections.
This room we’re in now is a consultation space that opens immediately after entering through the door.
Bookshelves holding various documents, a desk, and several chairs were arranged inside.
The consultation room itself wasn’t particularly spacious.
Maybe a fifth of the total area?
The remaining four-fifths was a wide, empty expanse.
Between the consultation room and that space, a transparent glass barrier had been installed.
“As I mentioned before, today we’ll be conducting Black Magic research and measuring Kai’s abilities.”
Luke began his explanation, gesturing toward the empty space across from us.
“The measurement will take place over there.”
“I just sit here the whole time, then?”
“That’s right.”
Luke walked up to the glass barrier and tapped it several times.
“This glass serves as a protective device of sorts, so don’t go any further than this.”
“I’ll just watch quietly.”
“Let’s start with the Black Magic research first.”
Luke pulled out paper and a pen from the bookshelf.
Then he sat across from me and Kai, beginning to ask me questions.
“Do you remember any incantations or Magic Circle patterns?”
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, but I have some vague recollection.”
He handed me the pen.
I tried hard to draw what I could remember as accurately as possible.
“…What exactly is this drawing?”
“It’s not a drawing—it’s a character.”
“I see. Is it an umbrella, then?”
“…No.”
I’d just discovered yet another field where I had utterly no talent whatsoever.
Luke stared intently at my sketch, analyzing it for quite some time.
But nothing significant came to light.
“I apologize. I simply can’t make sense of it.”
Finally uttering those words, he subtly pushed the paper away.
As if an apology could fix everything.
My heart felt utterly torn to shreds.
“Eria. It’s all right.”
Kai, who’d been wearing a serious expression beside me, took my hand.
“The Duke must have misread it. It was obviously a roof, not an umbrella.”
I’m sorry, Kai.
‘It wasn’t a roof either.’
Bitter words lodging in my throat, condemning all three of us.
But speaking would only hurt, so I let it go.
“Let’s forget about the drawing.”
I snatched up the discarded paper and folded it repeatedly.
Then I tossed it into a bin near the desk.
Only then did Kai seem to realize something was wrong, his eyes widening.
His trembling hand reached out toward me in anxious uncertainty.
It was already too late.
I kept my gaze fixed on Luke instead, explaining in words rather than showing him.
Luke pulled out fresh paper and sketched as he listened, nodding along.
“Something like this?”
Once I’d finished my explanation, the drawing he showed me was—
“…Almost exactly right.”
Perfect, without fault.
Luke pressed his lips together tightly and carefully pinned the drawing to the wall.
…
An awkward silence hung in the room.
Somehow I felt it was all my fault, and my heart grew twice as heavy.
“Um, do you perhaps have any other questions?”
I forced out words to break the uncomfortable atmosphere.
Luke immediately settled back into his seat and continued the conversation.
“Right. The second characteristic is…….”
What Luke had been curious about was the trait of Black Magic that only Kai could sense.
Since it was a difficult question to answer directly, Kai had fielded most of them.
Luke then asked about the Black Magic he’d seen at the illegal Research Facility in the past.
By the time Kai had answered question after question in succession.
“In a case like this, we might find a solution faster than expected.”
An unexpectedly hopeful remark emerged.
“Really?”
“Yes. Based solely on the characteristics you’ve described so far.”
Luke sprang from his chair and strode purposefully toward the bookshelf.
He ran his eyes across the volumes, then withdrew a particularly thick tome.
“What’s written here bears a certain resemblance to it.”
Thud.
With a dull sound, the book was set upon the table.
“It’s one of the few Ancient Texts. It should prove useful.”
“Is this the same book from that Censorship Incident you mentioned before?”
“It’s far older than that.”
Luke flipped the book open with a rustle.
Incomprehensible script covered the pages.
He couldn’t tell which country had produced it.
But it was certain it hadn’t been written in the Empire.
“This section. And here too.”
Absorbed in his work, he murmured to himself as he cross-referenced the book against his notes.
Watching him, I felt an inexplicable unease.
“If this book is discovered, will they confiscate it?”
“I’d consider myself fortunate if confiscation is all they do.”
There was no doubt—he meant every word.
Seized by sudden alarm, I lowered my voice and asked him.
“Then why is it here instead of at the Kroiman Residence……?”
“Because it’s in the Magic Tower, not at the residence, we can preserve it.”
“But what if the next Archmage discovers it?”
“I’m banking on Edward to look after it well.”
The curse hasn’t even been lifted yet, and he’s already counting on that.
Though, come to think of it, that’s reasonable enough.
Since the Magic Tower’s founding in the Empire’s early days.
Every Archmage, from the first to the present, has been from House Kroiman.
Those born into Kroiman possess overwhelming talent as a consequence.
In the end, talent is everything.
Magic, and art alike.
“If you get stuck on anything, ask me.”
Luke folded the papers he’d written so far in half.
Then he tucked them into the last page he’d opened and closed the book.
“Yes. I’ll tell you everything I can remember.”
“Right then, Kai.”
He rose from his chair, calling to Kai.
Without hesitation, he walked toward the glass barrier.
Whoosh.
He passed straight through it into the vast space beyond.
“Eria. I’ll be back soon.”
Kai smiled softly, placing my hand against his cheek.
……Watching that, I found myself unable to protest.
In the end, I exhaled a slight sigh and stroked his cheek.
“Do well out there.”
It was an unspoken signal to obey most any instruction given.
My heart wasn’t in it, but the Mark left me no choice.
“Then.”
Understanding as much, Kai smiled broadly and rose to his feet.
Then, with remarkable speed, he leapt into the barrier.

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