A few hours later, on highway between cities…

The carriage carries on along the vast rolling hills and plains. Its wheels let out a steady murmur, and the horses' hooves hypnotically clop against the cut stones beneath. Cycelia is struggling to keep her sleepy emerald eyes open. Her chestnut head drops, and she nods wide awake, over and over again.

「Why don't you just sleep, Lia?」

Straf asks with his arms crossed, watching her head slowly lower again. She doesn't respond.

Snap snap snap.

「Huhwhatwhat?」

Straf snaps his fingers in front of her face, and she mutters out a confused, incoherent string of words. Cycelia's green eyes blink at him. Still sleepy, but wide awake for now.

「Chamomile didn't work?」

With his mouth aslant, he crosses his arms again.

「Huh? Ah… I did go to bed, but…」

She rubs her eyes with her fingers, groggily clicking her tongue in her mouth as she wakes further.

「But? Too stressed you'll flunk the entry exam? Relax, Lia, you're a special dragon princess-」

「Queen.」

Cycelia corrects Straf, with a little pout on her face.

「Right… My point is, your plot armor is thicker than a mountain. You will plow right through the contrived exam with ease.」

「You think so?…」

She meekly asks with her shoulders slumped.

「Yup. You'll top their stupid fucking magic entry exam list, and impress everyone with how special you are. I mean, how many dragon queens are there?」

Straf scoffs, grinning at her, and shrugs his shoulders with his arms crossed.

「Well, if you say so… But that's not the reason I couldn't sleep. I was too excited.」

Cycelia explains, looking into his eyes, and taps her fingers together.

「Wow. Excited to attend a school, huh? I almost forgot, but this is fantasy after all… That, or we're on the rock bottom of the HDI.」

He chuckles, shaking his head a little as he looks out the window at the plains outside. In the distance, a herd of monsters that strongly resemble a boar-sheep hybrid are leisurely ripping away with at the tall grass with their teeth. Their jaws move sideways in a circular motion, almost perfectly in sync with each other. When one of the creatures draws close to another, lightning shoots out from its cloud-like fleece. A bolt arcs between them, and disappears. Afterwards, both of their woolly coats significantly deflate, and the now thinner sheep-boar beasts continue chewing away, like nothing of significance has happened.

「Huh…」

「…Huh? What was that?」

Cycelia tilts her head, blinking forcefully as she tries to parse Straf's sentence.

「A lightning shot out from that sheep thing's fleece-」

「No, I mean, the rock bottom of what? I don't think I caught that…」

She asks with her fatigued eyes narrowed, holding her palm out.

「It's like stats for countries- Tsk. Yeah, I know mine are high…」

Straf clicks his tongue, and waves the thin air away with a quiet grumble. Cycelia's head tilts.

「…Anyway, the richer the country is, Lia, it means it can afford to pay for better score. I have a cheaper solution… I think we should just make our own scoring system, and give ourselves the highest score.」

He shrugs, and spreads his hands before crossing his arms again.

「Huh?… Forget it, I remembered an important issue, Straf.」

She furrows her brows, but then breaks out of her confusion with a shake of her head.

「Yeah? What?」

「Remember what I said about the Federation and Tolwick?」

Cycelia asks, looking intently at Straf. The two stare at each other for a few seconds.

「…No.」

He bluntly replies, after a prolonged pause. She lets out an exasperated sigh.

「Ahh… Tolwick, the mercenary mage, requested to be reinstated in the Mages' Guild. That was his deal with Count Bellatis. The fact that I had done so, and the fact he's my court mage now…」

Cycelia explains again, then begins anxiously twiddling her thumbs as her green eyes escape to the floor.

「…Well, I'm not on the best terms with the Mage Federation right now, Straf. I was hoping they would let it be, after some time, but… Well…」

With her shoulders slumping, she taps her fingers together again, and looks up at Straf's bored face.

「…And they didn't.」

「…Yes.」

Straf says, and Cycelia nods her head in reply. He lets out a large sigh, and looks out the window again.

「I will think of something, Lia. In the worst case, I'll threaten to blow up the school until you get your way, that's always a good trick.」

He nonchalantly shrugs his shoulders, looking at the tall grass racing past.

「Eheheh… Straf, the Academy is surrounded by a barrier, and most of the professors are of a Grand Magus rank…」

Cycelia giggles softly, covering her mouth with a loose fist as her shoulders gently jump up and down.

「You think that'll stop me?」

Straf bluntly asks, staring into her eyes with a serious expression. He casually returns his gaze back to the plains.

Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

She lowers her face, and toys with her medallion in her fingers with a little bashful smile. Suddenly, an urge to yawn overtakes Cycelia, and she covers her mouth with her hand as she does so.

「…You should just sleep if you're tired, Lia. You'll want to be rested for the exam. I think I'll catch a nap until the evening, too.」

Thunk.

