Right after my audience with King Lycas, instead of returning to the mansion, I boarded the carriage prepared at the royal castle by His Highness Chronos—no, rather, by the royal family.

……

As expected of a carriage meant for royalty, both its exterior and interior were astonishingly luxurious, with intricate patterns and railings crafted with the utmost detail. Needless to say, the ride quality was also top-notch, making the carriage arranged by the academy before seem like a mere toy in comparison.

"The journey to the Arestel mountain range will take time. You haven't slept, have you? Even just a little, close your eyes and rest your body until we arrive."

His Highness entered the carriage with a practiced ease, took a seat across from me, and kindly made the suggestion. However, I couldn't possibly sleep in front of someone of higher status, as that would be disrespectful. Besides, I didn’t have the nerve to fall asleep so soon after everything that had happened. More than that, I simply didn’t feel like I could sleep at all. My mind was in utter turmoil, unable to settle down.

—I haven’t even been able to process the situation.

The scene from the audience chamber replayed in my mind. To put it simply, King Lycas had told me, "Go and meet the time dragon." Even at that moment, I hadn't fully grasped what that meant. In other words… what exactly was going on?

—Let’s try to sort this out.

More than anything, the reason for my confusion boiled down to that single phrase: time dragon.

The time dragon—one of the seven dragons that look down upon the world, a transcendent being governing time. Recorded sightings of it exist in only one ancient document. It was said that the dragon once soared across the sky before vanishing beyond the distant horizon. Even its lesser offshoots, its subordinate dragons and remnants, left behind no traces whatsoever. Compared to other dragons, documentation and sightings of it were exceedingly rare. What connection could such a dragon possibly have with this kingdom?

—The people of the time dragon… was that what he said?

The phrase was entirely unfamiliar to me, but from the sound of it, it likely referred to those who had served the time dragon since ancient times.

—Could the Chronostaria royal family be their descendants?

Their family name, their bloodline magic, both had elements that suggested a connection to the time dragon. But I had never heard of the Chronostaria Kingdom being a nation that served a dragon.

Other nations worshiped dragons and revered them, that much I had heard. But the people of Chronostaria had no such customs, and the royal family had never shown any indication of it.

—This is about as far as I can get on my own.

Rather than continuing to struggle with my thoughts, the fastest way to get answers was to ask the person in front of me—someone who undoubtedly knew more about the situation. I met the gaze of His Highness Chronos, who was still considerate of my well-being.

"…Your Highness, may I ask for a proper explanation?"

"…Yes, I suppose I should explain before you try to sleep."

The previously lighthearted atmosphere shifted as His Highness adopted a serious expression. If I was going to rest, I needed to hear what I needed to hear first. As he spoke, the carriage began to move.

"Now, where should I start… My father was so shaken that he ended up telling you what to do without properly explaining anything first."

Recalling the previous scene, His Highness grimaced as if he had swallowed something bitter. And as he continued, my suspicions were confirmed.

The Chronostaria royal family had indeed served and worshiped the time dragon for ages—long before the kingdom was even founded. They had made a covenant with the time dragon, receiving a portion of its power over time in return for their devotion. With that power, they had built their kingdom and thrived. However, only the royal family and a select few were aware of this truth, due to the terms of the covenant itself.

"The time dragon desires nothing more than peace and solitude, wanting only to immerse itself in its hobbies. So we, the people of the time dragon, erased all traces of our master from history to fulfill that wish. And for generations, we have kept that truth hidden."

"…"

Hearing His Highness reveal the details of an ancient covenant with a transcendent being left me speechless. Dragons, as always, had an incomprehensible way of thinking. At the same time, I couldn't help but wonder—was it really okay for him to reveal such an incredible secret to someone like me? Had I just stepped into something I could never walk away from?

But more than anything—

"So we're about to go visit a shut-in dragon?"

"That’s right."

The idea of visiting a dragon that had erased all traces of itself and commanded its own people to do the same was almost surreal.

"To think a dragon has been living atop the uncharted labyrinthine mines scattered across the Arestel mountain range…"

It was surprising—or perhaps I should say absurd—that it lived so close by. It wasn’t even that far from here.

The round trip alone would take a full day. Factoring in the climb, it would take at least two days to meet this dragon. Conversely, that meant I could meet a dragon—a supposedly unreachable being—in just two days.

—I find that hard to believe.

Even though it was the king himself who had said it, I couldn't help but remain skeptical.

"Sigh…"

With that, our conversation paused. I turned my gaze to the carriage window. The sky was clear, as if the 's appearance yesterday had been nothing but a lie. The carriage rolled along smoothly beneath that serene sky.

—But why would the time dragon want to meet me?

I recalled King Lycas’s words.

I wasn’t of Chronostaria blood, nor had I ever met the time dragon. Why summon an outsider in a crisis involving its own people?

Admittedly, that damn lizard had called me out along with the people of the time dragon and declared the Dragon Slayer War, so I wasn’t completely uninvolved…

—I don’t get it…

Just hearing the word "dragon" made me feel disgusted, thanks to that bastard. I had come to believe that all dragons were the same—just varying degrees of troublesome beings. And after listening to His Highness’s explanation, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the time dragon was no different. I held back my thoughts out of respect for His Highness and his master, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure how much I could trust this time dragon.

"Sigh…"

In the end, I was running in circles. I stopped thinking and leaned back against my seat. Seeing this, His Highness seemed to assume I was exhausted.

"For now, just rest. There’s no need to worry about me."

He repeated his earlier words.

I had gotten the explanation I needed, and I had managed to organize my thoughts to some extent. I was calmer now, but—

"…Alright, I’ll do that."

Even so, I didn’t feel like sleeping.

Still, I nodded in response to His Highness's words and at least pretended to sleep. If I didn’t, he would probably keep worrying about me.