TGBAP 19

Ria and Lucian flinched in surprise.

[W-what! Why are you crying?!]

“A handkerchief! A handkerchief!”

Seeing Ria and Lucian fidgeting, Kaiser burst out laughing.

When Lucian tried to wipe his tears with a handkerchief he’d found somewhere, Kaiser stopped him and pulled out a small bottle from his pocket space.

Then he collected his tears into the bottle.

“Wow. Me, crying tears, of all things. Did you know? This is my very first tear.”

Of course, when he was younger than now, he was busy crying every day, but once he gained some reason and his head got bigger, he didn’t cry.

In the first place, there was nothing to cry about, and dragons are a species that is dull to emotions compared to other races, so they tend not to react much to most things.

That’s why a dragon’s tears are precious. Even if it’s nothing but tears, they’re used as ingredients for elixirs.

Especially the tears of an older dragon—their value skyrockets through the roof.

As if he’d never cried at all, Kaiser held up the bottle filled with his tears and hopped around excitedly.

[But why did you suddenly cry? You missed me that much?]

At Ria’s question, Kaiser stopped short and tilted his head.

“Dunno. I don’t know either.”

Question marks floated over Ria and Lucian’s heads.

“Just, for some reason, seeing your face made me incredibly sad.”

At the weighty words, Ria swallowed the retort she’d been about to make.

“And I really missed you all this time! But I’m surprised you’re more fine than I expected.”

[What do you mean, ‘more fine than I expected.’]

“Because you’re a ghost, so I thought you wouldn’t look fine. Like you’d be missing an eyeball, or one arm would be dangling, or your whole body would be rotting, you know?”

The content didn’t match his fresh tone. Lucian went pale, apparently imagining it as he described.

“Pretty.”

[……You and Lucian both keep saying I’m pretty.]

Embarrassing.

“Right?! Ria is super pretty! But she won’t believe it!”

“Huh? You’d know if you looked in the mirror. Whether you’re pretty or not. Of course, it can’t compare to my beauty, but you’re pretty for a human too, you know?”

[Say something that makes sense. Have you ever seen a ghost reflected in a mirror?]

“Ah, you haven’t?”

[Of course not. And even if I can’t see it, it doesn’t get in the way of living.]

Kaiser and Lucian chattered that they were the ones who regretted it more and that they wanted to show Ria her whole face.

“Ah! Lord Kaiser, can you draw? If you’re good at drawing, you can just draw Ria!”

“Hmph, Lucian. This body, you see, does not do such trifling things. Dragons are beings who make other races do things like that for them.”

[That’s a long-winded way to say you can’t draw.]

Maybe he got pricked by Ria’s words, because Kaiser’s shoulders twitched. Then he puffed his cheeks and trembled.

“That was so bad! So bad! You said you’d dote on me! Why do you only say mean things! I’m going to tell Mom!”

[Ugh, a mama’s boy.]

“Ugh. Hey! Have you been saying stuff like that to me all the time?”

When Ria avoided his eyes, Kaiser froze.

He sprawled on the floor again and threw a fit, saying it was too much. Seeing that for the first time, Lucian did a bit of self-reflection.

“……I’m sorry, Ria. I won’t throw tantrums anymore.”

It seems he realized how ugly Kaiser looks when he throws a tantrum. It was an unintended opportunity for Lucian to mature.

* * *

Once the commotion settled down, Kaiser returned to normal. The three sat around the sofa and chatted companionably.

“But seriously, why can you suddenly see her? Can you see other ghosts now too?”

Kaiser said as he crunched on the cookies he’d brought.

[Not that, I think. Last time a few ghosts passed by the mansion, and Lucian couldn’t see them.]

Lucian, who had been cautiously eating cookies while watching Kaiser’s mood, flinched and stiffened.

“Th-there are more ghosts?”

[Yeah. But it’s better not to see them. It’s hard to find a ghost that looks fine like me.]

“So that means you can see ghosts, right?”

[Of course. I’m a ghost too. Look, even now there’s a ghost over there in the distance.]

When Ria pointed to the tree outside the window, Lucian and Kaiser visibly tensed.

After inspecting around the tree, they let out relieved sighs.

“Hey, I don’t see anything.”

[I’m serious.]

There really is a ghost over there. And it’s a female ghost with both arms dangling loose.

Since her energy is strong, other ghosts usually can’t come into the mansion. Even the ghost that had been hovering this way soon headed elsewhere.

“Then that means we can only see Ria. Is there some special reason?”

[Not sure, but I’m sure of this. You both started seeing me after eating the food I made.]

“Come to think of it…….”

“Ah, definitely. The moment I ate the soup, I could hear your voice.”

Both nodded, saying it made sense.

“Maybe your cooking became the medium that connected us.”

[Is that so?]

“Yeah. And you! You can use magic too? I thought you were a strong ghost, so that’s why you could lift things!”

Kaiser’s eyes gleamed, saying a ghost who can use magic is a subject of research.

“And there really wasn’t anyone besides us who saw Ria, right?”

[That’s right.]

If she’d known she could make people see her by feeding them her cooking, she would’ve tried long ago.

But what ghost would think to cook?

This isn’t just coincidence—this happened because Lucian came and her daily life changed.

Ria looked at Lucian, then patted his head. Lucian, not knowing why, just beamed brightly.

Watching that, Kaiser stuck his head out, saying he wanted to be patted too. Ria roughly ruffled his hair and shoved him aside. Kaiser’s eyes turned into triangles.

“How about we do an experiment?”

[An experiment?]

“Yes, checking whether other people can see Ria if they eat Ria’s food.”

“Ohh, that’s a good method. It’s not like you did anything weird to the food, and still seeing you makes no sense—there must be another condition that needs to be met.”