Straf says, and lies down on his seat with his arms still crossed. Closing his eyes, he slovenly places his boot on the window.

「Ahh… Well, if you insist…」

She shrugs, and lies down on her side. Cycelia pulls her boots up to the seat, and curls up a little, resting her head on her arm.

「Goodnight, Straf- Well, it's not night yet, but…」

She smiles softly, as her emerald eyes look at Straf's handsome face. His eyes open momentarily to side-glance back at her.

「Yeah, goodnight, Lia…」

He nods, and her smile turns a little more upward. She closes her eyes, and the carriage grows silent, sans the grinding of wheels against the stone below, and the muffled clopping of hooves.

With his eyes closed, Straf lies silently on his back. He waits, and waits, and waits. Many minutes pass, perhaps hours, even…

「…Fffuuck.」

Straf utters out, and lets out a large sigh. He sits back up, and looks at Cycelia's serene, sleeping face. Her chestnut hair is draped over her shoulders like a blanket, while they slowly rise and drop with her calm, slow breaths. Her rosy cheeks match her full, pink, slightly parted lips on her ever-so-slightly freckled face.

「Hm.」

Straf hums quietly, looking at her long, dark eyelashes at her closed eyes. With his arms crossed, he nods a little, grimacing with his mouth left and right.

《…She kind of looks like a painting.》

He thinks, admiring the sleeping dragon queen. Indeed, her beauty is almost unnatural. Her appearance is soft, warm, youthful, but here and there is a sharp and defining feature of her face. As if an idealized, painted-on ethereal figure, yet tangible and right in front of Straf, within his arm's reach.

《…Maybe she should get one already.》

The figure of the young painter girl appears in Straf's mind while he ruminates. He shrugs, and continues watching the landscape rolling past the carriage…

…

A few days ago, in a secret location within one of the beastman territories…

Pigeon cages clutter the dark attic, filling it with their loud cooing. A man sits in a chair besides a table in the corner, and the only source of light is the narrow, open window beside him.

「…In summary… Reposition to the Redwing Kingdom, and investigate the source of the light. In addition, gather intelligence regarding the public opinion on the death of Straf Katastrof Vindict. Thus is her Divine Embodiment's will.」

The man concludes, and looks up at the woman in front of him, cloaked in the attic's grim shadows.

「You got all that?」

He asks, nodding her head up at her.

「Yes.」

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

She taciturnly replies, and nods her hooded head back. The man shrugs, and looks at the small metal box on the table. He opens it, and stuffs the letter into the still-glowing coal embers within.

Clack.

He loudly flips it shut, and turns sideways on his chair, crossing his legs. He casually leans on the table with his elbow.

「Well… Either they hate you, or they really trust you to get this done. I can smuggle you in-」

「I'll get there on my own.」

The woman shuts his suggestion down, as her golden yellow eyes peek out from underneath her hood.

「You sure? Well, if you say so… You should first go see Sparrow in their capital, she should know something about it… And uh, don't walk around there dressed like that. I know it's more convenient, but you'll draw attention.」

He shrugs, then looks at her dark cloak.

「Noted.」

She bluntly shoots back. Her golden eyes stare at him in silence for a few brief moments.

「Alright. Well, go on then. Don't let me keep you.」

The man spreads his arms, and the cloaked woman turns around, walking down the attic stairs with nary a creak of the wood beneath…

…

A few days later, at the coast of the Redwing Kingdom…

A horrible stench of rotting seafood fills the air, and flies buzz everywhere ceaselessly. A thin, tall man approaches with a handful of people trailing behind him, heading towards a short, balding, mustached man.

「Hello, are you this village's guild representative?」

The tall man calls out from behind the balding man. He turns around to face him, and his group.

「Ahh… Yes. Are you from the resolution committee, then?」

The short man asks, appearing visibly troubled as his head swivels back and forth between the tall man, and the gigantic, rotting tentacle near the dirt road.

「That is correct. I've brought a group of workers willing to handle the issue. What has happened here, exactly?」

The tall, thin man asks, and they both look at the oversized, rotting seafood.

「We haven't the slightest clue! This tentacle appeared out of nowhere! The villagers reported a pleasant smell a few days ago, as if someone was grilling an octopus… And then horrible stench of rot! It's making us sick!」

The short man shouts in dismay, pointing his hand at the tentacle, and the villagers wearing cloth masks, hacking away at its flesh piece by piece with axes and other ill-suited tools. Some of them pause to turn away from the mass of rot, and dry-heave.

「I see… Has anything unusual happened in the village, lately? Any other smells? Sounds? Anything suspicious? Anyone suspicious?」

The resolution committee man asks away, as they both look at the tentacle and the villagers trying to clear the issue. A hooded woman behind him abruptly grimaces, and looks at the tall man for a brief moment.

