I Raised A Black Dragon

“Sir Leonard?”

Kyle was not in the bedroom when Noah managed to get out of the steamy bathroom. She thought it had already been thirty minutes, but when she saw his uniform jacket on the chair, he seemed to have not left yet.

Then where did he go? Did he clean up again? 

“There’s no Mu. Where’d he go…?” Noah appeared into the hallway, squeezing the water out of her hair. The corridor, filled with colorful wallpaper and light bulbs, was bright, but cold as it had long been since a person had occupied the mansion. 

…I have a headache. Can I get a good night’s sleep? I’ll have to go out tomorrow even if my eyes are a little heavy. Noah headed toward the stairs to look around the hall, and suddenly heard the sound of conversation coming from afar. Kyle and Muell were coming her way, talking to each other.

“Don’t scare Noah. Your fault is over eighty percent.”

“But since Noah hasn’t come in three days…”

“Why can’t a dragon, whose lifespan is over 5,000 years, wait just three days? Be a little patient, Mu.”

When the little boy grumbled back, he faced the consequence right after. Muell attempted to bite Kyle’s arm, but he pushed away his little head with a commendable swiftness. Not long after, Noah and Kyle’s eyes met. 

As Noah stood before him, staring, Kyle raised his eyebrows “What are you staring at? Let’s go in, quickly.”

“Uh, yes…”

As they entered the dining room, Kyle sat Noah, along with Muell, in front of the table. Soon after, a hot stew and a plate of freshly baked bread were served. Noah mumbled, a little embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to ask for dinner.”

“You said you’d eat it if I cooked.” Kyle spoke as if it wasn’t funny, then pulled out his chair and sat next to her. Noah was a bit surprised, expecting him to sit across her. 

“Why… why?”

“Don’t worry about it. We have half an hour until eight.”

When Noah stared at him wryly, Kyle thrust a spoon in her hand. 

Kyle’s ability to extract a miraculous taste from sloppy ingredients had shone again this time, and as soon as Noah got a spoonful of the stew, her worries and doubts immediately vanished from her mind. Oh, suddenly I feel good. Is this what life feels like? If you eat delicious food, sleep soundly, see and hear only the good things, that’s a good life…!

“Sir, just live with me. I’ll give you twice the salary of an investigator.”

“You still haven’t given up that dream. You should start waking up now.”

“Then teach me how to cook. I’ll make it myself.”

“Alone? Pft.” Kyle laughed dryly at her words, and at the moment she turned her head to rebut, she found a pair of violet eyes, staring.

“……?” Where are you looking at? She tilted her head and took her hand where his gaze was directed. A little below the face, under the chin… Neck?

Then, cold metal touched her fingertips. Only then did she realize. “Oh, the neck.”

Kyle still seemed to be bothered by the chains around my neck. When Noah touched the ball without thinking, her hand immediately recoiled. Kyle quickly grabbed her hand, pressing it down on the table, and spoke in a rather uncomfortable tone. “Don’t touch it. ‘Cause the wound’s going to worsen.”

“Would it hurt?”

Despite his warning, Noah’s other hand instinctively went up to her neck as soon as Kye said there was a wound. Come to think of it, I was washing up and it stung a little around my neck, but…

As her fingers continued to grope around her neck, Kyle, with a slight frown, rose from his seat. He snatched her hand and began to rummage through the drawer next to the bed.

Somehow, it began to get itchy when she heard there was a wound, so Noah scratched her neck again, but a stern warning followed right after.

“Don’t touch it and just continue eating. I’ll put some medicine on you.”

“…That much, Mu?” When she tilted her neck to Muell, who was sitting next to her, drinking warm milk and chewing bread, nodded.

“It’s not bleeding, but it’s red. Does it hurt, Noah?” replied the little boy.

“Just a little tingling.”

“…I don’t like that yellow-haired man.” Muell frowned. Noah filled his mouth with bread lest he would say he wanted to kill him again. In the meantime, Kyle, who had taken a medicine bottle from somewhere, sat next to her.

“You have twenty minutes to eat, Miss Noah. I’ll go right after twenty minutes.”

“…It’s so sad that I can’t live. Go if you’re going. I can sleep alone.” Noah grumbled, picking up the spoon again, and stirred the stew. She was about to scoop up the stew and take it to her mouth, but a warm hand grazed her throat.

“……!” She almost dropped the spoon.