[I don’t care, but are you okay with that?]

“With what?”

“With what?”

[Who are you going to experiment on? There’s no other human here besides you two.]

Facing the most important problem, the two started turning their brains.

“Ah! What about James?”

[The errand runner?]

“Who is James again?”

“There’s a hyung who comes once a month. We give him food Ria made. Then we can check, right?”

[It is…… possible.]

Lucian liked that human James quite a bit, yet he’s so quick to pick him as an experiment subject.

Ria watched Lucian and Kaiser chatter in perfect sync.

They were already thinking up what kind of experiments to do with James.

From what she could tell, that human looked like the type who’s scared of ghosts and all that…….

[Well, will it be fine?]

It’s not like she has to worry about it, and it’s not even certain he’ll be able to see her.

All she could do was pray for his soul, as he became the sacrificial victim of Lucian and Kaiser’s experiment.

Ria quietly prayed for James.

At the same time, James, working in the palace, shivered with an inexplicable chill.

* * *

“Eek! You want me to run an errand?”

When Ria asked him to run an errand, Kaiser recoiled.

[It’s not like you have anything else to do. And you said you’re bored. Go to the village with Lucian and buy some things. I’ll give you money.]

“Hmph! I’ve got money too, you know? And why should I do you a favor! If you’re going to order someone around, order just him!”

Whining in a child’s form was better than when he was in an adult form, but somehow it made him twice as annoying.

It’s like every time you ask him for anything, his mouth spits out “no” first.

“I saw that hand! What is it! If you can hit me, hit me!”

Oops—looks like my hand went up without realizing it.

With his butt stuck out and trembling, he looked so pitiful it made me laugh.

Ria shook her head and pointed at Lucian.

[Lucian has never gone down to the village even once. I’m worried to send him alone. You’re the great dragon, aren’t you?]

Kaiser, who had been folding his arms with a will that he absolutely wouldn’t listen, perked up at those words.

[The world these days is scary. You could run into a pack of stray dogs on the way, kidnappers might show up, someone might scam him…… but if you’re there, nothing dangerous will happen.]

“Khmm, because I’m great……?”

[Yeah. Who could possibly beat a great dragon? If you go with him just this once, from then on Lucian can go and come back alone too.]

Kaiser suppressed the twitching of his mouth and glanced at Lucian. As if to go along with it, Lucian said too.

“Let’s go together, hyung! I’m curious what the village is like!”

At the word “hyung,” the corners of his mouth twitched again. Maybe because their mental ages are similar, the two had, before they knew it, started calling each other brothers.

Since he has no siblings, he especially liked Lucian calling him “hyung.”

No matter how he tried to calm down, seeing how high his lips had climbed made it a matter of time before he fell for it.

“……What do you want me to do.”

Nice.

Ria and Lucian, without realizing it, clenched their fists and sweet-talked Kaiser.

“Just buy everything top-of-the-line, right?”

That would’ve been a disaster if she’d just sent him. She forgot, for a moment, about dragons’ sense of money.

[We don’t need top-of-the-line. Just go to a normal shop and buy it. I’ll give the money to Lucian. After you buy everything you need, with the leftover money, eat whatever you want.]

Seeing her hand Lucian five gold, Kaiser narrowed his eyes.

“What are you trying to do with that, stick it on someone’s nose?”

[Humans don’t blow money like dragons. And when you become a full-grown dragon, you’ll be living it up too, so wouldn’t it be good for you to learn human society starting now?]

“……Tch, fine.”

Kaiser grumbled for only a moment, then hopped in place and returned to his adult form again. Seeing that, Lucian tilted his head.

“Why are you changing your appearance?”

“When I’m a kid, a lot of people look down on me. And my beauty is outstanding, right? If you’re young and also gorgeous, flies gather easily…….”

Kaiser trailed off and looked at Lucian.

Lucian blinked his round golden eyes and looked up cutely.

Skin as white as jade and hair as white as first snow, and even beautiful golden eyes.

Just his hair and eye color alone stand out, but he was quite good-looking besides. Maybe because he’s still young, if you put him in a dress, you’d mistake him for a girl.

Kaiser said to Ria with narrowed eyes.

“I get why you’re worried.”

[Right?]

“Why? What is it? Do I have something on my face?”

“It’s nothing. I think it’d be dangerous if you go out as you are. Not as much as me, but you’re pretty eye-catching too.”

When Kaiser snapped his fingers, mana whipped around Lucian and his appearance changed.

His noticeable hair and eyes changed into ordinary brown, and he put a hat on him so his beauty would be hidden as much as possible.

When Ria showed him a mirror, Lucian’s eyes went wide as he fiddled with his hair and cheeks.

“My appearance changed! Did hyung do it?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s amazing! Hyung is good at magic too! I want to learn magic soon too!”

As Lucian chirped that he’s cool and asked how he could become like him, Kaiser’s mouth twitched again.

Now, Kaiser won’t abandon Lucian and come back.

* * *

[Then, go and come back safely.]

“I’ll tell you what happened after we get back!”

Lucian waved both hands at Ria standing by the doorway, then pattered after Kaiser, who had gone ahead.

Since Kaiser was polymorphed into an adult, their strides were very different.

Seeing Lucian constantly chasing him at a quick pace, Kaiser slowed down a little.

“Lucian, you packed the memo and money properly, right?”

“Of course! I put them safely in my inner pocket!”

“The village isn’t far from here, but it’s still a decent distance, so memorize the way well. From what I hear, it sounds like you’ll have to go back and forth alone later.”

“I can do it by myself! I’m eight now.”

“……Humans are really too young.”

Kaiser tried to recall what he was like at eight, but it was so long ago he didn’t remember much at all.