「No! Not at all! We're just a poor fisherman's village! Nothing happens here, usually!… Although…」

「Although?」

「…Although there was a carriage here recently. It looked fancy, or so I've heard. And I've heard rumors the queen and her men stayed at the inn, but I don't know how true that may be.」

The guild representative says, rubbing his obese chin with furrowed brows.

「…I see. I will inquire about it. I've brought a wagon with tools, and these workers here. We should get this job done in a few days, at most.」

The thin man estimates, sizing up the tentacle with his hands on his belt.

「Thank Mercia! My nose would rot off, if we'd have to wait for the flies to do it! Look at them buzz!」

The balding man exhales with relief, and places his hands on his wide, rotund hips as well.

「I'll borrow the villagers, call them over to the wagon.」

The resolution committee man says, and waves his hand to the group for them to follow him. All of them, except the cloaked woman do. The short man whistles with his fingers, and waves his hand at the villagers, pointing them at a nearby wagon full of blades, hacksaws and logging axes. They jog away from the rotting tentacle and the swarm of flies, escaping the smell, if even by a little.

「…I have a question.」

「Ah- Yes?」

The woman says, stepping up. The plump, short man is a little taken aback by her presence.

「…Have you seen a bright, blue light around here, recently? Any rumors of something like this?」

The woman asks, tilting her head. Her golden eyes stare at him intently.

「Ah. Now that you mention it-」

Flapflap.

The man gets distracted when the hood on the woman's head appears to flap on its own. He looks at her face, and she's staring at him with a tight-lipped, nervous expression, appearing worryingly tense and on edge.

「…Now that you mention it, there was something like that, yes. Late at night, my bedroom suddenly lit up as if it was daytime!… And around the same time as that fried octopus smell!」

He thinks, rubbing his fat chin intensely, and his eyes widen in a moment of enlightenment.

「Do you think these two might be connected, young lady!?」

The man asks, looking at her with stunned shock.

「…You mentioned the queen was here? And her men?」

「Yes… But I can't verify those rumors. That's the innkeeper's claim, anyhow… Anything else?」

He asks, looking into her unnerving yellow eyes.

「…No, that's all. Thank you.」

She says, and turns around with a little polite bow of her head, departing towards the village, away from the wagon of tools…

…

Now, in the Redwing Kingdom's capital city, in an inn…

A short haired woman with a baggy cloth hat on her black head sits down at a near-full table, surprising the men at it. Their mirthful laughter quiets down.

「Uh, do we know you, lady?」

One of the men asks, lowering the tankard from his mouth. The men all glance at each other with their brows furrowed.

「…Maybe we'll get to know each other after a few drinks. My treat.」

Clunk.

She says with an unsuitably grim face, and slides the queen's golden coin to the center of the table. The men all grin, and one of them turns to the idle tavern girl behind him.

「Hey! A round of drinks for the table!」

He shouts over his shoulder, and looks back into the woman's yellow eyes.

「Why so generous, lady?」

Thunk.

The man asks, and finishes the rest of his tankard, slamming it down.

「I want to ask you a few things… How do you feel about the death of Straf Katastrof Vindict?」

She asks, staring into the man's eyes. The table goes silent for a few moments.

「…Who?」

「That finance minister guy. Y'know, on the big drake. The grinner.」

The man asks, and another one chimes in.

「Ooohhh, that guy…」「He dead?」

Enlightened, the man nods his head. Yet another man chimes in, asking a question this time.

「…Yeah, he's dead? Since when?」

With furrowed brows, he looks at the man who asked the question, and then turns them to the woman. The entire table looks at her.

「…After the martial tournament. He was ambushed and killed on the road, was he not?」

She asks, glancing nervously at the men staring at her.

「…What?」

The man asks, and they all look at each other.

「Wait, he's dead? Is that why he's on the drake?」

「I thought he was alive…」

「Well, I thought I've seen him not too long ago…」

The men discuss amongst themselves, growing more and more confused.

「…Are you sure he's dead, lady? That don't seem right.」

「Yeah, if he's dead, why's he on the drake? Didn't he lose the tournament? Fuckin' loser.」

「I hope he's dead. I lost three gold 'cause of his shit. Fucker.」

The men grumble and mumble, and then turn their eyes to the woman's. Her golden eyes dart all around, with a nervous grimace on her face.

「…Enjoy your drinks, fellows! I have to go!」

「Huh? But you just…」

Surprised, the man doesn't even get to finish his sentence when the woman is already halfway to the exit.

「…Came here.」

Though he finishes regardless, and shrugs.

「Here's your drinks!」

The tavern girl sets the tankards down, and scoops the gold coin from the center of the table. They look at the one that would have belonged to the mysterious woman.

「I've talked with her, so it's mine-」

「Nah, fuck you, it's closer to me-」

「Hey! You want me to bash your face in!?」

The men stand up, and begin shoving and arguing over the odd drink, loudly shouting over each other…